Growth

As President Joe Biden and Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas approach the conclusion of their tenure on January 20, Mayorkas' border policies remain a significant point of contention. Reports indicate that by then, approximately 1.5 million illegal migrants will have entered the U.S. through parole programs established under Mayorkas' leadership.

France’s birthrate fell to its lowest level since the end of World War I, with only 663,000 babies born in 2024, according to the National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies (INSEE). This marks a 2.2% decline from the previous year and the lowest recorded births since 1946. The fertility rate also dropped to 1.62 children per woman, well below the 2.1 replacement level needed to maintain population stability.

The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) projects that annual deaths in the U.S. will surpass births by 2033, marking a significant demographic shift.

As the U.S. moves closer to a potential ban on TikTok, a massive influx of users has turned to RedNote, a Chinese social media platform also known as Xiaohongshu.

Kohl's has announced it will close 27 underperforming stores across the U.S. by April 2025, representing less than 3% of its over 1,150 locations.

President-elect Donald Trump announced plans to create an "External Revenue Service" to collect tariffs from other countries.

With less than a week until Inauguration Day, former President Donald Trump’s team is rallying support for his “Make America Wealthy Again” (MAWA) agenda, a continuation of his America First policies. In a video released to Breitbart News, Trump lays out his promises to reduce costs and reinvigorate the economy by prioritizing energy independence, cutting taxes, and fighting inflation.

The New York Times editorial board proposed a sweeping plan to resolve America’s immigration challenges, advocating for increased legal migration while sidelining concerns of many Americans. The op-ed, titled “A Big Idea to Solve America’s Immigration Mess,” frames migrants as essential for economic growth while casting native-born Americans as a declining population incapable of meeting labor demands.

The Biden administration announced an Interim Final Rule on Artificial Intelligence Diffusion that regulates AI chip exports and aims to keep the technology out of the hands of U.S. adversaries.

Republicans have proposed bills that would make President-elect Donald Trump's suggestion of renaming the Gulf of Mexico a reality for U.S. documents. Another proposed bill permits negotiations to take back the Panama Canal.