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GOP redistricting could backfire as urban, immigrant areas turn back to Democrats
GOP reversals in this year’s elections, especially in some urban and immigrant communities, are setting off alarm bells for Republicans using redistricting to try to keep control of Congress in next year’s midterms. Redistricting plans demanded by President Donald Trump in states such as Texas and Missouri — meant to capitalize on his stronger showing […]
Measles cases rise amid holiday travel
The number of measles cases is continuing to grow, reaching 1,958 confirmed cases in 43 states through Dec. 16 and threatening to undo next year the United States’ status as a nation that has eradicated the disease, according to a report released Dec. 17 by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The increase […]
Delayed jobs report: Unemployment ticks up to 4.6%, jobs up 64K
A shutdown-delayed jobs report released Dec. 16 showed an increase of 64,000 jobs in November, rebounding from a large loss of 105,000 jobs in October. Unemployment ticked higher to 4.6%, the highest since September 2021. The October loss was the largest since December 2020, during a COVID-19 surge when jobs dropped by 183,000, according to […]
An ever-larger share of ICE’s arrested immigrants have no criminal record
Immigration arrests under the Trump administration continued to increase through mid-October, reaching rates of more than 30,000 a month. But, rather than the convicted criminals the administration has said it’s focused on, an ever-larger share of those arrests were for solely immigration violations. In 45 states, immigration arrests more than doubled compared with the same […]
Unemployment rose in half the states in September
September unemployment rates rose in 25 states and fell in 21 compared with last year, the government reported Dec. 11 in a shutdown-delayed analysis. The largest increase compared with September 2024 was in Oregon, where the rate rose from 4.2% to 5.2%, followed by the District of Columbia, increasing from 5.3% to 6.2% and Delaware, […]
Hospital-at-home program extended by US House, awaits Senate consideration
A popular program allowing Medicare patients to get hospital care at home would be extended until 2030 under a bill passed in the U.S. House of Representatives and awaiting consideration by the Senate. The bill was passed by the House on Dec. 1 and referred to a Senate committee the next day. The federal government […]
More industries want Trump’s help hiring immigrant labor after farms get a break
As food prices remain high, the Trump administration has made it easier for farmers to hire foreign guest workers and to pay them less. Now, other industries with large immigrant workforces also are asking for relief as they combat labor shortages and raids. Visas for temporary foreign workers are a quick fix with bipartisan support […]
Farmworkers sue over Trump’s low wages for foreign guest workers
A California union and a group of farmworkers from around the country are suing to stop new, lower-wage federal guidelines that save money for farmers but cut pay for temporary foreign agriculture workers — hurting local laborers as a result, the suit alleges. In a lawsuit filed Friday in federal court, the United Farm Workers […]
Trump allows more foreign ag workers, eases off ICE raids on farms
In a tacit admission that U.S. food production requires foreign labor, the Trump administration is making it easier for farmers to employ guest workers from other countries. At the same time, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in recent months appears to be refraining from conducting agricultural workplace raids, even as it scours Democratic-led cities […]
Report: The number of US jobs rose last month for the first time since July
The United States gained 42,000 jobs in October, the first increase since July as measured by ADP, a private payroll processing company and the only source of jobs estimates during the government shutdown, as federal jobs reports have been paused. ADP’s report, released Wednesday, showed job increases mostly in West Coast states, which gained 37,000 […]
Young homebuyers lose more ground in housing market as states struggle to help
Young homebuyers have been priced out of the market even more than previously, according to a report released Nov. 4 by the National Association of Realtors. “As a result of decreased housing affordability and limited housing inventory, potential first-time buyers retreated further from the housing market,” the report stated, comparing homebuyers between July 2024 and […]
The ‘hard, slow work’ of reducing overdose deaths is having an effect
Illicit drug overdoses and the deaths they cause are trending down this year, despite spikes in a handful of states, according to a Stateline analysis of data from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. A handful of places with rising overdoses are responding to the problem with cooperation, they say, by sharing information […]
