US household debt ticks up to new all-time high as inflation continues to rise
American Express, Discover, MasterCard and Visa credit cards are displayed for a photograph in New York, U.S., on Tuesday, May 18, 2010. (Daniel Acker/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
(NEW YORK) — U.S. household debt, including mortgages, credit cards, auto loans and student loans, reached an all-time high of $18.8 trillion in the first three months of the year, according to new data Tuesday from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.
The increase in overall debt was driven by higher balances on mortgages and auto loans.
Student loan debt slightly decreased to $1.66 trillion. However, many borrowers are falling behind on their payments, with more than 10% of student loan balances now past due, nearing pre-pandemic levels, the Federal Reserve Bank of New York said.
Credit card debt dipped by $25 billion during the first quarter of the year, with outstanding card balances at $1.25 trillion. Credit card debt is up by $70 billion over the past year.
On a call with reporters Tuesday morning, researchers at the New York Fed described Americans’ overall credit as “stable,” but noted there are weaknesses among younger consumers and lower-income households.
According to officials, mortgage balances are $13.2 trillion and auto debt stands at $1.69 trillion.
The record-high household debt comes amid rising inflation, which rose for a second consecutive month, government data on Tuesday showed.
Prices rose 3.8% in April compared to a year earlier, marking an increase from a year-over-year inflation rate of 3.3% in the prior month. Annual inflation jumped to its highest level in three years, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) data showed.
Elbert Tse plays golf at the East Potomac Golf Links on May 3, 2026, in Washington, DC. Reports were circulating that the administration planned to take over operations of the popular municipal golf course as soon as Sunday evening, even as officials have offered few details to the public or the course’s current operator.(Photo by Pete Kiehart for The Washington Post via Getty Images)
(WASHINGTON) — A federal judge on Monday warned Justice Department lawyers of “serious consequences” if the Trump administration begins major work at a public golf course in the District of Columbia without getting approval and notifying the court in advance.
During a tense conference on Monday morning, U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes demanded she be updated if work begins at the East Potomac Golf Course, and raised concerns about claims made by the Trump administration regarding the state of the course.
“Let’s just say, given some issues around the district recently, I would have a particular concern that we not ask first and ask forgiveness later, because that’s not going to be acceptable,” she said.
Concerns arose in December that the administration may try to take over the course as part of President Donald Trump’s efforts to leave his imprint on various D.C. buildings, after the administration terminated the lease of the group that runs the course.
The dispute over East Potomac Golf Course flared up over the weekend after lawyers for the D.C. Preservation League warned that the property would be “razed” by the Trump administration before anyone could stop it, citing the rapid demolition of the White House’s East Wing. In an order late Sunday, Judge Reyes required lawyers to appear for an unusually early Monday morning conference to ensure major work had not begun.
“Without emergency preliminary relief, they will continue running roughshod over both East Potomac Park and the law until the golf course and the Park have met the East Wing’s fate,” the plaintiffs argued.
During the conference, a DOJ lawyer argued that the work done to the course was limited to identifying dead or dying trees for removal, which appeared to resolve some of Judge Reyes’ concerns. DOJ lawyers said they were unaware of reported fundraising by Trump to renovate the course — though they said such communications would be “very sensitive issues of executive limited privilege” — and Kevin Greiss, the Superintendent of National Mall and Memorial Parks, said he was unaware of any closures.
“I don’t want anything major to happen without plaintiffs saying ‘Got it’ or someone identifying or talking to me first,” she said. “I don’t want to be the overseer of the Parks and Rec. I mean, I’m no Amy Poehler.”
But as Judge Reyes appeared ready to conclude the hearing, her clerk handed her a note that renewed her concerns.
“I just got a note from Clerk I need to look at real quick,” she said. “It looks like there were signs on the golf course yesterday that there were closures. Were there any closures yesterday?”
“Not that I am aware of, ma’am,” responded Kevin Greiss, the Superintendent of National Mall and Memorial Parks. “I didn’t order any signs put up. I can’t attest to those signs or who may have put them up. There’s been no closure order.”
While Greiss checked with his maintenance staff to confirm if the course was open, Judge Reyes warned DOJ lawyers of “serious consequences” if major construction begins without appropriate notice.
“I’m going to say this one more time, and I do not want a situation where something has happened and then I’m being told by the government or by a foundation or by a bulldozing company that it’s too late to do anything about it,” she said. “If anything like that happens … there are going to be serious consequences.”
Greiss followed up to say that he checked with his maintenance staff — who said they were unaware of the closures — but were still looking for the signs. The hearing concluded with Judge Reyes ordering that the Trump administration get approval and notify the court before beginning any construction work.
When reached by ABC News, a staff member at East Potomac Golf Course’s pro shop said the course was open for business Monday.
“Until they shut us down, we are still here,” he said.
The National Links Trust, which operates East Potomac Golf Course, said Monday in a statement on X, “While we continue to monitor developments surrounding third-party litigation, East Potomac Golf Links is open for business. We will provide updates as they become available. Thank you to our community for their continued support.”
Stock image of car air conditioning ventilation grille. (aire images/Getty Images)
(RIVERVIEW, Fla.) — A 3-year-old boy died after being left in a hot car in Florida, according to authorities.
Deputies responded to a home in Riverview, just outside of Tampa, at about 10:40 p.m. Saturday after the boy’s father found him unresponsive in a parked car, the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office said.
The boy was taken to a hospital where he was pronounced dead, the sheriff’s office said.
The temperature hit a scorching 95 degrees in Riverview on Saturday, and with humidity, it felt hotter than 100 degrees.
It’s not clear how long the boy was in the car.
Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister called the death a “tragedy” and warned, “A vehicle can reach lethal temperatures within minutes.”
“We urge every parent and caregiver in our community to make hot vehicle safety a priority,” the sheriff said in a statement. “Never leave a child unattended in a vehicle, even for a moment.”
No charges have been filed at this time and the investigation is ongoing, according to the sheriff’s office.
At least eight children have died in hot cars so far this year in the U.S., according to national nonprofit KidsAndCars.org. Last year, at least 37 children died in hot cars across the country, KidsAndCars.org said.
Click here for what to know to keep your children safe.
ABC News’ Kenton Gewecke contributed to this report.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents on March 24, 2026 in New York, New York. (Photo by Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)
(BIDDLEFORD, Maine) — Federal immigration authorities were involved in a fatal shooting in Biddeford, Maine, on Monday, according to the local elected leaders and multiple sources.
Sen. Angus King, I-Maine, said he was briefed on the incident by Secretary of Homeland Security Markwayne Mullin. He said he was informed that Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents were involved in the deadly shooting.
King said the man was fatally shot after federal agents tried to stop the vehicle he was driving.
“He was in a vehicle — pulled out in the vehicle, and the term the secretary used was ‘weaponized’ the vehicle and was shot by an ICE agent,” King told reporters Monday morning.
King said the man who was shot was the target of the operation and that ICE agents had been given a final order for the man to be removed from the country.
“Body cameras were not on the agents. So we have no video evidence of what occurred in this case,” King said. “State and local officials, of course, are attending to it. The FBI will be leading the investigation because it was a federal operation.”
The Maine Attorney General’s Office also released a statement, confirming that the ICE operation on Monday morning was targeting a man related to a final order to remove him from the country. The Attorney General’s Office alleged, “the suspect attempted to flee in the vehicle in the direction of the officer and was fatally shot.”
“The male subject is not being named until positive identification is made and family members are notified,” according to the statement from the state Attorney General’s Office.
Maine Gov. Janet Mills said she was also briefed on the shooting and was informed that federal law enforcement was involved.
“I know situations like these are alarming and frightening,” Mills said in a statement. “The Maine State Police are at the scene supporting and working cooperatively with the Attorney General’s Office, Maine’s Office of Chief Medical Examiner, and Federal officials to determine the facts of what occurred this morning.”
Two Maine immigration advocacy groups — Maine Immigrants’ Rights Coalition (MIRC) and the Presente! — issued a joint statement, saying the individual who was killed was a 26-year-old Colombian man, who they claimed was authorized to work in the United States and had a Social Security number.
The groups called for a “prompt, independent, and transparent investigation.” The groups also called for a full accounting of every agency and officer involved as well as the preservation of all body-camera footage, surveillance footage, and communications between the federal officials involved.
“ICE must not be allowed to investigate itself or control the public narrative surrounding a death in which its personnel or operations were involved,” the groups said.
The FBI said the agency “responded to assist on-scene immediately following this morning’s shooting incident in Biddeford, Maine. We have no additional comment at this time.”
The Department of Homeland Security has not yet responded to ABC News’ requests for comment.
A bystander video verified by ABC News showed what appeared to be federal immigration agents and uniformed law enforcement officers in the aftermath of the shooting performing first aid on an individual on the ground at an intersection.
A Ring camera video obtained by ABC News from a residence near the shooting scene captured the sound of what appeared to be at least five gunshots.
Rep. Chellie Pingree, D-Maine, said in a social media post that she is “aware of reports that someone was fatally shot in Biddeford this morning, and ICE may be involved.”
A bystander video verified by ABC News showed what appeared to be federal immigration agents and uniformed law enforcement officers in the aftermath of the shooting performing first aid on an individual on the ground at an intersection.
A Ring camera video obtained by ABC News from a residence near the shooting scene captured the sound of what appeared to be at least five gunshots.
Rep. Chellie Pingree, D-Maine, said in a social media post that she is “aware of reports that someone was fatally shot in Biddeford this morning, and ICE may be involved.”
A bystander video verified by ABC News showed what appeared to be federal immigration agents and uniformed law enforcement officers in the aftermath of the shooting performing first aid on an individual on the ground at an intersection.
A Ring camera video obtained by ABC News from a residence near the shooting scene captured the sound of what appeared to be at least five gunshots.
Rep. Chellie Pingree, D-Maine, said in a social media post that she is “aware of reports that someone was fatally shot in Biddeford this morning, and ICE may be involved.”
She added, “My team and I are working to get more information and will share more as we learn it.”
Em Akerley, who lives near the shooting scene, told ABC affiliate station WMTW, that she was inside her home having her morning coffee when she heard the gunshots.
“I thought it was a backfire, and then I kept hearing them,” Akerley said. “I thought it was a drive-by shooting.”
She said she looked out her window and saw a small white car being corralled by two men, who appeared to be trying to stop the vehicle from losing control in the intersection.
“All of a sudden, all of these plain-clothes vested men started running down the street, abandoning their cars,” Akerley said.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
