Gas prices are surging as the ongoing conflict with Iran drives up crude oil costs, fueling higher prices at the pump nationwide.

The national average now stands at $3.98 per gallon, up $1 from a month ago, according to AAA.

Prices are climbing across nearly every region, with some states already well above the national average. 

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On the West Coast, drivers are seeing the highest costs, with prices reaching $5.87 per gallon in California and $5.32 in Washington.

Along the East Coast, gas prices are approaching or exceeding $4.00 in several areas, including $4.16 in Washington, D.C., and $3.93 in New York.

In the Midwest, Illinois stands out at $4.21 per gallon, while much of the region remains closer to the mid-$3 range. 

Southern states are generally lower, though still rising, with Texas at $3.60 and South Carolina at $3.64, while Florida is higher at $3.96.

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Diesel prices are climbing faster than gasoline, reflecting their close ties to freight and industry—meaning increases can ripple through supply chains and raise costs across the economy. 

Diesel averaged $5.41 a gallon, up $1.65 over the same period, according to AAA, surpassing $5 for the first time since December 2022 as the war in Iran continues to disrupt global energy supplies.

A potentially deadly disease known as “the white plague” has been rising in the U.S. since the pandemic, health officials have warned.

Tuberculosis (TB) gets its nickname from the pale appearance of those affected with the disease.

After a dip in 2020 with the onset of COVID – likely due to underdiagnosis and reduced screenings, according to health experts – cases of TB have increased every year since.

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More than 10,600 cases were confirmed in 2024, which is around three people for every 100,000, per the latest available data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

This marks the third consecutive annual increase, and the total 2024 case count is the highest annual number since 2013.

Despite the recent increase, TB rates in the U.S. remain relatively low compared to many parts of the world, as the global average is about 131 cases per 100,000, per the World Health Organization. That’s approximately 40 times higher globally compared to the U.S.

TB is a curable bacterial infection that targets the lungs, but can also infect other organs, according to Johns Hopkins. It is spread through airborne particles released when an infected person coughs, speaks or sneezes.

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Renuga Vivekanandan, MD, professor at Creighton University School of Medicine and VP and CMO of CHI Health Physician Enterprise Midwest, said the rise in tuberculosis cases in the U.S. is concerning, but noted that it was foreseeable.

“The COVID-19 pandemic effectively disrupted TB surveillance and treatment programs across the country,” the doctor, who is board-certified in internal medicine and infectious diseases, told Fox News Digital. 

“What we’re seeing now is largely a rebound effect – latent TB infections that went undetected or untreated during the pandemic are now activating.”

Another factor is a return to international travel and increased migration from countries where TB is more prevalent, according to Vivekanandan.

The uptick has also strained healthcare systems. “Local and state public health TB programs became understaffed during the pandemic, and that capacity hasn’t fully recovered,” the doctor said.

While around 25% of people have likely been infected with the TB bacteria, about 5% to 10% will go on to develop active disease, according to health agencies.

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A person with a latent infection has been infected with the tuberculosis bacteria, but the bacteria are inactive in the body. While latent-stage TB is not contagious, it can develop into active disease in 5% to 10% of people. 

Only people with active TB disease in the lungs or throat can spread the infection.

Those who get sick with TB may experience mild symptoms, including coughing, chest pain, fatigue, weight loss, weakness, fever and night sweats, per the CDC. In some cases, however, the disease can also affect the kidneys, spine, skin and brain.

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“TB can affect any organ of the body, but it causes disease in the lung in over 80% of cases,” Masae Kawamura, M.D., a former TB control director in San Francisco and a tuberculosis clinician, previously told Fox News Digital. “This is dangerous because it causes cough, the mechanism of airborne spread.”

In more severe cases, patients may cough up blood, noted Kawamura, who serves on the board of directors of Vital Strategies, a global public health organization.

“Often, there are minimal symptoms for a long time, and people mistake their occasional cough with allergies, smoking or a cold they can’t shake off,” she added.

“The good news is that TB is both preventable and treatable,” Vivekanandan said.

“People who are at higher risk – including those born in or traveling frequently to high TB-burden countries, individuals living in crowded conditions, or those who are immunocompromised – should speak with their doctor about TB testing.”

Other high-risk groups include people who have diabetes, are malnourished, use tobacco and/or drink excess amounts of alcohol. Babies and children are also more vulnerable to the disease.

Doctors typically use a skin or blood test to detect TB infection, followed by imaging or sputum (mucus) testing to confirm active disease, per the CDC.

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The disease is treated with antibiotics that are taken every day for four to six months, the CDC states. Some of the most common include isoniazid, rifampicin, pyrazinamide and ethambutol.

Failure to take the complete course of medications can cause the bacteria to become drug-resistant, which means it does not respond to standard antibiotics. Drug-resistant TB is more difficult and costly to treat and requires longer, more complex medication regimens, according to experts.

If TB goes untreated, it is fatal in about half of its victims.

“Latent TB, which causes no symptoms and is not contagious, can be treated and cured before it ever progresses to active TB, which is infectious,” Vivekanandan said.

“Identifying and treating latent infection is one of the most powerful tools we have for protecting both individual patients and the broader community.”

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The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommends screening only for populations at increased risk rather than for the general population.

Catholic leaders across the U.S. are reporting sharp increases in the number of adult converts, a trend that they say is driven primarily by young adults.

The Archdiocese of Newark, N.J., reported 1,701 individuals were preparing to join the Church, a 30% increase since 2025, according to The Catholic Standard. Other Archdioceses reporting similar rises including Cleveland, Ohio, Boston, Mass., Portland, Ore., according to the outlet.

“Last year, we broke the record for the number of adult converts, and then this year — so, we have what’s called the rite of election, that’s when all the people are entering into the church — we broke that record again. So, it’s a trend that’s visible all over the church and it’s certainly been true in my dioceses,” Bishop Robert Barron told Fox News Digital.

Catholic ministries on college campuses, including Texas A&M University, University of Notre Dame and Arizona State University are also reporting increasing converts, The Catholic Standard reported. Notre Dame saw its largest group of new Catholics in at least 25 years, with 125 receiving the sacraments last Easter, according to The Catholic Standard. The outlet noted that this year, Notre Dame expects there to be 163 candidates and catechumens, which are unbaptized individuals undergoing conversion.

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Barron said that when speaking to new adult converts about their decision, many describe themselves as “hungry for truth.” He argued the trend is, in part, a reaction to the rise of atheism in the early 2000s, with younger generations having “inherited this bleakly secularized world” and now “leading the charge” back to religion.

The bishop pointed to St. Augustine, saying the theologian’s words still ring true today.

“St. Augustine said, ‘Lord, you’ve made us for yourself, and therefore our heart is restless till it rests in you,’ and that remains true,” Barron said. “There’s a longing in the heart that can’t be satisfied by anything in this world, and so religion speaks to that.”

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The bishop also explained that many young adults are looking for something steady with strong roots as they navigate the modern world and its online distractions. In his view, Catholicism has been attracting new converts because of its 2,000-year-old traditions.

“Our culture today is very ephemeral, right? It’s evanescent… Catholicism speaks to something much deeper, and older, and more permanent,” he said. “I also think that people are attracted to the ritual expression of Catholicism. So, the beauty of our liturgy, we’re not just gathering in a bland room and singing pop songs, we’re entering into this ancient, beautiful ritual involving vestments and incense and candles and ancient prayers and ancient chants. And I do think that appeals to people’s souls, especially young people.”

Even as he spoke about the beauty of the Church, Barron touched on the scandals of sexual abuse that came to light especially in the early 2000s. He said that the scandals were important for the Church to acknowledge and deal with, but that for young adult converts, they were “more of a memory” and “less of a lived, immediate reality.”

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In 2025, Pew Research Center issued findings on Catholic converts in the U.S., saying that 1.5% of all adults in the country fit into the category. According to Pew’s 2025 report, 92% of U.S. Catholics were raised in the faith, while the remaining 8% had converted. The research center said that when asked why they converted to Catholicism, “the most common response offered by converts is because of a spouse, or to get married in the Church.” Meanwhile, others said Catholicism made sense to them or that it aligned with their values.

Now that the Church has attracted these new converts, it is tasked with retaining them. Barron said that first and foremost, the Church must listen to them.

“I think it needs to listen to them. You know, that’s something Pope Francis kept emphasizing, correctly, that first you listen and fin out what’s attracted them, find out maybe what kept them away for a long time, what made a difference,” Barron told Fox News Digital.

Barron emphasized that, ultimately, the Church exists for the purpose of bringing people into the faith.

“The Church is about the business of evangelization. That’s what we are. I mean, every Catholic institution exists for the purpose of evangelization, meaning bringing people to Christ. And so, the people who are coming back to the Church, that makes me the happiest. That’s why what the Catholic Church exists for, is to invite people back,” the bishop said.