U.S. Import Prices, Inflation, & the Fed’s Next Move 4/15/26

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) offers his party’s perspective on the Iran War, the President’s delivery on the economy, and America’s affordability crisis. This week, the market digested multiple economic data sets. On Tuesday, the producer price index, a gauge of pipeline costs for final demand goods and services, made the biggest 12-month gain since February 2023. Today, the Bureau of Labor Statistics showed that U.S. import prices rose less than expected in March, and petroleum import prices increased 9.4% as the war in Iran drove energy prices higher. CNBC’s Steve Liesman and Rick Santelli break down the data and the market’s expectations for that data, and Cleveland Fed President Beth Hammack explains what the numbers could mean for the Fed’s next interest rate decision. Plus, CNBC’s Phil LeBeau discusses the potential for airline mergers in the current administration, Anthropic is reportedly turning down VC money, and Kevin Warsh’s Fed nomination hearing has been scheduled after a delay. Phil LeBeau - 11:13 House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries - 19:33 Steve Liesman & Rick Santelli - 36:48 Beth Hammack - 42:47 In this episode: Hakeem Jeffries, @RepJeffries Phil LeBeau, @Lebeaucarnews Steve Liesman, @steveliesman Rick Santelli, @RickSantelli Kelly Evans, @KellyCNBC Michael Santoli, @michaelsantoli Joe Kernen, @JoeSquawk Katie Kramer, @Kramer_Katie