Overview
- On Friday’s America’s Newsroom, Fox News anchor Bill Hemmer cut off National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett during a segment on rising fuel costs.
- Hemmer noted that the national average for gasoline stands near $4.09 a gallon and pointed to West Texas Intermediate crude climbing from about $67 in February to roughly $111.
- Hassett outlined the White House response, citing what he called the second-largest Strategic Petroleum Reserve release on record and a 60-day waiver of the Jones Act to speed fuel shipments between U.S. ports.
- The NEC chief argued that Joe Biden ordered the largest SPR draw before the midterms, prompting Hemmer to redirect the discussion by saying, “that was then, and this is now.”
- Hassett said the jump in prices is temporary and pointed to futures that suggest relief by summer or fall, while coverage linked the spike to the war in Iran and warned travelers would feel the higher costs this weekend.