Categories Uncategorized

School district asks families to rent rooms to teachers to battle housing shortage

A California school district is asking parents to rent out rooms to teachers to battle the growing housing crisis by offering educators affordable living spaces close to their schools.  

Milpitas Unified School District made the request late last month as teachers struggled to find affordable housing in the Silicon Valley city. 

“We’ve lost out on some employees that we tried to recruit because once they see how much it costs to live here, they determine that it’s just not possible,” Milpitas Unified School District Superintendent Cheryl Jordan told a local NBC affiliate in August. 

Jordan told NPR that the district had already received 55 responses from families. 

Homebuyers in Milpitas face difficult market conditions, where the average home in July sold in about six days. The median price of a home in the city is around $1.3 million, according to an analysis from the real estate company Redfin. 

Although homebuyers nationwide are experiencing cooling markets, mortgage rates have more than doubled over the last year reaching a fixed rate of 5.66 percent over 30 years as of Sept. 1.  

Average rental costs have also soared in Milpitas, jumping more than ten percent over the last year to   $2,757 for a one-bedroom unit, an Apartments.com market analysis shows. 

America is changing faster than ever! Add Changing America to your Facebook or Twitter feed to stay on top of the news. 

The district noted in a July resolution that “the gap between those who can afford a home in the San Francisco Bay Area and those who cannot, is widening at an alarming rate, with some having to hold part-time jobs to meet monthly housing expenses, and affordable rental housing is in short supply.” 

“Milpitas Unified School District supports partnerships involving homebuilders, community groups, and local governments to enhance affordability and to increase production of affordable workforce housing,” the resolution read. 

Changing America has reached out to Milpitas Unified School District for comment.

Source: TEST FEED1

US-India trade is vital to shaping the future of the Indo-Pacific

As it celebrates 75 years of independence, India has become the world’s fastest-growing large economy and a global leader and trendsetter that will soon overtake China as the world’s most populous country. 

U.S. strategy in Asia cannot neglect India’s importance or growing economic weight. To shape the next phase of development for a free and open Indo-Pacific, it’s vital that the United States deepen commercial engagement with the world’s largest democracy. 

As vice president, Joe Biden set a target of $500 billion in U.S.-India trade, but too little progress has been made toward this goal. As strategic concerns in the region escalate, it’s time to shore up our joint strategy to incorporate a more robust trade agenda. 

India is moving forward fast without meaningful U.S. government engagement. In the digital economy, the architecture for the next five decades is being built over the next five years: The Indian parliament recently introduced a Competition Bill with provisions on mergers and acquisitions that would give it greater control over American technology companies. India is also launching an “Open Network for Digital Commerce” that will transform how e-commerce companies compete for customers in the country.

India is well positioned to export these frameworks: Just as we’ve become familiar with the “Brussels effect,” Washington has to prepare for the “Delhi effect” throughout the region. Without constructive commercial engagement between the two countries, we may find ourselves competing rather than collaborating on the next phase of Indo-Pacific development.

Our allies recognize the strategic imperative of closer business ties with India. Australia recently signed an interim trade agreement with India, the first India has signed with a developed country in a decade. Since 2016, the United Kingdom has invested significant political capital to advance trade talks with India, negotiating a trade deal in the context of strengthening strategic ties and remaining open to increasing visas to Indians as part of the bargain. The European Union relaunched talks for a free trade agreement with India last month, recognizing the “unprecedented urgency” for greater cooperation to counter rising authoritarianism around the world. Our allies see that their trade doctrines must service their strategic interests and that limited deals are better than none.

The U.S. needs to catch up before it can lead. The relaunched U.S.-India Trade Policy Forum (TPF) is not making sustained progress on market access. Biden’s new Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF) will not address tariffs or market access for American workers and the goods and services they produce. India’s decision to participate as only an observer in the last IPEF ministerial signals that the framework is failing to secure critical buy-in from one of its most important stakeholders.

A robust trade strategy with India must fully leverage the TPF, IPEF, and the Quad platforms to address market access in bilateral and multilateral contexts. The digital space is ripe for a “mini-deal.” Elements like technical standards and cross-border data flows can be unbundled and negotiated on separate platforms, serving as building blocks for a comprehensive Digital Trade Agreement between the two digital giants. Additionally, with U.S. businesses clamoring to attract high-skill talent, liberalized visas for Indian workers and students could be a potent incentive in trade negotiations that could help address the skills gap in our own workforce.

India has been a historically difficult trading partner, retaining some of the world’s highest tariff barriers and presenting significant concerns for U.S. firms in intellectual property, digital governance and public procurement. Constructive trade engagement from Washington can encourage India to take further steps to be a positive stakeholder in the multilateral trading system and address concerns articulated by American investors and firms.

Mini deals in critical sectors can serve as stepping stones to an eventual trade agreement. In the long run, a free trade agreement with India would be a monumental achievement enabling us to work as economic partners in securing a free and prosperous Indo-Pacific.

The “pivot to Asia” has been an elusive goal for Washington across administrations. If the Biden administration is going to stick the landing, it must advance a bold trade agenda with a democracy that can be as messy as our own. But, unlike us, that democracy is moving ahead with vigor to expand trade partnerships in its own national interest.

Myron Brilliant is executive vice president and head of international affairs of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.  

Source: TEST FEED1

California school district asks parents to house teachers as costs surge

(NewsNation) — A school district in northern California is asking community members to consider renting out spare rooms to teachers, citing the high cost of living in a county that is driving teachers to seek employment in neighboring communities.

Milpitas United School District, just outside San Jose in the Bay Area, recently passed a resolution in support of affordable housing initiatives, saying 10 teachers left the district last year because of living costs in Santa Clarita County. The school board said it continues to pursue housing opportunities for educators, including “private homeowners with rooms to rent.”

Nearly 50 people in the community have offered up a room, NewsNation affiliate KRON reported.

“This is evidence that our entire MUSD Team, which includes our teachers and classified support staff, is valued by our Milpitas community members, parents and caregivers,” the school district said in a statement as reported by KRON.

Those with an available room can submit their information through a form on the school district’s website.

The Bay Area has notoriously become one of the most expensive places in the United States to live, and San Jose is the second most expensive place in the country to rent, according to San Jose Spotlight.

“Many of the Milpitas Unified School District moderate-income employees are working families and are finding it increasingly difficult to purchase or rent a home within a 15 mile radius or close to the Milpitas Unified School District where they work,” the school district said in its resolution.

Teacher salaries have remained stagnant across the country since 1996, and a report from the Economic Policy Institute shows California teachers were paid 17% less than comparable college-educated workers last year.

A recent report by Airbnb found that 20% of hosts identified as an educator or lived with one in 2021. Teachers made nearly $280 million from hosting last year.

Source: TEST FEED1

Walker in new ad accuses Democrats of using 'race to divide' US

A new ad released on Tuesday by Georgia Senate candidate Herschel Walker’s (R) campaign accuses Democrats, including his opponent, Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.), of using “race to divide us.”

“Democrats use race to divide us,” the ad begins, before showing clips of Democrats like Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams, Vice President Harris, President Biden and Walker talking about race.

The ad plays a clip, for example, of Biden saying “You ain’t Black,” followed by a clip of Warnock saying “America has a preexisting condition. It’s called racism.”

“Senator Warnock believes America is a bad country full of racist people. I believe we’re a great country full of generous people. Warnock wants to divide us. I want to bring us together,” Walker, who is Black, concludes.

The Hill has reached out to Walker’s campaign for further details about the ad and Warnock’s campaign for comment. 

Walker has been considered a controversial candidate, garnering scrutiny from reports that the Senate hopeful had more children than previously publicly known; abuse allegations from ex-wife Cindy Grossman, which he has previously addressed; and false claims that he worked for the FBI.

The ad comes two months out from the midterms, where voters will see two Black candidates on the ballot for Senate for the first time. Warnock’s seat has been rated as a “toss-up” by the nonpartisan Cook Political Report and polling shows a tight race. 

An Emerson College Polling survey found that Walker received 46 percent support among very likely general election voters compared to Warnock at 44 percent, though the polling falls within the margin of error.

Source: TEST FEED1

Longest 50-50 Senate in history results in highest legislative output in generations

The 117th Senate is only the fourth time in the 233-year existence of the U.S. Senate that there has been a perfectly equal partisan split, and it is also the longest period of time for an evenly split body. Moreover, it is the first time that a 50-50 Senate has been controlled by Democrats.  In the prior three instances, a Republican vice president broke the tie in favor of a Republican Senate leader. As everyone knows, Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), was anointed the Senate majority leader in a tie-breaking vote by Vice President Kamala Harris, after she and President Joe Biden were sworn into office. But this almost two-year run of a 50-50 Senate deserves some historical context, particularly if the results of the November elections lengthen the historical record.

The most recent occurrence of an evenly split Senate was between 2000 and 2001. Vice President Al Gore had the tie-breaking vote during the final weeks of President Clinton’s administration. After President George W. Bush was sworn in, Republicans held the tie breaking vote, with Vice President Dick Cheney presiding over the Senate. But this only lasted until June 2001 when Sen. Jim Jeffords (I-VT) left the Republican Party and caucused with Democrats. Previously, the only other times the Senate has had even partisan representation was in 1954, when Vice President Richard Nixon held the tie-breaking vote, and in 1881 when Vice President Chester Arthur and the Republicans held the tie-breaking vote. The current makeup is by far the longest running evenly matched Senate in U.S. history.

From a legislative productivity perspective, closely divided Senates have delivered some major bills to the president’s desk. In fact, from 1951 TO 1959 the Senate was comprised of 49-47 (D-R), 48-47-1 (R-D-I), 48-47-1 (D-R-I) and 49-47 (D-R) during the 82^nd to 85^th Congresses. During that period Congress passed the $500-billion interstate highway system, the Small Business Act of 1953, the National Housing Act of 1954, the Air Pollution Control Act of 1955, and the Civil Rights Act of 1957. And in 2001, a month after the Sept. 11 attacks on our nation, a split Senate passed the Patriot Act as well, as the No Child Left Behind education bill in 2002.

But this Senate has accomplished even more — on both a partisan and bipartisan basis. On a more partisan basis and in the midst of a global pandemic in March 2021, using the budget reconciliation process, Congress narrowly passed the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan (ARP). This bill was largely in the form of COVID relief directed at families and businesses, and it is credited with the largest drop in poverty in 50 years. And last month, the Senate again used the budget reconciliation process to pass the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). The IRA included provisions to reduce drug prices, increase renewable energy tax credits and grants for energy and manufacturing jobs, bolster the IRS and reduce the deficit, while modestly raising corporate taxes and closing some loopholes.

On a bipartisan basis, the Senate may have accomplished even more than it did via party-line votes. In November 2021, the Senate passed a $1.2 trillion Bipartisan Infrastructure Law with broad Democratic and Republican support (69-30). That legislation invested massively in transportation and communications infrastructure. Last month, the Senate passed the CHIPS and Science Act (64-33) to provide $200 billion in federal funds for domestic semiconductor production. Those funds will not solve the short-term chip shortages, but will incentivize the construction of U.S. factories to stabilize and secure a better technology supply chain. Some have called the legislation the “largest industrial development program the federal government has ever administered.”

The 50-50 Senate also acted in two health and safety areas where there had been no real Congressional action in 30 years — veterans’ health and gun violence. The Senate passed the Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics Act (PACT Act) (86-11) in last month to expand veteran’s health care benefits, particularly those exposed to burn pits and other toxic chemicals while serving our country. And in response to another horrific school shooting in Uvalde, Texas, the Senate passed the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act in June 2022 (60-33), which expanded background checks for those under 21, increased mental health services, added gun purchase restrictions for felons, and provided over $2 billion in grant funding for states and community-based violence prevention.

Passing big bills in Congress is hard work. Getting members of your own party to agree on solutions to public policy problems, as we have seen over the last 18 months, is not a given.  Getting members of the other party to agree on solutions and processes is even harder. But this Congress, particularly this 50-50 Senate, has done so repeatedly, on big issues, and with no margin for error.

Israel “Izzy” Klein is Co-Founder & Principal, Klein/Johnson Group LLC. He previously served as communications director of Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer and of Sen. Ed Markey.

Source: TEST FEED1

Violent extremist movement 'boogaloo bois' reemerges on Facebook: report

The violent extremist “boogaloo” movement is showing new signs of activity on Facebook, in spite of the social media platform’s ban on the group, according to a new report from the Tech Transparency Project.

Boogaloo groups and individual “boogaloo bois” have increased their activity on Facebook following the FBI’s search of former President Trump’s Mar-a-Lago home, the Tech Transparency Project found. 

The boogaloo movement appears to “see this moment as a growth opportunity for their movement” and hopes to “capitalize on the wave of far-right anger at the FBI,” the report said.

In particular, several boogaloo groups on Facebook have been “valorizing” an armed man who tried to breach an FBI field office in Cincinnati soon after the Mar-a-Lago search, according to the report. The man was killed following an hours-long standoff with police.

Even though the Tech Transparency Project saw a resurgence accompanying the Mar-a-Lago search, several boogaloo accounts were created in the spring after President Biden announced efforts to curb gun violence, the report noted.

The accounts appear to be evading Facebook’s detection by using coded keywords and variations of boogaloo like “bogaloo” and “big igloo,” according to the report. The Tech Transparency Project also found several new boogaloo memes, which the movement often uses for recruitment and propaganda.

The “boogaloo bois” are an anti-government extremist group that believes in a coming second U.S. civil war, according to the Center for Strategic and International Studies. Facebook labeled the boogaloo movement a “dangerous organization” and banned it from the platform in 2020.

The movement “appeared to fracture” after the 2020 election and became less active on social media, according to the Tech Transparency Project.

The report criticized Facebook’s apparent lack of response, saying it demonstrates “yet again how the platform fails to deal with extremist activity that violates its policies.”

Facebook’s parent company Meta noted when it first banned the boogaloo movement in 2020, that it was aware the group would likely attempt to “return to using our platform and adopting new terminology.”

“This is an adversarial space, with perpetrators constantly trying to find new ways to evade our policies, which is why we work with a number of organizations to flag content and stay ahead of evolving trends,” a Meta spokesperson said on Wednesday. 

“Collaborations like these are only effective when organizations work with us,” the spokesperson added, noting that the Tech Transparency Program did not previously share its research with the company.

Source: TEST FEED1

Is now the right time for Millennial and Gen Z workers to switch jobs?

Wage increases for those who switch jobs are at their highest point in 20 years, and job-hopping Millennial and Gen Z workers are taking advantage of this market while reaping the economic benefits. 

Thanks to a combination of pandemic-era job vacancies and employers sweetening offers with inflation-adjusted wages and premiums, it’s shaping up to be an opportune time for young workers eyeing greener pastures.  

In April 2022 Gen Z job transitions were nearly 30 percent higher than the total reported a year earlier, compared with a 9.6 percent increase among Millennials. 

A Bank of America Institute report published in May found, “it has paid off to move jobs,” especially for younger generations, who appear to have done “exceptionally well” by doing so. Researchers found that between May of last year and April of this year, younger generations saw the largest pay raises. 

America is changing faster than ever! Add Changing America to your Facebook or Twitter feed to stay on top of the news.

“Generation Z and Millennials received pay increases of 19.9 percent and 11.3 percent, respectively, over this period,” researchers wrote, noting Millennial increases were significantly higher than those recorded for Gen X. 

The annual pay raise associated with job switches was around 17.6 percent, according to Bank of America data. For younger workers, that raise was even higher – Gen Z job changers secured an average 29.7 percent rise and Millennials received a 20 percent rise. 

“In other words, and perhaps unsurprisingly, it has paid off to move jobs,” researchers wrote. 

Figures also suggested individuals who earned less than $50,000 per year were more likely to switch jobs. 

In July, inflation was measured at 8.5 percent. For those whose wages have not grown to reflect the shift, everyday costs of living have cut deeper into salaries.  

Pew data show the majority of individuals who did switch jobs between April 2021 and March 2022 saw an increase in inflation-adjusted earnings. 

In addition, new data from the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta show workers who recently switched jobs netted an annual raise of around 8.5 percent in July compared with 7.9 percent in June. In comparison, those who remained at the same job saw a median annual wage increase of just 5.9 percent in July. 

Further research from ADP found median change in annual pay rose by 7.6 percent for job stayers, but by 16.1 percent for job switchers. 

Both Millennials and Gen Z have a reputation as job hoppers. According to a recent report from Pew Research Center, “young adults are more likely to change jobs in any given month.” The report showed those between the ages 16 to 24 switched employers at a monthly rate of 4.1 percent in 2019 and 4.4 percent in 2022, while those ages 55 to 64 moved at a rate of just 1.9 percent in 2022.

Gen Z and Millennials face a myriad of economic challenges that make the potential of a higher salary enticing, and could in part explain their trend of job switching. High student debt and rent prices, along with stagnant wages at their current jobs, are just a few of these challenges.

Younger individuals and those with lower incomes are also more likely to take on independent freelance work out of financial necessity or because it offers increased flexibility, underscoring the shortcomings some see in more traditional roles. 

Eagerness to switch jobs among these younger cohorts could also reflect concerns outside of wages. Many members of Gen Z, as the most recent college graduates, may have higher aspirations than their current positions which could be entry-level jobs. A lack of children, houses, or other major financial responsibilities enables job flexibility at this early career stage. 

Tech-savvy and skilled Millennials who have been in the workforce longer can also be attractive candidates for recruiters. 

Young workers tend to seek out jobs that align with their personal values, as a survey from Deloitte shows around 37 percent of Millennial and Gen Z workers have turned down a job or assignment based on their personal ethics. Aligning both personal and company values could result in younger professionals being more selective when deciding which opportunities to pursue. 

Benefits like flexible work hours, vacation time, and retirement contributions can also sway workers from company to company. 

Regardless of the reason, changing jobs does come with a set of risks. Should a recession occur, those newest to the company might also be the first to get let go. And switching a job in and of itself does not guarantee a wage increase, while employees could run into similar challenges present at their old job, or not enjoy the new position. 

Filling jobs cut during the pandemic may also slow in the coming months, leaving less opportunities available for those wishing to switch. 

“Our data suggests a shift toward a more conservative pace of hiring, possibly as companies try to decipher the economy’s conflicting signals,” explained Nela Richardson, chief economist at ADP in a statement.

“We could be at an inflection point, from super-charged job gains to something more normal.”

Source: TEST FEED1

AARP poll finds DeSantis with three-point lead on Crist

Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) holds a narrow three-point lead over Democratic Rep. Charlie Crist (D-Fla.) in a new poll commissioned by AARP for Florida’s gubernatorial race.

The poll, conducted by Fabrizio Ward and Impact Research, found DeSantis receiving 50 percent support among likely voters compared to Crist at 47 percent. The polling falls within the margin of error, effectively tying the two candidates. 

Among voters polled between the ages of 18 and 49 years old, Crist holds an edge with 51 percent compared to DeSantis’ 46 percent. But the Florida governor holds a 7-percentage point lead among voters aged 50 years and old, receiving 52 percent support from that age demographic compared to Crist’s 45 percent.

Among Independents, a critical voting bloc that will help determine if the governor gets another term in the swing state, DeSantis received 49 percent support while Crist received 45 percent.

While the gubernatorial race will be a test for Democrats heading into one of the competitive gubernatorial races this cycle, it’s also being closely watched for how well DeSantis performs as he’s been widely floated as a potential 2024 GOP presidential candidate.

DeSantis has won close races in the past. He squeaked out a win for his first term in 2018 by less than half a percentage point. 

The AARP-commissioned poll was conducted between Aug. 24 and Aug. 31 with 1,626 likely Florida voters surveyed, including a statewide sample of 500 and a sample of 860 aged 50 years and older.

The margin of error for the statewide sample is plus or minus 4.4 percentage points and the margin of error for the older voting sample is plus or minus 3.3 percentage points. 

Source: TEST FEED1

US condemns ‘unprecedented’ Iranian cyberattack against Albania

The U.S. National Security Council (NSC) on Wednesday called for Iran to be held accountable for an “unprecedented” cyberattack it said the country committed against Albania in July. 

NSC spokesperson Adrienne Watson said in a release the United States condemns Iran’s actions and plans to hold Iran accountable for threatening the security of an ally and setting a “troubling precedent” for cyberspace. 

A cyberattack temporarily shut down multiple Albanian government digital services and websites on July 15. Prime Minister Edi Rama said in a statement addressed to the Albanian people on Wednesday that an investigation confirmed “without a shadow of a doubt” that the attack was not conducted by individuals or independent criminal organizations, but state-sponsored group. 

Rama said investigators reviewed “indisputable” evidence that Iran ordered the attack and engaged four groups that conducted it, including one that has previously launched cyberattacks on Israel, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait and Cyprus. 

He said Albania has cut diplomatic relations with Iran effective immediately and ordered all diplomatic, technical, administrative and security staff at the Iranian embassy to leave within 24 hours. 

Watson said the U.S. government has been working alongside private sector partners for weeks to support Albania’s efforts to recover from and investigate the attack. Albania is an ally of the U.S. as a member of NATO. 

Watson said Iran’s conduct ignores established peacetime norms of a state refraining from damaging infrastructure that provides a service to the public. 

“Malicious cyber activity by a State that intentionally damages critical infrastructure or otherwise impairs its use and operation to provide services to the public can have cascading domestic, regional, and global effects; pose an elevated risk of harm to the population; and may lead to escalation and conflict,” she said. 

Rama said damages from the attack are minimal as all systems returned fully operational and no irreversible wiping of data occurred.

Source: TEST FEED1

Klobuchar: Big Tech antitrust legislation isn't dead

Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) said the push to pass her antitrust legislation targeting the largest tech companies isn’t dead, despite the bill still waiting for a scheduled floor vote. 

Klobuchar made her latest endorsement for the future of her American Innovation and Online Choice Act in an interview with Vox’s Kara Swisher at the Code Conference on Tuesday.

The bill, co-sponsored by Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), aims to limit tech companies from preferencing their own products and services over rivals’. It advanced out of the Judiciary Committee with bipartisan support earlier this year, but has yet to be called for a floor vote. 

Klobuchar, who chairs the antitrust subcommittee, did not give an exact date or guarantee the vote will happen before the midterms. 

“It is really hard to take on these subjects when you have the biggest companies the world has ever known, that control an inordinate part of the economy, opposed to it,” she said in the interview. “It is an incredible amount of money I’m up against. I have two lawyers. They have 2,800 lawyers and lobbyists. So I’m not naive about the David versus Goliath.”

She also told Swisher the upcoming midterm elections may not be a hard deadline for the legislation to pass, even if Republicans gain control of the House and Senate, since the bill has bipartisan support in both chambers. 

A version of the bill advanced out of the House Judiciary committee last year along with a slate of other antitrust bills targeting the tech giants. 

In August a spokesperson for Senate Majority leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) said he plans to call the bill to a floor vote but did not provide a timeline.

Schumer’s statement came roughly a week after Bloomberg reported that the senator told donors he doesn’t think the bill has the votes to pass. 

Supporters of the proposal in the Senate and House have dismissed criticism that the bills do not have the votes to pass and have been pushing strongly for votes in both chambers.

Source: TEST FEED1