Congress weighs Social Security earnings test repeal

June 24, 2026

1–2 minutes

Summary

Lawmakers proposed ending a rule that withholds some Social Security benefits from people who work before full retirement age.

Why this matters

The proposal could affect people who claim Social Security before full retirement age and keep working, changing how much they receive in the short term. It also has implications for debate over Social Security's long-term finances.

Congress is considering whether to repeal a Social Security rule that reduces benefits for some people who claim them before reaching full retirement age and continue working.

In April 2026, Rep. Greg Murphy, R-N.C., and Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., introduced the Senior Citizens’ Freedom to Work Act to repeal the Retirement Earnings Test. The rule defers benefits for some people below normal retirement age who earn above set limits.

According to the Center for Retirement Research at Boston College, 43% of Social Security beneficiaries at some point between 1992 and 2022 received both earnings from work and benefits.

In 2026, the earnings limit is $24,480 for anyone reaching normal retirement age in 2027 or later. The Social Security Administration withholds $1 in benefits for every $2 earned above that amount. For people reaching normal retirement age in 2026, the threshold is $65,160, and $1 in benefits is withheld for every $3 earned above it. Once beneficiaries are above normal retirement age, there is no earnings limit.

Murphy said the rule should be eliminated. “Current law unnecessarily complicates seniors’ right to access the benefits they paid into for the entirety of their careers and must be done away with,” he said.

More top news

North Carolina

N.C. rate hike request cut, AG says costs still high

The company’s overall request would total 9.3%, down from 14.3%, with 5.6% slated for 2027 and 3.7% for 2028.

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North Carolina households may face a smaller Duke Energy Carolinas rate increase than the utility first proposed after objections to its latest filing.

Attorney General Jeff Jackson said Monday that Duke reduced its proposed residential increase from 18% to 11.6% after objections from his office, the Public Staff, other intervenors, and residents, according to Queen City News.

“That happened after our office objected, along with Public Staff, other intervenors, and many North Carolinians,” Jackson said. “It’s a step in the right direction, but it’s still too high.”

Under Duke Energy’s revised filing, residential customers would see increases of 7.5% in 2027 and 4.2% in 2028.

The case is scheduled for a hearing before the North Carolina Utilities Commission on July 7. If approved without changes, the new rates would begin taking effect Jan. 1, 2027.

Jackson said a key issue for his office is whether residential customers could end up paying infrastructure costs tied to data centers and other large power users. He said households should not bear those costs.

Duke Energy said it was still calculating how the revised request would affect customer bills and expected to share that information soon. The company said it changed its filing after hearing concerns from customers and stakeholders.

“Over the last few months, we have listened carefully to feedback from customers and stakeholders,” a Duke Energy spokesperson said. “In response, we have proposed an alternative path that lessens the projected cost impact on customers while continuing to make the investments necessary to serve North Carolina’s growing energy needs.”

Jackson said he would continue urging the Utilities Commission to approve a lower increase.
South Carolina

Jury awards $250,000 in wrongful arrest suit

A South Carolina jury awarded Aalayah Owens $250,000 after her civil suit over a 2024 arrest she said was a case of mistaken identity.

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A South Carolina jury awarded Aalayah Owens $250,000 on Thursday after finding in her favor in a civil lawsuit over her 2024 arrest, according to court records, Owens, and her lawyer.

The four-day trial was held in Chester County, which is between Rock Hill and Columbia and has about 32,000 residents. Owens sued the Chester County Sheriff’s Office.

Owens, of Rock Hill, was arrested in Fort Mill in October 2024 after Chester County deputies obtained a warrant accusing her of conspiracy in a drive-by shooting that had happened a month earlier, records show. She was taken to Chester County and spent the night in jail.

According to the lawsuit and her lawyer, Chris Kenney of Columbia, another person gave deputies Owens’ name. Kenney said deputies arrested her without making a positive identification or reviewing her photo from the South Carolina Department of Motor Vehicles. He said an expert testified that sheriff’s office policies and procedures were not followed.

“They never made a positive identification of Aalayah Owens,” Kenney told The Herald on Friday. “They arrested the wrong person.”

Kenney said the jury awarded the full amount Owens requested.

Owens said she was arrested in front of her daughter, who was 5 at the time, and that she later lost her job as a day care teacher, her apartment, and her car. She said the arrest also changed how she feels about “safety and the world around us.”
South Carolina

SC Lowcountry heat forecast, tips to stay safe, cut bills

The Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office issued a heat advisory.
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The South Carolina Lowcountry and much of the Southeast are expected to see some of the hottest weather of the summer in the coming days.

A heat dome is forecast to settle over the region. The National Weather Service said temperatures this weekend could reach the mid- to upper 90s, with 100 degrees possible. Combined with moderate humidity, those conditions can become dangerous.

The National Weather Service said more Americans die on average each year from extreme heat than from any other extreme weather event. It said 529 people died directly from a heat-related illness in 2024.

If people must be outside for long periods, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends staying in the shade when possible, drinking water, and scheduling activities during the coolest parts of the day. Nighttime conditions may offer limited relief: Temperatures may not fall below 80 degrees in some areas during the heat wave, according to the National Weather Service.

The CDC also warned never to leave a pet, child, or disabled person unattended in a locked vehicle. It said 31 children died in hot cars in 2025, including during winter.

Extreme heat exposure can cause illnesses ranging from minor to severe. Heat stroke is the most serious and happens when the body can no longer control its temperature, according to the CDC. Body temperature can rise quickly to 106 degrees, and immediate medical attention is needed. If someone shows symptoms of heat stroke, move the person to a cool or shaded area, remove outer clothing, apply cool water if available, and call 911.

Extended heat can also strain home air-conditioning systems, increase electricity use, and add stress to the power grid.

The U.S. Department of Energy recommended several ways to reduce power use including:

Covering windows: 76% of light entering through windows is converted to heat

Raising the thermostat when leaving home, then lowering it after returning

Turning off ceiling fans when leaving a room: Fans cool people, not rooms.

Seal air leaks around windows and doors where cool air can escape
North Carolina

Study: Solar uses little prime farmland in NC

NC ranked fifth nationally for installed solar capacity. About 10% of the state’s electricity came from solar energy, enough to power more than 1 million homes.

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A new study disputed claims that solar development is taking over productive farmland in North Carolina.

“You travel across the state of North Carolina, and it’s occupying the best farmland in the state,” N.C. House Agriculture Chairman Jimmy Dixon, R-Duplin, said during a 2025 hearing on solar tax breaks.

A report released last week by the Solar Energy Industries Association said solar production currently occupies 0.24% of prime farmland in North Carolina. Other land uses, including suburban development and recreation, use more agricultural land, according to the study.

Between 2014 and 2024, suburban development took up 0.87% of the state’s prime farmland, or 3.6 times more than utility-scale solar projects, the report said. Golf courses used 0.28%.

“This map helps provide important context by showing that solar and agriculture can thrive together,” Solar Energy Industries Association President and CEO Tim Pawlenty said in a statement. “Solar development uses a very small amount of farmland compared to many other common land uses, while also delivering affordable energy, local tax revenue, and reliable income for farmers and landowners.”

Nationally, the analysis found solar used 0.04% of total U.S. land area and 0.07% of U.S. farmland. Golf courses used 2.6 times as much prime farmland as solar, and suburban development from 2014 to 2024 used 5.9 times more. The report said no state had solar on more than 0.5% of prime farmland.

California had the highest overlap between solar and prime farmland at 0.43%, according to the report.

The industry also faced policy setbacks. Gallagher said it had been “a challenging year for the solar industry.”

President Donald Trump’s “Big, Beautiful Bill,” signed last July, ended a 30% residential solar tax credit for systems installed after 2025, shortening a timeline that had extended through 2032.

In August, the Environmental Protection Agency ended the Solar for All program, which had offered $156 million in North Carolina and $7 billion nationwide for solar projects in lower-income communities.

Earlier this year, North Carolina Utilities Commissioner Chair Bill Brawley directed Duke Energy to stop progress on its 2026 solar procurement. The order did not cancel existing projects, but it meant the utility would not add new ones this year, affecting future solar capacity.

Despite those changes, Gallagher said solar remained a lower-cost option that could be added to the grid more quickly than other energy sources.

“In a state like North Carolina, where energy demand is surging,” Gallagher said, “solar plus storage is the fastest and most affordable way to meet that demand.”
Latin America

Venezuelans search ruins as quake toll rises

Authorities said the number of injured had risen to more than 3,300 by midday Friday and that 243 people had been rescued. The death toll was expected to increase.

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Venezuelans searched for missing relatives Friday after back-to-back earthquakes killed at least 920 people and left more than 51,000 listed as missing on independent digital databases.

Residents digging through rubble said they had seen few state rescue teams in some of the hardest-hit areas, even as authorities said they were mounting a broad response. Nearly two days had passed since the 7.2 and 7.5 magnitude quakes struck late Wednesday. Aid agencies consider the first 48 to 72 hours critical for finding survivors.

“Each person saved is a miracle,” Jorge Rodríguez, president of the National Assembly, said. “We are not going to hide absolutely anything about the magnitude of this tragedy.”

In La Guaira, north of Caracas, government forces distributed food and water as acting President Delcy Rodríguez said officials were “working tirelessly” and welcomed international rescuers and aid. She said La Guaira had been militarized and that more help was on the way, though residents said assistance remained limited.

The International Organization for Migration said up to 6.76 million people in Venezuela could be affected, including about 2 million in Caracas.

In Catia La Mar, near the country’s main airport, people took food, toilet paper, and other goods from stores and gathered around vehicles distributing bread and water. Others set up tarps, hammocks, and tents in a pharmacy parking lot.

Venezuelan authorities said 861 international volunteers from Mexico, the United States, El Salvador, Switzerland, Colombia, and other countries were working in Venezuela. The United Nations said 1,000 emergency responders in 25 search-and-rescue teams were on their way.

State vehicles, emergency crews, dump trucks, and heavy machinery moved toward affected areas on the country’s main highway.

Media reports and Venezuelan television showed several rescues, including a young man carried out on a stretcher in Caracas and a girl pulled from rubble in La Guaira. Caracas metropolitan rescue team chief Jose Luis Nunez said she was found in a collapsed 10-story building. “We want to highlight this girl’s strength, determination and will to live,” Nunez said.

The U.S. Geological Survey said both earthquakes were centered near Moron on the Caribbean coast, about 170 kilometers, or 105 miles, west of Caracas.
World Politics

Trump threatens 100% tariffs over digital taxes

Trump said the tariff would override previously negotiated trade deals and would apply to any country that moved forward with a digital services tax.

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President Donald Trump said Friday that the United States would impose a 100% tariff on imports from any country that adopts a tax on digital services from U.S. companies.

In a social media post, Trump said European countries were discussing the “imminent” implementation of such taxes. He wrote: “Please let this statement serve to represent that any Country that imposes such a Tax will immediately be met with a 100% TARIFF on any and all Goods sent to the United States of America.”

Trump has repeatedly opposed foreign efforts to tax or regulate major U.S. technology companies. Last year, he also threatened tariffs against countries that did so. In an August post, he said digital taxes and regulation “are all designed to harm, or discriminate against, American Technology.”

The latest threat came ahead of a July 4 deadline for the European Union and the United States to begin implementing a tariff deal that capped tariffs on most European Union exports at 15%.

The European Union finalized that trade deal with the United States in May, after months of internal debate. Digital taxes were not part of the agreement and remained a point of dispute between Washington and Brussels.

The U.S. government has previously investigated digital services taxes under Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974. It was unclear how Trump would carry out his latest threat or whether any tariffs would be applied broadly or first aimed at specific countries.

Britain, which is no longer part of the European Union, has imposed a 2% digital services tax since 2020 on revenue earned by search engines, social media companies, and online marketplaces that “derive value” from U.K. users. The British government said at the time that corporate tax rules for digital businesses had “led to a misalignment between the place where profits are taxed and the place where value is created.” It said the tax was intended to “ensure the large multinational businesses in-scope make a fair contribution to supporting vital public services.”
US

D.C. settles suit over protester detained near Guard

The lawsuit alleged two First Amendment violations, one Fourth Amendment violation, and two claims under District of Columbia law for false arrest or false imprisonment and battery.

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Washington, D.C., police agreed to settle a lawsuit brought by a resident who was handcuffed and detained after following National Guard troops while playing “The Imperial March” from “Star Wars,” according to the American Civil Liberties Union of the District of Columbia.

Sam O’Hara’s TikTok account, @freedc20009, featured videos of him walking behind or standing near Guard troops in Washington while playing the Darth Vader theme on his phone or a small Bluetooth speaker. The videos mostly showed troops ignoring him. In at least two clips, one Guard member appeared to smile and another appeared to move his head to the music.

According to the complaint, O’Hara was detained by Metropolitan Police Department officers last September after a National Guard member complained about the music. The complaint said officers tightly handcuffed O’Hara for 15 to 20 minutes, despite his objections that he was engaged in peaceful protest protected by the First Amendment.

The complaint also alleged that O’Hara told officers the handcuffs were too tight, that one officer jerked his arms while handcuffing him, and that the officers did not reduce his discomfort despite two shoulder surgeries in 2023. He was released without charges.

O’Hara’s attorneys said he played the music “at a volume that was audible but not blaring,” did not speak to or touch Guard members, did not interfere with operations, and followed them only briefly during walking patrols.

The ACLU said settlement terms were confidential, but that Washington, D.C., agreed to pay to resolve the claims against the police department. Litigation against the National Guard member involved remained ongoing.
World

U.S. strikes Iran after drone hit ship in Hormuz

The U.N.’s International Maritime Organization paused a planned evacuation of more than 11,000 sailors stranded in the shipping lane after Thursday’s attack.

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The U.S. military struck targets in Iran on Friday after a one-way attack drone hit a cargo ship in the Strait of Hormuz a day earlier.

No casualties were reported in Thursday’s attack on the Singapore-flagged Ever Lovely. The vessel was struck 7.5 nautical miles southeast of Oman’s port of Dahit, according to the British maritime security agency UKMTO. The ship’s owner, Evergreen, said it had been following UKMTO’s recommended route and that “All crew members remain safe as does the vessel itself and all cargo.”

U.S. Central Command said it struck missile and drone storage facilities, and coastal radar positions. It called the action “a powerful response” to the attack and said, “The unwarranted aggression against commercial shipping by Iranian forces clearly violated the ceasefire.” It also said it would “continue to provide safe passage coordination and support to commercial vessels transiting the strait.”

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps blamed the U.S. and Israel. In a statement, it said: “The treaty-breaking US regime as always violated its commitments and launched an airstrike on the coast of the Islamic Republic of Iran under various pretexts of a ship violating an unauthorised route in the Strait of Hormuz.” It added: “If the aggression is repeated our response will be more extensive than this.”

Speaking at the White House before the strikes were announced, President Donald Trump said, “You’ll find out,” when asked whether the U.S. would respond. “I don’t like the fact that they took a shot yesterday. They shouldn’t be doing that.”

The U.S. and Iran agreed on June 17 to end hostilities under a 14-point memorandum of understanding that called for Iran to use its “best efforts for the safe passage of commercial vessels with no charge for 60 days.” Vice President JD Vance wrote on X that if Iran “has disagreements about how the MOU is being applied, they can pick up the phone. But violence will be met with violence.”
North Carolina

7 Eastern N.C. sites fail weekly water quality tests

A failed Swim Guide test indicates elevated levels of fecal bacteria, which can increase the risk of gastrointestinal illness and skin infections for people and pets.

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Seven swimming and recreation sites across Eastern North Carolina failed to meet recreational water quality standards this week, according to Sound Rivers’ latest Swim Guide report.

The environmental nonprofit said elevated levels of fecal bacteria were found at the sites. It also said Slocum Creek has failed the weekly Swim Guide test for six consecutive weeks.

Sound Rivers Program Director Clay Barber said recent rainfall likely contributed to the increase in failed sites.

Sound Rivers tests more than 50 recreation sites each week from Memorial Day through Labor Day as part of its Swim Guide program. Water samples are analyzed for E. coli in freshwater and enterococci in saltwater before results are released each Friday.

The organization encouraged people planning to swim, boat, or otherwise recreate on the water to check the latest results before heading out.

Weekly Swim Guide results were available at soundrivers.org/swim-guide.
US

John Bolton pleads guilty in classified info case

He could face up to five years in prison.

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John Bolton, who served as President Donald Trump’s national security adviser during Trump’s first term, pleaded guilty Friday to a federal charge of mishandling classified information, the Department of Justice said.

The plea resolved an 18-count indictment against Bolton, who lives in Bethesda, Maryland. He agreed to pay a $2.25 million penalty, the Justice Department said.

According to the indictment, Bolton recorded “highly sensitive classified information” from his official duties in a personal diary while serving as national security adviser from April 2018 to September 2019. The indictment said he shared diary entries with two family members who were not authorized to access the information, which included top-secret material.

“John Bolton held a position of extraordinary public trust as the country’s top National Security Advisor, and he betrayed that trust, jeopardizing our nation’s security,” Hayden O’Byrne, the acting deputy assistant attorney general for the National Security Division, said in a statement. “Today’s resolution ought to send a message to other public officials whom the public has entrusted with classified, national defense information.”

Bolton’s attorney, Abbe David Lowell, said Bolton’s plea accepted responsibility for a mistake, which was “what real leaders do,” and contrasted Bolton’s conduct with Trump’s handling of classified information in a separate case brought in 2023.

“By contrast, President Trump thumbed his nose at the classified information laws, took actual classified documents to his Florida mansion, interfered with the investigation of that conduct, and has never accepted any accountability for his conduct,” Lowell wrote. “Ambassador Bolton, whose offense was only keeping a diary which contained classified information, kept a record to preserve history, but Donald Trump kept secrets to serve himself.”