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The State Department says it will suspend the processing of immigrant visas for citizens of 75 countries whose nationals are deemed likely to require public assistance while living in the United States. The State Department, led by Secretary Marco Rubio, said Wednesday it had instructed consular officers to halt immigrant visa applications from the countries affected in accordance with a broader order issued in November that tightened rules around potential immigrants who might become public charges in the U.S. The suspension will not apply to applicants seeking non-immigrant, or temporary tourist or business visas. The Trump administration is bringing an end to the abuse of Americas immigration system by those who would extract wealth from the American people, the department said in a statement. Immigrant visa processing from these 75 countries will be paused while the State Department reassess immigration processing procedures to prevent the entry of foreign nationals who would take welfare and public benefits. The statement did not identify which countries would be affected by the pause, but President Donald Trump’s administration has already severely restricted immigrant and non-immigrant visa processing for citizens of dozens of countries, many of them in Africa. The suspension will begin on Jan. 21. Matthew Lee, AP diplomatic writer
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After two years of declines, United States greenhouse gas emissions increased in 2025a change driven by increased electricity use, due in part to data centers and cryptocurrency mining, as well as cold winter temperatures that meant homes required more heating. Emissions increased 2.4% in 2025, according to preliminary data from the research firm Rhodium Group. Thats higher than the countrys GDP growth, which increased by a projected 1.9%. That the countrys emissions grew more than its GDP is notable: Climate experts have long noted that its both possible and necessary to reduce emissions while still growing the economy. And for the past few years, the U.S. has done just that. (Multiple states have also individually reduced their emissions while growing their economies.) Now, though, 2025 has broken a three-year trend in which the economys growth outpaced our emissions growth. Heating, data centers, and crypto mining The main drivers of this emissions increase came from the buildings and power sectors. Colder temperatures meant more homes had to rely on natural gas and coal for heating. The winter of 2025 specifically led to increased direct combustion of these fuels in buildings, driving up emissions by 56 million metric tons, or 6.8%, compared to 2024, per Rhodium. Coal generation grew 13% compared to the year prior, making 2025 just the second year in the past decade in which coal generation increased. (Since its peak in 2007, coal generation has shrunk by 64%.) Coal use grew in part because natural gas prices increased. Utility companies also delayed planned retirements for coal plants in order to meet a growing demand for power, and due to Department of Energy orders. At the same time, electricity use increased. Total electricity generation grew 2.4% in 2025, mostly because of commercial buildings where data centers, cryptocurrency mining operations, and other large load customers drove electricity demand, according to Rhodium. The surge in electricity demand comes as AI has fueled a boom in data center construction. (Rhodium’s report also notes that investments in artificial intelligence infrastructure were a major source of U.S. economic growth, as well.) While transportation is responsible for the highest share of emissions, that sector only saw a 0.1% growth in greenhouse gases compared to 2024. Road traffic actually increased, but the growing share of battery electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids on the road meant gas consumption declined. How Trump policies could impact emissions Though U.S. emissions increased in 2025, theyre still below pre-pandemic levels6% below 2019s emissions, and 18% below 2005s emissions. But Trump administration policies could mean greenhouse gas emissions grow even more. The Trump administration has already made efforts to curtail climate progress, bolstering the use of fossil fuels, canceling clean energy products, and removing federal tax incentives that would get more people to buy EVs or other energy efficient technologies. Despite those efforts, which began as soon as Trump took office in January for his second presidential term, the emissions growth in 2025 wasnt really impacted by recent Trump or congressional policies, Rhodium says. Apart from some modest contributions to increased coal generation from Department of Energy orders to keep a few plants running, we arent yet seeing the direct effects of these policy changes in U.S. emissions, the report reads. That could change in the next year or two, though, the researchers note, particularly if data center electricity demand continues to surge and the grid responds with more output from existing fossil generators instead of new, clean resources.
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E-Commerce
Never skip leg day sounds like something a swole gym bro with killer quads might harp on about. But doctors also sing the praises of lunges and split bench squats, and not for the reason you might think. In a recent article for Vogue, California-based physician Dr. Chris Renna said: Stronger leg muscles are linked to better cognitive function in aging mainly through their effects on blood flow, metabolic health, brain structure, and physical/social activity patterns. Muscle mass starts to decline at age 30. As the largest muscle group in the body, maintaining muscle strength in the thighs and glutes is especially important for healthy agingand apparently, brain function. Multiple studies back this up. A 2015 study of over 300 female twins, ages 43 to 73, found the more powerful their legs (measured by pushing one foot as hard and fast as possible against a pedal), the better their cognition a decade on (measured by a series of tests on memory and processing speed). Another study of 1,500 older adults, with an average age of 70, conducted in 2018, also found an association between stronger legs and better performance on tests of their cognitive function. A separate study also in 2018, this time conducted on mice, found exercising the lower extremities to be critical to brain and nervous system health. Researchers discovered that neurological health depends as much on signals sent from the leg muscles to the brain as it does the other way around. This offers an explanation for why patients with neurological diseases experience rapid decline once their movement becomes limited. It is no accident that we are meant to be active: to walk, run, crouch to sit, and use our leg muscles to lift things, the studys author, Dr. Raffaella Adami, told academic journals publisher Frontiers. Neurological health is not a one-way street with the brain telling the muscles lift, walk, and so on. The brain-leg connection can be explained by tiny proteins called myokines. When the leg muscles are exercised, they release these messenger molecules, which reach the brain via the bloodstream. Here, they support learning ability, memory, and neural adaptation, the process by which the nervous system adjusts and improves its functioning. A simple leg day session that includes weight-bearing exercises like lunges, squats, and calf raises will not only improve physical strength. By increasing blood flow, the brain floods with extra oxygen, helping to decrease harmful inflammation in the body. If youve been known to skip squats or lunges at the gym, it doesnt help that modern life is, for many, characterized by a concerning lack of movement. Commuting to work to sit at a desk for hours, before commuting home again to sit some more on the couch, means our legs often arent getting the regular exercise they need to keep our brain working optimally. So drop some squats in front of some Netflix or while listening to a podcast. Your glutes wont be the only part of your body that thanks you.
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E-Commerce
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