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The U.S. international tourism market is facing its worst recession since the COVID-19 pandemic. Analysts warn that this is not just a tourism problem but may symbolize a structural decline in the U.S. international image, soft power, and global influence.

According to a CNN report, data from the World Travel and Tourism Council shows that the number of international tourists visiting the United States in 2025 will decline by 5.5% compared to last year, marking the worst single year drop in 20 years, excluding the period of the pandemic in 2020. At the same time, the global international tourism market continues to grow.

The World Tourism and Tourism Council points out that by 2025, the number of international tourists worldwide will increase by approximately 80 million compared to the previous year, “but these people have chosen other destinations instead of the United States.” Adam Sacks, president of Tourism Economics, a travel data analytics company, said that the United States had long maintained a rare “trade surplus” in the tourism industry, meaning that foreign tourists spent more money in the United States than Americans spent on traveling abroad.

But by 2025, this advantage will have officially reversed. Currently, Americans spend more on overseas travel than international tourists spend in the US, signifying a clear decline in the competitiveness of American tourism.

Analysis indicates that the reasons for international travelers turning away from the United States include not only the geopolitical risks caused by the Iran war and soaring aviation fuel prices, but also the deteriorating political atmosphere within the United States, immigration enforcement controversies, and the Trump administration’s tough rhetoric towards allies and foreign countries.

Juliette Kayyem, director of the Homeland Security Program at Harvard Kennedy School and a senior national security analyst at CNN, said that the United States used to be a model for many countries around the world, but this image as a “beacon of democracy” is gradually crumbling. She pointed out that many foreigners now perceive the United States as a country of “government incompetence, immigrant raids, violence, and social chaos.”

She added, “The current international narrative of the United States is, at best, a country that is no longer worthy of respect; at worst, a democracy that is spiraling out of control.”

Canada has become one of the most significant sources of tourism losses for the United States. Some Canadian travelers admitted that what truly made them decide to stop traveling to the US was not just tariffs and talk of “the 51st state,” but also the US war on Iran and the overall political atmosphere. Sachs warned that the United States is currently at a critical crossroads. He believes that if the U.S. wants to restore its international appeal, it must reinvest in tourism promotion programs such as Brand USA, reduce its hostile tone towards allies, and stop allowing political factors to further damage its image.

The Pentagon released a new batch of declassified documents, commonly known as the “UFO Files,” on the 22nd, including 50 previously classified videos and other documents documenting “unidentified anomalous phenomena.”

One video, taken by the US Coast Guard in April 2024 while operating infrared sensors, shows an object flying near an aircraft over the southeastern United States. A video labeled “Syrian UAP instant acceleration” was captured by an infrared sensor on a U.S. military platform in 2021 and uploaded to a classified government network in 2024. The Department of Defense’s All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office has conducted multiple investigations into all the captured phenomena but has found no concrete evidence to prove that the events are related to extraterrestrials. However, military officials admit that many of the events remain unexplained and are in a state of “unresolved.”

Among the newly released records is a video taken by the US Central Command in 2020 at an undisclosed location, showing a spherical object flying over a densely populated area, gradually rising before disappearing into the sky. The record also includes a written account provided last year by a senior U.S. intelligence official, who wrote that while on duty, he saw two “huge spheres” suddenly light up next to the helicopter.

The document states that the orange spheres had a white or yellow center, and the entire sphere emitted light. Officials wrote that fighter jets were scrambled to try to identify what the spheres were but were unable to do so. The official wrote: “The spheres we saw earlier turned into a chase after fighter jets, and we were all stunned by what we witnessed.”

A Department of Defense spokesperson said that since the Pentagon released its first batch of declassified UFO files on the WAR.GOV/UFO website on May 8, the files have received more than one billion views from around the world.

US President Donald Trump is expected to visit Beijing on June 14-15. US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer stated clearly at a congressional hearing on June 22 that he hopes the two sides will reach an agreement on a wider range of agricultural purchases beyond soybeans during Trump’s visit.

Greer emphasized that Washington’s goal is to obtain a commitment from China to purchase “all agricultural products,” which will be a major topic of discussion at the Trump-Xi meeting, and Washington hopes this will be a significant achievement of Trump’s visit.

According to multiple foreign media reports, during his testimony before the House Ways and Means Committee on government trade priorities, Greer stated that the U.S. is working with Beijing to establish a specific mechanism aimed at promoting trade in non-sensitive goods such as agricultural products. The US hopes China will make comprehensive purchases of agricultural products, which is seen as part of a new round of “big deal” between the two countries.

Greer revealed that the US hopes Beijing will make a broader commitment to overall agricultural procurement, rather than just focusing on soybeans as a past indicator. Data shows that China’s soybean purchases from the US have seen a temporary rebound over the past year. However, despite this rebound, China’s soybean imports still primarily come from Brazil and Argentina, with the proportion from the US remaining low. Market analysis indicates that this shows China’s purchasing decisions, in addition to market factors, clearly reflect policy and negotiating leverage.

Artificial intelligence has arrived, bringing undeniable convenience, but also genuine anxiety. In the past, we always discussed whether AI would replace human jobs in the future, but the latest data shows that this “future” may have already arrived. An expert from the University of Sydney Business School, through in-depth analysis of the US job market, has found that AI reshaping the employment structure is not alarmist, but an ongoing reality.

Even more alarming is the possibility that Australia may soon follow suit. Clinton Free, Executive Director of Education at the University of Sydney Business School, wrote in The Conversation that the latest data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics shows that jobs heavily reliant on routine information processing are experiencing the most significant contraction. The sectors most affected are customer support, administration, software, and IT services.

Following closely behind are marketing, banking, travel, and retail, while the declines are relatively mild, the downward trend is clearly visible. For Australia, this is by no means a topic it can remain uninvolved in. Fry specifically points out that the industries mentioned above are precisely the sectors of the Australian economy that absorb a large portion of the workforce. In other words, what is happening in the United States, Australia may very well experience soon as well. For decades, job growth in the United States has been primarily driven by white-collar jobs. But in the past three years, this model has been completely disrupted.

The data Fry presented was straightforward: there were approximately one million more blue-collar jobs than white-collar jobs. Manual labor jobs saw a slight increase, while office jobs declined slightly. This growth was primarily concentrated in sectors relatively less impacted by AI, such as construction and maintenance. Meanwhile, sectors like finance, consulting, management, and corporate support—jobs that had seen steady growth for decades—have largely stagnated. These functional areas are precisely the cornerstones of modern organizations.

Free believes this means the next wave of disruptive change may already be quietly brewing. If layoffs are an obvious warning sign, then the “hidden signal” that Freer sees as even more alarming is the reduction in entry-level positions. Data shows that the unemployment rate for recent college graduates in the United States has climbed to about 5.6%, while the overall unemployment rate is about 4%, and the unemployment rate for experienced graduates is only about 3%.

Even more worrying is that a staggering 42.5% of recent graduates are “underemployed”—meaning they are doing jobs that don’t require a college degree at all. The meaning of this signal is straightforward: as AI begins to take on entry-level tasks, the pathways for young people to enter the workforce are narrowing. For centuries, technological advancements have consistently replaced human labor, but Fried believes the impact of AI this time will be more profound than ever before. There are three reasons for this: First, the speed is unprecedented. ChatGPT, for example, accumulated over 100 million users in just two months after its launch.

This is an adoption rate that is almost unprecedented in the history of human technology. Second, AI is no longer just doing “odd jobs”. Past technological revolutions primarily replaced manual labor or highly repetitive assembly line work. But this time, AI is beginning to venture into professional fields requiring cognitive abilities—drafting legal documents, writing code, analyzing financial statements, generating marketing content… AI is gradually taking over these tasks that originally belonged to “white-collar professionals.” Third, the impact is on the entire industry.

Traditional technological changes often reshape only a specific industry, such as textiles or manufacturing. But the impact of AI spans almost all industries, and virtually no sector can remain completely unaffected.

At the end of the article, Frye offers a conclusion that everyone should consider: the question now is no longer whether AI will change jobs—it already is. The real question is how quickly it will change, and who will pay the price.

As anxieties about AI taking away jobs grow, Freer is urging the government to launch a national dialogue on the issue as soon as possible and to develop corresponding policies to address the impact of AI on the job market. After all, technology waits for no one. What we can do is anticipate the direction of the tide.

Language barriers between users worldwide are breaking down as the social networking service X (formerly Twitter) introduces an automatic translation service. According to IT media outlets such as TechCrunch, X launched a feature that automatically translates posts globally on the 7th following a pilot program.

Nikita Beer, X’s Head of Product, stated on her X account, “By launching the automatic translation feature globally, we will ensure that posts uploaded to X in any language reach users around the world.” In a separate post prior to this, she added, “Post in your language. Post your culture and daily life, and make your country the next trend,” and further explained, “The greatest cultural exchange in history has just launched.”

While users could previously change posts in other languages on X to their preferred language via a ‘translate’ function, the difference this time is that they can view them in their desired language immediately without any separate operation. The translation function utilizes the Grok model, an AI chatbot developed by xAI, founded by Elon Musk.

Since the service’s introduction, X users have shown mixed reactions. In domestic online communities, the sight of users from various countries sharing empathy regarding similar cultures through X has garnered significant attention. Conversely, on the online community Reddit, lengthy comments were posted on posts seeking ways to disable the automatic translation function, with users complaining that the translation quality was too poor or that it was bothersome.

Asahi Shimbun reported, “Watching posts continuously appear on X, one feels both danger and hope at the same time,” adding that “some are reconsidering their views by exchanging messages with people from countries they thought they disliked.”

Since the start of the second Trump administration, visa barriers for international students dreaming of studying in the United States have been steadily rising. Last year, the rejection rate for international student visas (F-1) soared to 35%, marking the highest level in the past decade. This effectively means that one out of every three applicants failed to receive a visa.

According to an annual report released by Shore light, an organization specializing in international education, the global F-1 visa rejection rate for 2025 is projected to reach 35%. This figure is even higher than the previous peak recorded in 2020, when visa screening was tightened due to the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic. The report analyzed that this increase in visa rejections acted as one of the main causes of the sharp decline in international student enrollment for the fall semester of 2025. In particular, the rise in rejection rates was concentrated in specific regions.

Students from Africa, the Middle East, and South Asia were found to have been the most significantly affected. In the case of Africa, approximately 64% of F-1 visa applicants were rejected, resulting in a severe situation where effectively “more than half were eliminated.”

This figure represents a significant increase from 43% in 2015 and a 5-percent point rise from the previous year. In some countries, the situation is even more serious, with cases reported in Sierra Leone and Somalia where the rejection rate exceeded 90%. Changes in India, once one of the largest sources of international students for the U.S., are also notable. India’s student visa rejection rate surged from 36% in 2023 to 61% in 2025. This nearly twofold increase in just two years demonstrates that obtaining a visa is becoming increasingly difficult even for traditional student supply nations. In contrast, South America showed a different trend.

The visa rejection rate for South American students decreased from 31% in 2022 to 22% in 2025, recording a gradual decline over the past four years. However, as it remains high compared to 10 years ago, it is difficult to view this as a complete improvement. Europe maintained a relatively stable trend. The visa rejection rate for applicants from Europe has remained largely unchanged over the past decade and is projected to be low at around 9% by 2026. This suggests that there may be differences in the application of visa screening standards by region.

Reflecting these trends, the number of Korean international students in the U.S. continues to decline. According to the ‘Open Doors’ report, an annual international student statistic by the Institute of International Education (IIE), the total number of Korean international students enrolled in U.S. universities, graduate schools, and language institutes for the 2024–25 academic year was 42,293, a decrease of approximately 2% from the previous year.

Excluding the 2020–21 (39,491) and 2021–22 (40,755) academic years, when the COVID-19 pandemic was severe, this marks the lowest level since 2010. The number of Korean international students has been generally declining since peaking at 73,351 in the 2010–2011 academic year. The report points out that current visa policies are undermining the “principle of merit-based selection.”

Controversy regarding equity is also being raised, as outcomes can vary significantly based on country of origin or region rather than academic ability or potential. In fact, it is reported that as a system where most applicants from certain countries are rejected becomes entrenched, the number of cases where students give up on studying in the U.S. altogether is increasing. Experts warn that tightening visa barriers could have a negative impact on the competitiveness of U.S. higher education in the long run. This is because international students play a crucial role not only in tuition revenue but also in research, innovation, and the labor market.

Concerns are being raised that a decline in the influx of international talent, particularly in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) fields, could lead to a weakening of the United States’ global competitiveness. Meanwhile, the rise in visa rejection rates is analyzed to be the result of a complex interplay of factors, including concerns over illegal immigration, political and diplomatic variables, and stricter screening criteria. However, there are also significant criticisms that the lack of clear disclosure of criteria is increasing uncertainty for applicants.

Shoreright pointed out, “If an international student’s chances of admission are determined by their country of origin rather than academic performance or financial ability, the fairness of the U.S. visa system could be undermined.” Ultimately, visa strategy is emerging as a crucial variable for studying in the United States. While the U.S. remains the world’s largest destination for international students, the prevailing view is that the threshold has become much higher than before.

Inside Higher Ed, a media outlet specializing in higher education, analyzed that the increase in F-1 visa rejection rates also contributed to the decline in the number of international students at U.S. universities during last fall semester.

Southwest Airlines’ new policy requires oversized passengers to purchase an extra ticket or be denied boarding. The photo shows economy class seats on a Southwest Airlines flight. (Associated Press) Southwest Airlines’ new policy sparks outrage! It forces plus-size passengers to buy an extra ticket. You must present your plane ticket; otherwise, you will not be allowed to board.

The Daily Mail reported that Southwest Airlines had said overweight passengers could buy extra tickets in advance and get a refund later or get an extra seat at the gate for free. The regulations have now been changed so that if ground staff believe a passenger is too large to fit in one seat, the passenger must purchase an additional seat at the boarding gate.

“Passengers occupying adjacent seats must also purchase the required number of seats. Armrests are considered clear boundaries between seats.” Passengers criticized Southwest Airlines for its vague wording and problematic execution, arguing that it judged passengers by their appearance.

TikTok influencer Samrya dubbed the policy a “fat tax” and expressed her dissatisfaction in a post, saying, “The official website says that if you take up the seat of the passenger next to you, you have to buy an extra seat. But when you get to the airport, they just stare at you,” Samrya said.

“They have no criteria for deciding who needs to pay for an extra seat. It’s blatant discrimination. It’s entirely up to the discretion of the ground staff that day and discrimination against obese people.”

Passenger Kari McCaw recounted his experience of being stopped by airport staff while en route to Las Vegas. The ground staff told McCaw that she needed to buy a second seat, or she wouldn’t be allowed to board. McCaw said that although she had never been asked to buy two seats before, she felt she was being treated differently because of her size.

“They just casually looked me up and down,” McCaw said.

Jessica Skinner was rushing from Tampa International Airport (TPA) to Austin when she was stopped at the ticket counter, where ground staff insisted she was too big to fit. As a result, she missed the baggage check-in deadline and had to rebook her flight.

Skinner had already lost 200 pounds and didn’t need an extra seat, but she still borrowed money from her family to buy a plane ticket for that day. Kenny Slack was flying from Houston to Kansas and was treated differently by ground staff because he was 100 pounds heavier than he was before and had previously been subject to the larger passenger policy. Some passengers also said that even if there were no special markings on the inaugural flight, they were asked to buy an extra seat on connecting or return flights.

Fitness blogger Stella Kittrell filmed a video experiment in which she deliberately changed into the clothes that made her look the slimmest, went to the airport, was not stopped by Southwest Airlines, boarded the plane smoothly, and sat comfortably in her seat.

Jerry Morrell, CEO of the American fast-food chain Five Guys, recently did something quite remarkable. He announced that he would fund a $1.5 million bonus for his employees as compensation for the company’s disastrous “buy one get one free” promotion.

It’s rare for a boss to give employees extra money, and Jerry’s words added a dramatic twist. In a media interview, he joked, “I don’t want someone shooting me in the back after the promotion, because we really messed it up…” Clearly, Jerry’s “shoot in the back” refers to the infamous Luigi Scout shooting of the CEO of a healthcare giant.

On one side is the evil capitalism described by the American public as “deliberately denying insurance and exploiting the people,” and on the other is a wealthy young talent willing to stand up for the common people. After Scout’s killing of the CEO, many Americans viewed him as a symbol of justice. The narrative that “Luigi shot and killed a financial tycoon, terrifying all the wealthy and powerful” has a natural ability to spread, making many people fans of Luigi.

Jerry’s use of this allusion is clearly intended to satirize the situation and prove he’s not the cold-blooded, exploitative CEO type. Last month, Five Guys celebrated its 40th anniversary, and after discussions with management, Jerry decided to run a buy-one-get-one-free promotion across all its stores nationwide.

On the day of the promotion, employees prepared for opening as usual, but the overwhelming influx of customers completely packed every store. Employees worked tirelessly from opening to closing but still couldn’t finish their work.

Jerry later admitted he never expected customers to be so enthusiastic: “I always thought it was funny that people participated in promotions. I never thought promotions worked before, I just tried a buy-one-get-one-free promotion, and the result was unexpected. I couldn’t believe so many people participated. I thought sales would increase by about 20% at most, but sales increased by 130% that day. So, I felt like I messed up.”

Because of the overwhelming orders that day, the employees were on the front lines suffering, and Jerry felt it was necessary to give them “compensation for their hardship.” After the event, the company announced that it would give each of the 1,500 stores a $1,000 bonus, totaling about $1.5 million, all of which would be distributed to employees to recognize their excellent performance under the pressure of huge orders.

Jerry joked that he originally planned to use the bonus money to buy his wife a fur coat: “She still looks at me like I’m an idiot. But I think it’s all worth it. The employees work very hard and are under a lot of pressure.”

The bonus alone would have been enough for the media to report on for a while, but Jerry chose the most attention-grabbing tactic: comparing himself to the CEO who was shot and killed.

However, netizens remained unconvinced, feeling the wealthy man hadn’t given enough, and such a small favor didn’t deserve their praise: “Only $1,000 per store… pathetic. If you pay your employees their full wages every day, you don’t have to live in fear of this bluff. Or just give each employee $1,000 directly; that’s at least the bare minimum for showing goodwill. Billionaires are so out of touch with reality.”

Enrollment in the Affordable Care Act (ACA) in Virginia has reportedly decreased following the recent expiration of the “expanded premium tax credit.” With approximately 370,000 subscribers recorded on the Virginia ACA Health Insurance Marketplace, about 33,000 of them have discontinued their insurance. A simple calculation suggests a decrease of about 9% in total subscribers.

Keven Patchett, Director of the State Health Exchange, stated at a recent State Corporation Commission forum, “About 33,000 people have discontinued their ACA insurance since the subsidy expired.” This represents the largest decline recorded in the first quarter of this year, and it is analyzed that some have withdrawn because they could no longer afford the premiums or have switched to plans with lower coverage levels.

The expiration of the “Expanded Premium Tax Credit,” which was temporarily expanded during the pandemic, is cited as a major factor behind the recent decline in subscribers. This program broadened the scope of existing ACA subsidies to lower insurance premium burdens for income earners exceeding 400% of the Federal Poverty Level (FPL). However, with the termination of the expanded subsidy, those with incomes above 400% of the FPL no longer receive any subsidies. Consequently, some subscribers are showing a tendency to either be unable to maintain their insurance or to choose lower-cost alternatives.

Sim Yeon-sik, an Obamacare insurance agent, explained, “In the case of Virginia, the number of Obamacare subscribers decreased compared to the previous year.” He added, “The biggest reason is that due to the expiration of the Expanded Premium Tax Credit, premiums for those above 400% of the FPL—based on a two-person household—more than doubled; those who previously paid around $600 in premiums now pay over $1,200.” In contrast, neighboring Maryland saw a slight increase, rising from approximately 247,240 subscribers in 2025 to approximately 255,610 in 2026.

It is assessed that the increase in enrollment and retention was achieved due to factors such as the introduction of state-level subsidy programs. Agent Sim stated, “In the case of Maryland, the state government provided separate subsidies even after the extended subsidy ended, so the fluctuation in ACA enrollment actually increased slightly.”

Nationwide, ACA enrollment also showed a downward trend following the discontinuation of extended subsidies and premium increases. The number of ACA subscribers is projected to reach 24.2 million by 2025, while the number of subscribers this year stands at 23 million, representing a decrease of approximately 1.2 million (5%).

Controversy over the effectiveness of the “blue law,” which restricts Sunday retail sales in Bergen County, New Jersey, persists, leading to speculation that it could be abolished depending on the outcome of ongoing lawsuits. According to a report by The Record on the 9th, the Paramus town government filed a lawsuit alleging that the massive shopping mall “American Dream” in East Rutherford violated the blue law. Meanwhile, it has been reported that three major shopping malls in Paramus have stated that they would also disregard the blue law if American Dream continued to operate on Sundays.

The blue law is a regulation that prohibits businesses from operating on Sundays, excluding essential retail sectors such as food, restaurants, bakeries, gas stations, and pharmacies, in accordance with Christian Sabbath traditions. While

blue laws have largely been abolished across the United States, they remain in effect in Bergen County, New Jersey. Consequently, retail stores in Bergen County are not permitted to sell items such as furniture, clothing, and home appliances on Sundays. However, all approximately 120 stores located at the American Dream Mall, which opened in 2019, operate without restrictions even on Sundays. This is because the site is owned by the New Jersey State Authority for Sports and Expo, meaning it is not subject to the Blue Law.

In response, the Paramus Township government has filed a lawsuit against the American Dream Mall in state court. The plaintiffs argue that while Paramus is home to numerous large malls like the Garden State Plaza and various retail stores, most close on Sundays in accordance with the Blue Law, whereas the American Dream Mall is disregarding it. The issue of who is effectively responsible for enforcing the Blue Law is also coming to the fore.

The Paramus Township government has raised concerns, stating, “Relevant authorities, such as the Bergen County government, are aware that the American Dream Mall continues to violate the Blue Law but are failing to enforce the law.” Neither the East Rutherford Township government, where the American Dream Mall is located, nor the State Authority for Sports and Expo, which owns the site, have issued a clear stance regarding the enforcement of the Blue Law.

In this regard, legal experts pointed out, “This lawsuit raises fundamental questions about whether Bergen County residents want the Blue Law,” adding that “depending on the outcome of the lawsuit, there could be a movement within Bergen County political circles to abolish the Blue Law.”