Inflation has slowed, but the economy remains a big issue for voters in picking a president

 By Casey Quinlan

Inflation hit a three-year low last month, just as the presidential election is heating up.

But the high cost of housing and other necessities will keep the economy central to both of the major campaigns, as seen this week in the first debate between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump.

The Consumer Price Index, a measure of inflation, rose 2.5% in the past year, which is the smallest jump since February 2021, according to the latest Bureau of Labor Statistics data released Wednesday. The main driver of this increase was shelter, which moved up 0.5% in August. Airline fares, car insurance, education, and apparel also rose that month. But wages also rose 0.4% in August and 3.8% over the past year, and the average workweek increased by 0.1 hour — welcome news for workers trying to keep up with the cost of living.

Voters continue to say the economy is key in deciding who should be president, at 81%, and four in 10 say the economy and inflation are the most important issues guiding that  decision.

Trump, the former president and Republican nominee, blamed the Biden administration for high prices early on Tuesday’s debate in Philadelphia, falsely claiming the post-pandemic wave of inflation is the worst ever.

“We’ve had a terrible economy because inflation, which is really known as a country buster, it breaks up countries, we have inflation like very few people have ever seen before, probably the worst in our nation’s history,” Trump said.

The worst inflation rate in U.S. history was actually in 1980, at 14%. The current wave – the highest inflation spike since then – peaked at 9.1% in June 2022.

Democratic nominee and Vice President Harris responded to Tuesday’s question about the economy by touting tax cut proposals to combat housing costs.

“The cost of housing is far too expensive for far too many people. We know that young families need support to raise their children and I intend on extending a tax cut for those families of $6,000, which is the largest child tax credit that we have given in a long time so that those young families can afford to buy a crib, buy a car seat, buy clothes for their children,” she said. 

Harris also pitched a proposal for a $50,000 tax deduction for small startup businesses.

Taylor St. Germain, an economist at ITR Economics, a nonpartisan economic research and consulting firm based in New Hampshire, said the latest data shows inflation is slowing enough to suggest it’s time for the Federal Reserve to start cutting interest rates.

“It’s encouraging to see that inflation is slowing and slowing to these much lower levels,” said St. Germain said. “However, it is, of course, still elevated and one of the reasons it’s still elevated is that shelter costs are driving a significant portion of that inflation, with rents rising as well, especially as we looked at this latest CPI report.”

The Fed began raising interest rates in March 2022 to bring down inflation, raising interest rates 11 times, and made its last rate hike in July of last year.

Economists are watching closely to see if the Fed cuts rates during its meeting next week, which is expected to have an impact on the housing market and other costs.

Kitty Richards, senior strategic adviser at Groundwork Collaborative, a progressive think tank based in Washington, D.C., said the Fed’s decisions are contributing to housing costs.

“The problem with housing is fundamentally a supply problem. And the Fed’s actions are actually making that supply problem worse by locking up the housing market and making it more expensive to buy, build or rehab housing,” she said. “Housing is such a big part of people’s experience of the economy and it really matters to folks when they might want to move and look around and they can’t. They can’t even afford to buy a house that is the same price as the house they live in because the interest rates are so high.”

Photo credit: AT Ramos

This article originally appeared in the NC Newsline on September 12th, 2024

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SC Supreme Court will not halt upcoming execution; activists call for clemency

By Sklar Laird

COLUMBIA — The state Supreme Court will not halt the state’s first execution in 13 years over an inmate’s claims of new evidence and legal errors, the court said in a Thursday order.

Freddie Owens, who changed his legal name to Khalil Divine Black Sun Allah, is scheduled to die Sept. 20 by lethal injection. Unless his attorneys file another motion to halt his execution that convinces the high court, the only way to prevent his execution would be for the governor to grant him clemency.

Gov. Henry McMaster has declined to say whether he will give Owens clemency, saying he will announce his decision minutes before Owens is scheduled to die. Civil rights groups are circulating a petition asking McMaster to give Owens a lighter sentence.

'Obvious Conflict of Interest': Report Reveals 50+ US Lawmakers Hold Military Stocks

By Brett Wilkins

"It's abjectly terrifying that the personal benefit of any member of Congress is factored into decisions about how to wield and fund the largest military in the world," said one critic.

At least 50 U.S. lawmakers or members of their households are financially invested in companies that make military weapons and equipment—even as these firms "receive hundreds of billions of dollars annually from congressionally-crafted Pentagon appropriations legislation," a report published Thursday revealed.

UNC System eliminates dozens of positions as campus DEI initiatives come to an end

By Clayton Henkin

North Carolinians are getting their first look at the impact of the UNC System’s decision to eliminate diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs from its campuses.

The UNC Board of Governors voted in May to repeal the policy in favor of “principled neutrality.” Campuses within the system had until September 1st to issue reports on how they followed the new directive, detailing the steps taken to achieve that compliance.

Andrew Tripp, the UNC System’s senior vice president and general counsel, told the Board of Governors on Wednesday that a total of 59 positions had been eliminated and 132 were realigned to other areas.

Congressional Democrats, civil rights leaders call for changes in the Senate filibuster

 By Ariana Figueroa

WASHINGTON — Democratic lawmakers and a coalition of civil rights leaders Tuesday urged Congress to reform the filibuster in order to pass voting rights legislation next Congress.

“Voting rights, succinctly put, are preservative of all other rights,” U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock, a Georgia Democrat, said at a press conference outside the U.S. Capitol.

Warnock was joined by Democratic U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota and Reps. Joe Morelle of New York, Terri Sewell of Alabama and John Sarbanes of Maryland, as well as dozens of representatives of civil rights groups, including plaintiffs in voting rights lawsuits in South Carolina and Alabama.

UNC Chapel Hill’s incoming class is less diverse after Supreme Court affirmative action ruling

 By Christine Zhu

The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s newest class is less diverse following the Supreme Court’s 2023 affirmative action ruling, according to its latest student enrollment data released this week.

The percentage of first-year and transfer students identifying as white or Asian increased this year from 88.5 percent to 89.6 percent, compared to the fall 2023 report.

Meanwhile, the number of Black, Hispanic, and Native American students declined from 22.9 percent to 19 percent.

Sec of State LaRose says it’s easy to vote in Ohio, but critics say he’s making it more difficult

Secretary of State Frank LaRose is fond of saying that “it’s easy to vote and hard to cheat” in Ohio elections. But his recent — and not-so-recent — conduct seems to contradict both halves of that formulation, a watchdog says.

Just two months before a presidential election, the state’s top elections officer continues to change the rules in ways that make it more difficult for some Ohioans to vote — particularly new citizens and the disabled. Meanwhile, he’s supposed to conduct elections neutrally, but the things he’s done concerning the state’s extreme partisan gerrymandering are clearly biased in favor of his own party and his friends, the watchdog said.

University faculty in the South increasingly worried about political climate, survey shows

 By Piper Hutchinson

A survey of higher education faculty in the South found that professors are increasingly worried about political interference in higher education, with 80% of respondents ranking the political atmosphere surrounding colleges and universities as poor or very poor. 

AT&T strike continues in Southeast as company presents ‘final offer’ for union contract

By Cassandra Stephenson 

Thousands of unionized AT&T workers across the southeast marked their 20th day on strike Thursday amid a bargaining stalemate over a new contract with the telecommunications giant.

AT&T on Wednesday presented the southeast district of The Communications Workers of America (CWA) with what it calls its “final offer,” proposing cumulative wage increases of up to 18% over the life of the 5-year agreement and higher company contributions to employees’ health care benefits.

SC’s 1st inmate to be executed in 13 years will die by lethal injection, attorney decides

 By Sklar Laird

COLUMBIA — Death row inmate Freddie Owens will die by lethal injection, his attorney decided Friday.

That is, if the execution is carried out as scheduled. His attorneys filed another petition Thursday night seeking to stop it.

Owens’ execution, scheduled for Sept. 20, is set to be the first in the state since 2011. Five more executions could follow in five-week intervals.

Trump promotes raising tariffs, corporate tax cut in battle over economy with Harris

By Jacob Fischler and Ashley Murray

Former President Donald Trump said Thursday he would protect American industries if he is reelected by increasing tariffs on imports while cutting other taxes and regulations, in a speech to the Economic Club of New York.

The GOP presidential candidate’s remarks came as the economy has taken center stage in the run-up to the 2024 presidential election. Both Trump and the Democratic nominee, Vice President Kamala Harris, have criticized a ballooning national deficit, high housing costs and increasingly expensive groceries

Catastrophic hunger doubles in 2024; Gaza and Sudan worst hit

By Vibru Mishra 

The updated Global Report on Food Crises reveals that nearly two million people are now grappling with the most critical level of food insecurity, classified as Phase 5 on the global IPC scale, which tracks acute hunger.

This level represents an “extreme lack of food and exhaustion of coping capacities,” with a sharply increased risk of acute malnutrition and death.

“As well as causing widespread acute malnutrition and death in the short term, it has major human, social and economic impacts in the long term,” the report noted.

Florida college students return to campus amid restrictions on protesting

 By Jay Waagmeester 

Florida’s college and university students are starting the academic year greeted by friends and professors — and by warnings from administrators and Attorney General Ashley Moody about how to express their views on campus.

The directives follow nationwide protests over Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on Israel and Israel’s subsequent assault on Gaza. While the scale of protests has varied nationwide, some led to arrests, including at the University of Florida, Florida State University, the University of South Florida, and the University of North Florida.  

Last week, Moody sent a letter to all 40 Florida public college and university presidents reminding them “of the zero-tolerance policy for antisemitism in the State of Florida.” Most Florida students started classes during the last two weeks of August. 

“As we begin this new school year, let us renew our commitment to making Florida the best State in the nation for education and the safest State for Jewish students. Thank you for your service to our State and your commitment to fighting discrimination,” Moody wrote. 

As protests popped up nationwide, events at UCLA, for example, led Jewish students to file a lawsuit against that university, claiming it had enforced a “Jew Exclusion Zone.”

A federal judge last month instructed the university not to obstruct access to activities and programs for Jewish students. Moody addressed the UCLA episode in her message to Florida schools.

“I also want to advise you that failing to protect Jewish students would create significant legal risk for Florida colleges and universities,” Moody wrote, warning that failing to do so “may also put federal funding at risk.”

University of South Florida

At the University of South Florida, President Rhea Law emphasized safety to students and faculty in the new year, calling on “everyone to do their part” to treat each other with respect.

Law enforcement broke up an April protest at USF’s Tampa campus with tear gas, The Oracle reported. The protest, according to The Oracle, saw 10 people arrested as some 100 people participated in a pro-Palestine encampment.

“We condemn hate speech, and will not tolerate discrimination, antisemitism, Islamophobia, racism, or bigotry,” Law wrote in a welcome note to students. 

Law’s letter included a reminder that the university had updated its policy on campus activities and discrimination over the summer. USF now requires approval to erect tents, canopies and signs and to use audio amplifiers. The university addressed overnight protests, too, by prohibiting actions later than 5 p.m. 

The discrimination policy update includes a prohibition on antisemitism and Islamophobia, specifically, and any other forms of hate based on religion or cultural heritage. 

“USF values the right to free speech, expression, and the open exchange of ideas, which we recognize are central to the mission of a university, even if we strongly disagree or find some of what is said to be offensive,” Law wrote. “However, we will not allow violent, disruptive, or aggressive acts that do not comply with university policy or the law.”

Deans of students on USF’ three campuses sent a statement to students to start the school year, updating them on the new policies. 

“Constitutionally protected views or ideas expressed may be objectionable or offensive to some,” the deans wrote. “Just because it is occurring on our campus, does not mean that USF supports the content being expressed. To be clear: USF condemns antisemitic expression, along with all other instances of hateful expression targeting individuals because of their shared ancestry or cultural heritage. This includes USF’s condemnation of Islamophobic expression.”

Additional Florida universities — FSU, the University of West Florida, University of Central Florida, and UF — have seen tighter protest rules since October. 

Samples in the system

University of Florida interim President Kent Fuchs said in an interview with WCJB that he wants to make clear to students that “we have policies, there are laws, and we’re going to enforce those.”

“So indeed this coming year we won’t allow encampments, we won’t allow masks that are intended to disguise identities of people, and we won’t allow protesters or others to limit the activities of others, you know, to close down classrooms or occupy buildings, no indoor protests,” Fuchs said. “That we’ll be pretty strict about.”

He added that he wants to avoid arrests.

Tally Students for a Democratic Society held a demonstration on April 25, 2024, at Florida State University in support of pro-Palestine protesters who have gotten arrested in other college campuses. (Photo by Jackie Llanos/Florida Phoenix)

FSU passed a policy this summer prohibiting camping, building shelters and barriers, use of amplified sound, concealing or covering identity when protesting, and failure to observe reasonable adherence to university policy. 

The FSU changes came less than two months after students protesting the war on campus were arrested and had water sprinklers turned on them.

The response from the university was “absolutely political repression,” according to Joelle Nuñez, president of the Tally Students for a Democratic Society. Nuñez told the Phoenix she felt her organization was being “targeted” by the new policy. 

The University of North Florida will consider changes to its protest policy on Sept. 30, including a definition of “time, place, and manner” detailing prohibited acts and clarification of “obligations to comply with directives of University officials,” according to a UNF statement sent to News4Jax. 

University of West Florida trustees are set to vote on changes to its speech, assembly, and public expression policy during their Sept. 12 meeting. The changes include revising and clarifying definitions for “expressive activities,” “outdoor areas,” “restricted areas,” and the “University Community.”

The new rules would prohibit overnight camping without authorization, picketing indoors, using fire, audio amplification, and expressive activities that “create a material and substantial disruption of university functions.”

In June, UCF approved a ban on camping on campus. The board voted to prohibit events from taking place later than 8 p.m. from Sunday through Thursday and they cannot last longer than five consecutive days. 

During the meeting in which the decision was made, audience members spoke only in opposition to the measure, Central Florida Public Media reported.

UCF released a policy proposal last week that, if approved, would prohibit blocking walkways, doors, roadways, parking structures, windows, or any entrance to a university facility or space, and face coverings “with the intent to intimidate any person or group, or for the purposes of evading or escaping discovery, recognition, or identification in connection with or during the commission of a violation of law, regulation, or policy.”

Photo credit: Jackie Llanos

This article originally appeared in Florida Phoenix on September 4th, 2024

Please support the news you can use and visit The Brooks Blackboard's website for more news!   

Take a look at my brief bio about my writing life and on social media:

Facebook page: The Brooks Blackboard

Twitter: @_charlesbrooks

Attorney for death row inmate can decide his method of execution, SC Supreme Court says

 By Skylar Laird

Freddie Owens asked his attorney to make the decision because of his religious beliefs

COLUMBIA — A death row inmate’s attorney can decide how he will die, the state Supreme Court decided.

Freddie Owens is scheduled for execution Sept. 20. He has three options for how his execution will be carried out — lethal injection, firing squad or electrocution — under a state law the high court upheld last month.

But he signed his decision-making powers over to his attorney Emily Paavola before the state scheduled his execution, allowing her to choose for him.

Harris to roll out new plan on tax relief for small businesses

By Ashley Murray

WASHINGTON — Vice President Kamala Harris is expected to announce economic policy proposals aimed at helping small businesses during a campaign speech Wednesday in New Hampshire.

The Democratic presidential candidate will stump in Portsmouth for expanding the tax deduction to $50,000 on business start-up costs, up from $5,000, a campaign official said on background Tuesday. Harris will also propose a standard deduction for businesses as a way to simplify tax filing for entrepreneurs.

In St. Petersburg, Uhuru members deny federal charges in Russian-influence case

 By Mitch Perry

For the first time since a federal grand jury indicted members of the St. Petersburg-based Black nationalist group known as the Uhuru Movement last month on allegations that they worked on a Russian political-influence campaign in the U.S., three members of the organization have vehemently denied the charges.

“My crime is my absolutely belief in free speech,” said Omali Yeshitela, 81, who founded the African People’s Socialist Party in 1972 and the International People’s Democratic Uhuru Movement in 1991.  He didn’t comment much beyond the direct charges on advice of his attorney, but he has previously claimed that charges that he worked for or took money from the Russian government are completely false.

Biden Says Netanyahu Not Doing Enough to Free Hostages

By Brett Wilkins

"Netanyahu has been citing Biden's ironclad support of him as the *reason* he does not have to work harder to get a hostage deal," said one observer.

U.S. President Joe Biden said Monday that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu isn't doing enough to secure an agreement on the release of hostages held by Hamas in Gaza, a statement ridiculed by critics who asserted that the Biden administration's unconditional support for Israel empowers its far-right government to keep stonewalling a potential deal.

‘Show us who you are’: Time runs out as advocates demand votes on two California reparations bills

 By Wendy Fry, Alexei Koseff and Sameea Kamal

In summary

Down to the wire: After years of study, two historic reparations bills are stalled in the Assembly. Is it sparing Gov. Gavin Newsom a tough political call?

Years of effort went into making California the first state in the nation to get reparations laws to the governor’s desk to be signed into law. But now, in the final hours, two historic bills aimed at repairing harm for Black Californians — those that are specifically written for the African American descendants of people enslaved in the United States – are stalling in the Assembly. 

In January the Legislature’s Black Caucus introduced a slate of 14 reparations bills, but Sen. Steven Bradford, a member of the caucus and a state reparations task force, also introduced his own more ambitious bills.

Death row inmate asks SC Supreme Court to halt execution after attorneys claim new evidence

By Sklar Laird

Owens’ execution is scheduled for Sept. 20, set to be the state’s first in 13 years

COLUMBIA — The inmate who is scheduled for execution in three weeks is asking the South Carolina Supreme Court to give him a reprieve, claiming attorneys uncovered new evidence that could overturn his sentence, according to a Friday court filing. 

Freddie Owens’ execution, scheduled for Sept. 20, is set to be the state’s first in 13 years. But his attorneys say they have evidence that solicitors prosecuting his 1999 trial made a secret deal with the key witness in his case, undermining Owens’ conviction, according to Friday’s motion.

Owens was convicted of shooting and killing gas station clerk Irene Graves as part of a string of burglaries in 1997. The single mother of three was shot in the head after saying she didn’t know how to unlock the safe.