America’s growing child-labor problem

The majority of minors that "Reuters" found were from Central America, where poverty and violence has led to waves of migration. A record number of unaccompanied minors have entered the U.S. in recent years. Many are taken in by relatives, but "Reuters" reports, some are sucked into a dangerous network. Labor contractors illegally steer kids into jobs that are grueling and meant for adults. Long hours mean that many of them struggle in school or drop out altogether.

Following "Reuters'" reporting, Hyundai said it would sell its stake in the plant. The car maker's CEO recently said an audit of its direct suppliers shows that it's now complying with underage labor laws. The Biden administration is pushing for more money to enforce these laws. And it wants stiffer penalties for companies that break them. Right now, the maximum penalty per child is just a little over 15,000 dollars.

I recently spoke with "The New Yorker's" Jon Lee Anderson. He's reported from war zones and conflicts around the world, and he spent time living in and reporting on Cuba. He's also one of the reporters on a recent "VICE" podcast series about Havana Syndrome. He told me about the intense suffering that some victims felt in the moment of their attack.

There were theories that Russia or another government may have targeted Americans with some kind of energy weapon, or that the sickness was a side effect of surveillance tools that a foreign government might be using. But this new reporting from the CIA and other intelligence agencies dismisses those theories.

CIA director William Burns called the analysis one of the biggest investigations in the agency's history. He says the findings don't change the reality of the symptoms that government personnel and their families have had. Many have had long-term health problems. Anderson told us, some victims had scarring on their brains.

This report is the official government thinking on Havana Syndrome, but it may not be the last word. Victims say the findings don't track with their medical experiences. Attorneys for victims tell "The Post" that the report is incomplete and opaque. They're calling for more transparency and further investigation.

Starting a business can be exciting, but also tough. And right now, new founders are entering an especially tricky market. Higher interest rates and investor skepticism about tech companies can make it hard to raise money. But on the other hand, the broader economic picture has some positives. For many tech workers, it helps that they got pretty good severance packages. That gives them a little bit of time and space to try something new.

"The Washington Post" takes a slightly different angle into this. It looks at people who left tech jobs before the recent waves of layoffs and are just loving it. Some wanted to use their skills in different ways or see if they could turn their passion projects into full businesses.

"The Post" speaks to former tech workers who reinvented themselves as a skin-care company founder, a romance novelist and a craft-popcorn maker. The popcorn guy left a gig at Square to start his company Jerrypop. He says he's not planning to go back to software engineering. Dreaming up popcorn flavors like PB&J and habanero ranch has been an opportunity to let his creativity shine in ways that, he says, people directly appreciate.

The other reality TV meets art show is a little different, and it's happening abroad. There is a blockbuster Vermeer exhibition going on at the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam right now. And a new television show in the Netherlands challenges artists to compete against each other and recreate lost paintings by the Dutch master. Sometimes they only have a written description to go by. The show is called "The New Vermeer," and it's been a hit. The pilot drew strong ratings. And honestly, if you look at the paintings they're making, you'll get why. It might be a reality show, but the paintings they're making are real and they're seriously incredible.