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.

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.