US Domestic News Roundup: Pricey pencils, paper: U.S. teachers get schooled in inflation; TikTok to clamp down on paid political posts by influencers ahead of U.S. midterms and more

Federal agents seized boxes of documents, some top secret, from the former president's Palm Beach, Florida, resort last week as part of an investigation into whether critical papers were removed illegally from the White House after Trump left office. U.S. Sen. Murkowski, Trump-backed opponent secure enough votes to face off in November Incumbent Republican U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski and challenger Kelly Tshibaka, a state government commissioner endorsed by Donald Trump, will face off in November, Edison Research said on Wednesday, after coming in the top four candidates in Alaska's open primary.

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

Pricey pencils, paper: U.S. teachers get schooled in inflation

Teachers face a harsh lesson as inflation drives up the cost of everything from paper to pencils before the school year begins, leading some to cut back on supplies - or substitute with cheaper items. "If you ask any teacher, Ticonderoga pencils are it," said Kristina Eisenhower, 35, an instructional facilitator. Yet a 12-pack of that popular brand costs $3.99, up nearly 25% from a year ago, on Amazon.com Inc.

TikTok to clamp down on paid political posts by influencers ahead of U.S. midterms

TikTok will work to prevent content creators from posting paid political messages on the short-form video app, as part of its preparation for the U.S. midterm election in November, the company said on Wednesday. Critics and lawmakers accuse TikTok and rival social media companies including Meta Platforms and Twitter of doing too little to stop political misinformation and divisive content from spreading on their apps.

In New Mexico, Muslims reject sectarian label put on killings

National Muslim groups have linked the killings of four Muslim men in New Mexico to sectarianism, but Muslims who knew the victims and suspected gunman point to revenge and personal feuds as possible motives. Police last week arrested Afghan refugee Muhammad Syed, 51, as the prime suspect in the shootings of four Muslim men in New Mexico's largest city. Syed, who is scheduled to appear at a bail hearing Wednesday, has denied involvement. His lawyer did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Liz Cheney accuses Trump of 'insidious lie' about FBI search of his home

Republican Liz Cheney broadened her attack on Donald Trump after losing her Tuesday night primary, saying the former president was spreading an "insidious lie" in alleging that the FBI agents who searched his Florida home were politically motivated. Federal agents seized boxes of documents, some top secret, from the former president's Palm Beach, Florida, resort last week as part of an investigation into whether critical papers were removed illegally from the White House after Trump left office.

U.S. Sen. Murkowski, Trump-backed opponent secure enough votes to face off in November

Incumbent Republican U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski and challenger Kelly Tshibaka, a state government commissioner endorsed by Donald Trump, will face off in November, Edison Research said on Wednesday, after coming in the top four candidates in Alaska's open primary. Murkowski, who has held the seat since 2003 and won with a write-in campaign in 2010 after losing the Republican nomination, is a moderate whose votes Democrats often court.

U.S. spares Western states from Colorado River water cuts - for now

The U.S. government spared seven Western states from mandatory Colorado River water cutbacks for now but warned on Tuesday that drastic conservation was needed to protect dwindling reservoirs from overuse and severe drought exacerbated by climate change. The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation in June had given the states 60 days, until mid-August, to negotiate their own reductions or possibly face mandatory cutbacks enforced by the federal government. Federal officials asked for a reduced usage of 2 million to 4 million acre-feet of water per year, an unprecedented reduction of 15% to 30% in the coming year.

Liz Cheney to battle Trump, may run for U.S. presidency

U.S. Republican Representative Liz Cheney vowed to do all she could to keep Donald Trump out of the White House and said she would decide in the coming months whether to run for president herself, after she lost to a Trump-backed primary challenger in Wyoming on Tuesday. But Senator Lisa Murkowski, another Republican who has defied the former president, cleared a hurdle in Alaska. She was set to face Trump-endorsed challenger Kelly Tshibaka in the Nov. 8 congressional election, as the two candidates advanced in that state's non-partisan primary.

Endo files for bankruptcy as U.S. opioid litigation drags

Endo International Plc filed for bankruptcy on Tuesday after reaching a $6 billion deal with some of its creditors, as the U.S. drugmaker seeks to settle thousands of lawsuits over its alleged role in the country's opioid epidemic. The pharmaceutical company is the latest to file for Chapter 11 to address opioid claims. Purdue Pharma, the maker of OxyContin, filed in September 2019, while Mallinckrodt Plc, a generic opioid manufacturer, recently emerged from bankruptcy.

Biden signs inflation act, hands pen to Manchin

President Joe Biden on Tuesday signed into law a $430 billion bill that is seen as the biggest climate package in U.S. history, designed to cut domestic greenhouse gas emissions as well as lower prescription drug prices and high inflation. At a White House event, Biden was joined by Democratic leaders including Senator Joe Manchin of West Virginia, whose support was crucial to passage of the Inflation Reduction Act along party lines, after he blockaded much larger measures pushed by the White House.

Analysis-Biden debt relief plan disappoints Black farmers for avoiding race

Some Black farmers say they are disappointed by a new U.S. agriculture debt relief program that stands to save thousands of farmers from foreclosure, after the plan failed to specifically target minorities as they had hoped. The program, included in the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) signed by U.S. President Joe Biden on Tuesday, follows an earlier debt relief program that provided aid based on race but ended in a web of litigation after white farmers sued to stop payments.