What the World Cup could mean for the US economy | Getting By Better, June 2, 2026

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[00:00:08]The clock is ticking. Georgia's gas tax break ends at midnight, and some commuters are already figuring out what they can't afford anymore.

[00:00:17]Scammers cloning your loved one's voice to drain your bank account. How one mom lost thousands, and the money moves to protect your family.

[00:00:26]And the FIFA World Cup isn't just about soccer fans. It could mean more jobs and more money flowing into metro Atlanta.

[00:00:33]We'll show you who stands to benefit.

[00:00:42]>> Live from Atlanta News First. This is Getting By Better, the tally update that pays off.

[00:00:49]>> Hey guys, I'm Sydney Stalworth. Thanks for joining us again on Getting By Better, where we give you actionable advice to help you save some money, stretch your dollar, and take control of your financial future. Well, we're starting off with a big one. It may be time to adjust your budget again.

[00:01:04]Georgia drivers will soon be paying more at the pump. Governor Kemp's state gas tax exemption expires tonight, and it saved drivers around 33 cents since it went into effect back in March. Atlanta News First Mary Kay Hamilton is showing us why some folks are filling up before the relief runs out.

[00:01:23]>> This is going to be a significant increase in cost, especially for commuters and small business owners, some of whom I spoke with say they are already preparing for pain at the pump, and wondering what they'll have to cut out next to adjust. The clock is ticking.

[00:01:38]>> My nails might have to come off. I don't know.

[00:01:40]>> Governor Kemp's state gas tax suspension expires at midnight.

[00:01:44]>> Wow.

[00:01:45]>> After tonight, gas prices will go up at least 33 cents a gallon, and diesel 37 cents.

[00:01:53]Tika Carter owns Blends Friends Food Truck. She says even during the suspension, they're paying more than ever to get from point A to point B.

[00:02:01]>> This truck takes about $78 to fill up.

[00:02:06]Before the gas prices, it took about $53.

[00:02:11]>> And now they're bracing to pay even more.

[00:02:14]>> It's heartbreaking. I mean, it's scary.

[00:02:16]I don't know how high we get. Um but we have to pay it, but it's affecting the business in a major way.

[00:02:24]>> Loyal customers and acai lovers like Rye McQueen, who drives 40 minutes to and from work every day, are prepping for the squeeze, too.

[00:02:32]>> I know that in the weeks to come, I'm going to probably have to cut back on coming so much because money has to be allocated different ways. I know I'm going to have to make some sacrifices.

[00:02:41]>> Governor Kemp extended the suspension once already, but his office confirms the relief is over, at least for now.

[00:02:48]So, fill up today and plan accordingly.

[00:02:51]>> The toes got to be done, but the nails, we can maneuver.

[00:02:54]>> A special session is set to begin on June 17th, but there are no immediate plans to address the suspension in the special session. For now, reporting in Midtown, Mary Kate Hamilton, Atlanta News First.

[00:03:07]>> Well, if you go fill up tonight, here are where the prices stand right now here in Georgia. A gallon of regular gas is sitting at around $3.80 per gallon, and premium and diesel are both over four bucks. And if those prices have you thinking about a used car instead, skipping a pre-purchase inspection might only be okay if you're a mechanic.

[00:03:29]Atlanta News First Consumer Investigator, Better Call Harry, is live at Gordy Tire and Automotive on Howell Mill, showing us why even the most reliable used car still need a professional looking under the hood, huh, Harry?

[00:03:44]>> I still think this is probably the most important story I will ever do, because I love it when you look at these ads online and you find one from a dealership that says, "You know, this car passed a 160-point inspection." And I'm thinking, "Yeah, they pointed at it 160 times." You can find a good car for under $15,000.

[00:04:07]But my point is this, what good is it if you end up spending thousands of dollars in repairs?

[00:04:15]Wendy is ready for her first-ever pre-purchase used car inspection.

[00:04:21]>> you?

[00:04:21]>> Good. How are you?

[00:04:23]>> It's a nice-looking It's a nice-looking car.

[00:04:25]>> It is a nice-looking car.

[00:04:27]>> She's a school teacher who's considering this 2017 Subaru Outback Limited with about 115,000 mi. It was a trade-in at a local dealership, and the online ad priced it at $13,900.

[00:04:43]>> It's very smooth. It's comfortable.

[00:04:45]>> Any lights on the dash light up? Any warning lights?

[00:04:47]>> No.

[00:04:48]>> Many used car buyers don't realize they can ask the seller if they can bring the car to a mechanic. So, we helped Wendy out by arranging an inspection at an independent shop. Gordie's Tire & Automotive on Howell Mill charges about 150 bucks. What percentage do you think of the community or people or buyers are smart enough to bring a car in for an inspection like this?

[00:05:13]>> Probably 20%.

[00:05:15]>> 20%? That's it?

[00:05:17]>> Maybe.

[00:05:17]>> That's it.

[00:05:17]>> How important is a pre-purchase inspection?

[00:05:20]>> I mean, it's everything.

[00:05:21]>> I'd like to do a pre-scan on your vehicle.

[00:05:23]>> This is Germain, the technician, and he's using a sophisticated scanner >> So, this is a Subaru >> to talk to the car and find any error codes, even codes that someone intentionally erased.

[00:05:37]>> So, now it's it's running a scan on the ABS, the engine, the [snorts] transmission, the tire pressure sensor, all body control modules.

[00:05:45]>> The computer looks for things a mechanic can't see. So far, so good.

[00:05:50]>> So nothing's nothing's wrong, no fault codes coming up, nothing in the history, nothing that we see that's been replaced.

[00:05:56]So everything's coming up good. So right now, we're going to pull it in and do your other inspection. We're going to check all your belts, your hoses, your brakes, your wipers, make sure your AC's working, even the radio.

[00:06:05]>> Now for the visual inspection. The dealership changed the oil, but what about the other fluids?

[00:06:11]>> Now by dabbing this in here, if this turns like an amber color or a purple color, that means the fluid needs to be changed.

[00:06:19]>> Yep, the brake fluid needs to be changed.

[00:06:22]We're getting there, but no inspection is complete without a look underneath.

[00:06:29]>> No oil leaks, no transmission leaks.

[00:06:31]>> Wait a second. What's that?

[00:06:34]>> See this side is dry.

[00:06:35]You see how this is leaking?

[00:06:37]So I'm definitely going to mark that for you.

[00:06:39]>> There's a leaking seal at the rear axle and a potential deal breaker.

[00:06:45]>> Is this considered rust or is that normal?

[00:06:46]>> It's just It's just It's just rust.

[00:06:48]>> Wendy's asking questions, something every buyer needs to do. She finds out the brakes are at 50%. That's okay, but what about accidents? This car's had at least one, but nothing major.

[00:07:01]>> Wait, what about up there on the door?

[00:07:03]>> That looks like aftermarket paint to me.

[00:07:05]So I would pull a Carfax report.

[00:07:07]>> That's Gordie's owner, who does one final test. He drives and listens for things only a mechanic would hear.

[00:07:15]>> got one more thing here.

[00:07:16]>> A click.

[00:07:17]>> So that's your CV axle.

[00:07:21]>> The front left axle, another problem the dealership's 160-point inspection did not catch. Wendy's still not sure, but she will use the information from this inspection to negotiate.

[00:07:38]All right, so I'm standing here with Jermaine who just happened to be walking by. Uh you were just on TV Well, actually you're on TV right now. She bought the car. She brought it back. Did you do the repairs?

[00:07:49]>> Yes, sir. I sure did.

[00:07:50]>> You You did the repairs and it's all good?

[00:07:52]>> It's all good. I did it Friday.

[00:07:53]>> All right. So, she took all the information from that inspection report that Germain did. She went back to the dealership. She used that to negotiate a lower price. She got it down to uh I think $13,000.

[00:08:07]And then she brought it back here. They did the repairs and now the car is for her daughter who's driving back and forth to USC. And uh it's a safe car, right?

[00:08:17]>> That's correct.

[00:08:18]>> That That That's all I got. It doesn't get any better than that.

[00:08:22]>> Well, Harry, I'm sure that that driver is feeling very relieved and he gave us awesome tips we can take into our next purchase. Thanks so much, Harry. We'll talk to you soon.

[00:08:31]Now, let's get to our consumer headlines for the day. Job hunters may be catching a break. A new report shows job postings went up in April instead of falling like many analysts did expect it to do. The Bureau of Labor Statistics says that there were about 7.6 million open jobs, the highest level in almost 2 years.

[00:08:52]Economists had predicted a third straight month of decline, but this suggests that the US job market may be holding steady or even starting to grow again. We'll have to see. And there's another big job boost on the horizon, the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Bank of America says it could bring thousands of jobs and billions of dollars to cities just like Atlanta. Ivan Rodriguez is taking a closer look at the parts of the economy expected to benefit the most.

[00:09:19]>> A new Bank of America report calls the 2026 FIFA World Cup the largest sporting event ever staged. According to a FIFA and World Trade Organization study cited in the report, this year's World Cup could add roughly $41 billion to global GDP and support more than 800,000 jobs worldwide. In the US alone, that's an estimated 185,000 jobs and more than $17 billion in GDP generated.

[00:09:45]>> It's a number of industries that will benefit from it. Obviously, travel.

[00:09:49]You've got to stay somewhere. Food and drink. You often find people sort of want to buy sports, you know, gear. So, obviously, sporting goods are going to benefit from that as well.

[00:09:57]>> Beyond the economic windfall, the report calls this the first-ever quote AI World Cup. Bank of America estimates more than 90 petabytes of direct tournament data will be generated, 45 times more than the last World Cup. 90 petabytes equals about 90 billion megabytes of data.

[00:10:14]Michael Hartnett says the scale of digital engagement is unprecedented.

[00:10:18]>> The final itself could use that day or those couple of hours during that final, 7% of all global internet traffic, which is pretty amazing. But then again, you think about the last final that took place in 2022, 1.5 billion people watched that final.

[00:10:36]It's now 1.5 billion people watching the final and interacting with social media and engagement in this, that, and the other with it. And that creates a tremendous amount of AI that goes with that.

[00:10:48]>> I'm Ivan Rodriguez reporting.

[00:10:51]>> You want to stay with us. We have plenty more coming up on getting by better.

[00:10:54][music] But first up, using fear to steal your money. Scammers are now using AI to clone your loved one's voices.

[00:11:02]>> [music] >> We'll tell you what to watch out for so you don't fall for it. But first, it's everyone's favorite time of the day.

[00:11:07]It's time for our [music] question of the day. How do you feel about your finances these days? Are you on track?

[00:11:14]Are you doing okay? Are you closer to the bottom near struggling or completely lost? We understand you either way. Scan the QR code. Oh, somebody says they're doing okay. On your screen or go to atlantanewsfirst.com/vote to weigh in. We want to hear from you.

[00:11:27]And then coming up, we have some questions that you should ask yourself to see if it's time to bring in a financial planner. Stay with us.

[00:11:41]As we come back, we're getting you caught up on today's top stories across metro Atlanta. Here's Atlanta News First anchor Joe Gorcho. Joe.

[00:11:49]>> Good afternoon, Cindy. Breaking this afternoon, federal prosecutors [music] are now involved in a deadly Marta train stabbing case. US Attorney Theodore Hertzberg [music] said John Elijah Matthews now faces a federal charge of committing an act of violence causing death on a mass transit [music] system after the alleged unprovoked killing of Margaret Swan. If convicted, Matthews could face life in prison or [music] even the death penalty.

[00:12:14]Meanwhile, Marta is hitting the brakes on its brand new train fleet, delaying this week's public launch. The new rail cars still need more safety testing and certification. So, as of right now, there's no planned new start date. Marta says replacing its decades-old trains remains a priority, but wants to make sure riders and employees are safe before the cars enter service.

[00:12:34]A new 24/7 emergency department is now open in South Fulton. Grady South Emergency Department on Campbellton Fairburn Road offers 16 exam rooms, X-ray, CT, and ultrasound, and a pharmacy along with a lab. The freestanding ER will eventually become part of a $900 million medical campus with a new hospital planned by 2031.

[00:12:56]Book lovers are packing into the Barnes & Noble in Cumberland before it closes for good. The store on Cobb Parkway Southeast is set to shut down on August 19th, and a big closing sale is now underway. A sign on the door says the company is still looking for a new location in the neighborhood, and we explain what the [music] next step is for the bookstore coming up at 4:00.

[00:13:15]And now for a check of your forecast, we welcome in First Alert Meteorologist Patrick Pete. And Patrick, any chance of rain popping up over the next few hours here?

[00:13:22]>> Uh we got some spotty sprinkles, Joe.

[00:13:24]Not a major impact here. First Alert radar showing some of those showers. We had one little cluster of storms that has uh since started to weaken. Watching this uh burst of heavy rain start to move into North Druid Hills area. Uh folks that are in Decatur, this is headed toward you over the next few minutes. Could even see some of this on the east side of Midtown. We got a scattering of showers to the south of that starting to drift into portions of North Henry County. This is making a bee line toward you down in Stockbridge. And then we've been tracking a little bit of action to the north of the city. Again, some spotty showers. We had a little bit of lightning embedded in one of those cells a few minutes ago, and that has since diminished. Otherwise, temperatures are pleasantly in the upper 70s and lower 80s across most of the area. The exception being the areas where we've seen some sprinkles, temperatures are a little bit cooler.

[00:14:07]Holding on to 81 here in Atlanta, and I do think we'll see those rain chances gradually diminish as we head through the evening hours. It's going to be a cooler night where we start off the day tomorrow in the mid to upper 50s, so uh borderline chilly for the morning, but the afternoon rebounds nicely as a dry weather pattern dominates the forecast.

[00:14:25]Lower humidity is going to bring in some fall-like feels, and then we'll see some rain chances start to turn back into the forecast by Sunday. Dew points much lower over the next few days. It is going to feel incredible outside as we head through the rest of the work week.

[00:14:40]Noticing that spike in humidity as we head into Sunday, and unfortunately, it'll stay elevated into Monday. So, enjoy these next couple of days. Highs near 80° as we head into the day tomorrow. Warming temperatures through the end of the work week, and then rain chances returning Sunday into early next week.

[00:14:59]>> [music] >> This is getting by better, the daily update that pays off.

[00:15:03]>> Well, imagine picking up the phone and hearing a loved one begging for help on the other line, and then a voice saying that they've been kidnapped, and they're demanding ransom. This is called an AI voice cloning scam, and it is growing.

[00:15:16]Last year, Americans lost nearly $900 million to AI-related scams. That's according to the FBI. Jen Sullivan explains how these scams work and what you can do right now to protect your family.

[00:15:29]>> It's a terrifying scam. Getting a phone call and hearing the desperate pleas for help from what sounds like a loved one.

[00:15:36]It's a horrifying scenario that Deborah Del Mastro knows all too well.

[00:15:41]>> In the beginning, it was the panic attack.

[00:15:43]>> The California mom says she received a phone call from an unknown number. When she answered, she heard a man's voice saying her 37-year-old daughter had been kidnapped by a Mexican cartel and demanded $20,000 for her release. Then, she hears her daughter's voice pleading for help.

[00:16:01]>> It sounded just like her.

[00:16:02]>> But it wasn't her daughter. Instead, scammers used AI to mimic her daughter's voice.

[00:16:09]It's known as an AI voice cloning scam.

[00:16:12]And these types of hoaxes are easy for scammers given the technologies available. Fraudsters can use AI to steal and clone your voice, making it nearly indistinguishable from the real thing.

[00:16:23]>> My daughter's voice said back to me, "I'm so sorry, Mom. I love you."

[00:16:30]>> Del Mastro says she wired the scammers around $5,000 because that's all she could get at that moment and said it could have been worse, but that's money she says she now can't get back.

[00:16:40]>> As a parent, when you truly believe that your your child, adult child, you know, is in distress and terror distress like that, you'll do anything.

[00:16:52]>> That desperation and panic is what scammers rely on because panic can outweigh reason. That's why experts say to take a moment to recognize the red flags. Try and contact your loved one through other means, like a text message or call from another phone. Experts also recommend families establish code words to help verify each other's identity in situations like this one. For Consumer watch, I'm Jen Sullivan.

[00:17:19]>> And remember you still have time to answer our question of the day. It's pretty split right now. We wanted to know how do you feel about your finances these days? Half you so far saying you're doing okay, the other half say you are struggling and we understand why. Scan the QR code on your screen or go to atlantanewsfirst.com/vote [music] to weigh in and stick around because coming up we have questions that maybe you should ask yourself to see if it's time to bring in a financial planner. Stay with us.

[00:17:47]Welcome back just in time to get back to our question of the day. We asked how do you feel about your finances right now?

[00:17:56]And in the last hour the answer shifted.

[00:17:58]Most of you came in to say you are completely lost and we understand. Well, you don't have to be rich to get some real financial advice. In this watching your wallet consumer investigator Rachel De Pompa is finding out more about a certified financial planners, how much they actually cost, and when professional help might make more sense for you.

[00:18:20]>> If you've recently gotten married, had kids, or bought a home, you may need some extra help getting organized and staying on track. We caught up with Carlos Salinas, vice president of financial planning at BOK Financial to find out more about certified financial planners and why they might make sense for you. She says often times people think you need a certain net worth to work with a financial planner, but it's really just whether you're going through any major milestones in life.

[00:18:50]>> Are your finances getting more complicated? Do I understand my financial picture today?

[00:18:55]And you know, if you're starting to ask yourself, where do I want to be in 20 or 30 years, that's a good time to get organized and to work with a financial planner. A plan can help organize your finances so they can get you to your goals.

[00:19:10]>> She says sometimes it's as simple as you need someone to outline those goals for you." Selena says you can go to a local bank or credit union. They may offer a financial planning service. You can also search online for a certified financial planner. So, how do you pay?

[00:19:26]>> Depending on how much, you know, investments or how much cash there you have under their platform, then they can waive the financial planning fee or they may discount financial planning services based on how many assets are under their management.

[00:19:43]>> She says, "Or they could also just charge you a flat fee for financial planning and that fee will include meetings and usually a written report of your detailed plan." And one more thing, she says, "Be careful of getting free financial advice from influencers on social media."

[00:19:59]With this Watching Your Wallet, I'm Rachel De Pompa.

[00:20:03]>> All right, be sure to stay with us.

[00:20:04]Coming up at 4:00, a new warning about tanning [music] this summer.

[00:20:08]Dermatologists say even just a little color can be dangerous. Plus, in soccer, [music] the clock never stops. Why the most dramatic moments happen after the clock hits 90.