The Trump administration notified Congress this week of plans to admit up to 17,500 refugees into the U.S. during the coming fiscal year. Notably, the vast majority of those refugees will be white South Africans, for whom this White House and President Donald Trump have become reliable international patrons.

By focusing almost exclusively on Afrikaners, the white South African ethnic group responsible for that country’s former system of apartheid, Trump and his allies have dramatically reshaped the U.S. refugee program as a whole. And this change, critics argue, is at the material expense of other at-risk communities worldwide.

How has Trump helped resettle Afrikaners?
The White House has predominantly portrayed white South Africans seeking to resettle in the U.S. as “victims of racial oppression in postapartheid South Africa,” said CBS News. The South African government has “consistently denied” persecuting the primarily Dutch-descended community, said the State Department in its notification to Congress, per the outlet.

America’s refugee resettlement program had “historically enjoyed strong bipartisan support” for welcoming “tens of thousands of refugees from countries around the world to new lives in America,” said The Associated Press. “Instead,” Trump has “transformed it into a vehicle to resettle” white South Africans in the U.S.

Why are critics concerned?
By focusing solely on South Africa, the Trump administration is “stranding people fleeing persecution without the safety they have been promised after years of waiting,” said the immigration advocacy group HIAS in a statement. A refugee program that “centers one group and sidelines all others” is an “abdication of our global ⁠humanitarian leadership ​and an abandonment of thousands of vulnerable ​families,” said Krish O’Mara Vignarajah, the president and CEO of refugee advocacy group Global Refuge, in a statement.

What else has Trump done for white South Africans?
One week before notifying Congress of its new, almost exclusively Afrikaner refugee resettlement plan, the Trump administration announced it would “revoke U.S. visas or reject visa applications” from foreign nationals “responsible for discrimination against whites and other minority groups in South Africa,” said the AP. In addition to encouraging Afrikaner resettlement in the U.S., said Al Jazeera, Trump last year “froze most foreign assistance” to South Africa.

A K-shaped economy, in which the rich get richer while everybody else falls behind, is showing up at the airport. Airlines in desperate search of profits are expanding roomy first- and business-class seating on flights while economy class continues to get more cramped.

‘Literal experience of class division’
American Airlines is “ripping up existing airplane configurations” to add more business-class seating, said CNBC. Half the airline’s revenues come from the 30% of seats in the high-end category, which is why the more expensive seating options are “only going to grow in our fleet,” said American Airlines CEO Robert Isom at an industry conference this week, per the outlet. 

American’s newest Boeing 777 aircraft will feature a “monster 70-suite business-class cabin,” said CNBC. “Higher-spending” customers are a “bright spot” for airlines struggling with rising fuel costs. 

Budget airlines are joining the rush. JetBlue is revamping its first-class cabins with “redesigned seats, premium amenities and upgraded seatback technology,” said Fox Business. Flyers are “increasingly looking for more premium experiences,” said JetBlue CEO Joanna Geraghty in a statement. 

Southwest Airlines does not offer a first-class cabin on its flights. But it’s building deluxe lounges at four airports as it transitions from a no-frills carrier to an outfit “fighting competitors for bigger spenders,” said The Washington Post.

Meanwhile, legroom for standard economy seats has shrunk from “roughly 35 inches in the 1970s to about 31 inches today,” said Simple Flying. The disparity between experiences in the front and back of airliners is the “literal experience of class division in America,” said Allison Morrow at CNN.

Helping airlines be ‘resilient’
Airlines not so long ago “routinely gave first- and business-class seats away in free upgrades” to loyal customers, said ABC News. But those days are done for, given the money that can be made from selling those tickets. 

Economy passengers are still “essential for filling aircraft and covering fixed costs” for airlines, said Quartz. But revenue from pricier seating has “more than doubled” in the last decade, said Delta CEO Ed Bastian at a March conference, per ABC News. This can help airlines be “resilient through these tougher times.”

New York Yankees pitcher Max Fried warms up before the game against the Tampa Bay Rays at New York City’s Yankee Stadium. MLB season ends on Sunday, and the postseason begins Tuesday. The Los Angeles Dodgers are favorites to win this year’s World Series, which begins on Oct. 23.
New York Yankees / Getty Images

One of life’s greatest thrills is watching wildlife in its natural habitat. The experience is even better when the animals live in a space where they are protected and decisions about the land are guided by conservation principles. Bring your binoculars, and see for yourself at these wildlife preserves and refuges.

Katmai National Park and Preserve, Alaska
This is brown bear territory. Several thousand of the animals live in Katmai, where they eat sockeye salmon from the Brooks River to their heart’s content. During summer and into the fall, the bears (pictured above) famously feast in order to “build a heavy layer of fat to keep themselves warm through the glacial months,” said Outside. 

Key Deer National Wildlife Refuge, Florida
If you want to see the tiny key deer, there’s one place to go. The endangered animal can only be found in the Lower Florida Keys, where they swim between islands. Once you arrive at the Key Deer National Wildlife Refuge, it’s “surprisingly easy” to find the deer, said Southern Living.

Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve, Kansas
A visit to this Kansas preserve almost feels like stepping back in time to the 1800s, when tallgrass prairies and bison were both plentiful. About 500,000 bison still roam in the U.S., and a “hardy” herd of about 100 lives at Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve, said Atlas Obscura. To see them — from an appropriate distance, of course — visit the Windmill and West Traps pastures, where they gather to “graze, relax and soak up the endless sun.”