U.S. ESTA Travel Pass News

Virginia ranked 6th nationwide in a survey of U.S. state school systems.

In the top 5 “Best School Systems” released last week by WalletHub, Massachusetts took first place, followed by Connecticut, New Jersey, New Hampshire, and Wisconsin. Maryland ranked 14th, and Washington D.C. ranked 30th. Virginia’s public education system boasts excellent academic achievement and systematic standards, with State of the Latter Day (SOL) testing, county-level school district management, and performance-based evaluation cited as key features.

This survey compared and analyzed 32 key indicators across 50 states and Washington D.C. Massachusetts, which took the top spot, is a state with the best education system, ranking first nationwide in 4th and 8th grade math and reading. High school students also performed well, with the highest percentage of students in the nation scoring a 3 or higher on AP exams, which cover college-level learning content. Conversely, New Mexico was named the worst school system, followed by Alaska, Oklahoma, Oregon, and West Virginia.

The evaluation was based on criteria including academic achievement and test scores, school finances and funding methods, teacher qualifications and expertise, class sizes, school safety, and student satisfaction.

Men who used wild animals to film an illegal photo shoot in a shopping mall parking lot in Baltimore County have been arrested by police.

The Baltimore County Police Department charged photographer Vernon Croffey III (32) and wildlife trainer Jayden Evans (25) with animal abuse and illegal possession of wild animals for orchestrating the illegal photo shoot at the Towson Town Center parking lot on the night of the 30th of last month. They are accused of pouring gasoline on the parking lot floor and setting it on fire on the day of the incident, then using rare animals such as snakes and monkeys to film a photo shoot featuring female models.

Controversy arose after photos and videos of the shoot were circulated on social media. Additionally, police stated that they confirmed evidence that reptiles and arthropods, including snakes, lizards, and tarantulas found at Evans’ apartment, had been abused without receiving proper medical care.

In particular, the lemurs and spider monkeys used in the photo shoot were reportedly in such a severe condition due to malnutrition that their vertebrae were exposed. According to Maryland law, it is illegal for individuals to raise or own primates, including monkeys. The rescued monkeys have been transferred to the Maryland Zoo and are currently under protection.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution (AJC) reported on the 23rd that Atlanta-based Coca-Cola has suspended dairy production in the United States due to a hacking incident. According to the report, the ransomware group “Anubis” claimed on the dark web that day that it had hacked the servers of Coca-Cola’s dairy brand, Fairlife. The group asserted that if their demands were not met by the 27th, they would release one terabyte of confidential information.

Earlier, Coca-Cola headquarters announced that it would suspend operations at its Fairlife plants in the U.S. starting on the 16th due to the hacking. In a statement, Coca-Cola said, “An unauthorized third party accessed our internal systems, and the full extent of the damage is under investigation.” Coca-Cola acquired Fairlife, a brand specializing in milk and dairy products, in 2020.

Coca-Cola added that the hacking incident has not affected production in Canada. Professor Ramnas Chelapa of Emory University’s School of Management stated, “It has not been confirmed whether this group is indeed the one responsible for the hacking, and only Coca-Cola would know how much ransom they are demanding.” The AJC added that as of the 23rd, Coca-Cola had not responded to media inquiries regarding the extent of the hacking damage, the scale of system recovery, or whether production would resume.

A series of “Summer Restaurant Weeks” are taking place across the Baltimore area, offering a rich culinary feast.

Baltimore County Restaurant Week, which kicked off first, began on the 10th and continues until the 19th (Sunday). Approximately 40 of the region’s representative restaurants are participating in this event, captivating the palates of foodies by offering special menus at reasonable prices. Baltimore City Restaurant Week, marking its 20th anniversary this year, will run for ten days from the 24th (Friday) to August 2nd (Sunday).

Organized to promote Baltimore’s diverse gastronomic culture and revitalize the local restaurant industry, this event features a wide range of participants, from casual eateries to fine dining establishments, offering diverse global cuisine at special prices.

Prices consist of course (prefix) menus set at $15, $20, and $25 for lunch; $25, $30, and $35 for brunch; and $35, $45, and $55 for dinner. In particular, a separate children’s menu priced between $10 and $15 is available, allowing families to enjoy the experience without breaking the bank. The service is available in various ways, including dine-in, takeout, and delivery.

Howard County is hosting the “Restaurant & Craft Beverage Week” for two weeks, from Monday, July 27, to Sunday, August 9. Over 40 representative restaurants in Columbia, Ellicott City, Maple Lawn, and other areas are expected to participate. Additionally, users can receive a 10% cashback benefit by using the “Open Rewards” app during the event period.

Health authorities have urged extreme caution as cyclosporiasis, an intestinal infection caused by parasites, is spreading rapidly in Maryland.

According to the State Department of Health, at least 32 people in Maryland have been infected with cyclosporiasis. Of these, 28 cases occurred intensively within the past month, and confirmed cases are continuing to emerge in areas such as Baltimore. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported that approximately 145 confirmed cases have been reported across the U.S. so far this year, but fortunately, there have been no reported deaths.

Cyclosporiasis is an intestinal disease transmitted through food or water contaminated with parasites. Major symptoms include frequent and severe watery diarrhea, accompanied by severe fatigue, loss of appetite, weight loss, stomach cramps, gas, vomiting, and a low-grade fever. Without proper treatment, symptoms can persist for days to months, and some infected individuals may not show any symptoms. The CDC emphasized, “To prevent the surge in parasitic infections from May to August, you must wash your hands frequently and thoroughly,” adding that “it is especially important to wash fruits and vegetables thoroughly under running water before consumption.”

Meanwhile, Maryland recorded a total of 204 confirmed cases in 2024, with 128 infections reported last year.

The U.S. Treasury Department and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) have officially launched so-called “Trump Accounts” to help newborns build assets. The Treasury Department and the IRS announced that fund transfers to Trump Accounts began on the 4th. They also added that applications for opening accounts have been released on major mobile app stores, including Apple and Google.

The plan involves opening tax-deferred savings and investment accounts for U.S. children, and specifically, the U.S. administration will provide a one-time grant of $1,000 (approximately 1.5 million won) to newborns born between January 1, 2019, and December 31, 2028. For children not born during President Trump’s second term (January 2025–January 2029)—that is, those born before or after that period—funds raised through private donations will be provided via bank account.

Previously, Michael Dell and his wife, founder and CEO of the U.S. computer manufacturer Dell Technologies, donated $6.25 billion to this program, stipulating that $250 each be provided to 25 million children aged 10 or under born in 2024 or earlier. Children from families whose eligibility is verified, such as through tax payments, can apply to open an account before turning 18.

The Consulate General of the Republic of Korea in San Francisco is scheduled to host a special exhibition by the Korea Fashion Illustration Association (KOFIA) from today, the 7th, until September 18th at the reception hall on the first floor of the Consulate. Since its founding in 1995, KOFIA has been an organization that has introduced the genre of fashion illustration to the public through various exhibitions and competitions.

This exhibition features works by a total of 41 domestic and international artists who have interpreted and expressed traditional Korean clothing and ceramics in a modern way. The association stated, “Through this special exhibition, we wish to demonstrate that Korean heritage is not a fixed tradition, but a living aesthetic language that is constantly varied and expanded .” Since 2018, the Consulate General has been implementing the “Consulate Cultural Space Project,” which utilizes the consulate’s reception hall (consular waiting room) as a cultural exhibition space to provide a venue for Korean artists to showcase their talents and foster a sense of pride as artists; this exhibition marks the 30th such event.

The Consulate General of San Francisco plans to continue the Consulate Cultural Space Project by providing exhibition spaces for Korean artists and fostering continuous communication and cooperation with the local community, with the goal of making the beauty and excellence of Korean art known not only in Northern California but throughout the United States.

New York City Mayor Zoran Mamdani and City Council Speaker Julie Menin reached a surprise agreement on the $125.8 billion “Fiscal Year 2027 New York City Budget” on the 30th, the deadline for negotiations. This allows New York City to avoid administrative and financial turmoil. This budget represents an 8.4% ($9.9 billion) increase over the previous year’s $115.9 billion budget, marking the largest amount in New York City history.

Mayor Mamdani stated, “I expect to significantly reduce the economic burden on working-class residents through measures such as easing housing costs, expanding childcare services, and increasing public transportation fare discounts.” The core of this budget is a substantial expansion of public transportation benefits for the working class.

Eligibility for the “Fair Fares” program, which offers a 50% discount on Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) bus and subway fares, has been expanded from those with an annual income below 150% of the federal poverty line to those below 200%. Accordingly, any New York City resident with an annual income of $31,920 or less for a single-person household or $66,000 or less for a four-person household will receive discount benefits.

The city authorities projected that this measure will benefit approximately 340,000 additional residents, bringing the total number of citizens using public transportation at a lower cost to 1.3 million. Additionally, a program is being introduced for the first time to issue free OMNY cards to approximately 1,250 associate degree students at the City University of New York (CUNY) who attend classes at least twice a week during the upcoming fall and spring semesters. With a total budget of $700,000, this program will allow students to use public transportation for free 75 times, extending the free ride benefits previously provided to K-12 public school students to university students. The eligibility threshold for the low-income housing voucher program (CityFHEPS) has also been lowered.

With the eligibility criteria changing from 200% of the federal poverty line to 50% of the Area Median Income (AMI), it is expected that approximately 14,000 additional people will benefit from housing assistance. Furthermore, with $31.7 million reallocated to the public library system, summer library closures are not expected to recur. In addition, the budgets for the City Parks Department and cultural institutions were increased by $15 million and $10 million, respectively.

On the other hand, the budget for hiring additional new officers for the New York City Police Department (NYPD) was ultimately excluded from this budget proposal.

In Los Angeles, Mayor Karen Bass’s core homeless initiative, “Inside Safe,” is entering a new phase. While large tent encampments that once covered the streets have noticeably diminished, analysis suggests the policy’s limitations are becoming apparent as more vulnerable and hard-to-find forms of homelessness have increased.

According to surveys by think tanks and research institutions, tent living has decreased significantly in areas such as Hollywood and Venice, and the city’s overall homeless population has also shown some decline. However, a new phenomenon of “shadow homelessness” is emerging as the proportion of people living in vehicles instead of tents, or sleeping on the streets without any safety precautions, increases.

◆ Achievements and Limitations of Inside Safe

Inside Safe was designed with a strategy of designating large tent villages to move the homeless inside all at once to temporary accommodations (hotels, motels, etc.) and subsequently connecting them to permanent rental housing. Thanks to this method, the number of tents in Hollywood has decreased by nearly 80–90%, and it is assessed that the streetscape in major tourist and commercial districts such as Venice has changed noticeably. However, the “reversal effect,” where a significant number of those who entered temporary accommodation return to the streets, is pointed out as a problem.

Critics argue that due to the complex interplay of hygiene and safety issues in temporary accommodations, stress from communal living, and problems with mental illness and addiction, there are few cases of long-term housing stability achieved compared to the number of people who “moved indoors once.”

◆ Two Emerging Groups: Rough Sleepers and Vehicle Dwellers.

According to research, the most notable recent change in the structure of the homeless population in LA is the decrease in tent dwellers, along with an increase in ‘rough sleepers’ and vehicle dwellers. Street sleepers refer to those who sleep on sidewalks, in parks, or in front of buildings, directly exposed to rain, cold, and heatwaves; they are classified as the most vulnerable group across almost every indicator, including health, mental illness, drug use, and exposure to crime. Because they lack fixed locations like tent camps, it is difficult for outreach agents to visit them regularly.

Furthermore, since many of them lack basic documents such as identification and mobile phones, as well as means of communication, it is known that accessing them through the existing Inside Safe approach is virtually impossible.

Vehicle dwellers present another dilemma. For them, a vehicle is not merely a “temporary home” but an asset that protects their employment and mobility; in fact, a significant number are currently working or seeking employment. Since having to give up their vehicle to enter a communal shelter is tantamount to losing their livelihood, many point out that programs providing only “beds and roofs” lack persuasiveness.

◆ “Phase 1 Successful, Phase 2 Not Ready”

Experts evaluate Inside Safe as “Phase 1 successful, Phase 2 incomplete.” While the initiative has clearly been effective in reducing conspicuous tent camps and mitigating the city’s outward crisis, there is still a lack of a blueprint for how to connect more vulnerable and mobile groups to stable housing, treatment, and support systems.

Recently, proposals were gaining traction to move away from the approach of individually visiting dispersed homeless people and instead establish regional “service hubs” to provide essential services—such as same-day housing placement, mental health and addiction treatment, document issuance, mobile phone support, and showers and laundry in one place. There are also growing calls for a separate strategy for car owners that combines a large-scale “Safe Parking Program” with employment and re-housing support.

Given the high level of interest in homelessness within the LA Korean community, which is directly linked to housing shortages, commercial safety, and traffic issues, it is worth paying attention to how the “second phase of strategic shift” following Inside Safe will unfold.

Tension is rising within immigrant communities as the Donald Trump administration accelerates “denaturalization” lawsuits aimed at stripping naturalized citizens of their citizenship. With judicial proceedings against naturalized citizens and others moving beyond the crackdown on undocumented immigrants, concerns that the government’s blade is eventually targeting legal residents in general appear to be becoming a reality.

According to CNN, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) plans to file at least 250 citizenship revocation lawsuits by this coming October. It is reported that 29 lawsuits have already been filed in less than two months of this year, and the review of additional cases is proceeding rapidly. This pace of action is exceptionally rapid compared to the enforcement speed of previous administrations. According to statistics from the Traction and Analysis Center (TRAC) at Syracuse University, a total of 166 lawsuits challenging citizenship were filed from 2008 to June 12 of this year, averaging fewer than 10 per year. However, the current Trump administration is accelerating its crackdown by filing dozens of lawsuits in just a few months.

The revocation of citizenship is possible only through a federal court ruling. The federal government can pursue the revocation of citizenship if it is revealed that false statements were made during the naturalization process or that the individual was not eligible to acquire citizenship. This applies only to naturalized citizens, not to those born in the United States. The Department of Justice explains that this measure is intended to safeguard the credibility of the citizenship system.

A senior Justice Department official stated in an interview with CNN, “It is a legal means to protect the value of U.S. citizenship and prevent unqualified individuals from enjoying its benefits.” Indeed, ongoing cases include instances where individuals are accused of concealing criminal records or committing identity fraud during the citizenship application process.

It is reported that allegations of child sex crimes, support for terrorist groups, and involvement in war crimes have been raised against some individuals. However, immigration advocacy groups and some in the legal community are concerned that the administration may excessively expand the scope of application. While targets in the past were primarily war criminals or terrorism-related figures, critics point out that recently, errors in document preparation or minor false entries could be taken issue.

With reports that the Department of Justice is even reassigning prosecutors specializing in civil fraud investigations to expand citizenship revocation operations, analysts suggest that immigration policy has effectively become the administration’s top priority. As federal prosecutors’ offices are also set to receive cases and proceed with litigation nationwide, it is projected that hundreds of additional cases could be filed in the future.

Over the past decade, approximately 8 million people in the United States have acquired naturalized citizenship. The immigrant community and the legal profession are closely watching whether the Trump administration’s recent measures are merely targeting serious fraudsters and criminals, or if they will expand to strengthen scrutiny of legal immigrants in general.