Author: Michael Palan

The White House has urged Colombia to hold off on enforcing new auto safety regulations that could disrupt nearly $700 million worth of U.S. car exports. The call comes as both countries gear up for trade talks following recent U.S. tariffs on key Colombian exports such as coffee, avocados, flowers, and oil. In a letter addressed to Colombia’s Ministry of Commerce, U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer warned that the proposed changes in vehicle certification standards could lead to a “total cessation” of U.S. automotive exports to the South American country. The letter, dated April 11, was leaked to local media and obtained by the Associated Press. Greer’s letter also suggested that if Colombia moves forward with the new rules, it could be seen as an “unfair trading pract...

On February 24, 19-year-old Merwil Gutiérrez was outside his Bronx apartment with two friends when he was detained by ICE agents, even though they reportedly admitted he wasn't the person they were looking for. According to Merwil’s father, Wilmer Gutiérrez, officers stopped all three boys at the building entrance. “One officer said, ‘No, he’s not the one,’ but another replied, ‘Take him anyway,’” Wilmer told Documented. Weeks later, Wilmer managed to speak to his son, who told him he was being held in Pennsylvania and feared being deported to Venezuela. But instead, he was sent to El Salvador — specifically to CECOT, the high-security prison now being used by the U.S. to hold deported immigrants. Merwil has no criminal history and no gang ties, according to his family. He cam...

The Trump administration is using sensitive government data—normally kept private—to locate undocumented immigrants in the U.S., targeting where they work, live, and study. This data, which many individuals gave in good faith while applying for housing or filing taxes, is now being used to support the administration’s aggressive immigration enforcement policies. At the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), officials are preparing a new rule that would ban mixed-status households—families where some members are U.S. citizens or legal residents and others are undocumented—from receiving public housing assistance. According to insiders, the administration is also trying to remove existing mixed-status families from public housing altogether. Meanwhile, the Social Securi...

America’s self-proclaimed dealmaker-in-chief is now throwing a wrench into Wall Street’s business flow. When Donald Trump returned to the White House, many in the financial world anticipated a surge in IPOs, dealmaking, and capital raising — a wave of activity expected to energize U.S. stock exchanges and investment firms alike. But just five months in, Trump’s sweeping trade war is chilling the deals market instead. Several companies, including StubHub, Klarna, and eToro, have paused their plans to go public. Corporate leaders are becoming increasingly hesitant to greenlight investments, signaling a potential long-term freeze in mergers and acquisitions. “People are paralyzed,” said West Riggs, head of equity capital markets at Truist Securities. “Things won’t change overnigh...