Current Events in September 2025

• After the “Great Resignation” of 2021–2022, when millions of workers quit their jobs each month, more employees are now choosing to stay put for the sake of stability.

• A Federal Reserve Bank of New York report shows rising fears of job loss (14.5%, above the 12-month average) and a sharp drop in perceived chances of finding new work (down 5.8 points to 44.9%), especially among workers with only a high school education.

• Lower turnover reduces hiring costs, but experts warn that employees “hugging” their jobs may feel stuck, leading to disengagement, though some see this as a cultural shift toward valuing security and work–life balance.

During the pandemic, employees were on the move, in what was dubbed “The Great Resignation.” Things are different now, however

A new report from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York found many employees worried about finding another job. According to the report, the mean perceived probability of losing one’s job in the next 12 months ticked up by 0.1 percentage point to 14.5%. 

The reading is above the series’ 12-month trailing average of 14.0%. The mean probability of leaving one’s job voluntarily in the next 12 months decreased by 0.1 percentage point to 18.9%, remaining slightly below its 12-month trailing average of 19.0%.

“The mean perceived probability of finding a job if one’s current job was lost fell markedly by 5.8 percentage points to 44.9%, the lowest reading since the start of the series in June 2013,” the report states. “The decline was broad-based across age, education, and income groups, but it was most pronounced for those with at most a high school education.”

The findings are a stark reversal from 2021 to 2022, when at one point, 4.5 million employees a month were handing in their resignations, sometimes without moving into another position.

Job-hugging

Instead of “job hopping,” some human resource specialists see the trend in today’s workforce as “job hugging,” with employees looking for stability. After years of pandemic uncertainty, inflation, and high-profile layoffs in industries from tech to media, many employees are clinging to their current positions for a sense of security. 

According to recent survey data from HR consultancy firms, nearly 60% of employees who considered switching jobs in 2024 ultimately decided against it, citing concerns about economic instability and fear of being the “last in, first out” if layoffs occurred.

Employers see a shift

For employers, job-hugging presents a paradox. On the one hand, reduced turnover lowers recruitment costs and keeps teams stable. On the other hand, managers report that employees who feel “stuck” rather than engaged may show signs of disengagement, lower productivity, or quiet resentment.

The rise of job-hugging also reflects cultural changes. After years of hustle culture and constant job-hopping, some employees are choosing a slower career pace. Social media trends emphasize work–life balance, financial prudence, and mental health. Yet critics worry that job-hugging may stall innovation and professional growth. 

Whether job-hugging is a temporary response to turbulent times or the beginning of a longer cultural shift remains to be seen. Some economists predict that once markets stabilize, workers will resume seeking better opportunities, reigniting competition for talent. Others believe a new appreciation for stability could reshape how companies think about retention, benefits, and career development.

• Suit alleges Athena Bitcoin charged hidden fees of up to 26% on scam deposits

• Nearly all BTM transactions in D.C. tied to fraud, with victims’ median age 71

• Officials say Athena ignored red flags and refused to refund elderly victims

District of Columbia Attorney General Brian L. Schwalb has filed suit against Athena Bitcoin, Inc., one of the nation’s largest operators of cryptocurrency ATMs, accusing the company of profiting from scams that have cost elderly residents tens of thousands of dollars. The lawsuit, announced Tuesday, alleges Athena imposed steep, undisclosed fees while failing to put in place safeguards against fraud.

Athena operates seven bitcoin ATMs, known as BTMs, in the District. The machines allow customers to purchase cryptocurrency with cash, but investigators say scammers often direct victims to send those funds straight to fraudsters’ digital wallets.

Data reveals staggering fraud rates

An investigation by Schwalb’s office found that during Athena’s first five months in D.C., 93% of all deposits were linked to scams and nearly half were flagged as fraudulent by victims themselves. The median victim was 71 years old and lost $8,000 per scam transaction. In one case, a resident lost $98,000 across 19 deposits in just a few days.

“Athena’s bitcoin machines have become a tool for criminals intent on exploiting elderly and vulnerable District residents,” Schwalb said. “Athena knows that its machines are being used primarily by scammers yet chooses to look the other way so that it can continue to pocket sizable hidden transaction fees.”

Hidden fees and no refunds

According to the complaint, Athena charged users fees as high as 26% without disclosing them — far above the typical 0.24% to 3% charged by mainstream exchanges. The company also allegedly refused to refund victims, even when notified of fraud, and required those seeking partial refunds to sign liability waivers freeing Athena from future claims.

Athena’s approach, investigators said, effectively left elderly and vulnerable residents defenseless against international fraud schemes.

Seeking restitution and penalties

The lawsuit charges Athena with violating the District’s Consumer Protection Procedures Act and the Abuse, Neglect, and Financial Exploitation of Vulnerable Adults and the Elderly Act. Schwalb’s office is seeking restitution for victims, civil penalties, and reforms to bring the company into compliance with District law.

The case is being handled by Assistant Attorneys General Anabel Butler and Jason Jones, Investigator Lu Lagravinese, and Civil Rights and Elder Justice Section Chief Alicia M. Lendon.

How seniors can spot common crypto scams

• Urgent demands for payment — Scammers often pose as government agents, utility companies, or tech support and pressure victims to “pay immediately” using bitcoin ATMs.

• Instructions to deposit at a BTM — Any request to buy cryptocurrency at an ATM and send it to a stranger’s digital wallet is a red flag.

• Unfamiliar contacts — Calls, emails, or texts from unknown numbers directing you to transfer money are almost always fraudulent.

• Too-good-to-be-true offers — Promises of guaranteed returns, sweepstakes winnings, or quick profits in crypto are a common hook.

• Refusal to provide details — Scammers discourage victims from speaking with family, banks, or law enforcement.

• Chagas kills more people in Latin America each year than malaria

• Roughly 300,000 people in the U.S. are infected, many without knowing it

• Cases have been confirmed in 30 states, including California

It’s one of the most insidious diseases you’ve probably never heard of. Chagas disease, caused by the parasite Trypanosoma cruzi, is spreading across California and at least 29 other states. Researchers estimate that as many as 300,000 people in the U.S. may already be infected — most of them unaware until it strikes years later with heart failure, stroke or sudden death.

The kissing bug connection

The parasite lives in a bloodsucking insect called the kissing bug. About a dozen species are found in the U.S. Research in Los Angeles’ Griffith Park shows that nearly a third of local kissing bugs carry the parasite. Wildlife including wood rats, skunks, mice, raccoons and even black bears have also tested positive, making the reservoir for infection wide and varied.

“Kissing bugs are pretty equal opportunity when it comes to who they take a blood meal from,” said Sarah Hamer, an epidemiologist at Texas A&M University in a Los Angeles Times report. 

From rural stigma to urban reality

Historically regarded as a disease of rural Latin America, Chagas is increasingly appearing in U.S. patients with no foreign travel history. Doctors report infections in unexpected places, including an affluent Hollywood Hills neighborhood. California has the highest number of known cases — between 70,000 and 100,000 — both from immigrants arriving with the disease and from possible local transmission.

From 2019 to 2023, Los Angeles County alone confirmed about 180 cases. Health experts warn those numbers likely represent only a fraction of infections, since Chagas is not a reportable disease in most of California.

A neglected disease with deadly consequences

The lack of routine screening means many patients go undiagnosed until irreversible damage occurs. “If we screened for it and caught it early, most patients could be cured,” said Kaiser Permanente cardiologist Salvador Hernandez. “The problem is we don’t, and people end up dying or requiring terrifically expensive care.”

Antiparasitic drugs can stop the parasite if given in time. Dogs are also vulnerable, often becoming infected by eating the bugs.

Calls for recognition and action

Epidemiologists and medical experts are pressing the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organization to declare Chagas endemic in the U.S. Such a move could bring wider awareness, research funding and public health investment.

“This is a disease that has been neglected and has been impacting Latin Americans for many decades,” said Norman Beatty, a University of Florida medical epidemiologist. “But it’s also here in the United States.”

Here’s a sidebar draft you could run alongside the main story:

How to spot Chagas symptoms

Chagas disease can remain silent for years, but when symptoms do appear, they often mimic other illnesses. Doctors say early recognition is key.

Early or acute symptoms (days to weeks after infection):

• Swollen eyelid or face (sometimes called Romaña’s sign)

• Fever, fatigue, rash

• Swollen lymph nodes

• Nausea, diarrhea or loss of appetite

Chronic symptoms (years later, often mistaken for other conditions):

• Irregular heartbeat or palpitations

• Enlarged heart, heart failure or sudden cardiac arrest

• Stroke or seizures

• Difficulty swallowing or severe constipation from digestive tract damage

Why it’s missed:

• Many patients have no symptoms until advanced disease develops

• Signs often resemble more common cardiac or gastrointestinal problems

• Most U.S. physicians do not routinely screen for it

What helps:

• Blood donation centers sometimes detect infections during screening

• Antiparasitic medications can stop disease progression if caught early

• Regular check-ups and heart health evaluations are critical for those at risk

• FTC says Temu didn’t give shoppers clear tools to report fake or unsafe goods.

• The company also failed to share basic details about many high-volume sellers.

• Temu must make changes and pay a $2 million penalty.

What happened

Temu, one of the fastest-growing online shopping apps, will pay $2 million to settle government claims that it broke the law designed to protect consumers from counterfeit, stolen, or unsafe products.

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) says Temu violated the INFORM Consumers Act, which took effect in 2023. The law requires online marketplaces to give shoppers an easy way to report suspicious items and to clearly show who’s selling the product.

What Temu did wrong

According to the FTC:

• Temu failed to offer a phone number that shoppers could use to report suspicious sellers.

• It didn’t provide reporting tools in its “gamified” shopping experiences, such as spin-the-wheel coupons and in-app games, until late 2024.

• Even when reporting options were added, they weren’t clear or easy to find.

• In some cases, Temu didn’t clearly disclose seller names, addresses, or contact details as required.

What changes are coming

As part of the settlement, Temu must:

• Give shoppers both electronic and phone-based ways to report problems, with simple instructions.

• Clearly display seller information, including names and contact details, across its app, website, and gamified shopping features.

• Pay a $2 million fine within a week of court approval.

Why it matters for shoppers

This is the first enforcement action under the INFORM Act, and the FTC says it’s meant to send a message to online marketplaces: follow the rules or face penalties.

If you shop on Temu—or any other marketplace—you’ll soon have clearer ways to report unsafe or suspicious items and to know more about who you’re buying from.

👉 You can also report concerns about online marketplaces directly to the FTC through its INFORM Act portal.

• Streameast drew 1.6 billion visits in the past year across 80 domains

• Egyptian police and ACE terminated the operation after yearlong probe

• Authorities seized devices, cash and crypto; two suspects arrested

Major blow to illegal streaming

The world’s largest sports pirating platform, Streameast, has been shut down following a coordinated sting operation in Egypt. Authorities, working with the Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment (ACE), terminated the site on Aug. 24 after a yearlong investigation that tracked the sprawling piracy network.

Streameast had grown into the most popular illegal source for live sports, racking up 1.6 billion visits in the past year. The site offered streams of marquee events including the NFL, NBA, MLB, European football championships, pay-per-view boxing and Formula 1 races. With an average of 136 million monthly visitors, it ranked among the most visited piracy hubs worldwide, attracting audiences in the U.S., Canada, the U.K., the Philippines and Germany.

Arrests and seizures outside Cairo

Egyptian authorities arrested two men about 20 miles outside Cairo under suspicion of copyright infringement. Police confiscated laptops, smartphones, cash, credit cards and other equipment allegedly tied to the operation. Investigators also uncovered evidence of a shell company used to launder advertising revenue, estimated at $6.2 million, as well as an investment of $200,000 in cryptocurrency. Some of the proceeds were allegedly used to purchase property in Egypt.

Global alliance backing the takedown

ACE, one of the world’s largest antipiracy coalitions, partnered with Egyptian law enforcement and received assistance from Europol, the U.S. Department of Justice, the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative and the National Intellectual Property Rights Coordination Centre.

“With this landmark action, we have put more points on the board for sports leagues, entertainment companies, and fans worldwide — and our global alliance will stay on the field as long as it takes to identify and target the biggest piracy rings across the globe,” said Charles Rivkin, chairman of ACE and head of the Motion Picture Assn.

Redirecting viewers to legal channels

All Streameast-linked domains — about 80 in total — will now redirect users to ACE’s “watch legally” portal, which promotes authorized streaming platforms. The takedown comes just as the NFL prepares to kick off its regular season, underscoring the high stakes for sports leagues battling piracy.

What fans watched most on Streameast

Streameast built its following by streaming some of the biggest and most lucrative sports events in the world. According to investigators, the site’s 1.6 billion visits in the past year were driven by access to:

• NFL games — Regular season, playoffs and the Super Bowl

• NBA matchups — From marquee regular-season clashes to the Finals

• Major League Baseball — Regular season and World Series broadcasts

• European football — Champions League, Premier League and continental championships

• Pay-per-view boxing — Heavyweight title fights and celebrity bouts

• Formula 1 races — Full-season coverage across global circuits

By offering these high-demand events for free, Streameast siphoned millions of potential viewers away from official broadcasters and generated an estimated $6.2 million in advertising revenue.