US Beef Prices Climb as 21 Million Vote Early and Carrier Heads to Gulf

Grocery bills are still biting at the same time voting is accelerating. Ground beef hit $6.79 per pound last month, which the Bureau of Labor Statistics says is up 85% over a decade, and overall grocery prices continue to climb as labor costs, tariffs and energy prices tied to the Iran conflict push them higher. Eggs dropped to $2.27 a dozen from a record $6.23 in March 2025, butter averaged $3.96 in September after a 17.3% year-over-year decline blamed on oversupply, and coffee remains 44% above where it stood two years ago even after tariffs came off.

Voting, meanwhile, is moving fast. The University of Florida's Election Lab reports nearly 21 million Americans have cast ballots by mail or in person, with the total rising about 2 million in one day. Saige Miller noted early turnout in key battleground states is running well ahead of the last midterm cycle, but warned against reading early figures as a forecast of final results. Democrats are voting early at higher rates than Republicans, who tend to turn out on Election Day, and unaffiliated voters are participating as well.

A federal judge in California has restricted pre-election field operations by the Department of Homeland Security, which says the work aims to identify noncitizens who allegedly voted illegally in nine states.

On the military front, a third aircraft carrier is heading to the region and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth recently met Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Israel. A person briefed on U.S. and Israeli war planning told NPR the two countries are preparing for a possible attack on Iran after the Nov. 3 midterm elections, and Greg Myre said President Trump will likely weigh action after the vote to avoid a jump in oil prices before voters go to the polls. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said his country is ready for both diplomacy and war, and Tehran is demanding formal control of the Strait of Hormuz and the withdrawal of U.S. troops from the region.

A federal magistrate judge ruled that Trump must sit for a deposition in his $10 billion defamation case against the BBC and must comply with court rules or face sanctions. The suit concerns a Panorama broadcast from late October 2024 that allegedly edited his Jan. 6 speech. David Folkenflik said it is unclear whether Trump will appear, since he earlier canceled citing "matters of national importance" and proposed January instead. The BBC apologized for the splicing and is seeking details on how Trump has profited since returning to the White House.