BLS data show real average hourly earnings fell 0.7% over the past year, and inflation has outpaced wage gains for six straight months as the Iran-war energy shock feeds into prices.
Medium
Average hourly pay has risen about 5.4% since January 2025 (The Washington Post) or 5.5% (Heather Long).
The Washington Post and Heather Long are named, and the BLS average hourly earnings series (CES0500000003) backs the endpoints. The two named sources give slightly different figures (5.4% vs 5.5%), so the exact number is unsettled.
Medium
Inflation has outpaced wage gains for six straight months.
The story places it under 'BLS data show', but it is a derived rolling-period calculation (FRED CPI and earnings series), not a published BLS statistic.
Low
The Iran-war energy shock is feeding into prices.
This is the desk's own unattributed causal claim. No named source in the story ties the inflation to the Iran-war energy shock.