United States: After a stunning pandemic rebound, the U.S. economy wasn’t enough to keep a Democrat in the White House. Now, with many economic winds at his back, Donald Trump is returning, ready to tackle the nation’s financial future.  

While the economy isn’t perfect, he’s positioned himself as the answer to its biggest challenges, and all eyes are on him as voters await his next move. 

Essential things like shelter, childcare, health care and many others remain unreasonably costly leaving so many families fuming — something Trump effectively tapped on during the campaign as he spoke under a massive “Trump will make it better!” billboard. He has pledged to reduce energy prices by half within his first year of his term and release more housing stock by deporting millions of immigrants from the country. 

However, the general inflation rates of many of the basic goods and services that people use daily have started to decline while comparing to worker’s income, they have even gone higher than the prevailing inflation rates. The rate of the annual increase in consumer prices has been significantly below 3% for months hovering slightly above the Fed’s target rate of 2 % after inflation hit a high of 9.1% in June 2022. 

But February’s 2.9% reading is the latest evidence that the final stretch of the inflation journey can be rugged. 

As reported by the NBC News, price gains have risen after they reached 2.4% in September, the lowest level since February 2021 in the Biden administration’s final months.  

The food inflation arrived at 13.39 percent in July after increasing every month since August last year and has stabilized after importing significantly last year. Indeed, after having trumpeted high grocery prices incessantly on the campaign trail, Trump conceded after the election that it would be “very hard” to get them down farther. 

Heating oil prices provided 40% of inflation’s increases last month, even though heating oil is still a tad cheaper than it was a year ago. The increase was led primarily by gasoline and fuel oil during a period when electricity costs are expected to rise by an average of 8.9%, due to higher heating expenses for homes. 

This is rather counterintuitive, however, that attempts to keep inflation subdued could be threatened by the ongoing resilience in the labor market and the economy as a whole. 

United States: In his newly unveiled inauguration portrait, President-elect Trump sends a powerful message: calm, confident, and defiant. The image, strikingly similar to his infamous mugshot from the Georgia election interference case, captures a steely, unsmiling Trump—quietly triumphant.  

Unlike the earlier mugshot, where his eyes blazed with rage, this portrait exudes a sense of victory, as though he’s overcome every attempt to bring him down. A bold visual statement of resilience as he steps into his new role. 

As reported by CNN, the theatrics imply that after the victory on Monday, Trump is set to escalate his authoritarian nature in a way that will further the argument that a president who has always thought he was above the law will behave like a king. 

But it’s not the only path open to Trump. And maybe not the best for the political realm, or the need a fractured nation may have in terms of healing. 

It will be noted that only once in the history of the United States did a president-elect have the opportunity possessed by only one former president, Grover Cleveland, to begin anew in a second term. 

Re-elected presidents bring new members into their Cabinet and new issues called agendas which include legislative and foreign policies. But inevitably, the scandals, simmering political battles and unsolved crises from the first four years bleed over – one reason why second terms can be such a slog for exhausted administrations. 

But Trump goes back to the White House after four-year absence and has the opportunity to build a brand-new governing team, chart a new course and analyze lessons from the past. But instead of being a second term, it’s closer to bearing all the scars of another first term. 

Trump’s inaugural address just after noon on Monday may just help provide answers to some of the issues that would characterize the coming years. What will he use his do-over for? Will it be more “American Carnage?” Or will he attempt to cover the whole political spectrum, and write a new constitution? 

Trump has political capital that can now be invested. 

Moreover, Trump has other assets that can help him become a better president the second time, if he is elected. 

He is coming to power with a new governing coalition after winning minorities, working-class and youths, thereby bringing away voters’ base from the Democratic party. Trump has also added a new MAGA wing – composed of tech moguls who have followed a trail blazed by Tesla and X’s Elon Musk, who donated millions to elect Trump. 

United States: A brutal wave of wintry weather has swept across the U.S., fueled by the polar vortex, bringing snowstorms, freezing temperatures, and chaos. Early January’s storm was so intense that seven states declared emergencies, flights were grounded, and one New York area saw nearly 6.25 feet of snow in just 24 hours. 

 As Arctic air lingers through mid-January, the Midwest, Appalachians, and Atlantic Seaboard brace for even more snow and freezing temperatures. 

What is the polar vortex? 

The polar vortex also known as the arctic polar vortex is a counter clockwise whipping mass of strong westerly winds which form above the North Pole and encircle a vast source of very cold air during winter. 

As reported by BBC, the higher the winds, the more effective is isolation of air inside from warmer locations and temperatures. When the vortex is strong the, the polar front jet stream moves northward to confine the cold air to the arctic region. 

Still, when this stable scenario is disrupted, it can lead to an extreme cold wave at middle latitudes that includes the US region. When the vortex is not very strong, the bands of winds transform from circular ring to a wavy pattern that goes further south.  

This releases cold weather otherwise locked at the pole to the further south.  

Some years the polar vortex does not affect the mid latitudes weather but when they cross paths the results are severe. 

The 04 – 07 January cold outbreak and the one that extend through 16 are technically fragments of the polar vortex, says Brett Anderson, senior meteorologist at AccuWeather to BBC.  

“[It’s] like a large chunk of ice that breaks off of a glacier and then drifts with the current down to the south – current known as jet stream winds.”  

Is there anyway climate change impacts the polar viper?  

So, it still remains in debate as to whether climate change will impact the polar vortex itself, according to Amy Butler, an atmospheric scientist at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and a specialist of the polar vortex. But there are a number of factors that make it very difficult to prophesy whether polar vortexes will increase or decrease in the future.