Free Republic

Immigration Will Go Bust Without $1.2B Bailout By Charles Benavidez - Jul 02, 2020, 6:00 PM CDT United States With the Trump administration on a continued anti-immigration tear as a campaign-hedge for November 2020 elections, and as the COVID-19 pandemic rampages on, the American immigration system—largely funded by visa and green card applications—is basically running out of money. Now, it may have to temporarily lay off thousands of workers, and thus potentially bring immigration to a near halt from its already painfully slow crawl.

The Allegheny County Health Department has extended its ban on indoor dining and drinking indoors at bars and restaurants in the county for two weeks to slow the spread of the coronavirus. Announced Wednesday, the new order will last two weeks and prohibits any and all “Indoor dining or alcohol consumption at bars, restaurants, or any other business establishments.” Outdoor dining may continue up until 11 p.m. daily, although customers will be limited to three alcoholic drinks per visit and everyone must be seated at a table. The state’s expanded mask order from Pa. Health Department Secretary Dr. Rachel Levine,...

A federal judge cast doubt on Bayer AG ’s proposal to neatly resolve all future lawsuits over the safety of its Roundup weedkiller, potentially snagging the German company’s attempts to move past the massive liability. Bayer said recently it would pay up to $10.9 billion to settle tens of thousands of current Roundup cases and create a system for handling future cases. The deal came after three juries in recent years awarded large verdicts to plaintiffs alleging Roundup caused non-Hodgkin lymphoma, spooking investors. U.S. District Judge Vince Chhabria in San Francisco, who must approve the class action, said Monday he...

Amazon is removing Washington Redskins merchandise from its site, after the NFL called on the team to change its name, widely considered a racial slur against Native Americans. In a note to sellers on Wednesday, Amazon said that it would pull a variety of products featuring the Washington team, including jerseys, t-shirts and jewelry. Sellers were given 48 hours to review and remove any products flagged by Amazon, the notice states.

United Airlines is warning 36,000 employees - nearly half its U.S. staff - they could be furloughed in October, the clearest signal yet of how deeply the virus pandemic is hurting the airline industry. The outlook for a recovery in air travel has dimmed in just the past two weeks, as infection rates rise in much of the U.S. and some states impose new quarantine requirements on travelers. United officials said Wednesday that they still hope to limit the number of layoffs by offering early retirement benefits, and that 36,000 is a worst-case scenario. The notices going to employees this...

Court rules Steele's firm violated Britain's data privacy law by failing to aggressively check allegations in his dossier ================================================================================ British judge ruled Wednesday that Christopher Steele violated a data privacy law by failing to check the accuracy of information in his infamous dossier, ordering the former spy’s firm to pay damages to two businessmen he wrongly accused of making illicit payments in Russia. Justice Mark Warby of the High Court of England and Wales ordered Steele’s firm, Orbis Business Intelligence, to pay a modest 18,000 English pounds – about $22,596 in American currency – each to Petr Aven and Mikhail...

LONDON (Reuters) - Gold pushed above $1,800 an ounce on Wednesday for the first time since 2011, with analysts expecting further gains as investors stock up on an asset they expect to hold its value while the coronavirus convulses the global economy. Spot gold prices have surged 40% in the last 14 months and are within striking distance of 2011's record high of $1,920.30 an ounce. "We'll be challenging the $2,000 level by the end of the year," said Ross Norman, an independent analyst. "We are in a bull market for gold." (Graphic: Gold's latest rally, https://fingfx.thomsonreuters.com/gfx/ce/jznpnzmokpl/GR%20RALLY.JPG) Powering the rally...

Journalism is just one of the industries hard-hit by the economic fallout from the pandemic. While we reimagine journalism’s structures and funding models, what role might the government play in intervening to support the role of a functioning press—not just someday, but now? In a new report published by the Hussman School of Journalism and Media at the University of North Carolina, Penny Abernathy—a collaborator on our Cutback Tracker project—underlines the stakes. Since 2005, more than a quarter of the country’s newspapers have disappeared. In the same fifteen-year span, the number of local journalists working in newsrooms has dropped by...

The ruling greatly expands the kinds of employers that can cite religious or moral objections in declining to include birth control in their health care plans. WASHINGTON — The U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday cleared the way for the Trump administration to give the nation's employers more leeway in refusing to provide free birth control for their workers under the Affordable Care Act. The ruling is a victory for the administration's plan to greatly expand the kinds of employers who can cite religious or moral objections in declining to include contraceptives in their health care plans. Up to 126,000 women...

"I think 'Blackout Tuesday' is great," Smokey John's Co-owner Juan Reaves said. "This is our opportunity to put our best foot forward to people that may not be familiar with us, Black or White." 'National Blackout Day' is meant to highlight Black-owned businesses, and get people to send a message of support by spending their money to support Black business owners... Our news partners at the Dallas Morning News compiled a list of some Black-owned businesses in North Texas. You can find it here.

The coronavirus pandemic is pushing businesses and dwellers out of city centers and downtowns into the outskirts in the short term, but demand can be expected to return to big cities, according to the head of the largest commercial real estate broker in the country. Hessam Nadji, president and CEO of Marcus & Millichap, on Tuesday told CNBC that it will be a test for suburban areas to accommodate exponential demand. Suburban areas outside of major cities are in high demand, as people migrate from dense urban areas in response to the Covid-19 outbreak. “I think the next 18 to...

July 8 (UPI) -- The United States has set a new one-day record for new COVID-19 cases -- more than 60,000, surpassing the previous mark by several thousand. Researchers at Johns Hopkins University said 60,021 new cases were recorded Tuesday, just days after the previous national record of 54,500. Updated figures by the university on Wednesday morning placed total U.S. cases at 2.99 million and the death toll at about 131,500. More than three dozen states have shown increases over the past week and health officials say hospitalizations and patients in intensive care have also risen significantly. In Florida, health...

Even before the COVD-19 pandemic forced us to live much of our lives “online,” the emergence of 5G technology was shaping up as one of the most critical waves of innovation that we have seen in our lifetimes. With all the excitement about the potential for 5G was the worry that America would lose the race for global 5G leadership to China. Fortunately, new developments from America’s most innovative companies shows that we are ready to compete (and win) on our terms — innovation. 5G — the 5th generation of wireless networking standards — will revolutionize our technological capabilities. With...

The Philadelphia Eagles responded to DeSean Jackson posting anti-Semitic quotes attributed to Adolf Hitler on Instagram, but the team isn’t yet taking action. The Eagles have been in contact with the 33-year-old wide receiver, who posted an apology, and condemned his posts. “We have spoken with DeSean Jackson about his social media posts. Regardless of his intentions, the messages he shared were offensive, harmful, and absolutely appalling,” the Eagles said in a statement Tuesday. “They have no place in our society, and are not condoned or supported in any way by the organization. We are disappointed and we reiterated to...

Recent orders by California’s governor to halt indoor dining in many counties may not impact the Blue Plate Oysterette much. At the Santa Monica seafood eatery, diners lately have been ordering their oysters or king crab legs at an outdoor counter – housed in a vintage VW bus – and feasting at sidewalk tables or across the street overlooking the cliff-side promenade. Nonetheless, owner Jen Rush has sharp views about Gov. Gavin Newsom’s decision to close indoor spaces such as restaurants, museums, and movie theaters for at least three weeks because of a surge in COVID-19 cases. Add to that...

The award is the largest yet from Operation Warp Speed, the White House's plan to rapidly develop and deliver a viable vaccine for the coronavirus pandemic. Part of the grant will fund a Phase 3 trial starting in the fall, according to a press release. Novavax also plans to use the award for delivering 100 million vaccine doses by the end of the year... Novavax is among several biotech and pharmaceutical firms racing to introduce the first effective treatment for COVID-19. Moderna, Gilead, Johnson & Johnson, Pfizer, and Merck are just some of the other companies testing their own compounds....

Patrick Harrington is sitting on a rock high on a hilltop...his head in his hands. The owner of Kindness Yoga, and one of the most well-known yogis in Denver, is struggling to piece together the words to explain what happened — in the span of a week — to his once-stellar reputation and his 19-year-old business. He is stunned, though remorseful. He is eager to speak up, yet on edge for fear of saying anything that could make all of this any worse. Harrington, a straight, white guy who expanded Kindness to nine studios and 160 employees across metro Denver,...

“If Trump is nominated, the GOP must keep him out of the White House,” Tommy Tuberville’s senior adviser Rob Jesmer Tweeted, in a series of anti-Trump, pro-amnesty Tweets going back years. An investigation into Tuberville staff shows hostility towards Trump’s agenda and trump’s supporters. Jesmer is Tuberville’s media adviser and is rumored to be in contention for the coveted chief of staff position in an Tuberville administration. Jesmer will be calling the shots on immigration. What’s interest about this Tweet is that Jesmer added the picture himself. Often times an image will auto-populate when you post a URL link. Jesmer...

There’s a common fear that Wall Street, buoyed by bullish sentiment, has gotten far ahead of the economic recovery and corporate earnings. However, despite continued volatility and uncertainty, analysts don’t expect a sharp market correction and say there’s still room for some upside for U.S. stocks ahead. Much better than expected economic data combined with positive news on drug treatments and potential vaccines for COVID-19 have bolstered investor confidence in recent months. But a spike in coronavirus cases as reopenings advance and the potential for a Democratic win in November pose downside risks to the stock market, according to analysts....

July 7 (Reuters) - Walt Disney Co will stick to its plans to reopen its Walt Disney World theme parks in Orlando, Florida, to a limited number of guests on Saturday, the company said in a statement on Tuesday. Florida's coronavirus cases have soared in the last month, with the state's daily count topping 10,000 three times in the last week. The death rate from COVID-19 rose nearly 19% in the last week from the week prior, bringing the state's death toll to more than 3,800. Some workers have signed a petition asking Disney to delay Walt Disney World's reopening....