Human Times

North American Edition

29th May 2026

THE HOT STORY

U.S. consumer watchdog to reassign virtually all staff nationwide to Washington

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) has said it is to reassign virtually all staff nationwide to its Washington headquarters later this year. The move to relocate roughly 450 employees stationed near the watchdog's former regional offices in San Francisco, Atlanta, Chicago and New York and end remote work arrangements is likely to accelerate the recent pace of resignations, Reuters reports, as the Trump administration seeks to ‌minimize if not eliminate the agency. Beginning on August 31, "staff whose duty stations are greater than 50 miles from headquarters, staff associated with former regional offices" and all field employees will report to the new headquarters, an email said. The CFPB will cover relocation costs for "eligible" staff members in accordance with current rules, according to a memo also seen by ⁠Reuters.

Reuters

LEGAL

Google employee charged with insider trading on Polymarket

Federal prosecutors have charged a Google employee with fraud, alleging that he made $1.2m from bets on Polymarket that used insider information. Michele Spagnuolo, an Italian citizen, has been charged with money laundering, commodities fraud and wire fraud, according to the complaint filed in the Southern District of New York. “Spagnuolo had access to Google’s internal data systems, including a particular Google internal software tool that provided him access to confidential, nonpublic Year in Search data,” the prosecutors said in their complaint. “Google officially and publicly announced its Year in Search 2025 results on or about December 4, 2025. Soon after it did so, Spagnuolo’s AlphaRaccoon account profited approximately $1.2 million on his Google Year in Search 2025-related bets,” the complaint said. A Google spokesperson, responding to the charges against Spagnuolo, said: "Using such confidential information to place bets is a serious breach of our policies. We've placed the employee on leave and will take the appropriate action."

ABC News

NFL must face coach's race bias lawsuit

The Supreme Court has declined to intervene in a discrimination lawsuit led by former Miami Dolphins coach Brian Flores against the NFL, allowing the case to move forward in court. Justice Brett Kavanaugh dissented from the decision. Flores, who is Black, claims the league's hiring practices are "rife with racism." He was joined by fellow coaches Steve Wilks and Ray Horton. The NFL had sought to resolve the matter through arbitration, but lower courts ruled otherwise. Attorneys David Gottlieb and Douglas Wigdor expressed satisfaction with the ruling, saying: "The NFL must now accept that its commissioner cannot be the arbitrator over discrimination claims against the league and its teams." Flores was dismissed from the Dolphins after posting a 24-25 record over three seasons.

Bloomberg Law

Chicago Tribune

TECHNOLOGY

Global firms use AI in India to bring more creative work in-house

Kimberly-Clark, J.C. Penney-parent Catalyst Brands and Target India are among the global firms that are using AI at their Indian hubs to bring more creative work in-house as the technology's ability to expedite and scale campaign creation enables them to rein in marketing costs. Two years ago, content creation took 24 days but now it "only takes two hours" due to AI, Kimberly-Clark India head Deena Dayalan told a Reuters summit in Bengaluru. Some analysts nevertheless have faith in the existing marketing model. "If mediocre is all you need, then absolutely you can do it yourself," observed Brian Wieser, CEO of advisory firm Madison and Wall.

Reuters

Amazon scraps AI leaderboard to stop workers chasing usage scores

Amazon has shut down an internal leaderboard that tracked employees’ use of AI tools after workers tried to boost their scores with unnecessary activity that increased the company’s computing costs.

Financial Times

STRATEGY

Anthropic to continue expanding in Europe

Anthropic has opened its sixth office in Europe. The company's launch in Milan adds to its bases on the continent including London, Dublin, Zurich, Munich and Paris. Chris Ciauri, managing director for international at the U.S. AI startup, did not disclose planned hiring in Milan. "We've publicly announced in London a few weeks back that we're opening a new office and ⁠we'll have 800 employees there. So Milan will get a lot bigger, Paris will get a lot bigger, Munich will get a lot bigger. There will be more offices," he said, adding: "We actually like the makeup of the Italian economy because we think it suits some of the things we do particularly well."

Reuters

WORKFORCE

Weekly jobless claims edge higher as layoffs remain limited

Initial claims for U.S. unemployment benefits rose modestly last week, indicating layoffs remain relatively low despite economic uncertainty linked to the ongoing Iran conflict. The Labor Department said initial jobless claims increased by 5,000 to a seasonally adjusted 215,000 in the seven days to May 23rd, slightly above economists’ expectations of 211,000. Claims have largely remained within a 190,000 to 230,000 range throughout 2026. The four-week moving average rose to 209,000 while continuing claims, reported with a one-week lag, increased 15,000 to a seasonally-adjusted 1.786m. “Initial jobless claims continue to run below year-ago levels," commented economist Eliza Winger. "Expectations of AI-driven automation and heightened geopolitical uncertainty haven’t had a meaningful impact on weekly unemployment insurance claims activity so far.”

Quartz

Bloomberg

Reuters

ECONOMY

Inflation accelerates as Americans’ spending power weakens

A key U.S. inflation measure accelerated in April to its highest level in three years, while Americans’ incomes and purchasing power weakened, adding pressure on consumers and complicating the economic outlook ahead of the midterm elections. The Commerce Department said inflation rose 3.8% year over year in April, up from 3.5% in March and the highest reading since May 2023. Monthly prices increased 0.4%, easing from March’s 0.7% rise but remaining above the Federal Reserve’s 2% target. Core inflation, which excludes food and energy, increased to 3.3% annually from 3.2%, though monthly core price growth slowed slightly to 0.2%. Americans’ incomes were flat in April, partly because government farm aid payments ended, while inflation-adjusted personal income fell 0.1%. Consumer spending rose 0.5%, but after adjusting for inflation, spending increased only 0.1%, signaling weakening consumer purchasing power.

Los Angeles Times

INTERNATIONAL

Israeli website creator Wix cuts 1,000 jobs

Wix, the Israeli firm which helps small businesses build and operate websites, will lay off 20% of its workforce due to financial challenges stemming from the shekel's strength against the dollar. CEO Avishai Abrahami said the company's costs are in shekels while revenues are in dollars, creating unsustainable operational pressures. Additionally, the rise of artificial intelligence has rendered some positions redundant. Abrahami noted that new roles, such as "Xengineer and Creators," will be introduced, and these have been "designed from the ground up around AI-native ways of working." Abrahami explained: "We are moving to a structure with fewer levels between any member of our leadership and the most junior person on the team. Fewer layers means faster decisions, clearer ownership, and less distance between the people setting direction and the people building the product - but it also means a smaller number of people."

The Jerusalem Post

London’s expats stunned by extreme heat

Bloomberg reports that expats to London, such as Vanessa Chan, who moved to the U.K. capital from Hong Kong, are struggling with the current extreme early-season heat and a lack of solutions to help Londoners deal with high temperatures. “The whole infrastructure in the U.K. is not designed for the heat,” Chan says. In London, “there’s nowhere to retreat to. It’s hot outside and then it’s even hotter inside,” observes Dimple Rana, heat resilience leader at buildings consultancy Arup. The U.K.'s Climate Change Committee recently advised that air conditioning should be part of the country's plan for more active cooling, particularly in places with vulnerable people.

Bloomberg

Job ad for shepherds exposes China's labor market strains

Zuo Xiaoyong, a Chinese farm owner, received over 700 applications when he advertised for two shepherd positions in remote grasslands. His job ad went viral, attracting white-collar workers, factory employees, and recent graduates, underscoring the challenges in China's tight job market. Zuo observed that many applicants were struggling with debt and difficult working conditions. The reaction to the job posting was “symptomatic of what continues to be a highly competitive and often low-rewarding labor market,” said Lynn Song, chief China economist at ING. “Urban jobs are becoming less attractive and more rare.” Zuo eventually hired four shepherds - two couples - who all had previously worked on a farm.

Straits Times

Panama law imposes stricter requirements on multinational firms

Panama's National Assembly has approved a law that requires ‌multinational companies domiciled in the country to demonstrate genuine local operations, including qualified personnel, adequate facilities and strategic decision-making, or face a 15% tax on passive foreign income. "At the fiscal level, it requires multinationals to demonstrate that they have physical operations and real activity in a country, beyond just seeking tax advantage," the National Assembly said. The law aims to satisfy European Union tax transparency requirements ⁠and support Panama’s removal from EU monitoring lists.

Reuters

OTHER

Starbucks sees afternoon traffic growth as turnaround gains momentum

Starbucks reported Thursday customer traffic is increasing during the afternoon, particularly between 3 p.m. and 5 p.m., as chief executive Brian Niccol’s turnaround strategy begins to gain traction and broadens demand beyond the traditional morning coffee rush. The company said visits after 2 p.m. have been rising, supported by strong demand for its Refreshers range, which has become Starbucks’ second-best-selling beverage category after espresso. Starbucks generated $11bn in U.S. sales after 11 a.m. during fiscal 2025, highlighting the importance of later-day trading. Management views the afternoon as a significant growth opportunity as the chain seeks to drive more repeat visits and compete more effectively with rivals such as Dunkin’ and Dutch Bros. The company recently reported stronger-than-expected quarterly earnings, while store traffic increased for a second consecutive quarter.

CNBC

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