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The U.S. expects to welcome more than 5 million international visitors in 2026 for the FIFA World Cup.

The Trump administration has taken steps to accommodate those visitors, but it’s also taken further initiatives on immigration enforcement that may create challenges as the tournament approaches.

In this article, Manifest Law examines the visa challenges and policy changes affecting international visitors to the 2026 World Cup.

Welcoming World Cup visitors

On one hand, the U.S. is making moves to make sure stadiums are full by taking measures to expedite short-term travel.

FIFA Pass
The administration announced the FIFA Priority Appointment Scheduling System (PASS) in November, saying it would give fans who buy a match ticket the chance to get a faster visa interview for traveling to the U.S. FIFA plans to share more information on the program in early 2026.

Reduced visa wait times
Andrew Giuliani, executive director of the White House FIFA task force, said Wednesday that the administration aims to ensure fans in 80% of the world can secure a visa appointment in less than 60 days. The U.S. Department of State is deploying more than 450 extra staffers in consulates to decrease appointment times.

A series of diplomatic cables obtained by the Associated Press revealed the Trump administration is prioritizing visas for people attending the 2026 World Cup and the 2028 Olympics, also being hosted in the U.S.

Renewed scrutiny of other travelers

While the U.S. seems set to welcome World Cup visitors next year, the administration has also planned to increase scrutiny on other types of travel to the U.S.

In its latest cables, the State Department announced a significant expansion of vetting for individuals seeking H-1B visas. Consular officers are now instructed to review whether an applicant has been involved in activities that could be interpreted as censoring U.S. citizens online, particularly considering new content-moderation regulations coming out of the European Union. If an officer finds evidence suggesting that an applicant participated in or contributed to this type of online censorship, that could become a basis for denying the H-1B visa.

Travel ban

While some countries sending teams to the World Cup are seeing decreased visa appointment times, others are facing full or partial travel bans. An executive order issued in June 2025 placed travel bans on 19 countries, including Haiti and Iran, which both qualified for the World Cup. While there are exceptions for players, coaches, and support staff heading to the tournament, fans from those countries can’t attend.

Twelve countries are subject to a full travel ban, which restricts all immigrant and nonimmigrant visas, while a partial travel ban, which restricts all immigrant and some nonimmigrant visas (including travel, student, and exch

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Do you enjoy working out and staying fit? Do you have a passion for helping others achieve their fitness goals? If so, a career as a group fitness instructor is the perfect opportunity to pursue your fitness goals while helping others do the same. This path offers several rewarding benefits, both professionally and personally.

The road to becoming a group fitness instructor can be challenging, yet exciting and extremely rewarding. You get to learn about health and safety, human anatomy and physiology, leadership, and communication, among other vital skills. Ultimately, you can explore your passions with a sense of fulfillment.

If you’re interested in learning more about how to become a fitness instructor, you’ll find answers to most, if not all, of your questions in this detailed guide by Zumba.

What Is a Group Fitness Instructor?

A group fitness instructor is someone who is trained and qualified to lead and motivate a group of people in exercise and high-intensity interval training.

The job of a group fitness instructor goes beyond just teaching pre-choreographed exercises to a class of participants. It encompasses other core responsibilities that keep the classes running and participants motivated. Gaining insights into the role of a group fitness instructor will help you develop a stronger foundation for becoming a successful one.

Some vital roles and responsibilities of a group fitness instructor include:

• Motivating participants: Participants in a group fitness setting will rely on you as an instructor to help them maintain the proper energy levels they need to stay motivated. As someone who is expected to motivate others, you’ll require some level of personal motivation yourself.
• Planning classes: As a group instructor, you’ll be responsible for organizing and planning class schedules and activities based on details such as class size, experience levels, and fitness goals.
• Ensuring safety: It’s your job to ensure that the environment is safe and low-risk for participants.
• Adequately managing time: Group fitness classes often run on time slots, and as the instructor, you’ll be responsible for ensuring adequate time management.
• Instructing and demonstrating: It’s your responsibility to teach group fitness class participants proper exercise techniques and adequately demonstrate exercises, while ensuring everyone follows along.

Why Teach Group Fitness Classes?

Group fitness is not a new trend. The concept has been around since the early days of television shows, such as those featuring Jack LaLanne and Jacki Sorensen, which encouraged people to exercise together, with presenters virtually leading the way. The power of community, collective transformation, and accountability differentiates group fitness classes from solo training.

As a group fitness instructor, the

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The clock is ticking on several significant tax changes that could impact your 2025 return—and your long-term financial strategy. With new provisions from the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) taking effect and key deadlines approaching, now is the time to understand what’s changing and how to make the most of these opportunities.

In this article, Domain Money outlines tax changes taking effect in 2026.

The Big Changes You Need to Know

The OBBBA, signed into law on July 4, 2025, introduced a mix of permanent extensions from the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act alongside new temporary provisions that could significantly impact your tax bill. Here’s what matters most:

New Deductions for 2025 (Retroactive for This Year’s Return)

The Senior Deduction: If you’re 65 or older, you may qualify for an additional deduction of up to $6,000 ($12,000 for married couples filing jointly). This phases out based on your modified adjusted gross income (MAGI)—starting at $75,000 for individuals and $150,000 for joint filers. The deduction amount is reduced by 6 cents for every $1 your MAGI is over the starting threshold.

Enhanced Child Tax Credit: Families will see a modest boost, with the Child Tax Credit increasing from $2,000 to $2,200 per qualifying child for 2025.

Auto Loan Interest Deduction: Purchased a new American-assembled vehicle in 2025? You might be able to deduct up to $10,000 in interest paid on your loan. The vehicle must weigh less than 14,000 pounds and have its final assembly in the U.S., and it must be for personal use. This deduction phases out for individuals with MAGI over $100,000 ($200,000 for joint filers).

No Tax on Tips and Overtime: Service workers can now deduct up to $25,000 in tip income, while overtime workers can deduct up to $12,500 ($25,000 for joint filers). Both come with income-based phaseouts starting at $150,000 MAGI ($300,000 for joint filers).

Energy Credits Sunset: If you’ve been considering clean energy improvements or an electric vehicle purchase, act quickly. Clean vehicle credits end for vehicles acquired after Sept. 30, 2025, while residential energy credits for solar panels, heat pumps, and other improvements expire for property placed into service after Dec. 31, 2025.

The SALT Cap Gets a Major Boost

For years, the $10,000 cap on state and local tax (SALT) deductions has been a pain point for taxpayers in high-tax states. Starting with your 2025 return, that cap jumps to $40,000 for single filers and married couples filing jointly. The limit will increase by 1% annually through 2029 before reverting to $10,000 in 2030.

However, there’s a caveat: The higher cap phases out for those with MAGI over $500,000 (or $250,000 for married filing separately), reducing by 30 cents for every dollar over that threshold.

Standard Deduction Increases

The standard deduction gets an extra 5% bump on top of inflation adjustments for 2025. For married couples filing jointly, t

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You’ve probably used your health flexible spending account (FSA) to pay for qualified medical expenses like prescription contact lenses, copays, and dental cleanings. But if you have FSA dollars remaining in your account toward the end of your plan year, you’ll want to find other eligible expenses to spend them on soon. FSA money is “use it or lose it,” which means you’ll forfeit leftover dollars in your account after the deadline.

Since a health FSA is an employer-sponsored health benefit, the IRS decides what counts as a qualified expense. You’ll want to use your FSA funds on IRS-approved medical costs to get the most tax savings. Be sure to check with your FSA provider or employer to see what’s eligible under your plan and whether you need paperwork, such as a letter of medical necessity (LOMN), to make an expense FSA eligible. You should also keep receipts and other proof of purchase in case they’re needed for reimbursement.

Below, GoodRx, a platform for medication savings, shares 77 ways to use your health FSA funds for yourself, your spouse, or a qualified dependent.

Key takeaways:

• If you don’t use your flexible spending account (FSA) dollars before the deadline — typically Dec. 31 — you risk losing them.
• A health FSA lets you use pretax dollars for eligible medical, dental, and vision expenses, including everyday items like prescription medications and menstrual products.
• Some employers offer a grace period or let you carry over a set amount of unused funds into the next plan year, so check your plan details. For 2025, you can carry over up to $660 into 2026 if your employer allows it.

Dental

In general, you can use your FSA to pay for care to prevent or treat dental disease from an orthodontist, a dentist, or another qualified dental professional. Here are 18 dental expenses that may qualify as FSA eligible:

• Braces
• Crowns
• Dental bonding
• Dental bridges
• Dental implants
• Dental sealants
• Dental veneers
• Dentures
• Fillings
• Gum cleaning
• Inlays
• Occlusal guards to prevent teeth grinding
• Onlays

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Throughout history, there have been artists that refuse to reduce themselves to monolithic stereotypes and conform to discriminatory musical standards and expectations. Instead, individuals like Ma Rainey, often called the “Mother of the Blues,” overtly explored themes of identity and lesbian self-affirmation. Angela Y. Davis called Rainey’s “Prove It on Me,” a precursor to the lesbian cultural movement of the 1970s.

Generations of LGBTQ+ artists have followed suit, challenging the industry to create more variable genres with avant-garde style, elliptical lyrics, and formative vision. Some of these artists—Wendy Carlos, MikeQ, David Bowie, and Patrick Haggerty—have made music history all while contributing to cultural movements, LGBTQ+ rights, and freedom of self-expression that have extended beyond the stage.

To acknowledge and recognize these achievements, Stacker examined books, interviews, and primary news sources and compiled a list of 25 times LGBTQ+ artists made music history. Some of the artists on this list may be familiar, but others might be lesser-known visionaries and pioneers in the music industry. Let’s celebrate their resilience and influence that have paved, or are currently paving, the way for generations of artists.

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Freddie Mercury: ‘The note heard around the world’

With his highly theatrical style and extraordinary vocal range, Freddie Mercury is recognized for belting out some of the most distinctive anthems in music history. Mercury’s vivid note, “Aaaaaay-o,” performed at the 1985 Live Aid concert came to be known as “the note heard around the world.”

Max Redfern/Redferns

Sylvester: The song that became a disco classic

The embodiment of disco, Sylvester rose to fame with hits “Dance” and “You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real).” The latter would later be recognized as an anthem of empowermen