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☆ The White House is cracking down on companies illegally using migrant children to fill the labor shortage as 15-year-olds pack Cheerios and 13-year-olds change your hotel sheets
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-28 | by ( Jason Lalljee | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

The New York Times reported last week that companies across the US are exploiting the labor of migrant children. The investigation comes as multiple states seek to loosen child labor laws to address the labor shortage. The Times reported that the use of child labor is prevalent across a number of prominent brands in the US, highlighting J. The Labor Department has found some of these companies, such as ice cream staple Ben & Jerrys, guilty of child labor violations before. Economists say that during a labor shortage, paring back child labor laws is a common phenomenon in the US.

U.S. officials said the Labor Department had seen a nearly 70% increase in child labor violations since 2018, including in hazardous occupations. In the last fiscal year, 835 companies were found to have violated child labor laws. It has created an interagency task force on child labor, and plans to target industries where violations are most likely to occur for investigations. The Hearthside investigation is the latest in an uptick of similar probes. Reuters last year published a series of stories on child labor including revelations about the use of child labor among suppliers to Hyundai, including a direct subsidiary of the Korean auto giant, in the U.S. state of Alabama.

☆ Exclusive: U.S. Labor Department probes Hearthside Food Solutions for possible child labor violations -sources
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-27 | by ( Nandita Bose | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

WASHINGTON, Feb 27 (Reuters) - The U.S. Department of Labor has opened an investigation against Hearthside Food Solutions, a U.S. food contractor that makes and packages products for well-known snack and cereal brands, for reportedly employing underage workers and violating child labor laws, according to two sources with knowledge of the matter. "We can confirm that we have opened an investigation," a spokesman for the Department of Labor told Reuters. The Hearthside investigation is the latest in an uptick of probes the department is conducting on child labor in factories around the country. Reuters last year published a series of stories on child labor including revelations about the use of child labor among suppliers to Hyundai Motor Co (005380.KS) in the U.S. state of Alabama. Reporting by Nandita Bose in Washington; Editing by Mark Porter and Nick ZieminskiOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Biden administration to crack down on child labor
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-27 | by ( Laura Strickler | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

More than 3,800 children were found to be working at U.S. companies last year in violation of federal law, the Labor Department said Monday in announcing a crackdown on child labor. Some 835 companies were founded to be illegally employing minors last year, the Labor Department said, and more than 600 child labor investigations remain ongoing. In stepping up its efforts to target companies that use child labor, the Labor Department will use new strategies to launch investigations where child labor violations are most likely to occur. The agency called on Congress to increase the maximum penalty for child labor violations, which is currently $15,000. "That's not high enough to be a deterrent for major profitable companies," the Labor Department said in a press release.

U.S. officials said the Labor Department had seen a nearly 70% increase in child labor violations since 2018, including in hazardous occupations. In the last fiscal year, 835 companies were found to have violated child labor laws. It has created an interagency task force on child labor, and plans to target industries where violations are most likely to occur for investigations. The Hearthside investigation is the latest in a rise in similar probes. Reuters last year published a series of stories on child labor including revelations about the use of child labor among suppliers to Hyundai, including a direct subsidiary of the Korean auto giant, in the U.S. state of Alabama.

☆ China to tighten web video curbs to prevent kids from addiction
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BEIJING, Feb 27 (Reuters) - China will step up the management of short videos as part of efforts to prevent children from becoming addicted to them, the National Radio and Television Administration (NRTA) said on Monday. The statement is the latest in a campaign launched by China's media regulators over a year ago that has significantly tightened the rules surrounding livestreaming, video gaming, and Internet usage among minors. While no specific measures were announced on Monday, policies introduced by regulators last year included banning minors from tipping livestreamers and ordering domestic streaming and social media platforms to conduct regular minor-focused cyberprotection assessments. China in 2021 introduced new rules that limit the amount of time under-18s can spend on video games to three hours a week, a move it said was necessary to combat gaming addiction. Reporting by Beijing newsroom, Editing by Louise Heavens and Bernadette BaumOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Meta launches a tool to proactively prevent sextortion of teens
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-27 | by ( Samantha Murphy Kelly | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —Meta is taking steps to crack down on the spread of intimate images of teenagers on Facebook and Instagram. To create a hash of an explicit image, a teen can visit the website TakeItDown.NCMEC.org to install software onto their device. Meanwhile, President Biden demanded in his latest State of the Union address more transparency about tech companies’ algorithms and how they impact their young users’ mental health. Meta recommends teens who have multiple copies of the image or edited versions make a hash for each one. “There’s no one panacea for the issue of sextortion or the issue of the non-consensual sharing of intimate images,” Davis said.

☆ Freshman Rep. Andy Ogles admits he didn't know what he majored in
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-27 | by ( Madison Hall | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Freshman Rep. Andy Ogles claimed he had a degree in "policy and economics" while campaiging. Ogles, a freshman representative from Tennessee, originally claimed on the campaign trail that he had a degree in international policy and economics, according to Nashville's NewsChannel5. But while it's true Ogles studied at Middle Tennessee State University, he did not major in international policy nor economics. An Insider interview with Laffer, however, revealed that Ogles' role working with Laffer primarily didn't involve economics — instead, Laffer claimed Ogles mainly worked in fundraising, though he didn't question Ogles' claim of being an economist. "An economist is a person who works in economics," Laffer told Insider.

☆ Factbox: Migrant arrivals in Italy on the rise, despite high danger
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Some 861 of the migrants registered this year were unaccompanied minors. In 2022, 105,129 migrants reached Italy in total, up from 67,477 in 2021 and 34,154 in 2020. Some 13,386 of the migrants in 2022 were registered as unaccompanied minors. The U.N. refugee agency (UNHCR) said in 2022 51% of migrant sea crossings to Italy departed from Libya, 31% from Tunisia and 15% from Turkey. Migrant arrivals stayed low in subsequent years, partly as a result of the COVID pandemic.

☆ Chick-fil-A restaurant bans unaccompanied minors, citing 'unacceptable behavior' from young patrons
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-26 | by ( Bethany Biron | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A Chick-fil-A is banning unchaperoned patrons under 16, citing a series of recent disruptive behavior. "We cannot allow this to continue," the restaurant wrote in a Facebook post. "As you can imagine, this is not a pleasant experience," the post states. "To those unaccompanied children and teens that have visited us and acted appropriately, we thank you," the post states. The 200-plus comments on the post are mixed between supporters cheering the restaurant for its new policy and others decrying the decision.

☆ This Chinese kissing device lets you smooch over the internet
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-25 | by ( Nectar Gan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

The device, advertised as a way to let long-distance couples share “real” physical intimacy, is causing a buzz among Chinese social media users, who have reacted with both intrigue and shock. To send a kiss, users need to download a mobile phone app and plug the device into their phone’s charging port. After pairing with their partners in the app, couples can start a video call and transmit replicas of their smooches to each other. The kissing device is advertised as a way to share physical intimacy between long-distance couples. While advertised for long-distance relationships, the Chinese device also allows users to pair up anonymously with strangers in the “kissing square” function of the app.

☆ 12 Democratic-led states challenge restrictions on abortion pill
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-25 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Twelve Democratic-led states have sued the Food and Drug Administration to challenge certain federal restrictions imposed on the distribution of the abortion pill mifepristone, saying those limits are not supported by evidence. Mifepristone, in combination with the drug misoprostol, was approved in 2000 by the FDA for medication abortion in the first 10 weeks of pregnancy. The decision enabled more than a dozen Republican-led states to adopt new abortion bans. The FDA's special restrictions on mifepristone are imposed under a safety program meant to minimize the risk of potentially dangerous drugs. After last year's Supreme Court ruling, President Joe Biden directed federal agencies to expand access to medication abortion.

☆ A new documentary on Subway and Jared Fogle couldn't come at a worse time
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-25 | by ( Nancy Luna | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Jared Fogle became Subway's pitchman after losing 245 pounds by mostly eating the chain's subs. A Fogle documentary airing in March is bad timing for Subway as it looks for a buyer, analysts say. Yet, a ghost from Subway's past, Jared Fogle, is returning to haunt America's largest sub chain. The new documentary series promises to reveal the "rise and fall" of the former Subway pitchman who "masqueraded as a national hero while hiding a horrific side." Are you a Subway insider with insight to share?

☆ A Democratic Nebraska lawmaker vowed to filibuster every bill so the GOP-led legislature couldn't ban abortion and limit transgender health care: 'I want to annoy you'
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-24 | by ( Rebecca Cohen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A Nebraska lawmaker promised to filibuster every bill introduced this session in order to block an abortion ban. Senator Machaela Cavanaugh is also trying to stop a bill that would ban gender-affirming care for minors. "This is how the session is gonna be — for every bill," Cavanaugh told KMTV. At Thursday night's session, Cavanaugh was heard filibustering through Legislative Bill 147, KMTV reported, but she isn't stopping there. Cavanaugh told KMTV "her fellow senators forced her hand with their lack of collegiality."

Companies U.S. Food and Drug Administration FollowFeb 24 (Reuters) - Twelve Democratic-led states have sued the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to challenge certain federal restrictions imposed on the distribution of the abortion pill mifepristone, saying those limits are not supported by evidence. Mifepristone, in combination with the drug misoprostol, was approved in 2000 by the FDA for medication abortion in the first 10 weeks of pregnancy. The decision enabled more than a dozen Republican-led states to adopt new abortion bans. The FDA's special restrictions on mifepristone are imposed under a safety program meant to minimize the risk of potentially dangerous drugs. After last year's Supreme Court ruling, Democratic President Joe Biden directed federal agencies to expand access to medication abortion.

One of the plants where children worked, SMART Alabama LLC in rural Luverne, Alabama, is a direct Hyundai subsidiary. STATE AND FEDERAL INVESTIGATIONSFollowing Reuters' first story on child labor at SMART last July, as many as 10 Hyundai suppliers in Alabama have been under investigation by state or federal authorities for child labor violations, Reuters reported in December. In the shareholder letter, Chang reiterated that Hyundai was "discouraging" suppliers from relying on such staffing agencies in the future. He wrote that staffing firms who hired children to work at Hyundai supplier plants had provided false employee documentation. Earlier this month, thirty-three members of Congress urged DOL to seek strong and swift penalties against those responsible for child labor in the Hyundai supply chain.

WASHINGTON, Feb 24 (Reuters) - Vice President Kamala Harris is expected to offer a defense of the abortion drug mifepristone in a meeting on Friday, according to a White House official, as some activist groups work to end U.S. sales of the pill. Medication abortion has drawn increasing attention since the U.S. Supreme Court last year reversed its landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling, which had guaranteed abortion rights nationwide. President Joe Biden, a Democrat, directed federal agencies to expand access to medication abortion in response to the decision, which has allowed more than a dozen Republican-led states to adopt new abortion bans. Mifepristone is approved for medication abortion in the first 10 weeks of pregnancy in combination with another drug, misoprostol. Medication abortion accounts for more than half of U.S. abortions.

☆ R. Kelly Sentenced to 20 Years in Chicago Sex Case, Extending Prison Time by One Year
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-23 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

A Chicago judge sentenced R. Kelly to 20 years in prison in a nearly simultaneous sentence with a prior conviction. R. Kelly was sentenced on Thursday to 20 years in prison for child pornography and enticement of minors for sex. He will serve all but one of those years simultaneously with a 30-year sentence on racketeering and sex trafficking convictions. U.S. District Judge Harry Leinenweber ordered that Mr. Kelly serve one year in prison following the racketeering sentence, imposed last year in New York.

☆ Sanitation company accused of employing children as young as 13 for 'hazardous' work hired the same child twice
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-23 | by ( Britney Nguyen | Jordan Hart | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

A sanitation company that paid $1.5 million in penalties after being accused of employing children hired one child twice, NBC News reports. The child was hired under two different identities in six months, per NBC News, citing an internal report. The company confirmed to Insider that it demoted the employee who hired the child. "We have been crystal clear that we do not want a single person under the age of 18 working for the company," Swenson said. In its filing, the department accused the company of employing at least 102 children ages 13 to 17 in "hazardous occupations."

☆ EU executive arm bars employees from using TikTok, citing security risks
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-23 | by ( Ryan Browne | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Shou Zi Chew, chief executive officer of TikTok Inc., speaks during the Bloomberg New Economy Forum in Singapore, on Wednesday, Nov. 16, 2022. The European Commission, the executive arm of the EU, banned its employees from using TikTok on their smartphones amid concerns from Western governments about the risks the platform may pose to national security. The commission said staff would no longer be able to have the Chinese-owned app installed on corporate and personal devices, citing concerns over how it handles user data. TikTok has admitted that data on its European users can be accessed by employees based in China, but denies it would ever share such information with the Chinese government. "We are continuing to enhance our approach to data security — establishing three data centres in Europe to store user data locally; further reducing employee access to data; and minimising data flows outside of Europe."

☆ Tennessee takes lead in Republican effort to restrict drag shows
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-23 | by ( Jonathan Allen | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Feb 23 (Reuters) - Tennessee lawmakers will debate on Thursday whether to restrict drag performances in public or in front of children, one of more than a dozen bills limiting drag advanced by Republican politicians in at least 15 states in recent months. They see the bills as part of a Republican effort to advance laws limiting LGBT people's conduct across the country. Drag performances typically do not involve nudity or stripping. Established in 2015, Drag Story Hour, in which costumed drag performers read to children, has expanded to at least 20 states. Drag performers say they are just as able to tailor their act to their audience as other artists, like an actor who might appear in both a sexually explicit R-rated movie and in a children's movie.

Kelly, 56, the Grammy-winning R&B artist, has been convicted in two separate trials of luring multiple underage girls into sex by leveraging his wealth and fame, in some case recording the abuse on video. Prosecutors have argued in a sentencing memo that Kelly is so incorrigible that "the only way to ensure Kelly does not reoffend is to impose a sentence that will keep him in prison for the rest of his life." Defense attorneys say a 56-year-old African American man with diabetes is already facing an effective life sentence with the existing 30-year term. "There was a whole culture around it and so yes I do think there's a disproportionate attention on Mr. Kelly," Bonjean said in a telephone interview. Kelly will not address the judge, Bonjean said, because he still faces prosecution in other jurisdictions and any statement could be used against him.

☆ A South Dakota mom says she has to drive 230 miles to seek gender-affirming care for her 13-year-old trans kid
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-23 | by ( Yelena Dzhanova | Grace Eliza Goodwin | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem signed a bill that bans gender-affirming health care for trans youth. To get gender-affirming care for her son, she now has to drive more than 230 miles out of state. South Dakota Gov. The family also has deep ties to South Dakota, and their 7-year-old child is comfortable and settled in the state.

☆ Pence said he disagreed with DeSantis over Disney battle, breaking with the Florida governor ahead of possible 2024 matchup
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-22 | by ( Kimberly Leonard | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Pence and DeSantis are presumed to be seeing the 2024 GOP nomination for president. Pence drew a distinction with DeSantis on Wednesday over how he handled Disney. Under a new bill that's before DeSantis, the governor will have the power to appoint a state-run board. DeSantis didn't mention during his stumping that he married his wife, Casey DeSantis, at Disney World in 2009, a fact Insider was first to report. DeSantis' battles against big corporations go beyond Disney.

☆ McDonald's locations in Pennsylvania broke child labor laws, with kids under 16 operating deep fryers, Labor Department says
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-22 | by ( Charles R. Davis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

McDonald's locations in Pennsylvania employed more than 150 teenagers at hours prohibited by federal law. Children under the age of 16 were operating deep fryers, according to the US Department of Labor. In 2022, more than 3,800 children were found to be employed in violation of federal law; in 2012, that number was just over 1,600. Nine children were also found to be operating deep fryers before the legally required minimum age of 16. "The bottom line is that there is no excuse for jeopardizing young workers' safety or hindering their educational opportunities."

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