Mortgage Rates Near Six-Month Peak as Bidenomics Burns Through American Buying Power

U.S. mortgage rates rose to an almost six-month high toward the end of 2024, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA).

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Mexico’s Tariff Move on Apparel Imports Disrupts Supply Chains, Pushes Firms Toward Reshoring in the US

Just before Christmas, Mexico’s President Claudia Sheinbaum announced a significant increase in tariffs on textiles and apparel imports, along with the end of a “border-skipping” practice, which allowed U.S. e-commerce sellers to bypass tariffs on Chinese goods. The move – part of Mexico’s strategy to protect its own domestic textile industry and reduce reliance on Chinese imports – sent ripples through the global supply chain.

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Two Indian Nationals Indicted for Elder Fraud Scheme Targeting Victims Nationwide

A federal grand jury in Tucson returned an indictment against two Indian nationals – Ahmed Maqbul Syed, 57, and Rupesh Chandra Chintakindi, 27 – over their alleged involvement in a conspiracy to commit money laundering. Syed, in addition to the money laundering charge, was also indicted on a charge of conspiracy to commit wire fraud.

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Homelessness Spiked 18 Percent in 2024; Migrants Caused Record Rise

Homeless

The number of homeless people in the U.S. reached the highest level recorded in 2024, as more than 770,000 people lived without housing on a single night in January, according to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s annual report.

The number is an 18% increase from 2023, fueled in part by the surge of migrants illegally entering the U.S. and residing without housing in sanctuary cities, the report noted.

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Violent Venezuelan Gang Reportedly Attacked Border Crossings as Concerns Mount About More Possible Violence

Tren de Aragua gang members armed with weapons attacked crossings along the Texas-Mexico border, according to an internal memo obtained by the New York Post.

Earlier in December, 20 members of the notorious Venezuelan prison gang attempted to force their way into the country at a border checkpoint near El Paso, Texas, while armed with blades, broken liquor bottles and tire irons, according to a leaked Texas Department of Public Safety memo obtained by the Post. Another attempt to bust into the U.S. is expected on New Year’s Day.

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Commentary: Betting on Homeschooling and Microschooling

Mother with kids

I have spent the past thirty-five years creating small, highly-personalized schools where students flourish. I have, if you will, bet my life on the value of these schools—microschools before they became a thing. Over the course of that time, I’ve seen hundreds of children who were anxious, depressed—sometimes even suicidal—become happy and well within weeks or months of switching from a large, impersonal public school to a small learning environment which offered a closely-connected community.

Based on that experience, for the past decade I’ve been looking at research showing the various ways in which small, high-touch learning environments may be more beneficial for student mental health than are large, impersonal public schools.

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Tech Giants Secure Work Visas for Tens of Thousands of Foreigners While Kicking Existing Employees to the Curb

Worker at Desk

U.S. tech giants have been sacking employees in droves while simultaneously importing tens of thousands of foreign workers.

Amazon, Google and Microsoft have laid off at least 27,000, 12,000 and 16,000 employees, respectively, since 2022. However, in that same roughly three-year period, the companies have secured at least 61,000 H-1B visas combined for foreign workers, according to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.

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