people there. this happening just about an hour ago. that is when lights started to flicker in downtown detroit. rick leventhal, we ll keep an eye on it for all of you and bring you the latest when we get it. well, in the meantime plunging oil prices could be a big boost for consumers during the busy holiday shopping season. oil prices could keep falling which could help some big american companies as well. joining us from the fox business network, lauren simonetti. hi, there, lauren. businesses love this kind of thing because it costs them a lot less to get their goods from point a to point b. if you re not exxon or chevron you love this story. oil prices around $68 a barrel. at the gas pump you re paying $2.76 nationally. most states selling regular unleaded, heather under three bucks. even california which historically have high gas prices they have them today at 3.05. this is great news for drivers and great news for holiday
temperatures meaning americans are using less oil to heat their homes. all that pushes prices down further. prices also spiked after hurricane sandy and have fallen since, shepard. shepard: so right now they re headed down more, right? > reporter: that s right. there s a difference between lowest and highest of 80 cents a gallon. 3.85 in long island, in mems me, tennessee, it s less than 3.05. the average price of gas in the u.s. has fallen 10 cents in the past week, dipping 3.38 for a gallon of regular, expected to go lower. shepard: you can furnish your entire home at ikea if you want. if you re shopping at the right time, you can furnish your zoo. shoppers at an ikea in toronto spotted a monkey roaming the parking lot. this is so bizarre. why is there a monkey at ikea. i never expected to see that. i was pretty shocked.
a 30-year mortgage is down to 3.8%. that the lowest since long-term mortgages began back in the 1950s. the rate on a 50-year falling to 3.05%. there is a little good news for due. we are learning this hour that the postal service racked up losses in the billions this past quarter. agency set to lose even more money if congress does not approve evening saturday deliver is and cuts to health and labor costs. while 8th graders improved in signs, 7 out of 10 are still not considered proficient. i just concluded that for me personally, it is important for me to go ahead and affirm that i think same-sex couples should be able to get married.
certainly iran and the issue with israel is probably adding $10 to $15, as much as 30 cents to a gallon. i think the biggest reason are the factors that we in public policy are not really addressing and things we can do that would really help the situation long run. i mean the big thing in the market right now, alex, the discrepancy between prices at the coast verses prices in the interior of the country. denver, kansas city are about $3.05 in gasoline prices, even adjusting for taxes. 60 cent differentials per gallon. that s unprecedented. i will say there s a difference if you fill up in new jersey rather than new york. for those of white house can hightail it over the gwb sometimes it s worth it. joe pet trosky, thanks so much.
2008 that led us in to this recession in the first place. it s coming back, why? because this president is doing everything he can to hurt energy production in this country, to drive up the cost of energy. there are if you look at alaska, mexico and venezuela, between those three countries in the next five years, five to ten years we re going to lose between 4 and 5 billion barrels a day coming into this country. patti ann: newt gingrich also weighing in this morning. he claims the president actually wants gas prices to be even higher to reach the european level, which is 9 or $10 a gallon. bill: some pe perspective how it s affecting people around the country. 27 states pay 2.50 a gallon or more. at the moment hawaii pays the most, 4.26 per gallon. wyoming $3.05. a 25% jump in gas prices if