While Federal Reserve Vice Chair Lael Brainard gave a nod to what one observer called "the elephant in the room," her core message—that monetary tightening is needed to tackle inflation—drew progressive pushback.

The Justice Department's new approach to tackling corporate crime is "a modest step forward when a great leap is required," said the president of Public Citizen.

"We must push back," said one doctor. "Free provision of vaccinations, Paxlovid, and monoclonals has been critically important."

"It's time for the president to demand that Congress pass a windfall profits tax on Big Oil and use the revenue to provide rebates to consumers NOW!" wrote Sen. Bernie Sanders.

"Gas is over $5 a gallon. Why? Well, oil companies made $93 billion in profits in the first quarter and are spending $88 billion on stock buybacks."

"Abbott chose to prioritize shareholders by issuing billions of dollars in stock buybacks instead of making productive investments," said one economist.

"We take on the risk. They take away the profits," said one vaccine equity advocate.

"There is a clear difference in this race. One of the candidates in this primary is for sale," said the progressive running to represent Ohio's 11th Congressional District.

"The American people," said the Senate Budget Committee chair, "are sick and tired of being forced to pay outrageously high prices for gas, rent, and food while large corporations make out like bandits."

"We cannot allow big oil companies and other large, profitable corporations to continue to use the war in Ukraine, the Covid-19 pandemic, and the specter of inflation to make obscene profits by price gouging Americans."