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The term polar vortex usually refers to the gigantic circular upper air weather pattern in the Arctic region. It is a normal pattern that is stronger in the winter and keeps some of the coldest weather bottled up near the North Pole. But at times, some of the vortex can break off or move south, bringing unusually cold weather south and permitting warmer weather to creep up north. This week, parts of the U.S. are experiencing the 10th and coldest polar vortex event this season. Weather forces in the Arctic are combining to push the chilly air into the U.S. and Europe. With record snow in New Orleans last month and drought and destructive wildfires in Southern California, this winter has not been normal. The latest projected cold outbreak will bring bone-chilling temperatures to the Northern and Central Plains for several days, starting Sunday. Wind chills dropped to minus 60 Fahrenheit (minus 51 Celsius) in parts of North Dakota Monday and minus 50 F (minus 46 C) in parts of Montana. Wind chills were expected to dip even lower Tuesday morning. Frostbite and hypothermia will occur if unprotected skin is exposed to these temperatures. An extended period of freezing temperatures could cause ruptured water pipes, the NWS warned Monday. Meteorologists expect strong winds to make the cold feel even worse. Every U.S. state but Hawaii, California, and Florida have some or all parts forecast to have a good chance of windchills of 20 degrees or below sometime next week, the National Weather Service predicted. Some experts say disruptions to polar vortexes are happening more frequently because of a warming world. A warmer Artic gives more energy to atmospheric waves that can drive weather patterns, making the waves more likely to disrupt the vortex and move colder air south into lower latitudes. Despite the unusually cold winter across the U.S., the world remains in an overall warming pattern. Earths average overall temperature set yet another monthly heat record in January. It was the 18th month of the last 19 that the world hit or passed the internationally agreed upon warming limit of 1.5 C (2.7 F) above preindustrial times.
Category:
E-Commerce
One of President Donald Trumps major promises during the 2024 presidential campaign was to launch mass deportations of immigrants living in the U.S. without legal authorization. The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency has said that, since January 2025, it is detaining and planning to deport 600 to 1,100 immigrants a day. That marks an increase from the average 282 immigration arrests that happened each day in September 2024 under the Biden administration. The current trend would place the Trump administration on track to apprehend 25,000 immigrants in Trumps first month in office. On an annual basis, this is about 300,000far from the millions and millions of immigrants Trump promised to deport. A lack of funding, immigration officers, immigration detention centers, and other resources has reportedly impeded the administrations deportation work. The Trump administration is seeking $175 billion from Congress to use for the next four years on immigration enforcement, Axios reported on February 11, 2025. If Trump does make good on his promise of mass deportations, our research shows that removing millions of immigrants would be costly for everyone in the U.S., including American citizens and businesses. Food costs will increase One important factor is that mass deportations would weaken key industries in the U.S. that rely on immigrant workers, including those living in the U.S. illegally. Overall, immigrants without legal authorization make up about 5% of the total U.S. workforce. But that overall percentage doesnt reflect these immigrants concentrated presence within various industries. Approximately half of U.S. farmworkers are living in the country without legal authorization, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Some of these immigrant farmworkers are skilled supervisors who make decisions about planting and harvesting. Others know how to use and maintain tractors, loaders, diggers, rakers, fertilizer sprayers, irrigation systems, and other machines crucial to farm operations. If those workers were to be suddenly removed from the country, Americans would see an increase in food costs, including what they spend on groceries and at restaurants. With fewer available workers to pick fruits and vegetables and prepare the food for shipment and distribution, the domestic production of food could decrease, leading to higher costs and more imports. National estimates of the restaurant and food preparation workforce, meanwhile, indicate that between 10% and 15% of those workers are immigrants living in the U.S. illegally. Past state-level immigration enforcement policies offer an idea of what could happen at the national level if Trump were to carry out widespread deportations. For example, a 2011 Alabama law called HB-56 directed local police officers to investigate the immigration status of drivers stopped for speeding. It also prohibited landlords from renting properties to immigrants who do not have legal authorization to work or live in the country. That law and its resulting effects prompted some Alabama-based immigrant workers to leave the state following workplace raids. Their departure wound up costing the state an estimated $2.3 billion to $10.8 billion loss in Alabamas annual gross domestic product due to the loss of workers and economic output. Other industries that rely on immigrants Part of the challenge of mass deportations for industries like construction, nearly a quarter of whose workers are living without legal authorization, is that their workforce is highly skilled and not easily replaced. Immigrant workers are particularly involved in home construction and specialize in such tasks as ceiling and flooring installation as well as roofing and drywall work. Fewer available workers would mean slower home construction, which in turn would make housing more expensive, further compounding existing problems of housing supply and affordability. Shocks from deportations would also slow commercial and public infrastructure construction. Six construction workers, for example, died in April 2024 in the sudden collapse of the Baltimore Key Bridge in Maryland. All of them were Latino immigrants living in the U.S. without legal documentation. Examining the arguments Trump administration officials and other politicians have argued that deporting large numbers of immigrants would help the country save money, since fewer people will use federal and state funds by attending public schools or receiving temporary shelter. Trump said in November 2024 that there is no price tag for large-scale deportations. Its not a question of price tag, Trump said. We have no choice. When people have killed and murdered, when drug lords have destroyed countries, and now theyre going to go back to those countries because theyre not staying here, Trump told NBC News. Trump and his supporters also argue that deporting immigrants would mean more jobs for American workers. But there is compelling evidence to the contrary. First, immigrants are filling labor shortages and doing jobs that many Americans dont want to do, ones that might be unsafe or poorly paid. Even if Americans were willing to do those jobs, there simply arent enough Americans in the workforce to fill existing labor vacuums, let alone an enlarged one following deportations. Second, for employers, having fewer workers in the country translates into higher wages, which in turn means less capital to adapt and grow. For businesses based on consumer debt (think mortgages, car loans, and credit cards) deportations would disrupt the financial sector by removing responsible borrowers who make consistent payments. Third, immigrants living without legal documentation in the U.S. pay more than $96 billion in federal, state, and local taxes per year and consume fewer public benefits than citizens. Immigrants without legal authorization are not eligible for Social Security benefits and cant enroll in Medicare or many other safety net programs, such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. The bottom line In other words, people who are living and working in the U.S. without legal authorization are helping to pay, through taxes, the costs of caring for Americans as they age and begin to draw on the nations retirement and healthcare programs. The burden from recent inflation notwithstanding, an economy supported by immigrants living illegally in the U.S. protects Americans. The U.S. would be unable to dodge the economic shocks and high costs that mass deportations would bring about. Francisco I. Pedraza is a professor of political science at Arizona State University. Jason L. Morín is a professor of political science at California State University, Northridge. Loren Collingwood is an associate professor of political science at the University of New Mexico. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
Category:
E-Commerce
The return-to-office (RTO) pendulum continues to swing toward the wants of CEOs, and we expect this trend to continue. A 2024 survey of CEOs by KPMG found that 79% believe employees will be back in the office five days a week within three yearsa dramatic increase from 2023s survey. For many leaders, the workplace remains a vital tool for reinforcing company values and driving strategic alignment across teams. Yet, while employers prioritize a return to the collaboration, culture, and innovation that the office fosters, employees say they enjoy the autonomy and flexibility theyve gained working remotely. If leaders dont act consistently and communicate a RTO strategy effectively, theyll further erode employee trust. As a designer and workplace strategist, Ive been reflecting on how to design offices that encourage in-office collaboration, and engaging in deep conversations with clients about how they are implementing RTO policies. “Trust begins with leading by example, Jon Martin told me recently. Martin is the North American CEO of AEW Capital Management, one of the worlds largest global real-estate investment managers. AEW is a client of my firm Elkus Manfredi Architects, and we helped them reimagine their headquarters in Boston. AEW currently doesnt have a mandate for how many days a week its employees are expected to work out of its office. But its leadership teamlike many othershas been explicit about its desire to promote a predominately in-office culture. To encourage employees to be in the office more often, AEWs senior management team works in-person nearly full-time. If you have a return-to-office policy, whatever it may be, and it is not upheld by leadership, you will lose credibility quickly, says Martin. Success begins with transparency RTO policies often fail because inconsistent actions erode trust among employees, making it essential to align leadership actions with transparent communication. Employees often ask: “Are our leaders considering our needs? Are they asking for our insights? Will these mandates truly increase efficiency and purpose? These are valid concerns that can be addressed through a thoughtfully designed process to maintain organizational trust. I know from experience that listening to and engaging with the people for whom you are designing is immensely important for creating solutions and ensuring buy-in. Research shows involving employees in policy development enhances their commitment to change initiatives. Best practices for company leaders to take include: Establish a shared vision before seeking feedback. Frame discussions around organizational goals to align responses with achieving these objectives rather than focusing solely on personal preferences. Ask for input within a structured framework. Provide context and priorities to guide decision-making rather than posing open-ended questions like, Do you prefer working at the office or at home? Be transparent about trade-offs. Set expectations early, acknowledging theyre unlikely to meet everyones needs perfectly, and balance individual preferences with broader organizational priorities. Incorporate feedback thoughtfully and communicate decisions clearly. Asking for input and then failing to address itor worse, ignoring it entirelycan erode trust. Even if not all suggestions are implemented, explain decisions and how feedback shaped them. Mutual trust = a balanced solution When leadership demonstrates its trust in employees, staff are increasingly willing to collaborate on changes within their organizations. In fact, research finds that creating internal structures for feedback makes employees feel more included in organizational decisions and has downstream benefits on productivity and profitability. Leaders should also encourage employees to consider the broader impact of decisions on the business, fostering a sense of shared investment in a company’s path. Insights on team dynamics and performance can help leaders communicate the workplace strategies that support both individual and collective success. From intangible to innovative Crafting a successful return-to-office strategy is much like effective workplace design: Both transform intangible inputsemotions, interests, and individual experiencesinto solutions that benefit everyone. Martin sums up the stakes: If your return to the office policy feels administrative, is inconsistently applied across your organization, or lacks support from leadership, it will be nearly impossible to have a shared vision and achieve success.
Category:
E-Commerce
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