Category: News
SBA Suspends More Than 1,000 Companies From Federal Contracting Program
SBA Suspends More Than 1,000 Companies From Federal Contracting Program
Authored by Kimberley Hayek via The Epoch Times,
The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) has suspended more than 1,000 companies from a key federal contracting program aimed at aiding disadvantaged businesses, after the firms failed to submit required financial documents, the agency announced Wednesday.
The SBA said it barred 1,091 firms from the 8(a) Business Development Program, which represents about 25 percent of the roughly 4,300 participants. The suspensions stem from a December 2025 order requiring all program members to provide three years of financial records by Jan. 19 to verify their legitimacy and root out potential shell companies or pass-through entities abusing the system.
About half of the suspended firms had received federal contract payments since 2021, totaling more than $5 billion over the past four years, according to the SBA.
The move is part of broader efforts under the Trump administration to overhaul the program, which supports small businesses owned by socially and economically disadvantaged individuals.
SBA Administrator Kelly Loeffler said the suspensions were a step toward eliminating corruption.
“The 8(a) Program was abused during the Biden Administration to benefit favored minority groups at the expense of every other legitimate small business owner in America, including white Americans,” Loeffler said in a statement.
“The Trump Administration has acted from Day One to dismantle the discriminatory agenda that put white small business owners at a disadvantage, and to crack down on the fraud and corruption that proliferates within DEI programs.”
Loeffler added that the agency is suspending companies that have refused to provide basic documents that every legitimate business should have on hand.
“As we continue to eliminate bad actors from this program, we also look forward to introducing robust reforms in the coming weeks to bring total integrity back to federal contracting,” she said.
The 8(a) program, which sets aside billions in federal contracts annually, has faced scrutiny over allegations of favoritism and misuse. Under the previous administration, more than 2,200 new firms joined the program over four years, compared with just 65 accepted by the SBA in 2025, the agency said.
In an effort to address those issues, the Trump-era SBA in February 2025 reduced the Small Disadvantaged Business contracting goal from 15 percent to the statutory 5 percent. It also stopped approving applications based solely on unsubstantiated claims of racial discrimination and clarified that white applicants are not denied entry, nor is minority status alone considered a social disadvantage.
The agency also launched the program’s first audit in June 2025, focusing on high-value and limited-competition contracts over the past 15 years. In July 2025, the SBA rescinded the U.S. Agency for International Development’s independent authority to award 8(a) contracts after a $550 million bribery scheme involving program participants.
That same month, the agency issued guidance to federal contracting officers on reporting fraud, waste, and abuse.
In October 2025, the SBA suspended several 8(a) contractors linked to $253 million in allegedly fraudulent awards. The following month, it cleared a backlog of 2,700 applications for Veteran Small Business Certification, which officials said had been neglected under the prior administration.
The December document request was issued to all 8(a) firms as part of the effort to combat abuse by illegitimate entities. Separately, the U.S. Department of War and the U.S. Department of the Treasury have begun their own audits of the program.
“We are taking a sledgehammer to the oldest DEI program in the federal government—the 8(a) program,” War Secretary Pete Hegseth wrote on X.
Tyler Durden
Thu, 01/29/2026 – 14:00
https://www.zerohedge.com/political/sba-suspends-more-1000-companies-federal-contracting-program
Elgin council votes to expand its use of AI in city hall work
The city of Elgin is moving forward with plans to expand its use of AI through programs that will offer more collaboration between departments and strengthen cybersecurity.
Acting on the recommendation of Chief Technology Officer Aaron Cosentino, the Elgin City Council approved a three-year, $1.2 million contract with Box Inc. Wednesday night that will build upon its current deal, which was limited to cloud storage for city documents and programs that allow employees to create notes, diagrams, centralized landing pages and electronic signatures.
Cosentino suggested adding more AI, or artificial intelligence, components before signing a new contract with the California-based company. The Elgin Police Department currently uses AI technology for police reports.
“AI means something different to everybody,” Cosentino told council members at a previous meeting where the contract was discussed. “Some really like it. Some really dislike it. And a lot of us are in between. But I think none of us can deny it is here. It is a force to be reckoned with.”
AI can have a large impact on the work city employees do and while there are potential downsides, “the city’s approach to AI tries to reap the benefits that AI can provide us while mitigating the risk some of us see with AI,” he said.
“(Box offers) a centralized, very controllable, secure AI that we can scale across the entire organization and make it available to all of our staff,” he said. “Everyone is going to be able to benefit from this.”
For example, it can help with routine staff duties, like evaluating bids for city contracts, Cosentino said. A process might take hours for employees to do now could be accomplished in minutes by directing an AI agent to look for specific information, he said.
Council members could use AI by getting questions answered, meeting documents analyzed and memos summarized as well as in guiding them in drafting questions for staff, Cosentino said. It would be the equivalent to having an assistant, he said.
Box has security perimeters in place to prohibit unauthorized people from viewing documents and ensuring documents remain in the city’s system, he said.
Additionally, Box’s AI draws from information in city documents and doesn’t rely on outside Internet sources, which can be inaccurate, Cosentino said.
“We control the information. We control the accuracy. We control who sees it,” he said. “What we don’t want to do is rely overly on AI … without any human in the loop. You want to have someone there from an accountability standpoint.”
That’s already in place with the police department’s use of AI, he said. Officers use it to create reports, but the department has a “very well written and thoughtful” policy that provides safeguards, he said.
The city will need to do the same, and will work with Box to develop a policy to be included in its strategic plan, Cosentino said.
He added that he knows there are concerns that AI will result in the elimination of jobs, but he said he believes it should be viewed as “a supplement and complement to our staff to be able to focus on larger quality control or other customer service issues.”
Gloria Casas is a freelance reporter for The Courier-News.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/01/29/elgin-ai-city-work-contract-expand/
Israeli, Saudi Officials Swarm DC As Trump Weighs Iran Strike Options
Israeli, Saudi Officials Swarm DC As Trump Weighs Iran Strike Options
Senior Saudi and Israeli defense and intelligence officials are converging on Washington this week as the Trump administration weighs potential US strikes on Iran, according to Axios. This as the same report also observes:
“A ‘limited strike’ is an illusion. Any military action by the U.S. — from any origin and at any level — will be considered an act of war and the response will be immediate, all out, and unprecedented, targeting the heart of Tel Aviv and all those supporting the aggressor,” Ali Shamkhani, a top adviser to Iran’s supreme leader, wrote on X.
Israeli officials, including IDF Intelligence Directorate chief Maj. Gen. Shlomi Binder, are reportedly presenting intelligence on Iranian targets to Pentagon, CIA, and White House officials, while Saudi counterparts are attempting to slow-walk Washington away from outright war. The Saudis lately joined the Emirates in barring the Pentagon for using airspace for any strikes.
Gen. Binder met with senior US defense and intelligence officials on Tuesday and Wednesday, while Saudi Defense Minister Khalid bin Salman – brother of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman – is expected to hold talks with Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Trump envoy Steve Witkoff later this week.
Behind closed doors, Trump is said to be considering targeted strikes on Iranian security forces and leadership figures in a bid to trigger internal unrest, Reuters has reported. Secretary Rubio yesterday floated before a Senate hearing the idea that the US must “preemptively prevent” Iran from attacking American forces already in the region, in an interesting display of war logic.
But CNN says stalled US-Iran talks over Tehran’s nuclear and missile programs have only hardened Washington’s appetite for escalation – raising the odds that diplomacy is giving way to force once again, or rather, placing the diplomatic bar so high that it would be next to impossible for Iran to comply.
Currently, Trump officials are reportedly insisting that Iran be stripped of any missile capability capable of striking Israel. Israel, meanwhile, would retain its full missile arsenal – including the undeclared nuclear weapons that everyone in the world knows about – capable of hitting Iran. According to CNN:
The biggest sticking point, sources said, has been the US demand that Iran agree to put limits on the range of its ballistic missiles — an acute concern for Israel, which expended much of its missile interceptor stockpile shooting down Iranian ballistic missiles during last June’s 12-day war. Iran has balked at that and told the US it would only discuss its nuclear program. The US has not replied, leaving both sides at a dead end, the sources said.
Which leaves the so-called “sticking point” glaringly obvious: Washington is demanding that Tehran agree to unilateral disarmament, rendering itself defenseless against Israeli air and missile strikes. In other words, total capitulation – or else.
And about that supposedly “obliterated” Iranian nuclear program?
It’s not clear why Trump has since shifted his focus back to Iran’s nuclear program, which he said last summer had been “obliterated” by US strikes. But Iran has been trying to rebuild its nuclear sites even deeper underground, according to a person familiar with recent US intelligence on the issue, and has long resisted US pressure to halt its uranium enrichment. The regime has also barred the UN’s nuclear watchdog from inspecting its nuclear sites.
Like with Venezuela before – or even hearkening all the way back to Bush’s Iraq invasion – the justifications for war will keep on shifting, until something sticks in a thinly veiled effort to manufacture consent.
Tucker Carlson has revealed that during the brief Iran-Israel war earlier this year, Israeli soldiers were barging into U.S. military meetings at the Pentagon, issuing demands, and telling American officers what to do.
He says Pentagon officials stood by in silence and is… pic.twitter.com/u5vhYwaOwI
— Shadow of Ezra (@ShadowofEzra) October 2, 2025
…And then the pretext will soon after be forgotten about when the bombs fall.
As one commenter pointed out related the several regime change conflicts of the last couple decades: “Free Iran” means exactly what “Free Iraq,” “Free Libya,” and “Free Syria” meant. That is the material reality, however you try to spin it. Either you’re calling for another US-engineered destruction, or you’re so politically naive your opinion can be automatically disregarded.
Tyler Durden
Thu, 01/29/2026 – 13:40
Stephen Colbert confirms May 21 as final episode of ‘The Late Show’
Stephen Colbert‘s final hurrah on CBS has been set in motion.
The late night kingpin reportedly broke the news during Monday’s taping of “Late Night With Seth Meyers” that the long-running “Late Show with Stephen Colbert” will air its series finale on May 21.
The official word comes six months after Colbert revealed that CBS’ parent company Paramount Global decided to pull the plug on the late-night TV staple after more than three decades at New York City’s Ed Sullivan Theater.
The announcement came days after the 10-time Emmy winner criticized a $16 million settlement between President Trump and Paramount Global over the editing of a “60 Minutes” news piece. He referred to the payment as a “big fat bribe” in his opening monologue.
“Next year will be our last season,” he said when sharing the news of the show’s shuttering. “It’s the end of ‘The Late Show’ on CBS. I’m not being replaced. This is all just going away.”
Meanwhile, the embattled network claimed the cancellation of “The Late Show” was merely a financial move.
“We consider Stephen Colbert irreplaceable and will retire ‘The Late Show’ franchise in May of 2026,” the company said in a statement. “We are proud that Stephen called CBS home. He and the broadcast will be remembered in the pantheon of greats that graced late night television. This is purely a financial decision against a challenging backdrop in late night. It is not related in any way to the show’s performance, content or other matters happening at Paramount.”
Days after the cancellation was made public, the Federal Communications Commission approved the $8.4 billion sale of Paramount to Skydance Media.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/01/29/stephen-colbert-final-episode/
Judge detains teen accused of stabbing pregnant Downers Grove mom 70 times after Facebook Marketplace dispute
While her husband was at work Monday evening, Eliza Morales planned to meet the 19-year-old who purchased the couple’s pickup truck on Facebook Marketplace at her Downers Grove apartment.
In mere minutes, the transaction turned deadly. The teen brutally stabbed the 30-year-old pregnant mother around 70 times because he was “upset” about the truck’s condition, killing her and her unborn child before setting her home on fire, DuPage County prosecutors alleged in court.
Nedas Revuckas, of Westmont, appeared before Judge Joshua Dieden for an initial court appearance Thursday, wearing an orange jumpsuit and showing minimal emotion. Charged with first-degree murder, intentional homicide of an unborn child, armed robbery, arson and aggravated cruelty to animals, Revuckas was ordered detained while awaiting trial.
Revuckas is both “violent” and has “difficulty controlling his emotions,” which poses a danger to the community, Dieden said in ordering him detained. The accusations against him are “troubling, chilling and significant,” Dieden added.
“Rather than stop, he continued the merciless attack on (Morales),” Dieden said.
In a phone call with the Tribune, Morales’ mother-in-law, Angelica Silva, said she never imagined such a devastating crime could happen to someone so caring.
Angelica Silva, right, and José Morales embrace during a candlelight vigil in memory of their daughter-in-law, Eliza Morales, who was killed in her Downers Grove apartment on Jan. 28, 2026. (Troy Stolt/for the Chicago Tribune)
Morales was the kind of person who was “always trying to help someone,” Silva said. She cared deeply about children and human rights causes, and recently converted to Islam. She worked in the payroll department at Lurie Children’s Hospital, and dreamed of having at least two more kids one day. She and her husband were high school sweethearts, Silva added.
“She always said my kids are going to be smart, they’re going to read, they’re going to know,” Silva said. “She always was at the library with the baby, always trying to absorb knowledge.”
Morales was about five months’ pregnant. Silva was babysitting her daughter, who was 1½ years old, at the time of the attack. A GoFundMe, which has raised more than $60,000 as of Thursday morning, was started to support the family.
“We were probably eating dinner while she was being murdered,” Silva said tearfully. “She was fighting for her life. The whole apartment you can tell she fought for her life. Her handprints of her getting up and falling are all over the walls.”
70 stab wounds
Assistant State’s Attorney Alyssa Rabulinski said in court Thursday that video surveillance showed Revuckas arriving at Morales’ apartment in the 2300 block of Ogden Avenue just before 5:30 p.m. Monday. He had arranged on Facebook with Morales’ husband to pick up the bill of sale and turn over the license plate for the pickup truck he first expressed interest in buying from the couple two days earlier.
The footage showed Morales interacting with Revuckas in the building’s vestibule and inside of her unit, Rabulinski said. Her husband wasn’t at home at the time.
By 5:49 p.m., Morales and Revuckas are shown in what appears to be a struggle, and the door to her apartment quickly closes. The handle on the door continued turning from the inside, indicating that someone — likely Morales — was attempting to escape, Rabulinski said.
The apartment complex where Eliza Morales, 30, was found dead in the 2300 block of Ogden Avenue in Downers Grove, Jan. 28, 2026. Nedas Revuckas, 19, has been charged with first-degree murder after Morales, who was six months’ pregnant with her second child, was found stabbed to death following a fire at the apartment on Jan. 26, 2026. (Josh Boland/Chicago Tribune)
About 20 minutes later, prosecutors said smoke was seen escaping under the door. The Downers Grove Fire Department quickly arrived at the scene, finding Morales near the door. She was pronounced dead in the ambulance, Rabulinski said. Revuckas was arrested just before midnight.
An autopsy from the DuPage County coroner’s office found her cause of death to be “multiple sharp force injuries.” They estimated there were 70 stab wounds, most of which were from a knife to her head and neck. She also had defensive injuries and soot in her airway.
During the struggle, Rabulinski also alleged Revuckas stabbed between the eyes the family’s elderly, red-nosed pit bull mix, named Zula. He also later admitted to kicking the dog, who escaped out of a sliding door during the fire, prosecutors said. The dog was under the care of an animal hospital.
“It is a horrific act of violence, and it’s not something that we typically see in DuPage County,” DuPage County State’s Attorney Bob Berlin said at a Thursday news conference. “It’s unconscionable, an unconscionable level of violence.”
Revuckas’ public defender argued in court that Revuckas is a young adult whose brain is still developing. He works full time as a painter and is in school for an electrical apprenticeship. He has no criminal history.
‘It just happened’
During a police interview, Revuckas confessed to murdering Morales, Rabulinski said. He said he had been “upset” about the condition of the pickup truck he purchased.
He told police he wanted to confront Morales’ husband, and that Morales “didn’t do anything wrong.” But he took out his frustration on her anyway, Rabulinski said.
Revuckas said in the interview that he didn’t plan on killing Morales, but that he lost control and “it just happened.”
During the fight, Morales told him she was pregnant, prosecutors said. But Revuckas said by that point, “she was basically dead to me.”
José Morales, father-in-law of Eliza Morales, leads friends and family members in the Lord’s Prayer during a candlelight vigil in her memory in Downers Grove on Jan. 28, 2026. (Troy Stolt for the Chicago Tribune)
Revuckas also admitted to setting the fire. He stacked household items on a stovetop and used household chemicals and sanitizer as an accelerant, Rabulinski said.
“I thought maybe just erase it all,” Revuckas told detectives.
During a search of Revuckas’ home, officers found the bloody boots Revuckas wore at Morales’ apartment, which were shown on the surveillance video. Revuckas later took detectives to an Ace Hardware where he swapped out of his jacket and took off his bloody clothes, prosecutors said.
At the store, detectives found the plastic bag he threw out which contained his bloody camouflage jacket, Morales’ work lanyard and her husband’s debit card. There were also two bloody gloves and pieces of what appeared to be Morales’ cellphone. In Revuckas’ truck, detectives saw blood on the driver‘s side door and steering wheel as well as about $200 on the driver’s seat, some of which was bloody. Investigators said they have not yet located the knife.
Downers Grove police Chief Michael DeVries said at the Thursday news conference that he felt someone “looking over us” during their speedy investigation.
“I’m thankful that we have an outcome for Eliza, her family and her unborn child, and I’m hopeful that this provides a sense of peace for the family as they deal with this tragic situation,” he said.
Rabulinski relayed in court an interaction between a detective and Revuckas. The detective told Revuckas that while he showed no remorse at first, now “you know what you did was wrong. I’m not going to sugarcoat. It’s pretty bad,” .
“I know,” Revuckas responded.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/01/29/facebook-marketplace-downers-grove-murder/
Top candidates for the US House in Illinois’ 2nd, 4th, 7th, 8th and 9th districts for the 2026 election
Illinois’ congressional delegation is getting a makeover.
In the March 17 Democratic primary, voters will decide who fills five open U.S. House seats in the Chicago area — vacancies created by retirements and Senate bids that together have triggered one of the most consequential congressional reshuffles in decades.
Three incumbents announced plans to leave Congress, while two others are running for U.S. Senate, opening four seats outright. A fifth contest was thrown into turmoil after U.S. Rep. Jesús “Chuy” García announced late in the election cycle that he would not seek reelection, a move that cleared the way for his chosen successor while complicating efforts by potential write-in candidates. All five districts are held by Democrats, making the Democratic primary races the ones to watch. Republicans are also fielding candidates in several races as the GOP nationally hopes to maintain its thin majority in the House.
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2nd Congressional District
Stretching from 43rd Street on Chicago’s South Side along the Indiana border south to downstate Danville, Illinois’ 2nd Congressional District has been represented by U.S. Rep. Robin Kelly since 2013. Here are those vying to replace Kelly, who is running for Senate and told the Tribune in May she did not plan to endorse a successor.
Donna Miller, Democrat
Cook County Commissioner Donna Miller speaks during a Cook County Board meeting in Chicago on May 15, 2025. (Antonio Perez/Chicago Tribune)
A Lynwood resident and Chicago native, Donna Miller is serving her second term as 6th District commissioner on the Cook County Board. She is vice president of the Illinois Democratic Women organization, former president of the Democratic Women of the South Suburbs and past board chair of Planned Parenthood of Illinois and its political action committee.
“My grandmother, mother and sister were all teachers, and my dad wore this country’s uniform his entire career. I’ve carried that legacy forward,” Miller said. “On the Cook County Board, I’ve worked to expand health care access, lower costs and deliver better care — especially for women and communities of color.”
Miller said she’s running for Congress because “Washington is tearing up so much of our progress for working families and giving tax breaks to billionaires.”
Robert Peters, Democrat
State Sen. Robert Peters speaks during an event commemorating the 100th year anniversary of the Scopes trial near the Clarence Darrow Bridge in Jackson Park on March 13, 2025. (Eileen T. Meslar/Chicago Tribune)
State Sen. Robert Peters, a South Side native and community organizer, received an early endorsement from U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, boosting his standing with progressives.
“I have a record and I have a personal narrative that I think really touches on where we’re at right now,” Peters said. Born deaf with a speech impediment, Peters said he was shaped by his adoptive father’s work as a civil rights lawyer.
In Springfield, Peters led efforts to end cash bail for nonviolent crimes and to strengthen abortion protections in Illinois after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade.
A member of the legislature since 2019, Peters serves on the Senate Democrats’ leadership team and the Legislative Black Caucus.
Jesse Jackson Jr., Democrat
Former U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. answers a question on health care policy during a forum for candidates running in the Democratic primary for the 2nd Congressional District at St. Paul and the Redeemer Episcopal Church in Chicago on Jan. 17, 2026. (Troy Stolt/for the Chicago Tribune)
Former U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. is seeking to reclaim the seat he held for nearly 17 years before resigning amid a corruption probe.
During his campaign launch, Jackson leaned into his lineage as the son of the Rev. Jesse Jackson, the famed civil rights leader, and in the campaign video partly quoted remarks his father made at the 1984 Democratic National Convention.
“My father said in that speech, ‘If in my low moments in word, deed or attitude’ — and I might add judgment — ‘through some error of temper, taste or tone, I’ve caused anyone discomfort, created pain or revived someone’s fears, that was not my truest self,’” Jackson Jr. said. The speech went on: “‘Please forgive me.’”
After his resignation, Jackson Jr. pleaded guilty to one count of wire and mail fraud and was sentenced to 30 months in prison.
He hosts a talk show on WVON-AM.
Willie Preston, Democrat
State Sen. Willie Preston applauds invited guests as Gov. JB Pritzker delivers his State of the State and budget address before the General Assembly at the Illinois Capitol, Feb. 21, 2024. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune)
State Sen. Willie Preston of Chicago, who chairs the Senate Legislative Black Caucus, is pitching himself as a champion of working-class families who was shaped by South Side struggles.
He’s campaigning as someone who will bring to Washington, D.C., “a new breed of leadership, not Twitter champions or the politics of the past dressed up in redemption.”
Preston has faced scrutiny over Facebook posts from 2020 — before he held public office as a Democrat in the state legislature — praising President Donald Trump and ridiculing Joe Biden and the Democratic Party.
In a recent Tribune interview, Preston confirmed writing the posts but said they don’t reflect how he would legislate.
“No, no, no. No, no, no, no,” Preston said when asked whether he actually voted for Trump, given a 2020 Facebook post claiming he did. “That’s totally false.”
Yumeka Brown, Democrat
Metropolitan Water Reclamation District Commissioner Yumeka Brown answers a question on health care policy during a forum for candidates running in the Democratic primary for the 2nd Congressional District at St. Paul and the Redeemer Episcopal Church in Chicago, Jan. 17, 2026. (Troy Stolt/for the Chicago Tribune)
A three-term Matteson village clerk and a commissioner on the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District Board, Yumeka Brown told the Southtown she is running to “elevate the mission in Congress to protect Medicaid, Social Security, the rights of women, and to guard against (President) Donald Trump’s planned destruction of the Affordable (Care) Act.”
In 2024, she unsuccessfully sought to be appointed to replace Cook County Clerk Karen Yarbrough on the November ballot after the longtime party stalwart died in office.
Democrat Adal Regis, who worked in Kelly’s district office, is also running.
Others set to be on the ballot, according to the state elections board, include Eric France, a management consultant, attorney Patrick “PJK” Keating, Toni C. Brown and Sidney Moore. On the GOP side, Michael Scott Noack is the sole Republican expected on the ballot after a primary opponent withdrew.
4th Congressional District
U.S. Rep. Jesús “Chuy” García last fall faced backlash for quietly dropping his bid for a fifth term and essentially clearing the way for his chief of staff, Patty García. The congressman later said in an interview with the Tribune that he didn’t make his decision public until it was too late for others to run for office because of a confluence of family and health events around that time. The district runs from the Pilsen and West Lawn neighborhoods west through Cicero to Hinsdale before turning north to Northlake and Franklin Park.
Patty García, Democrat
Patty García, chief of staff for U.S. Rep. Jesús “Chuy” García, at Las Carnitas Uruapan in Chicago’s Little Village neighborhood, Nov. 14, 2025. (Armando L. Sanchez/Chicago Tribune)
Prior to joining U.S. Rep. “Chuy” Garcia’s staff in 2019, Patty García worked for groups that included the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials Educational Fund, according to her LinkedIn. She earned a doctorate in educational policy studies from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign in 2011.
García has defended the maneuver that eased her path to being the only Democrat on the ballot, saying there was little time for a public announcement. She could also face competition from independent candidates in the general election.
Republican Lupe Castillo and Ed Hershey, who filed to run as a member of the Working Class Party, are also running.
In late January, progressive Chicago Ald. Byron Sigcho-Lopez declared he planned to run as an independent in the November election. Mayra Macías, who was executive director of the Latino Victory Project, also said she planned to run in November. Both Sigcho-Lopez and Macías, whose names will not be on the March 17 ballots, said they were running as an alternative to Patty García, saying they didn’t like the maneuver that made her the only candidate in the Democratic primary.
7th Congressional District
Beginning in Chicago’s downtown and heading through the West Side and into the west suburbs, including Oak Park and Hillside, Illinois’ 7th Congressional District has been represented by U.S. Rep. Danny Davis since 1997.
La Shawn Ford, Democrat
State Rep. La Shawn Ford, center, and Rep. Justin Slaughter talk before Gov. JB Pritzker delivers his annual budget address on Feb. 19, 2025, in Springfield. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune)
State Rep. La Shawn Ford of Chicago got an early boost in the race when Davis endorsed him while announcing the congressman’s own retirement.
At a joint news conference, Ford called Davis’ endorsement “a strong affirmation of our shared mission to uplift and empower the people we serve.”
“This campaign isn’t just about securing your vote. It’s about sending a firm message against ‘Make America Hate Again,’” Ford said, altering Trump’s hallmark slogan.
A state representative since 2007, Ford is chair of the committee covering appropriations for higher education and he’s advocated allowing hemp businesses to continue operating with regulations, ending ticketing in schools and a supervised drug-use site on the West Side.
Melissa Conyears-Ervin, Democrat
Chicago Treasurer Melissa Conyears-Ervin, a candidate for the congressional seat held by Danny Davis, speaks during a candidate forum at Malcolm X College on Nov. 3, 2025. (E. Jason Wambsgans/Chicago Tribune)
Chicago Treasurer Melissa Conyears-Ervin is taking a second shot at the 7th Congressional District seat after losing to Davis by more than 30 percentage points two years ago. She finished second among a field of five candidates that included activist Kina Collins.
A lifelong resident of the district, Conyears-Ervin was first elected city treasurer in 2019 and won a second term in 2023 after previously serving in the Illinois House. Her husband is Ald. Jason Ervin, 28th.
“If you send me to Congress to fight for you, I’ll never give up until they are the ones that throw in the towel,” Conyears-Ervin said in her campaign announcement. “Those landlords? They’re going to pay to fix those properties. Those billionaires? They’re going to pay their fair share in taxes to fix our roads and our schools. And Donald Trump and the MAGA Republicans? I will stand up to them because I work for you, not them.”
Conyears-Ervin has had to fend off allegations that she violated the city ethics code by improperly firing two employees, among others. City ethics officials later fined her a total of $70,000.
Kina Collins, Democrat
Kina Collins, a candidate for Congress, listens to speakers during a news conference at Federal Plaza, Jan. 15, 2026. (Antonio Perez/Chicago Tribune)
Activist Kina Collins is making her fourth bid for the seat, billing herself as “Proven. Persistent. Progressive.”
The Austin neighborhood native finished third two years ago after losing to Davis by just 6 percentage points in the 2022 primary.
Collins founded the Chicago Neighborhood Alliance in 2017 to help residents of places affected by violence and later served on the Biden presidential transition team and as executive director of One Aim Illinois, a gun violence prevention coalition, according to her campaign.
“When I go to Congress, I’ll bring the same spirit I’ve carried throughout my life: the spirit of organizing, the belief that people power can change everything, and the conviction that our government must work for all of us, not just the wealthy few,” Collins said on her website.
Richard Boykin, Democrat
Richard Boykin after a news conference on May 3, 2022, at Chicago Temple. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune)
Former Cook County Commissioner and one-time Davis chief of staff, Richard Boykin is now running for his ex-boss’s seat.
Boykin has been searching, so far unsuccessfully, for a way back into elected office since losing his Cook County Board seat representing the 1st District by fewer than 500 votes in the 2018 Democratic primary to now-Mayor Brandon Johnson.
The Oak Park resident finished third in 2020’s four-way primary race for Cook County circuit court clerk and lost by more than 50 percentage points in his 2022 primary bid to unseat Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle, with whom he clashed as a leader of the push to repeal the county’s short-lived soda tax.
“People are losing what they believe is the American Dream. They can’t attain it,” he said. “So I’m running for them.”
Jason Friedman, Democrat
Jason Friedman, a candidate for retiring U.S. Rep. Danny Davis’ 7th Congressional District seat, listens during a candidate forum at Malcolm X College, Nov. 3, 2025. (E. Jason Wambsgans/Chicago Tribune)
Business owner Jason Friedman, who has never held public office, is the former president of Friedman Properties. The company, founded by his father, Albert, is a major Chicago development firm that has built properties in the River North neighborhood, which is part of the 7th Congressional District.
Rory Hoskins, Democrat
Forest Park Mayor Rory Hoskins, a candidate for retiring U.S. Rep. Danny Davis’ 7th Congressional District seat, speaks during a candidate forum at Malcolm X College, Nov. 3, 2025. (E. Jason Wambsgans/Chicago Tribune)
The two-term mayor of Forest Park, Rory Hoskins, leads a near-west suburb that lies entirely within the 7th Congressional District. He was previously a village commissioner.
A Texas native, Hoskins was elected as a delegate to the 2020 and 2024 Democratic National Conventions for Joe Biden. He made an unsuccessful bid in 2023 to be appointed to the Cook County Board seat vacated by Brandon Johnson after he was elected mayor of Chicago.
“I’m running for Congress because I believe the kind of progress we’ve made in Forest Park — revitalizing our business corridors, improving public safety, and strengthening partnerships across communities — can serve as a model for what’s possible at the national level,” Hoskins said on his campaign website.
Anthony Driver, Democrat
Anthony Driver speaks during a candidates forum at Collins Academy STEAM High School on Jan. 27, 2026, in Chicago. (Stacey Wescott/Chicago Tribune)
Union leader and political strategist Anthony Driver, until recently, was president of Chicago’s Community Commission for Public Safety and Accountability, the city’s latest attempt at police oversight. He took a step back to become a commissioner on the board after announcing his candidacy.
Driver is executive director of the Illinois State Council for the politically powerful Service Employees International Union.
A South Side native, Driver entered the race in early August with a message that he is “running for Congress in Illinois because we need more fierce advocates for justice.”
In his campaign announcement, he touted his work advocating for the city’s $15-per-hour minimum wage and a new model of civilian oversight for the Chicago Police Department.
Thomas Fisher, Democrat
Dr. Thomas Fisher outside the University of Chicago Medicine Adult Emergency Room on March 27, 2022. (Erin Hooley/Chicago Tribune)
An emergency physician at the University of Chicago and an author, Thomas Fisher said he entered the 7th District race to address differences in life expectancy between the wealthiest and poorest parts of the congressional district.
Fisher also served as a White House Fellow in the Department of Health and Human Services during President Barack Obama’s administration, working on reducing racial and ethnic health disparities.
U.S. Rep. Lauren Underwood, who’s running for reelection in the suburban 14th Congressional District, has endorsed Fisher.
Reed Showalter, Democrat
Reed Showalter, a candidate from the 7th Congressional District, speaks during a candidate forum at Collins Academy STEAM High School on Jan. 27, 2026, in Chicago. (Stacey Wescott/Chicago Tribune)
Antimonopoly attorney Reed Showalter previously worked at the Federal Trade Commission, the U.S. Department of Justice and as a policy advisor in the White House National Economic Council during President Joe Biden’s administration.
Others on the ballot include Democrats David Ehrlich, Anabel Mendoza, Jazmin Robinson, and Felix Tello, as well as Republicans Chad Koppie and Patricia “P Rae” Easley.
8th Congressional District
A mostly northwest suburban district that goes north and west of Carpentersville and dips as far east and south as Rosemont, the 8th Congressional District has been represented by U.S. Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi since 2017. With Krishnamoorthi running for Senate, here are the candidates looking to succeed him.
Kevin Morrison, Democrat
Cook County Commissioner Kevin Morrison speaks during a Cook County Board meeting in Chicago on May 15, 2025. (Antonio Perez/Chicago Tribune)
The first openly LGBTQ+ commissioner elected to the Cook County Board, Commissioner Kevin Morrison, of Mount Prospect, announced in May he’d run to succeed Krishnamoorthi.
“I believe in advancing policies that support families, and that everybody deserves a fair shot to get ahead,” he said in his campaign announcement.
Morrison has the endorsements of several members of Congress, including Illinois U.S. Reps. Mike Quigley and Eric Sorensen.
Yasmeen Bankole, Democrat
8th Congressional District Democratic candidate Yasmeen Bankole responds to a question during a candidate forum at Elgin Community College in Elgin, Nov. 13, 2025. (H. Rick Bamman/for the Chicago Tribune)
A Hanover Park trustee, Yasmeen Bankole worked for Durbin for six years and Krishnamoorthi prior to that, she said in a campaign video.
“I’ve seen what’s possible when you put the people of Illinois first every day,” she said.
Melissa Bean, Democrat
Melissa Bean, a candidate for the 8th Congressional District, responds to a question during a candidate forum at Elgin Community College on Nov. 13, 2025. (H. Rick Bamman/for the Chicago Tribune)
Saying she “can no longer sit on the sidelines,” former U.S. Rep. Melissa Bean in September launched a campaign to retake her seat. Bean represented the 8th Congressional District before her narrow defeat to Republican challenger Joe Walsh in 2010.
After her time in Congress, Bean worked in leadership roles at JPMorgan Chase and Mesirow. Bean beat a Republican incumbent for the seat in 2004 and served as a member of the moderate Blue Dog Coalition.
The district’s boundaries have changed significantly since her tenure. Still, the news release announcing her 2026 campaign declared: “Bean is Back.”
Junaid Ahmed
8th Congressional District Democratic candidate Junaid Ahmed responds to a question during a candidate forum at Elgin Community College in Elgin, Nov. 13, 2025. (H. Rick Bamman/for the Chicago Tribune)
Junaid Ahmed, a technology business owner and self-described progressive, ran against Krishnamoorthi two years ago and received 30% of the vote.
He had the most cash on hand as of Sept. 30, the end of the most recent fully reported fundraising quarter, and said he does not accept money from corporate political action committees.
Ahmed has been endorsed by U.S. Reps. Delia Ramirez of Illinois, Ro Khanna of California and Pramila Jayapal of Washington state.
Other Democrats running include Dan Tully, an attorney and Army veteran; small-business CEO Neil Khot; Ryan Vetticad of South Barrington and entrepreneur Sanjyot Dunung.
Tully and Khot were among the candidates in the last fundraising quarter who made six-figure loans to their campaigns.
Dunung served on President Joe Biden’s Foreign Policy Working Group focused on international trade.
On the Republican side, Mark Rice, who has also previously challenged Krishnamoorthi, is running again, along with entrepreneur Jennifer Davis, Herbert Hebein and Kevin Ake. Davis, who co-founded software firm Davisware with her husband, made a $500,000 loan to her campaign on Sept. 30. Ake was convicted of a hate crime in 2002 and previously ran unsuccessfully to unseat Morrison.
9th Congressional District
From Graceland Cemetery on Chicago’s North Side and running north to Wilmette and snaking north and west to Crystal Lake, the 9th Congressional District has been represented by U.S. Rep. Jan Schakowsky since 1999. With her retiring, here are the candidates looking to succeed her.
Kat Abughazaleh, Democrat
Kat Abughazaleh, a candidate in Illinois’ 9th Congressional District, carries yard signs into her brand-new campaign office in the Rogers Park neighborhood on May 6, 2025. (Eileen T. Meslar/Chicago Tribune)
Progressive content creator Kat Abughazaleh, who moved to the Chicago area in 2024, is hoping to use her massive online audience and unconventional brand to earn the 9th Congressional District seat.
She’s proven herself to be a competitive fundraiser, shaping her campaign around high-profile opposition to the Trump administration and community events and mutual aid efforts.
“People think that this campaign is really online, because that’s what my background is,” she told the Tribune. “But this is about our ground game.”
“I know that might sound idealistic, but I don’t care,” she added.
Bushra Amiwala, Democrat
Bushra Amiwala, a candidate running for the Illinois 9th Congressional District, speaks during a public forum at the Warren Park field house in Chicago, Jan. 15, 2026. (Terrence Antonio James/Chicago Tribune)
Bushra Amiwala, who became one of the first Gen Z public officials in the United States when she was elected in 2019 to the Skokie School District 73.5 board, is now eyeing a seat in Congress.
Amiwala sees herself as “a fresh perspective from a familiar face,” she told the Tribune before she officially announced her candidacy. The Skokie native works at Google and graduated from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management with a master’s degree in business administration, according to her campaign.
Daniel Biss, Democrat
Evanston Mayor Daniel Biss addresses supporters at his election night party at Bluestone restaurant on April 1, 2025, in Evanston. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune)
Evanston Mayor Daniel Biss earlier this year snagged Schakowsky’s endorsement — potentially the most coveted stamp of approval in the race.
Biss previously served for eight years in the General Assembly and unsuccessfully ran for governor in 2018, losing in the Democratic primary to now-Gov. JB Pritzker.
“I think people are looking for solutions. I think people are looking for someone who can demonstrate the ability to actually use government to improve people’s lives and create change and break through the cynicism,” Biss, a former assistant professor at the University of Chicago, told the Tribune.
He has also been endorsed by U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and the Illinois AFL-CIO.
Laura Fine, Democrat
State Sen. Laura Fine, of Glenview, in the Illinois Capitol in Springfield on May 8, 2025. (E. Jason Wambsgans/Chicago Tribune)
Democratic state Sen. Laura Fine, of Glenview, has represented the area since 2013, the last six years as a state senator.
Now, she’s campaigning on her experience battling insurance companies after her husband, Michael, lost one of his arms after being in a car crash in 2010.
“I made taking on big insurance my life’s work, and I feel like I didn’t let them ruin my family, and I was not going to let them ruin any others,” she said.
Fine has also racked up endorsements from dozens of state and local elected officials.
Hoan Huynh, Democrat
State Rep. Hoan Huynh of Uptown in Springfield on May 8, 2025. (E. Jason Wambsgans/Chicago Tribune)
Two-term state Rep. Hoan Huynh, who in Springfield represents a North Side district that includes the Uptown neighborhood of Chicago, surprised many observers in 2022 when he emerged victorious from a five-way Democratic primary battle to replace retiring Illinois House Majority Leader Greg Harris.
“I’m running because I believe the people of this district deserve a representative in Congress who understands the challenges working families face and who won’t stop fighting for a future where everyone has a fair shot,” Huynh, who would give up his seat in Springfield in his bid for the U.S. House, wrote in a social media post.
Mike Simmons, Democrat
State Sen. Mike Simmons arrives before Gov. JB Pritzker delivered his State of the State and budget address in front of the General Assembly at the Illinois Capitol on Feb. 21, 2024. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune/pool)
State Sen. Mike Simmons, a Rogers Park resident and the first openly gay member of the Illinois Senate, told the Tribune he’s “running because the communities in the 9th (Congressional) District have raised me, and they’re struggling.”
Simmons’ parents were small-business owners and, in the 1980s, were among the first Black families to move into the North Side’s Lincoln Square neighborhood, he said. Now, he says, he’s running to help families who feel priced out of the district.
“I symbolize everything that Donald Trump is trying to erase right now, but the point that’s really important is that this is going to be about so much more than Donald Trump. It’s going to be about talking about those (affordability) struggles,” he said.
Simmons isn’t up for reelection until 2028, so he could keep the Senate seat if he doesn’t win in the congressional race.
Phil Andrew, Democrat
Phil Andrew, a candidate in Illinois’ 9th Congressional District race, speaks during a public forum at the Warren Park field house in Chicago, Jan. 15, 2026. (Terrence Antonio James/Chicago Tribune)
Former FBI Agent Phil Andrew launched his campaign last year on a message of community security and gun violence prevention.
In 1988, he survived being shot following a school shooting in which Laurie Dann held Andrew and his parents hostage. Since leaving the FBI, he has run PAX Group, a security consulting practice.
As of last quarter, Andrew was among the top fundraisers in the primary race, though he bolstered his war chest by making a $200,000 loan to his campaign.
In January, Andrew was endorsed by Bruce Leon, the long-shot former 9th District candidate and political moderate who said he left the race following pressure from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee.
Economist Jeff Cohen, former federal prosecutor and former Microsoft strategist Nick Pyati, veteran Sam Polan, civil rights attorney Howard Rosenblum, Evanston resident Bethany Johnson, union organizer Justin Ford, Patricia A. Brown and Mark Arnold Fredrickson have also filed paperwork to run, along with Republicans John Elleson, Dongbo Mark Su, Rocio Cleveland and Paul Friedman. Friedman was convicted of a sex crime against a 13-year-old in the 1990s when he was 27, as reported during the campaign by the Daily Herald. In a phone interview, Friedman said the conviction was a misdemeanor and was set aside years ago in Michigan, where it occurred, though he has been unable to get off the national sex offender registry.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/01/29/illinois-house-top-candidates-2nd-7th-8th-9th/
Sheinbaum habla con Trump en medio de las declaraciones cruzadas por el arresto de Wedding
Associated Press
CIUDAD DE MÉXICO (AP) — Los presidentes de México y Estados Unidos mantuvieron el jueves una nueva conversación en medio de la polémica sobre si el exdeportista canadiense Ryan Wedding, arrestado hace una semana en México, se entregó o si fue detenido en una operación conjunta binacional en territorio mexicano, algo que Claudia Sheinbaum ha dicho muchas veces que no permitiría por cuestiones de soberanía pero que sigue sin aclararse.
“Nosotros nunca vamos a aceptar operaciones conjuntas de Estados Unidos… las operaciones en nuestro territorio son de fuerzas mexicanas… se lo decimos siempre al presidente Trump”, insistió el jueves tras la llamada en la que, según Sheinbaum, “no tocamos el tema”.
Según dijo el director del FBI, Kash Patel, este fugitivo —acusado de mover toneladas de droga hacia Estados Unidos que se escondía en México y ya ha sido presentado ante las cortes estadounidenses— fue capturado en una operación conjunta de “alto riesgo” realizada “mano a mano” y “en el terreno” con las fuerzas mexicanas.
Sheinbaum y el embajador de Estados Unidos en el país indicaron que el canadiense se entregó a las autoridades estadounidenses en la embajada, algo que su abogado negó. Sheinbaum inclusive dijo que “la mejor prueba de que se entregó” fue una fotografía ante la embajada publicada en redes supuestamente de Wedding que más tarde fue cuestionada por haber podido ser hecha con inteligencia artificial.
La mandataria acabó reconociendo esta semana que no conocía los detalles de la detención pero el jueves, según sus declaraciones, no preguntó a Trump sobre el tema por lo que todavía no está claro qué pasó exactamente. Después de la llamada, todo fueron buenas palabras, mientras ambos mandatarios emitieron mensajes elogiando la cordialidad y lo productivo de la conversación.
Trump escribió que se habló “de la frontera, parar el narcotráfico y de comercio”; calificó a Sheinbaum de una líder “maravillosa y muy inteligente” y dejó abierta la puerta a una reunión entre ambos. “Los dos coincidimos que vamos muy bien”, dijo por su parte la mexicana durante su conferencia matutina, en referencia a las cuestiones de seguridad y sin dar más detalles.
La polémica sobre el arresto de Wedding puso de nuevo sobre la mesa el viejo tema de cómo operan las agencias estadounidenses en territorio mexicano, cuyos movimientos fueron restringidos por ley durante la administración de Andrés Manuel López Obrador (2018-2024).
Pero tiene especial trascendencia porque ocurre después del ataque estadounidense a Venezuela, de semanas de crecientes presiones de Estados Unidos para que México incremente sus resultados en el tema de seguridad y de múltiples declaraciones del jefe de la Casa Blanca sobre su deseo de luchar contra los cárteles por tierra igual que hizo con los ataques de lanchas en el Caribe y el Pacífico.
Sheinbaum dijo que en esta nueva conversación Trump no insistió en querer actuar militarmente contra los cárteles pero que si hablaron del último envío realizado por México de presos vinculados a la delincuencia, con lo que suman 92 miembros de cárteles y criminales con causas abiertas en Estados Unidos y que han sido trasladados a ese país en menos de un año.
En 2024 tuvo lugar otra polémica tras la noticia del doble arresto de los narcotraficantes Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada y Joaquín Guzmán López. Zambada dijo haber sido secuestrado por Guzmán López y llevado en un avión privado a Estados Unidos donde fue arrestado.
El entonces presidente López Obrador temió que Washington estuviera involucrado en el operativo y hasta anunció investigaciones por el delito de “traición” contra quienes lo entregaron. Estados Unidos se deslindó de cualquier participación pero la gran mayoría de expertos consideraron casi imposible que una operación de ese tipo se hubiera podido organizar sin el conocimiento de autoridades de ese país.
Mediocre 7Y Auction Tails Despite Solid Foreign Demand
Mediocre 7Y Auction Tails Despite Solid Foreign Demand
After a solid 2Y, and a dismal 5Y auction, moments ago the Treasury completed the sale of the week’s final coupon, and today’s sale of $44BN in 7Y paper was appropriately enough, mediocre at best, not terrible, not great, in the parlance of our times.
The auction priced at a high yield of 4.018%, the first 4%+ yield since July, and up from 3.930% in December. It also tailed then 4.014% When Issued by 0.4bps. This was the 5th tail in the last 6 auctions.
The bid to cover of 2.454 dropped from 2.509 in December, and was the lowest since September; it was also well below the six auction average of 2.516.
The internals were a fraction better: Indirects took down 66.9%, up from 59.04% and above the six auction average of 61.8%. And with Directs awarded 22.2%, down sharply from 31.6% last month, Dealers were left holding 10.9%, up from 9.3% last month and above the recent average of 10.2%.
Overall this was a mediocre, tailing auction and while it could have been worse (foreign demand for example was still quite solid), it certainly could have been better.
Tyler Durden
Thu, 01/29/2026 – 13:25
https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/mediocre-7y-auction-tails-despite-solid-foreign-demand
AG Paxton Announces Investigation Into H-1B Visa Abuse
AG Paxton Announces Investigation Into H-1B Visa Abuse
Authored by Naveen Athrappully via The Epoch Times,
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is probing the abuse of the H-1B visa program in the state, beginning with an investigation into three companies in North Texas, the attorney general’s office said in a statement on Jan. 28.
Paxton issued Civil Investigative Demands (CIDs) to companies suspected of fraudulent activity. CIDs are government requests for information in noncriminal investigations. They are issued before any formal complaint or lawsuit is filed against the entities.
“Reports have indicated that the businesses under investigation have likely engaged in illegal activity to scam the H-1B visa program by setting up sham companies featuring websites advertising nonexistent products or services to Texas consumers in order to fraudulently sponsor H-1B visas,” the office said.
For instance, one business allegedly listed a single-family home as its office address and an empty, unfinished building as its worksite address on its website, according to the statement.
The office alleged that the companies sponsored numerous H-1B visa applications over the past years without providing evidence that they delivered any of the advertised services or products.
On Sept. 19, President Donald Trump issued a proclamation that restricted the hiring of foreign workers under the H-1B program.
Under the new rules, businesses must pay $100,000 for any new H-1B petition to bring a foreign worker to the United States.
In the proclamation, Trump wrote that the abuse of the H-1B program constituted a “national security threat by discouraging Americans from pursuing careers in science and technology, risking American leadership in these fields.”
In its statement, Paxton’s office said the attorney general has demanded that companies hand over documents identifying all employees working under them, communications related to operations, financial statements, and records detailing the specific services and products they offer. The businesses being investigated were not named in the press release.
“Any criminal who attempts to scam the H-1B visa program and use ‘ghost offices’ or other fraudulent ploys should be prepared to face the full force of the law,” Paxton said.
“Abuse and fraud within these programs strip jobs and opportunities away from Texans. I will use every tool available to uproot and hold accountable any individual or company engaged in these fraudulent schemes. My office will continue to thoroughly review the H-1B visa program and always work to put the interests of Americans first.”
The H-1B visa program helps employers hire nonimmigrant workers and access business skills and abilities they cannot otherwise obtain from the U.S. workforce.
The program enables the hiring of foreign professionals in specialized fields, including engineering, technology, and medicine. Supporters of the program say H-1B visas are crucial to fill roles for which qualified American workers cannot be found.
Critics allege that H-1B and similar work visa programs are often misused to replace American workers with lower-wage foreign labor. They argue that the program does not always attract the most skilled candidates as intended.
Tightening H-1B Approvals
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce filed a lawsuit in October 2025 challenging the Trump administration’s $100,000 fee for H-1B petitions.
“The new $100,000 visa fee will make it cost-prohibitive for U.S. employers, especially start-ups and small and midsize businesses, to utilize the H-1B program, which was created by Congress expressly to ensure that American businesses of all sizes can access the global talent they need to grow their operations here in the U.S.,” said Neil Bradley, executive vice president at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.
Meanwhile, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced more changes to the H-1B program in December.
Beginning on Feb. 26, the DHS will implement a “weighted selection process” instead of the current random lottery for approving visas, prioritizing higher-skilled and higher-paid foreign workers.
“The new weighted selection will better serve Congress’s intent for the H-1B program and strengthen America’s competitiveness by incentivizing American employers to petition for higher-paid, higher-skilled foreign workers,” said Matthew Tragesser, spokesperson for the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).
“With these regulatory changes and others in the future, we will continue to update the H-1B program to help American businesses without allowing the abuse that was harming American workers.”
According to data from USCIS, during fiscal year 2025, which ran from Oct. 1, 2024, to Sept. 30, 2025, Amazon was the top beneficiary of H-1B employment approvals in the country, with 13,625 visa petitions approved by the government.
This was followed by Meta Platforms, Microsoft Corporation, and India-based Tata Consultancy Services, each with more than 6,000 approvals. Google and Apple received more than 5,000 approvals.
California had the highest number of H-1B approvals at 86,147. Texas ranked second with 41,571 beneficiaries.
Tyler Durden
Thu, 01/29/2026 – 13:20
https://www.zerohedge.com/political/ag-paxton-announces-investigation-h-1b-visa-abuse
Agencia de manejo de emergencias podría seguir apoyando la respuesta a tormentas invernales en EEUU
Por GABRIELA AOUN ANGUEIRA
La Agencia Federal para el Manejo de Emergencias (FEMA, por sus siglas en inglés) tendría suficiente dinero para responder a la enorme tormenta invernal que aún afecta a grandes extensiones de Estados Unidos, incluso si se realiza un cierre parcial del gobierno previsto para la medianoche del viernes, dijeron expertos y exfuncionarios de la agencia, a pesar de las advertencias del gobierno del presidente Donald Trump, quien ha indicado lo contrario.
La FEMA tendría entre 7.000 y 8.000 millones de dólares en su Fondo de Ayuda para Desastres, aun si el dinero que el Congreso asignó para el fondo en el proyecto de ley de gastos de noviembre, que puso fin al cierre gubernamental más largo de la historia, expirara el viernes a la medianoche, según dos personas familiarizadas con el tema que hablaron bajo condición de anonimato porque no estaban autorizadas a declarar a los medios sobre el financiamiento de la agencia.
Los expertos afirman que el saldo restante debería ser suficiente para limitar el impacto en la respuesta a la tormenta invernal, al menos a corto plazo.
“Tienen suficiente dinero para la recuperación de la tormenta invernal y cualquier otra cosa que probablemente surja en las próximas semanas”, dijo Sarah Labowitz, investigadora de alto nivel del Carnegie Endowment for International Peace y autora de la base de datos Disaster Dollar, que da seguimiento al gasto federal en desastres.
La FEMA es una dependencia del Departamento de Seguridad Nacional (DHS, por sus siglas en inglés), una de las distintas agencias cuyo financiamiento para el año fiscal 2026 depende de que el Senado apruebe un paquete de gastos que la Cámara ya ratificó. Tras el asesinato de un hombre el sábado en Minneapolis por parte de agentes federales de inmigración, algunos demócratas del Senado exigen restricciones sobre cómo se lleva a cabo la aplicación de la ley de inmigración en cualquier proyecto de ley de financiamiento del DHS, una postura que aumenta la posibilidad de un cierre parcial del gobierno para el fin de semana.
Funcionarios del gobierno de Trump mencionan la tormenta y la respuesta de la FEMA ante ella como una razón para evitar un cierre.
“Estamos en medio de la tormenta invernal que tuvo lugar durante el fin de semana, y muchos estadounidenses todavía están siendo afectados por ella, por lo que, definitivamente, no queremos ver que ese financiamiento caduque”, dijo el lunes a los periodistas la secretaria de prensa de la Casa Blanca, Karoline Leavitt.
El DHS no respondió a las solicitudes de comentarios.
Estados aún evalúan el impacto de la tormenta invernal
El Fondo de Ayuda para Desastres financia los esfuerzos de respuesta y recuperación de desastres de la FEMA y paga al personal que trabaja en ellos. Ese trabajo puede continuar a menos que el fondo esté en peligro de agotarse, momento en el cual la agencia comienza a priorizar las misiones más urgentes.
La FEMA apoya las respuestas encabezadas por los estados a la gigantesca tormenta invernal del fin de semana pasado, que dejó sin electricidad a cientos de miles de residentes de varios estados y a la que se atribuyen al menos 80 muertes.
Trump aprobó declaraciones de emergencia para 12 estados, desbloqueando apoyo federal para medidas de emergencia y remoción de escombros. La agencia envió alimentos, agua y otros suministros a varios estados y coordina la ayuda federal de otras agencias, como el Servicio Forestal de Estados Unidos para retirar árboles caídos de las carreteras, y el Cuerpo de Ingenieros del Ejército para conectar generadores en instalaciones críticas como centros de calentamiento y hospitales.
No se sabe cuántos estados solicitarán declaraciones de desastre mayor después de evaluar los daños, lo que puede ayudar a pagar reparaciones a infraestructuras críticas y asistencia financiera para los hogares afectados a través del Fondo de Ayuda para Desastres.
“La tormenta invernal en este momento no excede la capacidad de las comunidades locales y los estados”, dijo Michael Coen, exjefe de personal de la FEMA en los gobiernos demócratas de Obama y Biden.
El momento del posible cierre también ayuda a aliviar las preocupaciones sobre las arcas de la agencia. “Estamos un poco lejos de la temporada de incendios forestales y huracanes, por lo que no veo un gran impacto a corto plazo en términos de operaciones de la FEMA”, dijo Noah Patton, director de recuperación de desastres en la Coalición Nacional de Vivienda para Personas de Bajos Ingresos.
Si ocurre un cierre parcial del gobierno, algunas operaciones de la FEMA no financiadas por el Fondo de Ayuda para Desastres, como la capacidad de redactar o renovar pólizas del Programa Nacional de Seguro contra Inundaciones, volverían a pausarse como lo hicieron durante el cierre de 43 días del año pasado. Algunos empleados esenciales trabajarían sin paga.
Un cierre prolongado podría poner más presión sobre el Fondo de Ayuda para Desastres, especialmente si la FEMA debe responder a nuevas catástrofes, y podría producir una desaceleración de los reembolsos por desastres pasados. Varios expertos señalaron que esos reembolsos ya se han retrasado debido a una política del DHS que exige que los gastos de 100.000 dólares o más sean aprobados personalmente por la secretaria de Seguridad Nacional, Kristi Noem.
El proyecto de ley de gastos que ahora está ante el Senado otorgaría al Fondo de Ayuda para Desastres más de 26.000 millones de dólares, así como casi 4.000 millones para varias subvenciones de preparación y seguridad de emergencia de la FEMA.
Mensajes mixtos sobre la FEMA mientras se avecina el cierre
Las advertencias de los funcionarios de Trump sobre la capacidad de la FEMA para ayudar a los estados se producen en un momento en que el propio apoyo de la administración a la agencia está en cuestión. Trump ha planteado repetidamente la idea de eliminar gradualmente la FEMA y a menudo pide que los estados asuman más responsabilidad por los desastres.
Ahora, los funcionarios de Trump parecen utilizar a la FEMA y su importante propósito como una razón para no cerrar el gobierno.
“Este financiamiento apoya la seguridad nacional y las operaciones de emergencia críticas a escala nacional, incluidas las respuestas de la FEMA a una histórica tormenta de nieve que afecta a 250 millones de estadounidenses”, declaró el martes a Fox News la subsecretaria adjunta del DHS, Tricia McLaughlin.
Los mayores impactos para la FEMA no provienen de un posible cierre parcial, dijo Coen, sino de las propias políticas de Trump.
“El gobierno ha desmantelado a la FEMA durante el último año”, dijo. “Usar la agencia como justificación para la acción del Congreso es risible”.
A pesar de decir que quiere reformar la agencia, Trump no ha articulado una visión para esos cambios. El lanzamiento en diciembre de un informe largamente esperado de su Consejo de Revisión de la FEMA fue cancelado abruptamente y no ha sido reprogramado.
Mientras tanto, varias políticas del gobierno de Trump han tenido importantes consecuencias para la agencia y los estados, tribus y territorios que apoya, incluidas las salidas de miles de empleados e interrupciones en los programas de subvenciones.
Las disposiciones del proyecto de ley de gastos propuesto apuntan a frenar algunas de esas acciones al limitar la capacidad de la FEMA para pausar subvenciones y capacitaciones y exigir que la agencia informe públicamente el estado de sus reembolsos a los estados por desastres declarados.
Labowitz dijo que algunas de las políticas del gobierno de Trump contribuyeron a que la FEMA no se quedara sin dinero el año pasado, señalando retrasos en las aprobaciones de desastres mayores y reembolsos. “Todo el año pasado estuvieron retrasando el gasto en el DRF”, dijo Labowitz, refiriéndose por sus siglas en inglés al Fondo de Ayuda para Desastres.
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Esta historia fue traducida del inglés por un editor de AP con la ayuda de una herramienta de inteligencia artificial generativa.
