Topic: World Customs Organization

An archived page on the World Bank website appears to list COVID-19 diagnostic test imports from as early as 2017 and 2018. The data, categorized by the World Customs Organization, shows millions of dollars in trade for medical apparatus labeled for COVID-19 use years before the 2019 outbreak. While some suggest this points to prior knowledge of the pandemic, others believe it may be a retroactive reclassification of medical supply codes.

President Barack Obama issued a memorandum establishing a national goal to enhance the entry process for international travelers to the United States. The initiative aims to increase tourism from 70 million to 100 million visitors by the end of the decade to boost economic growth. Critics argue the President's rhetoric, including mentions of the Baseball Hall of Fame, ignores the reality of poor treatment at the border.