Happy Friday! The finishing touches were put on this newsletter from Gate 53 at Reagan National Airport, where one of your Morning Dispatchers sat for six hours waiting for a delayed flight after his plane was struck by lightning.

Quick Hits: Today’s Top Stories

• A Thursday Bureau of Labor Statistics report showed inflation remaining at elevated levels, with the Consumer Price Index surging 5 percent year-over-year in May. The growth was largely driven by used cars and trucks, the cost of which rose 7.3 percent in May.

• Initial jobless claims decreased by 9,000 week-over-week to 376,000 last week, the Labor Department reported on Thursday, the lowest level since March 14, 2020. Initial jobless claims have now fallen for six straight weeks.

• A group of 12 House Democrats led by Rep. Brad Schneider (D-Illinois) issued a statement condemning Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar following her comments equating the United States and Israel with Hamas and the Taliban. After initially dismissing the criticism as “Islamophobic,” Omar put out a statement “clarifying” that she was “in no way equating terrorist organizations with democratic countries.” House Democratic leadership—including Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, and Majority Whip Jim Clyburn—issued a press release “welcom[ing] the clarification” from Omar.