Sales Tax Revenue Up

By JILL COLVIN NEW YORK (AP) — As he prepares to become the nation’s first millennial vice president, JD Vance is already the presumptive heir to the “Make America Great Again” movement. Vance hasn’t been assigned a specific portfolio in the White House like some of his predecessors. While he has long-standing areas of interest, from tech and disaster relief to immigration, people close to the former Ohio senator say he sees his role as doing whatever is needed to best help President-elect Donald Trump and his incoming administration accomplish his agenda.

By DARLENE SUPERVILLE WASHINGTON (AP) — Joe Biden is spending his final full day in office Sunday in South Carolina, a state that holds special meaning after his commanding win in the 2020 Democratic primary there set him up to achieve his life’s goal of being elected president of the United States. On the eve of Monday’s inauguration of Republican President-elect Donald Trump, Biden planned to deliver a final farewell from the state that brought him to the dance, as he likes to say. Biden, accompanied by his wife, first lady Jill Biden, was scheduled to visit Royal Missionary Baptist Church in North Charleston to worship and speak on the legacy of the Rev.

By WILL WEISSERT WASHINGTON (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump is spending the eve of his inauguration in a series of Washington events that celebrate his return to power and his “Make America Great Again” movement as he prepares to move back into the White House at a time of deep national political divisions. The nation’s capital has prepared in unprecedented ways to keep the unfolding events save and secure.

Ten years after being laid off from Disney, Leo Perrero still views a visa program for skilled international workers as deeply flawed, blaming it for disrupting his information technology career and putting him in the unsettling position of having to train his foreign replacement. “The whole thing is just a terrible scam on Americans,” said Perrero, who eventually was able to rebound and find another job in IT. After his layoff in 2015, the Central Florida resident met with a then-sympathetic Donald Trump, spoke on the issue at Trump rallies, testified to Congress and shared his story on “60 Minutes.” Despite that national attention, Perrero says politicians haven’t fixed critical loopholes in the H-1B visa program — which a decade later is the subject of fierce debate that has divided members of Trump’s MAGA movement as he prepares for his second term in the White House with vows to crack down swiftly on immigration abuses. High-profile Trump supporters like Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy say H-1B visas are vital for America’s economic success, helping attract the world’s top talent and putting the United States ahead globally.

Dear Eric: My spouse recently died, leaving me with a substantial financial estate. Now I have to decide what to do with it. Related Articles Advice | Asking Eric: His friend offered him a room — but it came with unsolicited meddling Advice | Asking Eric: A group of friends wants to expel a newcomer who wrecked their vibe Advice | Asking Eric: Now that I’m sober and successful, they apparently want to unghost me Advice | Asking Eric: Our more modest gifts drew a distressing response Advice | Asking Eric: A neighbor sees something dangerous going on next door and wants to report it We had no children (we were a male couple).

A planned Boca Raton development with more than 300 new residences will be supported by the approval of a new federal financing deal, the White House has announced. On Jan. 14, in the final days of the Biden administration, it unveiled the approval of “the first residential transit-oriented development loan” under the U.