US, Mexico to clamp down on illegal immigration, leaders say
The United States and Mexico plan to clamp down on illegal immigration at their shared border, leadersfrombothcountriessaidonMonday,vowing to disrupt irregular crossings that have reached record levels in recent years.
In a phone conversation on Sunday, U.S. President Joe Biden and Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said their administrations would soon take steps to decrease illegal crossings while also addressing the economic and security problems that cause people to migrate.
"In the short term, the two leaders ordered their national security teams to work together to immediately implement concrete measures to significantly reduce irregular border crossings while protecting human rights," the leaders said in a joint statement
Biden signs new memo to boost security of US critical infrastructure
President Joe Biden on Tuesday signed a new national security memorandum to boost the resilience of U.S. critical infrastructure, replacing a decade-old policy.
The White House said it was launching a "comprehensive effort to protect U.S. infrastructure against all threats and hazards, current and future."
The directive empowers the Homeland Security Department to lead the government-wide effort to secure U.S. critical infrastructure and to submit regular National Risk Management plans summarizing U.S. government efforts.
Concerns have been rising about the security of U.S. critical infrastructure like utilities, power plants, aviation, rail, mass transit, highway, maritime, pipeline, water and sewage organizations.
Bird flu testing shows more dairy products are safe, US FDA says
Preliminary results of tests on additional dairy products show that pasteurization inactivates the birdfluvirus,theU.S.FoodandDrugAdministration said on Wednesday.
The FDA released further test results on foods including sour cream and cottage cheese, after reporting last week that preliminary results from testing showed pasteurization kills the H5N1 virus in milk and baby formula.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has confirmed bird flu in 36 dairy herds in nine states since the first-ever detection in late March, though scientists have said the outbreak is likely more widespread based on findings of H5N1 particles in about 20% of milk samples. One Texas dairy worker tested positive for the virus.
Maryland said on Thursday it estimates it will cost $1.7 billion to $1.9 billion to rebuild a collapsed Baltimore bridge and anticipates it will be completed by fall 2028.
The Maryland Department of Transportation said the state's "planning level cost estimate is between $1.7 billion and $1.9 billion" which "is in line with similar projects of this scale and complexity."
The Dali cargo ship crashed into the Francis Scott Key Bridge on March 26, killing six people. LawmakersinCongressareworkingonlegislation that would waive the current requirement that the state pay 10% of the rebuilding costs and ensure there is enough money in a federal rebuilding fund.
Maryland said it will request proposals to rebuild thebridgebytheendofMayandplansanindustry forum on Tuesday.
Souce:
https://www.reuters.com/world/us/bird-flu-testing-shows-more-dairy-products-aresafe-us-fda-says-2024-05-01/
US job growth slows in April; unemployment rate rises to 3.9%
U.S. job growth slowed more than expected in April and annual wage gains cooled, but it is probably too early to expect that the Federal Reserve will start cutting interest rates before September as the labor market remains fairly tight.
Nonfarm payrolls increased by 175,000 jobs last month, the Labor Department's Bureau of Statistics said in its closely watched employment report on Friday. Data for March was revised up to show payrolls rising by 315,000 jobs instead of 303,000 as previously reported.
Economists polled by Reuters had forecast payrolls advancing by 243,000. Estimates ranged from 150,000 to 280,000.
The unemployment rate rose to 3.9% from 3.8%, still staying below 4% for the 27th straight month.
Wagesincreased3.9%in the12monthsthrough Aprilafter rising4.1%in March.Wagegrowth in a3.0%-3.5% range is seen as consistent with the Fed's 2% inflation target.
The U.S. central bank on Wednesday left its benchmark overnight interest rate unchanged in the current 5.25%-5.50% range, where it has been since July.
Souce:
https://www.reuters.com/markets/us/us-job-growth-slows-april-unemployment-