Livable wages continue to be an important issue among voters, especially amid the coronavirus pandemic, and when it comes to President Donald Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden, the candidates have widely different approaches to raising incomes.
The federal minimum wage sits at just $7.25 an hour and has not seen an increase since 2009. An employee working a full-time job on a minimum wage salary makes just over $15,000 annually, but according to a study by GoBankingRates, the lowest median living wage rate for a U.S. state is about $58,000 in Mississippi.
When questioned about raising the federal minimum wage, President Trump said he would consider it but prefers to let states dictate increases. According to the president, a strong economy would lift wages and not hurt small business owners.
Biden, on the other hand, has committed to raising the federal minimum wage to $15 by 2026, the amount being part of the demand raised by the #FightFor15. The movement began in New York City in 2012 when more than 200 fast food workers walked out on the job in protest for higher pay.
Critics of a federally mandated increase in the minimum wage agree with the president's view that it would negatively impact small business owners and also would add to job losses, a drop in work hours, and higher prices for consumers.
However, a study by the House Committee on Education and the Workforce contends that a higher minimum wage would actually boost consumer spending and create more jobs.
Authorities on Thursday were trying to determine who sent letters filled with fentanyl or other substances to local election offices, an attack that appears to have targeted multiple states in the latest instance of threats faced by election workers around the country.
The White House said Israel has agreed to put in place four-hour daily humanitarian pauses in its assault on Hamas in northern Gaza starting on Thursday, as the Biden administration said it has secured a second pathway for civilians to flee fighting.
Columnist and political analyst Jonathan Harris joined Cheddar News to break down what stood out from Wednesday's third Republican presidential primary debate.
Mississippi's largest county ran out of ballots during Wednesday's governor's election as some voters say they had to wait for up to an hour for new ballots to be printed before they could cast their votes.
Republican presidential candidates used the third debate of the GOP primary campaign to show their support for Israel and display at least some willingness to criticize Donald Trump.
The National Zoo's three giant pandas, Mei Xiang, Tian Tian and their cub Xiao Qi Ji. on Wednesday began their long trip to China, leaving behind an empty panda exhibit with no certainty that pandas ever would again take up residence there.
Palestinians living in the heart of Gaza’s largest city said Wednesday they could see and hear Israeli ground forces closing in from multiple directions, accelerating the exodus of thousands of civilians as food and water become scarce and urban fighting between Israel and Hamas heats up.
