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Immigration reform proposal A new immigration reform bill, which will ultimately grant citizenship to immigrants living in the United States without immigration status, has been submitted to the House of Representatives on a bipartisan basis and draws attention.

Republican Maria Elvira Salazar (Florida) and Democratic Congresswoman Veronica Escobar (Texas) passed the Dignity Act, which grants illegal immigrants living in the United States legal status and allows them to apply for citizenship.) was officially proposed on the 24th.

The main content of this bill is the establishment of a new ‘Dignity Program’ that provides immigration status to undocumented people who are already residing in the United States and have no criminal records.

According to the bill, recipients of the Dignity Program are allowed to work and travel for a fee of $700 per year for a total of $5,000 for seven years. In addition, recipients of the Dignity Program must pay a 1.5% payroll tax and pay for their own health insurance. According to the bill, it is estimated that up to 11 million people will be given the opportunity to stay legally through the Dignity Program. At the end of the seven-year status program, you can renew it or apply for citizenship for a total of $5,000 over five years.

After all, if you pay 10,000 dollars for a total of 12 years, you can get citizenship. The bill would direct the billions of dollars raised through fees paid by immigrants on the Dignity Program to be used for border security. The bill includes a Republican priority to finance strengthening border security, but it is evaluated that it is mainly focused on giving undocumented people the opportunity to obtain citizenship, which is a priority of the Democratic Party. For this reason, it is the view of the political world that the Republican leadership, which has taken control of the House of Representatives, is highly likely not to act on the bill.

The Republican Party is in the position that border security measures must precede immigration reform, but if this is reflected in the bill discussion process, opposition from the Democratic Party may grow. However, the legislators who introduced the bill said, “There may be criticism that this bill is not perfect, but we still have to do the right thing,” and are in the position that bipartisan efforts are needed to reform the immigration law, which has been in place since the 1990s.

The legislators pushing the bill say it would expand legal immigration opportunities while freeing up money for border security. The bill also includes creating new visas for those who want to come to the United States temporarily to visit family and giving student visa holders the opportunity to apply for permanent residency while maintaining their visa status.

New York City’s childcare subsidy program for pre-schoolers of low-income families and illegal immigrants is in danger of being scrapped. According to the Choke Beat report on the 19th, an educational media outlet, the ‘Promise NYC’ program, which supports childcare costs of up to $700 per week for preschool children from low-income families who are unable to receive federal support due to immigration status, is a new program by the city government.

According to the media, if the city council approves the budget bill submitted by Mayor Adams, the program will be suspended from July 1st. Promise NYC has been operating as a pilot program since January, and about 600 pre-schoolers are currently benefiting from it.

Last year, Mayor Adams publicized a plan to invest $10 million for early childhood education, but the new budget did not include additional budget for the extension of Promise NYC.

Mayor Adams has proposed a 3% cut in the education budget, citing rising costs related to asylum seekers. But advocates of the program urged the mayor and city council to budget $20 million for the extension. If the relevant budget is not prepared before the budget deadline, which is at the end of June, the program will be suspended from July.

According to the Department of labour, the average annual cost of childcare in Manhattan last year was more than $17,800. It is pointed out that it is not easy for undocumented families living in poverty.

New York City restaurants and grocery stores will be required to dispose of food waste bags in covered containers starting this summer. Restaurants, grocery stores, grocery wholesalers, and catering establishments that dispose of food waste must no longer leave food waste bags on the roadside and must have tight-fitting lids under a new rule announced by the New York City Department of Sanitation (DSNY) on the 18th.

The Protesters Bureau plans to hold a public hearing on the 22nd of next month, collect public opinion, and implement the new regulations as early as July.

When the new regulations come into effect, about 23,000 restaurants, 13,000 bodega and delis, and 10,000 supermarkets in the city will be immediately affected and will have to prepare their own containers that meet the regulations.

“This rule is a fulfilment of our promise to clean up the streets and reduce the rats’ food supply,” the protesters’ department said in its proposal for new regulations. On the other hand, the related industry has protested the new rule proposal.

The New York City Hospitality Federation said, “There is no space to store food waste inside the restaurant, and it is difficult to install containers on the street.”

Despite recent layoffs, one in 10 workers is the highest rate in the nation.

The Seattle Times reported that the number of high-tech professionals in Washington State continues to increase, although recent layoffs have raged at dinosaur IT companies in the Seattle area, such as Microsoft, Amazon, Google, and Meta. The Times, citing a recent report by CompTIA, a national IT industry information analysis agency, explained that Washington State’s high-tech professionals account for one out of 10 workers (9.4%), outpacing the national average of 5.8%.Following Washington, DC (9.3%), Virginia (8.7%), Massachusetts (8.4%), Colorado (8.3%), New Hampshire (7.9%), Maryland (7.9%), California (7.7%), Utah (7.2%) %), Oregon (6.7%), etc. formed the top 10.

In Washington state, the number of workers employed by high-tech companies or in other skill-based jobs was close to 350,000 last year. More than 80% of these were concentrated in Greater Seattle, which includes Bellevue and Tacoma. According to the report, jobs created by IT companies in Washington state this year are also expected to record an increase of about 4%, the highest in the nation .In particular, the expected number of new jobs in high-tech new technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) and blockchain is ranked first in the country, and the number of IT companies to be established this year is also included in the nation’s ‘Top 10’.

The ripple effect of the high-tech industry on the Washington state economy is $ 138 billion, accounting for 20% of the state’s entire economy. About 95% of this, or $131 billion, is concentrated in Metro Seattle, accounting for 30% of the local economy. Hi-tech workers in the region accounted for 12.9% of all workers, far above the state level (9.4%).

The only metropolitan city with a greater economic contribution from high-tech industries than metro Seattle is California’s San Jose Metro (57%), where Silicon Valley is located. The average rate of high-tech contribution among the 50 states nationwide is 8.8%. Thanks to Silicon Valley, California is getting an economic ripple effect of $535 billion from the high-tech industry, but this amount accounts for 17% of California’s total economy, which is lower than Washington (20%), and the proportion of workers in the high-tech industry is also high. of 7.7%, far behind Washington State (9.4%).

However, the Seattle Times reports that the proportion of blacks, Hispanics, and women among workers in Washington’s high-tech industries is the lowest in the nation, which means that high-tech jobs are relatively high-paying jobs that make it difficult for people of colour (excluding Asians) and female workers to benefit.

On the 7^th May The New York Times (NYT) reported that there are only five female South Carolina senators fighting the ‘defensive war’ that transcends political factions to protect abortion rights.

The main characters are Republican Senators Sandy Senn, Katrina Shealy, and Penry Gustafson, and Democrats Margie Bright Matthews and Independent Congresswoman Mia McLeod.

Calling themselves the “Senatorial Sisters,” they banded together to block passage of a law banning abortion from early pregnancy by state legislatures.

Currently the state of South Carolina legalizes abortion rights up to 22 weeks of gestation. However, since last year the US Supreme Court overturned the 1973 ‘Roe v Wade’ ruling that allowed abortion up to about 24 weeks of gestation, until recently, three times have tried to pass legislation banning abortion completely regardless of gestational age.

Republican lawmakers also received a ‘gift’ of a plastic model of a fetal bone from an anti-abortion group before a congressional debate last month.

These lawmakers climbed the Senate Capitol podium with models and made a filibuster to block the passage of the bill. Eventually, after three days of debate, the bill was again defeated.

All of them support women’s right to have an abortion, but they differ somewhat in details.

Democratic Representative Matthews and independent Representative McLeod argue that abortions should be allowed up to about 24 weeks of pregnancy, as in the ‘Roe v. Wade’ ruling.

Republicans Gustafson and Sen are in the position that abortion should be allowed only for the first three months of pregnancy (about 13 weeks), except in exceptional cases.

“The decision to have an abortion should be made by a woman and her doctor and her husband or partner,” Senator Shiley told the New York Times. He said,” showing a more forward-looking stance than the other two colleagues.

These Republicans claim that they are not ‘pro-abortion’, but ‘respect for life’. “I think if you’re pro-life, you’re completely against abortion,” Gustafson told the NYT, “But there are many different measures of pro-life.”

There are also voters who support the activities of these ‘sisters’.

“One of them said, ‘This old woman is proud of you,'” Sen said.

Women who work in state legislative offices also gave them a thumbs-up. One woman said she stopped Congresswoman McLeod from getting out of her car the last three days and said, “Thank you for what you’ve done,” she says.

A Michigan school authorities banned the wearing of sweatshirts with the slogan “Let’s Go Brandon” written on it, indicating antipathy to President Joe Biden, and was eventually sued by students.

According to local media and Fox News on the 26th, Ms. A, a mother of middle school students (7th and 9th grades) in Tri County, Michigan, said, “My two sons were sanctioned for wearing ‘Let’s Go Brandon’ hoodies to school. School The school is sanctioning students who show support for former President Donald Trump or express dislike for President Biden,” he said, filing a lawsuit against the school on behalf of his two sons the day before.

In a complaint submitted to the Federal Court of Michigan Southern Branch, Mr. A said, “The school vice principal and teacher forcibly took off the ‘Let’s Go Brandon’ hoodie. It is a violation of ‘freedom of expression’ specified in Article 1 of the Amendment to the Constitution and discrimination against ‘political orientation’. “, he stated.

In October 2021, an NBC reporter interviewed Brandon Brown (29), the winner of the NASCAR car racing competition, and swearing at Biden from the crowd, “Now the crowd is chanting ‘Let’s Go Brandon’.” I’m doing it”, and then quickly spread as a Biden slander slogan.

This slogan was poured out on a variety of products from clothing to car bumper stickers and was used as a slang by Republican supporters to confirm their sympathy at right-wing rallies and demonstrations, as well as on in-flight broadcasts and in the main chamber of the Federal Assembly.

The school said, “‘Let’s Go Brandon’ has the same meaning as the F word.” According to the student dress code, it is forbidden to go to school wearing clothes that are obscene, vulgar, or contain insulting messages.

However, the ‘Foundation for Individual Rights and Freedom of Expression’ (FIRE), which oversaw the student’s defense, said, “‘Let’s Go Brandon’ is refined politics that can express opposition to President Biden without using slang or vulgar expressions. relief,” he said.

Attorney Conor Fitzpatrick said, “Criticism of the president is the core of political speech guaranteed by the First Amendment.”

He said the school forbids wearing a Trump-supporting flag on Free Dress Day but allows attire or flags that convey a message of advocacy for LGBTQ rights. cannot be presented,” he said.

“Students should not be discouraged from expressing their political beliefs, we should be encouraged to do so,” said Harrison Rosenthal, an attorney at the school.

The plaintiffs are asking the court to stop the school’s ‘political discriminatory act’ revealed through the ‘Let’s Go Brandon’ dress ban, and the ‘ban on dress that arouses excessive attention’.

From the 1st of May, the design of Virginia driver’s licenses will change. The Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles (VDMV) said on the 24th, “The new driver’s license aims to strengthen security features to prevent counterfeiting and show the symbolism of Virginia beautifully.” he said.

The new driver’s license is centered around the interior of the rotunda of the Virginia State Capitol, with images of Virginia’s official flower, the American Dogwood, and Virginia’s official insect, the Eastern Tiger Swallowtail butterfly. was added to highlight the symbolism of Virginia. In particular, the butterfly shape is drawn blurry next to the photo, so it is difficult to see, but it is designed to be visible when the driver’s license is slightly moved.

The color of the driver’s license is in two colors, bright blue, and light green, and those under the age of 21 will be issued a vertical driver’s license as they are now.

If your current driver’s license has not expired you don’t have to get a new driver’s license, you will be issued the updated license at your renewal.

With the summer vacation season approaching, scam scams targeting airline mileage or hotel reward points are rampant, so caution is required.

According to the related industry, scammers steal miles or points from consumers’ loyalty program accounts and trade them through the dark web, a black market.

For example, when a consumer receives a phishing email purporting to be from an airline such as Southwest and clicks the attached link, they are prompted to log into their account with the airline.

When consumers log in by entering their username and password, they are connected to a fake website disguised as an airline website, and their personal information is stolen. Fake site addresses disguised as airline websites often end in .org.

Fraudsters resell the stolen miles in a way such as “American Airlines 1.5 million miles sold for $500.” Some scammers have the audacity to set up fake online travel agencies themselves to trade miles and points.

In addition, some fraudsters steal mileage by directly accessing the airline account with the customer’s username and password obtained through other routes. It is abusing the fact that many consumers repeatedly use the password they use in one account for their airline account. Besides, the method is different.

Scammers have been known to use robocalls to fake bonus miles from airlines such as Air Canada and WestJet, and online travel agencies such as Expedia.

When a consumer who answers the phone presses a key such as # to receive bonus mileage, a scammer disguised as an agent answers the phone and asks for detailed account information.

Airlines and security experts recommend carefully checking the website address (URL) for ‘https://’ or ‘lock symbol’ indicating that the site is encrypted to prevent theft of airline mileage or hotel reward points.

The US administration announced on Tuesday that it had uncovered a laundering and sanctions-busting network supporting Lebanese businessman and art collector Nazem Ahmed, considered by the United States to be the financier of the Hezbollah. Nazem Ahmed, described as a diamond dealer “involved in the trade of ‘blood diamonds'” in a statement, has been under sanctions from the US Treasury Department since 2019.

The Treasury suspects this time more than fifty people and companies of helping Mr. Ahmed to escape US sanctions. They are in turn the target of sanctions, in particular the freezing of all their assets in the United States and the prohibition of any American company or citizen from doing business with them, at the risk of being in turn targeted by Sanctions.

As for Nazem Ahmed, the Department of Justice has announced that it will launch proceedings against him for circumventing sanctions, estimating at more than 400 million dollars the number of exchanges carried out by Mr. Ahmed between 2020 and 2022, including 160 million dollars “via the US financial system”.

This also applies to buying art from art galleries in Chicago or Los Angeles and from a New York artist. The network extends from Lebanon to around ten countries, including several African countries, including South Africa and the Ivory Coast, as well as Belgium and the United Kingdom.

The operation uncovered consists in ensuring the financing of the Lebanese Shiite movement through the purchase of precious stones, works of art and luxury products, thus allowing the laundering of funds otherwise subject to sanctions. “Those involved used shell companies and fraudulent practices to obscure Nazem Said Ahmed’s role in these financial transactions,” Treasury Undersecretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Brian Nelson said. in the press release.

“Luxury market players should be particularly vigilant of these potential tactics that enable terrorist financing, money laundering and sanctions evasion,” Nelson added. The Treasury specifies that this series of sanctions is also decided in coordination with the United Kingdom. For its part, the State Department recalled offering up to 10 million dollars for any information concerning Hezbollah’s financing mechanisms, “including concerning Nazem Ahmed”.

Hezbollah, or simply its military wing, is considered a terrorist organization by many countries, including the United States, the European Union, the United Kingdom, and most Arab League member states.

Air Premia, a Korean hybrid airline, is holding a special price promotion until the 25th to commemorate the launch of the New York-Incheon route.

The fare for a round-trip economy class ticket between New York and Incheon sold during this period (including all fuel surcharges and airport facility usage fees) is $1,001.

However, this applies only to customers who have booked flights by April 25, and may close early on a first-come, first-served basis. In addition, the boarding period is from May 22, the date of launch, to March 30 next year.

This special ticket can be purchased through the Airpremia website (airpremia.com) and Korean travel agencies in New York and New Jersey.

Meanwhile, on May 22nd, Air Premia will launch its first flight from Incheon Airport to Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey, opening the door to full-fledged flights to New York.

According to Air Premia’s flight plan, flights from Newark Liberty International Airport depart four times a week (Monday/Tuesday/Thursday/Saturday) at 12:30 p.m. arrive at

Flights arriving in New York also depart four times a week (Monday/Wednesday/Friday/Sunday) at 9:05 p.m. from Incheon Airport and arrive at Newark Liberty International Airport at 10 p.m. New York time.