Inflation is crushing Joe Biden and Democrats

The Consumer Price Index -- a measure of inflation in the economy -- hit a four-decade high in March, a brutal reminder for Democrats of the political headwinds facing them as they seek to keep their majorities in the House and Senate this fall.

Prices rose 8.5% from March 2021 to March 2022, while they increased 1.2% from February to March. Half of the increase in the CPI was due to rising gas prices in March.

The Biden administration had been expecting a bad CPI number. "We expect March CPI headline inflation to be extraordinarily due to (Russian President Vladimir) Putin's price hike," said White House press secretary Jen Psaki on Monday.