Four of Gov. Nikki Haley’s staff members will testify about a state agency’s controversial decision to allow a Georgia port to expand after a state Senate panel took the unprecedented step Friday of subpoenaing them.“Yes, we will testify,” Rob Godfrey, Haley’s spokesman, said Friday. “And these senators will confirm, again, what they already know to be tru...

South Carolina's Christian conservatives, personified by Bob Jones University presidents and alums, have both made and broken presidential campaigns.GOP candidates have for decades turned to the right to woo them after coming out of relatively moderate New Hampshire, and no Republican candidate since 1980 has become the nominee without winning South Carolina and its Bible-driven voters for whom a ...

ROCHESTER, Mich. — Republican presidential candidates will debate Wednesday night for the first time since Herman Cain became controversial, Rick Perry unveiled his optional flat-tax plan and Mitt Romney explained in detail how he'd reduce budget deficits. Cain, who scheduled a news conference Tuesday to defend himself against accusations of aggressive sexual behavior by several women, w...

Trouble on two fronts in the European debt crisis sent American stocks tumbling Wednesday to their biggest loss since the rocky trading of last summer. The Dow Jones industrial average fell almost 400 points.Stocks were down from the opening bell after borrowing costs in Italy spiked to dangerous levels, a sign that investors are losing faith in Italy's ability to repay its national debt."Italy is...

The jobs crisis may be easing slightly on the strength of a fourth straight month of modest hiring and a dip in the unemployment rate.Hiring slowed a bit in October. But the government said job growth was much stronger in August and September than first thought.Average hourly earnings rose last month. And the unemployment rate ticked down to 9 percent from 9.1 percent, because more people said the...

of thousands of construction jobs and lifted the still-struggling economy. But Republicans unanimously o...

CANNES, France — Leaders of the world’s most industrialized nations scrambled Thursday to rescue a European Union deal to restructure Greek debts and prevent a regional financial crisis from spreading and creating further global economic disruption. President Barack Obama and his European Union counterparts held closed doors meetings looking for ways to salvage last week’s marathon...

A political action committee supporting Texas Gov. Rick Perry started ads in South Carolina that mark the run-up to the Jan. 21 primary and the role that big money from outside groups will play in the presidential contest.Make Us Great Again PAC began airing ads titled "Leadership" in the Columbia and Greenville markets that introduce Perry to voters as the son of a tenant farmer and an Air Force ...

To veterans of past social movements, the Occupy Wall Street protests that began in New York and spread nationwide have been a welcome response to corporate greed and the enfeebled economy. But whether the energy of protesters can be tapped to transform the political climate remains to be seen

Mounting evidence that the world economy is slowing down sharply sent global stock markets spiraling down Thursday as investors brushed off the U.S. Federal Reserve's efforts to spur growth and focused instead on the central bank's gloomy outlook.Oil and other commodities tumbled

Consumers grew more cautious last month amid wild stock market swings, zero job growth and heightened concerns that the economy has weakened. Retail sales were flat in August. At the same time, wholesale inflation leveled off. The latest data could give the Federal Reserve more impetus to adopt

The ranks of the nation’s poor have swelled to a record 46.2 million – nearly 1 in 6 Americans – as the prolonged pain of the recession leaves millions still struggling and out of work. And the number without health insurance has reached 49.9 million, the most in more than two decades. The figures are in a Census Bureau report, released Tuesday, that offers a somber snapshot o...

Seeking to jolt the economy, President Barack Obama will propose new ideas to create jobs and help the struggling poor and middle class in a major speech after Labor Day. And then he will try to seize political advantage by spending the fall pressuring Congress to act on his plan.Obama's plan

As Bank of America Corp.’s stock has tumbled and clawed back in recent days, city leaders, business owners and others with a stake in the company are waiting to see what happens next.The stock market swings have delivered a familiar feeling of anxiety to a city pummeled by the financial crisis. Local leaders and business owners say they aren’t as fearful this time. But they acknowled...

U.S. Rep. James Clyburn criticized Standard & Poor's downgrade of America's debt rating on Tuesday, saying he thinks the decision was based more on politics than economics.The Democrat from South Carolina told reporters he's concerned the decision focused on Washington's fractious political climate rather than America's actual ability to pay its debts."I think this is very unfortunate. I think it ...

House Speaker John Boehner hastily rewrote his stalled emergency debt-limit bill yet again Friday as Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid signaled he's ready to push ahead with his own version. President Barack Obama declared "we're almost out of time" in a wrenching political standoff that has heightened fears of a market-rattling government default."The power to solve this is in our hands on a da...

WASHINGTON — The U.S. economy grew at an annualized rate of 1.3 percent between April and June, the government said Friday in a report that underscored concerns about the sluggish pace of recovery in an increasingly fragile economy. The Bureau of Economic Analysis also revised downwards

The government's labor dispute with Boeing Co. is turning into a political headache for President Barack Obama, giving his Republican rivals a fresh opening to bash the administration's economic policies.From congressional hearings to presidential debates, outraged Republicans are keeping up a steady drumbeat of criticism over the National Labor Relations Board's lawsuit against the aerospace gian...

The Cooperative Ministry is tapping into the social network to help raise funds for its ongoing charitable efforts.The agency, which provides crisis assistance to the working poor, is competing with charities across the country for donations ranging from $20,000 to $500,000 through the Chase Community Giving program. Area residents can help by voting through the Chase Community Giving program, cur...

Former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty has hired Jon Lerner, a pollster with South Carolina connections, as he gears up to run for the 2012 Republican nomination for president.Lerner has a history of helping candidates win in S.C. races, including advising current Gov. Nikki Haley, U.S. Rep. Tim Scott and former Gov. Mark Sanford. Lerner is a favorite of the Club for Growth, a D.C.-based fiscally cons...

Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, the closest to a front-runner in a wide-open Republican field, took a major step toward a second White House candidacy Monday, formally announcing a campaign exploratory committee.Romney declared that "with able leadership, America's best days are still ahead," vigorously asserting that President Barack Obama had failed to provide it.The Republican, who has b...

Aftereffects of the devastating earthquake and tsunami in Japan began to ripple through the U.S. economy Monday as the stock market had its first full day of trading since the disaster.The crisis is affecting global business — from retailers with a large presence in Japan to the future

Pleading for unity in a newly divided government, President Barack Obama implored Democratic and Republican lawmakers to rally behind his vision of economic revival for an anxious nation, declaring in his State of the Union address Tuesday night: “We will move forward together or not at all.” To a television audience in the millions, Obama addressed a Congress sobered by the assassinati...

. His State of the Union address will reflect reality: The economy trumps all.To a nationwide television audience Tuesday ni...

President Barack Obama reached agreement Monday with congressional Republicans to extend and deepen tax cuts temporarily - and extend unemployment insurance - in hopes of stirring the economy and creating jobs. Obama pointedly refused to drag out the debate any longer over his quest

Voter turnout was moderate to heavy statewide Tuesday, fueled by anger over the weak economy, and federal health care reform and stimulus programs.However, the S.C. Election Commission reported very few problems at the polls.Locally, turnout was heavy, buoyed by the all-Midlands race

Most U.S. homeowners should get some relief on their heating bills this winter. The price of natural gas, the fuel that supplies 70 percent of the nation’s heat, is relatively low for the second year in a row, and falling. Also, forecasters predict a warmer winter across much of the country – especially in the Southeast, which suffered through a historically cold winter last year. Bu...

More than 75 people showed up Thursday to kick off a campaign promoting a penny sales tax for transportation improvements in Richland County.The event, held at the Greater Columbia Chamber of Commerce, drew a range of political and business leaders in a very public show of support for the proposed tax, which goes to voters Nov. 2.The plan has drawn its share of critics, concerned about an increase...

The nation faces a long road to get back to good economic health, Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke said Monday.Bernanke said progress is being made after the deepest recession since the 1930s. The worst of the financial crisis is behind the nation and the economy is growing

The Republicans vying to become South Carolina's next governor say there's room to cut taxes when they take office even though the state is in the midst of a massive budget crisis.U.S. Rep. Gresham Barrett, Lt. Gov. Andre Bauer, state Rep. Nikki Haley and state Attorney General Henry McMaster do have some plans for the state's suffering finances that overlap. Some plan hard looks at taxes on manuf...