May 12 (Reuters) – U.S. consumer inflation increased further in April, with the annual rate posting its largest gain in three years, heightening political risks for President Donald Trump and his Republican party ahead of November’s midterm elections.

The back-to-back rises in the Consumer Price Index reported by the Labor Department on Tuesday, reflected strong gains in the costs of energy products amid the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran. ‌

Food prices surged last month and inflation also spilled over to the services sector, with higher rental costs and airfares.

Trump won re-election in 2024 in large part because of his promise to reduce inflation, but Americans have soured on his handling of the economy and many blame him for the pain at the pump.

Rising inflation outpaced wage gains for the first time in three years, and underscored the financial strain on households.

With no end in sight to the conflict, economists warned prices would continue to push higher and broaden in the months ahead.

Trump on Monday proposed reducing the 18.4-cent federal gasoline tax to lower prices at the pump.

“Prices are going up everywhere you look and families everywhere are struggling to keep up,” said Janelle Jones, a visiting senior fellow at the Century Foundation.

“Measures like suspending the gas tax will provide short-term relief, but it’s robbing Peter to pay Paul. What families really need is an ⁠end to this war and leaders that are committed to ending the affordability crisis.”

The CPI increased 0.6% last month after surging 0.9% in March, the Labor Department’s Bureau of Labor Statistics said.

Economists polled by Reuters had forecast the CPI rising 0.6%. Estimates ranged from a 0.4% gain to a 0.9% increase.

The moderation after posting the largest increase since June 2022 was mechanical. Oil prices shot above $100 a barrel in March following strikes against Iran, before pulling back to still-high levels after a ceasefire in early April.

While the conflict’s impact was immediately reflected in more expensive gasoline, diesel and jet fuel, economists said the second-round effects were around the corner, including for goods trucked by road. Shipping disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz are straining supply chains.

A 3.8% increase in energy prices accounted for more than 40% of the rise in the CPI last month.

That followed a 10.9% jump in March. Gasoline prices rose 5.4% after a record 21.2% surge in March. Other motor fuels, which include diesel, increased 17.0%.

Consumers also paid higher prices for electricity amid strong demand from data centers to power artificial intelligence.

Food prices accelerated 0.5% after being unchanged in March.

Grocery store inflation shot up 0.7%, the largest increase since August 2022.

Beef prices increased 2.7%, the most since November 2024. Coffee prices rose 2.0%.

Fruits and vegetable prices climbed 1.8% while nonalcoholic beverages cost 1.1% more. There were also strong increases in the prices of dairy and eggs.

Yoweri Museveni has been sworn in for his seventh term as President of Uganda on May 12, 2026, at the Kololo Independence Grounds in Kampala, following his victory in the January 2026 elections.

Museveni won with 71.65 percent of the vote, defeating his main challenger, 43-year-old Bobi Wine, who received 24.72 percent of the vote, according to the official results.

The 81-year-old leader took his oath for another five-year term, continuing his tenure as one of Africa’s longest-serving leaders.

Museveni, born 1944 in Mbarra district area of Uganda has served as president since 1986.

• Image of South Korea flag

South Korea is set to roll out a second batch of cash assistance for the bottom 70 percent of income earners in an effort to ease financial strain caused by rising fuel prices amid the war in the Middle East.

According to officials on Monday, the National Assembly approved a 26.2 trillion-won (17.8 billion dollars) supplementary budget bill to address the economic fallout from the Middle East conflict, including the introduction of the cash assistance plan.

Under the first programme launched in April, the government handed out up to 600,000 won to recipients of basic livelihood security and other vulnerable groups.

The government will begin accepting applications next Monday for the second round of the assistance programme.

Eligible individuals living in the broader Seoul area will receive 100,000 won, while those in areas with declining populations may receive up to 250,000 won each.

Assistance eligibility will be determined by a household’s national health insurance payment in March this year.

For single-person households, those who paid 130,000 won or less will be eligible.In terms of annual income, a single-person household earning 43.4 million won or less per year is expected to qualify for the assistance programme.

A welfare ministry official, however, noted that eligibility will primarily be based on national health insurance payments.