By Nathaniel Meyersohn, CNN
New York (CNN) — The US has lost thousands of manufacturing jobs over the last year. Beverly Dawson’s family was among them.
Dawson was laid off this month at Whirlpool’s refrigerator factory in Amana, a small town in eastern Iowa. Her son’s offer to work full-time at the plant when he graduates from college in a few semesters was also pulled. Her husband was the only one to survive the latest round of layoffs.
At the Amana plant, the hope of a stable future building appliances in the town that introduced America’s first side-by-side refrigerator is dimming. The factory’s workforce has been cut by more than half over the last few years as Whirlpool expands production in Mexico.
“You have generations working at the Amana plant. People’s parents and grandparents,” Dawson, 48, said. “It’s a central part of the community and was a good, solid place to work.”
Dawson is one of more than 100,000 American manufacturing workers who have lost their jobs since President Donald Trump entered office last year. Trump as a candidate promised a “manufacturing boom” and once in office launched broad global tariffs as the way to revitalize factory production in the United States.
Despite the administration’s push, the decades-long decline in manufacturing has marched on. The US economy has shed more than 7.5 million manufacturing jobs since a peak in 1979, driven by global competition, automation and exchange rates.
Whirlpool has opened four factories in Mexico to build refrigerators in recent years, said the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace (IAM), which represents workers at the Amana plant.
IAM opposes Trump’s broad tariffs, fearing they would disrupt US production and cause layoffs.
“Whirlpool advertised quite often that they’re the only American manufacturer of refrigerators and tariffs will only be beneficial,” Dawson said. “I don’t understand how that reconciles with opening up more in Mexico.”
Whirlpool supports Trump’s plan
Whirlpool, which also owns the KitchenAid, Maytag and Amana brands, supports Trump’s tariffs.
The Michigan-based company has said the import taxes give it an advantage. That’s because most of the appliances it sells in the United States are produced domestically at 10 US plants, in contrast to its rivals in Asia like LG and Samsung.
The administration’s “trade policies are critical to closing trade loopholes and leveling the playing field for Whirlpool and other US manufacturers,” Whirlpool spokesperson Chad Parks said in a statement to CNN.
Whirlpool said it’s making “difficult but necessary changes” to the plant in Amana “all with the goal of keeping Amana competitive and a viable manufacturing presence in the community for the long term.”
But the pull to produce in lower-cost countries like China and Mexico remains strong for all US manufacturers. The power of tariffs has not been enough to make US manufacturing competitive with these countries. Trump’s snap decisions on tariff rates have also chilled companies’ long-term investment and hiring plans. (The White House did not respond to CNN’s request for comment.)
Por Annie Grayer, Paula Reid, Katelyn Polantz y Tierney Sneed, CNN
Una ley de transparencia aprobada por el Congreso ha obligado a publicar más archivos de Epstein que nunca, pero algunos legisladores y víctimas están explorando formas de presionar al Departamento de Justicia para que revele aún más información del voluminoso material que se mantiene oculto.
Unos 2,5 millones de documentos de los archivos de investigación del Departamento de Justicia sobre el fallecido delincuente sexual convicto Jeffrey Epstein no se han hecho públicos, y muchas de las 3,5 millones de páginas que sí se han publicado están fuertemente tachadas, lo que suscita interrogantes sobre qué información se está ocultando al público.
En el Capitolio, los legisladores están estudiando una nueva ley y aún desean interrogar bajo juramento a la secretaria de Justicia Pam Bondi sobre su gestión de los archivos de Epstein, lo que podría revelar información oculta.
Bondi se reunió voluntariamente con miembros de la Comisión a puerta cerrada el miércoles, pero la reunión se tornó tensa cuando los demócratas abandonaron la sala visiblemente frustrados, alegando que Bondi se negaba a cumplir con la citación judicial.
La presión para que Bondi testifique surge en medio de la frustración y la insatisfacción con la forma en que la administración ha cumplido con la Ley de Transparencia de los Archivos Epstein, y con las limitaciones de la propia ley.
Los representantes Thomas Massie, republicano de Kentucky, y Ro Khanna, demócrata de California —el dúo que lideró el impulso bipartidista para aprobar la legislación en el Congreso a finales del año pasado— están sopesando si unirse a las víctimas de los abusos de Epstein para demandar y obtener acceso a más archivos.
Massie y Khanna reconocieron a CNN en una entrevista reciente que el hecho de no incluir un mecanismo de aplicación en el texto ha creado algunas limitaciones a la ley.
“Si hubiera salido que la secretaria de Justicia va a infringir la ley y que habría que llevarla ante un tribunal para que se juzgara una ley claramente redactada, lo habría hecho”, declaró Massie cuando se le preguntó por qué no incluyeron una sección en el proyecto de ley que describiera lo que se denomina una “causa de acción”, es decir, una guía legal sobre cómo alguien o el propio Congreso podrían acudir a los tribunales para poner a prueba el cumplimiento del Departamento de Justicia con la ley de transparencia.
Pero siguen argumentando que la presión pública ha sido su mejor herramienta.
El Departamento de Justicia ha accedido repetidamente a corregir errores de censura, incluida la divulgación indebida de los nombres de las víctimas, al tiempo que insiste en que los funcionarios no ocultan nada.
Actualmente no existe ningún mecanismo legal que permita a un juez obligar al departamento a eliminar las partes censuradas o a publicar más documentos.
Un alto funcionario del Departamento de Justicia declaró recientemente a los periodistas que esperan dar por concluida la investigación sobre Epstein y que no se prevén cargos adicionales a menos que surja nueva información.
“Nos han criticado duramente los abogados, el Congreso y el público por cometer errores”, indicó el funcionario, argumentando que algunas de las críticas han sido injustas dado a que los abogados trabajaron largas jornadas bajo presión, y algunos revisaron más de 1.000 documentos por semana.
“Siempre hay muchísimos errores en la revisión de documentos”, añadió el funcionario, y señaló que el departamento implementó nuevos procedimientos tan pronto como se dieron cuenta de que había problemas con la publicación.
Según
By Meg Tirrell, CNN
(CNN) — At the end of a seemingly ubiquitous commercial for telehealth company Ro, a characteristically flabbergasted Charles Barkley speaks for us all when he remarks, “Wait, you’re telling me they have a GLP-1 pill for weight loss now?”
They do – and it turns out to be as wildly popular as its injectable predecessors. Just about 10 weeks after it was approved by the US Food and Drug Administration, the Wegovy pill is now estimated to be part of the daily regimen of about 400,000 Americans. And the field of weight-loss treatment is on the verge of even more head-spinning change.
A second pill is under review at the FDA, expected to hit the market as soon as next month, and many more are in clinical trials. Some companies are testing drugs that only need to be taken once a month. And an even more powerful next generation of medicines is quickly approaching, churning out trial results – including some new ones Thursday – that leave current options in the dust in terms of efficacy.
“We are entering this kind of phase two of using the GLP-1 system,” said Dr. Jody Dushay, an endocrinologist at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and assistant professor at Harvard Medical School.
The next wave could be driven by cost and convenience as much as by new approaches to treatment. The weight-loss pills – the one already on the market and the one waiting to be approved – have brought prices to new lows for US patients in a deal that both drugs’ makers struck with the Trump administration, even as insurance coverage can remain spotty for many.
And the more powerful drugs on the horizon could bring options for people who don’t get enough benefit from currently available therapies – but also, doctors warned, the risk of inappropriate use.
‘Triple G’
One such drug is retatrutide, a weekly injectable medicine in development at Eli Lilly, which also makes Mounjaro for diabetes and Zepbound for weight loss.
Those drugs are based on the active ingredient tirzepatide, which mimics two hormones: GLP-1 and GIP. Retatrutide ups the ante by adding a third, called glucagon, earning it the moniker “Triple G.”
It’s breaking records for weight loss induced with medicines; in clinical trial results reported in December, retatrutide led to average loss of up to 29% of participants’ body weight after 68 weeks, or about 71 pounds, in a study of people with knee osteoarthritis. The drug was also associated with reduced knee pain.
In new results released Thursday on type 2 diabetes, with which patients tend to lose less weight with medications, Lilly
CNN
By Alexandra Banner, CNN
Could your airport shut down if TSA screeners don’t show up to work? Experts explain which airports could be at risk of closure as staffing shortages worsen.
Here’s what else you need to know to get up to speed and on with your day.
1⃣ Nancy Guthrie
More than six weeks after Nancy Guthrie disappeared, the intense media and law enforcement presence that descended on her affluent Arizona neighborhood has mostly dissipated. But many in the community are still searching for answers. Local officials have not held a news conference in over a month, and law enforcement still has not determined a motive in her abduction. The investigation remains active, with authorities focusing on analyzing DNA evidence and video footage. Guthrie’s daughter, “Today” host Savannah Guthrie, has since returned to New York from Tucson but remains in close contact with law enforcement, a family friend said Wednesday.
2⃣ Epstein files
A transparency law passed by Congress forced the release of more Epstein files than ever before, but some lawmakers and victims are exploring ways to push the Justice Department to disclose even more information from the voluminous trove that’s being withheld. Roughly 2.5 million documents remain unreleased, while many of the 3.5 million pages made public are heavily redacted, fueling questions about what’s being kept from the public. On Capitol Hill, lawmakers are considering new legislation and still want to depose Attorney General Pam Bondi under oath over her handling of the files. Bondi met privately with committee members on Wednesday, but Democrats walked out, citing her refusal to comply with a subpoena.
3⃣ Iran war
President Donald Trump on Wednesday threatened to “blow up” the world’s largest gas field — a critical Iranian asset — if Tehran continues attacking Qatar. Trump also said the US had “no knowledge” of Israel’s strike on Iran’s South Pars gas field, which contains enough supply to meet global demand for roughly 13 years. However, two Israeli officials told CNN on Wednesday that the strike had been carried out in coordination with the US. The Israeli attack on the massive offshore reserve marked a sharp escalation in the conflict and prompted Iran to retaliate against energy facilities across the Gulf, sending oil prices surging again.
4⃣ Interest rates
The Federal Reserve on Wednesday kept interest rates unchanged as investors and policymakers brace for the economic fallout of the US-Israeli war with Iran. Fed officials held the benchmark rate at 3.5%–3.75%, after cutting it three times last year amid a softening labor market. But the escalating conflict in the Middle East has added new uncertainty, with officials signaling caution as they assess its potential impact on prices. The Fed now faces a delicate balancing act amid the twin threats of higher inflation and a job market still on shaky footing.
5⃣ ‘Self deportation’ program
By Alexandra Banner, CNN
Could your airport shut down if TSA screeners don’t show up to work? Experts explain which airports could be at risk of closure as staffing shortages worsen.
Here’s what else you need to know to get up to speed and on with your day.
1⃣ Nancy Guthrie
More than six weeks after Nancy Guthrie disappeared, the intense media and law enforcement presence that descended on her affluent Arizona neighborhood has mostly dissipated. But many in the community are still searching for answers. Local officials have not held a news conference in over a month, and law enforcement still has not determined a motive in her abduction. The investigation remains active, with authorities focusing on analyzing DNA evidence and video footage. Guthrie’s daughter, “Today” host Savannah Guthrie, has since returned to New York from Tucson but remains in close contact with law enforcement, a family friend said Wednesday.
2⃣ Epstein files
A transparency law passed by Congress forced the release of more Epstein files than ever before, but some lawmakers and victims are exploring ways to push the Justice Department to disclose even more information from the voluminous trove that’s being withheld. Roughly 2.5 million documents remain unreleased, while many of the 3.5 million pages made public are heavily redacted, fueling questions about what’s being kept from the public. On Capitol Hill, lawmakers are considering new legislation and still want to depose Attorney General Pam Bondi under oath over her handling of the files. Bondi met privately with committee members on Wednesday, but Democrats walked out, citing her refusal to comply with a subpoena.
3⃣ Iran war
President Donald Trump on Wednesday threatened to “blow up” the world’s largest gas field — a critical Iranian asset — if Tehran continues attacking Qatar. Trump also said the US had “no knowledge” of Israel’s strike on Iran’s South Pars gas field, which contains enough supply to meet global demand for roughly 13 years. However, two Israeli officials told CNN on Wednesday that the strike had been carried out in coordination with the US. The Israeli attack on the massive offshore reserve marked a sharp escalation in the conflict and prompted Iran to retaliate against energy facilities across the Gulf, sending oil prices surging again.
4⃣ Interest rates
The Federal Reserve on Wednesday kept interest rates unchanged as investors and policymakers brace for the economic fallout of the US-Israeli war with Iran. Fed officials held the benchmark rate at 3.5%–3.75%, after cutting it three times last year amid a softening labor market. But the escalating conflict in the Middle East has added new uncertainty, with officials signaling caution as they assess its potential impact on prices. The Fed now faces a delicate balancing act amid the twin threats of higher inflation and a job market still on shaky footing.
5⃣ ‘Self deportation’ program
The Department of Homeland Security is promoting a “self-deportation” program that offers financial incentives to immigrants who voluntarily leave the US. New documents show more than 70,000 people have departed under the initiative, known as Project Homecoming, which provides Read more