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WASHINGTON, Jan 4 (Reuters) - The United States plans to accept up to 30,000 migrants per month from Cuba, Nicaragua, Haiti and Venezuela under a program paired with expulsions of people from those countries caught at the U.S.-Mexico border, U.S. and Mexican officials said. He said earlier in the day that he intended to visit the southwest border but that details were still being finalized. "I'm going to be making a speech tomorrow on border security, and you'll hear more about it tomorrow." Biden, who took office in January 2021, has struggled operationally and politically with record numbers of migrants caught crossing the U.S.-Mexico border, and migration is expected to be on the agenda at the meeting. Republicans have criticized what they say are lenient border security policies, while Biden officials say they are trying to create a more orderly and humane system.

☆ Biden heading to El Paso under Republican pressure to visit the border
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-05 | by ( Nicole Gaudiano | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

President Joe Biden will make his first visit as president to the US-Mexican border on Sunday. He will visit El Paso, Texas, where thousands of migrants have been crossing into the US. Republicans have been pressuring Biden to visit the border and some have said Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas should be impeached for failures there. Biden on Thursday is announcing new enforcement measures to boost border security and reduce the number of unlawful migrant crossings. He will visit El Paso before traveling to Mexico for the North American Leaders' Summit.

☆ Sen. Tom Cotton says Biden's border trip is 'meaningless' 15 months after criticizing the president for being 'too busy' to travel there
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-05 | by ( Nicole Gaudiano | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Republicans, including Sen. Tom Cotton, have criticized Biden for not visiting the US-Mexico border. Now that Biden is traveling there, Cotton said the trip will be "meaningless" because of his policies. Now that Biden is traveling to El Paso, Texas on Sunday, Cotton is calling the trip "meaningless." "Visiting the border is meaningless if Biden continues to push policies that invite illegal immigration," the Arkansas Republican tweeted on Thursday. During the news conference, Biden criticized Republicans for rejecting bipartisan efforts in the Senate to put together a comprehensive immigration plan.

☆ Biden to lay out new Cuba, Nicaragua, Haiti migrant policy in border speech
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Biden will also use his speech to press Republicans to stop blocking his immigration reform proposals and border measures and for Congress to provide the necessary resources. Under the plan announced on Thursday, Mexico will accept up to 30,000 expelled migrants per month from Cuba, Nicaragua, Haiti and Venezuela, according to a White House fact sheet. In November, U.S. border officials encountered 82,000 migrants from those nations at the border with Mexico, according to U.S. government data. Reuters reported last week that the Biden administration planned to implement the new restrictions. Reporting by Steve Holland, Ted Hesson, Doina Chiacu and Matt Spetalnick in Washington; Editing by Alistair BellOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Biden, ahead of border trip, says 'Republicans haven't been serious about this at all'
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-05 | by ( Nicole Gaudiano | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

President Joe Biden will make his first visit as president to the US-Mexico border on Sunday. Biden has been under GOP pressure to make the trip, but he says they haven't been serious about the issue. Biden will visit El Paso before traveling to Mexico for the North American Leaders' Summit. Absent congressional action, Biden on Thursday announced new enforcement measures to boost border security and reduce the number of unlawful migrant crossings. Republicans have been pressuring Biden to visit the border and some have said Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas should be impeached for failures there.

☆ Biden border speech may extend 'Title 42' to Cuba, Haiti migrants
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The announcement could come in a border security speech from President Joe Biden on Thursday, but the Democratic president could also announce new, higher quotas for migrants from these countries, sources said. Biden plans to give a border security-themed speech on Thursday morning, and intends to visit the U.S.-Mexico border next week for the first time since he became president two years ago. In the speech, he may announce the United States will apply "Title 42", implemented under Republican former President Donald Trump in March 2020, to Cuba, Haiti and Nicaragua. Title 42 currently gives border officials the ability to rapidly expel migrants from Mexico, Venezuela and some Central American countries to Mexico without a chance of seeking U.S. asylum. However, the United States plans to accept up to 30,000 migrants per month from Cuba, Nicaragua, Haiti and Venezuela, U.S. and Mexican officials told Reuters Wednesday.

☆ Exclusive: Paraguay election race puts Taiwan ties on a knife-edge
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-05 | by ( Daniela Desantis | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Paraguay is one of only 14 nations globally that retains diplomatic ties with Taiwan and the only South American country to do so. "Paraguay must have relations with China," Alegre said in a recent interview after being named presidential candidate. "We hold this critical position towards relations with Taiwan because we don't think we get enough back from this relationship." Santiago Pena, the Colorado Party candidate, said Paraguay's over six decades of ties with Taiwan would remain intact if he won the April 30 vote. "What we produce is enough for a neighborhood in a city in China, but what interests (Beijing) is us breaking ties with Taiwan.

☆ Biden to visit U.S.-Mexico border city of El Paso on Sunday as White House rolls out new immigration rules
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-05 | by ( Kevin Breuninger | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

US President Joe Biden steps off Air Force One upon arrival at New Castle Airport in New Castle, Delaware on October 27, 2022. U.S. President Joe Biden will visit the southern border city of El Paso, Texas, on Sunday to meet with local officials and address enforcement operations on the U.S.-Mexico border, senior administration officials said Thursday. The details of the trip were revealed one day after Biden said he planned to visit the border for the first time, nearly two years after taking office. His absence has drawn constant attacks from Republicans critical of the administration's border policies, blaming the White House for a roiling migrant crisis. He will be accompanied by Vice President Kamala Harris, whom Biden previously tasked with handling immigration issues.

WASHINGTON, Jan 5 (Reuters) - The U.S. Federal Trade Commission, which enforces antitrust law, proposed a rule that would ban companies from requiring workers to sign noncompete provisions as well as some training repayment agreements, which companies use to keep workers from leaving for better jobs, the agency said on Thursday. The rule would also require companies with existing noncompete agreements with workers to scrap them and to inform current and past employees that they have been canceled. The training repayment would be banned if it "is not reasonably related to the costs the employer incurred for training the worker." FTC Commissioner Rebecca Slaughter said in 2020 that surveys have estimated that 16% to 18% of all U.S. workers are subject to noncompete provisions. Meanwhile, nearly 10% of American workers surveyed in 2020 were covered by a training repayment agreement, said the Cornell Survey Research Institute.

☆ U.S. Embassy in Cuba reopening visa and consular services
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-04 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +4 min

HAVANA — The United States Embassy in Cuba is reopening visa and consular services Wednesday, the first time it has done so since a spate of unexplained health incidents among diplomatic staff in 2017 slashed the American presence in Havana. Cubans are now the second-largest nationality after Mexicans appearing on the border, U.S. Customs and Border Protection data shows. Visa and consular services were closed on the island in 2017 after embassy staff were affflicted in a series of health incidents, alleged sonic attacks that remain largely unexplained. While relations have always been tense between Cuba and the U.S., they were heightened following the embassy closure and the Trump administration’s tightening of sanctions on Cuba. Cuban officials have repeatedly expressed optimism about talks with the U.S. and steps to reopen visa services.

[1/5] A government official talks to migrants waiting to regularize their migration status outside Mexico's Commission for Refugee Assistance (COMAR) in Tapachula, Chiapas state, Mexico January 3, 2023. Title 42 was originally put in place to curb the spread of COVID, but U.S. health authorities have since said it is no longer needed for public health reasons. Immigrant advocates say the policy is inhumane and it exposes vulnerable migrants to serious risks, like kidnapping or assault, in Mexican border towns. 'GIVE US A CHANCE'Police in Tapachula and the National Guard erected fences around COMAR offices to block large crowds of migrants, Reuters images show. Nearly 400,000 migrants were detained in Mexico through November, twice as many as in 2019, official data show.

☆ U.S. Treasury says consumer leases can qualify for EV tax credits
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-29 | by ( David Shepardson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The announcement is a win for South Korea and some automakers that earlier this month sought approval to use the commercial electric vehicle tax credit to boost consumer EV access. The $430 billion U.S. Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) passed in August ended $7,500 consumer tax credits for purchases of electric vehicles assembled outside North America, angering South Korea, the European Union, Japan and others. Treasury said it was using "longstanding tax principles" to determine consumer leasing could qualify for the EV tax credit. The commercial credit does not, however, have the sourcing restrictions of the consumer credit. That law lifts the 200,000-vehicle per manufacturer cap that had made Tesla (TSLA.O) and General Motors (GM.N) ineligible for EV tax credits starting Jan. 1.

Frosty diplomatic relations between the United States and the governments of Cuba, Nicaragua and Venezuela have complicated deportations to those countries. The new rules for Cubans, Nicaraguans and Haitians would be modeled on an existing program for Venezuelans launched in October. Mexico has only accepted the expulsion of some nationalities, mostly Mexicans and Central Americans, under Title 42. Two officials said the policy shift for Cubans, Haitians and Nicaraguans could come as soon as this week. Close to half of those arrested were rapidly expelled under the Title 42 policy.

☆ Supreme Court keeps in place Trump-era immigration policy allowing asylum-seekers to be quickly turned away
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-27 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Lawrencehurley_Pic.Jpg | Lawrence Hurley | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +5 min

The court voted 5-4 to grant an emergency request by 19 Republican state attorneys general who sought to intervene in defense of the policy. The brief court order said that while the administration cannot set aside the Title 42 policy, the decision "does not prevent the federal government from taking any action with respect to that policy." Gavin Newsom, has warned that the system for handling migrants seeking asylum would “break” if Title 42 is ended. Chief Justice John Roberts on Dec. 19 placed a temporary hold on Sullivan’s ruling while the Supreme Court weighed its next steps. Title 42, named after a section of U.S. law, gives the federal government power to take emergency action to keep diseases out of the country.

☆ Roberto Clemente remains Latino legend 50 years after death
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-27 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +7 min

When Puerto Ricans belt the name Roberto Clemente in song, they want the world to understand their pride, unity and culture. “We are Roberto Clemente, so you know who we are. Half a century after he played, many of today’s Latino baseball players credit him for paving the way. “The name Roberto Clemente is something that fills us with passion and admiration,” said Miami Marlins pitcher Sandy Alcantara, who was born in the Dominican Republic. The Roberto Clemente Award is given each year to a player for charitable work in the community.

This year brought a fascinating and eclectic number of books by Latino authors to store shelves and online selections, spanning different genres and earning high praise from readers and reviewers alike. Below is our list of 10 very distinctive works by U.S. Latino authors. The compelling novel has been recognized as one of the top 10 books of 2022 by The New York Times and The Washington Post and as one of the best books of 2022 by Time, NPR, Vogue, Oprah Daily and others. Although Villanueva's life took a different turn, many of his followers and their children, known as "Inca Jews," are still in Israel. She writes about how an abortion saved her life and candidly details her experiences dealing with suicidal thoughts and depression.

"It's a combination of the FTC and (Justice Department) being willing to litigate and the fact that companies are fighting back," Grosberg said. More recently, they have lost four attempts to block mergers in court, though they are appealing two of the cases. The Justice Department did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Break-up fees that acquirers agree to pay their targets if their deal gets shot down by antitrust regulators are also on the rise. Many companies facing merger challenges say they will fight on, emboldened by the four court losses of the Justice Department and FTC.

REUTERS/Andrew KellyWASHINGTON, Dec 22 (Reuters) - A $1.7 trillion government funding bill approved by the U.S. Senate Thursday will bolster U.S. regulators and make it easier for states to bring antitrust lawsuits. The National Labor Relations Board is receiving a $25 million increase to $299 million after not receiving a funding lift in more than a decade. The International Trade Administration, which investigates foreign trade practices, is getting a $55 million increase to $625 million. The spending bill includes a measure that strengthens state attorneys general by allowing them to choose the venue where they bring antitrust lawsuits. The funding bill includes a new provision to ensure millions of working mothers have reasonable break time and a private place to pump breast milk.

☆ Latin America's 'pink tide' may have hit its high-water mark
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-22 | by ( Brad Haynes | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

REUTERS/Alessandro Cinque/File PhotoDec 22 (Reuters) - Dramatic elections in Brazil, Chile and Colombia brought leftist governments into power across much of Latin America in 2022, capping the region's second "pink tide" in two decades. Chilean President Gabriel Boric, 36, took office in March as his country's most progressive leader in half a century and its youngest ever. Brazilian President-elect Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, 77, who narrowly beat incumbent Jair Bolsonaro in October, is a holdover from the region's first pink tide, when a commodity boom helped him finish his 2003-2010 presidency with record approval. WHAT IT MEANS FOR 2023The region's new pink tide has a distinct green tint, as progressive movements have embraced the fight against climate change. Castillo, ousted about a year and a half after his election, may not be the only leftist leader to face difficult times.

EL PASO, Texas — The nation began readying for an arctic storm that could plunge temperatures around the country, but on the southern border many migrants say they didn't know they were in for colder, nastier weather. Random El Paso residents also brought by food and clothes to migrants. Ruben García, director of Annunciation House, which provides shelter for migrants, said the focus needs to be on “hospitality capacity” in El Paso and elsewhere. “It’s very important for people to understand this is not an El Paso need, this is a borderwide need,” he said. Andrés González, Guad Venegas and Julia Ainsley reported from El Paso, Texas and Suzanne Gamboa reported from San Antonio.

☆ Cubans Spend Thousands to Flee to the U.S. Through Nicaragua
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-20 | by ( José De Córdoba | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

HIALEAH, Fla.—Ferrying Cubans to the U.S. in the past year has become a billion-dollar business involving airlines, charter operators and travel agents working from strip malls in Florida to airports across Central America and the Caribbean. Immigration figures show a quarter of a million Cubans have arrived in the U.S. in the past year. Many of them paid thousands of dollars each to get away from the communist island and its crumbling economy, flying to Nicaragua and then paying coyotes, or migrant smugglers, to guide them across Mexico to the U.S. border.

[1/2] Facebook Chairman and CEO Mark Zuckerberg speaks during the annual Munich Security Conference in Germany, February 15, 2020. REUTERS/Andreas GebertCompanies Meta Platforms Inc FollowSAN JOSE/WASHINGTON, Dec 20 (Reuters) - Meta Platforms (META.O) boss Mark Zuckerberg said the company is focused on building communications apps and developer platforms, speaking on Tuesday at a high-profile trial over the future of its budding metaverse business. Wearing a blue suit, a white mask, and glasses, Zuckerberg appeared in federal court in San Jose, California, to defend Meta's acquisition of virtual reality app developer Within. The FTC sued the Facebook and Instagram owner in July to stop the deal, saying its "campaign to conquer VR (virtual reality)" began in 2014 when it acquired Oculus, a VR headset manufacturer. It has accused Meta of trying to buy its way to dominance in the metaverse.

It will pay a record penalty of $275 million for violating a children's privacy law and adopt strong default privacy settings for young people. Epic Games will also pay $245 million to refund consumers duped by so-called "dark patterns" into making purchases they did not intend to make, the FTC said. "Epic used privacy-invasive default settings and deceptive interfaces that tricked Fortnite users, including teenagers and children," said FTC Chair Lina Khan in a statement. The Epic Games logo, maker of the popular video game "Fortnite", is pictured on a screen in this picture illustration August 14, 2020. Children's privacy advocates were pleased with the settlement, with Jeff Chester of the Center for Digital Democracy saying that "kids should also have their data privacy rights better respected through this enforcement of the federal kids data privacy law (COPPA)."

[1/2] Hundreds of migrants, mostly from Nicaragua, are released by U.S. Customs and Border Protection near a bus station in downtown El Paso, Texas, U.S. December 13, 2022. REUTERS/Ivan Pierre AguirreDec 17 (Reuters) - The mayor of the Texas border city of El Paso declared a state of emergency on Saturday, citing the hundreds of migrants sleeping on the streets in cold temperatures and the thousands being apprehended every day. Mayor Oscar Leeser, a Democrat, said the emergency declaration would give city authorities the resources and ability to shelter migrants who have crossed the Mexican border. The move comes as El Paso, a Democratic stronghold with a history of welcoming immigrants, has struggled in recent months to deal with tens of thousands of migrants crossing the border with Mexico. Even as government officials move migrants in El Paso to other U.S. cities, local shelters are beyond capacity and migrants have been sleeping on the streets as temperatures dip below freezing.

☆ Appeals court declines to block end of Trump-era rule known as Title 42 that expelled migrants at U.S. border
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-17 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Julia-Ainsley-Circle-Byline-Template.Jpg | Julia Ainsley | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

Circuit Court of Appeals on Friday declined to block a lower court order lifting Covid restrictions for asylum seekers at the southern border by Wednesday. Attorneys general from 19 Republican-led states had asked the appeals court to temporarily prevent the end of restrictions known as Title 42. Since Title 42 was enacted in March 2020 by the Trump administration, migrants have been sent back to Mexico 2.4 million times. “Title 42 must end because it it is a public health law, not a border management tool,” said Lee Gelernt, the lead attorney for the American Civil Liberties Union suing to lift Title 42, in a statement. “The states seeking to keep Title 42 are acting hypocritically, to say the least, since they have opposed every COVID restriction except the one targeting vulnerable asylum seekers.”

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