U.S. ESTA Travel Pass News

The 16th Northern Virginia Housing Expo, a one-stop shop for information on home buying, selling, remodeling, and repairs in Northern Virginia, will be held on Saturday, July 7th, from 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM at Fairfax High School (3501 Lion Run) in Fairfax City. This event is sponsored and co-hosted by the Virginia Housing Authority, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) DC Chapter, the Northern Virginia Association of Realtors (NVAR), and local governments throughout Northern Virginia.

It is open to the public at no cost. Attendees can consult with housing experts in the exhibition hall and receive a variety of services, including informational workshops and one-on-one financial coaching.

Expert workshops will cover topics such as credit management, first-time homebuyer programs, the rental and purchase process, senior housing options, and how to utilize a real estate agent. Certified volunteer coaches will also be available on-site to provide personalized financial advice.

Meanwhile, the online event held last year reportedly attracted a whopping 200,000 attendees, making it a huge success.

The building of the Council of Experts, the constitutional body that elects Iran’s Supreme Leader, collapsed on the 3rd (local time) after being bombed by the United States and Israel, CNN and local Iranian media reported. Speculation had been raised that the election of the next Supreme Leader would be postponed due to the safety of the Council members being threatened by continued US and Israeli bombing, but conflicting reports have also emerged that a final announcement is imminent.

The Council of Experts, a constitutional body comprised of 88 clerics with eight-year terms, is currently in the process of selecting a successor to Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, who was killed in a US and Israeli airstrike on the 28th of last month. The headquarters of the Council of Experts, located in the central Iranian religious city of Qom, was bombed by the Israeli military on Tuesday.

President Donald Trump also told reporters that day, “There was another attack on the new leadership today.” However, local media reported that the meeting was not in session at the time of the bombing. Iran’s semi-official Fars News Agency reported that the Council of Experts was discussing the Supreme Leader election via video conference and that it was in the “final stages,” but it was unclear when the final results would be announced.

AFP and Iranian dissident media outlet Iran International also reported that Fars News reported that the final in-person meeting of the Council of Experts could be postponed until after Khamenei’s funeral and burial, which is expected next week, due to heightened security measures. Khamenei’s body will be buried in his hometown and a Shiite holy city, Mashhad, Iranian media reported on Tuesday.

The funeral date has not yet been announced, but Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps said via Telegram that a mass funeral would be held in the capital, Tehran, ahead of Khamenei’s burial. However, there are conflicting views that a final decision could be made soon, with the New York Times (NYT) reporting that the Council of Experts is considering officially announcing Khamenei’s second son, Mojtaba Khamenei, as the next Supreme Leader on the morning of the 4th.

On the fourth day of armed conflict, the United States and Israel continued their large-scale offensive not only against the Council of Experts building but also against several locations in Iran, including Tehran. According to local media, including Mehr News Agency, Tehran’s Mehrabad International Airport was attacked. Local media published photos showing smoke billowing from the airport after the bombing. Local media also reported that a parked aircraft at Bushehr Airport in the south was damaged by airstrikes.

Israel also carried out a large-scale strike on Iranian weapons production facilities and ballistic missile launch sites. The Israeli military explained that in the central city of Isfahan, dozens of ballistic missiles launch sites and storage warehouses were targeted.

Even after graduation, H-1B employment is blocked, and the number of international students has been cut in half in the past 10 years. Mr. Kim, a Korean-American in his 20s who came to Korea to study and graduated from college, had planned to continue his master’s degree in the United States, but decided to give up that plan and return to Korea. He had hoped that earning a master’s degree in engineering would lead to employment at a US company, but the increasingly difficult reality was formidable.

Tuition, housing, and other expenses would cost tens of thousands of dollars annually, and the high exchange rate and rising prices in the US only increased the burden. Mr. Kim cited his wavering confidence in finding a job in the US as the biggest reason for his decision to return to Korea. He saw many of his acquaintances who had already completed their studies struggling to find jobs or losing their jobs due to company downsizing. In Korea, there was frequent talk that American degrees were no longer as valuable as they once were. Ultimately, he chose to return to Korea to help his family business and prepare for employment in Korea.

Like Kim, there are a growing number of Korean students in the United States who are dropping out of their studies or abandoning their plans to pursue further education or employment in the United States. This is due to the soaring exchange rate and skyrocketing prices in recent years, leading to a snowballing cost of living and studying in the United States. Furthermore, since the inauguration of President Trump’s second term, anti-immigration policies have intensified, and the increased scrutiny of student and work visas has deepened uncertainty about their residency status. Such cases are numerous.

According to Yonhap News, Mr. Lee (28), who graduated from a computer engineering department at a state university in the United States in 2023, returned to Korea in July of last year. He said, “After failing the H-1B visa lottery twice, I had no other options.” There was a three-year Optional Practical Training (OPT) period given to STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) majors, but the job market was narrowed due to companies being reluctant to sponsor visas, so they had to pack their bags.

Lee said, “Since the second half of last year, when big tech companies carried out large-scale layoffs, the number of new visa sponsors has practically come to a standstill. I was accepted by a small and medium-sized IT company, but after failing the H-1B lottery twice, I couldn’t hold on any longer.”

Park (55), who sent his son to study abroad at the University of California, also said that he recently decided to have his son return to Korea. His goal was to have his son majoring in biotechnology go to graduate school, but the soaring exchange rate forced him to give up on that plan.

Park said, “I even considered taking out a mortgage on the apartment I had planned for retirement and eventually persuaded him to just finish his bachelor’s degree and come back. My son understood the reality and chose to return to Korea.” Kim (24), a design major at a New York university, took a leave of absence in June of last year after completing her third year.

“When I first studied abroad, the exchange rate was around 1,200 won, but it quickly rose to over 1,400 won. Adding up my annual tuition and living expenses, I ended up spending over 40 million won more per year than the Korean won my parents sent me,” Kim said. “I considered moving to the outskirts to save on rent, but the commute and safety concerns made it difficult. Ultimately, after discussing it with my parents, I decided to return to Korea for a while and see how things unfolded.”

This trend extends beyond four-year universities. Park (23), a community college student, also dropped out for similar reasons. Park said, “With the rising exchange rate, even community college tuition has become more expensive than private Korean universities,” and ultimately decided to prepare for the Korean university transfer exam. The decline in Korean students studying abroad in the United States is also reflected in the numbers.

According to the Korean Ministry of Education, as of April last year, there were 129,713 Korean students enrolled in higher education institutions overseas. This represents a 14-year decline since the peak of 262,465 in 2011. Overseas funding for study and training programs has also declined. According to the Bank of Korea’s Economic Statistics System, funding for study and training programs fell from $4.488 billion in 2010 to $3.0527 billion last year. According to a previous survey conducted by the Institute for International Education (IIE) on 828 higher education institutions in the United States last year, approximately 57% of institutions reported a decline in new international student enrollment, with 96% citing “visa application concerns” as the main reason for the decline.

A representative from one study abroad agency stated, “Many students are abandoning their study abroad plans due to high exchange rates or visa issues,” adding, “The study abroad market is in a severe state of decline.”

New York City Council Speaker Julie Menin has made it clear that she will reject Mayor Zoran Mamdani’s proposed 9.5% property tax increase.

Menin expressed her opposition on the 20th, stating, “Mayor Mamdani’s proposed property tax increase is unfeasible.” The mayor’s proposed 2026-27 budget, released on the 17th, included a plan to raise property taxes by 9.5% if the tax increase fails, and the Councilmember, who has the authority to approve it, has made it clear that she will reject it.

Councilmember Menin emphasized, “A property tax increase will directly impact small property owners, small businesses, and communities of color.”

According to a New York Times analysis, Mayor Mamdani’s proposed property tax increase would affect over 3 million single-family homes and apartments and over 100,000 commercial buildings. If implemented, the city could secure an additional $14.8 billion in tax revenue over the next four years.

As of this year, New York City property taxes are 19.843% for Class 1 (one- to three-family homes and condos) and 12.439% for Class 2 (apartments, co-ops, and large condos). While New York City property taxes are the only tax the mayor can control without state or legislative approval, any increase requires City Council approval.

The New York Times (NYT) reported on the 13th that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is pressuring Big Tech companies to identify social media users who monitor or criticize the activities of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). According to the report, DHS has sent hundreds of administrative subpoenas to major tech companies, including Google, Meta (parent company of Facebook and Instagram), Reddit, and Discord, in recent months.

The subpoenas reportedly demanded personal information, such as real names, email addresses, and phone numbers, from anonymous accounts that share the locations of ICE agents or criticize ICE. DHS argued that these measures are to ensure the safety of field agents and that the government has broad administrative subpoena powers.

Unlike regular warrants that require court approval, administrative subpoenas can be issued by the executive branch on its own and were previously used only in the investigation of serious crimes such as child trafficking. However, the New York Times pointed out that under the Trump administration, this administrative subpoena power has been abused to silence criticism of ICE. In September of last year, DHS subpoenaed Meta to learn the identity of the operator of an Instagram account that posted information about ICE raids in California. However, after the ACLU filed a legal action, the agency withdrew the request before a court ruling. A similar situation occurred with the “Mongko Community Watch” account, which shared the locations of ICE agents in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania.

In October of last year, Meta notified the operator of the account that, “If no legal objection is filed, the information will be turned over to the government in 10 days.” When the operator filed a lawsuit through the ACLU, DHS withdrew the subpoena within two days.

Attorney Roney noted, “The government is employing a strategy of withdrawing subpoenas once a lawsuit is filed to avoid creating a precedent unfavorable to them. Ultimately, this forces individuals to take the burden of appealing directly to the courts.” Tech companies are taking a cautious approach to the government’s excessive demands for information.

A Google representative stated, “When we receive a subpoena, we review it by balancing the protection of user privacy with fulfilling our legal obligations. Unless prohibited by law or in exceptional circumstances, we notify users, and we reject broad requests.”

This controversy aligns with the Trump administration’s strong anti-immigration stance during its second term. Tom Homan, White House border czar, recently pledged in an interview to build a database of individuals who obstruct or impede ICE’s operations.

As Automated Camera Enforcement (ACE) for vehicles that trespass in bus lanes or illegally park at bus stops is gradually being implemented in New York City, enforcement of violations began on the Q17 and Q27 bus routes, which pass through Flushing, Queens, on the 16th.

Using ABLE cameras installed on MTA buses, enforcement of violations includes not only existing bus lane violations such as trespassing, stopping, and obstructing bus stops, but also all vehicles that impede bus operation, such as illegal or double-parked vehicles at bus stops.

However, fines will not be issued until a 60-day grace period. Fines are $50 for the first offense but can reach up to $250 for repeat offenses.

According to MTA, ABLE cameras are currently installed on 54 bus routes across the city.

As the fallout from the release of documents related to sex offender Jeffrey Epstein continues in the US political arena, Attorney General Pam Bondi, who appeared before a congressional hearing on the 11th, engaged in a heated exchange of harsh words with Democratic lawmakers.

Democrats focused their scrutiny on the Justice Department’s process for releasing the Epstein documents, and Bondi immediately pushed back, defending the Justice Department’s response and President Donald Trump. At the House Judiciary Committee hearing that day, Committee Ranking Member Jamie Raskin (D-Maryland) opened the fire.

Representative Raskin, naming Epstein victims and their families who were present at the hearing, urged Attorney General Bondi, “To advance justice for our people, you must listen to the voices of victims like the women sitting behind you today.” He went on to emphasize that Epstein victims are “demanding the truth and holding accountable those who trafficked and sexually abused them.”

Attorney General Bondi then said, “I am deeply sorry for what that monster has done to any of his victims,” and “I will take any criminal allegations seriously and investigate them.” Democrats particularly criticized the Justice Department for redacting the names of the perpetrators in the Epstein documents and releasing their photos and private details. “

As Attorney General, you are siding with the perpetrators and turning a blind eye to the victims,” Raskin said, while Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Washington) added, “The Justice Department has a pattern of covering up the names of powerful perpetrators.”

As the battle intensified, Bondi responded with an unusual and aggressive response, using derisive language toward Democrats, the Associated Press reported. When Raskin pressed Bondi on the Justice Department’s alleged targeted investigations and the lack of proper investigations into Epstein’s perpetrators, Bondi raised her voice and called the former constitutional law professor a “washed-up loser lawyer, not even a lawyer.”

When Rep. Jayapal demanded that Bondi turn around and apologize to the surviving victims sitting behind him, Bondi sharply retorted, “I won’t get into a low-level argument to suit his political show.” On the other hand, during the Q&A session with Republican lawmakers, the atmosphere was friendly, with discussions of declining crime rates nationwide. Democratic Rep. Hank Johnson (Georgia) even sniped Bondi, saying he was “Jekyll and Hyde,” “nice to Republicans, but Hyde to Democrats.”

Rep. Thomas Massie, a junior Republican within the party, strongly criticized the Justice Department’s decision to release documents and expose the names of the victims, saying they “did the worst thing you could do to the survivors.”

Bondi responded by calling Massie a “failed politician,” “a Trump-obsessed derangement syndrome,” and a “hypocrite.” Secretary Bondi stated, “You’re sitting here attacking the president, and I won’t tolerate that,” citing President Trump’s signing of a bill to release the Epstein documents and the Justice Department’s subsequent release of over 3 million pages of documents.

The hearing also highlighted allegations that the Justice Department is abusing its law enforcement authority by targeting Trump’s political enemies. Secretary Bondi responded, “No one is above the law,” and “The weaponization of the Justice Department is over.”

A bill to freeze tuition at New Jersey public universities from the time of admission until graduation is drawing attention. State Senator Shirley Turner recently introduced a tuition freeze bill that would prevent tuition increases for four years for New Jersey residents who enroll in public universities.

The purpose of this bill is to ease the burden of tuition by freezing tuition for all four years of undergraduate study.

Representative Turner explained the purpose of the bill, saying, “Due to the high cost of college in New Jersey, 30,000 New Jersey high school students leave each year for college in other states. We need to help high school students stay in New Jersey and complete their college education.”

According to state data, the average tuition for in-state students at New Jersey’s four-year public universities for the 2025-2026 school year will be $16,714, a roughly 15% increase from four years ago. The past two years have seen annual increases of more than 5%, particularly in the past two years.

Rep. Turner points out that when room and board costs are factored in, the total cost of tuition more than doubled. Furthermore, according to the Education Data Initiative, 13% of New Jersey residents have student loan debt, with the average debt reaching $37,287. This highlights the ongoing calls for urgent action to address the severe cost burden in New Jersey.

Universities are reluctant to address the tuition freezing bill. The Association of State Colleges and Universities of New Jersey stated, “While alleviating the burden of tuition is a top priority, there are times when a combination of factors makes an increase unavoidable.” If enacted, the tuition freeze will apply to incoming freshmen at public universities starting the academic year following the bill’s enactment.

Going forward, SAT test takers will no longer be allowed to wear smart glasses.

According to the College Board, the SAT administrator, test takers will be prohibited from wearing smart glasses starting in March. The College Board explained, “We have previously prohibited the use of wearable electronic devices such as AirPods and smartwatches in testing rooms. The smart glasses ban is an extension of this policy of restricting the use of smart devices.”

This measure is aimed at preventing cheating using smart glasses’ functions. As technology advances, smart glasses are increasingly equipped with cameras, internet connections, and artificial intelligence (AI) functions, significantly increasing the likelihood of them being abused for cheating. Experts are raising concerns about the potential for cheating, such as test takers using smart glasses to take a photo of their test papers and receive real-time answers from AI.

The College Board has stated that no SAT test takers have yet been caught cheating using smart glasses.

However, there have been persistent warnings about the potential for smart glasses and other advanced devices to be misused for cheating, such as the case of an 18-year-old male student taking the Waseda University entrance exam in Tokyo, Japan, in 2024. He was caught using smart glasses to post test questions on social media and receive help from other users.

Starting later this month, New York State drivers will face significantly tougher traffic violation penalty points. Driver’s license suspension criteria will be stricter, and new points will be imposed for certain violations, such as making illegal U-turns and refusing to yield to emergency vehicles, significantly increasing the severity of penalties.

The New York State Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) announced that these new points will go into effect on the 26th. Under the new points regulations, drivers who have accumulated 11 or more points within 18 months will face a driver’s license suspension, which will be increased to 10 or more points within 24 months. The points awarded for existing violations will also be significantly increased.

Speeding by 1 to 10 miles per hour over the limit will see a point increase from 3 to 4 and using a cell phone while driving will see a point increase from 5 to 6. Reckless driving will see its penalty point increase from 5 to 8, and running a school bus stop signal will also see its penalty point increase from 5 to 8. New penalty points will also be introduced.

Vehicle equipment defects, such as malfunctioning headlights or taillights or excessive window tinting, will now be assessed one penalty point, while obstructing traffic, such as illegal U-turns and tailgating at intersections, will each receive two penalty points. For example, if caught with excessively dark window tinting and an illegal U-turn, a total of three penalty points will be issued, which will lead to a warning and increased risk of increased car insurance premiums.

Furthermore, a new three-point penalty has been introduced for vehicles that refuse to yield to emergency vehicles. In the case of DWI, if a warning is issued, the penalty points will be increased from 4 to 6 points (previously no penalty) to 7 to 10 points (previously no penalty) if a safe driving class is ordered, and if a driver is summoned for a license suspension hearing, the penalty points will be increased from 11 points to 11 or more points (previously 11 points).

If a driver is drunk driving four or more times, the driver’s license will be permanently revoked. According to the new regulations, drivers who receive four to six penalty points within 24 months will be issued an early warning. If they receive seven to 10 points, they will be required to take driver improvement education, and if they receive 11 points or more, they will be referred to a license suspension hearing.

In addition, if they violate traffic laws three or more times in a short period, they may be referred to a hearing regardless of the penalty points.