2023

Several Republican politicians are criticizing the White House after it issued a long-awaited report on how the Biden administration handled the withdrawal from Afghanistan, but shifted the blame to the Trump administration.

The 12-page report released by the White House defends Biden’s decision to withdraw U.S. troops from Afghanistan, calling it the ‘right thing for the country.’

When discussing the Biden administration’s execution of the withdrawal from Afghanistan, the report pins the blame on the previous administration. The report does acknowledge that the evacuation, however, should have begun sooner.

‘President Biden’s choices for how to execute a withdrawal from Afghanistan were severely constrained by conditions created by his predecessor. When President Trump took office in 2017, there were more than 10,000 troops in Afghanistan. Eighteen months later, after introducing more than 3,000 additional troops just to maintain the stalemate, President Trump ordered direct talks with the Taliban without consulting with our allies and partners or allowing the Afghan government at the negotiating table,’ the report states.

While efforts were underway to withdraw Americans and allies from Afghanistan, 13 American soldiers died in a suicide bombing outside the Abbey Gate at Hamid Karzai International.

READ THE WHITE HOUSE REVIEW BELOW. APP USERS, CLICK HERE

During a press briefing on Thursday, White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said that the lack of planning by the Trump administration made the withdrawal difficult.

‘While it was always the president’s intent to end that war, it is also undeniable that decisions made and the lack of planning done by the previous administration significantly limited options available to him,’ Kirby said.

‘President Biden inherited a force presence in Afghanistan of some 2,500 troops. That was the lowest since 2001. He inherited a special immigrant visa program that had been starved of resources. And he inherited a deal struck between the previous administration and the Taliban that called for the complete removal of all U.S. troops by May of 2021, or else the Taliban, which had stopped its attacks while the deal was in place, would go back to war against the United States,’ Kirby said.

House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Texas, criticized Kirby for the comments.

‘John Kirby’s comments during today’s White House press briefing were disgraceful and insulting. President Biden made the decision to withdraw and even picked the exact date; he is responsible for the massive failures in planning and execution,’ McCaul said. ‘It is also unfortunate it took my subpoena threat to prompt the administration to finally provide the classified after-action reports from the Afghanistan withdrawal. I look forward to reviewing the report and call upon the administration to declassify as much as possible for the American public.

‘Finally, Congress must be given access to the full and complete record of documents from the withdrawal in order to get the answers on why the withdrawal was such a disaster.’

Sen. Steve Daines, R-Mont., said in a statement that the Biden administration isn’t taking responsibility for the withdrawal.

‘Once again the Biden administration is refusing to take responsibility for its failures and is destined to repeat them. President Biden’s weakness on the world stage cost 13 American lives and is putting our national security at risk — he must be held accountable,’ Daines said.

On Twitter, Rep. Ronny Jackson, R-Texas, called Kirby’s comments ‘sickening.’

‘Today White House spokesman John Kirby said he, ‘didn’t see’ chaos in the Afghanistan withdrawal. SERIOUSLY!? He’s the new ‘Baghdad Bob!’ Did he not see people hanging onto a C17 and falling to their deaths? REALLY!? He should tell this to the families of the 13 brave service members who lost their lives,’ Jackson tweeted.

Rep. Mark Green, R-Tenn., tweeted Kirby is ‘utterly detached from reality.’

’13 U.S. servicemembers were killed. Americans were left behind. This admin abandoned our allies to face the wrath of terrorists. The Biden admin is an embarrassment to this nation, to our military, and our allies across the world,’ he tweeted.

Fox News Digital reached out to the White House for comment.

Fox News’ Chris Pandolfo contributed to this report.

Adam Sabes is a writer for Fox News Digital. Story tips can be sent to Adam.Sabes@fox.com and on Twitter @asabes10.

This post appeared first on FOX NEWS

Politics

Oregon Legislature authorizes urban growth expansion for chipmakers

In an attempt to attract semiconductor companies to Oregon, the state Legislature authorized the governor on Thursday to expand urban growth boundaries to provide land for chipmakers to build factories.

Lawmakers backing the bill, which also provides some $200 million in grants to chipmakers, said it’s needed to make Oregon more competitive among other states in luring more of the multibillion-dollar semiconductor industry to the state. Other lawmakers argued that the measure is an attack on the nation’s first statewide policy — created a half-century ago — that limits urban sprawl and protects farmland and forests.

‘These regulations have resulted in 50 years of success protecting our farm and forest lands, containing urban sprawl and protecting natural resources,’ said Rep. Anna Scharf, a Republican. ‘Senate Bill 4 throws that out the window.’

The bill, approved by the state Senate last week and passed by the House on a 44-10 vote Thursday, allows Gov. Tina Kotek to designate up to a maximum of eight sites for urban growth boundary expansion — two that exceed 500 acres and six smaller sites.

‘There is some extremely valuable farmland in the area that produces Oregonians’ food and provides those families and those employees jobs,’ Scharf said. ‘Farmland, once it is paved over, can never be reclaimed.’

Rep. Kim Wallan, a Republican and co-sponsor of the bill that a joint committee spent more than a month working on, said it gives Kotek only narrow authority and is aimed at expediting the process for setting aside land for semiconductor factories, called fabs, and related businesses.

State officials and lawmakers were stung by chipmaker Intel’s decision last year to build a massive $20 billion chipmaking complex in Ohio, and not in Oregon where suitable zoned land is scarce. Intel is the state’s largest corporate employer.

In Oregon, once land is included in an urban growth boundary, it is eligible for annexation to a city. Those boundary lines are regularly expanded. But the process can take months or even years. Under the bill, any appeals to the governor’s urban growth boundary expansions are expedited by going straight to the state Supreme Court.

The bill goes to Kotek for signing into law and takes effect immediately. In a statement Thursday, Kotek said the bill makes Oregon ‘poised to lay the foundation for the next generation of innovation and production of semiconductors.’

‘Oregon has been at the center of the semiconductor industry in the United States for decades,’ the Democrat said. ‘This bill is an absolutely essential tool for leading a coordinated effort with the private sector to ensure we can compete for federal funds to expand advanced manufacturing in Oregon.’

The CHIPS and Science Act, passed by Congress in 2022, provides $39 billion for companies constructing or expanding facilities that will manufacture semiconductors and those that will assemble, test and package the chips.

It was Republican Gov. Tom McCall, who served from 1967 to 1975, who had urged lawmakers to push for a tough new land-use law. In a 1973 speech at the Legislature, he denounced ‘sagebrush subdivisions, coastal ‘condomania’ and the ravenous rampage of suburbia.’ Lawmakers responded by passing the law that placed growth boundaries on Oregon’s cities.

Some opponents of the Oregon CHIPS bill objected on Thursday to changing a system that’s been in place for 50 years.

‘I cannot in good conscience give the governor what is essentially a super-siting authority to take lands and bring them into the urban growth boundary,’ said Rep. Ed Diehl, a Republican. ‘That is not the Oregon way.’

This post appeared first on FOX NEWS

Politics

Nebraska Gov. Pillen appoints replacement for outgoing conservative lawmaker

Republican Gov. Jim Pillen named a former prosecutor Thursday as the newest member of the Nebraska Legislature, which has been largely hamstrung by progressive lawmakers who are filibustering every bill before the body this session.

Carolyn Bosn, of Lincoln, will replace Lincoln Sen. Suzanne Geist, who announced a day earlier that she is stepping down, effective midnight Thursday, to focus on her race for mayor of Lincoln. Bosn promised at a news conference that she would carry on Geist’s conservative positions on everything from cutting taxes to supporting new proposed limits on abortion access.

‘I believe that life begins at conception,’ she said when asked whether she would support the proposed ban.

Bosn’s connections to the top executives in the state run deep. She grew up in Columbus, where her family was close with Pillen’s. The governor said Thursday he’d known Bosn since she was a child. Bosn also worked as the deputy county attorney in Lancaster County from 2010 to 2017 under then-County Attorney Joe Kelly, who is now the state’s lieutenant governor. She left Kelly’s office in 2017 to become a stay-at-home mother to her four children.

Pillen has faced criticism from progressive lawmakers for not taking applications before filling the seat, as has been tradition. Omaha Sen. Machaela Cavanaugh — who has led the weekslong effort to filibuster every bill before the Legislature this session to protest a bill to ban gender-affirming care in minors — said the hasty appointment lacked transparency.

‘He’s purely plucking someone out of his roster and putting them in the seat without ever going through the perfunctory motions of saying, ‘The people of District 25, submit your names if you would like to serve,’’ Cavanaugh said. ‘It reeks of cronyism. Reeks. I don’t know why you would put that kind of stink on the person you’re going to appoint.’

Pillen said he moved quickly to fill the seat to ensure conservatives have enough votes to push through an agenda that mirrors those in other Republican-led states this year. In Nebraska, that includes several controversial bills that would target transgender people, further restrict access to abortion and drastically reshape public education.

Because 33 votes are needed to stop debate on a bill before it can advance, conservatives need every vote they can get in the officially nonpartisan Legislature. There are currently 32 registered Republicans in the 49-member body and 17 registered Democrats.

Pillen said Thursday that he began honing a list of potential candidates before he was even elected governor last November, when Geist announced her mayoral run in September. He began interviewing candidates from that list last week, he said. He brushed off criticism of his process.

‘No matter what decisions you make, people are going to criticize that,’ he said.

Bosn worked in five Nebraska county prosecutor offices as a clerk and attorney after graduating from law school at Creighton University in Omaha. She currently works as an adjunct professor in the University of Nebraska College of Law and coaches the law school’s trial team.

‘As a senator, I promise to listen, to learn and to lead in this new responsibility,’ she said.

Bosn will finish out the four-year term, which runs through the end of 2024, and said she would seek election to the seat next year.

This post appeared first on FOX NEWS

Stocks

Riding the Sector Rotation Wave: How To Seize Surging Stocks

Getting a jump on a sector rotation is like accelerating into a blind curve. What can go wrong? Your timing may be way too early. Your sector selection of sectors may be off. You may be pre-empting a false signal. The good news is that some standard models can make it easier, and their movements are easy to track.

The Shift from Cyclical to Defensive

Monitoring shifts from risk-on to risk-off assets is one way to gauge the overall sentiment on the economy. One of the most basic ways to watch this shift is to see rotations between cyclical and defensive sectors. As contributor Mish Schneider writes, always pay attention When Uncle Utilities Shows Up Drunk to the party.

Defensive sectors comprise Healthcare (XLV), Consumer Staples (XLP), and Utilities (XLU).

Cyclical sectors comprise Consumer Discretionary (XLY), Materials (XLB), Financials (XLF), and Real Estate (XLRE).

How’s the Party Going So Far?

The ADP report gave us some mixed signals. Mining, construction, transportation, and hospitality jobs ticked up (Materials, Industrials, and Consumer Discretionary sectors), but so did utilities and healthcare jobs. Financials, tech, and various professional services, however, are down. Overall private-sector employment grew year-over-year at a slower rate than expected.

Meanwhile, job openings, according to the JOLTS report, reached their lowest levels since May 2021. And today’s jobless claims report revealed that 228,000 jobs were lost the previous week. Overall, layoffs are on the rise, and the Tech sector is leading the pack. All of this indicates that perhaps the US economy may be ailing and that April may give us a few cruel surprises.

All of this is a prelude to the big March jobs report (Employment Situation), and we’ll see if it, in addition to all the reports leading up to it, gives investors further motivation to turn the toggle from risk-on to risk-off.

Mapping Defensive and Cyclical Movements

There is little you can glean from looking at the sector proxies (the ETFs) individually or side by side. This is where a comparative sector map—like the Relative Rotation Graphs (RRG)—comes in handy. It traces the cyclical movement of relative strength and momentum relative to the S&P 500. Here’s a brief YouTube explainer.

This is what the defensive and cyclical scenario looks like right now.

CHART 1: RELATIVE ROTATION GRAPH OF DEFENSIVE VS. CYCLICAL. Healthcare, Consumer Staples, and Utilities, which are defensive sectors, are turning up toward the “improving” quadrant. Chart source: StockCharts.com. For educational purposes only.

The graph above looks at weekly performance, and each node represents a week.The current node represents the current week (or the “week of,” which, as of this writing, still has a day for completion).While XLY (discretionary) is turning downward from the “improving” quadrant, you can see XLB. XLF, and XLRE entering the “lagging” quadrant.Meanwhile, all three defensive sectors are deep within the lagging area but turning up toward the “improving” quadrant.

In short, if this particular rotation takes place, then you’re early in the game.

So, how does each defensive sector look comparatively? It may help to take a brief look at PerfCharts.

CHART 2: COMPARING CONSUMER STAPLES, HEALTHCARE, AND UTILITIES.

Consumer Staples is the clear outperformer, with Healthcare and Utilities following behind. But if you wanted to take an aggressive entry into one of these sectors, would this information alone be sufficient? It depends on your strategy and timeframe. You might want to check each sector individually.

Looking at Each Sector Proxy Individually

It may help to briefly power through each reading to get a gist of what’s going on.

Consumer Staples (XLP)

As shown in the PerfCharts above, XLP, if viewed using an Ichimoku Cloud chart, still looks like the most promising.

Pay attention to the Lagging Span 26 days back and notice that it had crossed above the cloud, past prices, conversion line, and baseline. Among the three, XLP indicates the strongest amount of buying pressure from a technical standpoint.Note the Stochastic Oscillator reading is in “overbought” territory.And to that, notice the cloud shifting from red to green, laying out a potential support range 26 bars ahead of current prices.

Healthcare (XLV)

XLV is the second runner-up trailing behind XLP in the PerfCharts scan.

Though similar to XLP, it’s hard to tell whether price is about to buck the trend (as you see a slight conversion of cloud color from red to green 26 days ahead), or whether price is about to reverse into the cloud-as-resistance range.The cloud and lagging span positions don’t give as convincing a reading as in XLP.However, notice the Head & Shoulders Bottom pattern. Can you expect a pullback to the downward-sloping neckline? According to Thomas Bulkowski’s stats, this pattern has an average rise of 45%, a throwback rate of 65%, and a percentage of meeting its price target by 71%.Fundamentally speaking, it might be the former, which would strengthen the bias toward a rotation from cyclical to defensive.

Utilities (XLU)

Mish’s “Uncle Utilities” (XLU), the laggard in this rotational shift, looks the closest to XLP with regard to potentially bucking the trend.

The cloud is shifting from resistance to potential support. If the lagging span crosses above the cloud, it will mirror current prices finding support at or near the cloud and would probably take place 26 periods ahead of the current period.

The Bottom Line

Keeping a keen eye on sector rotation can provide valuable insights into potential market shifts and help investors stay ahead of the curve. As the economic outlook remains uncertain, monitoring the likelihood of a sector rotation from cyclical to defensive sectors becomes crucial. The various fundamental and technical indicators mentioned in this article serve as useful tools to assess this potential shift.

By closely observing these metrics, traders, and investors can better anticipate and respond to any emerging trends, possibly leading to a rotation from cyclical to defensive sectors if it indeed occurs. Staying informed and adaptable in the ever-changing financial market landscape is key to successful market engagement.

Disclaimer: This blog is for educational purposes only and should not be construed as financial advice. The ideas and strategies should never be used without first assessing your own personal and financial situation, or without consulting a financial professional.

Stocks

Powerful RSI Setup to Use During Corrections

On this week’s edition of Stock Talk with Joe Rabil, Joe explains how he uses the short-term RSI 5 to help with timing in a strong trend. He shows how this can be used in conjunction with the Relative Strength line when the market is going through a correction. He then covers the stock symbol requests that came through this week, including V, ROKU, and more.

This video was originally broadcast on April 6, 2023. Click this link to watch on YouTube. You can also view new episodes – and be notified as soon as they’re published – using the StockCharts on demand website, StockChartsTV.com, or its corresponding apps on Roku, Fire TV, Chromecast, iOS, Android and more!

New episodes of Stock Talk with Joe Rabil air on Thursdays at 2pm ET on StockCharts TV. Archived episodes of the show are available at this link. Send symbol requests to stocktalk@stockcharts.com; you can also submit a request in the comments section below the video on YouTube. Symbol Requests can be sent in throughout the week prior to the next show. (Please do not leave Symbol Requests on this page.)

Stocks

GNG TV: US Equities Offer Diversified Opportunities

In this edition of the GoNoGo Charts show, Alex and Tyler deliver a view of relative and absolute trends across the investible landscape. The S&P 500 (SPY) confirms a “Go” trend on both daily and weekly timeframes, and Gold ($GLD) shows further upside as the “Go” trend strengthens. Oil ($USO) rallies back to test its 7-month downtrend line and remains in “NoGo” Conditions. The top four cryptocurrencies by market cap continue to outperform $SPY on a relative basis. Within US Equities, out-performance from Technology (XLK) communications (XLC) continues, but there is also strength in the defensive areas of the market. Consumer Staples (XLP) and even utilities are outperforming the index. Drilling into the industry groups, non-durable household goods and soft drinks lead the XLP. Charts of Sysco (SYY) and CocaCola (KO) offer important lessons in trade risk management and capturing opportunities within leadership groups.

This video was originally recorded on April 6, 2023. Click this link to watch on YouTube. You can also view new episodes – and be notified as soon as they’re published – using the StockCharts on demand website, StockChartsTV.com, or its corresponding apps on Roku, Fire TV, Chromecast, iOS, Android, and more!

New episodes of GoNoGo Charts air on Thursdays at 3:30pm ET on StockCharts TV. Learn more about the GoNoGo ACP plug-in with the FREE starter plug-in or the full featured plug-in pack.

Stocks

US Stocks May Be Trending Higher: Check Out These Charts

Welcome to this week’s Flight Path.

Look at the GoNoGo Asset map below. Equities have turned! There’s a “Go” bar at the end of the week that, as you’ll see, also lines up with a new “Go” trend on the weekly chart. Treasury bond prices are also in a “Go” trend, and the US dollar continues in its “NoGo” trend. Commodities continue to struggle.

CHART 1: ASSET MAP. Equities have turned, as have Treasury bond prices. The US dollar and commodities continue to struggle.Chart source: StockChartsACP. For illustrative purposes only.

Equities Break Out of Squeeze Into “Go” Trend

The Max GoNoGo Squeeze we saw on US equities last week was broken this week—the GoNoGo Oscillator burst into positive territory, and that gave price the push it needed to cycle through amber “Go Fish” and into a “Go” trend. There was an initial aqua bar on Friday as price moved higher.

CHART 2: EQUITIES BREAK OUT. The daily chart of SPDR S&P 500 ETF (SPY) got a push to go into trend mode.Chart source: StockChartsACP. For illustrative purposes only.

The weekly chart continues to look strong. Last week’s aqua “Go” bar that started the “Go” trend was followed by a strong blue bar this past week. As price puts in another higher low, the GoNoGo Oscillator broke out of a small GoNoGo Squeeze into positive territory on heavy volume. Look for price to attempt a higher high over the next several weeks.

CHART 3: WEEKLY CHART OF SPY. Price could attempt a higher high over the next few weeks.Chart source: StockChartsACP. For illustrative purposes only.

Treasury Yields Remain in “NoGo”

Treasury yields continued to paint “NoGo” bars this week, albeit weaker pink ones. It has yet to retest the support levels from a week ago. GoNoGo Oscillator is now back at the zero line. It remains to be seen if it finds resistance. If it does, price could move lower in an attempt to set new lows.

CHART 4: 10-YEAR US TREASURY YIELDS IN “NOGO” MODE. The GoNOGo Oscillator is back at the zero level, which could act as a resistance level.Chart source: StockChartsACP. For illustrative purposes only.

On the weekly chart the trend is showing uncertainty with a second consecutive amber “Go Fish” bar. GoNoGo Trend shows price has fallen out of the “Go” trend that was in place for over a year. The GoNoGo Oscillator is back below the zero line as well, indicating bearish momentum.

CHART 5: WEEKLY CHART OF 10-YEAR US TREASURY YIELDS. Overall, Treasury yields are indicating bearish momentum.Chart source: StockChartsACP. For illustrative purposes only.

US Dollar Sees “NoGo” Trend Strengthen

GoNoGo Trend painted stronger purple bars this week as the trend in the US dollar intensified. The GoNoGo Oscillator is in negative territory, but not oversold. Look for this trend to continue as price looks to approach prior lows.

CHART 6: INVESCO DB US DOLLAR INDEX BULLISH FUND (UUP) DAILY CHART. The trend is down and will likely continue as price looks to hit prior lows.Chart source: StockChartsACP. For illustrative purposes only.

The weekly chart shows that the larger timeframe trend is still a “NoGo”. Painting another strong purple “NoGo” bar, you can see that GoNoGo Trend is sure of the current trend. The GoNoGo Oscillator is riding the zero line for another week as the climbing grid of GoNoGo Squeeze climbs to its max. It’s worth watching to see in which direction the squeeze is broken.

CHART 7: WEEKLY CHART OF UUP SHOWS “NOGO” STRENGTHENED. The US dollar continues to decline on the weekly time frame. The GoNoGo Squeeze Oscillator is at the zero line.Chart source: StockChartsACP. For illustrative purposes only.

Oil Remains in Strong “NoGo” Trend

The United States Oil Fund ETF (USO) sees its GoNoGo Trend paint another strong purple “NoGo” bar even as price rallied last week. Well below prior highs, the trend remains in place. The GoNoGo Oscillator has again risen to test the zero line from below on heavy volume. Will this level act as resistance? Something to keep an eye on.

CHART 8: OIL PRICES MAY TREND LOWER. Keep an eye on the GoNoGo Oscillator’s resistance level at zero.Chart source: StockChartsACP. For illustrative purposes only.

Gold Consolidates Gains

SPDR Gold Shares ETF (GLD) saw more “Go” bars this week, as price moved mostly sideways since making a new high. Price is consolidating above prior highs from January, and the GoNoGo Oscillator has been in positive territory since the new trend emerged. Now, it’s testing the zero line from above. The question is if it’ll find support at the zero line.

CHART 9: GOLD LOOKS TO BE CONSOLIDATING. Look to see if price action finds support at the GoNoGo Oscillator zero line.Chart source: StockChartsACP. For illustrative purposes only.

Sector RelMap

Below is the GoNoGo Sector RelMap. This GoNoGo RelMap applies the GoNoGo Trend to the relative strength ratios of the sectors to the base index. Looking at this map, you can see where the relative outperformance is coming from and which sectors are lagging on a relative basis. Three sectors are outperforming the base index this week—$XLK, $XLC, and $XLP are painting “Go” bars.

CHART 10: WHICH SECTORS ARE LEADING AND/OR LAGGING? The GoNoGo RelMap shows that this week, three sectors, Technology, Communications Services, and Consumer Staples, outperform the base index. Chart source: StockChartsACP. For illustrative purposes only.

Business

Volkswagen recalls 143,000 Atlas SUVs over glitch related to air bag

Volkswagen of America announced Tuesday it is recalling more than 143,000 Atlas SUVs over a faulty front passenger seat detection system.

According to the manufacturer, the wiring in some of the vehicles’ front passenger detection systems may be faulty, resulting in a deactivated air bag that will not deploy in the event of a crash, increasing the risk of injury to the front seat passenger.

The recall affects select model year 2018-2021 Atlas and 2020 Atlas Cross Sport vehicles.

Owners should not allow anyone to sit in the front passenger seat until a free recall repair is developed and completed, Volkswagen said. It is currently developing a remedy and will notify affected owners as soon as the repair is available.

This post appeared first on NBC NEWS

Business

PSSI, slaughterhouse cleaning firm fined for child labor, replaces CEO and launches $10 million fund to fight child labor

Packers Sanitation Services Inc. has appointed a new CEO amid fallout from a Labor Department investigation that found more than 100 children illegally working dangerous jobs for PSSI cleaning slaughterhouses in 13 locations across eight states.

The new CEO, Tim Mulhere, will take over at the end of April for retiring CEO Dan Taft, according to a company news release.

PSSI has also been the subject of investigative stories by NBC News, including one that revealed the company had hired the same minor twice.

The company, owned by the Blackstone private-equity firm, said it is also launching a new $10 million fund to “enhance the well-being of children in the communities we serve and helping reduce the prevalence of the rising problem of underage workers.” The company said the fund will aid “direct community services in legal aid, education, poverty reduction, and health services.”

The company has denied knowingly hiring child labor and said in the past the only way that a minor could have been employed was through rogue attempts to use fake identification. According to PSSI, it “has a zero-tolerance policy against employing anyone under the age of 18, and fully shares the DOL’s objective of ensuring full compliance at all locations.”

But on Wednesday the company wrote in a statement, “Regardless of the reason [the violations] occurred, however, it is our responsibility to fix the problem.”

The company said it’s also beefing up internal training on age verification and hiring outside consultants who are former officials at Customs and Border Protection and the Labor Department.

The new CEO, Mulhere, said: “I am pleased to take on this new position as CEO of PSSI. The company and its devoted employees play a mission-critical role together with its valued customers protecting the health and safety of our nation’s food supply chain. Our focus as a team moving forward will be on continuing to invest in the highest standards possible for safety, compliance, and world-class service.”

NBC News previously reported that the Department of Homeland Security has been investigating whether or not a human smuggling scheme brought migrant children to work in multiple slaughterhouses for multiple companies across multiple states, according to two U.S. officials familiar with the investigation.

At the heart of the investigation is determining how Central American children, some as young as 13, wound up working dangerous jobs that are legal only for American adults by presenting identification stolen from U.S. citizens, the officials said.

So far the DHS investigation is focused on smugglers who may have provided the children with false identities and possibly led them to dangerous jobs. The companies themselves are not targets of the investigation, the officials said.

The Labor Department investigation into PSSI and NBC News coverage has also sparked inquiries from the New York state comptroller and two Senate queries.

Advocates who have helped the children who worked at PSSI told NBC News the children are unmistakably minors and small in stature as well as very vulnerable.

Audrey Lutz, formerly with the Multicultural Coalition in Grand Island, Nebraska, told NBC News earlier this year, “There is a large number of unaccompanied minors in our state with very little resources, and without public, private or philanthropic resources these kids go off the radar and become very, very vulnerable to things like trafficking.”

This post appeared first on NBC NEWS

Sports

Caitlin Clark speaks on Angel Reese criticism, invitation to White House

Despite losing the national championship on Sunday to the LSU Tigers, Iowa’s Caitlin Clark had a stellar season where she raked in records and awards.

One more honor was bestowed on her Tuesday when she was presented the John R. Wooden Women’s Player of the Year Award during ‘Outside the Lines’ on SportsCenter. This follows her being named the Naismith Women’s College Player of the Year, The Associated Press women’s basketball Player of the Year and this year’s recipient of the Wade Trophy.

“This is a huge honor, this is one of the most prestigious, obviously all of these awards are a big deal,’ she said on the broadcast. ‘… Coach Wooden is a legend. It’s just a big honor to win an award in his name.”

During the segment, Clark spoke about her season, competing against LSU star Angel Reese and First Lady Jill Biden’s invitation to the White House.

Caitlin Clark praises Angel Reese, says LSU player shouldn’t be criticized for taunt

During the national championship game, Reese taunted Clark with the ‘You Can’t See Me’ gesture. Clark also taunted the Louisville Cardinals in the same way in the Elite Eight. The Iowa star received praise from John Cena for using his signature celebration. But Reese received criticism online for her action, being called ‘classless,’ among other names.

Clark said that she ‘honestly didn’t see (Reese’s taunt) when the game was going on’ and that it was wrong for people to criticize Reese, who was named the Most Outstanding Player of the Final Four, when the emotion and passion is what gets people to watch the game. The ABC broadcast of the national championship had an average viewership of 9.9 million people, the most ever for a women’s college basketball game.

“I think the biggest thing is we’re all competitive. We all show our emotions in a different way. Angel’s a tremendous, tremendous player. I have nothing but respect for her. I love her game, the way she rebounds the ball, scores the ball is absolutely incredible. I’m a big fan of her,’ Clark said, noting that she hasn’t been on social media much since the loss and said the game was ‘super, super fun.’

Many people said that the difference of reaction was due to racism. Clark is white and Reese is Black.

“No matter which way it goes, she should never be criticized for what she did,’ Clark continued. ‘I’m just one that competes and she competed. I think everybody knew there was going to be a little bit of trash talk in the entire tournament. It’s not just me and Angel, I don’t think she should be criticized.”

Caitlin Clark says White House visit should just be for LSU

Clark also addressed First Lady Jill Biden’s idea to invite both the Tigers and Hawkeyes to the White House after the national championship game. Traditionally, only the champion is given an opportunity to visit the President.

“I don’t think runner-ups usually go to the White House,’ she said. ‘I think LSU should enjoy that moment for them. Congratulations, obviously, they deserve to go there. Maybe I can go to the White House on different terms, though.’

Biden has since taken back her proposal, with her press secretary saying the comments ‘were intended to applaud the historic game and all women athletes.’

The First Lady was in attendance at the national championship in Dallas and Clark expressed her appreciation for the many celebrities and legends of the game, including four-time WNBA champion and LSU alumna Seimone Augustus and WNBA All-Star and 2018 college national champion Arike Ogunbowale.

‘I’m just lucky enough that there were some really cool people in the arena at that championship game Sunday night,’ Clark said. ‘There were some really highly sought after people watching and supporting women’s basketball and that’s exactly what this game needs. I appreciate the First Lady being in the house and watching both teams and supporting the greatness of women’s basketball.”

Caitlin Clark reflects on 2022-23 season

Clark said it’s going to take some time for her to process the ‘whirlwind’ of March Madness.

‘It’s honestly probably pretty hard for me to wrap my head around,’ she said. ‘It will probably take me a few weeks to reflect on the whole year.’

As a junior, she will return to the Hawkeyes next season and attempt to return to the Final Four, but Clark isn’t quite ready to move on yet.

‘I know we played the maximum amount of games,’ she said, ‘but I’m just kind of sad it’s over.’

This post appeared first on USA TODAY