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7 costly mistakes to avoid at the pump right now as gas prices surge nationwide
Gas prices are climbing again just as spring travel ramps up, putting added pressure on drivers from road trips to simply commuting to work.
The national average price for regular gas has jumped in recent weeks, climbing to about $3.98 per gallon — up roughly $1 in just the past month, according to AAA. With seasonal demand increasing and oil prices remaining elevated, experts say drivers should expect continued volatility at the pump.
Luckily, experts say small changes behind the wheel and simple maintenance habits can help stretch every tank further. Here are 7 of their best tips:
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Speeding, rapid acceleration and hard braking are some of the biggest fuel drains. Fuel efficiency drops quickly above about 50 mph, The Points Guy recently reported, and federal data shows aggressive driving can cut gas mileage by up to 40% in stop-and-go traffic.
Cruise control can also help keep your speed steady but experts warn not to use it in slick conditions.
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Using premium gas won’t improve fuel economy unless your vehicle specifically requires it.
Most cars are designed to run on regular 87-octane fuel, making it the most cost-effective option, according to AAA. Using a higher octane than recommended won’t improve mileage or efficiency and typically isn’t worth the added cost.
Underinflated tires increase resistance on the road, forcing the engine to work harder and burn more fuel, experts say.
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Tires naturally lose about 1 to 3 psi per month, and a 10 psi drop can reduce fuel economy by up to 4%. Pressure can fall even further with colder temperatures or small leaks, making regular pressure checks especially important.
Many drivers believe it’s more fuel-efficient to let a car idle than to turn it off and restart it, but experts say that’s a myth.
A warm engine uses only about 10 seconds’ worth of fuel to restart, meaning idling longer than that wastes gas, and engines can burn up to a half-gallon per hour while idling, according to AAA and government agencies. Letting a car warm up for long periods is also unnecessary, as most vehicles need only about 30 seconds before driving.
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Extra weight — especially roof racks and cargo boxes — can significantly reduce fuel efficiency.
Drivers can lose about 1% of fuel economy for every 100 pounds added to a vehicle, and cargo mounted on the roof creates additional wind resistance that can cut mileage by up to 8% in the city and as much as 25% on the highway, according to the U.S. Department of Energy.
Clearing out your trunk or removing unused carriers can help your car go farther on each tank, while rear-mounted cargo options tend to have a smaller impact on fuel economy.
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Plan fuel-efficient routes using apps like Google Maps to avoid backtracking and unnecessary stops. Combining errands into one trip and opting for “one-stop” locations when possible can reduce driving time, especially if you avoid peak traffic and stop-and-go conditions.
Fewer trips also mean fewer cold starts, which use more fuel, helping drivers save gas over time, according to federal guidance.
Air conditioning can increase fuel use — by up to 10% in some cases — while open windows also reduce efficiency by creating drag, so experts recommend adjusting based on speed.
At lower speeds, windows can be more efficient, but on highways it’s better to close them and use A/C, ideally after airing out a hot car to reduce the strain on the system.
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500 groups with $3B in revenues are behind the #NoKings protests and communist call for ‘revolution’
A network of about 500 groups with an estimated $3 billion in combined annual revenues is behind the coordinated nationwide “No Kings” protest Saturday, including communist groups who are using the day to call for a “revolution,” according to a Fox Digital News investigation.
According to a copy of the permit for the “flagship” march in St. Paul, Minn., Indivisible, a national well-heeled Democratic political advocacy organization funded by billionaire George Soros, is the lead coordinator for the protest.
But Fox News Digital has also identified key participation by a network of radical socialist and communist organizations funded by Neville Roy Singham, an American tech tycoon and acvowed communist living in China.
Over nearly a decade, Singham has financed a constellation of activist institutions that promote revolutionary socialist politics and frequently collaborate in protest campaigns, including the People’s Forum in New York, the Party for Socialism and Liberation, the ANSWER Coalition and CodePink, whose co-founder Jodie Evans is married to Singham. These groups work closely with the Freedom Road Socialist Organization.
They are all sending members to the protests and one group said they plan to bring a message of “revolution” to the protests.
On Friday evening, at the corner of N. Fremont Avenue and N. 37th Avenue in downtown Minneapolis, members of the Twin Cities chapter of the Party for Socialism and Liberation packed a car with stacks of bright red protest signs they had prepared at the Dream Shop for Saturday’s demonstrations. They are part of the Singham network and co-sponsors of the St. Paul protest.
The posters read “NO KINGS. NO WAR.” with “PARTY FOR SOCIALISM AND LIBERATION” printed at the bottom. Activists stacked the signs upside down with their wooden picket handles attached as they loaded them into the vehicle, preparing to distribute them at the next day’s main protest at the state capitol in St. Paul.
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Across the country, similar preparations have been underway among socialist, communist and Marxist activist groups from the Singham network that have openly discussed using the demonstrations to spread what they describe as revolutionary organizing.
In New York, the People’s Forum called on members to join the New York #NoKings protest. It’s an organizing hub in the Singham network and sent Americans to Cuba in recent days to defend the communist regime there.
In Washington, D.C., Party for Socialism and Liberation called on supporters to assemble as part of a “Socialist Contingent.”
In Grand Rapids, Mich., the Freedom Road Socialist Organization instructed supporters to gather at the Rosa Parks Circle stage at noon as part of what it described as the “Anti-Trump Contingent.”
Freedom Road Socialist Organization activists have previously led aggressive demonstrations targeting Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations in Minneapolis. The group has an image on Instagram, using an upside-down triangle symbol that Hamas used to mark targets during attacks in Israel.
One message said, “People everywhere are becoming increasingly hostile to the Trump agenda, and more sympathetic to revolution. Now is not the time to sit on the sidelines, it’s the time to go out and join the people, get our revolutionary message in front of them, and turn a day of protest into long-term gains for the people’s movements.” Communist leaders talk about “people’s movements.”
Posts circulating among socialist activist networks also explained “Why socialists should mobilize to the No Kings protests this weekend.”
“It’s the time to go out and join the people, get out our revolutionary message in front of them and turn a day of protest into long-term gains for the people’s movement,” one message said.
In Detroit, activists from Anakbayan, an organization aligned with communist movements in the Philippines, joined other groups within the Singham activist ecosystem.
Posts circulating from activists associated with the Denver chapter of the Freedom Road Socialist Organization included imagery referencing the Red Army Choir, Soviet symbolism and historical figures including Joseph Stalin and Mao Zedong.
The Maine chapter of the Party for Socialism and Liberation, working with activists connected to Democratic Socialists of America and the ANSWER Coalition, called on supporters to join what organizers described as a “Unified Leftist Contingent.”
The message instructed activists to meet at the southwest corner of Montgomery Park, declaring that the contingent would stand against “imperialism, capitalism and state violence.”
“These systems don’t fall without pressure,” the message said. “We are here to organize, disrupt and build power to win something new.”
The network’s messaging for the #NoKings echoes Singham’s own rhetoric describing the United States as a form of “fascism” and advocating organizing strategies rooted in Mao Zedong’s doctrine of a “People’s War,” which calls for revolutionary movements to embed themselves inside broader political struggles and radicalize them from within.
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That strategy helps explain why the socialist groups are mobilizing inside the much larger demonstrations organized by mainstream progressive organizations, experts say. Large protests create massive audiences and national media attention, allowing smaller ideological movements to spread their messaging, recruit activists and build momentum for campaigns that extend well beyond a single day of demonstrations.
CodePink circulated graphics tying the protests to anti-imperialist messaging.
CodePink called for members to join demonstrations in cities including Washington, D.C., Los Angeles, Chicago, San Francisco and New York, linking the protests to opposition to U.S. policy toward Iran, Cuba, Venezuela and Palestine. Actress Jane Fonda joined a CodePink protest some days ago, protesting the war in Iran, and she will be at the St. Paul demonstration today.
One CodePink poster reads: “NO WAR. NO IMPERIALISM. NO KINGS.”
In recent weeks, the group has supported Venezuelan strongman Nicholas Maduro, the late Iranian Ayatollah Ali Khomeini, President Xi Jinping.
Adriana James-Rodill contributed to this report.
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Tiger Woods’ DUI arrest sparks demands for accountability
Tiger Woods’ arrest on DUI-related charges has prompted debate over whether the champion golfer should face a suspension.
Woods’ Friday crash is the fourth major car incident for the professional golfer since 2009. In 2017, he was found driving under the influence of multiple prescription drugs and asleep in his car, stopped in the road. He said it was due to a reaction to the pills.
“I don’t like sugar-coating things. And the way I look at it, there’s got to be some sort of punishment or withdrawal or some sort of a suspension from the game,” Mark Lye, a former PGA golfer, said Saturday on “Fox & Friends Weekend.”
Woods was taken into custody in Jupiter Island, Florida, where police said he was driving at a “high rate of speed” when he clipped another car, causing his vehicle to roll over. Authorities said he registered a 0.00 on a breathalyzer, ruling out alcohol impairment, but refused a urine test and was charged with DUI and property damage.
“I’m just wondering where that discipline that he’s learned to convey on the golf course is [going to] take hold in his personal life. Obviously, he’s got demons going on,” Lye said.
Lye called for “accountability” for Woods and questioned whether it is time for a stricter suspension from the game. Lye noted that contracts for professional golfers often include a “morals clause” and warned Woods could face further consequences if no action is taken.
Lye isn’t alone in his concern for Woods and those around him, however. Doug Bell, a PGA Tour announcer, said he’s thankful no one was hurt.
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“It’s troublesome to see what happened yesterday. It is a pattern that has developed,” Bell said.
“Let’s hope this leads to something positive for one of the great athletes and figures in this world that we’ve seen in a long, long time,” he added.
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Bell suggested Woods take some time away from golf as a productive next step in recovery.
“He’s dealing with something that we don’t know what’s going on inside his head, the pain that he’s in from all the surgeries,” Bell said, adding that stepping away from the game “might be the best thing.”
Woods was released from jail Friday night. In a mugshot released hours after his arrest, his eyes appeared red.
President Donald Trump weighed in on the arrest of his “very close friend,” noting the star athlete has had some “difficulty.”
Woods’ team did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital.
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Arnold Schwarzenegger passes bodybuilding torch to lookalike son Joseph Baena
Like father, like son — and a bodybuilding legacy in the making.
Arnold Schwarzenegger was spotted stepping back into coach mode as he trained his son, Joseph Baena, ahead of his first bodybuilding competition — signaling the next generation may be ready to carry the torch.
The seven-time Mr. Olympia winner, 78, was seen working closely with Baena, 28, inside the iconic Gold’s Gym in Venice Beach, California, where the bodybuilding legend once built his empire.
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But this time, Schwarzenegger wasn’t the one posing under pressure — he was fine-tuning every detail from the sidelines.
In the video obtained by Fox News Digital, the “Terminator” star carefully adjusted Baena’s positioning, ensuring each muscle hit just right.
After a session of pumping iron, Baena went shirtless to show off his increasingly sculpted physique, flexing his biceps as his father corrected his angles and form — even helping him lock in one of Schwarzenegger’s signature poses.
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Schwarzenegger, dressed casually in a black T-shirt, shorts and knee-high socks, watched closely as he coached his son.
Onlookers quickly gathered as the pair moved through each pose with precision, drawing a crowd inside the gym famously dubbed “the mecca of bodybuilding.”
The “Dancing with the Stars” alum has recently showed off his fit physique and fitness routines in behind-the-scenes training videos on his social media.
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Baena has been carving out his own path — from acting roles, including the 2024 action thriller “Gunner,” to landing a Men’s Health cover — while navigating inevitable comparisons to his father.
“It’s been a huge growth year of me finding out who I am and really being secure… confident… no matter what the challenges are, what the comparisons are,” Baena previously told Fox News Digital.
Still, he’s acknowledged the pressure that comes with the name.
“The message that I wanted to get across was, there’s a lot of people out there with very accomplished parents… and it’s scary. It’s scary to get compared to these giants, and to have the feeling like you need to live up to these expectations.”
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