Author: Reporter

Trump makes threatening comments about Canada’s sovereignty in push for its concession as 51st state

President Donald Trump said he is serious about wanting Canada to become the 51st state in an interview that aired on February 9 during the Super Bowl pre-show. “Yeah it is,” Trump told Fox News Channel’s Bret Baier when asked whether his talk of annexing Canada is “a real thing” — as Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau recently warned. “I think Canada would be much better off being the 51st state because we lose $200 billion a year with Canada. And I’m not going to let that happen,” he said. “Why are we paying $200 billion a year, essentially...

Read More

Federal prisons being transformed into mass detention centers under Trump’s immigration purge

President Donald Trump’s administration is using federal prisons to detain some people arrested in its immigration crackdown, the federal Bureau of Prisons said on February 7, returning to a strategy that drew allegations of mistreatment during his first term. In a statement, the prison agency said it is assisting U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement “by housing detainees and will continue to support our law enforcement partners to fulfill the administration’s policy objectives.” The Bureau of Prisons declined to say how many immigration detainees it is taking in, or which prison facilities are being used. “For privacy, safety, and security...

Read More

Local police collaboration with ICE for immigration enforcement revives fears of racialized past

For years, the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office in suburban Indianapolis has wanted to partner with federal immigration authorities to identify and detain immigrants who are in the U.S. illegally and facing charges. President Joe Biden’s administration never returned its calls, the sheriff’s office said. But as convicted felon and President Donald Trump cracks down on immigration, Hamilton County deputies soon could become the first in Indiana empowered to carry out federal immigration duties and one of many nationally that Trump’s administration hopes to enlist. “We definitely are joining,” said Chief Deputy John Lowes. “We want to collaborate with ICE...

Read More

Covering the losses: Some steps small businesses can take to recover quickly from break-ins and theft

Break-ins and thefts can happen at any small business, no matter how tight the security. In the retail sector alone, more than half of small businesses said they had been victims of shoplifting in the prior year, according to a 2022 survey by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. And break-ins and thefts occur across all sectors. So, it is important for small business owners to prepare in advance and have a plan for dealing with a break-in or theft, to minimize damage. Roxie Lubanovic, co-founder of Frostbeard Studio in Minneapolis, which makes candles, had her studio broken into in...

Read More

It may be less likely now that Americans will lose a job but also much harder to find a new one

Laid off by the music streaming service Spotify last year, Joovay Arias figured he’d land another job as a software engineer fairly soon. His previous job search, in 2019, had been a breeze. “Back then,” he said, “I had tons of recruiters reaching out to me — to the point where I had to turn them down.” Arias did find another job recently, but only after an unexpected ordeal. “I thought it was going to be something like three months,” said Arias, 39. “It turned into a year and three months.” As Arias and other jobseekers can attest, the...

Read More

Reducing job burnout: Why more companies are considering the benefits of a four-day workweek

Companies exploring the option of letting employees work four days a week hope to reduce job burnout and retain talent seeking a better work-life balance, according to the chief executive of an organization that promotes the idea. The trend is gaining traction in Australia and Europe, said Dale Whelehan, CEO of 4 Day Week Global, which coaches companies through the months-long process of shortening their employees’ work hours. Japan launched a campaign in August encouraging employers to trim work schedules to four days. American companies have not adopted four-day weeks as broadly, but that could change. Eight percent of...

Read More