Rising gas prices push up the rate of annual inflation to 3.7% – the second consecutive rise THIS YEAR – but experts insist interest rates will remain steady

• Prices rose 0.6 percent month-on-month, driven mainly by a jump in gas prices
• Despite the rise, the Fed is expected to hold interest rates steady next week
• Core inflation, which excludes volatile food and energy prices, remained mild  

By Tilly Armstrong Consumer Reporter For Dailymail.Com

Updated: 10:38 EDT, 13 September 2023

Financier George Soros has handed control of his $25billion empire to his son, Alex, who is vowing to use the family’s money to advocate for more liberal causes.

The 37-year-old heir told the Wall Street Journal that he will broaden his father’s woke aims,  but embrace different causes like voting and abortion rights as well as gender equality.

‘I’m more political,’ Alex said, when comparing himself to his father. He has already visited the White House 14 times in just over a year and met with big-name Democrats.

But the Soros’s nonprofit, Open Society Foundation, already directs about $1.5billion a year to groups that back human rights around the world and build democracies, while also funding various universities.

And the family’s super PAC, the Democracy PAC, has backed the election campaigns of woke district attorneys and other law enforcement officials seeking to reduce incarceration rates and perceived racial bias in the justice system.

In December, the OSF board elected Alex as its chairman, replacing his 92-year-old father.

He now directs political activity as the president of Soros’ super PAC and is the only family member on the investment committee overseeing Soros Fund Management, the group that oversees money for the foundation and the family.

Alex plans to use abut $125million of its $25billion reserve for the super PAC, while the majority of the money will be used for the OSF. 

Speaking to the Wall Street Journal about his goals, Alex said he was concerned about the possibility of Donald Trump returning to the White House — suggesting the family will contribute greatly to Democrats in the 2024 presidential election.

‘As much as I would love to get money out of politics, as long as the other side is doing it, we will have to do it, too,’ he said.

But in contrast with many others on the left, Alex said he believes free speech on campus has become too restricted.

‘I have some differences with my generation in regard to free speech and other things,’ he said. 

‘I grew up watching Bill Maher before bed, after all,’ he noted, referring to the TV personality who has spoken out against limitations on free speech on college campuses. 

Since taking over his father’s firm, sources said, Alex attends to details his father would generally ignore.

He carries a small notebook to meetings, which he fills with notes to staffers.

‘He can drive folks in the foundation crazy because he’s so hands-on,’ said Anthony Romero, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union, which receives OSF funding.

Alex also frequently posts shots of himself with Democratic politicians including Nancy Pelosi, Barack Obama and Sen. Chuck Schumer – whom he called a ‘good friend.’

And recently-updated White House logs reveal he has visited at least 14 times since December 2021.

Last year Alex made two trips in April, three in September, four in October and four in December. 

Another visit was logged in December 2021. 

On December 1 2022, he met with then Chief of Staff Ron Klain’s advisor Nina Srivastava who worked on Biden’s presidential campaign. 

The same day he was one of 330 people to attend a state dinner hosted by the President and first lady Jill Biden.

The event was to honor French leader Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte. 

The day afterwards he met with both Advisor to the Counselor of President Mariana Adame and Deputy National Security Advisor Jonathan Finer. 

But Alex had been considered a long shot to take over his family fortune, with many people close to the Soros’s believing his older half-brother, Jonathan, 52, would take over the reigns.

Jonathan is a lawyer with a finance background, who worked for a time at the foundation and stabilized the Soros hedge fund during turbulent times.

Alex, meanwhile, had for years been known for his flamboyant lifestyle, picking up models and befriending NBA legends.

Somewhere along the way, though, Alex gained his father’s trust — standing in for George on trips to the organization’s offices around the world.

Since 2018, he has pumped around $5.7 million into left-leaning political action committees and Democratic campaign coffers, according to Federal Election Commission filings. 

His biggest contribution was $2 million in 2018 to Senate Majority PAC, which is tied to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer.

‘He’s earned it,’ George said. 

Joe Pavelski netted a game winner in overtime to ensure that the Stars live to fight another day, with Dallas now trailing 3-1 in its playoff series against the Vegas Golden Knights in the Western Conference Finals. 

Pavelski scored within 3:18 into overtime – a one-timer from the middle of the left circle to the far post – on Thursday night. Just seconds prior to the 38-year-old’s goal, Stars forward Roope Hintz thought he had wrapped the game up with an effort close to goal, only to be denied by Vegas goaltender Adin Hill.

The late winner came two-and-a-half minutes after Vegas defenseman Brayden McNabb was penalized for high-sticking against Ty Dellandrea. Dallas scored with roughly 1:10 of power play time left until McNabb’s return to the ice.

With former heavyweight champion Mike Tyson, wrestling great Ric Flair and former Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo in the building, The Stars avoided being swept in the playoffs for the first time since 2001 against St. Louis. 

McNabb was also at fault for Jason Robertson’s first goal of the night after his penalty on Pavelski late in the first period set up the power play. 

Robertson’s second goal came in the second period, turning Thursday night’s game into his first career multigoal playoff game for Dallas, which was played without the team’s suspended captain Jamie Benn.

Jake Oettinger had 37 saves, two nights after he was pulled 7:10 into Game 3 after allowing three goals on five shots. 

Pavelski scored his ninth goal in 12 games this postseason. His tally of postseason goals goes up to 73 — the most for US-born players and the most among all active players.   

Benn was suspended two games by the NHL on Wednesday for his cross-check with his stick landing near the neck of Vegas captain Mark Stone in the first two minutes of Game 3 on Tuesday night. Benn also will miss Game 5 on Saturday night in Las Vegas.

William Karlsson and Jonathan Marchessault scored for Vegas. Adin Hill had his five-game winning streak snapped. He made 39 shots, including a game-saver with his extended left leg without about two minutes left in regulation on rookie Fredrik Olofsson’s swiping try in his first career playoff game.

Karlsson and Marchessault are among six of the original Vegas players still on the team from the inaugural 2017-18 season that ended with the Knights playing for the Stanley Cup, though they lost in five games to the Washington Capitals after winning the first game.

Vegas missed a chance to complete a sweep, a night after the Florida Panthers finished off a sweep of the Carolina Hurricanes in the Eastern Conference Finals.

The Knights took a 2-1 lead midway through the second period when Marchessault, after whacking his stick on the back of Ryan Suter in front of the net, scored on a pass between the Stars defenseman’s legs from McNabb, another original Golden Knight.

Robertson’s tying goal late in that period came on a ricochet off the back board just seconds after he had another shot hit the post. That was the fourth goal of this series, and sixth in the playoffs, after this regular season becoming the first Dallas player with a 100-point season.

The Golden Knights scored first again — though not like the first three goals on five shots in the first 7:10 of Game 3 led to the earliest exit ever for Oettinger.

Karlsson pushed the puck up and skated to the front of the net after passing to Nicolas Roy, whose pass through traffic went off a Dallas stick before Reilly Smith — also with Vegas since the beginning — got it just inside the right circle and took a shot. 

Karlsson’s deflection past Oettinger only 4:17 into the game was his eighth goal this postseason.

Dallas got even at 1-1 on a power play with 4:18 left in the first period after some nifty stickwork by Robertson, who deflected Miro Heiskanen’s shot from just inside the blue line up into the air. 

As Hill was trying to secure the puck into his glove, Robertson knocked it free and then reached around and swiped the puck into the net with his stick parallel to the ice.

Hill, coming off his first career playoff shutout, had stopped 60 shots in a row over a span that included overtime in Game 2 after stopping all 10 shots he faced in the third period.