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Illinois gives $1.5M to ICE opponents

Illinois state lawmakers allocated a $1.5 million $1.5 million grant to the Hispanic chamber of commerce for “operating expenses.”

Illinois Hispanic Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Jaime di Paulo is outspoken against deportations of business owners, and has written an open letter calling for amnesty. His organization also published a guide for navigating ICE raids for business owners, and offers resources for government audits and “unexpected immigration-related challenges.”

The chamber provides services to Hispanic business owners, but why should state taxpayers fund them? Chambers of commerce across Illinois are funded by member dues. State funding of one chamber and not another effectively subsidizes some businesses over others. Click here to read more.

 

Whitmer’s Michigan missing out on jobs boom in Trump’s America

Jobs are booming in President Donald Trump’s America, but Michigan is missing out under Gov. Gretchen Whitmer.

“Today’s blockbuster, expectation-shattering jobs report proves that President Trump’s economic agenda continues to pay off,” White House Deputy Press Secretary Kush Desai said in a statement Wednesday.

“The unemployment rate fell and private sector job growth remains robust – particularly for specialty trade construction jobs as the trillions in investments secured by the President pour into American manufacturing,” Desai said. “With new revisions showing the Biden jobs market was even worse than expected, President Trump continues to turn the page on the Biden disaster by rightsizing federal employment to the lowest level since 1966 and turbocharging economic growth.”

Data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics released Wednesday shows nonfarm payroll jobs surged by 130,000 in January, when the private sector added 172,000 jobs and the government shed 42,000. Click here to read more.

 

Caring for Mom Is an Education in Scams and Fraud

It was summer 2021, and my mother’s desk was a mess, including a torn envelope from the IRS shoved in the back of a drawer.

“Mom?” I asked. “Did you pay your taxes?”

My mother, increasingly forgetful at 84, said she wasn’t sure. She told me to call her accountant of 30 years, who said the taxes hadn’t been paid but that he would take care of it.

That’s not all he took care of.

Within the year, a family member had my mother sign a blank check, which the accountant (or someone in his office) filled out for $25,000 to supposedly take over paying my mother’s bills – a task I was already doing. Instead of using the money for bills, the accountant paid himself the lion’s share of the funds. He then sent me an invoice for work I’d previously paid him for, at which point I told him never to contact my mother or me again. Click here to read more.

 

Stress on household finances mounts as delinquencies climb

WASHINGTON (TNND) — Stress on household finances continues to pile up as Americans take on record levels of debt to keep up with the cos of living and low-income earners struggle to stay afloat on their loans and day-to-day spending.

Evan as the economy continues to perform well overall, a growing share of consumers are facing challenges with budgets being pushed to the brink after five years of elevated inflation and a stalling labor market that has slowed wage increases. Americans are carrying record levels of debt and showing signs of stress in paying it back, particularly on the lower end of the income spectrum. Click here to read more.

 

FDA declines to review Moderna’s mRNA flu shot application

Moderna said Tuesday that the FDA’s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research told the company that it would not initiate a review of the investigational mRNA vaccine. The company has requested a Type A meeting with the FDA, which is a high-priority discussion, to “understand” a path forward.

CBER Director Vinayak Prasad said in a letter that the refusal was because Moderna chose a standard-dose seasonal flu vaccine that has already been licensed as a comparison, according to the company. He cited the lack of an “adequate and well-controlled” study with a comparison that “does not reflect the best-available standard of care.” shot application. Click here to read more.