Latest news with #EasterSunday
Time of India
2 days ago
- Business
- Time of India
Major US banks to close all locations for 24 hours in weeks for upcoming federal holiday
In a significant development, Bank of America has confirmed it will shut down all 3,700 branches for a 24 hour period in only a few weeks time. Not just this, Chase has also confirmed it will follow suits. Bank teller services will be unavailable in observance of the US federal holiday Juneteenth, celebrated on June 19. The day commemorates the enforcement of the Emancipation Proclamation and the liberation of the last enslaved African Americans, marking the end of slavery in the United States. Juneteenth a federal holiday in US? So far, Easter Sunday and Memorial Day have already uprooted vital infrastructures like banks and postal services. And in just a few weeks time, Juneteenth will similarly freeze major banks across the country. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Villas For Sale in Dubai Might Surprise You Villas In Dubai | Search Ads Get Rates Undo Juneteenth falls on June 19, and celebrates the day that the last slaves in the US were freed. Juneteenth became a federal holiday in 2021 when former President Joe Biden ratified legislation to do so in June of that year. Hence, all major banks, including Chase, Wells Fargo , Bank of America and Citibank will be closed in recognition of the holiday, reports The Mirror. ALSO READ: Will a potential recession in US provide discounted opportunities to home buyers? Check details Live Events Americans are encouraged to plan ahead and take care of their banking needs in advance. While the closure will last only 24 hours, it may still be wise to avoid any last-minute tasks. In fact, all major banks are expected to be closing, given that Juneteenth is one of the 11 federally recognized holidays. Others include days like Thanksgiving and Christmas. Banks won't be the only institutions shutting down for the day. All government offices — including city and state courts — will be closed. Social Security offices and local Department of Motor Vehicles locations will also be closed in observance of Juneteenth. Additionally, the stock market and branches of the New York Public Library system will suspend operations for the day. ALSO READ: Elon Musk leaves DOGE: Who will succeed Trump's 'first buddy' and what happens to the watchdog now? Postal carriers like FedEx and UPS will continue operating on Juneteenth , but there will be no regular mail delivery in New York. Public schools, including city schools, will be closed in observance of the federal holiday, giving students and educators the day off. Sanitation workers responsible for trash, curbside compost, and recycling will also have the day off, with collections postponed until the following day. ALSO READ: Trump fumes when asked about 'TACO' trade and called it a 'nasty question'. What does it mean? Some city services will remain operational. For instance, the Staten Island Ferry will run on a holiday schedule, with departures every 30 minutes from 7 a.m. to midnight. Deal News also reports that Walmart will be running for its normal hours on Juneteenth, despite its status as a major holiday. Shoppers are advised to check with their local stores before going out on June 19.
USA Today
3 days ago
- Politics
- USA Today
Pope Leo calls for ceasefire in Gaza, laments 'cries' of parents of dead children
Pope Leo calls for ceasefire in Gaza, laments 'cries' of parents of dead children Leo's social media post follows similar messages from his predecessor Pope Francis. Show Caption Hide Caption JD Vance gives Pope Leo a special American gift Pope Leo XIV was given a Bears jersey by Vice President JD Vance at their first official meeting. It was not the first time Leo has spoken out on international conflicts. In his first Sunday message, he urged "no more war." Leo's May 18 inauguration kicked off speculation about whether he would promote social justice, as Francis had. Pope Francis repeatedly called for a ceasefire in Gaza, including in an Easter Sunday message a day before he died. Pope Leo called for a ceasefire in Gaza and the release of all hostages in a May 28 general audience, following in the steps of his predecessor Pope Francis, who was both praised and criticized for using his position to advocate for ending the war in Gaza. "In the Gaza Strip, the intense cries are reaching Heaven more and more from mothers and fathers who hold tightly to the bodies of their dead children," Leo said in St. Peter's Square, in Vatican City. "To those responsible, I renew my appeal: stop the fighting. Liberate all the hostages. Completely respect humanitarian law." More: Chaos and criticism for Trump-backed Gaza aid plan as 47 are injured Leo assumed the papacy earlier this month after he was chosen in a closely followed papal conclave following Francis' death on April 21. It was not the first time Leo has spoken out on international conflicts. In his first Sunday message, he urged "no more war," a ceasefire in Gaza and the release of the hostages as well as an "authentic and lasting peace" in Ukraine. On May 21, he addressed the crisis in Gaza during a weekly Sunday audience, advocating "an end the hostilities," and asking Israel to allow humanitarian aid into the war-torn and impoverished enclave. Israel has since lifted its blockade, allowing a trickle of humanitarian aid back into Gaza. Leo's May 18 inauguration kicked off swirling speculation about whether he would promote social justice and immigrant rights, as Francis had. Leo, a Chicago native, is the first American-born pope, although he lived for much of his adult life in Peru. Some of Leo's past social media posts criticized Vice President JD Vance, who is Catholic, and the Trump administration for its hardline immigration policies. Leo met privately with Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and their wives, the Vatican announced on May 19. Pope Francis branded Gaza crisis 'serious and shameful' Israel launched its siege of Gaza after militants affiliated with Hamas − which controls the territory on the border of Israel and Egypt − overran Israel's borders on Oct. 7, 2023, killing 1,200 people and taking around 250 hostage. Since then, more than 54,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israel's attacks, according to Hamas-run local health authorities. A ceasefire brokered in mid-January was shattered after two months. The Trump administration's direct talks with Hamas in Qatar since then have failed to clinch a new agreement. At least 54 Palestinians sheltering in a school were killed by Israel's airstrikes on May 26. Pope Francis repeatedly called for a ceasefire in Gaza, reiterating in an Easter Sunday message a day before he died, "I appeal to the warring parties: call a ceasefire, release the hostages and come to the aid of a starving people that aspires to a future of peace." Some of his comments directly criticized Israel for the toll on Palestinian civilians. In a January message, he called the situation "very serious and shameful," adding, "We cannot in any way accept the bombing of civilians." More: Pope Leo appeals for Israel to allow humanitarian aid in Gaza Throughout the conflict, Francis kept in close contact with Gaza's small Catholic community, even holding nightly calls with the majority-Muslim enclave's churches in the weeks leading up to his death.
Local France
5 days ago
- Local France
Closures, traffic, and strikes: What to expect for France's Ascension public holiday
This year, Thursday, May 29th, marks Ascension, offering both a day off work and a chance to 'faire le pont' (do the bridge) and use a single day of annual leave to take Friday off work, giving yourself a lovely four-day break. The festival, which Christians believe marks the day that Jesus ascended into heaven, is always 40 days after Easter Sunday, which is why its exact date varies from year to year. READ MORE: Why is Ascension Day a public holiday in France? Here is what to expect over the long weekend. Closures Thursday is a jour férié for French workers, meaning banks, schools, and public offices (préfectures, town halls, etc) will be closed. Smaller shops, like your local butcher or cheesemonger, might also close on Thursday, or remain open at reduced hours, as if it were a Sunday. Usually, ahead of a public holiday, smaller shops will post their schedule for the week in a note in the window. Keep an eye out for this in the days to come. Advertisement Most supermarkets remain open, but they may do so at reduced capacity. Museums and tourist sites may close on Thursday; be sure to check their opening hours beforehand. Big sites like the Louvre and the Eiffel Tower will remain open. You can see the list of other Paris museums that will remain open on Ascension on the Paris tourism website . As for Wednesday and Friday, these are normal working days, but many workers opt to leave early on Wednesday or take off the day on Friday to build a long weekend. Some shops may also remain closed on Friday. Travel disruption and strikes As many people use this as an opportunity to take a weekend trip. Expect larger crowds and longer lines at tourist sites during the weekend, as well as on the roads, and at airports and train stations. On top of that, there has been recent protest action by taxi drivers across the country, and on Monday, French farmers began another wave of protests. READ MORE: Latest: French farmer tractor protests restart, while taxi drivers target airports Both of these movements have involved road blockades and 'go-slow' campaigns, though taxi drivers have focused primarily on blocking access to airports (particularly in the Paris region) and train stations. Farmers have so far focused their protest action on motorways ( autoroutes ). The French rail union, Sud-Rail, which represents ticket inspectors, has threatened to potentially call for strike action during the Ascension long weekend. So far, no official strike notices have been filed, but a representative from the union told the French press that the strikes would be called "four days in advance." Keep an eye on The Local's strikes section for more updates on action by taxi drivers, farmers and rail workers. Traffic Aside from possible slowdowns due to protest action by taxi drivers and farmers, French traffic watchdog Bison Futé had also predicted heavy traffic for departures across the country on Wednesday and Thursday, as well as for returns on Sunday (particularly those driving from the north-west). The roads are expected to be clear on Friday and Saturday for both departures and returns. Weather Overall, French forecasters are predicting cloudy weather across much of France at the start of the week, and some showers mid-week, with the sun expected to come back out across much of the country on Friday. As for the weekend, forecasters have warned that cloudy and stormy weather (particularly in the south-east) may return on Saturday, with rain expected across most of France on Sunday. Advertisement Temperatures are expected to remain cool from Monday to Thursday, with warmer weather returning on Friday. In the south-west, temperatures are expected to reach 30C, Le Figaro reported. However, this may be short-lived with temperatures potentially dropping again with the rain and clouds over the weekend, according to reports by Météo France on Monday.
CNN
5 days ago
- Health
- CNN
‘It's just devastating': Federal workers grapple with canceled health insurance, bungled benefits after Trump's layoff chaos
It was Easter Sunday, and an IRS agent in Atlanta found herself driving her son to the hospital because he was having a severe allergic reaction. But her son's well-being wasn't the only issue that day: She also didn't have health insurance. Her coverage hadn't been restored yet, even though she had been reinstated to her job at the Internal Revenue Service, after getting fired in February as part of the Trump administration's mass federal layoffs. 'I went straight to the emergency room,' she told CNN. 'I knew I didn't have insurance, but I didn't want to take the chance. At that point, you're not thinking about health insurance.' It took two months — and countless calls to customer service — for her health coverage to come back online. Meanwhile, she was hit with a $3,300 bill for the Easter visit to the ER. She is one of several current and former federal employees who are struggling to get their workplace benefits, including health insurance and pension payments, amid President Donald Trump's chaotic efforts to reduce the size of the US government, according to documents reviewed by CNN and interviews with more than half a dozen affected workers. It's not clear how widespread these issues are. But federal workers who spoke to CNN, who have worked at three separate agencies, described a bureaucratic nightmare as they navigate depleted human resources offices and try to minimize the disruptions to their daily lives. CNN has reported on the many other ways Trump's efforts to slash and revamp government agencies have prompted widespread confusion and uncertainty among federal workers. The hardest-hit group appears to be the thousands of 'probationary' workers who were fired en masse in February, only to be reinstated weeks later by federal judges. These employees were glad to be reinstated, but the whiplash put their benefits in limbo. 'There are no words to describe how difficult this has been,' said one Department of Education employee, whose family lost health insurance coverage for weeks. 'There's been no communication. No kindness. No compassion. It's just devastating.' The White House didn't comment for this story and referred CNN's questions to some of the agencies involved. The Trump administration and its Department of Government Efficiency are shrinking the size of the federal workforce by shuttering agencies, firing recently hired workers, incentivizing early retirement, offering buyouts and initiating 'reduction in force' layoffs. Along the way, as CNN has previously reported, the at-times indiscriminate cuts have left a trail of anxiety, fear and suffering. Many advocates for these fired federal employees have noted that a chief architect of these cuts, Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought, said in 2023 that 'we want the bureaucrats to be traumatically affected.' The current Department of Education employee — who was fired with the probationary workers and then reinstated by a court order — said she still hasn't been told why she couldn't get her health care back faster. The employee, a mother of three, spoke to CNN anonymously. While her health insurance was cut off, her husband, who is recovering from cancer, couldn't access appointments to maintain his health, which is critical for someone whose cancer is in remission, she said. During that period, her husband wasn't able to have his regular port flushing appointment to check the device in his chest that delivers chemotherapy treatments. His port then got blocked, necessitating further medical attention. They also weren't able to schedule his regular CT scans to determine whether his cancer had returned. She managed to get her insurance reinstated for her family through the Department of Education. But those weeks without any health insurance were riddled with anxiety and stress. And the future is unclear, especially as Trump tries to shut down the agency. 'There is now so much unknown for our future. It is hard to feel secure. I feel like it could be ripped away at any time,' she said regarding her current health insurance coverage. She estimates that she spent multiple hours per day during their benefits outage making calls, filling out paperwork and reaching out to local representatives to seek answers. A Department of Education spokeswoman, Madi Biedermann, said the department has 'been in regular communication with' employees affected by the cuts, including weekly in-person and virtual workshops where they can get answers from HR and information technology specialists. 'While we acknowledge transitions are difficult, employees have been fully informed and supported during the changes at the Department,' Biedermann said in an email. CNN spoke to four current and former Internal Revenue Service probationary employees who also struggled to get their health insurance plans reactivated after being reinstated. An IRS employee in Indiana said she lost insurance for about three months, forcing her to delay crucial medical tests for her wife to determine whether lesions on her pancreas were potentially cancerous. She showed CNN call logs and emails indicating that she spent more than 25 hours working the phones, trying to get her health coverage back online. 'The insurance company said I didn't have insurance. The IRS said I did. I couldn't get the sides to get together and talk on one another,' she said. 'It was absolute utter chaos. I was on the phone every single day for two weeks. I even broke down in tears on the phone.' An IRS revenue officer from Massachusetts described not realizing that his insurance had been canceled weeks earlier, until an unpaid bill arrived after his annual physical. 'If I get into an accident, that's going to bankrupt me,' he told CNN. Other IRS employees said even short lapses in coverage left them fearing what's next. 'It felt like I had been forgotten about,' said IRS employee Osama Shahbaz, who had a brief lapse in coverage. 'It felt a lot longer than two or three weeks. I was concerned, if something bad were to happen, I might not be covered and would have to pay a huge bill.' A spokesperson for Aetna told CNN that fewer than a dozen federal workers insured through the health insurance giant have had issues getting their coverage restored in a timely manner. BlueCross BlueShield's Federal Employee Program resumes the health coverage of a federal worker the same day as it receives a notification of reinstatement from the Office of Personnel Management, said a spokesperson for the BlueCross BlueShield Association. There are also indications that the mass firings have created a cycle of sorts where key HR employees — who would typically help with processing workers compensation claims or addressing questions about pensions — have themselves been fired, creating a vacuum for getting help. Sheria Smith, a Department of Education employee who is the president of her federal workers union chapter in Dallas, was injured at the office in February. She tripped over loose cords on the floor and gashed her foot open, necessitating a podiatrist visit. She filed a workers' compensation complaint on the day of the injury, but she said it still hasn't been resolved. She was then terminated in March as part of the Trump administration's sweeping 'reduction in force' layoffs at the Department of Education — but continued to push for her workers' comp to pay for her doctor's visits. In May, months after her injury, a staffer from the Department of Education's benefits office responded to one of her inquiries and said her request was being reviewed by a specific employee. Smith then informed them that this employee had been terminated. The benefits staffer wrote back, 'Thank you for that information. Please let us know who to reassign it to,' according to messages obtained by CNN. Smith then responded, 'I do not know. I've also been placed on administrative leave and do not know who remains.' John Reid III, a retired US Postal Service worker who lives in Locust Grove, Georgia, told CNN that he did not get his monthly federal pension benefit after the Social Security Administration erroneously declared him dead in April. Although Social Security has since corrected the record, Reid has yet to receive his May pension payment, which accounts for a sizable amount of his monthly income. He has called the Office of Personnel Management eight times to try to resolve the issue, including four times last week. But he was told that most of the staffers who would normally assist callers in his situation were gone due to buyouts and layoffs at the agency. The staffing shortage has left him wondering when he'll get the funds, which he and his wife depend on. He said he also reached out to one of his senators to try to get help. 'Retirees are being left hung out to dry,' said Reid, 73, who worked for USPS for more than three decades. 'I am so disappointed with our government.' In response to CNN's inquiries about the situation, OPM spokesperson McLaurine Pinover said on the morning of May 19 that the agency was trying to resolve the problem. 'OPM's Retirement Services office is actively working to address Mr. Reid's issue,' Pinover said in an email. 'There have been no changes to the constituent services process.' Later that day, Pinover told CNN that Reid's situation has been addressed, but the payment could take up to seven days. An OPM representative told Reid on Friday that it could be another week before he receives his May payment, but that his June payment should arrive on time on the first of the month, he said. 'At this juncture, I'll believe it when I receive it,' he said.
Miami Herald
5 days ago
- Business
- Miami Herald
Is Trader Joe's open on Memorial Day?
Memorial Day is all about BBQs and brews - and, most important, honoring military veterans who made the ultimate sacrifice. But what happens if you realize you're a little light on the meat or the beer and you need to make a last-minute grocery run? Don't miss the move: SIGN UP for TheStreet's FREE Daily newsletter Holidays typically mean limited hours, or outright closures, leaving people guessing about whether their go-to grocery store is open. There's nothing worse than showing up with your reusable bags in hand, only to find a big Closed sign on the door. If you're planning to stock up on staples or just need to grab a few things for unexpected guests, Trader Joe's is a safe bet. Here's what to know about Trader Joe's Memorial Day hours. Some retailers close on certain holidays to give their employees a break. Costco, for example, is known to close on New Year's Day, Easter Sunday, Memorial Day, Fourth of July, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day, and Christmas Day. The only holidays Trader Joe's closes for are New Year's Day, Thanksgiving Day, and Christmas Day; the stores close early on Easter Sunday, Independence Day, Christmas Eve, and New Year's Eve. Related: Trader Joe's makes big Costco-style bet in growing market While it's a nice gesture for retailers to give their employees a day off on holidays, some employees prefer to work because they get paid a premium. That is said to be the case with Trader Joe's, a company that reportedly pays employees an extra $10 an hour if they work on Sunday or a holiday like Memorial Day. So if you're Trader Joe's bound on Memorial Day, you can breathe a sigh of relief. More retail: Aldi releases viral Trader Joe's item that is always out of stockHome Depot, Lowe's rivals strategic growth planTrader Joe's making huge mistake not copying Walmart, Target Trader Joe's is open for its regular trading hours on Memorial Day. For most locations, that means doors open at 8 a.m and close at 9 p.m.; some locations' hours are 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Trader Joe's locations are not independently owned, so there should not be any variation but you can check your local store hours on the Trader Joe's website. Related: Walmart customers get bad news (Trader Joe's fans will be glad) The Arena Media Brands, LLC THESTREET is a registered trademark of TheStreet, Inc.
