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Reuters
an hour ago
- Politics
- Reuters
Masked ICE agents detain former Afghan who helped US military
WASHINGTON, July 22 (Reuters) - An Afghan who moved to the United States after working for the U.S. military in his home country was seized by armed, masked immigration agents, put in a van and taken out of state, attorneys and members of Congress said on Tuesday. Identified only as Zia by members of Congress and his attorney out of concern for his safety and that of his family, the man had worked as an interpreter for the U.S. military during the war in Afghanistan. He was in the United States legally and was arrested after an appointment in Connecticut related to his application for a green card under a program to protect people who worked for U.S. forces, according to human-rights advocates, his attorney and members of Congress. Since starting his second term in January, Republican President Donald Trump has pursued a broad crackdown on immigration. "What happened to him is the worst kind of abhorrent violation of basic decency," Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut told reporters on a call with advocates to draw attention to the case of Zia and at least two other Afghans who worked for the U.S. and have been seized by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE. "He actually worked and risked his life in Afghanistan to uphold the values and rights that are central to democracy," Blumenthal said. Blumenthal and two other Democrats, representatives Jahana Hayes, who serves Zia's district in Connecticut, and Bill Keating, who represents the Massachusetts city where Zia is being held, all pledged to fight for his release. A judge has issued a temporary stay preventing Zia's removal from the United States, but he remains in detention. Asked for comment, the Department of Homeland Security said the Afghan national entered the U.S. on October 8, 2024, and is under investigation for a "serious criminal allegation," adding, "All of his claims will be heard by a judge. Any Afghan who fears persecution is able to request relief." The emailed statement from DHS provided no further details. Zia's attorney, Lauren Petersen, said he was approved for humanitarian parole in 2024 due to a direct threat from Afghanistan's Taliban rulers. She said he has no criminal history and, when asked about DHS's saying he was under investigation for a "serious criminal allegation," she said she had no understanding of what they were referring to. Humanitarian parole is a form of temporary permission under American law to be in the country for "urgent humanitarian reasons or significant public benefit," allowing recipients to live and work in the United States. More than 70,000 Afghans entered the U.S. under former Democratic President Joe Biden's "Operation Allies Welcome" initiative following the Taliban takeover in 2021, according to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. The Trump administration's immigration crackdown has included mass deportations and reversing "temporary protected status" granted to people already in the U.S. who cannot return to their home countries due to armed conflicts, natural disasters or other extraordinary events. U.S. agencies have moved to terminate that status for some 14,600 Afghans. Shawn VanDiver, the founder of #AfghanEvac, the main coalition of veterans and advocacy groups that coordinated resettlements of Afghans with the U.S. government, said on the call with reporters and lawmakers that he was aware of at least two other Afghans detained after being admitted to the United States because they had worked for the U.S. military. He said his group, and veterans organizations, were working for their release. "It's about whether this country honors its word to those who risk everything," he said.
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Former ESPN Star: There Are 'No Rules' At Company Now
Former ESPN Star: There Are 'No Rules' At Company Now originally appeared on The Spun. The ESPY Awards may have signified a tonal shift at ESPN. A network that has traditionally tried to steer clear of controversy selected Shane Gillis to host its annual award show. The comedian pushed the limits during a polarizing monologue that included jokes about Jeffrey Epstein, the Jan. 6 insurrection, Caitlin Clark's supposed love of "fist-fighting Black women," and Donald Trump sending him to the event to capture MLB superstar Juan Soto. Bomani Jones held various roles throughout his tenure at ESPN. The outspoken personality tested the company's boundaries when he wore a "Caucasians" shirt parodying the Cleveland Guardians' former Chief Wahoo mascot. On his The Right Time podcast, a surprised Jones discussed Gillis' divisive hosting performance. "Shane Gillis did not hit them all out of the park, but he hit a couple of them to the moon," Jones said. "I was like, I can't believe this is happening. There are officially no more rules at that place." Jones thinks the ESPN landscape is unrecognizable from his time with the company. "I worked with, for, in various capacities at ESPN for about 20 years. I've known what you can and can't get away with. I've been there for the ebbs and flows of the things that you can do, whether it be digital or whatever it is. I've seen all the changes," Jones said. "This is wild. There are officially no rules, as long as you're talking about stuff that doesn't really matter." The former radio and TV host noted that ESPN fosters fewer conversations about substantive topics because they've decided "people don't want that." As for expanding the limits of what personalities can get away with, Jones believes Pat McAfee opened Pandora's Box. "They can't control anything else that anybody does because they can't control what McAfee does," Jones theorized. "And so I saw clips of [the ESPYs] and was like, this is insane. I don't know anything that's going on over there."Former ESPN Star: There Are 'No Rules' At Company Now first appeared on The Spun on Jul 22, 2025 This story was originally reported by The Spun on Jul 22, 2025, where it first appeared.
Forbes
3 hours ago
- Business
- Forbes
Credit Card Giant Synchrony's Earnings Show U.S. Consumer 'In Pretty Good Shape'–As Long As Inflation Doesn't Spike
Synchrony, which has 68 million active accounts, saw more consumers paying back their loans in the second quarter of 2025 versus last year. Jaque Silva/NurPhoto via Getty Images A mericans have more debt than they've ever had, making them vulnerable to defaulting on their loans if the economy turns south. New financial results from credit card issuer Synchrony show that U.S. borrowers are holding up fine, but if inflation rises sharply again, all bets are off. Synchrony is a Stamford, Connecticut-based bank that offers co-branded credit cards and point-of-sale loans for customers like Sam's Club, Lowe's and PayPal. One in every four American adults has a Synchrony card, the company says, so its financial performance gives us an inside look into consumers' financial health. The bank manages a book of $100 billion in loans and has a stock market value of $27 billion. Have a story tip? Contact Jeff Kauflin at jkauflin@ or on Signal at jeff.273. During the first two years of the pandemic, U.S. consumers became financially healthier than ever thanks to government stimulus checks and increased saving. But after inflation rose quickly in the years that followed, consumers strained to meet rising expenses, with lower-income consumers being particularly hard-hit. Default rates hit alarmingly high levels. In November 2024, nearly 8% of people with credit scores of 660 or below were at least 30 days late on their credit card payments. It was the highest delinquency rate seen among that group since January 2011, according to Moody's and Equifax. Synchrony saw a similar trend among its customers. The bank's charge-off rates, or the dollar amount of its loans it considers gone for good because consumers probably won't pay them back, went from 4.75% in the second quarter of 2023 to 6.42% a year later, sailing past the 6% maximum charge-off rate the company aims for. 'Since we hadn't experienced inflation for so long, lenders didn't have a large and modern set of data to react to it with a scientific or surgical approach,' says John Hecht, an analyst at Jefferies. In Synchrony's second quarter of 2025 earnings call on Tuesday, CEO Brian Doubles said more consumers are now paying back their loans than the company expected. 'They're still in pretty good shape. We're not seeing signs of weakness,' he said, adding that consumer spending is 'pretty strong.' Charge-offs fell from 6.4% in the first quarter of this year to 5.7%, and the number of people who were at least 30 days late on their payments fell, too. Synchrony's total book of loans shrank 2% in the second quarter of 2025 compared with a year ago. But Doubles has recently led Synchrony to start 'opening up the credit box,' or loosening its standards for doling out money. He expects faster growth in the second half of this year and next year. Doubles is optimistic, but his predictions 'exclude any potential impacts from the deteriorating macroeconomic environment, or from the implementation of tariffs or potential retaliatory tariffs, as their effects remain unknown,' Synchrony chief financial officer Brian Wenzel said on the call. In other words, if inflation jumps up, borrowers' plight will worsen quickly. An analyst from JPMorgan asked Doubles how he'll keep borrower defaults under control while relaxing lending standards. The CEO responded that lending 'has always been an art and a science.' He said he likes the credit trends he's seeing and is being selective in where to expand. Yet he also added, 'The most important part here now is what's going to happen with the economy and essentially a tariff situation.' Synchrony's customers are especially vulnerable to getting hurt by inflation, says TD Cowen analyst Moshe Orenbuch, because many have below-average credit scores. According to Synchrony, 28% of its credit card customers had FICO scores below 650 as of March 2025. The company touted a few new products and customers that it expects will drive higher growth. That included a new buy-now, pay-later product for Amazon users, a physical PayPal credit card and two credit cards for Walmart's digital bank, OnePay. Walmart was a long-time Synchrony customer until 2018, when the retail giant switched to Capital One. Back then, Synchrony managed $10 billion in loans for Walmart. Doubles said Walmart will eventually become one of Synchrony's top five customers now that it has won back that credit card business. After the earnings call, Synchrony's stock closed up 1.8% for the day. So far in 2025, its stock has risen 8.7%, according to FactSet, compared with 7.3% for the S&P 500.
Reuters
4 hours ago
- Business
- Reuters
Wall Street indexes end split amid mixed earnings, crude slides as trade deadline looms
NEW YORK, July 22 (Reuters) - The Dow gained while the Nasdaq lost ground on Tuesday and crude settled lower as investors assessed a spate of mixed earnings and signs that President Donald Trump's protracted trade war is hitting corporate profit margins, even as Trump's dealmaking deadline approached. The S&P 500 closed with nominal gains as underperforming tech shares (.SPLRCT), opens new tab dragged the Nasdaq into the red. Gold extended its gains in opposition to the softening dollar, and U.S. Treasury yields eased for the third-straight session. "(Investors are) looking for additional catalysts and you're seeing some cautious comments coming out of companies," said Robert Pavlik, senior portfolio manager at Dakota Wealth in Fairfield, Connecticut. "They're hearing mixed guidance when it comes to all this uncertainty revolving around tariffs and the direction things are heading." Second-quarter earnings season has hit full stride, with nearly one-fifth of the companies in the S&P 500 having reported. Of those, 79% have beaten analyst expectations, according to LSEG data. Analysts expect year-on-year S&P 500 earnings growth of 7%, on aggregate, a sizable improvement over the 5.8% growth predicted as of July 1, per LSEG. Still, the effects of the trade war have begun seeping into corporate results. General Motors' (GM.N), opens new tab second-quarter core profit slid 32% as steep tariff costs took a $1.1-billion bite from its bottom line. Prospects of a U.S.-European Union trade deal appeared to be fading as Washington's August 1 deadline loomed, prompting EU members to ramp up possible "anti-coercion" retaliatory measures. U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on Tuesday he would meet with his Chinese counterpart to discuss delaying the August 12 trade talks deadline with China again, as the world's two largest economies wrestle with the flow of technology and rare earth materials. "These are pretty classic negotiations; nothing ever happens until it has to happen," says Chuck Carlson, CEO at Horizon Investment Services in Hammond, Indiana. "Nothing gets done until the deadline, then either the deadline gets extended or there's some resolution that comes out of nowhere." "The flip side of this is Trump's going to have to follow through eventually," Carlson added. "Otherwise, he's going to be the boy that cried wolf, and his negotiating power is going to be sapped because people will believe he's never going to follow through." The Dow Jones Industrial Average (.DJI), opens new tab rose 179.12 points, or 0.40%, to 44,502.19, the S&P 500 (.SPX), opens new tab rose 3.99 points, or 0.06%, to 6,309.59 and the Nasdaq Composite (.IXIC), opens new tab fell 81.49 points, or 0.39%, to 20,892.69. MSCI's gauge of stocks across the globe (.MIWD00000PUS), opens new tab rose 0.68 points, or 0.07%, to 930.31. The pan-European STOXX 600 (.STOXX), opens new tab index fell 0.41%, while Europe's broad FTSEurofirst 300 index (.FTEU3), opens new tab fell 8.50 points, or 0.39% Emerging market stocks (.MSCIEF), opens new tab fell 3.93 points, or 0.31%, to 1,249.53. MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan (.MIAPJ0000PUS), opens new tab closed lower by 0.17%, to 657.56, while Japan's Nikkei (.N225), opens new tab fell 44.19 points, or 0.11%, to 39,774.92. The dollar continued to edge lower amid a subdued currency market as investors awaited any sign of progress in trade talks ahead of the August 1 deadline. The dollar index , which measures the greenback against a basket of currencies including the yen and the euro, fell 0.5% to 97.36, with the euro up 0.49% at $1.1752. Against the Japanese yen , the dollar weakened 0.56% to 146.56. Bitcoin gained 1.98% to $119,320.90. Ethereum declined 2.41% to $3,668.31. U.S. Treasury yields appeared set to notch a third-straight day of declines as the market took a breather on the heels of Monday's rally. The yield on benchmark U.S. 10-year notes fell 2.8 basis points to 4.342%, from 4.37% late on Monday. The 30-year bond yield fell 2.6 basis points to 4.9111% from 4.937% late on Monday. The 2-year note yield, which typically moves in step with interest rate expectations for the Federal Reserve, fell 1.9 basis points to 3.833%, from 3.852% late on Monday. U.S. crude slid 1.47% to settle at $66.21 per barrel, while Brent settled at $68.59 per barrel, down 0.9%. Spot gold rose 1.07% to $3,431.87 an ounce. U.S. gold futures rose 1.15% to $3,441.00 an ounce.
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
OCC bans former Webster general counsel, ex-TD, JPMorgan bankers
This story was originally published on Banking Dive. To receive daily news and insights, subscribe to our free daily Banking Dive newsletter. The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency has banned four former bankers from future work in the industry, the agency disclosed Thursday. James Blose, once general counsel at Stamford, Connecticut-based Webster Bank, was barred from the industry after pleading guilty to bank fraud and engaging in illegal monetary transactions and being sentenced in April to four years in prison. Blose was involved in a decade-long embezzlement scheme that used his attorney trust accounts to cover personal expenses and transfer funds to accounts in the names of businesses he had created and controlled. Through this scheme, Blose was found to have stole roughly $7.4 million from his employers and used the money for his personal benefit, including buying a vacation property, luxury vehicles, and private jet charters. If the prohibition order is violated, Blose could face fines of up to $1 million or imprisonment for up to five years, or both. It could also lead to additional civil money penalties, the OCC noted. However, Blose has the right to request an informal hearing, which must be submitted in writing and received within 30 days of order service, according to the OCC. Lacey Ann Henry, a former teller manager at the Trooper, Pennsylvania, branch of TD from June 2020 to February 2022, accessed confidential customer information and withdrew at least $41,500 from customer checking accounts in November and December 2021, for her personal benefit, the OCC found. Henry 'engaged in violations of law and unsafe and unsound practices, which resulted in financial loss to the Bank and financial gain to Respondent, and demonstrated personal dishonesty,' the agency said in the prohibition order. Alonso Missael Gonzalez Ibarra, a former teller and associate operations lead at a Portland, Oregon, branch of JPMorgan Chase, stole $36,768 between June and October 2022 from two ATMs. In an attempt to cover up his theft, Ibarra, who worked at JPMorgan for roughly seven years, altered the totals in the ATM records to make the ATMs appear to be in balance, the OCC found. Cricel Santamaria, a former client service representative at a Stamford location of Webster Bank, obtained 62 images of checks from the lender's internal systems and sold them online between October 2021 and April 2022, the OCC found. The total reported check sale fraud was $237,374, while the bank lost about $108,000, the agency said.
