Gas tax holiday: How much will drivers in different states save?

President Biden is calling on Congress to suspend the federal gas tax through the end of September.

It's not clear how much of the 18.4 cents in tax savings will be passed along to consumers.

One report that looked at state gas holidays found up to 72% of savings were passed on to consumers.

President Joe Biden called on Congress to suspend the federal gas tax through the end of September “to give Americans a little extra breathing room” as they face soaring gas prices. If there is a gas tax "holiday," how much would U.S. drivers see in savings?

The federal gas tax is imposed on refiners such as Exxon Mobile and Chevron, which means any savings from a tax holiday would trickle down to consumers instead of going into effect directly at the pump. The tax is 18.4 cents per gallon on gasoline and 24.4 cents per gallon on diesel fuel.

Calculating costs for your summer road trip? Here's how to save ...

Experts stress that traveling light and planning ahead can save money.

Plan routes and drive times to avoid congestion and wasting fuel idly in gridlock.

If you're crossing state lines, gas apps can compare varying prices.

Drivers are facing record-high gas prices this year, but that isn’t stopping travelers like Jacob Becker from hitting the road.

The 21-year-old from Des Moines, Iowa, tries to do a major outing at least once a year. Last year’s road trip to Canada was canceled after Becker contracted COVID-19, and he was determined to not let another slip by. So despite the pain at the pump, Becker and a friend traveled more than 1,000 miles to Montreal in May.

Gas prices up: US average gasoline prices jump to record high ...

The average U.S. gas price hit a record high Tuesday – and then Wednesday, and again Thursday. Experts say these record-high prices won't last forever, but drivers shouldn't expect the pain at the pump to ease any time soon.

The average price for regular gas in the U.S. reached $4.42 per gallon on Thursday, according to AAA. Diesel prices also hit a record $5.56 per gallon.

This week's prices beat the previous record set in early March, after Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine. Adjusted for inflation, however, gas prices have yet to surpass the 2008 record, which would be more than $5 per gallon today.

The rising prices at the pump are compounding inflationary pressures for U.S. consumers. Inflation rates hit a 40-year high in March after the consumer price index jumped 8.5% annually.

“We should get used to higher gasoline prices,” Matt Smith, an analyst with data analytics firm Kpler, told USA TODAY. “We shouldn’t expect to see them dropping back to $2 a gallon. Those times seem to have passed.”

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When will gas prices go down?

Gas prices aren’t expected to ease back to pre-pandemic levels any time soon.

“There’s little, if any, good news about fuel prices heading into summer," Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy, said in a Tuesday news release.

De Haan added that prices "could become worse" if hurricane season, which starts next month in the Atlantic, hurts refinery capacity.

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Are gas prices still rising?

Smith of Kpler said prices will likely continue to hold above $4 per gallon, and noted that $5 per gallon is “by no means beyond the realms of possibility.”

“Gasoline prices will remain high as long as oil prices remain in the triple digits,” he said. “It’s going to hit the pocketbook far harder.”

Claudio Galimberti, senior vice president of analysis at research company Rystad Energy, said demand is keeping gas prices high, but that could change if inflationary pressures worsen.

"Even at these elevated levels, prices are somewhat sustainable. The problem that I see, really, is the inflation," he said. "That can actually decrease demand and eventually prices."

Why did gas prices jump overnight?

Crude oil prices began to spike last week after the European Union signaled that it was looking to sanction Russian oil. In response, West Texas Intermediate prices at times soared past $110 as the market factored in the risk of oil supplies tightening further.

“We haven't seen oil prices that high since Russia first invaded Ukraine,” AAA spokesperson Devin Gladden said. “And so as a result of last week's crude price increases, we're now seeing pump prices follow suit this week.”

The benchmark oil price settled at $105.71 Wednesday.

De Haan said gasoline and diesel prices are "spiraling out of control" as demand continues to outpace supply.

"Liquid fuels have turned into liquid gold," he said in the release. "Russia’s oil increasingly remains out of the market, crimping supply while demand rebounds ahead of the summer driving season.”

Where are the highest gas prices in the US?

Here are the highest regular gas prices per gallon in the U.S. as of Thursday, per AAA:

California: $5.85

Hawaii: $5.31

Nevada: $5.12

Washington: $4.91

Oregon: $4.88

Alaska: $4.81

Illinois: $4.80

Arizona: $4.70

Washington, D.C.: $4.70

New York: $4.66

You can follow USA TODAY reporter Bailey Schulz on Twitter @bailey_schulz and subscribe to our free Daily Money newsletter here for personal finance tips and business news every Monday through Friday.

Travel July Fourth weekend could get ugly. Here are 5 ways to ...

Flight cancellations, high gas prices and inflation have already soured countless vacations this summer.

With no quick fixes in sight and nearly 48 million Americans planning to travel at least 50 miles from home this Independence Day weekend, according to AAA, the holiday weekend could feel extra long in more ways than one. Setting expectations now and planning ahead can help ease the blow of spending more time and money on the trip than planned months ago.

Here are five things travelers should know before heading to the airport or hitting the road for the Fourth of July and beyond.

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1. Arrive at the airport even earlier than usual

The Transportation Security Administration and airlines recommend passengers arrive at airports at least two hours early for domestic flights and three hours early for international flights on a regular basis.

Even more time is needed to navigate airports and get through security around holidays, but that's especially true now that "revenge travelers" are finally taking trips they put off during the pandemic. TSA screened 2.45 million travelers last Friday. That's the most for any day since February 2020, before COVID-19 shut leisure travel down.

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2. Know rights and benefits when flights are canceled or delayed

Travelers should check their flight status well before leaving for the airport. If their flight is canceled for any reason or "significantly delayed" and they choose not to take a different flight, airline customers are entitled to full refunds per Department of Transportation guidelines.

Some airlines may offer travelers who stick with them meal vouchers or hotel stays, depending on the circumstances of the disruption, but they're not required to refund incidental expenses.

Tickets purchased with a credit card may have some trip protection benefits built-in. Travelers should check with their credit card companies instead of assuming they have to eat all the costs out of pocket.

Travel insurance also covers extra expenses due to cancellations and unexpected delays, but it may be too late to purchase last-minute coverage for this weekend.

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3. Pack essentials in carry-on luggage

When flights are delayed or luggage gets lost, the last thing travelers need is to be without necessities like medication or even diapers and phone chargers. Pack essentials in carry-on bags in case waits at the airport go longer than planned.

4. Plan to spend more money, especially on gas

The price of gasoline may be ticking down, but it's still high. Thursday's national average was $4.86 per gallon of regular unleaded, according to AAA. That's less than the $4.94 average a week earlier but significantly more than drivers paid over Memorial Day weekend, when the national average was $4.60.

Just over 50% of respondents surveyed by the travel planning site The Vacationer say gas prices will affect their July Fourth travel plans. And gas prices aren't the only thing going up. Inflation is touching just about everything in travel and elsewhere.

Where to find cheap gas: Sheetz lowers gas prices to $3.99 a gallon through July 4

Pain at the pump:Federal gas tax holiday aims to ease prices, but how much would drivers save?

5. Hit the road early

Roads will be busiest Thursday and Friday afternoon and evening, as well as Saturday afternoon, according to transportation analysis provider INRIX and AAA.

Traffic is expected to be light all day Sunday and Monday. Travelers who can't wait until then should aim to drive during off peak hours:

Thursday: Before 7 a.m. or after 8 p.m.

Friday: Before 10 a.m. or after 9 p.m.

Saturday: Before noon or after 7 p.m.

July Fourth travel:The best and worst times to leave for your road trip

Lyft paused ride-sharing during COVID; offers :'Wait and Save' rides

How much is your time worth?

Would you be willing to wait an extra five or 10 minutes for a Lyft car to pick you up if you could save $3 to $8 on your fare?

Lyft, which paused its ride carpool program that bunched up riders to save on fares, due to COVID-19, announced a new program Tuesday, "Wait & Save."

In the program, "riders can opt for a longer wait time but pay a lower fare than for a Standard ride, while drivers earn the same as they do for a Standard ride," Lyft says.

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What the company wouldn't answer were the two most obvious questions: How much will I save, and how much longer will it take for the car to arrive? A few minutes? An hour? A day?

Lyft spokesman Zachary Kizer declined all, saying the prices and times varied by market and time of day.

So we gave it a test ride in our Lyft app, typing in popular locations like the Los Angeles airport (3 miles from our home) and farther away places like the Hollywood Walk of Fame (25 miles), Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills (18 miles), the Santa Monica Pier (17 miles) and the San Pedro, California, boat terminal (17 miles).

The airport savings was $3, with $8 off the ride to Hollywood, $6 less for the rides to the Pier and Rodeo Drive, and $4 discount off driving to the boat terminal.

The average longer wait for the driver to arrive was six minutes, but then we didn't test during peak times, but instead on a Tuesday morning.

On the blog post, Lyft says that riders who choose Wait & Save "will always pay less than they would for a standard Lyft ride, and typically the longer they need to wait, the more they will save. This allows for the rider to be matched with the best-located driver."

Lyft says the program is rolling out and should be in 90 cities within the week. However, that's just a fraction of the 644 cities Lyft operates in, in the United States and Canada.

Rival Uber also temporarily closed its shared-ride program, and a spot check of the app Tuesday shows no replacement for it with something like "Wait & Save."

Since the COVID crisis, Lyft says rides to and from essential locations like supermarkets, convenience stores, police stations, drugstores, pharmacies, laundromats and banks have increased over 100%.

Follow USA TODAY's Jefferson Graham (@jeffersongraham) on Twitter

Gas tax hikes pile up: States like New Jersey need road repair ...

Americans who want to stay socially distant during the COVID-19 pandemic now have another reason to think twice before going out for gas.

Several states have increased gas taxes in recent months to make up for sudden shortfalls in revenue devoted to road repairs. As Americans drive less during the pandemic due partly to social distancing and remote work arrangements, gasoline demand has fallen. That's one key factor triggering the tax increases as lawmakers seek to limit the impact of lower revenue on road repair budgets.

INew Jersey drivers are the latest to spend more at the pump because of higher taxes. On Thursday, the state's fuel tax increases from 30.9 cents to 40.2 cents for gasoline and from 34.9 cents to 44.2 cents for diesel fuel — to generate enough money to support the state's Transportation Trust Fund under a 2016 law signed by former Gov. Chris Christie.

Supporters say the increases, most of which were triggered automatically due to existing laws like New Jersey's, are necessary to keep transportation infrastructure in good shape.

Critics say the gas-tax increases are poorly timed and will hurt low-income drivers at a time when they are more likely to be facing unemployment, reduced hours or pay cuts.

Gasoline demand is currently about 15% lower than usual, according to oil analysts.

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The good news for motorists is this: They’re currently saving at the pump because the COVID-19 pandemic has caused the economy to slow, pushing down demand and prices for petroleum and gasoline, which is made from crude oil. The national average price of gasoline was $2.18 a gallon on Tuesday, down 49 cents from a year earlier, according to AAA.

“Gas prices are low, and so that presents a big opportunity for politicians that are looking at very grim (revenue) numbers,” said Patrick DeHaan, head of petroleum analysis for GasBuddy.

New York City resident Adam Librot, who used to fuel up his SUV when he drove across the river to go shopping in New Jersey, is upset about the state’s plan to increase its gas tax by 9.3 cents, not including the federal levy.

“This is the latest in a string of disincentives to go to New Jersey,” he said.

But Librot said he does not expect many locals to notice the tax increase because people typically blame fuel increases on oil companies.

“It’s embedded in the price,” Librot said of the gas tax. “It’s hidden from sight, so unless you’re aware of it when the flurry of articles come out, it’s gone from the headlines and you don’t feel the tax itself.”

The states averaged 36.4 cents per gallon in gas taxes and fees as of July 1, according to the American Petroleum Institute. The federal tax of 18.4 cents, which is added to the state taxes, hasn't changed since 1993.

Recent increases have included Virginia (5 cents), Nebraska (3.9 cents), California (3.2 cents), South Carolina (2 cents) and Illinois (0.7 cents). Increases on Oct. 1 include Alabama (2 cents).

Oil Price Information Service analyst Tom Kloza predicted that more hikes will follow since gasoline demand will remain around 85% of normal demand for the foreseeable future.

“We think there will be a ton of them,” Kloza said. “Most of them are going to come after the election, (taking effect) Jan. 1 or July 1 of next year.”

The problem is that while the gas tax increases are likely to fund tens or hundreds of millions of dollars in road repairs, they won’t make up for a projected $5 billion loss in revenue due to declining gasoline demand, DeHaan said.

“It’s hard to quantify as a windfall because so many of these states have just been decimated,” he said. “It’s akin to putting a Band-Aid on a gaping bullet hole in the middle of your chest.”

Still, lawmakers need to consider the economic burden of gas tax increases during the pandemic, said Ulrik C. Boesen, senior policy analyst at the Tax Foundation, a Washington-based think tank.

“That being said, gas taxes pay for our roads, and it is appropriate that the people who use the roads pay for the roads,” Boesen said in an email. “But even though 36 states have raised gas taxes over the last decade, currently, there are very few states that raise enough money from transportation-related taxes to cover transportation-related expenses.”

As a result, lawmakers are expected to look to other sources, such as general fund revenue, to help pay for road repairs.

“If gas taxes aren’t raising enough revenue, taxpayers are simply funding the roads through other taxes,” Boesen said.

Contributing: Ashley Balcerzak, NorthJersey.com

Follow USA TODAY reporter Nathan Bomey on Twitter @NathanBomey.

Chicken shortage 2021: Chicken wings, breasts scarce at restaurants

Has chicken flown the coop?

The nation's chicken wars and cravings for comfort food during the pandemic have made poultry so scarce and expensive that some restaurants are limiting or running out of chicken sandwiches, wings and tenders. Others are considering changes to menus and promotions.

Heavy winter storms took a larger bite out of supply. While some restaurants have not been able to meet demand, it's unclear if and how the low supplies will affect consumers in the grocery store.

The poultry industry is tamping down growing alarm over a chicken shortage with National Chicken Council spokesman Tom Super saying there was a “very tight supply but short of a shortage.”

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“Yes, supply is somewhat tight, but the sky certainly isn’t falling," Super told USA TODAY. “Chicken producers are doing everything they can to overcome the devastating impact of Mother Nature when she inflicted the once-in-a-lifetime winter storm on Texas and nearby states – major chicken producing regions.”

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, broilers – chickens raised for meat – slaughter was down 4% in the first quarter of 2021, with pounds produced down 3%. Production began picking back up in early April, Super said, and there's been an increase in production over the past month.

Broilers slaughtered the week ending April 10 were up 4% compared to last year, the USDA data showed. They were up 7% for the week ending April 24 and the week ending May 1 was up 2%.

Super said the chicken sandwich wars led to an increased demand for breast meat –McDonald's, KFC, Wendy's and Chick-fil-A have recently added new sandwiches, and Burger King and Taco Bell plan to add new sandwiches later in the year. But he added the past year alone has shown the U.S. appetite for wings is "pandemic proof."

"Wings travel well and hold up during delivery conditions. Plus, they aligned with consumer desire for comfort food during the pandemic," he said. "Chicken production remained steady in 2020, and as long as people are sitting around watching TV and maybe drinking a beer, wings will remain in the game."

Wings, like any other food commodity, can fluctuate dramatically in price over the course of the year. Typically, wing prices reach their highest point in the weeks leading up to the Super Bowl, then decline thereafter.

Super said producers are working to meet the growing demand for chicken products. But with demand so high, even small gaps in the supply of wings can cause big fluctuations in price.

Menu changes and higher prices

Some restaurants across the country have had to cut wings and certain specials from the menu or adjust prices higher to meet the market.

Buffalo Wild Wings said on Twitter Thursday that many of its sports bars have a limited supply.

"We’re working to get more in stock and encourage you to try some of our other items like boneless wings, hand-breaded chicken sandwiches or burgers," the chain said in a tweet responding to a customer who asked if it was out of chicken.

Last week, Bojangles tweeted it was "experiencing a system-wide shortage :( But they will be back soon!" when one customer couldn't find Chicken Supremes. Bojangles didn't immediately respond to USA TODAY's request for comment Thursday for an update.

And the high prices are causing some restaurants to make changes and plan for the future.

O’Brien’s Pub in Newport, Rhode Island canceled its weekly Monday Night Wing Night until further notice because the unexpected shortfall in supply would cause the pub to sell the discounted wings at a loss.

“We knew it was coming, but it was really abrupt. I mean Monday Night Wing Night is just a staple, and it's really a difficult pill to swallow,” Kerrie Philbin, the pub’s general manager, told Newport Daily News, part of the USA TODAY Network.

Dianne Dulac, co-owner of the Pub at 2 Mile Corner in Middletown, Rhode Island, said her pub could consider removing wings from their online and takeout menus if wing prices increase to a certain threshold so they can keep up with the cost through in-house beverage and other food sales.

“It's definitely something that we're anticipating,” Dulac told the Newport Daily News. “There's just really no light at the end of the tunnel. Actually, as the weeks go by, it's progressively getting worse. It's getting tougher and tougher.”

Super said the industry produces tens of billions of wings annually, and producers are working to add millions more.

“As chicken production begins to resume back to a more normal pace of output in the coming months, and there is a better supply/demand ratio, the market tightness should ease,” he said.

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Contributing: Kelly Powers, Salisbury Daily Times; Savana Dunning, Newport Daily News; Associated Press

Follow USA TODAY reporter Kelly Tyko on Twitter: @KellyTyko

Stores drop masks for fully vaccinated after CDC says no masks ...

Retailers started announcing changes to face mask policies for fully vaccinated customers a day after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued new masking guidelines.

Trader Joe's, Walmart, Sam's Club, Costco and Publix were among the first to confirm updates to mask requirements, leading the way for mask-free shopping, though customers who live in areas that have state or local mask requirements may still have to wear them – regardless of vaccination status. In some cases, vaccinated store employees can also go to work without a mask.

Some retailers, including Apple, have said they are still evaluating the CDC guidance but say they could update policies.

McDonald's and Office Depot confirmed to USA TODAY Thursday that they were updating policies.

McDonald’s said restaurant crew and managers will still wear face coverings while working in restaurants, but starting Friday, May 21, "masks will be optional for fully vaccinated customers unless required by local regulation, while social distancing and protective barriers in restaurants will remain in place."

Office Depot's update is for fully vaccinated customers and employees except where mandates still exist.

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Spring mask wars:As stores update COVID mask policies, are even more conflicts on the horizon?

Walgreens and Dollar General updated their policies Wednesday.

"Following the latest CDC guidance, beginning today, May 19, Walgreens will no longer require fully vaccinated customers to wear face coverings inside of our stores, unless mandated by state or local regulations," Walgreens spokesperson Emily Hartwig-Mekstan said in a statement to USA TODAY. "Customers who are not fully vaccinated are asked to continue wearing face coverings, and our team members will continue to wear them while working."

Except in areas with mask mandates, Dollar General said it "will not require fully-vaccinated employees, customers and vendors to wear facial coverings or masks" but added that all others are "encouraged to continue wearing face coverings."

Macy's said in a statement to USA TODAY Tuesday that "facial coverings are recommended but not required for vaccinated customers in all Macy’s, Inc. store locations, except where state or local mandates require them."

Best Buy updated its policy on face coverings Tuesday and said fully vaccinated customers and employees "are no longer required to wear face coverings in our stores, except where otherwise mandated by state or local order." Fully vaccinated employees working in customers' homes still are required to wear masks.

Lowe's said starting Wednesday it "will align with the CDC’s new guidance unless required differently by state or local ordinances." Home Depot updated its policy Monday.

Target announced Monday that it would no longer require vaccinated customers and employees to wear masks, effective immediately, except where required by local or state mandate. CVS and Kohl's also announced masks would not be required for vaccinated customers starting Monday.

Starbucks updated its policy to make masks "optional for vaccinated customers beginning Monday, May 17, unless local regulations require them by law."

So far, businesses have said proof of the vaccine won't need to be shown and will be on the honor system.

Publix's mask update started Saturday and is for fully vaccinated shoppers and workers.

"In accordance with CDC guidelines, individuals who are not fully vaccinated are required to use face coverings over their noses and mouths while inside any Publix store," the grocery store chain said in a statement Friday.

Bloomberg reported Friday night that Apple stores would continue to require masks and follow other COVID-19 procedures as the company evaluates health and safety measures. Apple was one of the first retailers to require masks.

The CDC said Thursday that fully vaccinated Americans, for the most part, no longer need to wear masks indoors and don’t have to wear masks outdoors, even in crowded spaces.

But privately owned businesses can still require masks; most of the nation's largest retailers began mask mandates last summer. There are other exceptions for when the CDC recommends masks, such as in health care settings, transportation hubs such as airports and stations, planes and public transportation.

Ride-share riders and drivers still must adhere to the mask requirement, and Uber and Lyft told USA TODAY that their mask policies are still in effect.

"Uber's mask requirement remains in place. We continue to ask that riders and drivers wear a mask over their nose and mouth during the entire trip and that riders sit in the back seat," Andrew Hasbun, Uber's head of safety communications, said in a statement to USA TODAY. "Drivers can still cancel the trip if a rider isn't wearing a mask."

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Conflicts at businesses and viral videos of shoppers' tirades erupted amid the coronavirus pandemic. The CDC advised stores not to argue with angry anti-mask customers.

Lisa LaBruno, senior executive vice president at the Retail Industry Leaders Association, said in a statement that the CDC guidance "creates ambiguity for retailers because it fails to fully align with state and local orders."

LaBruno urged customers to follow safety protocols, including wearing a mask and social distancing.

"Front-line workers deserve this respect. Retailers encourage customers that do not want to wear a mask to shop online or via curbside pickup offerings," LaBruno said.

No masks for vaccinated customers

Some exceptions apply, including in states and cities that have local mandates.

Stores still requiring masks

Don't forget your mask:Masks still required for now at Walgreens and more stores, but retailers review new CDC mask guidance

Albertsons

Apple

J.C. Penney

Winn-Dixie

These lists will be updated as more retailers decide whether or not to update mask policies or share plans.

Many of us are allowed to take off our masks:Why some of us don't want to

Florida theme parks change masking rules:Universal Orlando, Disney World drop mask requirement outdoors, but visitors still must wear them on rides, indoors

Contributing: Adrianna Rodriguez, USA TODAY; Jane Musgrave, Palm Beach Post; Emily DeLetter, Cincinnati Enquirer

Follow USA TODAY reporter Kelly Tyko on Twitter: @KellyTyko

Lane Bryant, Ann Taylor owner files for bankruptcy amid COVID-19 ...

The parent company of Lane Bryant, Ann Taylor and the Justice tween brand has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, a move spurred by the COVID-19 pandemic.

New Jersey-based Ascena Retail Group, which also operates Ann Taylor Loft, Catherines, Lou & Grey and Cacique, plans to "reduce their store fleet from approximately 2,800 stores to approximately 1,200 stores," the company said in court records Thursday. The planned closures are a 56% "reduction in the total store fleet."

The company said in the bankruptcy filing that it plans to shutter all of its Catherines plus-size stores and "intends to transition Justice to a primarily online platform and continue Lou & Grey within go-forward LOFT stores."

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Like other apparel retailers with a heavy commitment to shopping malls, Ascena was grappling with declining foot traffic long before the coronavirus pandemic. It joins a rapidly growing list of retailers that have stumbled into bankruptcy amid the wreckage of COVID-19, which temporarily shuttered non-essential stores due to health concerns.

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Justice store closures:600-plus locations to shutter as part of Ascena Retail Group bankruptcy. See the list

“The meaningful progress we have made driving sustainable growth, improving our operating margins and strengthening our financial foundation has been severely disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic," Carrie Teffner, interim executive chair, said in the release. "As a result, we took a strategic step forward today to protect the future of the business for all of our stakeholders.”

The company says it has nearly 40,000 employees.

According to frequently asked questions posted on Ascena's restructuring website, the final number of store closings "will be determined based on the ability of Ascena and our landlords to reach agreement on sustainable lease structures."

The closing sales are expected to last 30 to 60 days from "the filing date depending on the store location," Ascena said.

Catherines store closings:Plus-size retailer to permanently close all of its stores in bankruptcy. See the list.

Ann Taylor and Loft store closings:These locations will shutter as part of Ascena bankruptcy

Court records show that SB360 Capital Partners will manage Catherines' going-out-of-business liquidation sales as well as the closing sales at its sister brands. SB360 managed Charlotte Russe's 2019 liquidation and is currently handling Modell's Sporting Goods' closing sales.

“Because of the compelling discounts and the highly desirable merchandise, we expect this will be a short sale across all stores,” said Aaron Miller, SB360 executive vice president, in a statement. “Customers are encouraged to shop early while quantities last as many of their favorite styles may go quickly.”

As many as 25,000 stores could shutter this year as businesses continue to feel the impacts of the pandemic, according to a recent report from Coresight Research.

Brooks Brothers, Lucky Brand, J.C. Penney, Neiman Marcus, Sur La Table and J. Crew have all filed for Chapter 11 since May.

Other retailers that haven't filed for bankruptcy also plan to shutter locations, including Victoria's Secret, Nordstrom and Signet Jewelers, parent company of Kay, Zales and Jared. This week, Tailored Brands, parent company of Men's Wearhouse, said it will close up to 500 stores.

Ascena started a "fleet optimization" program in 2017 and closed nearly 900 stores. In 2019, the company closed its nearly 650 Dressbarn stores and also sold Maurices, its other value brand.

Teffner said in a May 28 business update, that COVID-19 "significantly disrupted our business" and reduced earnings.

"With retail stores making up the majority of our revenue and cash flow, the uncertainty created by COVID-19 requires us to evaluate all options available to protect the business and its stakeholders,” Teffner said in May.

Call shopping malls survive?:Coronavirus pandemic calls experiential model into question

Tailored Brands store closings:Up to 500 store closures planned by Men's Wearhouse, Jos. A. Bank owner

Contributing: Nathan Bomey.

Follow USA TODAY reporter Kelly Tyko on Twitter: @KellyTyko

Gas prices are high and rising. What can Biden do to lower costs?

Editor's note: This story was originally published on March 2 and was updated Wednesday with new information.

President Joe Biden has warned that defending freedom in Ukraine will cost Americans, and many are starting to feel the pinch at the pump.

The national average price for gasoline hit $4.252 a gallon on Wednesday, up from $3.656 March 2, according to AAA. The average nationwide price Wednesday was up 52% from a year ago.


101-year-old ex-guard from Nazi camp convicted by German court

A 101-year-old man believed to be a former concentration camp guard was convicted by a German court of being an accessory to 3,518 counts of murder.

The man, identified only as Josef S. due to Germany’s strict privacy laws, was sentenced Tuesday to five years in prison by The Neuruppin Regional Court, according to The New York Times. He's believed to be the oldest living person to be tried on charges from the Holocaust era.

Josef S denied the allegations that he worked as an SS guard at the Sachsenhausen concentration camp, north of Berlin, from 1942 to 1945. Despite being convicted, prosecutors were unable to directly link him to the deaths of the prisoners.

A lawyer for the man said he would appeal the decision if the authorities attempt to send him to prison, according to The New York Times. It is also unclear if he'd get a medical commission clearing for his health that'd allow him to face confinement. The man claimed he worked as a farm laborer during the time convicted but it was determined that he aided in the murder machinery of the Nazis.

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"You willingly supported this mass extermination with your activity," presiding Judge Udo Lechtermann said. "The court has come to the conclusion that, contrary to what you claim, you worked in the concentration camp as a guard for about three years."

The man's conviction comes as a byproduct of two recent developments. One is that Germany's highest criminal court ruled this year that people who worked as guards at concentration camps could still be convicted, even if no specific crimes can be proven. The other is that in 2018, concentration camp records by the Red Army were examined in Moscow, which is how Mr. S's name was discovered.

"We go by the simple principle that murder does not have a statute of limitations," Thomas Will, a leader for the German government office who investigates Nazi-era crimes, told The Times. "It is what’s right and of course it would have been what was right 70 years ago."

Sachsenhausen was established in 1936 just north of Berlin as the first new camp after Adolf Hitler gave the SS full control of the Nazi concentration camp system. It was intended to be a model facility and training camp for the labyrinthine network that the Nazis built across Germany, Austria and occupied territories.

More than 200,000 people were held there between 1936 and 1945. Tens of thousands of inmates died of starvation, disease, forced labor and other causes, as well as through medical experiments and systematic SS extermination operations including shootings, hangings and gassing.

Contributing: The Associated Press.

Germany prosecutors charge former WWII Nazi SS guard with 3,518 ...

David Rising

Associated Press

BERLIN – German prosecutors have charged a 100-year-old man with 3,518 counts of being an accessory to murder on allegations he served during World War II as a Nazi SS guard at a concentration camp on the outskirts of Berlin, authorities said Tuesday.

The man is alleged to have worked at the Sachsenhausen camp between 1942 and 1945 as an enlisted member of the Nazi Party’s paramilitary wing, said Cyrill Klement, who led the investigation of the centenarian for the Neuruppin prosecutors’ office.

The man’s name wasn’t released in line with German privacy laws. Despite his age, the suspect is considered fit enough to stand trial, though accommodations may have to be made to limit how many hours a day the court is in session, Klement told The Associated Press.

The Neuruppin office was handed the case in 2019 by the special federal prosecutors’ office in Ludwigsburg tasked with investigating Nazi-era war crimes, Klement said.

It comes after prosecutors in the northern town of Itzehoe announced charges of accessory to murder last week against a 95-year-old woman who worked during the war as the secretary of the SS commandant of the Stutthof concentration camp. That case and the charges against the 100-year-old man rely on recent legal precedent in Germany establishing that anyone who helped a Nazi camp function can be prosecuted for the murders committed there.

Previously:Nazi concentration camp secretary charged with 10,000 counts of accessory to murder

Efraim Zuroff, chief Nazi hunter at the Simon Wiesenthal Center, said the two new cases serve as “vital reminders to the dangers of anti-Semitism, racism and xenophobia.”

“The advanced age of the defendants is no excuse to ignore them and allow them to live in the peace and tranquility they denied their victims,” he said.

The new legal precedent was established in 2011 with the conviction of former Ohio autoworker John Demjanjuk as an accessory to murder on allegations that he was a guard at the Sobibor death camp in German-occupied Poland. Demjanjuk, who steadfastly denied the allegations, died before his appeal could be heard.

A federal court subsequently upheld the 2015 conviction of former Auschwitz guard Oskar Groening achieved with the same line of reasoning, solidifying the precedent.

Before that, German courts had required prosecutors to justify charges by presenting evidence of a former guard’s participation in a specific killing, often a near-impossible task given the anonymity of most guards to the prisoners, coupled with the paucity of witnesses and the passage of time.

“The core of this case follows the decision of Demjanjuk and Groening, that being part of the functioning of this machinery of death is sufficient for an accessory to murder conviction,” Klement said.

The state court in Neuruppin, northwest of the town of Oranienburg, where Sachsenhausen was located, now needs to evaluate the case and the fitness of the defendant, then set a trial date, Klement said.

Sachsenhausen was established in 1936 just north of Berlin as the first new camp after Adolf Hitler gave the SS full control of the Nazi concentration camp system.

It was intended to be a model facility and training camp for the labyrinthine network that the Nazis built across Germany, Austria and occupied territories.

More than 200,000 people were held there between 1936 and 1945, and tens of thousands died of starvation, disease, forced labor and other causes, as well as through medical experiments and systematic SS extermination operations including shootings, hangings and gassing.

Exact numbers on those killed vary. Upper estimates are 100,000, though scholars suggest 40,000 to 50,000 is likely more accurate.

In its early years, most prisoners were either political prisoners or criminal prisoners, but they included some Jehovah’s Witnesses and homosexuals. The first large group of Jewish prisoners was brought there in 1938 after the Night of Broken Glass, or Kristallnacht, an anti-Semitic pogrom.

During the war, it was expanded to include Soviet prisoners of war – who were shot by the thousands – and others.

It had special facilities for politically prominent prisoners, including former Austrian Chancellor Kurt von Schuschnigg, who opposed Nazi Germany’s annexation of Austria, anti-Nazi pastor Martin Niemoeller, and Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin’s eldest son, who died there in 1943.

As in other camps, Jewish prisoners were singled out at Sachsenhausen for particularly harsh treatment, and most who remained alive by 1942 were sent to the Auschwitz death camp.

Thousands of Jews were brought back in later in 1944 to address labor shortages for work details that included clearing the streets of rubble in the German capital, as well as in war production in regional factories.

Sachsenhausen was liberated in April 1945 by the Soviets, who turned it into a brutal camp of their own.

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Accused Nazi SS guard, age 100, faces German trial on 3,518 counts

Kirsten Grieshaber

Associated Press

BERLIN – A German court has set a trial date for a 100-year-old man who is charged with 3,518 counts of accessory to murder on allegations he served as a Nazi SS guard at a concentration camp on the outskirts of Berlin during World War II.

A spokeswoman for the Neuruppin state court said Monday that the trial is set to begin in early October. The centenarian's name wasn't released in line with German privacy laws.

The suspect is alleged to have worked at the Sachsenhausen camp between 1942 and 1945 as an enlisted member of the Nazi Party's paramilitary wing.

Authorities say that despite his advanced age, the suspect is considered fit enough to stand trial, though the number of hours per day the court is in session may have to be limited.

"A medical evaluation confirms that he is fit to stand trial in a limited way," court spokeswoman Iris le Claire said.

The Neuruppin office was handed the case in 2019 by the special federal prosecutors' office in Ludwigsburg tasked with investigating Nazi-era war crimes. The state court in Neuruppin is based northwest of the town of Oranienburg, where Sachsenhausen was located.

The defendant is said to live in the state of Brandenburg outside of Berlin, local media reported.

What was Sachsenhausen?

Sachsenhausen was established in 1936, just north of Berlin, as the first new camp after Adolf Hitler gave the SS full control of the Nazi concentration camp system. It was intended to be a model facility and training camp for the labyrinthine network that the Nazis built across Germany, Austria and occupied territories.

More than 200,000 people were held there between 1936 and 1945. Tens of thousands of inmates there died of starvation, disease, forced labor and other causes, as well as through medical experiments and systematic SS extermination operations including shootings, hangings and gassing.

Exact numbers on those killed vary, with upper estimates of some 100,000, though scholars suggest figures of 40,000 to 50,000 are likely more accurate.

In its early years, most prisoners were either political prisoners or criminal prisoners, but also included some Jehovah's Witnesses and homosexuals. The first large group of Jewish prisoners was brought there in 1938 after the Night of Broken Glass, or Kristallnacht, an antisemitic pogrom.

During the war, Sachsenhausen was expanded to include Soviet prisoners of war – who were shot by the thousands – as well as others.

Like in other camps, Jewish prisoners were singled out at Sachsenhausen for particularly harsh treatment, and most who remained alive by 1942 were sent to the Auschwitz death camp.

Sachsenhausen was liberated in April 1945 by the Soviets, who turned it into a brutal camp of their own.

In a different case, a 96-year-old woman will go on trial in late September in the northern German town of Itzehoe. The woman, who allegedly worked during the war as the secretary for the SS commandant of the Stutthof concentration camp, has been charged with over 10,000 counts of accessory to murder earlier this year.

Her case and the charges against the 100-year-old suspect both rely on recent legal precedent in Germany establishing that anyone who helped a Nazi camp function can be prosecuted for accessory to the murders committed there.

Former Nazi camp guard sentenced to 5 years for Holocaust ...

Berlin (CNN) A 101-year-old former Nazi concentration camp guard has been sentenced to five years in prison by a German court for aiding and abetting the murder of 3,518 people during the Holocaust.

The man had been charged in 2021 with "knowingly and willfully" aiding and abetting the killing of prisoners at the Sachsenhausen concentration camp in Oranienburg, north of Berlin, from January 1942 to February 1945, according to the prosecutor's office in Neuruppin, in the northeastern state of Brandenburg.

He was sentenced by the Neuruppin Regional Court on Tuesday, court spokeswoman Iris le Claire told CNN.

Le Claire said the trial was a complex process. "It was extraordinarily difficult to find an appropriate punishment because the acts took place a very long time ago, and the perpetrator is already very old. All of this had a mitigating effect on the sentence," she said.

The vast number of people who died under the guard's watch was also taken into account, Le Claire suggested. Under German law, people found guilty of murder are typically sentenced to between three and 15 years in prison.

Around 100,000 prisoners are thought to have died at the Sachsenhausen camp.

"The verdict is a late compensation for the relatives and a very important sign from Germany," Christoph Heubner of the International Auschwitz Committee told CNN on Tuesday.

Heubner, who followed the trial, criticized the number of years it had taken the German courts to press charges. "Now the wound of the relatives can be taken care of," he said.

The convicted man had always denied being active in the concentration camp, according to Heubner.

The Central Council of Jews in Germany acknowledged the ruling. "Even if the defendant will probably not serve the full prison term due to his advanced age, the verdict is to be welcomed," Josef Schuster, the council's president, told CNN.

"The thousands of people who worked in the concentration camps kept the murder machinery running. They were part of the system, therefore they should also take responsibility for it," Schuster said. "It is bitter that the defendant has denied his activities at that time until the end and has shown no remorse."

The man's name has not been made public, in accordance with Germany's privacy laws. The charges included involvement in the shooting of Soviet prisoners of war in 1942, and aiding and abetting the murder of prisoners through the use of poisonous gas, as well as other shootings and the killing of prisoners by creating and maintaining hostile conditions in the Sachsenhausen camp.

Sachsenhausen was built by prisoners and opened in 1936. Of the roughly 200,000 prisoners who passed through it, around 100,000 are thought to have died there. During World War II, the camp's inmate population fluctuated between about 11,000 and 48,000 people.

An estimated 6 million Jews were killed in Nazi concentration camps during World War II. Also killed were hundreds of thousands of Roma people, political opponents, homosexuals, and people with physical or learning disabilities.

Germany: 100-year-old former Nazi concentration camp guard on trial

Associated Press

BERLIN — A 100-year-old man went on trial in Germany Thursday, accused of being an accessory to murder for serving as a Nazi SS guard at the Sachsenhausen concentration camp near Berlin during World War II.

The trial of the defendant, who is charged with 3,518 counts of accessory to murder, was held at the Neuruppin state court, which moved the proceedings to a prison sport hall in Brandenburg for organizational reasons.

The suspect, who was identified only as Josef S. in keeping with German privacy rules, is alleged to have worked at Sachsenhausen between 1942 and 1945 as an enlisted member of the Nazi Party’s paramilitary wing.

The suspect's lawyer, Stefan Waterkamp, told the court that his client did not want to comment on the allegations, German news agency dpa reported. There are no formal pleas in the German legal system.

Authorities say the defendant is considered fit enough to stand trial despite his advanced age, though the number of hours per day the court is in session will be limited.

More than 200,000 people were held at Sachsenhausen between 1936 and 1945. Tens of thousands of inmates died of starvation, disease, exhaustion from forced labor and other causes, as well as through medical experiments and systematic SS extermination operations including shootings, hangings and gassing.

Exact numbers on those killed vary, with upper estimates of some 100,000, though scholars suggest figures of 40,000 to 50,000 are likely more accurate.

World:Auschwitz Nazi concentration camp vandalized with antisemitic graffiti in 'outrageous attack'

AP:96-year-old concentration camp secretary who fled Nazi war crimes trial is released

“The defendant knowingly and willingly aided and abetted this at least by conscientiously performing guard duty, which was seamlessly integrated into the killing system,” prosecutor Cyrill Klement told the court.

A survivor of Sachsenhausen, 100-year-old Leon Schwarzbaum, attended the trial as a visitor.

“This is the last trial for my friends, acquaintances and my loved ones, who were murdered, in which the last guilty person can still be sentenced — hopefully” Schwarzbaum, who also survived the Auschwitz death camp and Buchenwald concentration camp, told dpa.

The executive vice president of the Auschwitz Committee expressed disappointment at the lawyer's announcement that the suspect would not comment on the allegations.

“I found him surprisingly robust and present. He would have the strength to make an apology and he would also have the strength to remember,” Christoph Heubner told reporters outside the building.

“Obviously, however, he does not want to muster the strength to remember, and for the survivors of the camps and for the relatives of the murdered who have come here to hear some truth spoken, this means once again a rejection, a disparagement and a confrontation with the continued silence of the SS.”

The opening of the trial comes a week after the opening of another elderly concentration camp suspect's trial was disrupted.

A 96-year-old former secretary for the Stutthof camp’s SS commander skipped the opening of her trial at the Itzehoe state court in northern Germany. She was tracked down within hours and proceedings are to resume on Oct. 19.

Trump on Jan. 6, Ghislaine Maxwell, Texas tractor-trailer deaths. It's ...

A former White House aide testified about former President Donald Trump's furious outbursts as rioters stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6. Fifty people are dead after being found in an abandoned trailer in Texas. And a 101-year-old Nazi concentration camp guard was sentenced to prison.

👋 Hey! Laura Davis here. It's Tuesday. I'll be off for the next few days, but my friend Julius Lasin will be taking care of y'all while I'm out. In the meantime, let's talk news, shall we?

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Former White House aide offers explosive testimony on Jan. 6 attack

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Trump's Jan. 6 speech: There was genuine concern in the White House over the 25th Amendment being invoked and removing Trump as president, which was part of how Trump was convinced to give a speech.

There was genuine concern in the White House over the 25th Amendment being invoked and removing Trump as president, which was part of how Trump was convinced to give a speech. Trump threw his lunch. Furious after Attorney General Bill Barr announced in December 2020 that he found no evidence of widespread voter fraud, Trump threw his lunch against the wall, according to Hutchinson.

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Death toll rises to 51 after abandoned trailer found in Texas

At least 51 people are dead and several others remained hospitalized Tuesday after an abandoned tractor-trailer that was part of a suspected human smuggling operation was found in San Antonio, Texas, amid sweltering heat. Forty-six bodies initially were found in the trailer Monday and 16 people were hospitalized, authorities said. By Tuesday afternoon, the death toll had risen to 51. The passengers of the truck were suffering from heat stroke and heat exhaustion, San Antonio Fire Chief Charles Hood said. There were no signs of water or working air conditioning in the truck. Keep reading.

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101-year-old former Nazi concentration camp guard jailed

A 101-year-old man believed to be a former concentration camp guard was convicted by a German court of being an accessory to 3,518 counts of murder. The man, identified only as Josef S., was sentenced Tuesday to five years in prison, according to The New York Times. He's believed to be the oldest living person to be tried on charges from the Holocaust era. Josef S. denied working as an SS guard at the camp and aiding and abetting the murder of thousands of prisoners. Keep reading.

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