Consumers gaining confidence as gas prices slide
CBSN
U.S. consumers grew more confident for the second month in a row as gas prices continued to fall.
The Conference Board said Tuesday that its consumer confidence index rose to 108 in September, from 103.6 in August. The back-to-back monthly increases follow three straight monthly declines as American households were hammered by rising prices, particularly at the gas pump.
The business research group's present situation index — which measures consumers' assessment of current business and labor market conditions — also rose again, to 149.6 in September from 145.3 in August. The board's expectations index — a measure of consumers' six-month outlook for income, business and labor conditions — rose to 80.3 in September from 75.8 in August.
An Arizona grand jury indicted 18 people Wednesday in the ongoing investigation into an alleged attempt to use alternate electors after the 2020 presidential election as part of a wider alleged conspiracy to falsely declare then-President Donald Trump the winner, the state's attorney general announced.
Almost four out of every 10 people in the United States live in a place where air pollution is considered bad enough to put their health at risk, the American Lung Association warned in its latest "State of the Air" report released on Wednesday. That proportion of people — about 39% of the population — had risen sharply since earlier rounds of pollutant data were analyzed for the annual report last year, and the trends were especially pronounced in certain parts of the country.