For millions of foreign workers in the Mideast, the Iran war has made life even more precarious. At least 28 were killed in missile and drone attacks before a fragile ceasefire took effect in early April. Now they face an even sharper version of a long-standing dilemma: Keep working in the Gulf, where wages are much higher, hoping that the truce endures, or return to already poor countries where prices have soared because of the conflict.
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Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins this week attributed a multimillion-person drop in the number of participants receiving food stamps through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program to the tamping down of fraud and an improved economy. It is true that SNAP beneficiaries decreased by nearly 4.3 million from January 2025 to January 2026, according to preliminary government data released by the Agriculture Department. However, experts say fraud detection and economic upturns are not the primary reasons. Instead they say the key drivers are new requirements mandated by a massive tax and spending cut bill Republicans pushed through Congress last summer.
People across Asia kicked off May Day with large marches and protests as many workers grapple with rising energy costs and shrinking purchasin…
Activists worldwide are holding May Day rallies, calling for peace, higher wages and better working conditions. Many workers are struggling with rising energy costs and shrinking purchasing power tied to the Iran war. May 1 is International Workers’ Day, marked by rallies focusing on wages, pensions, and inequality. In Manila, protesters demanded higher wages and lower taxes. In Jakarta, workers called for stronger protection from rising prices. Tens of thousands of people joined marches across France including in Paris, where brief scuffles with police broke out. In the U.S., activists opposed to President Donald Trump’s policies are planning marches and boycotts.
Americans are paying for the war in Iran with every visit to the gas station, but some of the damage to the U.S. economy is being offset — for now anyway — by big tax refunds and an investment boom driven by artificial intelligence. According to a slew of economic data released Thursday, prices rose at the fastest pace in almost three years last month, U.S. economic growth is steady and layoffs fell last week. But an inflation gauge closely monitored by the Fed had its biggest gain in three years, driven by soaring gasoline prices.
AP Wire
Jerome Powell plans to remain on the board of the Federal Reserve after his term as chair ends next month “for an undetermined period of time,” saying the “unprecedented” legal attacks by the Trump administration have put the independence of the nation’s central bank at risk. The Fed Wednesday left its benchmark interest rate unchanged for the third straight meeting but signaled it could still cut rates in the coming months, moves that attracted the most dissents since October 1992. The Senate Banking Committee earlier approved Powell's successor as chair, Trump appointee Kevin Warsh, on a party-line vote.
Workers in Brazil have resumed the construction of the stage for the upcoming concert by Shakira this weekend on Rio de Janeiro’s famous Copacabana Beach. The work was halted amid a police investigation into the death of a 28-year-old locksmith at the scene. The boundary-breaking Colombian singer and pop star has not commented on the accident. Police said Gabriel de Jesus Firmino died on Sunday after being crushed by two stage elevators when the equipment was activated by another worker. The Brazilian company that operates the stage is under investigation for alleged non-compliance with workplace safety regulations. Shakira is giving a free concert on Saturday evening at the Copacabana.
AP Wire
Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer is out of President Donald Trump’s Cabinet after multiple allegations of abusing her position, including an affair with a subordinate and drinking on the job. She is the third Trump Cabinet member to leave recently. Reports of investigations into her conduct began surfacing in January. A New York Times report last Wednesday revealed that the Labor Department’s inspector general was reviewing inappropriate communications involving Chavez-DeRemer and her aides. The White House initially dismissed the allegations, but as more emerged, her job security became uncertain. At least four Labor Department officials have already been forced from their jobs as the investigation progressed.
Lori Chavez-DeRemer to depart as labor secretary, White House says, after series of allegations of abuses of power.
The FBI and Justice Department are scrambling to rebuild a depleted workforce after a wave of departures over the last year. In response, leaders are easing hiring requirements and accelerating recruitment in ways that some current and former officials see as a lowering of long-accepted standards. The FBI has turned to social media campaigns to attract applicants, while also condensing training for candidates from other federal agencies and relaxing internal requirements for support staff seeking to be agents. The Justice Department has opened the door to hiring prosecutors right out of law school to help fill vacancies in U.S. attorney’s offices.