Posts by Newspaper Staff

A bill has been filed in Congress to require transparency about foreign influence in K-12 public schools nationwide. The bill does not ban foreign influence in public schools or threaten to withhold federal education funds if such influence is made public.
U.S. Sens. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, and Cynthia Lummis, R-Wyo., introduced the Transparency in Reporting of Adversarial Contributions to Education (TRACE) Act in the Senate. U.S. Rep. Aaron Bean, R-Florida, introduced companion legislation in the House.
The five-page bill would amend the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to add a section, “Parents’ Right To Know About Foreign Influence.” It would require each local educational agency that received federal education funds to require its elementary and secondary schools to provide parents with “any curricular material or professional development material used at the school that was purchased, or otherwise obtained, using funds received from the government of a foreign country or a foreign entity of concern.”
It also would require public schools to disclose how many employees are being compensated by foreign entities or adversaries if the schools received donations or entered into contracts with, or engaged in any financial transactions, with governments of countries of foreign concern or entities of foreign concern.
It also would require reporting requirements to the U.S. Department of Education.
The U.S. State Department has designated countries of foreign concern for their policies of “systematic, ongoing, egregious violations of religious freedom,” which includes “torture, prolonged detention without charges, forced disappearance, or other flagrant denial of life, liberty, or security of persons.”
They include Burma, the People’s Republic of China, Cuba, Eritrea, Iran, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (North Korea), Nicaragua, Pakistan, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan.
Cuba, North Korea and Iran are also designated State Sponsors of Terrorism (SST).
Under the Biden administration, a record more than 1.6 million illegal border crossers were publicly reported from four countries of foreign concern – China, Cuba, Nicaragua and Russia, The Center Square exclusively reported.
While multiple countries are identified by the State Department, Cruz and Lumis raise concerns about Chinese Communist Party infiltration in American schools.
“The Chinese Communist Party spends vast resources to control what Americans see, hear, and ultimately think. Our foreign adversaries are actively targeting American educational institutions,” Cruz said, arguing his bill will “help protect our classrooms from foreign influence by providing parents with the transparency.”
“The Chinese Communist Party has spread its influence across American life, targeting our farmland, technology, and even school systems. Parents deserve peace of mind knowing their children are learning American values, not propaganda from our foreign adversaries. This legislation prioritizes transparency while protecting our children from harmful foreign agendas,” Lumis said.
Instead of requiring public schools not to purchase curriculum, not to engage in financial transactions with, not receive funds, or not employ staff receiving funds from foreign adversaries and restricting federal funds if they do, the lawmakers assert that transparency alone will protect children and parents. Once K-12 schools make public their ties to foreign adversaries, the bill provides no repercussions.
“American schools are for education, not espionage,” Bean said “We cannot allow our students – the future of our great nation – to be corrupted by foreign adversaries who are systematically and aggressively attempting to influence our nation’s K-12 schools. That’s why it’s crucial we parents understand the potential impact of foreign influence on our children’s classrooms and take concrete steps to prevent foreign nations from reaching America’s youth.”
The bill does not require transparency about how many students are enrolled in public schools from countries of foreign concern.
Cruz first introduced the bill last year.

Since California Gov. Gavin Newsom took office in 2019, state debt payments on unemployment benefits have gone from zero to nearly $600 million this year, and could soon result in annual payroll tax increases of nearly $500 per employee, according to an analysis by The Center Square.
These payments to the federal government will soon reach $1 billion per year to pay back $20 billion California borrowed to help cover what the state says was $55 billion in “ineligible” or fraudulent COVID-era unemployment insurance benefits claims, state records show.
California is the only state that has not paid back its loans to the federal government to fund COVID-era unemployment insurance benefits now that New York agreed in May to pay off its remaining debt.
Even though it was the state that made the fraudulent benefits payments, the cost of the fraudulent payments is mostly passed on to businesses, who face automatic federal payroll UI tax increases until the federal loan is paid off.
Unless the loan is paid off, California businesses will see their payroll taxes rise to over 11%, with the effective federal payroll UI tax rising from 0.6% before the pandemic to 6%, and state UI taxes expected to soon rise from 3.5% to over 5% due to the phase-out of a policy that temporarily suppressed the state UI tax rate.
This means that while the annual federal payroll UI tax was just $42 per worker before COVID-19, this year the automatic surcharge will increase the federal UI total to $126.
These payments will steadily rise to the full 6% effective federal UI payroll tax rate on the first $7,000 paid to employees. That means businesses could pay $420 per worker – 10 times the pre-pandemic amount. Based on current trends and additional automatic increases, the full 6% rate will hit businesses as early as tax year 2027, costing businesses an additional $4 billion to $5 billion per year.
“We still haven’t seen any real accountability with respect to the fraudulent claims paid out by the [California Employment Development Department] and yet the state’s UI debt surges while struggling small businesses are forced to make the minimum payment on the state’s maxed-out credit card,” Tim Taylor, California policy director for the National Federation of Independent Business, told The Center Square. “Households can’t survive that way and neither can states.”
Because California’s unemployment insurance benefits program is expected to run $2 billion annual deficits for the foreseeable future, and interest costs – paid by the state – are continuing to rise, it’s possible even this dramatic increase in federal payroll taxes may not be enough to pay down the loan, especially if a recession hits or unemployment remains high.
The interest on the loan costs the state $593 million in the ongoing 2025-2026 fiscal year, and is expected to soon rise to $1 billion per year as the debt continues to grow amid normal but higher than post-Great Recession interest rates, and further borrowing is required to cover the UI deficits.
While California Gov. Gavin Newsom has touted the strength of the Golden State’s economy, California’s 5.4% unemployment rate is now tied with Nevada’s for the highest in the nation, putting growing pressure on the state’s UI system.
Despite poor employment figures, Newsom’s 2025-2026 record $321 billion budget nonetheless earmarked nearly half a billion dollars less for expected UI benefits than the prior year, reinforcing warnings that the state’s required “balanced” budget may be based on unrealistic accounting.
In theory, the UI system is supposed to generate surpluses in good years that produce a reserve to be drawn upon during recessions, with the loans from the federal government used as only a measure of last resort. As such, the cost of the interest on the federal loans is deducted from the state’s general fund, not directly from the UI tax on employers, which is supposed to be used to pay down the loan.
However, California’s debt to the federal government is so large that repayment may not be possible without changes to the UI system, as noted by the the EDD, which administers the state’s UI trust fund.
“Over the years, the average weekly wage has increased and unemployed individuals in California can collect more in unemployment benefits, but the revenue from employers remains capped – creating the imbalance we are experiencing today,” EDD spokesperson Greg Lawson told The Center Square. “Legislation would be required to change it.”
The state’s $55 billion in fraudulent COVID-era unemployment benefits – more than the annual budget for NASA, the federal space agency – was incurred by Newsom’s then-California Labor Secretary Julie Su’s decision to automatically approve benefits applications without sufficient verification.
An investigation by CalMatters found widespread fraud ranged from Nigerian scammers using large numbers of email accounts to simulate various personas, to prison inmates and organized criminals. COVID-era claimants could receive state-funded benefits of $450 per week for up to 26 weeks, with another 53 week extension, and other supplemental payments of up to $600 per week funded by the federal government.
Su was appointed as U.S. Deputy Labor Secretary under the Biden administration in 2021, and served as acting U.S. Labor Secretary from 2023 until January 2025 due to her stalled nomination in the Senate. While serving as acting U.S. Labor Secretary, Su attempted to use her position to waive California’s $20 billion benefits debt to the federal government but that ultimately failed.
Last December – a month before the start of the state’s budget process – the state-funded Legislative Analyst’s Office issued a report on the status of the state’s UI program, noting its insolvency and recommending reforms.
“The state’s only path to repaying the loan is through the federal surcharge that will continue to ramp up until the loan is repaid,” wrote the LAO. “The state’s loan is so significant that it is likely to remain outstanding, and the federal surcharge in place, for at least another decade.”
The base federal UI tax is 6% on the first $7,000 of wages paid per employee, with a 5.4% credit issued when the state has no UI debt, resulting in a typical 0.6% base tax, or $42 per year per employee making $7,000 or more. This credit automatically decreases 0.3% percentage points — after two years of unpaid federal debt — each year until the debt is repaid, meaning employers can end up paying the full 6% tax that is ten times higher than the base rate.
In 2025, the surcharge is 1.2%, or an additional $84 per worker on top of the $42 base rate, resulting in $126 in federal UI taxes per worker.
This is in addition to the average of 3.5% employers pay in state UI taxes. This 3.5% rate is set to soon rise, as pandemic-era layoffs and resulting benefits were not counted against employers, who otherwise would (and soon will) be paying LAO-estimated rates above 5%.
Given that the state’s UI debt to the federal government would surge in the event of another recession or sustained unemployment, federal UI taxes are likely to continue to grow to the full 6%. Combined with an average full state rate of 5%, expected to be charged “in coming years under state law,” this increase would raise employers’ UI payroll taxes to 11% on the first $7,000 of each employee’s payroll, or more than double the 4.1% rate in the early 2020s – an increase from about $287 to $770 per employee per year.
This dramatic increase could make the job market for entry-level workers even more precarious, Taylor noted.
Under the Affordable Care Act, employers face high penalties for not providing health insurance benefits for employees working 30 hours a week or more, leading many employers to shift full-time employees to part-time schedules.
With the substantial payroll tax increase on the first $7,000 of employees’ wages, businesses leaders say companies would be disincentivized from hiring entry-level employees for more limited, part-time positions, such as summer jobs for teenagers and college students. They warn this change, in addition to the existing Affordable Care Act incentive against more full-time employment, and major hikes to the minimum wage, would have cascading negative consequences for America’s youth and their future careers.
“Coupled with increases in the minimum wage, these policies will hurt the youth of our country because they will not be able to get on the first rung of the economic ladder,” Taylor said.
This theory is supported by researchers at the University of California, San Diego and Texas A&M, whose July working paper was circulated by the National Bureau of Economic Research. Their analysis found that California’s fast-food minimum wage hike to $20 per hour cost the state approximately 18,000 fast-food jobs that would have otherwise existed based on comparisons to national fast food employment trends.
As reported by The Center Square, California lost a net 80,000 jobs in 2024.
Data also shows the state lost a total of 173,000 private-sector jobs between January 2023 and January 2025. During this time, government and government-funded employment grew by 181,000 jobs, many of which are exempt from paying state and federal UI payroll taxes – putting even more pressure on the private sector.

The Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and U.S. Customs and Border Protection have launched a recruitment campaign to expand deportation and border security efforts.
DHS and ICE launched an ad campaign to recruit Americans to join ICE as federal law enforcement agents.
The campaign includes posters of images of Uncle Sam, harkening back to World War I-era ads that first depicted Uncle Sam wearing a top hat pointing his finger, calling on Americans to join the Army. More than four million posters were printed through the Committee on Public Information, a federal government wartime propaganda bureau tasked with selling an unpopular war at home.
More than 100 years later, DHS is employing a similar tactic.
“America has been invaded by criminals and predators. We need YOU to get them out,” DHS said on X, publishing an image of Uncle Sam pointing his finger, saying, “AMERICA NEEDS YOU.”
America has been invaded by criminals and predators. We need YOU to get them out. https://t.co/tqZ8y0E36q pic.twitter.com/7CVqGG6uLy— Homeland Security (@DHSgov) July 29, 2025
DHS is also publishing videos of images of American landscapes, families and military service members, saying, “The Promise of America is worth Protecting. The Future of our Homeland is worth Defending.”
The Promise of America is worth Protecting. The Future of our Homeland is worth Defending. pic.twitter.com/wkpSvZZlT7— Homeland Security (@DHSgov) July 30, 2025
DHS Secretary Kristi Noem makes the same argument, saying, “Your country is calling you to serve at ICE. … Your country needs dedicated men and women of ICE to get the worst of the worst criminals out of our country. This is a defining moment in our nation’s history. Your skills, your experience, and your courage have never been more essential. Together, we must defend the homeland.”
DHS says it’s “rolling out patriotic recruitment posters and benefits to attract the next generation of law enforcement professionals to find, arrest, and remove criminal illegal aliens.” Recruitment materials are being distributed throughout cities nationwide, as well as on college campuses, at job fairs and through law enforcement networks beginning this week.
Democrats and civil rights groups laregly oppose the Trump administration’s sweeping deportation efforts, staging nationwide protests and interfering with some ICE operations.
ICE is also offering a range of incentives as part of the major recruitment effort. They include a maximum $50,000 signing bonus, student loan repayment and forgiveness options, a 25% Law Enforcement Availability Pay (LEAP) for HSI Special Agents, Administratively Uncontrollable Overtime (AUI) for Enforcement Removal Operations (ERO) Deportation Officers, and enhanced retirement benefits.
ICE encourages Americans “with a commitment to public safety, national service, and upholding the rule of law” to apply to work for ICE at www.ice.gov/careers.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection is also offering opportunities for former U.S. Border Patrol agents who retired between July 2020 and July 2024 to rejoin as a reemployed annuitant.
“CBP is committed to hiring the best individuals for our frontline law enforcement positions,” CBP Human Resources Management Assistant Commissioner Andrea Bright said. “Border Patrol retirees have the knowledge and experience we need to address the challenges ahead, and this would provide a unique opportunity to continue their service.”
Reemployed annuitants serve at the will of the appointing official. Under this process, CBP may allow those who want to serve to receive a salary and their retirement benefits at the same time.
A waiver of salary offset, known as a Dual Compensation Waiver, may be issued, CBP said, “which enables CBP to reemploy Federal Employee Retirement Service and Civil Service Retirement System annuitants on a temporary or time-limited term without a reduction in salary while continuing to receive their full annuity.”
Those who rejoin as reemployed annuitants would be assigned to a full-time work schedule under a term appointment lasting for a period of 1-4 years, with the possibility for extended appointments, CBP says.
Applications are currently being accepted for the following two positions: Border Patrol Agent (Reemployed Annuitant) GS-1896-13, and Border Patrol Agent (Reemployed Annuitant) GS-1896-12.
Recruitment and incentives funding was allocated by Congress through the “One Big Beautiful Bill” President Donald Trump signed into law.

U.S. Rep. Haley Stevens has proposed a No Chinese Cars Act in an effort to bolster the Michigan auto industry.
“For too long, the CCP has been rigging the market, undermining Michigan’s auto industry, and cheating the system,” said Stevens, D-Mich. “Now, they’re trying to cheat the system again by moving production to countries like Mexico to dodge tariffs and undercut American automakers. Not anymore.”
According to Stevens, Chinese manufacturing continues to threaten U.S. manufacturing jobs, especially in Michigan.
“My No Chinese Cars Act will force China to finally play by the rules to lower costs and bring Michigan manufacturing jobs back to Michigan,” she said.
While many automakers do have factories in China, a surprisingly small number of the vehicles built in those factories are actually sold in America.
According to one report, Chinese-manufactured cars made up only 0.4% of the cars sold in America in 2024. Cars manufactured in the U.S. accounted for 64%, followed by Mexico at 14%.
That means of the 16 million cars sold in the U.S. in 2024, only 56,800 were made in China.
The Trump administration has levied a number of tariffs on China and the foreign-made auto industry, including the current 25% tariff on imported cars and parts.
Yet, this has minimal impact on Chinese car manufacturing, as such a small percentage are exported to the U.S.
“The U.S. is imposing severe restrictions on Chinese-made vehicles, despite the marginal role the country plays in America’s auto industry,” said Felipe Munoz, global analyst at JATO Dynamics, which released the above report.
Still, American politicians remain concerned about the impacts of Chinese car manufacturing. One concern is that it could begin to take over the U.S. market if unchecked.
“Right now, the CCP is engaged in unfair trade practices that threaten the American auto industry and the livelihoods of Michigan auto workers,” says a release from Stevens’ office. “Unfair subsidies and low wages at Chinese firms undermine American companies and Michigan jobs. We’ve already seen how Chinese car companies like BYD have taken over the European market and the threat they pose to the American market.”
This legislation from Stevens in the U.S. House comes on the heels of similar legislation from U.S. Senator Elissa Slotkin, also a Democrat from Michigan.
“I will lay down on the border to keep Chinese vehicles from entering the U.S. market,” said Slotkin in a statement on the legislation in April. “This is my first bill I’m introducing in the Senate, and it’s for a reason.”
Both Slotkin’s and Stevens’ legislation is notable as it bucks the trend of Democrats opposing trade tariffs implemented by President Donald Trump.
Stevens’ bill would grant the United States Trade Representative the authority to expand existing tariffs on Chinese auto exports to autos arriving in the United States from other countries if those autos:
• Are produced by a firm from a country subject to existing tariffs.
• Or are produced by a firm from China, Russia, Iran, or North Korea.
This would prevent China from outsourcing its manufacturing to avoid tariffs.
MichAuto has announced its support for the No Chinese Cars Act.
“This bill would establish important new safeguards against an influx of Chinese vehicles produced outside the People’s Republic of China, which would pose serious threats to America’s automotive industry and U.S. national security,” said MichAuto Executive Director Glenn Stevens Jr. “We applaud Rep. Stevens’ work on this bill and look forward to working with her and the rest of Michigan’s federal delegation, as the industry seeks to create greater protections for domestic auto jobs and the nation’s industrial competitiveness.”

President Donald Trump outlined the framework of a trade deal with leaders in Seoul on Wednesday that will include a 15% tariff on imports from South Korea.
Trump announced the deal Wednesday afternoon in another social media post, providing few details about the scope of the agreement.
Under the terms Trump outlined, South Korea will buy $100 billion in U.S. liquefied natural gas or other energy products and give the U.S. $350 billion for investments.
“The Deal is that South Korea will give to the United States $350 Billion Dollars for Investments owned and controlled by the United States, and selected by myself, as President,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
Trump said South Korea would announce further U.S. investments in the coming weeks when South Korean President Lee Jae Myung visits the White House.
“South Korea has agreed to invest a large sum of money for their Investment purposes,” Trump wrote.
As with a string of other trade deals Trump has announced in recent weeks, Trump said South Korea would open its markets, tariff free, to the U.S. Trump said that it would include automobiles, trucks and agricultural products.
So far, a 15% import duty is the lowest Trump has announced in recent trade deals. Only the United Kingdom, which didn’t have a substantial trade deficit with the U.S., got a 10% tariff.
Trump’s deal with the EU includes a 15% tariff on imports, although the pact still needs the approval of all 27 members of the bloc.
Trump has announced deals with Indonesia (19% tariff on imports), the Philippines (19% tariff on imports), and Japan (15% tariff on imports).
Earlier Wednesday, the U.S. president threatened India with a 25% tariff and a “penalty” for buying from Russia.
In 2024, U.S. trade with South Korea totaled an estimated $197.1 billion. U.S. goods exports to South Korea were $65.5 billion, while U.S. goods imports from South Korea totaled $131.5 billion. That year, the U.S. goods trade deficit with Korea was $66 billion.
Economists, businesses and some publicly traded companies have warned that tariffs could raise prices on a wide range of consumer products.
Trump has said he wants to use tariffs to restore manufacturing jobs lost to lower-wage countries in decades past, shift the tax burden away from U.S. families, and pay down the national debt.
A tariff is a tax on imported goods paid by the person or company that imports the goods. The importer can absorb the cost of the tariffs or try to pass the cost on to consumers through higher prices.