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California law enforcement officials have busted a gang of organized thieves who stole $8 million worth of cosmetics across Southern California and sold them on Amazon and other sites.

A task force specializing in organized theft, comprised of the California Highway Patrol, has raided cosmetics stores across the state through an investigation over the past several months. It was announced on the 16th that the leader of an organized theft group that committed targeted theft was arrested.

On the 16th, California Attorney General Rob Bonta announced at a press conference held in San Diego that a total of nine people had been indicted and that they had been found to have committed similar crimes not only in Southern California but also in the eastern region. It was revealed that the arrested leader of the organized crime ring recruited at least seven people as henchmen and had them steal cosmetics from Ulta Beauty Stores and other retail outlets across the state and then sell the stolen items at a discount through Amazon.

It was revealed that this organized theft crime had been going on for over ten years. The organized theft took place in a total of 21 counties, including LA and Orange County, Alameda, Placer, Kern, Contra Costa, Santa Clara, San Diego, Riverside, San Mateo, San Bernardino, Napa, and Ventura. This investigation was conducted in cooperation with the Highway Patrol, the California Department of Justice, the Federal Department of Homeland Security, and the Federal Postal Service, and employees of the affected stores also appeared to have joined the investigation.

Authorities have been investigating since last summer to catch up with these thieves after more than 230 thefts were reported at Ulta stores in Southern California. In December of last year, several suspects involved in organized theft gangs were arrested throughout Southern California, and this time, the leader of the theft gang was arrested.

New York Governor Cathy Hochul is pushing to make alcohol to-go service permanent at restaurants and bars in the state, which expires in April next year. Governor Hochul announced on the 15th, “We plan to make permanent the ‘Alcohol Subscription Service’ for restaurants and bars, which was first introduced in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.”

It is my intention to make this permanent by including this content in the negotiation process for the $233 billion budget plan that I proposed last month. Governor Hochul said, “The ‘alcohol donation service’ for restaurants and bars, which started due to the pandemic, is a policy that has been successfully established with great response from residents,” and added, “It should have already been legalized and made permanent, but it is rather too late.” If the ‘Alcohol Subscription Service’ for restaurants and bars is made permanent as the governor plans, New York State will become the 21st state in the country to legalize the service.

According to New York State’s current regulations, to use the ‘Alcohol Toss Service’, you must order a ‘substantial food item’ from restaurants and bars. This significant amount of food (menu) includes pre-cooked and processed frozen foods such as set meals, sandwiches, soups, salads, chicken wings, and hot dogs. However, potato chips, candy or nuts, and small amounts of lettuce are not accepted. This is to prevent formal orders such as the so-called ‘$1 Cuomo chips’, which were controversial in 2020 when alcoholic beverages were first allowed.

Additionally, an entire bottle of alcohol cannot be sold for delivery, and take-out alcohol must be sold packaged in a sealed container. The price must be the same as drinking at a restaurant or bar, and upon delivery, you must prove that you are over 21 years of age.

Alcohol cannot be delivered to people who are already drunk. Also, if you are caught charging an additional fee for alcoholic beverages and having them delivered instead of ordering food, your liquor license may be suspended or revoked. Meanwhile, liquor store owners, including Liquor Store, are clearly opposing the push to make the ‘alcohol to-go service’ permanent for restaurants and bars in New York State, saying it is an infringement on their territory.

It is still unclear whether the bill will be passed into reality by the State Senate Speaker. New Jersey’s paid family leave expansion bill has been resubmitted to the State House of Representatives and has passed the subcommittee threshold. On the 8th, the New Jersey State House Appropriations Committee approved the bill (A-3451), which expands New Jersey paid family medical leave coverage to workers at businesses with five or more employees, with 7 in favor and 4 against, and sent it to the plenary session.

Current law requires businesses with 30 or more employees to guarantee the employment of employees who use paid family medical leave. The amendment expands the obligation to guarantee employment based on paid family medical leave to businesses with five or more employees.

This bill was introduced last year but was automatically scrapped due to the end of the 2022-2023 state legislative session. However, it was resubmitted when the 2024-2025 state legislative session began in January of this year and was approved by a subcommittee of the state House of Representatives. However, in the State Senate, it is unclear whether it will become a reality as State Senate Chairman Nick Scutari and others are passive about processing the bill.

In New Jersey, paid family medical leave has been guaranteed since 2009. As of 2023, if you have earned wages of at least $283 per week for 20 weeks or a total of $14,200 or more in 12 months from the date of application, you can use paid family medical leave for up to 12 weeks. Beneficiaries can receive 85% of their salary (up to $1,025 per week). However, only businesses with 30 or more employees are required to guarantee employment for employees who use paid family medical leave, so employees at smaller businesses are unable to use paid family medical leave due to fear of losing their jobs.

The labor community supports expanding paid family medical leave, but companies oppose it. The New Jersey Business and Industry Association’s position is that “it will place an undue burden on small and medium-sized businesses.”

U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, who caused controversy for not reporting his hospitalization in time, is hospitalized again. The U.S. Department of Defense announced on the 11th that Secretary Austin had symptoms that appeared to be bladder problems, so Secret Service agents took him to Walter Reed Military Medical Center around 2:20 p.m.

The Department of Defense stated that Secretary Austin continues to perform the functions and duties of the Secretary and that the Deputy Secretary is prepared to act on his behalf if necessary. Secretary Austin brought confidential communication systems necessary for performing his duties to the hospital. Secretary Austin was hospitalized on the 1st of last month due to a urinary tract infection after undergoing surgery for prostate cancer last year, but caused controversy by belatedly informing President Joe Biden, the military commander-in-chief, of his hospitalization.

After being discharged from the hospital on the 15th of last month, he worked from home and returned to the Ministry of Defense on the 29th of last month but was still recovering due to leg pain.

Apple CEO Tim Cook became the head of Apple, succeeding Steve Jobs on August 24, 2011. Due to Jobs’ reputation as an ‘icon of innovation,’ there were some uneasy views of him at the beginning of his inauguration, but now, 12 years later, Cook’s role has been evaluated as successful.

Apple’s sales for the fourth quarter of 2023 (the first quarter of the fiscal year) announced on the 1st were $119.58 billion. That’s more than four times the $26.74 billion in the fourth quarter of 2010, before he took office. Apple’s market capitalization has soared nine times since Cook took office. At the time of Cook’s inauguration, Apple’s market cap was $349 billion, but it is now close to $3 trillion.

It is said that Cook’s leadership was responsible for the iPhone’s reign as the world’s best smartphone for ten years and the success of a new product called the Apple Watch. He strengthened the service business sector, including Apple Pay, and established the ‘Apple Dynasty’ with the ‘Apple Ecosystem’ strategy that connects hardware, developers, and customers.

Cook, who developed Apple into the world’s most expensive company, is often evaluated as having emerged from Jobs’ long shadow and surpassed him. However, Apple is once again facing strong challenges and is faltering. Apple lost its leading position in the global stock market, which it had held for over two years, to Microsoft (MS) last month. This may be a preview of what’s to come for Apple.

Apple’s sales growth rate in the fourth quarter of last year was 2% compared to the previous year, ending four quarters of negative growth (decrease in sales) starting in the fourth quarter of 2022. However, the performance is shabby compared to the double-digit increase in sales of competitors during the same period. Microsoft and Amazon recorded sales growth of 17% and 14%, respectively, while Google parent company Alphabet also surged 13% and Facebook parent company Meta soared 25%.

The status of the iPhone, which accounts for half of Apple’s sales, is shaking. In China, one of Apple’s largest markets, iPhone sales fell 13% from a year ago. The AI phones first released by Samsung Electronics, along with the ‘Mate 60’ released by China’s Huawei in August last year, are gaining popularity and are threatening the iPhone.

Taiwan’s TF Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, who specializes in Apple, observed, “Apple could see the biggest decline among major global mobile phone brands this year.” The reality is that the popularity of the Apple Watch, launched in 2015, has waned, and the popularity of laptops, Macs, and tablet PCs, such as the iPad, is not what it used to be.

In addition, the ‘closed ecosystem’ of the App Store, which drives the growth of the service sector, is starting to crack. Apple has been allowing apps to be downloaded only through its App Store and has been charging a commission of up to 30% when users pay. However, starting in March, the European Union (EU) will implement the Digital Markets Act (DMA), which will open these closed platforms of large companies. In response, Apple recently decided to allow apps to be downloaded from other app stores and lowered payment fees to up to 17%. Epic Games, the maker of the popular game Fortnite, filed a lawsuit in 2020, claiming that Apple’s App Store payment system violates antitrust laws and is anti-competitive.

“There may be cracks in the ‘walled garden’ where Apple controls app distribution on the iPhone,” the analysis said. Apple is also falling behind in the AI competition, which is gaining popularity around the world. Microsoft, Google, etc. are already generating new profits by installing AI functions in their products, but Apple has not yet released a significant AI product.

Although CEO Cook predicted that “AI products could be announced by the end of this year,” two years have already passed since ChatGPT was introduced to the world. It is difficult to guarantee the success of the Vision Pro, a mixed reality (MR) headset released on the 2nd, as sales this year are expected to be only around 500,000 units. In addition, as it is reported that the launch of the self-driving electric vehicle ‘Apple Car’, which has been ambitiously prepared, will be delayed again to 2028, the outlook for the future industry is not bright.

Cook, who was in his early 50s when he took office, is now well over 60. Cook’s leadership will be tested to see how he can overcome the challenges facing Apple and regain its position as the world’s most expensive company.

A recent survey conducted by the UVA Weldon Cooper Center found that Virginia’s population growth has slowed since the pandemic. Virginia, which has claimed to be the front yard of Washington DC, the capital of the United States, has grown steadily since the Civil War, but in 2023, population growth fell by nearly half, recording the lowest growth rate in 150 years.

Analysis suggests that although the decline in the overall birth rate has had an impact, the number of people leaving Virginia has increased due to soaring real estate prices and high living costs. According to UVA data, Virginia previously recorded a population growth rate of 3 to 4 percent, but the population growth rate will decline to less than 1 percent in 2023.

This change was noticeable due to the impact of the pandemic, and “as telecommuting increased, many people left Virginia and moved to places like Raleigh, North Carolina, or Charlotte, which are cheaper,” he explained. In the past, Virginia grew faster than other regions due to the large number of people immigrating from other states, but recently, people are flocking to other southern states.

As the population movement triggered by the pandemic moves from large cities to small cities and from urban centers to suburban areas, Richmond and Bristol continue to grow in Virginia, while Northern Virginia is decreasing. There are many professionals in cities who can work from home, and it is easy for them to move to other areas.

In the past, only 6 to 7 percent of workers worked from home, but during the pandemic, that number jumped to a third, and in Northern Virginia, to 50 percent. A real estate official said, “Housing costs are the biggest burden for almost everyone,” and “During the pandemic, real estate prices in Fairfax and Arlington counties have skyrocketed, making people look to other distant areas that they had not even considered before.”

For this reason, the fastest growing city in Virginia was Winchester, adjacent to Northern Virginia, and the area north of the Chesapeake Bay also saw notable population growth. Additionally, the slowdown in Virginia’s population growth is due not only to migration to less expensive areas, but also to the continued decline in birth rates.

According to UVA data, there were 27,000 more newborns than deaths in 2019, but the gap narrowed to 13,000 in 2022. The issue of low birth rate began to be discussed in 2007, but over the past 5 to 10 years, as the young population has decreased and people over 65 have become the mainstream, it is raising serious concerns such as labor shortage. The UVA professor who conducted the survey predicted, “The number of high school graduates is still relatively stable, but it will begin to decrease in the future,” and warned, “If this change occurs, we will face a very different world.”

Mackenzie Scott (53), the ex-wife of Jeff Bezos, founder of Amazon, the world’s largest e-commerce company, was found to have sold 14 trillion won worth of Amazon stock last year. According to Bloomberg News on the 27th, Scott recently reported to regulators that he sold 65.3 million shares of Amazon stock he held over the past year.

Considering that Amazon’s stock price closed at $159.12 on the 26th, the total sale size amounts to $10.4 billion.

The stocks sold last year represent about 0.6% of all Amazon stocks and about 25% of the stocks held by Scott. As a result, only about 1.9% of Amazon’s shares held by Scott remain. Scott received a 4% stake in Amazon as part of her settlement from her 2019 divorce from Bezos. The value at the time was $38.3 billion.

About half of these have been sold off over the years. It is not known why Scott sold a large amount of her stock last year. However, Scott has pledged to donate a significant portion of her wealth to her charity. It is known that since 2019, she has donated a total of $16.5 billion to a total of 1,900 organizations. Even with her stock sales and astronomical donations, Scott’s net worth is still estimated at $42.6 Billion.

Meanwhile, Bezos’ total assets, most of which are Amazon stocks, amount to $184 billion.

Ahead of the South Carolina primary on the 24th of next month, which is expected to be the final battle for the Republican presidential nomination, former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley launched an even sharper attack on former President Donald Trump.

Former Ambassador Haley appeared on NBC’s ‘Meet the Press’ on the 28th and responded to former President Trump’s criticism of her Indian origin by saying, “I know Trump well, so I laugh every time I see his tweets,” and added, “I don’t think he feels insecure.” “He starts to get angry. He starts waving his arms and gets angry.”

“The moment he feels threatened, he starts putting everything out there,” he said. “I’ve always told Trump that his worst enemy is himself.” “He’s showing exactly that,” Haley said. “He’s proving to himself that he’s confused. These things don’t hurt me, and I don’t feel them personally.”

Former President Trump continued to dispute qualifications based on conspiracy theories by mentioning former Ambassador Haley’s Indian background in posts posted on campaigns and social media.

Former President Trump has also made claims of racism in the past regarding the birth of former President Barack Obama. Meanwhile, unlike the Republican Party, where former President Trump has secured an unprecedented and clear victory after two consecutive wins in the Iowa caucuses and the New Hampshire primary, the Democratic Party, for which President Joe Biden’s confirmation of his candidate for re-election is almost a fait accompli, is planning to run a third candidate.

This is a sign of confusion due to variables.

CNN reported that Democratic Senator Joe Manchin, who has raised his political voice as a center-right candidate by voting against every major policy of the Biden administration, is openly hinting at the possibility of running as an independent candidate. Rep. Manchin is said to be maintaining his private position that his chances of running as an independent are increasing due to President Biden’s health and the possibility of former President Trump’s conviction.

Rep. Manchin, whose constituency is West Virginia, is embarking on a national campaign by touring New Hampshire and South Carolina. Officials have warned that if the three-party structure becomes a reality, unlike former President Trump, who formed a solid force centered on far-right supporters, centrist votes may leave, and an unpleasant situation may arise for President Biden. There is also growing interest in the possibility that Rep.

Manchin will run as a candidate for the centrist political group ‘No Labels’, which is promoting its own candidate in this presidential election. CNN reported that former Maryland Governor Larry Hogan, known as the ‘Korean son-in-law’, has stepped down from his position as co-chair of No Labels, exposing the organization’s recent turmoil.

Business owners need to take measures instead of automatically reflecting it in food prices.

Seattle’s minimum hourly wage has been raised by 75 cents since January 1st, raising it to $17.25 for small businesses (500 or fewer employees) and $19.97 for large businesses (501 or more employees), resulting in higher wages for restaurant owners and employees. How big will the impact be? Annelies Barnes-Sherman, the state’s chief economic analyst, said that since most restaurant workers are part-time workers, the impact of raising the minimum wage on business owners will inevitably be greater than on other industries, but annual minimum wage increases will not automatically lead to higher menu prices. He said it would be.

She explained in an interview with the Seattle Times that restaurant owners can take a variety of measures, including raising prices, reducing costs, and shortening operating hours. When the total number of employees at 24 chain restaurants exceeded 501, Stowell, the owner of ‘Isan Stowell Restaurant’, did not raise the minimum wage individually by 75 cents, but collectively raised it to $19.97. She instead charged a service fee of 22 percent of the food price and eliminated tips. However, she maintained the tipping system at ‘counter service’ restaurants, such as bagel shops, rather than formal restaurants.

Shannon Phelps, an employee at a cocktail bar in Pioneer Square, said that although the minimum wage increased to $17.25 per hour starting this month, it is still difficult to live in Seattle with this wage, which is about $36,000 per year. She said that on days when her business wasn’t working, she would only work four hours, but last year her hourly income, including wages, was $35 to $65, thanks in large part to tip income.

According to data from the Seattle-King County Workforce Development Council, a person would need to work full-time, 40 hours a week, and earn $21 an hour to cover the basic costs of living in Seattle. The data estimated it would cost $416 per month for food, but the actual cost is much higher, the Times said.

Dexter Scott King, the third son of American civil rights activist Martin Luther King Jr., passed away on the 22nd. He died at the age of 62. The King Center, chaired by Dexter King, announced in a statement on this day that the third son of Reverend King, a symbol of the American civil rights movement, died at his home in Malibu, California.

“He passed away peacefully in his sleep,” Dexter King’s wife said in his statement. T

he deceased was suffering from prostate cancer. As an adult, Dexter King worked as a lawyer and took the lead in protecting his father’s legacy and the King family’s intellectual property, the Associated Press reported.

“Words cannot express my heartbreak at the loss of another close friend,” Bernice King, the deceased’s sister, said in a statement.

His older brother, Martin Luther King III, called it “an indescribable moment” and asked “please pray for our entire family.”