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UPI
a day ago
- Business
- UPI
ADP: Private payrolls grew by 37,000 in May; lowest rate since 2023
ADP reported that private payrolls in March grew by 37,000, the slowest pace since 2023. File Photo by Tasos Katopodis/UPI | License Photo June 4 (UPI) -- Private payroll processor ADP reported Wednesday that May private sector job growth was at its lowest level in two years. U.S. private employers added 37,000 jobs in May, the lowest pace of hiring since March 2023, ADP's monthly report said. "After a strong start to the year, hiring is losing momentum," ADP Chief Economist Nela Richardson said in a statement. "Pay growth, however, was little changed in May, holding at robust levels for both job-stayers and job-changers." The Dow Jones consensus expectation was 110,000. ADP May data showed 38,000 jobs created in leisure and hospitality, 20,000 created in financial services and 8,000 in information. But professional and business services lost 17,000, education and health services lost 13,000, and natural resources and mining saw a 5,000 decline in jobs. Goods-producing industries lost a net 2,000 jobs with manufacturing down by 3,000. President Donald Trump referenced the ADP report as he again called on Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell to lower interest rates. "ADP NUMBER OUT!!! 'Too Late' Powell must now LOWER THE RATE. He is unbelievable!!! Europe has lowered NINE TIMES!" Trump wrote on Truth Social. While the labor market weakened in May, pay gains held steady. ADP found that year-over-year pay increased in May by 4.5% for workers who stayed in their jobs. Pay rose 7% for job-changers. Financial services jobs had the greatest impact on pay gain of 5.2% for job-stayers. By region, the West gained 37,000 jobs and the Midwest gained 20,000. The Northeast lost 19,000 jobs and the South lost 5,000. Medium-sized employers with 50 to 499 employees added a net 49,000 jobs. But small and large employers lost 13,000 and 3,000 jobs respectively.
UPI
5 days ago
- Politics
- UPI
On This Day, June 1: Lafayette Square protesters cleared for Trump church photo-op
1 of 6 | On June 1, 2020, law enforcement officers cleared protesters from Lafayette Square near the White House using tear gas and other tactics to allow President Donald Trump to walk to St. John's Episcopal Church to pose for a photo while holding a Bible. File Photo by Tasos Katopodis/UPI | License Photo On this date in history: In 1880, the first public pay telephone began operation in New Haven, Conn. In 1958, Charles de Gaulle became prime minister of France with emergency powers amid the collapse of the Fourth Republic. He was elected president of France at the end of the year amid the rise of the Fifth Republic. In 1962, Israel hanged Adolf Eichmann for his part in the killing of 6 million Jews by Nazi Germany in World War II. In 1964, the U.S. Supreme Court banned prayers and Bible teaching in public schools on the constitutional grounds of separation of church and state. File Photo by Erin Schaff/UPI In 1968, Helen Keller, a world-renowned author and lecturer despite being blind and deaf from infancy, died in Westport, Conn., at the age of 87. In 1973, Prime Minister George Papadopoulos abolished the Greek monarchy and proclaimed Greece a republic with himself as president. Constantine II, the last king of Greece, died in January 2023. In 1980, the Cable News Network -- CNN -- TV's first all-news service, went on the air. In 1993, President Jorge Serrano Elias of Guatemala was ousted by the military. In 1997, Betty Shabazz, Malcolm X's widow, sustained injuries when her 12-year-old grandson, Malcolm Shabazz, set fire to her apartment. She died nearly a month later. File Photo by Roger Celestin/UPI In 1997, teacher Jonathan Levin, the son of Time Warner's then-chairman, Gerald Levin, was tortured and killed by a former student who knew him to be wealthy and was seeking money. The student, Corey Arthur, was found guilty of second-degree murder and sentenced to 25 years to life in prison. His alleged accomplice, Montoun Hart, was acquitted despite a signed, 11-page confession. In 2001, Nepalese Crown Prince Dipendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev massacred nine members of his family, including his parents, King Birendra and Queen Aishwarya; his siblings, Prince Nirajan and Princess Shruti; and aunts and uncles Prince Dhirendra, Princess Shanti, Princess Sharada, Kumar Khadga and Princess Jayanti. Dipendra also shot himself in the head, but initially survived, and served as king for four days before dying. In 2008, a fire at Universal Studios Hollywood burned two city blocks and destroyed iconic movie sets, including those from When Harry Met Sally, The Sting and Back to the Future. In 2009, Air France Flight 447 from Rio de Janeiro to Paris plunged into the Atlantic Ocean, killing all 228 people on board. In 2015, the Eastern Star, a passenger ship traveling along the Yangtze River from the eastern city of Nanjing, flipped during a violent storm, killing approximately 400 people. In 2020, law enforcement officers cleared protesters from Lafayette Square near the White House using tear gas and other tactics to allow President Donald Trump to walk to St. John's Episcopal Church to pose for a photo while holding a Bible. The photo op came amid protests against the police killing of George Floyd which caused damage to the church. In 2021, Adm. Linda Fagan took over for retiring Adm. Karl L. Schultz, becoming the first female commandant in the U.S. Coast Guard. File Photo by Bonnie Cash/UPI
UPI
28-05-2025
- Politics
- UPI
Latin America serves as platform for Russian espionage
Latin America has become a strategic hub for Russian operatives seeking to operate beyond the direct surveillance of U.S. and European agencies, according to the U.S. Intelligence Community. File Photo by Tasos Katopodis/UPI | License Photo May 28 (UPI) -- U.S. and NATO intelligence reports have documented an increase in Russian espionage activity in Latin America, particularly since the start of the war in Ukraine in 2022. The region has become a strategic hub for Russian operatives seeking to operate beyond the direct surveillance of U.S. and European agencies, according to the U.S. Intelligence Community. Recent investigations reveal that Russia has used countries like Brazil as launchpads to create false identities and conduct international espionage. Over the past two decades, Russia has expanded its footprint in Latin America through trade agreements, military cooperation, cultural diplomacy and intelligence operations, said Luis Pacheco of the Security College in Washington. This expansion reflects a geopolitical effort to counter U.S. influence in the region. "Although not always visible, Russian intelligence has cultivated networks of influence, disinformation and surveillance, acting as a silent tool of power," said Pacheco. Intelligence services in Argentina, Brazil and Uruguay have reported activity by Russia's SVR and GRU intelligence agencies. In addition to on-the-ground espionage, these entities are accused of spreading disinformation, launching cyberattacks and carrying out psychological operations aimed at swaying public opinion, destabilizing pro-Western governments and promoting Kremlin-aligned narratives. "Russian intelligence serves as a tool of geopolitical deterrence, sending a message that Moscow can also exert strategic influence in Latin America, a region traditionally within Washington's sphere of influence," Pacheco said. Uruguay has a notable history involving Russian espionage. In September 2022, Alejandro Astesiano, the head of security for President Luis Alberto Lacalle, was arrested for leading a criminal network that forged documents to help Russian citizens obtain Uruguayan passports. Authorities estimate that the network facilitated as many as 10,000 passports, charging roughly $20,000 each. More recently, Brazilian counterintelligence expelled nine Russian agents who had obtained Brazilian documents. According to officials, Uruguay's intelligence service tracked SVR agents into Brazil and alerted local authorities. The investigation included cooperation from the CIA and other Western intelligence agencies concerned that SVR presence aimed to influence opinion in favor of Russia's stance on the war in Ukraine. A New York Times investigation detailed growing Russian espionage activity in Brazil, describing the country as a key platform for covert Kremlin operations. One notable case is that of Sergey Vladimirovich Cherkasov, a GRU agent who posed as a Brazilian national under the name "Victor Muller Ferreira." In his book El Topo (The Mole), Argentine journalist Hugo Alconada recounts the 2023 arrest in Slovenia of a Russian spy couple carrying Argentine passports. Artjom Viktorovič Dulcev and Anna Valerevna Dulceva allegedly lived under false identities in Buenos Aires between 2012 and 2019. Their mission reportedly focused on gathering intelligence about Argentina's massive Vaca Muerta oil reserve in the south of the country.
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
We Must Stand in Solidarity Against Hate
An embassy official cleans blood off the sidewalk at the shooting location outside of the Lillian and Albert Small Capital Jewish Museum on May 22, 2025 in Washington, DC. Credit - Tasos Katopodis—Getty Images On Wednesday night in Washington, D.C., two young staffers from the Israeli embassy, Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Milgrim, were shot and killed after leaving a Jewish community event. Witnesses say the attacker shouted 'Free Palestine' before opening fire. He reportedly said, 'I did it for Gaza.' This was a targeted antisemitic attack. And tragically, this is not an isolated incident. Since the October 7 massacre in Israel, antisemitism has surged with renewed intensity across North America. It's showing up on campuses, in protests, on social media—and now, in the streets of the U.S. capital. Perhaps most alarming is the growing ease with which it is tolerated, rationalized, or ignored. There is a long and painful history of antisemitism being treated as an afterthought—even in spaces devoted to human rights and justice. But this form of hate is not just persistent—it's shape-shifting, virulent, and, as we've seen, increasingly violent. Over the years, my work in human rights—particularly through the Raoul Wallenberg Centre—has shown me how hate, left unchecked, mutates and spreads. In various board and leadership roles, I've worked to help build coalitions that advance a united front against systemic racism, antisemitism, islamophobia, and other forms of hate. But make no mistake: antisemitism today demands urgent, focused attention. That's why building meaningful alliances is not just important—it's essential. Efforts like Van Jones' Exodus coalition, which brings Black and Jewish leaders together to confront rising hate and promote mutual understanding, offer a blueprint for the kind of solidarity this moment demands. These coalitions don't dilute the unique dangers faced by each group—they strengthen our collective resolve to confront them all. Yes, we can care about Palestinian rights and still denounce antisemitism unequivocally. But doing so requires empathy. And it requires the courage to speak with clarity—especially when it's inconvenient or unpopular. The victims in Washington were not symbols. They were real people, with families and futures. Their deaths must not be just another headline. Let them be a wake-up call. This is not the time for silence. It is time for clarity. And above all, it's a time for courage. Let's honor those we've lost not just with grief—but with action. Let's stand together—firmly, unapologetically—against the ancient hatred that has once again shown its deadly face. Contact us at letters@
