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  • Younger workers favour expertise over leadership roles

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    “I think for this generation, there’s more prestige in being really good at what you do versus being in charge of people,” said Nora Jenkins Townson, the founder of HR consultancy Bright + Early. “I think we’ve grown up with a lot of the stories of the bad boss or really directional or authoritative leadership styles, and I think that younger generations are more critical of that.” 

    Gen Z favours non-management roles for balance

    Figures from a Robert Half survey conducted in March 2025 found that while some gen Z workers still want promotions into management roles, about half do not. The survey, which questioned 835 Canadian professionals, shows about 39% of gen Z workers were interested in management roles, with the next highest percentage coming from millennials at 34%. 

    According to the survey results, about 50% of gen Z workers would prefer a promotion into a role where they are not managing others. That preference declines among older generations, with the next highest coming in at 44% among gen X workers.

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    One of the main reasons many gen Z workers favour non-management roles is a focus on work-life balance, said Tara Parry, director of permanent placement services at Robert Half Canada. Of those who indicated a preference in the survey to remain in non-management roles, 51% said they can maintain their work-life balance in their current role.

    “When they look at people leadership roles, they realize that tenuous balance of work and life can really be quickly put out of whack when you’re responsible for other people,” she said.

    Companies face manager gap amid shifting career goals

    With more workers choosing different paths, Parry said there is a “huge shortage” in candidates for management, noting the trend was already starting to be noticeable 10 years ago at executive levels.

    For companies navigating the shorter supply of managers, she said it could help to recognize leadership qualities early in people’s careers and begin to support those individuals with training and development to foster their skills.

    “Sometimes people don’t want to put their hand up to go into leadership because they feel like we often don’t train people to be managers or people leaders until they’re already in the seat,” Parry said. “If we start training people before they’re even in that role … I think more people would be willing to put their hands up because they feel ready for it versus taking a risk for it.”

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    For those choosing not to take on manager responsibilities, it may mean specializing to a greater degree. “For gen Z specifically, or for anyone who doesn’t want to advance in leadership, it just means you’re likely going to be more skill-specific and focus on a very niche area that you want to specialize in, and those opportunities absolutely do exist,” said Char Stark, manager of people and growth at Beacon HR.

    Career advancement no longer tied only to leadership

    Jenkins Townson said there are also often opportunities for people in non-manager roles to help junior employees. “Organizations can design career paths for individual contributors where they’re able to coach and mentor people potentially in that specific skill or without being responsible for their career growth or management overall,” she said.

    The change in perspective has led to some organizations making structural changes. In 2023, Shopify Inc. revamped its staffing and compensation model to split staff into two career tracks: managers and crafters, with equivalent compensation for both tracks. The company said at the time the model would reward people for their impact regardless of whether they manage people or not, while bucking the trend of companies only incentivizing and rewarding managers.

    With more younger workers interested in differing forms of career advancement, Parry said many companies have “done well to create career paths for people that don’t include team leadership.” Those roles can sometimes take the shape of a change in the size or scope of an employee’s client list or becoming a subject matter expert within an organization, she said.

    She said Robert Half allows employees to earn more senior titles, but ones that are not always associated with leading others. Parry said a lot of larger companies have been doing this for “quite some time already.”

    “I think organizations have become quite savvy that in order to keep your workforce fulfilled and feeling like they’re growing, there has to be other options because you can’t just move everybody up into management,” she said.

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  • ‘Cowboy’ lassos loose cow in Florida

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    When a cow started running loose through Port Orange, Florida, Lewis Perry handled it the only way he knew how: he saddled up his horse and rode into town.Before the roundup came the routine.Perry prepared Tweety, his 8-year-old roping horse, for a job no one expected, capturing a stray cow wandering near homes and busy streets Thursday. “I called around to some buddies of mine, and nobody was really available,” Perry said. “So I told my wife, I said, ‘I think we’ve got to do something about this.’” Once he located the cow, he knew there was little room for error.“If you go to rope a cow that is loose like that, you generally only get one try at it,” Perry said. “If you rope it and miss, then she or he will bolt, and you have to race and chase them down. In suburbs like that, it can get really dangerous.” With homes, traffic, and onlookers nearby, a missed throw could have made the situation worse.But Perry made the catch.With assistance from officers and neighbors, he guided the cow safely into a trailer without injuries or damage.He credited Tweety for staying calm despite the unusual surroundings, including crowds gathering to watch.“It didn’t bother him at all,” Perry said. “It bothered me more than him, probably.”Where the cow came from remains unclear.“That one had no markings at all, which is weird,” Perry said. “We use ear tags on all of our cattle.”For now, Perry is keeping the cow while trying to identify its owner.In the meantime, he’s praising the horse that helped bring the situation under control.“He’s just a well-mannered horse that does a very good job for me,” Perry said. “I’m very, very lucky to own him.”

    When a cow started running loose through Port Orange, Florida, Lewis Perry handled it the only way he knew how: he saddled up his horse and rode into town.

    Before the roundup came the routine.

    Perry prepared Tweety, his 8-year-old roping horse, for a job no one expected, capturing a stray cow wandering near homes and busy streets Thursday.

    “I called around to some buddies of mine, and nobody was really available,” Perry said. “So I told my wife, I said, ‘I think we’ve got to do something about this.’”

    Once he located the cow, he knew there was little room for error.

    “If you go to rope a cow that is loose like that, you generally only get one try at it,” Perry said. “If you rope it and miss, then she or he will bolt, and you have to race and chase them down. In suburbs like that, it can get really dangerous.”

    With homes, traffic, and onlookers nearby, a missed throw could have made the situation worse.

    But Perry made the catch.

    With assistance from officers and neighbors, he guided the cow safely into a trailer without injuries or damage.

    He credited Tweety for staying calm despite the unusual surroundings, including crowds gathering to watch.

    “It didn’t bother him at all,” Perry said. “It bothered me more than him, probably.”

    Where the cow came from remains unclear.

    “That one had no markings at all, which is weird,” Perry said. “We use ear tags on all of our cattle.”

    For now, Perry is keeping the cow while trying to identify its owner.

    In the meantime, he’s praising the horse that helped bring the situation under control.

    “He’s just a well-mannered horse that does a very good job for me,” Perry said. “I’m very, very lucky to own him.”

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  • How Olympians think about success and failure, and what we can learn from them

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    If winning gold medals were the only standard, almost all Olympic athletes would be considered failures.Video above: Amber Glenn opens up about mental health, coming out and her figure skating journeyA clinical psychologist with the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee, Emily Clark’s job when the Winter Games open in Italy on Feb. 6 is to help athletes interpret what it means to be successful. Should gold medals be the only measure?Part of a 15-member staff providing psychological services, Clark nurtures athletes accustomed to triumph but who invariably risk failure.The staff deals with matters termed “mental health and mental performance.” They include topics such as motivation, anger management, anxiety, eating disorders, family issues, trauma, depression, sleep, handling pressure, travel and so forth.Clark’s area includes stress management, the importance of sleep and getting high achievers to perform at their best and avoid the temptation of looking only at results.”A lot of athletes these days are aware of the mental health component of, not just sport, but of life,” Clark said in an interview with The Associated Press. “This is an area where athletes can develop skills that can extend a career, or make it more enjoyable.” The United States is expected to take about 235 athletes to the Winter Olympics, and about 70 more to the Paralympics. But here’s the truth.”Most of the athletes who come through Team USA will not win a gold medal,” Clark said. “That’s the reality of elite sport.”Here are the numbers. The United States won gold medals in nine events in the last Winter Games in Beijing in 2022. According to Dr. Bill Mallon, an esteemed shoulder surgeon and Olympic historian, 70.8% of Winter and Summer Olympic athletes go to only one Olympics.Few are famous and successful like swimmer Michael Phelps, or skiers Mikaela Shiffrin or Lindsey Vonn.Clark said she often delivers the following message to Olympians and Paralympians: This is a once-in-a-lifetime chance. Focus on the process. Savor the moment.”Your job is not to win a gold medal, your job is to do the thing, and the gold medal is what happens when you do your job,” she said.”Some of this might be realigning what success looks like,” she added. “And some of this is developing resilience in the face of setbacks and failure.”Clark preaches staying on task under pressure and improving through defeat.”We get stronger by pushing ourselves to a limit where we’re at our maximum capacity — and then recovering,” she said. “When we get stressed, it impacts our attention. Staying on task or staying in line with what’s important is what we try to train for.” Kendall Gretsch has won four gold medals at the Summer and Winter Paralympics. She credits some of her success to the USOPC’s mental health services, and she described the value this way.”We have a sports psychologist who travels with us for most our season,” she said. “Just being able to touch base with them … and getting that reminder of why are you here? What is that experience you’re looking for?”American figure skater Alysa Liu is the 2025 world champion and was sixth in the 2022 Olympics. She’s a big believer in sports psychology and should be among the favorites in Italy.”I work with a sport psychologist,” she said without giving a name. “She’s incredible — like the MVP.”Of course, MVP stands — not for Most Valuable Person or Most Valuable Player — for “Most Valuable Psychologist.””I mean, she’s very helpful,” Liu added. American downhill skier Vonn will race in Italy in her sixth Olympics. At 41, she’s coming off nearly six years in retirement and will be racing on a knee made of titanium.Two-time Olympic champion Michaela Dorfmeister has suggested in jest that Vonn “should see a psychologist” for attempting such a thing in a very dangerous sport where downhill skiers reach speeds of 80 mph.Vonn shrugged off the comments and joked a few months ago that she didn’t grow up using a sport psychologist. She said her counseling came from taping messages on the tips of her skis that read: “stay forward or hands up.””I just did it myself,” she said. “I do a lot of self-talk in the starting gate.” “Sleep is an area where athletes tend to struggle for a number of reasons,” Clark said, listing issues such as travel schedules, late practices, injuries and life-related stress.”We have a lot of athletes who are parents, and lot of sleep is going to be disrupted in the early stages of parenting,” she said. “We approach sleep as a real part of performance. But it can be something that gets de-prioritized when days get busy.”Clark suggests the following for her athletes — and the rest of us: no caffeine after 3 p.m., mitigate stress before bedtime, schedule sleep at about the same time daily, sleep in a dark room and get 7-9 hours.Dani Aravich is a two-time Paralympian — she’s been in both the Summer and Winter Games — and will be skiing in the upcoming Paralympics. She said in a recent interview that she avails herself of many psychological services provided by the USOPC.”I’ve started tracking my sleep,” she said, naming Clark as a counselor. “Especially being an athlete who has multiple jobs, sleep is going to be your No. 1 savior at all times. It’s the thing that, you know, helps mental clarity.” Clark agreed.”Sleep is the cornerstone of healthy performance,” she added.

    If winning gold medals were the only standard, almost all Olympic athletes would be considered failures.

    Video above: Amber Glenn opens up about mental health, coming out and her figure skating journey

    A clinical psychologist with the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee, Emily Clark’s job when the Winter Games open in Italy on Feb. 6 is to help athletes interpret what it means to be successful.

    Should gold medals be the only measure?

    Part of a 15-member staff providing psychological services, Clark nurtures athletes accustomed to triumph but who invariably risk failure.

    The staff deals with matters termed “mental health and mental performance.” They include topics such as motivation, anger management, anxiety, eating disorders, family issues, trauma, depression, sleep, handling pressure, travel and so forth.

    Clark’s area includes stress management, the importance of sleep and getting high achievers to perform at their best and avoid the temptation of looking only at results.

    “A lot of athletes these days are aware of the mental health component of, not just sport, but of life,” Clark said in an interview with The Associated Press. “This is an area where athletes can develop skills that can extend a career, or make it more enjoyable.”

    The United States is expected to take about 235 athletes to the Winter Olympics, and about 70 more to the Paralympics. But here’s the truth.

    “Most of the athletes who come through Team USA will not win a gold medal,” Clark said. “That’s the reality of elite sport.”

    Here are the numbers. The United States won gold medals in nine events in the last Winter Games in Beijing in 2022. According to Dr. Bill Mallon, an esteemed shoulder surgeon and Olympic historian, 70.8% of Winter and Summer Olympic athletes go to only one Olympics.

    Few are famous and successful like swimmer Michael Phelps, or skiers Mikaela Shiffrin or Lindsey Vonn.

    Clark said she often delivers the following message to Olympians and Paralympians: This is a once-in-a-lifetime chance. Focus on the process. Savor the moment.

    “Your job is not to win a gold medal, your job is to do the thing, and the gold medal is what happens when you do your job,” she said.

    “Some of this might be realigning what success looks like,” she added. “And some of this is developing resilience in the face of setbacks and failure.”

    Clark preaches staying on task under pressure and improving through defeat.

    “We get stronger by pushing ourselves to a limit where we’re at our maximum capacity — and then recovering,” she said. “When we get stressed, it impacts our attention. Staying on task or staying in line with what’s important is what we try to train for.”

    Kendall Gretsch has won four gold medals at the Summer and Winter Paralympics. She credits some of her success to the USOPC’s mental health services, and she described the value this way.

    “We have a sports psychologist who travels with us for most our season,” she said. “Just being able to touch base with them … and getting that reminder of why are you here? What is that experience you’re looking for?”

    American figure skater Alysa Liu is the 2025 world champion and was sixth in the 2022 Olympics. She’s a big believer in sports psychology and should be among the favorites in Italy.

    “I work with a sport psychologist,” she said without giving a name. “She’s incredible — like the MVP.”

    Of course, MVP stands — not for Most Valuable Person or Most Valuable Player — for “Most Valuable Psychologist.”

    “I mean, she’s very helpful,” Liu added.

    American downhill skier Vonn will race in Italy in her sixth Olympics. At 41, she’s coming off nearly six years in retirement and will be racing on a knee made of titanium.

    Two-time Olympic champion Michaela Dorfmeister has suggested in jest that Vonn “should see a psychologist” for attempting such a thing in a very dangerous sport where downhill skiers reach speeds of 80 mph.

    Vonn shrugged off the comments and joked a few months ago that she didn’t grow up using a sport psychologist. She said her counseling came from taping messages on the tips of her skis that read: “stay forward or hands up.”

    “I just did it myself,” she said. “I do a lot of self-talk in the starting gate.”

    “Sleep is an area where athletes tend to struggle for a number of reasons,” Clark said, listing issues such as travel schedules, late practices, injuries and life-related stress.

    “We have a lot of athletes who are parents, and lot of sleep is going to be disrupted in the early stages of parenting,” she said. “We approach sleep as a real part of performance. But it can be something that gets de-prioritized when days get busy.”

    Clark suggests the following for her athletes — and the rest of us: no caffeine after 3 p.m., mitigate stress before bedtime, schedule sleep at about the same time daily, sleep in a dark room and get 7-9 hours.

    Dani Aravich is a two-time Paralympian — she’s been in both the Summer and Winter Games — and will be skiing in the upcoming Paralympics. She said in a recent interview that she avails herself of many psychological services provided by the USOPC.

    “I’ve started tracking my sleep,” she said, naming Clark as a counselor. “Especially being an athlete who has multiple jobs, sleep is going to be your No. 1 savior at all times. It’s the thing that, you know, helps mental clarity.”

    Clark agreed.

    “Sleep is the cornerstone of healthy performance,” she added.

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  • California’s exodus isn’t just billionaires — it’s regular people renting U-Hauls, too

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    It isn’t just billionaires leaving California.

    Anecdotal data suggest there is also an exodus of regular people who load their belongings into rental trucks and lug them to another state.

    U-Haul’s survey of the more than 2.5 million one-way trips using its vehicles in the U.S. last year showed that the gap between the number of people leaving and the number arriving was higher in California than in any other state.

    While the Golden State also attracts a large number of newcomers, it has had the biggest net outflow for six years in a row.

    Generally, the defectors don’t go far. The top five destinations for the diaspora using U-Haul’s trucks, trailers and boxes last year were Arizona, Nevada, Oregon, Washington and Texas.

    California experienced a net outflow of U-Haul users with an in-migration of 49.4%, and those leaving of 50.6%. Massachusetts, New York, New Jersey and Illinois also rank among the bottom five on the index.

    U-Haul didn’t speculate on the reasons California continues to top the ranking.

    “We continue to find that life circumstances — marriage, children, a death in the family, college, jobs and other events — dictate the need for most moves,” John Taylor, U-Haul International president, said in a press statement.

    While California’s exodus was greater than any other state, the silver lining was that the state lost fewer residents to out-of-state migration in 2025 than in 2024.

    U-Haul said that broadly the hotly debated issue of blue-to-red state migration, which became more pronounced after the pandemic of 2020, continues to be a discernible trend.

    Though U-Haul did not specify the reasons for the exodus, California demographers tracking the trend point to the cost of living and housing affordability as the top reasons for leaving.

    “Over the last dozen years or so, on a net basis, the flow out of the state because of housing [affordability] far exceeds other reasons people cite [including] jobs or family,” said Hans Johnson, senior fellow at the Public Policy Institute of California.

    “This net out migration from California is a more than two-decade-long trend. And again, we’re a big state, so the net out numbers are big,” he said.

    U-Haul data showed that there was a pretty even split between arrivals and departures. While the company declined to share absolute numbers, it said that 50.6% of its one-way customers in California were leaving, while 49.4% were arriving.

    U-Haul’s network of 24,000 rental locations across the U.S. provides a near-real-time view of domestic migration dynamics, while official data on population movements often lags.

    California’s population grew by a marginal 0.05% in the year ending July 2025, reaching 39.5 million people, according to the California Department of Finance.

    After two consecutive years of population decline following the 2020 pandemic, California recorded its third year of population growth in 2025. While international migration has rebounded, the number of California residents moving out increased to 216,000, consistent with levels in 2018 and 2019.

    Eric McGhee, senior fellow at the Public Policy Institute of California, who researches the challenges facing California, said there’s growing evidence of political leanings shaping the state’s migration patterns, with those moving out of state more likely to be Republican and those moving in likely to be Democratic.

    “Partisanship probably is not the most significant of these considerations, but it may be just the last straw that broke the camel’s back, on top of the other things that are more traditional drivers of migration … cost of living and family and friends and jobs,” McGhee said.

    Living in California costs 12.6% more than the national average, according to the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis. One of the biggest pain points in the state is housing, which is 57.8% more expensive than what the average American pays.

    The U-Haul study across all 50 states found that 7 of the top 10 growth states where people moved to have Republican governors. Nine of the states with the biggest net outflows had Democrat governors.

    Texas, Florida and North Carolina were the top three growth states for U-Haul customers, with Dallas, Houston and Austin bagging the top spots for growth in metro regions.

    A notable exception in California was San Diego and San Francisco, which were the only California cities in the top 25 metros with a net inflow of one-way U-Haul customers.

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    Nilesh Christopher

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  • Ex-CHP captain who drunkenly exposed himself on flight, twice, avoids jail sentence

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    A former California Highway Patrol captain will not serve jail time after admitting to exposing himself and sexually touching flight attendants aboard a JetBlue flight last year.

    Dennis Woodbury, 50, will instead receive three years of probation after pleading guilty to a misdemeanor count of simple assault on an aircraft. U.S. District Judge Percy Anderson ordered Woodbury to complete 100 hours of community service and undergo mental health and substance abuse treatment and testing, according to court records.

    “That the defendant was once in a position of public trust and committed these acts is disturbing and should be taken seriously,” Assistant U.S. Atty. Brenda Galvan wrote in a sentencing memorandum.

    Woodbury had previously been dismissed from the CHP after serving in the San Gabriel Valley, the U.S. attorney’s office said in a news release.

    He was initially arrested on a more serious felony charge of abusive sexual contact within federal jurisdiction but was allowed to plead to a lesser charge of simple assault under a plea agreement accepted by the court in October.

    The U.S. attorney’s office argued that a sentence of 90 days in custody “reflects the seriousness of the offense given the defendant’s history,” according to the memorandum.

    The victims, two male flight attendants, testified that Woodbury’s actions left them fearful for their safety and disrupted their ability to do their jobs during a cross-country flight in April 2025, according to prosecutors.

    On the flight, Woodbury downed a bottle of Prosecco and showed one flight attendant a pornographic picture, according to court records.

    Woodbury then suggested the two men go on a cruise together.

    “When [the attendant] demonstrated how the plane’s oxygen masks worked, he saw Woodbury looking at him and [making] a hand-pumping motion,” the criminal complaint states.

    Shortly after, he slapped an attendant’s butt and yelled, “I love you.” The incident prompted flight staff to swap sections on the plane, but Woodbury’s behavior persisted.

    He walked to the plane’s front galley, pulled down his pants and exposed himself to the second flight attendant. After he was urged to take his seat, Woodbury circled back to the front of the plane, demanded wine and exposed himself again.

    The government said the incident compromised the attendants’ ability to perform safety-critical duties during the flight. In a victim impact statement, one flight attendant said Woodbury’s conduct caused “significant emotional, professional and reputational” harm.

    “No one should have to feel threatened merely for doing their job,” prosecutors wrote.

    Despite those arguments, the court declined to impose a jail sentence.

    Anderson also waived a $2,000 fine proposed by prosecutors, citing Woodbury’s financial circumstances, and ordered him to pay a mandatory $10 special assessment, according to the judgment.

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    Gavin J. Quinton

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  • Billionaire tax proposal sparks soul-searching for Californians

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    The fiery debate about a proposed ballot measure to tax California’s billionaires has sparked some soul-searching across the state.

    While the idea of a one-time tax on more than 200 people has a long way to go before getting onto the ballot and would need to be passed by voters in November, the tempest around it captures the zeitgeist of angst and anger at the core of California. Silicon Valley is minting new millionaires while millions of the state’s residents face the loss of healthcare coverage and struggle with inflation.

    Supporters of the proposed billionaire tax say it is one of the few ways the state can provide healthcare for its most vulnerable. Opponents warn it would squash the innovation that has made the state rich and prompt an exodus of wealthy entrepreneurs from the state.

    The controversial measure is already creating fractures among powerful Democrats who enjoy tremendous sway in California. Progressive icon Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) quickly endorsed the billionaire tax, while Gov. Gavin Newsom denounced it .

    The Golden State’s rich residents say they are tired of feeling targeted. Their success has not only created unimaginable wealth but also jobs and better lives for Californians, they say, yet they feel they are being punished.

    “California politics forces together some of the richest areas of America with some of the poorest, often separated by just a freeway,” said Thad Kousser, a political science professor at UC San Diego. “The impulse to force those with extreme wealth to share their riches is only natural, but often runs into the reality of our anti-tax traditions as well as modern concerns about stifling entrepreneurship or driving job creation out of the state.”

    The state budget in California is already largely dependent on income taxes paid by its highest earners. Because of that, revenues are prone to volatility, hinging on capital gains from investments, bonuses to executives and windfalls from new stock offerings, and are notoriously difficult for the state to predict.

    The tax proposal would cost the state’s richest residents about $100 billion if a majority of voters support it on the November ballot.

    Supporters say the revenue is needed to backfill the massive federal funding cuts to healthcare that President Trump signed this summer. The California Budget & Policy Center estimates that as many as 3.4 million Californians could lose Medi-Cal coverage, rural hospitals could shutter and other healthcare services would be slashed unless a new funding source is found.

    On social media, some wealthy Californians who oppose the wealth tax faced off against Democratic politicians and labor unions.

    An increasing number of companies and investors have decided it isn’t worth the hassle to be in the state and are taking their companies and their homes to other states with lower taxes and less regulation.

    “I promise you this will be the final straw,” Jessie Powell, co-founder of the Bay Area-based crypto exchange platform Kraken, wrote on X. “Billionaires will take with them all of their spending, hobbies, philanthropy and jobs.”

    Proponents of the proposed tax were granted permission to start gathering signatures Dec. 26 by California Secretary of State Shirley Weber.

    The proposal would impose a one-time tax of up to 5% on taxpayers and trusts with assets, such as businesses, art and intellectual property, valued at more than $1 billion. There are some exclusions, including property.

    They could pay the levy over five years. Ninety percent of the revenue would fund healthcare programs and the remaining 10% would be spent on food assistance and education programs.

    To qualify for the November ballot, proponents of the proposal, led by the Service Employees International Union-United Healthcare Workers West, must gather the signatures of nearly 875,000 registered voters and submit them to county elections officials by June 24.

    The union, which represents more than 120,000 healthcare workers, patients and healthcare consumers, has committed to spending $14 million on the measure so far and plans to start collecting signatures soon, said Suzanne Jimenez, the labor group’s chief of staff.

    Without new funding, the state is facing “a collapse of our healthcare system here in California,” she said.

    Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Fremont) spoke out in support of the tax.

    “It’s a matter of values,” he said on X. “We believe billionaires can pay a modest wealth tax so working-class Californians have the Medicaid.”

    The Trump administration did not respond to requests for comment.

    The debate has become a lightning rod for national thought leaders looking to target California’s policies or the ultra-rich.

    On Tuesday, Sanders endorsed the billionaire tax proposal and said he plans to call for a nationwide version.

    “This is a model that should be emulated throughout the country, which is why I will soon be introducing a national wealth tax on billionaires,” Sanders said on X. “We can and should respect innovation, entrepreneurship and risk-taking, but we cannot respect the extraordinary level of greed, arrogance and irresponsibility that is currently being displayed by much of the billionaire class.”

    But there isn’t unanimous support for the proposal among Democrats.

    Notably, Newsom has consistently opposed state-based wealth taxes. He reiterated his opposition when asked about the proposed billionaires’ tax in early December.

    “You can’t isolate yourself from the 49 others,” Newsom said at the New York Times DealBook Summit. “We’re in a competitive environment. People have this simple luxury, particularly people of that status, they already have two or three homes outside the state. It’s a simple issue. You’ve got to be pragmatic about it.”

    Newsom has opposed state-based wealth taxes throughout his tenure.

    In 2022, he opposed a ballot measure that would have subsidized the electric vehicle market by raising taxes on Californians who earn more than $2 million annually. The measure failed at the ballot box, with strategists on both sides of the issue saying Newsom’s vocal opposition to the effort was a critical factor.

    The following year, he opposed legislation by a fellow Democrat to tax assets exceeding $50 million at 1% annually and taxpayers with a net worth greater than $1 billion at 1.5% annually. The bill was shelved before the legislature could vote on it.

    The latest effort is also being opposed by a political action committee called “Stop the Squeeze,” which was seeded by a $100,000 donation from venture capitalist and longtime Newsom ally Ron Conway. Conservative taxpayer rights groups such as the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Assn. and state Republicans are expected to campaign against the proposal.

    The chances of the ballot measure passing in November are uncertain, given the potential for enormous spending on the campaign — unlike statewide and other candidate races, there is no limit on the amount of money donors can contribute to support or oppose a ballot measure.

    “The backers of this proposed initiative to tax California billionaires would have their work cut out for them,” said Kousser at UC San Diego. “Despite the state’s national reputation as ‘Scandinavia by the Sea,’ there remains a strong anti-tax impulse among voters who often reject tax increases and are loath to kill the state’s golden goose of tech entrepreneurship.”

    Additionally, as Newsom eyes a presidential bid in 2028, political experts question how the governor will position himself — opposing raising taxes but also not wanting to be viewed as responsible for large-scale healthcare cuts that would harm the most vulnerable Californians.

    “It wouldn’t be surprising if they qualify the initiative. There’s enough money and enough pent-up anger on the left to get this on the ballot,” said Dan Schnur, a political communications professor who teaches at USC, Pepperdine and UC Berkeley.

    “What happens once it qualifies is anybody’s guess,” he said.

    Lorena Gonzalez, president of the California Federation of Labor Unions, called Newsom’s position “an Achilles heel” that could irk primary voters in places like the Midwest who are focused on economic inequality, inflation, affordability and the growing wealth gap.

    “I think it’s going to be really hard for him to take a position that we shouldn’t tax the billionaires,” said Gonzalez, whose labor umbrella group will consider whether to endorse the proposed tax next year.

    California billionaires who are residents of the state as of Jan. 1 would be impacted by the ballot measure if it passes . Prominent business leaders announced moves that appeared to be a strategy to avoid the levy at the end of 2025. On Dec. 31, PayPal co-founder Peter Thiel announced that his firm had opened a new office in Miami, the same day venture capitalist David Sacks said he was opening an office in Austin.

    Wealth taxes are not unprecedented in the U.S. and versions exist in Switzerland and Spain, said Brian Galle, a taxation expert and law professor at UC Berkeley.

    In California, the tax offers an efficient and practical way to pay for healthcare services without disrupting the economy, he said.

    “A 1% annual tax on billionaires for five years would have essentially no meaningful impact on their economic behavior,” Galle said. “We’re funding a way of avoiding a real economic disaster with something that has very tiny impact.”

    Palo Alto-based venture capitalist Chamath Palihapitiya disagrees. Billionaires whose wealth is often locked in company stakes and not liquid could go bankrupt, Palihapitiya wrote on X.

    The tax, he posted, “will kill entrepreneurship in California.”

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  • Trump administration moves to overhaul how H-1B visas are granted, ending lottery system

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    The Department of Homeland Security said Tuesday it was replacing its longstanding lottery system for H-1B work visas with a new approach that prioritizes skilled, higher-paid foreign workers.The change follows a series of actions by the Trump administration aimed at reshaping a visa program that critics say has become a pipeline for overseas workers willing to work for lower pay, but supporters say drives innovation.”The existing random selection process of H-1B registrations was exploited and abused by U.S. employers who were primarily seeking to import foreign workers at lower wages than they would pay American workers,” said U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services spokesman Matthew Tragesser.Earlier this year, President Donald Trump signed a proclamation imposing a $100,000 annual H-1B visa fee on highly skilled workers, which is being challenged in court. The president also rolled out a $1 million “gold card” visa as a pathway to U.S. citizenship for wealthy individuals.A press release announcing the new rule says it is “in line with other key changes the administration has made, such as the Presidential Proclamation that requires employers to pay an additional $100,000 per visa as a condition of eligibility.” Historically, H-1B visas have been awarded through a lottery system. This year, Amazon was by far the top recipient, with more than 10,000 visas approved, followed by Tata Consultancy Services, Microsoft, Apple and Google. California has the highest concentration of H-1B workers.The new system will “implement a weighted selection process that will increase the probability that H-1B visas are allocated to higher-skilled and higher-paid” foreign workers, according to Tuesday’s press release. It will go into effect Feb. 27, 2026, and will apply to the upcoming H-1B cap registration season.Supporters of the H-1B program say it is an important pathway to hiring healthcare workers and educators. They say it drives innovation and economic growth in the U.S. and allows employers to fill jobs in specialized fields.Critics argue that the visas often go to entry-level positions rather than senior roles requiring specialized skills. While the program is intended to prevent wage suppression or the displacement of U.S. workers, critics say companies can pay lower wages by classifying jobs at the lowest skill levels, even when the workers hired have more experience.The number of new visas issued annually is capped at 65,000, plus an additional 20,000 for people with a master’s degree or higher.

    WASHINGTON —

    The Department of Homeland Security said Tuesday it was replacing its longstanding lottery system for H-1B work visas with a new approach that prioritizes skilled, higher-paid foreign workers.

    The change follows a series of actions by the Trump administration aimed at reshaping a visa program that critics say has become a pipeline for overseas workers willing to work for lower pay, but supporters say drives innovation.

    “The existing random selection process of H-1B registrations was exploited and abused by U.S. employers who were primarily seeking to import foreign workers at lower wages than they would pay American workers,” said U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services spokesman Matthew Tragesser.

    Earlier this year, President Donald Trump signed a proclamation imposing a $100,000 annual H-1B visa fee on highly skilled workers, which is being challenged in court. The president also rolled out a $1 million “gold card” visa as a pathway to U.S. citizenship for wealthy individuals.

    A press release announcing the new rule says it is “in line with other key changes the administration has made, such as the Presidential Proclamation that requires employers to pay an additional $100,000 per visa as a condition of eligibility.”

    Historically, H-1B visas have been awarded through a lottery system. This year, Amazon was by far the top recipient, with more than 10,000 visas approved, followed by Tata Consultancy Services, Microsoft, Apple and Google. California has the highest concentration of H-1B workers.

    The new system will “implement a weighted selection process that will increase the probability that H-1B visas are allocated to higher-skilled and higher-paid” foreign workers, according to Tuesday’s press release. It will go into effect Feb. 27, 2026, and will apply to the upcoming H-1B cap registration season.

    Supporters of the H-1B program say it is an important pathway to hiring healthcare workers and educators. They say it drives innovation and economic growth in the U.S. and allows employers to fill jobs in specialized fields.

    Critics argue that the visas often go to entry-level positions rather than senior roles requiring specialized skills. While the program is intended to prevent wage suppression or the displacement of U.S. workers, critics say companies can pay lower wages by classifying jobs at the lowest skill levels, even when the workers hired have more experience.

    The number of new visas issued annually is capped at 65,000, plus an additional 20,000 for people with a master’s degree or higher.

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  • Ontario’s new pay transparency rules will shake up hiring – MoneySense

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    Pay transparency laws are gaining traction across North America, with similar rules already in place in other provinces like B.C. and Prince Edward Island, as well as parts of the U.S.   

    Pay transparency can help level the hiring field

    Some of the key changes coming to Ontario on Jan. 1, 2026, include requirements that employers with more than 25 employees post compensation ranges in publicly advertised job postings and disclose the use of AI in screening, assessing, or selecting applicants.

    “It just overall puts employees and workers in a better position to have that information coming in and to know what a position pays before they decide to apply for it,” said Nora Jenkins Townson, the founder of HR consultancy Bright + Early. “From an employee perspective, I think having a solid understanding of how compensation works at the organization, how those decisions are made, what the ranges are … it’s just a lot fairer, it takes us away from that ‘squeaky wheel gets the grease’ scenario.”

    She said pay transparency can help level the playing field by aligning compensation to a specific job and level of output, creating a more objective system compared with subjective aspects like an employee’s relationship to their manager. She added that companies that have not done the foundational work to develop compensation strategies are “scrambling to catch up.”

    “You can’t really just add a number to a job posting. You need accurate, researched market data. You need a philosophy as to where you pay within that data and why,” Jenkins Townson said. However, she said in other markets where pay transparency rules are already in place, some employers try to sidestep the rules by making pay ranges on job postings very wide.

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    New rules limit pay-range gaps

    Ontario’s upcoming rules stipulate that the annual salary range on a posting must not exceed a gap of $50,000, unless the job pays more than $200,000, or where the top end of the range is more than $200,000.

    Deb Bottineau, managing director at Robert Half Canada, said the new pay transparency rules are a “pretty significant step forward.”

    “It’s going to equalize the playing field,” she said. “That impact will be not only for those applying to positions, but it also creates a greater landscape of accountability and awareness for internal employees as it relates to pay rate ranges and compensation.” It may also help narrow gender or racial pay gaps that exist.

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    The changes may also push business leaders to take stock of what other firms pay for similar positions or risk having trouble attracting and retaining talent, Bottineau said.

    Most job seekers welcome pay transparency

    Data released in November from Indeed found 83% of respondents across B.C., Ontario, and Quebec view the changes positively. The survey was conducted online between Sept. 29 and Oct. 3 and polled 900 individuals. Seventy-three per cent said they would be more likely to apply for a job that included a pay range.

    With employers having to disclose in job postings where AI is being used, Bottineau said the human element in the hiring process will also become more important for companies to maintain their “brand impression” and ability to attract talent.

    “When candidates are applying to jobs, and it’s taking multiple steps before they’re engaging with a human in that process, that gap can be felt both for the employee and the employer,” she said. “I think we’re going to continue to hear a lot of conversation as we head into the new year about the role of AI in recruitment practices. How do we create the right balance so the employer brand (and) the candidate experience are all kept top of mind?”

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  • They graduated from Stanford. Due to AI, they can’t find a job

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    A Stanford software engineering degree used to be a golden ticket. Artificial intelligence has devalued it to bronze, recent graduates say.

    The elite students are shocked by the lack of job offers as they finish studies at what is often ranked as the top university in America.

    When they were freshmen, ChatGPT hadn’t yet been released upon the world. Today, AI can code better than most humans.

    Top tech companies just don’t need as many fresh graduates.

    “Stanford computer science graduates are struggling to find entry-level jobs” with the most prominent tech brands, said Jan Liphardt, associate professor of bioengineering at Stanford University. “I think that’s crazy.”

    While the rapidly advancing coding capabilities of generative AI have made experienced engineers more productive, they have also hobbled the job prospects of early-career software engineers.

    Stanford students describe a suddenly skewed job market, where just a small slice of graduates — those considered “cracked engineers” who already have thick resumes building products and doing research — are getting the few good jobs, leaving everyone else to fight for scraps.

    “There’s definitely a very dreary mood on campus,” said a recent computer science graduate who asked not to be named so they could speak freely. “People [who are] job hunting are very stressed out, and it’s very hard for them to actually secure jobs.”

    The shake-up is being felt across California colleges, including UC Berkeley, USC and others. The job search has been even tougher for those with less prestigious degrees.

    Eylul Akgul graduated last year with a degree in computer science from Loyola Marymount University. She wasn’t getting offers, so she went home to Turkey and got some experience at a startup. In May, she returned to the U.S., and still, she was “ghosted” by hundreds of employers.

    “The industry for programmers is getting very oversaturated,” Akgul said.

    The engineers’ most significant competitor is getting stronger by the day. When ChatGPT launched in 2022, it could only code for 30 seconds at a time. Today’s AI agents can code for hours, and do basic programming faster with fewer mistakes.

    Data suggests that even though AI startups like OpenAI and Anthropic are hiring many people, it is not offsetting the decline in hiring elsewhere. Employment for specific groups, such as early-career software developers between the ages of 22 and 25 has declined by nearly 20% from its peak in late 2022, according to a Stanford study.

    It wasn’t just software engineers, but also customer service and accounting jobs that were highly exposed to competition from AI. The Stanford study estimated that entry-level hiring for AI-exposed jobs declined 13% relative to less-exposed jobs such as nursing.

    In the Los Angeles region, another study estimated that close to 200,000 jobs are exposed. Around 40% of tasks done by call center workers, editors and personal finance experts could be automated and done by AI, according to an AI Exposure Index curated by resume builder MyPerfectResume.

    Many tech startups and titans have not been shy about broadcasting that they are cutting back on hiring plans as AI allows them to do more programming with fewer people.

    Anthropic Chief Executive Dario Amodei said that 70% to 90% of the code for some products at his company is written by his company’s AI, called Claude. In May, he predicted that AI’s capabilities will increase until close to 50% of all entry-level white-collar jobs might be wiped out in five years.

    A common sentiment from hiring managers is that where they previously needed ten engineers, they now only need “two skilled engineers and one of these LLM-based agents,” which can be just as productive, said Nenad Medvidović, a computer science professor at the University of Southern California.

    “We don’t need the junior developers anymore,” said Amr Awadallah, CEO of Vectara, a Palo Alto-based AI startup. “The AI now can code better than the average junior developer that comes out of the best schools out there.”

    To be sure, AI is still a long way from causing the extinction of software engineers. As AI handles structured, repetitive tasks, human engineers’ jobs are shifting toward oversight.

    Today’s AIs are powerful but “jagged,” meaning they can excel at certain math problems yet still fail basic logic tests and aren’t consistent. One study found that AI tools made experienced developers 19% slower at work, as they spent more time reviewing code and fixing errors.

    Students should focus on learning how to manage and check the work of AI as well as getting experience working with it, said John David N. Dionisio, a computer science professor at LMU.

    Stanford students say they are arriving at the job market and finding a split in the road; capable AI engineers can find jobs, but basic, old-school computer science jobs are disappearing.

    As they hit this surprise speed bump, some students are lowering their standards and joining companies they wouldn’t have considered before. Some are creating their own startups. A large group of frustrated grads are deciding to continue their studies to beef up their resumes and add more skills needed to compete with AI.

    “If you look at the enrollment numbers in the past two years, they’ve skyrocketed for people wanting to do a fifth-year master’s,” the Stanford graduate said. “It’s a whole other year, a whole other cycle to do recruiting. I would say, half of my friends are still on campus doing their fifth-year master’s.”

    After four months of searching, LMU graduate Akgul finally landed a technical lead job at a software consultancy in Los Angeles. At her new job, she uses AI coding tools, but she feels like she has to do the work of three developers.

    Universities and students will have to rethink their curricula and majors to ensure that their four years of study prepare them for a world with AI.

    “That’s been a dramatic reversal from three years ago, when all of my undergraduate mentees found great jobs at the companies around us,” Stanford’s Liphardt said. “That has changed.”

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    Nilesh Christopher

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  • Plant closure will lead to hundreds of layoffs in Riverside

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    The meat processing company JBS is closing a packing facility in Riverside and will lay off 374 employees, according to a notice from the California Employment Development Department.

    The closure comes as a limited cattle supply has led to record-high beef prices this year.

    The Riverside facility, operated by JBS subsidiary Swift Beef Co., prepares meat for sale in U.S. grocery stores but does not slaughter animals, JBS spokesperson Nikki Richardson said.

    The affected employees will be given opportunities at other JBS plants, including relocation support, Richardson said. Employees who choose not to relocate will be given a 60-day notice period before their employment ends.

    The price of beef has soared in recent months as ranchers have cut their herds due to a drought across pastureland and a parasite known as screwworm, which forced a halt to U.S. imports of Mexican cattle. Last month, meat processing giant Tyson Foods closed one if its largest beef-processing facilities in Nebraska.

    JBS said production handled at the Riverside plant will be transferred to other company facilities without interrupting customer supply or service.

    The transition is expected to be complete by early next year, the company said.

    “JBS is committed to supporting impacted team members through this transition,” Richardson said in a statement. “The company remains focused on delivering high-quality products and dependable service while strengthening its operational footprint to meet evolving market demands.”

    The Riverside plant closure is part of a broader company strategy to optimize and simplify its operations. Shares of JBS were down less than 1% in midday trading Monday and have remained flat this year, rising about 2% since January.

    The company, which has a U.S. headquarters in Greeley, Colo., also has facilities and offices throughout Europe and Australia.

    The landscape is shifting in California’s oil industry as well, with Valero Energy Corp. planning to shut down a major refinery in the state by spring 2026.

    Last year, Chevron moved its headquarters from San Ramon, Calif., to Houston, citing challenging business regulations in the Golden State. This year, the last factory that turned sugar beets into sugar in California shut down, leading to the elimination of hundreds of jobs in the Imperial Valley.

    According to a Chapman University economic forecast released this month, California’s job growth totaled just 2% from the second quarter of 2022 to the second quarter this year, ranking it 48th among all states.

    The state lost jobs consecutively from June to September. Also, next year the state is expected to add 62,000 jobs.

    California also experienced a net population outflow of more than 1 million residents from 2021 to 2023, with the top five destinations being states with zero or very low state income taxes: Texas, Arizona, Nevada, Idaho and Florida, the report noted.

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    Caroline Petrow-Cohen

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  • Holiday job postings rise, but competition remains fierce – MoneySense

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    “After two down years, we’ve seen the seasonal hiring appetite actually come in a bit stronger than last year,” said Indeed Canada’s senior economist Brendon Bernard, who also authored the report.

    Bernard said demand for seasonal workers generally mimics the broader state of the economy. The last two holidays were overshadowed by high interest rates and inflation, which tempered businesses’ hiring appetite as households reined in spending. This year, however, consumer spending seems to be stabilizing as many retailers report “a fairly solid year,” Bernard said.

    Sandra Lavoy, metro market director with Robert Half, agrees that the holiday job market is looking a bit healthier this year. Lavoy said this comes after several industries—such as service and retail—have been running their businesses with lean staffing. But with the holiday season around the corner, it’s harder to maintain those levels. “When you look at seasonal work, it’s about two months, maybe, three months,” she said. “You have no choice because the business does increase significantly.” 

    Temporary holiday work in high demand

    But landing a holiday job is not as easy as it was a few years ago. The report shows more Canadians are searching for work. The October labour market report from Statistics Canada shows the unemployment rate remains elevated at 6.9%, despite a couple months of surprising job gains. 

    Indeed Canada tracks holiday-related job postings on its website, parsing through listings for mentions of words such as Christmas, Xmas, Santa, holiday, and other related terms. It also tracks job seeker searches for these terms. The report says the share of job seeker searches on Indeed containing seasonal job-related terms has increased. In early November, about three out of every 1,000 Canadian job searches included a holiday-related term, up slightly from a year earlier, and meaningfully higher from November 2023 and 2022, at 2.5 and 2.2, respectively.

    “Stronger interest in seasonal work isn’t a great sign for the health of the overall labour market,” the report said, adding that it could indicate some are considering seasonal work to make ends meet. That has likely made it more difficult to land a temporary job when compared to previous years, Bernard said.  “That might cause folks, who would in other times prefer to work a more stable permanent job, needing to look for temporary work just for now,” he said.

    Seasonal hiring slower than summer months

    The weak labour market created a competitive environment for seasonal jobs in the summer, but Bernard said it’s hard to gauge whether the holiday hiring season will also be that fierce. While there are some similarities in economic conditions, the labour demand and types of hiring are starkly different for the summer season, Bernard said. “There’s a lot more hiring that happens in the summer than around the holidays, just because there’s so much more work that gets done over the summer months,” he said.

    Unlike this winter season, where postings are slightly higher, Indeed Canada’s summer hiring report showed summer job postings had dropped 22% in May year-over-year. “We did see a bit of a change in direction (this winter), which is good to see, even if it’s not going to be a roaring market,” Bernard said.

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  • MCO among 40 U.S. airports reducing 10% of flights amid government shutdown

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    The secretary of transportation and the Federal Aviation Administration have announced that starting Friday, there will be a 10% reduction in air traffic at 40 U.S. airports as the government shutdown continues.The Orlando International Airport was included among the 40 airports. MCO cutting 10% of its flights a day would impact about 100 flights. This all comes down to safety, federal officials said. The administrator for the FAA said right now, things are running safely, but said they are seeing a level of pressure on certain systems that can’t go unchecked and continue to be safe.The Secretary of Transportation and the Administrator for the Federal Aviation Administration announced an unprecedented step they say will relieve some pressure. particularly on air traffic controllers, a 10% reduction in traffic at 40 airports. That’s something FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford said he hadn’t seen in his 35-year aviation career. “We’re going to look for a radical reduction across these 40 markets over the next 48 hours,” Bedford said.If the government shutdown continues, the reduction in flights is expected to begin on Friday morning. They referred to them as “high volume traffic markets,” but that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s the nation’s 40 busiest airports. It’s places where they said they’re seeing pressure start to build as some air traffic controllers stop showing up to work while they aren’t being paid. “We are starting to see some evidence that fatigue is building in the system in ways that we feel we need to work towards relieving some of that pressure,” Bedford said. MCO airport officials understand the priority is to maintain safety in the national airspace system.”Since the federal government shutdown, MCO’s operations have been minimally impacted, with few exceptions, thanks to the federal airport partners who continue to come to work. We encourage passengers to contact their airlines for the most up-to-date flight information.”The FAA did issue a ground delay at MCO last week due to staffing issues. While the FAA administrator said things are running safely now, after looking at voluntary safety disclosure reports, Bedford said, “We are seeing pressures build in a way that we don’t feel will, if we allow it to go unchecked, will allow us to continue to tell the public that we operate the safest airline system in the world.”As the shutdown stretches on, the secretary said data will determine if we see even more restrictions or fewer. He said he’s concerned about disrupting people’s travel. “I’m concerned about that,” Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy said. “But we had to have a gut check of what is our job? Is it to make sure there’s minimal delays or minimal cancellations? Or is, is our job to make sure we make the hard decisions to continue to keep the airspace safe? That is our job, is safety.”It’s not just commercial air travel that will be affected. They also announced Wednesday there will be restrictions on space launches, which Duffy said can “take a lot more attention from controllers.”Full list ANC Anchorage International ATL Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International BOS Boston Logan International BWI Baltimore/Washington International CLT Charlotte Douglas International CVG Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International DAL Dallas Love DCA Ronald Reagan Washington National DEN Denver International DFW Dallas/Fort Worth InternationalDTW Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County EWR Newark Liberty International FLL Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood International HNL Honolulu International HOU Houston Hobby IAD Washington Dulles International IAH George Bush Houston Intercontinental IND Indianapolis International JFK New York John F Kennedy International LAS Las Vegas McCarran InternationalLAX Los Angeles InternationalLGA New York LaGuardia MCO Orlando International MDW Chicago Midway MEM Memphis International MIA Miami International MSP Minneapolis/St Paul International OAK Oakland InternationalONT Ontario International ORD Chicago O`Hare International PDX Portland International PHL Philadelphia International PHX Phoenix Sky Harbor International SAN San Diego International SDF Louisville International SEA Seattle/Tacoma International SFO San Francisco International SLC Salt Lake City International TEB Teterboro TPA Tampa International

    The secretary of transportation and the Federal Aviation Administration have announced that starting Friday, there will be a 10% reduction in air traffic at 40 U.S. airports as the government shutdown continues.

    The Orlando International Airport was included among the 40 airports. MCO cutting 10% of its flights a day would impact about 100 flights.

    This all comes down to safety, federal officials said. The administrator for the FAA said right now, things are running safely, but said they are seeing a level of pressure on certain systems that can’t go unchecked and continue to be safe.

    The Secretary of Transportation and the Administrator for the Federal Aviation Administration announced an unprecedented step they say will relieve some pressure. particularly on air traffic controllers, a 10% reduction in traffic at 40 airports.

    That’s something FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford said he hadn’t seen in his 35-year aviation career.

    “We’re going to look for a radical reduction across these 40 markets over the next 48 hours,” Bedford said.

    If the government shutdown continues, the reduction in flights is expected to begin on Friday morning.

    They referred to them as “high volume traffic markets,” but that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s the nation’s 40 busiest airports. It’s places where they said they’re seeing pressure start to build as some air traffic controllers stop showing up to work while they aren’t being paid.

    “We are starting to see some evidence that fatigue is building in the system in ways that we feel we need to work towards relieving some of that pressure,” Bedford said.

    MCO airport officials understand the priority is to maintain safety in the national airspace system.

    “Since the federal government shutdown, MCO’s operations have been minimally impacted, with few exceptions, thanks to the federal airport partners who continue to come to work. We encourage passengers to contact their airlines for the most up-to-date flight information.”

    The FAA did issue a ground delay at MCO last week due to staffing issues.

    While the FAA administrator said things are running safely now, after looking at voluntary safety disclosure reports, Bedford said, “We are seeing pressures build in a way that we don’t feel will, if we allow it to go unchecked, will allow us to continue to tell the public that we operate the safest airline system in the world.”

    As the shutdown stretches on, the secretary said data will determine if we see even more restrictions or fewer. He said he’s concerned about disrupting people’s travel.

    “I’m concerned about that,” Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy said. “But we had to have a gut check of what is our job? Is it to make sure there’s minimal delays or minimal cancellations? Or is, is our job to make sure we make the hard decisions to continue to keep the airspace safe? That is our job, is safety.”

    This content is imported from Twitter.
    You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.

    It’s not just commercial air travel that will be affected. They also announced Wednesday there will be restrictions on space launches, which Duffy said can “take a lot more attention from controllers.”

    Full list

    1. ANC Anchorage International
    2. ATL Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International
    3. BOS Boston Logan International
    4. BWI Baltimore/Washington International
    5. CLT Charlotte Douglas International
    6. CVG Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International
    7. DAL Dallas Love
    8. DCA Ronald Reagan Washington National
    9. DEN Denver International
    10. DFW Dallas/Fort Worth International
    11. DTW Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County
    12. EWR Newark Liberty International
    13. FLL Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood International
    14. HNL Honolulu International
    15. HOU Houston Hobby
    16. IAD Washington Dulles International
    17. IAH George Bush Houston Intercontinental
    18. IND Indianapolis International
    19. JFK New York John F Kennedy International
    20. LAS Las Vegas McCarran International
    21. LAX Los Angeles International
    22. LGA New York LaGuardia
    23. MCO Orlando International
    24. MDW Chicago Midway
    25. MEM Memphis International
    26. MIA Miami International
    27. MSP Minneapolis/St Paul International
    28. OAK Oakland International
    29. ONT Ontario International
    30. ORD Chicago O`Hare International
    31. PDX Portland International
    32. PHL Philadelphia International
    33. PHX Phoenix Sky Harbor International
    34. SAN San Diego International
    35. SDF Louisville International
    36. SEA Seattle/Tacoma International
    37. SFO San Francisco International
    38. SLC Salt Lake City International
    39. TEB Teterboro
    40. TPA Tampa International

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  • Trump administration asks the Supreme Court to allow it to fire head of US Copyright Office

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    The Trump administration on Monday asked the Supreme Court to allow it to fire the director of the U.S. Copyright Office.The administration’s newest emergency appeal to the high court was filed a month and a half after a federal appeals court in Washington held that the official, Shira Perlmutter, could not be unilaterally fired.Nearly four weeks ago, the full U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit refused to reconsider that ruling.The case is the latest that relates to Trump’s authority to install his own people at the head of federal agencies. The Supreme Court has largely allowed Trump to fire officials, even as court challenges proceed.But this case concerns an office that is within the Library of Congress. Perlmutter is the register of copyrights and also advises Congress on copyright issues.Solicitor General D. John Sauer wrote in his filing Monday that despite the ties to Congress, the register “wields executive power” in regulating copyrights.Perlmutter claims Trump fired her in May because he disapproved of advice she gave to Congress in a report related to artificial intelligence. Perlmutter had received an email from the White House notifying her that “your position as the Register of Copyrights and Director at the U.S. Copyright Office is terminated effective immediately,” her office said.A divided appellate panel ruled that Perlmutter could keep her job while the case moves forward.”The Executive’s alleged blatant interference with the work of a Legislative Branch official, as she performs statutorily authorized duties to advise Congress, strikes us as a violation of the separation of powers that is significantly different in kind and in degree from the cases that have come before,” Judge Florence Pan wrote for the appeals court. Judge Michelle Childs joined the opinion. Democratic President Joe Biden appointed both judges to the appeals court.Judge Justin Walker, a Trump appointee, wrote in dissent that Perlmutter “exercises executive power in a host of ways.”Perlmutter’s attorneys have argued that she is a renowned copyright expert. She has served as register of copyrights since then-Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden appointed her to the job in October 2020.Trump appointed Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche to replace Hayden at the Library of Congress. The White House fired Hayden amid criticism from conservatives that she was advancing a “woke” agenda.

    WASHINGTON —

    The Trump administration on Monday asked the Supreme Court to allow it to fire the director of the U.S. Copyright Office.

    The administration’s newest emergency appeal to the high court was filed a month and a half after a federal appeals court in Washington held that the official, Shira Perlmutter, could not be unilaterally fired.

    Nearly four weeks ago, the full U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit refused to reconsider that ruling.

    The case is the latest that relates to Trump’s authority to install his own people at the head of federal agencies. The Supreme Court has largely allowed Trump to fire officials, even as court challenges proceed.

    But this case concerns an office that is within the Library of Congress. Perlmutter is the register of copyrights and also advises Congress on copyright issues.

    Solicitor General D. John Sauer wrote in his filing Monday that despite the ties to Congress, the register “wields executive power” in regulating copyrights.

    Perlmutter claims Trump fired her in May because he disapproved of advice she gave to Congress in a report related to artificial intelligence. Perlmutter had received an email from the White House notifying her that “your position as the Register of Copyrights and Director at the U.S. Copyright Office is terminated effective immediately,” her office said.

    A divided appellate panel ruled that Perlmutter could keep her job while the case moves forward.

    “The Executive’s alleged blatant interference with the work of a Legislative Branch official, as she performs statutorily authorized duties to advise Congress, strikes us as a violation of the separation of powers that is significantly different in kind and in degree from the cases that have come before,” Judge Florence Pan wrote for the appeals court. Judge Michelle Childs joined the opinion. Democratic President Joe Biden appointed both judges to the appeals court.

    Judge Justin Walker, a Trump appointee, wrote in dissent that Perlmutter “exercises executive power in a host of ways.”

    Perlmutter’s attorneys have argued that she is a renowned copyright expert. She has served as register of copyrights since then-Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden appointed her to the job in October 2020.

    Trump appointed Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche to replace Hayden at the Library of Congress. The White House fired Hayden amid criticism from conservatives that she was advancing a “woke” agenda.

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  • Staffing issues trigger temporary ground stop at LAX

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    Nearly four weeks into the federal government shutdown, a staffing shortage at Los Angeles International Airport prompted a temporary ground stop Sunday morning affecting flights at the West Coast’s largest and busiest airport.

    The restriction began around 8:45 a.m., affecting departing flights for Oakland, and was lifted at 10:30 a.m., according to an FAA Air Traffic Control System Command Center advisory.

    The stoppage affected most of Southern California, leaving passengers experiencing flight delays of around 49 minutes, with some waiting up to 87 minutes, according to KTLA.

    Even after the resumption of flights, travelers were instructed to check the status of their flights.

    Since the federal shutdown began Oct. 1, the Federal Aviation Administration has warned of disruption at airports due to staff shortages. Air traffic controllers are required to work unpaid when the federal government shuts down and do not obtain retroactive pay until Congress comes to an agreement on a budget.

    Less than a week into the shutdown, dozens of flights were delayed and 12 flights were canceled as Hollywood Burbank Airport’s air traffic control tower was temporarily unstaffed due to shortages. Outgoing flights were delayed an average of two hours and 31 minutes.

    Airports across the nation have experienced staff shortages at their air traffic control towers this month. On Sunday afternoon, the Federal Aviation Administration’s operations plan listed several major airports experiencing “staffing triggers,” from LAX to Ronald Reagain Washington National Airport in Virginia and Philadelphia International Airport in Pennsylvania.

    U.S. Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy said Sunday the problem is getting worse as more controllers, getting no paychecks, are calling in sick.

    “I’ve been out talking to air traffic controllers and you can see the stress,” Duffy said on Fox News. “These are people that oftentimes live paycheck to paycheck or one controller has a stay-at-home spouse. They’re concerned about gas in the car, they’re concerned about child care and mortgages.”

    On Saturday, 22 airports had staffing shortages, Duffy said.

    “That’s one of the highest that we have seen in the system since the shutdown began,” he said. “And that’s a sign that the controllers are wearing thin.”

    California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s press office was quick to seize on news of the problems at LAX and goad Duffy.

    “Hell of a job, @SecDuffy,” Newsom’s office posted on X, sharing a news story about the LAX ground stop. “Can’t wait to see what you do with NASA.”

    This is not the first time a federal shutdown has triggered national disruptions to flights.

    In January 2019, a large number of air traffic controllers called in sick in New York City, prompting the Federal Aviation Administration to temporarily halt flights into LaGuardia Airport.

    The chaos at LaGuardia — and subsequent news coverage of airport delays and threats to air safety — swiftly motivated politicians to come to an agreement. But this year, Republicans and Democrats in Washington seem deadlocked and no closer to a deal.

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    Stacy Perman

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  • Commentary: A youth movement is roiling Democrats. Does age equal obsolescence?

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    Barbara Boxer decided she was done. Entering her 70s, fresh off reelection to the U.S. Senate, she determined her fourth term would be her last.

    “I just felt it was time,” Boxer said. “I wanted to do other things.”

    Besides, she knew the Democratic bench was amply stocked with many bright prospects, including California’s then-attorney general, Kamala Harris, who succeeded Boxer in Washington en route to her selection as Joe Biden’s vice president.

    When Boxer retired in 2017, after serving 24 years in the Senate, she walked away from one of the most powerful and privileged positions in American politics, a job many have clung to until their last, rattling breath.

    (Boxer tried to gently nudge her fellow Democrat and former Senate colleague, Dianne Feinstein, whose mental and physical decline were widely chronicled during her final, difficult years in office. Ignoring calls to step aside, Feinstein died at age 90, hours after voting on a procedural matter on the Senate floor.)

    Now an effort is underway among Democrats, from Hawaii to Massachusetts, to force other senior lawmakers to yield, as Boxer did, to a new and younger generation of leaders. The movement is driven by the usual roiling ambition, along with revulsion at Donald Trump and the existential angst that visits a political party every time it loses a dispiriting election like the one Democrats faced in 2024.

    Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has become the highest profile target.

    Last week, she drew a second significant challenger to her reelection, state Sen. Scott Wiener, who jumped into the contest alongside tech millionaire Saikat Chakrabarti, who’s been campaigning against the incumbent for the better part of a year.

    Pelosi — who is 85 and hasn’t faced a serious election fight in San Francisco since Ronald Reagan was in the White House — is expected to announce sometime after California’s Nov. 4 special election whether she’ll run again in 2026.

    Boxer, who turns 85 next month, offered no counsel to Pelosi, though she pushed back against the notion that age necessarily equates with infirmity, or political obsolescence. She pointed to Ted Kennedy and John McCain, two of the senators she served with, who remained vital and influential in Congress well into their 70s.

    On the other hand, Boxer said, “Some people don’t deserve to be there for five minutes, let alone five years … They’re 50. Does that make it good? No. There are people who are old and out of ideas at 60.”

    There is, Boxer said, “no one-size-fits-all” measure of when a lawmaker has passed his or her expiration date. Better, she suggested, for voters to look at what’s motivating someone to stay in office. Are they driven by purpose — and still capable of doing the job — “or is it a personal ego thing or psychological thing?”

    “My last six years were my most prolific,” said Boxer, who opposes both term limits and a mandatory retirement age for members of Congress. “And if they’d said 65 and out, I wouldn’t have been there.”

    Art Agnos didn’t choose to leave office.

    He was 53 — in the blush of youth, compared to some of today’s Democratic elders — when he lost his reelection bid after a single term as San Francisco mayor.

    “I was in the middle of my prime, which is why I ran for reelection,” he said. “And, frankly,” he added with a laugh, “I still feel like I’m in my prime at 87.”

    A friend and longtime Pelosi ally, Agnos bristled at the ageism he sees aimed at lawmakers of a certain vintage. Why, he asked, is that acceptable in politics when it’s deplored in just about every other field of endeavor?

    “What profession do we say we want bright young people who have never done this before to take over because they’re bright, young and say the right things?” Agnos asked rhetorically. “Would you go and say, ‘Let me find a brain surgeon who’s never done this before, but he’s bright and young and has great promise.’ We don’t do that. Do we?

    “Give me somebody who’s got experience, “ Agnos said, “who’s been through this and knows how to handle a crisis, or a particular issue.”

    Pete Wilson also left office sooner than he would have like, but that’s because term limits pushed him out after eight years as California governor. (Before that, he served eight years in the Senate and 11 as San Diego mayor.)

    “I thought that I had done a good job … and a number of people said, ‘Gee, it’s a pity that you can’t run for a third term,’ ” Wilson said as he headed to New Haven, Conn., for his college reunion, Yale class of ’55. “As a matter of fact, I agreed with them.”

    Still, unlike Boxer, Wilson supports term limits, as a way to infuse fresh blood into the political system and prevent too many over-the-hill incumbents from heedlessly overstaying their time in office.

    Not that he’s blind to the impetus to hang on. The power. The perks. And, perhaps above all, the desire to get things done.

    At age 92, Wilson maintains an active law practice in Century City and didn’t hesitate — “Yes!” he exclaimed — when asked if he considered himself capable of serving today as governor, even as he wends his way through a tenth decade on Earth.

    His wife, Gayle, could be heard chuckling in the background.

    “She’s laughing,” Wilson said dryly, “because she knows she’s not in any danger of my doing so.”

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    Mark Z. Barabak

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  • People Who Said ‘Hell Naw’ to Their Job After 1 Day

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    Ever started a new job and realized within hours that you’d made a huge mistake? You’re not alone. From nightmare bosses to sketchy workplaces that looked nothing like the interview promised, plenty of people have noped out after just one day… and honestly, sometimes that’s the smartest move you can make.

    Here are a handful of ‘hell naw‘ stories that you may or may not relate to!

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    Hendy

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  • Opinion | Japan Gets New Kind of Leader

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    Sanae Takaichi, a hawkish nationalist, wants to make her country great again.

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    Walter Russell Mead

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  • Federal government shutdown delays jobs report release, adding economic uncertainty

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    The jobs report, which usually comes out on the first Friday of every month, will not be released today. Two private surveys that came out this week show *** wide range of numbers. The payroll provider ADP issued its monthly employment data, which does not include government agencies, showing the economy lost 32,000 jobs in September, while another survey by FactSet suggests 50,000 jobs were created at an already uncertain time in the economy. This is making things even more unclear. If the official government jobs report is delayed for several weeks, it could create *** Challenge for the Federal Reserve as they decide to change key interest rates which impact mortgages, loans, and credit cards. We’ve seen jobs reports delayed before during other government shutdowns in 2013 and 1995, the release of the jobs report was paused, but during the longest government shutdown in US history from 2018 to 2019, the jobs report was released, and that was during President Trump’s first term in office at the White House. I’m Rachel Herzheimer.

    Federal government shutdown delays jobs report release, adding economic uncertainty

    The ongoing federal government shutdown postponed the release of the monthly jobs report, adding to economic uncertainty.

    Updated: 4:35 AM PDT Oct 3, 2025

    Editorial Standards ⓘ

    The federal government shutdown has reached its third day, with senators preparing to vote again on short-term budget proposals from both parties, which have failed multiple times.Bipartisan talks continue, but Republicans remain firm in their demand that the government reopen before addressing Democratic health care demands, which include extending credits for cheaper private health care and reversing Medicaid cuts. The jobs report, usually released on the first Friday of every month, will not be published today due to the shutdown. Two private surveys released this week show differing data: payroll provider ADP reported a loss of 32,000 jobs in September, while FactSet suggested 50,000 jobs were created.The delayed report adds to the uncertainty in an already unclear economic situation and could pose a challenge to the Federal Reserve in deciding interest rate changes, which impact mortgages, loans, and credit cards.Previous shutdowns in 2013 and 1995 also saw delays in jobs reports, although the report was released during the longest shutdown in U.S. history, under President Donald Trump’s first term.Keep watching for the latest from the Washington News Bureau:

    WASHINGTON —

    The federal government shutdown has reached its third day, with senators preparing to vote again on short-term budget proposals from both parties, which have failed multiple times.

    Bipartisan talks continue, but Republicans remain firm in their demand that the government reopen before addressing Democratic health care demands, which include extending credits for cheaper private health care and reversing Medicaid cuts.

    The jobs report, usually released on the first Friday of every month, will not be published today due to the shutdown.

    Two private surveys released this week show differing data: payroll provider ADP reported a loss of 32,000 jobs in September, while FactSet suggested 50,000 jobs were created.

    The delayed report adds to the uncertainty in an already unclear economic situation and could pose a challenge to the Federal Reserve in deciding interest rate changes, which impact mortgages, loans, and credit cards.

    Previous shutdowns in 2013 and 1995 also saw delays in jobs reports, although the report was released during the longest shutdown in U.S. history, under President Donald Trump’s first term.

    Keep watching for the latest from the Washington News Bureau:


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  • Here’s how Trump is changing the H-1B visa program

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    Here’s how Trump is changing the H-1B visa program

    The Trump administration is overhauling a visa program intended for high-skilled workers by hiking the application fee to $100,000 annually.

    Updated: 5:11 AM PDT Sep 20, 2025

    Editorial Standards ⓘ

    President Donald Trump is overhauling a visa program intended for high-skilled workers by hiking the application fee to $100,000 annually from $215. It’s the latest step from the Trump administration aimed at limiting legal immigration. The move could shake up hiring strategies in major industries like technology, finance, health care and higher education. The H-1B visa program aims to bring in foreign workers for high-skilled, hard-to-fill jobs. Historically, these visas have been awarded through a lottery system. Opponents argue that businesses are abusing the program to pay overseas workers lower wages. At a press conference on Friday, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said the steeper application fee will incentivize companies to hire Americans instead. He predicted program usage will ultimately fall below the current 85,000 annual cap as a result. “Train Americans. Stop bringing in people to take our jobs,” Lutnick said. This year, top recipients of H-1B visas included Amazon, Microsoft, Apple, and Google.In the past, debates over the future of the program have divided members of Trump’s coalition. Some have called for lower caps or eliminating H-1B visas entirely. Big Tech allies, like billionaire Elon Musk (a former H-1B recipient), contend the program plays a critical role in keeping American businesses competitive by attracting top talent from around the world.”The number of people who are super talented engineers AND super motivated in the USA is far too low,” Musk posted in December during a social media spat on this topic. “Think of this like a pro sports team: if you want your TEAM to win the championship, you need to recruit top talent wherever they may be. That enables the whole TEAM to win.” Also on Friday, Trump rolled out a new visa pathway that he’s calling the “Trump Gold Card.” It allows vetted individuals to pay $1 million in exchange for an expedited process and a pathway to lawful permanent resident status, according to the program’s website. Corporations sponsoring individuals would have to pay $2 million. “It’s going to raise billions of dollars, billions and billions of dollars, which is going to reduce taxes, pay off debt, and other good things,” Trump said. Critics argue that Trump can’t take these steps without approval from Congress. The plan is expected to face legal challenges.

    WASHINGTON —

    President Donald Trump is overhauling a visa program intended for high-skilled workers by hiking the application fee to $100,000 annually from $215.

    It’s the latest step from the Trump administration aimed at limiting legal immigration. The move could shake up hiring strategies in major industries like technology, finance, health care and higher education.

    The H-1B visa program aims to bring in foreign workers for high-skilled, hard-to-fill jobs. Historically, these visas have been awarded through a lottery system.

    Opponents argue that businesses are abusing the program to pay overseas workers lower wages. At a press conference on Friday, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said the steeper application fee will incentivize companies to hire Americans instead. He predicted program usage will ultimately fall below the current 85,000 annual cap as a result.

    “Train Americans. Stop bringing in people to take our jobs,” Lutnick said.

    This year, top recipients of H-1B visas included Amazon, Microsoft, Apple, and Google.

    In the past, debates over the future of the program have divided members of Trump’s coalition. Some have called for lower caps or eliminating H-1B visas entirely. Big Tech allies, like billionaire Elon Musk (a former H-1B recipient), contend the program plays a critical role in keeping American businesses competitive by attracting top talent from around the world.

    “The number of people who are super talented engineers AND super motivated in the USA is far too low,” Musk posted in December during a social media spat on this topic. “Think of this like a pro sports team: if you want your TEAM to win the championship, you need to recruit top talent wherever they may be. That enables the whole TEAM to win.”

    Also on Friday, Trump rolled out a new visa pathway that he’s calling the “Trump Gold Card.” It allows vetted individuals to pay $1 million in exchange for an expedited process and a pathway to lawful permanent resident status, according to the program’s website. Corporations sponsoring individuals would have to pay $2 million.

    “It’s going to raise billions of dollars, billions and billions of dollars, which is going to reduce taxes, pay off debt, and other good things,” Trump said.

    Critics argue that Trump can’t take these steps without approval from Congress. The plan is expected to face legal challenges.

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  • Commentary: If he ever gets his job back, I have just the hat for Jimmy Kimmel, thanks to Trump

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    These are dark times, the average cynic might argue.

    But do not despair.

    If you focus on the positive, rather than the negative, you’ll have to agree that the United States of America is on top and still climbing.

    Yes, protesters gathered Thursday outside “Jimmy Kimmel Live” in Hollywood to denounce ABC’s suspension of the host and President Trump’s threat to revoke licenses from networks that criticize him, despite repeated vows by Trump and top deputies to defend free speech.

    You can call it hypocrisy.

    I call it moxie.

    And by the way, demonstrators were not arrested or deported, and the National Guard was not summoned (as far as I know).

    Do you see what I mean? Just tilt your head back a bit, and you can see sunshine breaking through the clouds.

    Let’s take the president’s complaint that he read “someplace” that the networks “were 97% against me.” Some might see weakness in that, or thin skin. Others might wonder where the “someplace” was that the president discovered his TV news favorability rating stands at 3%, given that he could get caught drowning puppies and cheating at golf and still get fawning coverage from at least one major network.

    But Trump had good reason to be grumpy. He was returning from a news conference in London, where he confused Albania and Armenia and fumbled the pronunciation of Azerbaijan, which sounded a bit more like Abracadabra.

    It’s not his fault all those countries all start with an A. And isn’t there a geography lesson in it for all of us, if not a history lesson?

    We move on now to American healthcare, and the many promising developments under way in the nation’s capital, thanks to Trump’s inspired choice of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as chief of the Department of Health and Human Services.

    Those who see the glass half empty would argue that Kennedy has turned the department into a morgue, attempting to kill COVID-19 vaccine research, espousing backwater views about measles, firing public health experts, demoralizing the remaining staff and rejecting decades worth of biomedical advances despite having no medical training or expertise.

    But on the plus side, Kennedy is going after food dyes.

    It’s about time, and thank you very much.

    I’m not sure what else will be left in a box of Trix or Lucky Charms when food coloring is removed, but I am opposed to fake food coloring, unless it’s in a cocktail, and I’d like to think most Americans are with me on this.

    Also on the bright side: Kennedy is encouraging Americans to do chin-ups and pushups for better health.

    Are you going to sit on the radical left side of your sofa and gripe about what’s happened to your country, or get with the program and try to do a few pushups?

    OK, so Trump’s efforts to shut down the war on cancer is a little scary. As the New York Times reported, on the chopping block is development of a new technique for colorectal cancer prevention, research into immunotherapy cancer prevention, a study on improving childhood cancer survival rates, and better analysis of pre-malignant breast tissue in high-risk women.

    But that could all be fake news, or 97% of it, at least. And if it’s not?

    All that research and all those doctors and scientists can apply for jobs in other countries, just like all the climate scientists whose work is no longer a national priority. The more who leave, the better, because the brain drain is going to free up a lot of real estate and help solve the housing crisis.

    Thank you, President Trump.

    Is it any wonder that Trump has been seen recently wearing a MAGA-red hat that says “TRUMP WAS RIGHT ABOUT EVERYTHING!”

    Well, mostly everything.

    Climate change appears to be real.

    The war in Ukraine didn’t end as promised.

    The war in the Middle East is still raging.

    Grocery prices did not go down on day one, and some goods cost more because of tariffs.

    As for the promise of a new age of American prosperity, there’s no rainbow in sight yet, although there is a pot of gold in the White House, with estimates of billions in profits for Trump family businesses since he took office,

    But for all of that, along with an approval rating that has dropped since he took office in January, Trump exudes confidence. So much so that he proudly wears that bright red hat, which he was giving out in the Oval office, and which retails for $25.

    It’s another ingenious economic stimulation plan.

    And there’s an important lesson here for all of us.

    Never admit defeat, and when things don’t go your way, stand tall, adjust your hat, and find someone to blame.

    We should all have our own hats made.

    Doctors could wear hats saying they’ve never gotten a diagnosis wrong.

    Dentists could wear hats saying they’ve never pulled the wrong tooth.

    TV meteorologists could wear hats saying — well, maybe not — that they’ve gotten every forecast right.

    I’m having hats made as you read this.

    LOPEZ IS RIGHT ABOUT EVERYTHING!

    Please don’t have me fired, Mr. President, if you disagree.

    As for Jimmy Kimmel, I’m offering this idea free of charge:

    If you ever get your job back, you, your sidekick Guillermo, and the entire studio audience should be wearing hats.

    KIMMEL WAS RIGHT ABOUT EVERYTHING!

    Steve.lopez@latimes.com

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    Steve Lopez

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