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H-2B Cap Met for Second Half of FY 2025; Options Still Exist for Employers Seeking Temporary Workers

Quick Hits USCIS announced that the second half of the H-2B cap was met for FY 2025 on March 5, 2025. The announcement stated that cap-subject H-2B petitions received on or after March 6, 2025, would be rejected. The agency will continue to accept properly filed cap-exempt petitions and petitions for workers qualifying under the supplemental allocation. The H-2B program allows employers to hire foreign national workers to meet their…

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To climb to the top, women should focus on skill building

Anita Leung was still in high school when she got a glimpse into her future in the tech industry. It was an exciting place to build a career, but it could also be a lonely place for a woman. As a sophomore, Anita spotted a flyer about the need for more women in technology. She signed up for a class in peer-networking software. Out of 30 students, she was the…

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The Trump Tariffs Are Paralyzing Business Investment

This commentary originally appeared in Fortune. The views expressed are the authors’ own. We have presciently warned for a year, and earlier this week in Fortune, that Trump’s economic policies and this week’s “Liberation Day” tariffs announcement would prove to be a cataclysmic event. Like frat boys in denial that the driver of their car is dangerously drunk, Trump acolytes such as Peter Navarro, who ludicrously implored “trust in Trump,”…

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‘It really is the holy grail of curative medicine’

In the “Research Matters” series, we visit labs across campus to hear directly from Stanford scientists about what they’re working on, how it could advance human health and well-being, and why universities are critical players in the nation’s innovation ecosystem. The following are the researchers’ own words, edited and condensed for clarity.Chronic organ failure is a major cause of death – around 500,000 people are diagnosed with heart failure every…

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Cambridge researchers named 2025 Schmidt Science Fellows

Now in its eighth year, the Fellowship provides financial support for a postdoctoral placement of one to two years at a world-class research institution.The funding equips scientists to apply their knowledge to a new field of study with the goal of accelerating discoveries, and to develop their leadership potential. Dr Poppy Oldroyd, a 2025 Schmidt Science Fellow from the Department of Engineering, plans to pioneer a new frontier in understanding…

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How Expensive Is It to Have Your Own AI Agent, Really?

This setup wasn’t a fluke. Open-source AI models are becoming more powerful and accessible, thanks to innovations from companies like DeepSeek. Their recent releases, documented and accessible at Introducing DeepSeek-V3 and DeepSeek-V3 Release demonstrated that high-quality AI models can be developed with relatively low computational resources, significantly lower energy consumption and a modest budget. It turned the assumption that only industry titans can afford to build AI on its head. The…

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Worrying about war: geopolitical risks weigh on consumer sentiment

7 April 2025By Olivier Coibion, Dimitris Georgarakos, Yuriy Gorodnichenko, Geoff Kenny and Justus MeyerMilitary and diplomatic conflicts harm economic growth. This ECB blog shows that the expected length of wars matters for how strongly they weigh on consumer sentiment.[1]Geopolitical tensions can make consumers worry about their personal financial future and the economy at large. Data from the ECB’s Consumer Expectations Survey (CES)[2] suggests both notable concerns about geopolitical tensions and…

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Future Plans: Israel’s Prospects Through the Prism of the 2025 Budget

On March 25, Israel’s legislature, the Knesset, approved the country’s budget for the current year, preventing the collapse of Benjamin Netanyahu's government. At the same time, the ratio of military to civilian spending, the attraction of funds from the Israeli Citizens Fund and a number of accompanying factors have turned the document not only into the main financial plan, but also a kind of political plan for the future, Elizaveta…

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Stanford Law School publishes forward-looking blueprint for expanding access to justice

Stanford Law School’s Deborah L. Rhode Center on the Legal Profession and Legal Design Lab released a groundbreaking diagnostic report today that outlines a blueprint for creating more innovative, modern, and accessible courts. This report marks a significant milestone in the unique partnership established in January 2024 between the Superior Court of Los Angeles County (the Court – SCLAC) and Stanford Law School. Created in collaboration with court leadership, frontline…

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Articles On: Chipmakers, Japan, South Korea, Tariffs, Property Sales, Trade, Chinese EVs, Trump, Automakers, BlackRock, India, Estee Lauder, and Antitrust

TSMC, Intel and other top chipmakers slow Japan, Malaysia expansionsby Cheng Tingfang and Lauly Livia Nikkei Asia on March 28, 2025 China Says It Is Aiming to Coordinate Tariff Response with Japan, South Koreavia Wall Street Journal on April 1, 2025 China PMIs Show Some Signs of Economic Green Shoots Ahead of Tariffsvia Wall Street Journal on March 31, 2025 China’s Big State Banks to Get $71.6 Billion Capital Injectionvia…

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In new book on college life, Jay Hamilton says students have more freedom than they know

When the late Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, ’50, LLB ’52, was a Stanford student focused on a law career, her parents were more concerned about her marriage prospects. Businesswoman, politician, and Stanford undergraduate alum Carly Fiorina, ’76, followed in her father’s footsteps and enrolled in law school, but dropped out when she discovered she was more interested in business. “Both followed their interests rather than the expectations of their…

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Innovation Madness: The Ultimate Basketball Patent Bracket – Round 2 – 14 inventions. 1 champion. Who will cut down the net?

Innovation Madness: The Ultimate Basketball Patent Bracket – Round 2 - 14 inventions. 1 champion. Who will cut down the net? | Gadgets, Gigabytes & Goodwill Blog Skip to content

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Three Microsoft CEOs walk into a room on Microsoft’s 50th anniversary … and are interviewed by Copilot!

Three Microsoft CEOs walk into a room on Microsoft’s 50th anniversary … and are interviewed by Copilot!  …more Like Comment Share Copy LinkedIn Facebook Twitter Transcript Transcript Transcript Well, maybe copilot, you wanna wrap it up by asking? Or maybe roast giving us each an AI roast. Alright, Satya, let's spice it up. Steve will start with you. Your enthusiasm is legendary, but do you ever worry that your energy…

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Trade, tech, and geopolitics: Asia in 2025

McKinsey hosted its annual Asian Leaders’ dinner at the World Economic Forum meeting in Davos in January, bringing together more than 70 top executives from around the region. They explored critical themes around Asia’s future, including geopolitical resilience, trade corridors, AI and gen AI, energy transitions, and demographic challenges. Clay Chandler, executive editor, Asia, at Fortune moderated the discussions. In this post-Davos interview, he talks with McKinsey senior partners Gautam…

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Venezuela’s TPS Designation: Federal Judge Issues Nationwide Order Temporarily Reinstating Program

Quick Hits On March 31, 2025, a U.S. district court judge issued an order temporarily reinstating Venezuela’s TPS pending further litigation.  Shortly after taking office, Secretary of Homeland Security Noem canceled the extension of the 2021 and 2023 TPS designations for Venezuela and the overall 2023 TPS program for Venezuelans. This court order ensures that Venezuelan TPS holders retain their legal status and employment authorization through October 2, 2026, while…

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You really know intelligence has been commoditized when CEOs start vibe coding! GitHub Copilot Agent Mode & MCP support is rolling out to all VS Code users.

You really know intelligence has been commoditized when CEOs start vibe coding! GitHub Copilot Agent Mode & MCP support is rolling out to all VS Code users: https://lnkd.in/g6s8HDC2 …more Like Comment Share Copy LinkedIn Facebook Twitter Transcript Transcript Transcript So we're going to learn a little bit about Microsoft's history with its first product or the creation of its first product. Let's go to Copilot. First product, I'll tear basic…

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Understanding the Healthcare Impact of Mass Firings in Washington‌‌

This commentary was adapted from episode 168 of the Health & Veritas podcast. The views expressed are the author’s own. Subscribe for weekly doses of expert insight on health and the healthcare industry. Now is a good time to explain what we know about the early policy and personnel changes of the new administration and what they mean for health and healthcare. This is neither meant to be exhaustive nor…

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Honing leadership excellence in the public sector

Much is known about what makes private sector CEOs successful. But research is lacking on the practices of public sector leaders—even though they manage one-third of the global workforce, around a quarter of global GDP, and services that are essential for societies. To help close this knowledge gap, McKinsey has built a database of public service leaders who have excelled, drawing on a global survey of over 750 senior leaders…

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Are Companies Abandoning Climate Action?‌‌

Does the drop in discussions of sustainability on earnings calls represent a real shift in companies’ activity, or just a change in emphasis in their public statements?‌ Let’s dive into the structure of an earnings call. The call usually begins with some prepared remarks by the company and then Q&A for investors. Sustainability topics tend to be strategic and not a major part of the quarterly reporting (if sustainability is…

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Six big ideas to help avoid a U.S. electricity crisis

After about 20 years of scant growth, U.S. electricity demand is expected to grow about 15-20% in the next decade and double by 2050, according to the Department of Energy. In light of these predictions, more than 80 U.S. energy experts met at Stanford in February to discuss how to avoid the U.S. electricity grid being overwhelmed by rising demand. This meeting, which was organized by the Stanford Doerr School of…

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Split Decisions on Standing: Courts Diverge on Pension Risk Transfer Class Actions

Ed 259, Unsplash Two courts. Two opposite rulings. One critical question: Do plaintiffs have standing to challenge pension risk transfers under ERISA? In the first two decisions to address Article III standing in this rising wave of class actions, federal courts in Maryland and D.C. have landed on opposing sides. One case will head to discovery; the other was dismissed outright. At stake is whether moving pension obligations from plans…

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Minnesota Employment Legislative Update 2025, Part I: Breaking the Tie to Make the Law

Quick Hits The Minnesota Legislature’s party divide creates uncertainty for employers, with amendments to key labor laws like Paid Family and Medical Leave and Earned Sick and Safe Time potentially facing delays or requiring bipartisan compromise. Proposed amendments to Minnesota’s Earned Sick and Safe Time Law include delaying penalties for violations before January 1, 2026, making Earned Sick and Safe Time permissive, and changes to leave notice requirements and documentation…

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Threat actors leverage tax season to deploy tax-themed phishing campaigns

As Tax Day approaches in the United States on April 15, Microsoft has observed several phishing campaigns using tax-related themes for social engineering to steal credentials and deploy malware. These campaigns notably use redirection methods such as URL shorteners and QR codes contained in malicious attachments and abuse legitimate services like file-hosting services and business profile pages to avoid detection. These campaigns lead to phishing pages delivered via the RaccoonO365…

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New, cutting-edge microscope will boost imaging capabilities

The University of Oxford’s Department of Materials celebrated a new chapter in its microscopy facilities with the arrival of a bespoke £3 million Transmission Electron Microscope. The JEOL GrandARM300F instrument will support cutting-edge research across the University’s Departments and Divisions, besides teaching the next generation of microscopists. The instrument was officially launched during the 100 birthday celebrations of Professor Peter Hirsch, one of the University’s foremost materials scientists. Housed in…

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Expert Comment: Why has Trump launched so many tariffs and will it cause a recession?

In a Q&A originally published in The Conversation, Dr Linda Yueh, Fellow in Economics at the University of Oxford, explores some of the most pressing questions triggered by Trump’s  ‘liberation day’.   Donald Trump has always talked about how much he likes tariffs. And on April 2 2025, he showed that he meant it. For the president it was ‘liberation day’, but for his fellow world leaders it was a tense…

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When investors move in: new dynamics in European housing markets

4 April 2025By Emil Bandoni, Giorgia De Nora, Margherita Giuzio, Ellen Ryan and Manuela StorzInstitutional investors are increasingly active in housing markets across Europe. The ECB blog examines implications for house price growth and the transmission of monetary policy. Institutional investors have been shaking up Europe’s housing markets over the past decade: if you are renting in major cities like Paris, Dublin or Madrid, there is a good chance your…

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ASEAN in Search of Central or Peripheral Role in the Region

The degradation of US-China relations and ASEAN’s inability to effectively cope with the most sensitive security challenges have called into question the central role of the Association and created a fundamental dilemma for the ASEAN - how to organically fit into the emerging regional and global order and not lose its relevance, writes Alexander Korolev. During the Cold War, the centre of gravity of the confrontation between the US and…

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Russia-China: A Space of Opportunities for Joint Development

On March 31 – April 1, 2025, the Russian-Chinese conference titled "Space of Joint Development: Global and Eurasian Dimensions” was held in Shanghai, organized by the Valdai Discussion Club and the Centre for Russian Studies at East China Normal University. The event served as an important platform for discussing the strategic aspects and prospects for the development of the partnership between Russia and China. The main focus of the conference…

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Restricted: How export controls are reshaping markets

As geopolitical tensions continue to mount, governments around the world are expanding restrictions on what domestic companies can sell abroad. Most business leaders are familiar with export controls affecting military or dual-use items (those that have both military and civilian applications). What is harder to untangle are the complex export control restrictions that governments can implement, or have already implemented, to promote policy goals affecting their countries’ technological and economic…

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April Is Workplace Violence Awareness Month: Navigating the Latest in Workplace Violence Prevention

Quick Hits Several states have proposed legislation in 2025 to enhance workplace violence prevention. An OSHRC administrative law judge vacated an OSHA citation against a private security company, ruling that the fatal shooting of a mall security officer was unforeseeable and that the company had adequate workplace violence policies and training. Cal/OSHA will propose a detailed workplace violence prevention standard by December 31, 2025. Proposed State Laws on Workplace Violence…

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Words matter: A reminder for drafters and contracting parties

In Chemtrade Electrochem Inc v Superior Plus Corporation, 2025 ABCA 31, the Court of Appeal of Alberta set aside a trial judgment of $25 million based on the lower court’s palpable and overriding error related to the court’s interpretation of a “Reverse Terminating Fee.” The Court of Appeal held that trial judge’s findings were based on the parties’ subjective intentions rather than the words of the agreement. The Court of…

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Tamar Yehoshua on product leadership in the age of AI

In this episode of McKinsey on Building Products, McKinsey partner Rikki Singh speaks to Tamar Yehoshua, president of product and technology at Glean, an AI platform that helps automate work by connecting and understanding a company’s entire knowledge base. Throughout her years of experience at large software companies, Yehoshua has learned how to build digital products that customers love and how to approach the change management needed for employees to…

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Alexi Nazem: Building Healthcare Solutions

Howie and Harlan are joined by Alexi Nazem, a Yale-trained internist who co-founded the healthcare staffing company Nomad Health and now leads healthcare investments at AlleyCorp. Harlan reports on new research from the American College of Cardiology meeting; Howie examines the consequences of vast staffing cuts in the federal healthcare infrastructure. Links: Research from the American College of Cardiology Meeting “Semaglutide and walking capacity in people with symptomatic peripheral artery…

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Evolution of the BRICS Value Platform. Speakers

On April 8 at 15:00 Moscow Time (GMT+3), the Valdai Club will host the presentation of a new report, titled “The Evolution of the BRICS Value Platform”. BRICS has become a significant association for the leading countries of the global majority, and has attracted more and more participants, partners and observers. From the very beginning, the image of BRICS as an alternative to the West has prevailed in the perception…

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The role of Job Architecture

Beyond People Data: how a Job Architecture can supercharge skills across your organisation Even the best people data can’t fully reveal workforce skills. This article explores how a Job Architecture, organising roles by skill and activity, enables better workforce planning, career development, and performance management. Real-world examples show how this framework helps organisations identify gaps, allocate resources, and support employee growth effectively. Reading time: 5 minutes Organisations we work with…

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Québec reduces access to its simplified process for temporary foreign workers in professions facing labour shortages

A new list of the occupations eligible to the facilitated Labour Market Impact Assessments (LMIA) process required for issuance of work permits under the Temporary Foreign Worker program for foreign workers destined to the province of Québec was issued by the Ministère de l’immigration, de la Francisation et de l’Intégration (MIFI) on Feb. 24, 2025. Québec-based employers must take good notice of the reduction of occupations eligible to the facilitated…

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AI revolutionizes search: Key insights from Microsoft Accelerate

AI took center stage at this year's Microsoft Advertising Accelerate, our flagship event for advertisers. Held in the vibrant Dominican Republic, industry leaders, digital marketers, and technology enthusiasts gathered to explore the forefront of digital marketing innovations, with this year’s event heavily focused on AI and its transformative impact on the industry. Microsoft Bing’s Fabrice Canel unveiled several transformative strategies designed to enhance AI search capabilities and help marketers deliver more precise,…

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Fast Track to Sustainable Mobility

Motor sports enthusiasts and thrill-seekers would be familiar with the Formula One races held around the world. But beyond fast cars, a legendary test of endurance, innovation and speed has been taking place annually in the town of Le Mans in France, capturing the world’s imagination since 1923. The 24-hour motor race sees drivers, teams and engineering capabilities stretched to their limits to win. The 24 Hours of Le Mans is…

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