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☆ US slaps trade curbs on 5 Chinese firms over alleged role in Uyghur repression
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

WASHINGTON, March 28 (Reuters) - The Biden administration on Tuesday imposed new trade restrictions on five Chinese companies for allegedly aiding in Beijing's repression of the Uyghur Muslim minority group. According to Hikvision's 2021 half-year report, at least four of the companies facing new curbs belong to the Chinese surveillance camera maker including Luopu Haishi Dingxin Electronic Technology Co, Moyu Haishi Electronic Technology Co, Pishan Haishi Yong'an Electronic Technology Co and Urumqi Haishi Xin'an Electronic Technology Co.Yutian Haishi Meitian Electronic Technology Co Ltd was also added. Being added to the entity list means U.S. suppliers must get a special and difficult-to-obtain license before shipping goods to the targeted companies. Washington has increasingly used the entity list to target Chinese firms. Reporting by Alexandra Alper, David Shepardson, and Karen Freifeld; Editing by Franklin Paul and Stephen CoatesOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

[1/2] People walk with their luggage on Roxham Road before crossing the US-Canada border into Canada in Champlain, New York, U.S., February 14, 2018. REUTERS/Chris Wattie/File PhotoOTTAWA, March 24 (Reuters) - U.S. President Joe Biden and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau struck a deal aimed at stopping asylum seekers from traversing the shared U.S.-Canada land border via unofficial crossings, an official U.S. document showed on Friday. Biden will address parliament on Friday, after an introduction by Trudeau, and the two leaders will hold a joint news conference afterward. Canada has been pushing the U.S. to extend the deal for a while. In recent months, there has been a sharp increase in asylum seekers entering Canada through unofficial border crossings.

[1/2] Asylum seekers, who state they are from Turkey, walk down Roxham Road to cross into Canada from the U.S. in Champlain, New York, U.S., February 28, 2023. Growing numbers of asylum seekers have been crossing: 40,000 last year and 5,000 in January alone. Quebec’s premier and opposition politicians have called for Roxham Road to be "closed." This would allow Canadian officials to turn back asylum seekers trying to cross at Roxham Road or anywhere else. Migrant crossings at Roxham Road may decrease in the short term but refugee advocates say people hoping to evade detection might take riskier routes.

☆ 3 GOP lawmakers just introduced a plan for Congress to overturn Biden's student-loan forgiveness
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-17 | by ( Ayelet Sheffey | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

3 GOP lawmakers announced plans to overturn Biden's student-debt relief using the Congressional Review Act on Friday. The Act is an oversight tool Congress can use to overturn final rules put in place by federal agencies. The Education Department said Biden's student-debt relief should not be subject to that Act. Since Biden announced the broad debt relief plan in August, it ran into challenges not only by GOP lawmakers, but conservative-backed groups who filed lawsuits to block the plan. It will issue a decision on the legality of Biden's relief by June.

☆ 3 reasons why a major student-loan lender thinks millions of borrowers should be thrown back into repayment, with or without debt relief
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-08 | by ( Ayelet Sheffey | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Student-loan lender SoFi filed a lawsuit to end the student-loan payment pause. The administration pushed back on the lawsuit, saying the payment pause is legal. Here are three reasons why SoFi thinks it's time for millions of student-loan borrowers to start paying off their debt. SoFi has suffered revenue loss from the payment pauseSoFi laid out direct harm the student-loan payment pause has caused its business. If the court does not end the entire student-loan payment pause, SoFi is asking that borrowers ineligible for broad relief reenter repayment and place a permanent injunction preventing the Education Department from giving those borrowers additional relief.

☆ Putin gave Biden a $12,000 writing set in 2021. It was among the unusual presents world leaders offered the US president that year.
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-24 | by ( Erin Snodgrass | Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

These are 7 of the most unusual, unique, or noteworthy presents gifted to President Joe Biden that year. These are 7 of the most unusual presents gifted to President Joe Biden in 2021. Putin gave Biden a $12,000 desk setLess than a year before Vladimir Putin launched his unprompted war in Ukraine, the Russian president gifted Biden a Kholuy Lacquer miniature workshop desk writing set and pen valued at $12,000, according to the State Department. Queen Elizabeth gave the president a photo of herselfThe late Queen Elizabeth gave the gift of herself during the 2021 G7 summit in England. President Joe Biden meets with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in the Oval Office of the White House, Sept. 1, 2021, in Washington.

☆ U.S. to add Chinese entities tied to balloon program to export blacklist -sources
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

WASHINGTON, Feb 10 (Reuters) - The United States is expected on Friday to add Chinese firms connected to Beijing's suspected surveillance balloon program to an export blacklist, three sources familiar with the plans said. Earlier this week the U.S. had said it would explore taking action against entities connected to China's military that supported the flight of a Chinese spy balloon into U.S. airspace last week. The United States has used restrictions on tech exports to China to keep that country from advancing militarily. The Biden administration, and before it the Trump White House, had added numerous Chinese companies to the Commerce Department's Entity List. Chinese memory chipmaker YMTC and 21 "major" Chinese players in the artificial intelligence chip sector were added to the trade blacklist in December, broadening the crackdown on China's chip industry.

KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 3 (Reuters) - U.S. customs authorities said palm oil products made by Sime Darby Plantation <SIPL.KL> were no longer produced with forced labour, in a sign that a two-year import ban on the Malaysian firm will soon be lifted. Goods made by Sime Darby Plantation, the world's largest palm oil company by land size, have been blocked by the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) from entering the United States since December 2020 over suspected abusive labour practices. Sime Darby said it was aware of the U.S. notice. Shares of Sime Darby Plantation eased 0.5% on Friday morning. Sime Darby Plantation is among eight Malaysian firms that have been banned by the United States in the past four years over forced labour allegations.

☆ A conservative group blocked student-loan forgiveness because 2 borrowers wanted more relief than they qualified for. Here's why it thinks no one else should get to benefit from Biden's plan.
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-01 | by ( Ayelet Sheffey | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

One of the cases involves two student-loan borrowers who sued because they didn't qualify for the full $20,000 amount of relief. "Extra breathing room for millions of Americans is on hold because of lawsuits brought by opponents of this Administration's student debt relief plan," the White House wrote on Twitter this week. Here are some standouts from the Job Creators Network's argument on why Biden's student-loan forgiveness should be blocked. The debt-relief plan demonstrates "gross over-inclusiveness"Leading up to the announcement of Biden's debt relief, many advocates and Democratic lawmakers were urging him to make the relief as expansive as possible, without any thresholds. "There was a national emergency that impacted millions of student borrowers," the official said.

WASHINGTON, Jan 31 (Reuters) - The United States on Tuesday put new trade restrictions on seven Iranian entities for producing drones that Russia has used to attack Ukraine, the U.S. Department of Commerce said. Iran's mission to the United Nations in New York said: "Sanctions have no effect on Iran's drone production capacity because its drones are all produced domestically. This is a strong indication that the drones shot down in Ukraine and using parts made by Western countries don't belong to Iran." In January, Canada announced it would buy a U.S.-made National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile System (NASAMS) for Ukraine. The United States has provided two NASAMS to Ukraine and more are on the way.

That has rendered a community that experts estimate to be 7 million to 8 million people invisible, underrepresented and unnoticed. There's power in numbers, Berry said, and as it is now, much of the research on the American MENA community is anecdotal because of the lack of an identifier. "Small-business owners in the community would be able to take advantage of grants that we're not entitled to, because we're factored into the white category." 'It's like déjà vu'It isn't the first time the U.S. has concluded that a MENA category is necessary. It's a processThe recommendation for the OMB to adopt a MENA category is just that — a recommendation.

The Biden administration is proposing to allow people to check off Hispanic or Latino as their race. Currently people of such origin are included in the white category, something people in the MENA category have advocated to be changed for three decades, the proposal states. "The nation does periodically examine how it asks about race and ethnicity and the ways we report out those findings can be important," Mark Hugo Lopez, director of race and ethnicity research for Pew Research Center, said Thursday. The Census Bureau defines Hispanic or Latino as an ethnicity, not a race. For example, people could check white and then check boxes for Italian, German or other countries of origin and also check American Indian or Hispanic or Latino and then check Mexican or Mexican American or Puerto Rican and others.

The Biden administration has proposed changes that could dramatically lower monthly student loan payments. The plan calculates monthly payments based on a borrower's discretionary income. Insider's Featured Student Loan Refinance Companies SoFi Student Loan RefinancingSplash Financial Student Loan RefinancingEarnest Student Loan Refinancing Chevron icon It indicates an expandable section or menu, or sometimes previous / next navigation options. APR Variable: 4.49% - 8.99%, Fixed: 4.49% - 8.99% Editor's Rating 4.5/5 A five pointed star A five pointed star A five pointed star A five pointed star A five pointed star APR Variable: 3.99% - 8.99% with AutoPay, Fixed: 4.39% - 8.99% with AutoPay Editor's Rating 3.5/5 A five pointed star A five pointed star A five pointed star A five pointed star A five pointed star APR Actual rate and available repayment terms will vary based on your income. According to the Education Data Initiative, half of student loan borrowers still owe $20,000 each on outstanding loan balances after 20 years of entering school.

☆ Nearly 2,000 people flooded a federal website to oppose Biden's 'totally unjust' and 'completely illegal' student-loan forgiveness proposals
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-24 | by ( Ayelet Sheffey | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Over a thousand people flooded the section with identical comments opposing debt relief. The comment begins: "My name is [NAME] and I am writing to oppose this regulation to 'cancel' student debt." Screenshot of a public comment opposing student-debt relief on the Federal Register. Republican lawmakers have long reiterated similar points to the comments opposing relief. But as Cardona wrote on Twitter on on Monday, the administration welcomes "the Supreme Court's decision to hear the case on our student debt relief plan.

☆ U.S. approves design for NuScale small modular nuclear reactor
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-20 | by ( Timothy Gardner | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Companies Nuscale Power Corp FollowWASHINGTON, Jan 20 (Reuters) - The U.S. nuclear power regulator has certified the design for the NuScale Power Corp's (SMR.N) small modular reactor, the first such approval in the country for the next generation technology. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission's approval, published in the Federal Register late on Thursday, clears a hurdle for NuScale. The company plans to build a demonstration small modular reactor (SMR) power plant at the Idaho National Laboratory. The U.S. Department of Energy has provided more than $600 million since 2014 to support the design, licensing and siting of NuScale's power plant and other small modular reactors. "SMRs are no longer an abstract concept," said Kathryn Huff, assistant secretary for nuclear energy at the Energy Department.

☆ New rule on pistol attachments to boost gun safety, U.S. Justice Department says
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-13 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

The U.S. Justice Department announced on Friday a new rule targeting pistol attachments known as "stabilizing braces," implementing a key move in the Biden administration's efforts to beef up gun control regulations. A stabilizing brace is an attachment to a pistol that functionally turns it into a short-barreled rifle, similar to a sawed-off shotgun. The new rule clarifies that pistols modified by a stabilizing brace are subject to those additional requirements, department officials said. The new rule gives owners, manufacturers and distributors 120 days to report their stabilizing braces to the ATF tax-free. They may also remove the stabilizing brace or turn in any pistol modified by a stabilizing brace to the ATF.

☆ Fact Check-Pilots not getting new training to take over from incapacitated co-pilot
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-10 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The text in the image says, “Pilots now training to jump in if the other pilot ‘DIES SUDDENLY’, cuz its been happening enuf times now. That’s fricken scary to fly now!” It also includes a screenshot of another post that shares an anecdote alleging this is a recent addition to annual pilot training and simulator practice for pilots. Specifically, the two pilots must both be “qualified” pilots, the FAA spokesperson said. U.S. pilots have not received new training because of vaccinated pilots becoming incapacitated, a major U.S. airline told Reuters. Federal law has required two pilots on flights since 1964, and an FAA spokesperson said these pilots must be qualified to take over if one of them becomes incapacitated.

☆ Feds propose ‘student loan safety net’ alongside forgiveness
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-10 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +5 min

President Joe Biden announced the repayment plan in August, but it was overshadowed by his sweeping plan to slash or eliminate student debt for 40 million Americans. Education Department officials on Tuesday called the new plan a “student loan safety net” that will prevent borrowers from getting overloaded with debt. “Student debt has become a dream killer,” Education Secretary Miguel Cardona said. The Education Department formally proposed the new repayment plan on Tuesday by publishing it in the Federal Register, starting a public comment period that often takes months to navigate. Even some on the left have questioned the prudence of the idea, saying it’s so generous that it effectively turns student loans into grants that don’t need to be repaid.

☆ Factbox: Chinese companies added to U.S. entity list
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

WASHINGTON, Dec 15 (Reuters) - The Biden administration on Thursday added Chinese memory chipmaker YMTC and 21 "major" Chinese players in the artificial intelligence chip sector to a trade blacklist, broadening its crackdown on China's chip industry. YMTC was added to the list over fears it could divert American technology to previously blacklisted Chinese tech giants Huawei Technologies Co Ltd [RIC:RIC:HWT.UL] and Hikvision (002415.SZ). Here is a brief overview of some of the key actions taken as part of the package:FRESH ENTITY LISTINGSThe Biden administration added 35 Chinese companies and one Japan-based subsidiary of a Chinese company (YMTC) to the entity list, barring their suppliers from selling them U.S. technology without a hard-to-obtain permit. REMOVALS FROM THE UNVERIFIED LISTThe Biden administration removed 27 Chinese entities from the unverified list. Companies are added to the unverified list if the United States cannot complete on-site visits to determine whether they can be trusted to receive sensitive U.S. technology exports, inspections which in China require approval from the commerce ministry.

☆ Biden blacklists China's YMTC, crackdowns on AI chip sector
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-15 | by ( Alexandra Alper | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

WASHINGTON, Dec 15 (Reuters) - The Biden administration on Thursday added Chinese memory chipmaker YMTC and 21 "major" Chinese players in the artificial intelligence chip industry to a trade blacklist, broadening its crackdown on China's chip industry. It also comes as Congress prepares to finalize legislation to bar the U.S. government from buying products that contain semiconductors made by YMTC, Chinese memory chipmaker CXMT or China's top chip manufacturer SMIC. The Commerce Department on Thursday also targeted nine Chinese entities for allegedly seeking to support China's military modernization, including Shanghai Micro Electronics Equipment Group Co Ltd (SMEE), China's only lithography company. Two of the Chinese companies removed from the unverified list - YMTC and SMEE- were added to the entity list. Being added to the unverified list forces U.S. suppliers to perform greater due diligence before shipping to the targeted companies.

☆ First on CNN: Biden administration to pilot new portions of citizenship test next year
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-14 | by ( Priscilla Alvarez | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

The naturalization exam is a crucial step to an immigrant’s path toward US citizenship, potentially impacting hundreds of thousands of immigrants who seek citizenship annually. The trial civics portion is expected to be redesigned in a multiple-choice format, instead of it being fill in the blank. Currently, applicants study 100 civics test items and are required to answer six of 10 civics questions correctly to pass. The citizenship test was a target of the Trump administration, which tried to curtail legal immigration and doubled down on citizenship. Last year, the Biden administration rolled back the controversial Trump-era naturalization civics test, reverting to a prior version of the exam.

WASHINGTON/NEW YORK, Dec 8 (Reuters) - The U.S. Commerce Department will continue to deny three U.S.-based firms' export privileges, the government announced on Thursday, saying the companies had illegally exported satellite, rocket and defense technology to China. Since June, the Commerce Department found additional U.S. companies that worked with the firms, involving the unlicensed export to China of firearm component and space technology details. The new order denies the companies' export privileges for another 180 days, and gives notice to other companies to avoid doing business with them. The department did not identify the companies who had contracted with the North Carolina firms. But, according to the department's June order, a U.S. aerospace and global defense technology company notified the department in February 2020 of a third-party supplier's unauthorized export of controlled satellite technology.

☆ Foreign workers laid off from Big Tech face a deadline: Find a job ASAP, or leave the country
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-17 | by ( Brahmjot Kaur | Sakshi Venkatraman | Sakshi Venkatraman Is A Reporter For Nbc Asian America. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +10 min

Under the umbrella of a tech giant, not only would he have job security, he thought, but visa security as well. Originally from China, he needed the sponsorship of an H-1B work visa to stay in the U.S.A year went by in his new role and everything seemed to be going well. immigration policy has amplified the uncertainty for immigrant workers in times like this. “It’s definitely harder trying to find a job or trying to find a company that’s willing to sponsor you. “This really helped drive the tech boom in the U.S. and made the U.S. the big tech hub,” Khanna said.

☆ FDA could approve over-the-counter nasal spray, autoinjectors to treat opioid overdoses
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-15 | by ( Spencer Kimball | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Naloxone, packaged with instructions, is one of the items given out by the Baltimore Harm Reduction Coalition outreach workers. The Food and Drug Administration on Tuesday indicated it might approve over-the-counter nasal sprays and autoinjectors that prevent opioid overdoses, part of its efforts to expand access to a life-saving drug called naloxone. The FDA, in a preliminary assessment, said nasal spray containing up to 4mg of naloxone and autoinjectors that administer up to a 2 mg dose of the drug might be safe and effective for people to self administer without a prescription. Opioid overdose deaths surged 65% during the Covid-19 pandemic from 47,000 in 2019 to nearly 78,000 in 2021, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. More than 564,000 people have died from opioids in the U.S. since 1999 in three waves — first from prescription opioids, then from heroin and most recently from fentanyl.

☆ U.S. extends protected migrant status to mid-2024 for six nationalities
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SAN SALVADOR, Nov 10 (Reuters) - The United States has extended a protected status program that prevents migrants from being deported to mid-2024 for citizens of six countries, including Haiti and three Central American nations, its immigration service said on Thursday. The Temporary Protected Status (TPS) will be extended to June 30, 2024, for citizens of Haiti, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Sudan, Honduras, and Nepal, according to a document filed by the U.S. The TPS program provides recipients work permits and can protect them from deportation if their home countries go through extraordinary events such as natural disaster or armed conflict. The extension will affect about 392,000 people, of whom some 242,000 are citizens of El Salvador, according to USCIS data. "Thanks be to God," said Salvadoran Ambassador to the United States Milena Mayorga, tweeting a link to the document.

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