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The Trump administration is deliberately pulling up the welcome mat for people seeking legal status in the United States. This Monday, the federal government rolled out a new civics test for green card holders applying for U.S. citizenshipan exam that critics have said is needlessly more complex than its predecessor. Applicants who filed for naturalization prior to October 20 will continue to take the 2008 version of exam. However, those submitting applications after that date will be subject to the 2025 civics test, with special provisions extended to applicants 65 or older who have been permanent residents for at least 20 years. Matthew Tragesser, spokesperson for the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), endorsed the changes in a statement. The updated test, he said, ensures only those aliens who meet all eligibility requirements, including the ability to read, write, and speak English and understand U.S. government and civics, are able to naturalize,” and that “the American people can be assured that those joining us as fellow citizens are fully assimilated and will contribute to Americas greatness. How the new test differs from the old version The old test required 6 correct answers out of 10. While the new version asks for 12 correct out of 20. Meanwhile, the question pool has expanded from 100 to 128, with many questions now being more demanding. According to the immigration law firm Vega and Associates, roughly 75% of the 2025 test draws on prior material, and additional questions cover U.S. history and government in greater depth. Geography and holiday questionssuch as What ocean is on the West Coast?are replaced by more challenging ones, as NPR reported. Examples include, Why did the United States enter the Persian Gulf War? (Answer: To force the Iraqi military from Kuwait.) and Why did the United States enter the Vietnam War? (Answer: To stop the spread of communism.) The exam is also administered differently: Officers stop asking questions once an applicant either passes or fails. Nine incorrect answers and the assessment ends. Vega and Associates advises test takers to focus on understanding concepts rather than memorizing exact answers, as questions may be phrased differently during the exam. Civics knowledge isnt the only new requirement Applicants must now demonstrate good moral character. Previously, a clean record sufficed, but applicants may now need to provide evidence of positive contributions to American society, with officers potentially interviewing coworkers, neighbors, or family members. According to The Washington Post, these changes are part of a broader initiative by the Trump administration to make citizenship more difficult and to increase scrutiny of immigrants and visa holders. Immigration advocates worry that the updates could pose additional barriers, particularly for applicants with limited literacy or access to preparation courses. Its hard to imagine these changes dont reduce the number of people who can complete the naturalization process, Julie Mitchell, legal director at the Central American Resource Center in Los Angeles, told NPR. And this may only be the beginning. Officials are reportedly considering additional measures, such as essays demonstrating attachment to the U.S. Constitution. They are opening the door for more biased decision-making based on arbitrary factors like race, Eric Welsh, partner at Reeves Immigration Law Group, told Axios. Its extremely dangerous and a slippery slope.
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E-Commerce
You might have a tough time getting your hands on a pumpkin spice latte over the next few days. Starbucks Workers United, the union representing more than 12,000 workers across 650 stores nationwide, is planning to picket and stage rallies outside 60 locations of the coffee chain this weekend. Seventy rallies and pickets will take place from today through November 1, the union said. Today the union will begin voting on a work strike authorization, stemming from demands for new contracts that address better staffing hours, higher pay, and resolution for hundreds of outstanding unfair labor practice charges, according to the union. Starbucks has faced a myriad of challenges in the past year, including store closings, layoffs, and uniform changes that many employees seemed to hate. All of this happened under the purview of Brian Niccol, who has been CEO of Starbucks since September 2024. Niccol implemented the Back to Starbucks plan, which encourages baristas to be warm and engaging with customers in a bid to turn Starbucks visits into a repeat occurrence. Meanwhile, in September of this year, Niccol announced a $1 billion dollar restructuring plan which involves closing 500 of Starbucks retail storesof which 59 are unionized. When reached for comment, Starbucks spokesperson Jaci Anderson had this to say: Workers United only represents around 4% of our partners but chose to walk away from the bargaining table. If theyre ready to come back, were ready to talk. Any agreement needs to reflect the reality that Starbucks already offers the best job in retail including more than $30 an hour on average in pay and benefits for hourly partners. Were investing over $500 million to put more partners in stores during busy times. The facts show people like working at Starbucks.
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E-Commerce
This month, Southwest Airlines unveiled a new cabin design thats already rolling out in new planes across its fleet. It includes slimmer seats, updated amenities, and lots and lots of blue. The new cabin was revealed on October 14, and there are currently six aircrafts in operation with the revamped design. For Southwest, this design is part of what it calls a larger transformational plan. So far, that plan has included nixing some of its most iconic brand featureslike its bags fly free policy and flat cost open seating arrangementin order to compete in an airline industry thats increasingly reliant on charging ancillary, premium fees to drive up profits. [Photo: Southwest] Starting in January 2026, Southwest will offer a new, pricier seating option that comes with extended leg room (ELR). These ELR seats are expected to take up one-third of each aircrafts total seatingand in order to implement the new tiered assigned seating process, the airline is replacing seating across its fleet. In the coming months, every new aircraft that Southwest receives from Boeing will be fitted with the fully updated cabin, while older planes will be retrofitted with new seats. According to Julia Melle, Southwests director of brand and content, the new cabin design is intended to offer new experiences for a broadening affluent consumer base, while still keeping core customers in mind. After the pandemic, we took a look at the data, and there is a more affluent audience that is growing across the category, Melle says. We wanted to be able to make sure we offered our core customers and an affluent customer more choices than ever before, and that includes an elevated experience within our cabin. [Photo: Southwest] A very blue cabin design The main change that guests might notice when they enter an updated Southwest cabin is a whole lot of blue. Throughout the customer research process, Melle says, her team found that passengers are primarily looking for a calming, relaxing, and friendly environment. To achieve that, the design team filled the cabin with an array of complimentary blue tones, from sky blue on the headrests to navy blue on the seats and a swirling, atmospheric blue on the carpet. Even the lighting scheme has been adjusted to all-blue tones. We had a red that would appear at a certain portion of the flight along with the blues, and now it’s a completely a blue color scheme, Melle says. She adds that the new lighting system also has fewer options available, simplifying the process for flight crew when theyre selecting a light setting for takeoff, cruising, and landing. [Photo: Southwest] A slimmer seat Southwests new seats are a model designed by Recaro Aircraft Seating, which faced some backlash earlier this year when internet critics nicknamed them the Ozempic seat for their skinny profiles. Melle says the seats are engineered for maximum comfort through customer feedback and product testing, from the way they maximize seat width to the specific upholstery material. Each seat comes with a personal electronic device holder on the back and a headrest that can be adjusted up and down or folded in toward the face. The new ELR seats will offer up to five inches of additional pitch for passengers to stretch out, while the seating redesign will maintain a standard seat pitch for those in economy, according to a Southwest spokesperson. To make this work in older planes, Southwest is removing six seats from its Boeing 737-700 aircraft. Boeing MAX 8 and 737-800 planes will keep the same number of seats. [Photo: Southwest] In addition to these aesthetic changes, the new cabins also include larger overhead bins, an added cupholder on tray tables, and USB-A and USB-C port on each seatback. And, for passengers sitting in the ELR tier, Southwest will now serve an exclusive new snack of either honey roasted or salted pistachios (luxurious!). Overall, the updated cabin isnt exactly reinventing the wheel. Still, for Southwest, customer reactions to the design will serve as a crucial data point for the reception of the airlines broader brand transformation.
Category:
E-Commerce
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