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US Senate News:
Source: United States Senator for New Mexico Martin Heinrich
WASHINGTON — Today, U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), Ranking Member of the U.S. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, and Climate Power’s Executive Director Lori Lodes held a press call on Climate Power’s new report, which details the catastrophic economic and budgetary impacts of the Trump Administration’s plan to transfer national park units to state control.
The report, “The High Cost of a Park Giveaway: Trump’s Plan to Offload National Parks,” highlights how this radical proposal would devastate local economies, overwhelm state budgets, and dismantle the systems that keep public lands running. According to Climate Power’s New Mexico report,New Mexico stands to lose at least $177 million in economic output with the Trump Administration’s plan to transfer national park units to states.
“By transferring ‘sort of small-p parks’ to the states, the Trump Administration and its supporters aren’t giving states more power or saving taxpayer money,” said Heinrich, blasting the Trump Administration for plans to offload national park units to states. “They’ll be cutting off your access to public lands and devastating state economies in the process, overwhelming state budgets and dismantling the systems that keep public lands running.”
Heinrich continued, “We’re here today to continue to fight, and to let you know that President Trump and Mike Lee’s latest plan of reallocating national park units to state control will not help our states. It will hurt them. It will not increase your access to national parks. It will restrict it. And it proves once again that Donald Trump and his cronies are willing to take away access to national park sites, devastate local economies, threaten your families’ safety, and kill public service jobs, all to enrich their billionaire friends. Two weeks ago, we came together, across the political spectrum, to stop the sale of our public lands. And we’re here to say: Not one acre and not on our watch.”
A video of the press call is here.
A transcript of his remarks as delivered is below.
Thank you for that introduction and good afternoon, everyone. Thanks to all of you for being here today to continue the fight to save our public lands.
Two weeks ago, we had a huge win when Senator Mike Lee was forced to remove public lands sales from the Big, Bad Bill.
And while an incredibly wide coalition of folks across the aisle came together to make sure the land sales were not included in the reconciliation bill, we know that this fight is far, far from over.
The Trump Administration has made it clear that it’s determined to sell off our public lands, lands that are your birthright as an American, all to fund tax cuts for their billionaire friends and donors.
So now, the Trump Administration is working to defund the National Parks Service — and shrink the national park system by about 75 percent.
The Administration says it’s proposing to keep the “crown jewels.” But the public lands the Administration considers less important are incredibly important to the economic health of rural communities and to protecting our shared heritage.
By transferring “sort of small-p parks” to the states, the Trump Administration and its supporters aren’t giving states more power or saving taxpayer money.
They’ll be cutting off your access to public lands – and devastating state economies in the process, overwhelming state budgets, and dismantling the systems that keep public lands running.
We know that national park system units are powerful economic drivers of our local and state economies.
In New Mexico, for example, people visited national park sites 2.3 million times in 2023 alone.
Visitors spent almost $150 million that year, driving economic activity that supported over 1,800 New Mexican jobs and provided $55 million in labor income for our state.
And these numbers were made possible by an adequately staffed National Parks Service that could properly maintain our parks, keeping lands safe, people safe, and lands accessible.
But when national park units are transferred to states, all of that is put at risk.
States have smaller budgets, so entrance fees would have to be higher.
When fees are higher, visitor numbers go down and people don’t visit those places that aren’t theirs.
When visitorship declines, fee revenue actually declines, and funding for park maintenance as a result declines.
Poorly maintained parks can’t handle as many visitors, and the cycle continues.
Small businesses would lose customers, and profit losses would mean less rural jobs.
Now, you might ask: “Why can’t the states maintain the parks?”
And the truth is, it’s expensive for states to maintain the national park system. That’s why we have a national park system.
For the federal government, the National Park Service represents less than one-fifteenth of one percent of the total budget.
Meanwhile, the $230 million backlog in national park maintenance in my state alone would represent over 2 percent of our state budget – and that doesn’t count the additional costs that my state would have to incur to fully run the sites ourselves.
And this isn’t just a New Mexico problem – it will be everywhere, as you’ll hear from Climate Power in a few minutes.
So we’re here today to continue to fight, and to let you know that President Trump and Mike Lee’s latest plan of reallocating national park units to state control will not help our states.
It will hurt them.
It will not increase your access to national parks.
It will restrict it.
And it proves once again that Donald Trump and his cronies are willing to take away access to national park sites, devastate local economies, threaten your families’ safety, and kill public service jobs, all to enrich their billionaire friends.
Two weeks ago, we came together, across the political spectrum, to stop the sale of our public lands.
And today we’re here to say: Not one acre and not on our watch.
US Senate News:
Source: United States Senator for New Mexico Martin Heinrich
WASHINGTON — U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) released the following statement on the 80thanniversary of the Trinity Test:
“For far too many New Mexicans, including Navajo uranium miners and families, today’s anniversary of the Trinity Test is a day marked by suffering, pain, and injustice. It serves as a solemn reminder of our government’s failure, for eight long decades, to recognize and support the families who lived downwind of that first nuclear explosion and who have borne its devastating consequences every day since.
“For my entire time in Congress, I’ve been honored to fight alongside Trinity Downwinders and uranium workers to finally include all the New Mexicans exposed to radiation from the bomb’s detonation in the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act. This year, we delivered long-overdue justice by expanding this legislation to cover downwinders across the entire state of New Mexico, increase benefits, and finally expand eligibility for uranium workers to include core drillers.”
Background:
Heinrich has reintroduced legislation to extend and expand RECA since his first Senate term, starting in 2013.
This month, Heinrich and the N.M. Delegation secured RECA reauthorization and expanded the legislation to include all downwinders having worked at any site in the entire state of New Mexico. Notably, the law now allows for combined work histories for uranium workers who previously did not meet eligibility requirements based on their work in only one category of uranium work. Now, employment history across multiple positions–uranium miner, uranium miller, core driller, and ore transporter–all qualify to be combined when determining eligibility. Additionally, the benefit for downwinders increased from $50,000 to $100,000 and for onsite participants from $75,000 to $100,000.
Last month, Heinrich marked one-year since RECA expired and demanded Congress to reauthorize and expand RECA.
In January, Heinrich joined U.S. Senators Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.) and Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), along with U.S. Senators Eric Schmitt (R-Mo.), and Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.) to reintroduce their Radiation Exposure Compensation (RECA) Reauthorization Act to compensate Americans exposed to radiation by government nuclear programs.
Despite the Senate passing this bill last Congress, the House of Representatives failed to pass RECA reauthorization before its expiration deadline in June 2024.
Last fall, Heinrich joined Luján and U.S. Representatives Teresa Leger Fernández (D-N.M.), Melanie Stansbury (D-N.M.), and Gabe Vasquez (D-N.M.), and advocates and survivors who traveled all the way across the country from New Mexico for a press conference calling on Speaker Mike Johnson to hold a vote on aSenate-passed bill that would strengthen RECA.
Heinrich also pressed Speaker Mike Johnson to immediately take up the Senate-passed and fully comprehensive RECA extension in a bipartisan, bicameral letter.
In March 2024, Heinrich delivered remarks on the Senate floor urging his colleagues to reauthorize and expand RECA. Later that day, Heinrich secured Senate passage of bipartisan legislation to reauthorize and expand RECA to compensate individuals exposed to radiation while working in uranium mines or living downwind from atomic weapons tests.
Source: Government of India
Source: Government of India (4)
The United States is very close to a trade deal with India, while an agreement could possibly be reached with Europe as well, but it is too soon to say whether a deal can be agreed with Canada, President Donald Trump said in an interview aired on Real America’s Voice on Wednesday.
To press for what Trump views as better terms with trading partners and ways to shrink a huge U.S. trade deficit, his administration has been negotiating trade deals ahead of an August 1 deadline, when duties on most U.S. imports are due to rise again.
“We’re very close to India, and … we could possibly make a deal with (the) EU,” Trump said, when asked which trade deals were on the horizon.
Trump’s comments come as EU trade chief Maros Sefcovic was headed to Washington on Wednesday for tariff discussions, while an Indian trade delegation arrived in Washington on Monday for fresh talks.
“(The) European Union has been brutal, and now they’re being very nice. They want to make a deal, and it’ll be a lot different than the deal that we’ve had for years,” he added.
Asked about the prospects of a deal with Canada, which like the EU, is readying countermeasures if talks with the U.S. fail to produce a deal, Trump said: “Too soon to say.”
His comment was in line with the assessment of Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, who said earlier on Wednesday that a deal that works for Canadian workers was not yet on the table.
Trump also said he would probably put a blanket 10% or 15% tariff on smaller countries.
(Reuters)
US Senate News:
Source: United States Senator Joni Ernst (R-IA)
Published: July 16, 2025
Small Business Committee passes Made In America Manufacturing Act and SBA Fraud Enforcement Extension Act.
WASHINGTON – The U.S. Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship advanced a pair of Chair Joni Ernst’s (R-Iowa) bills to unleash domestic manufacturing and hold COVID criminals accountable.
“Republican leadership is unleashing growth across the country and making government more accountable to taxpayers,” said Ernst. “The Made in America Manufacturing Finance Act builds upon the domestic manufacturing explosion under President Trump and gives small businesses access to the resources they need to make ‘Made in America’ the norm instead of the exception. Equally as important is making sure Washington responsibly uses each tax dollar like an entrepreneur looks after their budget. After Biden’s bureaucrats were asleep at the wheel in pursuing billions in COVID fraud, my SBA Fraud Enforcement Extension Act ensures that justice will be carried out for criminals and stolen tax dollars will be recouped.”
With manufacturing loans already soaring 74% under President Trump, the Made In America Manufacturing Finance Act allows small businesses to access the capital they need to invest in new equipment, hire new employees, and grow their businesses by doubling the individual loan limit for 7(a) and 504 small manufacturing loans from $5 million to $10 million.
The SBA Fraud Enforcement Extension Act extends the statute of limitations from five to ten years for COVID fraudsters who stole from the Shuttered Venue Grant Operators Grant (SVOG) and Restaurant Revitalization Fund (RRF).
Ernst initially led the legislation after a shocking report revealed that the Biden Small Business Administration (SBA) failed to pursue nearly two million individuals suspected of stealing pandemic aid.
US Senate News:
Source: United States Senator for West Virginia Shelley Moore Capito
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) today joined President Donald Trump at the White House for the signing of the HALT Fentanyl Act. The legislation, which Senator Capito co-sponsored, makes permanent the temporary classification of fentanyl and fentanyl analogs as Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act (CSA).
The legislation also removes barriers that impede the ability of researchers to conduct studies on these substances and allows for exemptions if such research provides evidence that it would be beneficial for specific analogs to be classified differently than Schedule I, such as for medical purposes.
“West Virginia has been disproportionately impacted by the drug crisis, with fentanyl being one of the deadliest drugs that has made the crisis exponentially worse. The HALT Fentanyl Act will help equip law enforcement with the resources needed to crack down on traffickers and keep these deadly substances off the streets once and for all. I was proud to stand alongside President Trump—and join some of our fellow West Virginians—to watch him sign this important legislation into law, which marks another critical step forward in our ongoing efforts to combat the crisis and protect West Virginians from the scourge of illicit fentanyl,” Senator Capito said.
BACKGROUND:
Drug overdoses, largely driven by fentanyl, are the leading cause of death among young adults 18 to 45 years old. Synthetic opioids like Fentanyl account for 66% of the total U.S. overdose deaths.
Provisional data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) National Center for Health Statistics indicate there were an estimated 80,391 drug overdose deaths in the United States during 2024. West Virginia so far has confirmed 787 deaths between January 2024 and January 2025.
Nearly 70% of those deaths across the country were attributed to opioids, including illegal fentanyl, which are largely manufactured in Mexico from raw materials supplied by China. In 2024, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) seized more than 60 million fentanyl-laced fake pills and nearly 8,000 pounds of fentanyl powder. The 2024 seizures are equivalent to more than 380 million lethal doses of fentanyl.
US Senate News:
Source: United States Senator Ron Wyden (D-Ore)
July 16, 2025
Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley said today they are joining colleagues in reintroducing legislation that would protect consumers in Oregon and nationwide from online free trial scams and hard-to-cancel recurring-payment programs.
The Consumer Online Payment Transparency and Integrity (OPT-IN) Act puts the responsibility on companies rather than consumers when it comes to subscriptions and memberships, including a shift from “opt-out” default conditions to “opt-in.” This reintroduction comes after the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit last week vacated the Federal Trade Commission’s 2023 “click to cancel” rule, which would have made it easier to get out of unwanted subscriptions.
“Unexpected charges and confusing websites can make unsubscribing from a service a headache,” Wyden said. “Relief was in sight, but Donald Trump’s administration killed new protections for consumers and handed a huge gift to his corporate pals. I’m proud to work with Sen. Van Hollen and my colleagues on the OPT-IN Act to ensure it’s just as easy for Americans to unsubscribe from services as it is to sign up.”
“Consumers shouldn’t have to jump over roadblocks from greedy corporations to cancel a subscription,” Merkley said. “Our bill will make it as simple to cancel a subscription as it is to sign up – no tricks, no gimmicks, no waiting on hold. Let’s pass this common-sense solution that makes sure Americans know what they’re signing up for.”
Companies increasingly use free trial offers and unclear terms and conditions to trap consumers into subscriptions. Additionally, companies often use software and interfaces that subtly trick users, making it harder for consumers to end these subscriptions and stop unwanted charges. While the FTC has dedicated significant resources to combating the worst of these business practices, more action is needed to effectively deter companies from employing these practices and better protect consumers.
Specifically, the Consumer OPT-IN Act would:
The legislation is led by Senator Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., and Representative Yvette D. Clarke, D-N.Y. Along with Wyden and Merkley, the bill is cosponsored by Senators Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., John Fetterman, D-Pa., Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., Mazie Hirono, D-Hawai’i, Ben Ray Luján, D-N.M., Jack Reed, D-R.I., Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., Peter Welch, D-Vt., and Representatives Robin Kelly, D-Ill., and Doris Matsui, D-Calif.
This legislation is endorsed by Public Citizen, National Consumer Law Center, Consumer Action, Americans for Financial Reform, and American Economic Liberties Project.
The text of the bill is here.
US Senate News:
Source: United States Senator for Minnesota Amy Klobuchar
WATCH KLOBUCHAR’S FULL REMARKS HERE
WASHINGTON — On the Senate Floor, U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) spoke in opposition to legislation to clawback funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) and foreign aid, which was previously approved on a bipartisan basis last Congress.
“This clawback doesn’t just eliminate funding for, say, NPR, PBS. The primary impact of that part of the funding cuts is going to be on local radio and TV. 1,500 local public media stations across the country that receive 70% of this funding – jeopardizing these stations that provide local community services…
I know because I know some of my communities that rely on these stations. Grand Marais, MN – the very tip of our state, the tip of Minnesota. Do you think all these other stations are covering the Canadian wildfires? Hourly. They do because of the smoke, and people need to know the air quality when they’re making decisions about what they’re going to do that day or the next day.
Do you think people know when on Hwy. 61 there’s a tree over the road or there’s been a deer that’s been hit by a car and the emergency? No, they hear it on WTIP….
This isn’t a partisan issue. 77% of Republicans and 78% of Democrats report relying on public radio for emergency alerts and news. That’s part of the reason why, for a half a century, we have agreed on a bipartisan basis in the US Senate to invest in public broadcasting. Yet now, Congressional Republicans are using a partisan process to rubber stamp the president’s unchecked power and rip away these resources.”
Download Klobuchar’s full floor speech here.
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
Wounded, yet never tamed, China’s former world champion boxer Xu Can, aka “The Monster”, is back on the prowl, more bloodthirsty than ever, as he targets another title shot in a heavier division.
Following a career setback that saw him lose his belt in 2021, China’s former WBA featherweight world champion Xu Can (right) is ready to punch his way back into title contention in the super featherweight class and become China’s first two-division champion. XINHUA
The former World Boxing Association featherweight (126 pound, 57kg) belt holder will have his mettle for the title in the 130-pound class seriously tested on Aug 15, when he defends his International Boxing Organization international title in the super featherweight division against French challenger Jaouad Belmehdi on home soil in Beijing.
The fight was announced on Tuesday as the main event of the “Kzmall’s Night”, a multi-bout boxing show, organized by Beijing-based Max Power Promotions and sanctioned by the IBO, which will be staged at the National Convention Center in the Chinese capital’s Olympic park.
Xu, China’s first featherweight world champion under a major sanctioning body, is embracing his defense of the intercontinental belt as a statement of his lofty ambition to become the first Chinese man to win world titles across two weight classes.
“My goal since coming back (from two straight defeats) is to become China’s first two-division world champion,” said Xu, who claimed his first world title by beating Puerto Rico’s Jesus Rojas via a unanimous decision in January 2019 in Houston to snatch up the WBA featherweight strap.
“And to do so, I need to climb the rankings all over again by taking on some legitimate opponents. I am ready for it, I am serious about my mission and I will let my punches do the talking.”
After wresting the title from Rojas, Xu kept his momentum rolling with two successful defenses against Japan’s Shun Kubo and Manny Robles III of the United States in the same year. It cemented his status as China’s most internationally recognized pro boxer, which was underlined by a five-star rating on BoxRec in 2019, while drawing another wave of mainstream attention to the sport following retired Olympian Zou Shiming’s back-to-back light flyweight gold medals at Beijing 2008 and London 2012.
The pandemic, unfortunately, hit at the worst possible time for Xu’s career ascent, severely disrupting his preparations for a third title defense against then British champ Leigh Wood in a bout that later proved to be a Waterloo for the Chinese star, and pushed him almost to the brink of quitting the sport.
“It was a huge blow for me, psychologically and emotionally, that made me want to give up boxing,” said Xu, who was knocked out by Wood with a 12th-round right hook in July 2021 in England, losing his WBA title.
Xu’s attempt at an immediate riposte was denied by a split-decision loss to Mexico’s Brandon “Leoncito” Benitez in October 2022, dragging him abruptly out of the sport’s spotlight.
However, the resilient fighter — known for his slogan: “I am Can, I can!” — refuses to hang up his gloves just yet, having rekindled his fire for a comeback after a yearlong break, accompanied by family and friends, during a healing process that “helped restore his love” for the brutally competitive sport.
“Looking back at the setbacks, I feel like it was just part of the process of my growth as a pro,” said Xu, a 31-year-old native of Fuzhou, East China’s Jiangxi province.
“Perhaps, I’ve had too smooth of an early career to be true, progressing on a flat path all the way until losing the belt. Now, I have just started the uphill climb. I am taking steps slower than before, but I am making solid progress — one step at a time,” said Xu, who beat Panama’s Jhonatan Arenas via TKO in his most recent fight in December, claiming the vacant IBO 130-pound international title.
Standing 1.75 meters tall with impressive range, Xu has built a reputation for high-volume punching and superior endurance during his featherweight reign. However, learning from his defeats, he realizes that striking power, timing and finesse are the keys for success in the super featherweight realm, should he make a convincing run for a world title in the heavier, and more competitive, division.
Supported by his agency Max Power at Beijing gym M23, Xu, who keeps a 20-4-0 win-loss-draw record, has been focusing on his strength conditioning, footwork and combination diversity to prepare for the fight against Belmehdi (23-1-3), a knockout specialist known as “The Moroccan Bomber “and who is currently rated at three stars on BoxRec.
“Can is a very good boxer, but I am very confident of my skill. See you on August 15 for an explosive fight,” said the 27-year-old Belmehdi, who’s chalked up 11 KO wins.
Justin Kennedy, vice-president of IBO, said the winner between Xu and Belmehdi will move closer to a shot at the division’s ultimate prize.
“This is going to be a great event in the heart of Beijing, in a country that is moving forward rapidly in world boxing with a lot of really world-class fighters coming through,” Kennedy said in a video message played at the news conference launching the event on Tuesday.
“The fight between these two highly skilled fighters will be a great display of boxing. Please tune in and turn up for what will be an amazing night.”
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
China lost to France in four sets 22-25, 25-22, 25-23, 25-17 in the final week of the FIVB Men’s Volleyball Nations League preliminary phase in Gdansk, Poland on Wednesday.
Opposite Theo Faure was the gamen’s top scorer with 20 points, while outside hitters Trevor Clevenot and Yacine Louati contributed 15 points each for France. Wen Zihua scored 13 points for China, including 11 kills, one block, and one ace. Middle blocker Rao Shuhan and outside hitter Wang Bin added seven points each.
France, the Olympic champion, aimed to start the third and final week of the preliminary phase with a victory. However, China surprised the favorite in the opening set, as Andrea Giani’s team struggled to establish an advantage but then China shifted the pace.
Two effective spikes by veteran Ji Daoshuai put China ahead 22-20. Shortly after, Wang Bin delivered an ace to extend China’s lead. France fought until the end but couldn’t turn the set in their favor. A key center attack by Li Yongzhen secured China’s set win.
France opened the second set with several powerful serves from Louati, took an early 6-1 lead and controlled the set throughout, with Clevenot scoring six points in the latter part of the set. Wen Zihua’s effective block helped China close the gap to 22-24, but Faure’s attack sealed it a 25-22 set win for France.
In the third set, Francois Huetz replaced Nicolas Le Goff and made a significant impact for France, earning seven points during his service to help France take a 12-9 lead. Despite nine service errors committed in this set, France ended it 25-23 with Faure’s powerful spike.
Giani’s team demonstrated their quality in the fourth set, claiming a 25-17 set win and sealing the match victory.
Also on the day, Cuba edged Bulgaria in a five-set thriller 23-25, 25-16, 23-25, 27-25, 15-13. Outside hitter Marlon Yant Herrera scored 23 points for Cuba, equaling Aleksandar Nikolov’s tally for Bulgaria.
Later, host Poland defeated Iran in five sets 25-19, 23-25, 25-18, 21-25, 15-8. Outside hitter Kamil Semeniuk scored 21 points for Poland, while opposite Amin Esmaeilnezhad contributed 19 for Iran.
US Senate News:
Source: United States Senator for New Hampshire Maggie Hassan
Washington, D.C. – Today the Halt All Lethal Trafficking of (HALT) Fentanyl Act, bipartisan legislation that U.S. Senators Maggie Hassan and Jeanne Shaheen helped introduce and was supported by Congressman Chris Pappas (NH-01) and Congresswoman Maggie Goodlander (NH-02), was signed into law. This law permanently schedules all fentanyl-related substances as Schedule I drugs under the Controlled Substances Act to ensure law enforcement can keep them off the streets and hold drug traffickers accountable.
“The vast majority of drug-related deaths in New Hampshire have been caused by the trafficking of illicit fentanyl. That’s why I have consistently engaged with law enforcement, public health experts, and colleagues across the aisle to ensure that the scheduling of fentanyl analogues did not lapse and is finally made permanent,” said Congressman Pappas. “The enactment of this legislation represents an important step forward and will ensure law enforcement retains the full suite of tools they need to take on the opioid crisis and crack down on drug traffickers, but we cannot rest here. I remain committed to delivering the resources our communities need to stop traffickers, bring down drug-related deaths, and support people in recovery.”
“In the Granite State we’ve lost far too many lives due to fentanyl overdoses, and we must do everything we can to prevent more deaths,” said Senator Shaheen. “I was proud to help introduce this bipartisan legislation in the Senate and I’m glad the President has signed it into law so that we can stop the flow of fentanyl into our communities, hold traffickers accountable and save lives.”
“Too many families across New Hampshire have experienced the devastating effects of the fentanyl crisis,” said Senator Hassan. “The HALT Fentanyl Act will permanently classify fentanyl analogues at the strongest level allowed under the law, boosting penalties and giving law enforcement more tools to get these deadly illicit drugs off our streets. This bill marks a step forward in combatting fentanyl and I am glad the President has signed it into law.”
“Illicit fentanyl is the leading driver of overdose deaths in New Hampshire, taking the lives of hundreds of loved ones every year. We can and must do more to combat this epidemic and help save lives,” said Congresswoman Goodlander. “The HALT Fentanyl Act will help stop the flow of these dangerous drugs into our communities and hold illicit distributors accountable. I will continue working to ensure our law enforcement partners have the tools they need to keep New Hampshire communities safe.”
Pappas has led efforts to permanently schedule fentanyl-related substances in the House, securing several extensions of the temporary scheduling order while working to ensure the passage of permanent legislation. The HALT Fentanyl Act contains identical key provisions from Pappas’s bipartisan SAFE Act, which he first introduced in the 117th Congress.
Shaheen has spearheaded crucial legislation and funding to fight the substance use disorder epidemic, including through her leadership on the pivotal U.S. Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science and Related Agencies, which funds the U.S. Department of Justice. Shaheen recently introduced her bipartisan Keeping Drugs Out of Schools Act to help prevent youth opioid use and overdoses by establishing a new grant program that allows current or former Drug-Free Communities (DFC) coalitions to partner with schools to provide resources educating students about the dangers of synthetic opioids. Shaheen has also led the bipartisan Cooper Davis Act which would crack down on online drug sales through social media and helped enact the FENTANYL Results Act to increase global cooperation in the fight against synthetic drug trafficking.
Senator Hassan has worked to stop drug trafficking and support communities devastated by the fentanyl crisis. She helped advance the DETECT Fentanyl and Xylazine Act, which was signed into law last year and is supporting law enforcement with enhanced tools to find and eliminate illegal substances such as fentanyl and xylazine. Senators Hassan, Shaheen, and their colleagues also passed into law the FEND Off Fentanyl Act, which targets the illicit fentanyl supply chain and imposes sanctions on traffickers. Senator Hassan also developed the END FENTANYL Act, signed into law last year, which helps Customs and Border Protection crack down on fentanyl trafficking at the border.
Source: US State of Nebraska
. Pillen Appoints David Jones as Sarpy County Election Commissioner
LINCOLN, NE – Today, Governor Jim Pillen announced his appointment of David Jones of Papillion as election commissioner for Sarpy County, effective July 18. Jones will complete the term vacated by Emily Ethington, who resigned in early April.
Jones comes to the role with two decades of leadership experience in the areas of project management, digital operations and strategic coordination. His career began in the U.S. Air Force where he served in multiple roles, including deputy director of staff for the 55th Wing at Offutt Air Force Base. In the private sector, Jones was operations manager for MacAulay-Brown, Inc. in Ohio, where he oversaw a $147 million defense program supporting the U.S. Strategic Command. Most recently, Jones worked for Gallup in Omaha as a technical project manager and Scrum master.
Jones graduated from the United States Air Force Academy with a bachelor’s degree in social sciences.
Per state law, the Governor appoints election commissioners for counties larger than 100,000 people. Those counties include Sarpy, Lancaster and Douglas.
Source: US State of Nebraska
. Pillen Highlights Bills to Increase Government Efficiency
LINCOLN, NE – Today, Governor Jim Pillen was joined by agency leadership and state senators in highlighting bills that will help cut red tape, streamline processes, eliminate requirements and generally, maximize delivery of services to Nebraskans. Those legislative initiatives were contained in LB346, LB347 and LB660. During the news conference, Gov. Pillen signed ceremonial copies of each of the bills.
Since assuming office, Gov. Pillen has made identifying government efficiencies and related savings a cornerstone of his administration. Using a systems approach, state agencies have been able to improve customer service, while at the same time reducing General Fund appropriations.
“Improving government efficiency while lowering costs is essential for accountability, economic growth, and effective delivery of services for Nebraskans,” said Gov. Pillen. “These bills contribute to those goals, and I am grateful to the legislature for getting these measures passed.”
LB346, brought on the Governor’s behalf by Speaker of the Legislature John Arch, eliminates or modifies approximately 40 boards, commissions, committees and other bodies that have been created over the years, but are no longer serving their intended purpose. Many now have a termination date of July 1, 2026. LB346 was passed by the Legislature on a unanimous vote.
“I was enthusiastic to introduce and support LB346, a ‘good government’ bill that results in efficiencies across state government,” said Speaker Arch. “The successful elimination of boards and commissions that are duplicative or no longer serving a purpose is an excellent example of the administration and the Legislature working together to improve the functioning of our state government.”
LB376, which was advanced by the Health and Human Services Committee, eliminated 28 outdated reports and modified eight others that had been produced by the Department of Health and Human Services. DHHS CEO Steve Corsi noted that prior to passage of the bill, it was estimated that the agency was required, on average, to submit one report to the Legislature every other day, amounting to more than 1800 pages per year.
“Instead of wasting time on outdated reports that serve no useful purpose, DHHS public servants can focus on what really matters: protecting kids, improving public health, and helping Nebraskans most in need,” said CEO Corsi. “This law is a win for efficiency and common sense.”
Senator Bob Anderson addressed LB660, an omnibus bill that also received unanimous support from senators and included multiple pieces of legislation aimed at boosting government efficiency, including LB662.
“This legislative package strengthens Nebraska’s economic security, both in terms of protecting our infrastructure from foreign surveillance and ensuring our financial commitments are transparent and accountable to taxpayers,” said Sen Andersen. “LB662, in particular, promotes long-overdue transparency in how Nebraska’s agencies request, manage and rely on federal funds. Good governance begins with accountability. Nebraskans are asking for efficiency and transparency from their government and the bills being signed here today deliver just that.”
LB664 was also amended into LB660 before final passage. It makes several changes when it comes to submitting comments, written materials and issuing challenges under the state’s regulatory process for state agencies.
“LB664 is a vital, commonsense reform that enhances government accessibility and responsiveness,” said Sen. Storer. “It alleviates the undue burden on small businesses and individuals in Nebraska who previously had to travel across the state to pursue justice. This bill levels the playing field, ensuring fairness and accountability are available to every Nebraskan, regardless of their location, by allowing legal challenges to be filed closer to home.”
“I think it’s important that we all continue to be committed to getting government out of our hair and shrinking government,” said Gov. Pillen “It’s easy to talk about, but it takes perseverance and a lot of dedication by senators to help make it happen.”
Source: US State of Nebraska
. Pillen Highlights Bills to Increase Government Efficiency
LINCOLN, NE – Today, Governor Jim Pillen was joined by agency leadership and state senators in highlighting bills that will help cut red tape, streamline processes, eliminate requirements and generally, maximize delivery of services to Nebraskans. Those legislative initiatives were contained in LB346, LB347 and LB660. During the news conference, Gov. Pillen signed ceremonial copies of each of the bills.
Since assuming office, Gov. Pillen has made identifying government efficiencies and related savings a cornerstone of his administration. Using a systems approach, state agencies have been able to improve customer service, while at the same time reducing General Fund appropriations.
“Improving government efficiency while lowering costs is essential for accountability, economic growth, and effective delivery of services for Nebraskans,” said Gov. Pillen. “These bills contribute to those goals, and I am grateful to the legislature for getting these measures passed.”
LB346, brought on the Governor’s behalf by Speaker of the Legislature John Arch, eliminates or modifies approximately 40 boards, commissions, committees and other bodies that have been created over the years, but are no longer serving their intended purpose. Many now have a termination date of July 1, 2026. LB346 was passed by the Legislature on a unanimous vote.
“I was enthusiastic to introduce and support LB346, a ‘good government’ bill that results in efficiencies across state government,” said Speaker Arch. “The successful elimination of boards and commissions that are duplicative or no longer serving a purpose is an excellent example of the administration and the Legislature working together to improve the functioning of our state government.”
LB376, which was advanced by the Health and Human Services Committee, eliminated 28 outdated reports and modified eight others that had been produced by the Department of Health and Human Services. DHHS CEO Steve Corsi noted that prior to passage of the bill, it was estimated that the agency was required, on average, to submit one report to the Legislature every other day, amounting to more than 1800 pages per year.
“Instead of wasting time on outdated reports that serve no useful purpose, DHHS public servants can focus on what really matters: protecting kids, improving public health, and helping Nebraskans most in need,” said CEO Corsi. “This law is a win for efficiency and common sense.”
Senator Bob Anderson addressed LB660, an omnibus bill that also received unanimous support from senators and included multiple pieces of legislation aimed at boosting government efficiency, including LB662.
“This legislative package strengthens Nebraska’s economic security, both in terms of protecting our infrastructure from foreign surveillance and ensuring our financial commitments are transparent and accountable to taxpayers,” said Sen Andersen. “LB662, in particular, promotes long-overdue transparency in how Nebraska’s agencies request, manage and rely on federal funds. Good governance begins with accountability. Nebraskans are asking for efficiency and transparency from their government and the bills being signed here today deliver just that.”
LB664 was also amended into LB660 before final passage. It makes several changes when it comes to submitting comments, written materials and issuing challenges under the state’s regulatory process for state agencies.
“LB664 is a vital, commonsense reform that enhances government accessibility and responsiveness,” said Sen. Storer. “It alleviates the undue burden on small businesses and individuals in Nebraska who previously had to travel across the state to pursue justice. This bill levels the playing field, ensuring fairness and accountability are available to every Nebraskan, regardless of their location, by allowing legal challenges to be filed closer to home.”
“I think it’s important that we all continue to be committed to getting government out of our hair and shrinking government,” said Gov. Pillen “It’s easy to talk about, but it takes perseverance and a lot of dedication by senators to help make it happen.”
Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Randy Feenstra (IA-04)
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Rep. Randy Feenstra (R-Hull) issued the following statement after attending the signing ceremony for the HALT Fentanyl Act at the White House:
“I applaud President Trump for signing into law the HALT Fentanyl Act and taking decisive action to keep fentanyl and other poisonous substances out of our country. In conjunction with our work to secure the border, this legislation will help law enforcement confiscate dangerous drugs, combat the drug cartels, and save lives. Too many families have lost loved ones to an overdose, and this law will strengthen our mission to keep drugs out of our communities and away from our kids.”
The HALT Fentanyl Act permanently lists all fentanyl-related substances under Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act.
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Source: The Conversation – USA (3) – By Evan Stewart, Assistant Professor of Sociology, UMass Boston
Catholic priests across the U.S. discuss immigration with their congregations more than leaders in many other faith traditions, according to our new research published in the journal Sociological Focus.
Catholic priests also said they discussed immigration more than nearly all other political issues, including hunger in their communities, capital punishment, health care and the environment. Abortion was the only one priests discussed slightly more often.
Our study, which uses data from the 2022 National Survey of Religious Leaders, found that 71% of Catholic priests surveyed said they spoke about any political issue with their congregations. Among them, just over half talked about immigration.
In white conservative Protestant congregations, Black Protestant congregations and non-Christian congregations, only about a quarter of leaders who discussed political issues said they talked about immigration. Leaders of white liberal Protestant congregations, however, talked about the topic almost as much as Catholic leaders did.
The United States has a long history of religious leaders addressing political matters, on both the left and the right – and today is no different.
With immigration raids on the rise across the country and an unprecedented level of funding approved for deportations, Catholic bishops in the U.S. are speaking out. Many of them have called for compassion and care for migrants and the need to uphold human dignity and due process, regardless of someone’s immigration status – in line with Catholic social teaching.
As sociologists who study politics and religion, we wanted to know what is happening on the ground in congregations. Given the church’s teachings about caring for the vulnerable, we expected that Catholic clergy might be particularly likely to speak out.
However, the percentage of people affiliated with a religious congregation is decreasing, and those who do attend are increasingly politically conservative. Rank and file Catholics are very divided on their support for immigrants, according to a 2024 national survey by the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate.
In this context, we were curious about whether clergy would discuss a political issue such as immigration with their congregations or say they avoid it altogether.
The survey we used is from 2022, before some of today’s immigration enforcement policies took effect. That said, these findings demonstrate that immigration was on the radar for Catholic leaders before the recent changes under the current administration.
Because we focused on survey data, we got a good picture of trends among Catholic leaders nationwide. However, we could look only at whether religious leaders reported discussing immigration; we could not know exactly what they said, or how. There is much more to learn about what kinds of political messages come from the pulpit today and what messages tend to stick with congregants.
We did find that Catholic leaders of congregations where the majority of worshipers are Hispanic were much more likely to talk about immigration, compared with leaders of non-Catholic Hispanic congregations and Catholic leaders of mostly white congregations. Because Hispanic communities in the U.S. are facing the brunt of the immigration crackdown, this finding shows that Catholic leaders have been addressing the needs of their communities.
Catholic parishioners may be exposed to different opinions about immigration from religious and political leaders. Diane, one of the authors, is furthering this research by conducting interviews with Catholics in Greater Boston. By asking church members to talk through their attitudes toward immigrants, we can learn more about how people make sense of complicated ethical questions.
The Research Brief is a short take on interesting academic work.
Diane Beckman received funding from Duke University to conduct research using data from the National Survey of Religious Leaders.
Evan Stewart does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
– ref. Catholic clergy are speaking out on immigration − more than any other political issue except abortion – https://theconversation.com/catholic-clergy-are-speaking-out-on-immigration-more-than-any-other-political-issue-except-abortion-260485
MIL OSI –
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
Youth representatives pose for a group photo before the opening ceremony of the 2025 World Youth Development Forum in Suzhou, east China’s Jiangsu province, July 15, 2025. [Photo/Xinhua]
Young business leaders and representatives from around the world on Wednesday gathered in Suzhou, east China’s Jiangsu rovince, joining United Nations officials to call for youth-driven solutions in promoting green consumption.
This thematic forum on green consumption and sustainable development is part of the ongoing 2025 World Youth Development Forum, which opened on Tuesday under the theme, “Unleash Youth Potential for Global Development.” The event has drawn participants from over 100 countries and regions, as well as 17 international organizations.
“We are witnessing a surge in youth-led initiatives centered on global climate governance and green development,” said Xu Xiao, president of the All-China Youth Federation, which is one of the forum’s organizers.
“Young innovators are driving emissions reduction through technological breakthroughs, and contributing to the sustainable growth of the global economy,” Xu said.
Green consumption, participants noted, is quickly becoming a dominant force in global markets. “Today’s younger consumers are increasingly conscious of environmental values and the social responsibility behind the brands they support,” said Gao Dekang, president of Bosideng Group.
“Young consumers are deeply engaged with pop culture. Through recyclable materials, low-carbon initiatives and biodiversity awareness campaigns, we’re turning collectibles into ambassadors of green living,” said Chen Xiaoyun, vice president of Chinese toymaker Pop Mart, whose designer toy brand has a presence in more than 90 countries and regions.
“Now a big topic of conversation among youth is obviously climate change and the shift to renewable energy,” said John Hayden, a university student from the United States, adding that young people are eager to find meaningful careers that allow them to make a positive impact on the planet.
Qin Jing, vice president of Trip.com Group, highlighted rising global awareness of sustainable travel. “Today, nearly 90 percent of young travelers are open to eco-friendly journeys,” she said. “We are calling on youth around the world to embrace green mobility and help make tourism more sustainable.”
“China is taking the lead in green energy consumption, particularly in the field of new energy vehicles,” said Huang Wandi, a young employee of State Grid Suzhou Power Supply Company. “We, the younger generations, are also actively contributing through technological innovation.”
Huang and her team have developed a mobile charging robot that allows electric vehicles to recharge without being restricted to designated parking spots. “With such innovations, we hope to do our part in advancing sustainable development,” she said.
Young people are an indispensable force in achieving sustainable development, said Jessy Santos, deputy secretary of the National Youth Secretariat of Brazil. “Brazil and many other nations are mobilizing youth to play a greater role in addressing climate change.”
“It is vital that young people, especially those on the front lines, are included in climate education and decision-making, blending traditional knowledge with ecological stewardship,” she added.
“Building a sustainable future for our planet may be the most pressing challenge of our time,” said James George, deputy resident representative of the United Nations Development Programme in China. “It is inspiring to see so many young people across the globe rising to meet this challenge with conviction and creativity.”
US Senate News:
Source: United States Senator for Wisconsin Ron Johnson
WASHINGTON – Yesterday, U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), Chairman of the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, held a hearing entitled “Voices of the Vaccine Injured.” The Subcommittee heard from five witnesses who discussed vaccine injuries and two witnesses who discussed vaccine efficacy.
“All of the witnesses presented powerful testimony and engaged in respectful discussion. I believe all of these stories needed to be told and listened to. I sincerely hope that the hearing helped to bridge the gap and demonstrate how to heal and unify our horribly divided nation,” Sen. Johnson said.
Clips of the witnesses’ testimonies can be found here.
Watch the full hearing here.
US Senate News:
Source: United States Senator for Louisiana Bill Cassidy
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WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA) today joined President Trump at the White House for the signing of his HALT Fentanyl Act, which gives law enforcement another tool by permanently scheduling fentanyl-related substances (FRS) as Schedule I under the Controlled Substances Act. FRS have been temporarily scheduled since 2018, but Cassidy’s bill now gives law enforcement the certainty they need to stop fentanyl dealers.
“President Trump and I are committed to stopping fentanyl overdoses and overdose related deaths,” said Dr. Cassidy. “My HALT Fentanyl Act, which he signed today, gives law enforcement one more tool to attack this problem.”
Background
The U.S. Senate passed Cassidy’s bill in March. In February, Cassidy spoke on the U.S. Senate floor amid Senate Democrats’ attempt to undermine his HALT Fentanyl Act.
Drug overdoses, largely driven by fentanyl, are the leading cause of death among young adults 18 to 45 years old. Synthetic opioids like fentanyl account for 68 percent of the total U.S. overdose deaths. In the last two fiscal years, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) seized record amounts of fentanyl—nearly 50,000 pounds—enough to produce more than 2 billion lethal doses. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), in 2023 there were an estimated 107,543 drug overdose deaths—74,702 of which were attributed to fentanyl. This was primarily fueled by synthetic opioids, including illegal fentanyl, which are largely manufactured in Mexico from raw materials supplied by China. In 2022, there were over 50.6 million fentanyl-laced fake prescription pills seized by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), more than doubling the amount seized in 2021.
US Senate News:
Source: United States Senator for Connecticut – Chris Murphy
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WASHINGTON—U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), a member of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee, took to the floor of the U.S. Senate to speak out against President Trump’s unprecedented partisan rescissions package, which would codify devastating cuts to foreign aid and counter-propaganda efforts, surrendering American global power to China and our adversaries. Murphy also argued that Republicans’ bad faith exploitation of Senate rules imperils the bipartisan budget process, eroding longstanding Congressional norms and making it likely that Democrats will do the same when in power.
Murphy highlighted that Trump and Senate Republicans’ actions are unprecedented: “Never before has either party done what Republicans are doing today – pass a partisan rescissions bill, double crossing the minority party and cancelling spending that just months before, both parties had shook hands on…That’s a double cross. That’s immoral. Suckering your partner into a deal, in which you each get something, and then using the back door to cancel the part of the deal you don’t like. That’s immoral. That’s bad faith. And that’s why no party has done this in 40 years.”
Laying out the stakes for longstanding Senate norms and the bipartisan budget process, Murphy continued: “It will become hard, maybe even impossible, to write a bipartisan budget ever again, because the minority party knows they can get double crossed. And believe me, if you do this now, Democrats will do it to you when we are back in charge.”
Explaining why American soft power matters, Murphy said: “You need a lot more than just planes and tanks and ships to protect your interests. You need a powerful military, but adults – in particular, adults who have any experience in national security – know that the octopus of global power has a lot of arms. Military might. But also information might. Economic might. Diplomatic might. Energy might. Humanitarian might. This revisions bill cancels billions of dollars in investments in non-military foreign policy tools. And it is part of a broader effort by the Trump administration to destroy almost every tool that protects American interests other than our military…And this military myopia, it makes me remember my 8-year-old self, because it is so childish, so immature, so divorced from reality. Donald Trump’s national security strategy, fund the military and destroy every other way that we confront Russia, China, Iran, non-state actors, it could have been constructed by an 8-year-old. It’s that unsophisticated. And it really amounts to surrender.
Noting how China is fast expanding their global power to capitalize on Trump’s surrender of American leadership, Murphy said: “China is now the preferred economic development partner for many nations. China is now the dominant force in standard-setting boards for global commerce. This is a choice the Trump administration is making, to make China – and to a certain extent Russia, in certain forms – the dominant power when it comes to economic statecraft, information statecraft, energy statecraft.”
Murphy continued: “Trump terminated tens of millions in projects to help upgrade Africa’s power grid. China’s not dumb. They know Africa’s economy is going to boom in the next fifty years. They want Chinese companies, not American companies to have relationships there. They know that many of the critical minerals that are going to be critical to AI and the future of defense come from Africa. They want better relations in Africa to corner those markets. So, what did they do? Trump pulled back $80 million. China stepped in and announced $50 billion in financing for economic development and infrastructure in Africa. Now, a lot of that is bluster and some of the financing is predatory. But it’s something. At a moment when America is just withdrawing from Africa.”
Murphy concluded: “Trump’s national security strategy—fund the military and destroy every other way that we confront Russia and China and non-state actors—could have been constructed by an 8-year-old. It’s that unsophisticated… It’s all surrender. China is throwing a blowout party as we disappear our non-military power from the world.”
A full transcript of his remarks is available below.
MURPHY: “Thank you, Mr. President.
“Mr. President, eight times since 1974, when Congress created the rescissions process, one party has controlled the White House, the Senate, and the House of Representatives. Eight times. It’s actually four times Democratic control and four times Republican control. Eight times, one party had total control over the elements of the federal government necessary to pass legislation. And never before has either party done what Republicans are doing today: pass a partisan rescissions bill, double-crossing the minority party and canceling spending that just months before both parties shook hands on.
“Why? Why has this never happened before? Well, because this is just an old-fashioned double-cross. It’s a con job. Republicans and Democrats agreed on spending levels. First, in a bipartisan appropriations bill passed in March of 2023, and then again, in multiple bipartisan continuing resolutions.
“When a party controls the White House and both houses of Congress, it always has the power to use the rescissions process to pull a fast one. To agree with the minority party on a budget – because the rules say you need 60 votes to pass a budget – to get majority party priorities funded in exchange for funding minority party priorities, and then to use the rescissions process to just double-cross the minority, by using that process – which only requires 50 votes – to just then cancel the minority party’s priorities.
“That’s immoral. It’s unethical. Suckering your partner into a deal, in which you get something and they get something, and then using the back door to cancel the part of the deal that you don’t like. That’s bad faith. It’s why no party has it since 1972. The power has always existed: eight different times, either the Democratic Party or the Republican Party could have cut a bipartisan spending deal and then then used the rescissions power to just cancel the parts of the deal they don’t like. But it’s never happened. Because it’s bad faith, because it destroys the ability of the Senate to function in a bipartisan way.
“It’s kind of like if you traded baseball cards as a kid and you made a trade with your best friend. And then in the middle of the night, you snuck into his house and you took your cards back. So that you had his cards, and now you had your cards as well. Nobody would think that’s right, but that’s exactly what’s happening here.
“It will become hard, maybe even impossible – Senator Tillis laid this out very well – to write a bipartisan budget ever again, because the minority party now knows that they can get double-crossed. And believe me, if Republicans do this now, Democrats are going to do it when they are in charge. This will become the norm. Sit down, do a bipartisan deal, wink wink, and then a couple months later, just cancel the agreement through a partisan rescissions process.
“And of course, this is now the third time in seven short months that the new Republican majority has made substantial, meaningful changes to Senate rules and norms.
“Senate Republicans created a brand-new rule that massively expands their ability to invalidate actions of the previous Democratic administration.
“Just a couple weeks ago, Republicans walked away from decades of precedent on how Senate bills are scored, and they used new, magic math to create a score that hid the actual cost of their budget bill.
“And now, this double cross.
“But, Mr. President, this isn’t just about breaking the Senate. That’s actually probably the least serious consequence of what is happening here.
“The most serious consequence is what is happening to American power around the world as Donald Trump and Republicans, in part through this rescissions bill, destroy every single non-military tool that we use around the world to protect our interests.
“When I was eight or nine years old, I collected G.I. Joe figures, and one Christmas I remember being so excited because Santa Claus brought me the huge G.I. Joe aircraft carrier. It was awesome. I was obsessed with the military like a lot of boys that age. The planes, the tanks, the ships.
“That’s what I thought American power was – the U.S. military, period, stop.
“And of course, that’s an eight-year-old’s view of the world. The world, as it turns out, is a lot more complicated. You need a lot more than just planes and tanks and ships to protect your interests. You need a powerful military, but adults – in particular, adults who have any experience in national security – know that the octopus of global power has a lot of arms. Military might. But also information might. Economic might. Diplomatic might. Energy might. Humanitarian might.
“This revisions bill cancels billions of dollars in investments in non-military foreign policy tools. And it is part of a broader effort by the Trump administration to destroy almost every tool that protects American interests other than our military. Over the last 10 years, the defense budget has grown from about $502 billion to $825 billion. That’s an extraordinary ten-year increase of about $323 billion. Over that same period of time, the State Department budget has grown from $54 billion to $56 billion. – a $2 billion increase. Now if you layer in emergency funds, that increase is more like $30 billion. But you’re still talking about an increase for the military over the past ten years that is ten times the size of the increase for nonmilitary tools.
“And this military myopia, it makes me remember my 8-year-old self, because it is so childish, so immature, so divorced from reality. Donald Trump’s national security strategy, fund the military and destroy every other way that we confront Russia, China, Iran, non-state actors, it could have been constructed by an 8-year-old. It’s that unsophisticated.
“And it really amounts to surrender.
“Because as we stop projecting nonmilitary power around the world, China and Russia, but especially China, they just celebrate and step into the void.
“Secretary Rubio announced on March 10 that 83% of USAID programs will be terminated.
“Meanwhile, China just announced an 8.4% increase in its own diplomatic budget for 2025, committing 500 million additional dollars to the World Health Organization over the next five years – an organization that the United States no longer belongs to. As a result of our cuts standing next to China’s investments in diplomatic power, China will surpass the United States – this year for the first time – as the largest bilateral assistance partner for 40 countries. China is the power at the World Health organization. They call the shots about the standards of global health and pandemic relief.
“China is now the preferred economic development partner for many nations. China is now the dominant force in standard-setting boards for global commerce. This is a choice the Trump administration is making, to make China – and to a certain extent Russia, in certain forms – the dominant power when it comes to economic statecraft, information statecraft, energy statecraft.
“Let me give you a specific example. Today, information is power. If you control information flows, man, you control politics, you control economics, you control culture.
“China spends about $7 billion a year to promote their communist narrative to undermine U.S. leadership around the world and foster a China-friendly media environment globally. Russia, it’s really hard to know how much Russia spends because they’re not publicly reporting much of it. But they certainly spend at least $1.5 billion, but probably double that. And in many countries, Russia and China control the information space. Russian-backed candidates win elections in countries on their periphery simply because of Russian information programs. Asian countries box the United States and U.S. companies out of economic competition because of Chinese information programs.
“And so faced with China and Russia spending somewhere in the neighborhood of $10 billion, when the United States, today, is spending only a fraction of that amount of money, it would stand to reason this would be a moment where we should come together, Republicans and Democrats, and dramatically increase our information warfare investments.
“But of course, we are doing exactly the opposite. Trump is in the middle of a purposeful, relentless campaign to destroy – to destroy America’s global information power.
“The Trump administration just shut down the Global Engagement Center – that is the capacity at the State Department to try to counter Russian and Chinese propaganda around the world – gone, just gone. Global Engagement Center, bipartisan commitment set up years ago by myself and Rob Portman, supported by Marco Rubio when he was a senator, now just doesn’t exist anymore. The administration is dismantling the U.S. Agency for Global Media – that’s the umbrella arm that oversees our information programs around the world – they laid off 92% of its staff. Voice of America, the Middle East Broadcasting Network, Radio Free Europe, Radio Free Asia, they are on track to disappear. The arm of the VOA that combats Iranian anti-American information – gone. 54 different radio frequencies operated by Radio Free Asia to counter Chinese anti-American propaganda – gone.
At the same time, China is opening up 80 new radio frequencies in multiple languages, including in those regions where America is disappearing. We are handed the world to China and Russia by deciding to view American power only through a military lens. And this rescissions bill makes it worse by enacting billions of dollars of cuts, to diplomacy, to economic development programs, likely to information programs because we actually can’t see the impact of all of these cuts.
“It’s all surrender. China is throwing a blowout party as we disappear our nonmilitary power from the world.
“Trump terminated tens of millions of dollars in projects to upgrade Africa’s power grid. What did China do? They announced $50 billion of new financing for Africa. Africa, a place where the critical minerals exist to power A.I. and future defense systems. Africa, the part of the world whose economy’s going to explode with opportunity – now opportunity that will go to Chinese companies, not American companies, as we withdraw our relationships with that continent. As China steps into the breach.
“This revisions bill, standing next to Trump’s destruction of all of our non-military foreign policy tools, it’s surrender to our enemies.
“This bill is a double-cross. It is. It’s a double-cross. It’s going to harm our ability to ever be able to do a bipartisan budget process in the future. But even worse, this bill is surrender to our adversaries who are chomping at the bit to fill the void that we are creating by adopting the national security strategy of an 8-year-old boy.”
US Senate News:
Source: United States Senator for Virginia Tim Kaine
BROADCAST-QUALITY VIDEO OF THE EXCHANGE IS AVAILABLE HERE.
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA), a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee (SFRC), grilled Deputy Secretary of State for Management and Resources Michael Rigas over the Trump Administration’s order to incinerate 500 metric tons of emergency food, which the U.S. had already purchased to feed starving children. Reuters reported in May that the food was being stored at a United States Agency for International Development (USAID) warehouse in Dubai and was set to expire in July. The news of the incineration of this food was reported on Monday by The Atlantic.
“Yesterday, The Atlantic reported that the expiration date on those 500 tons of nutritious food for starving kids was now upon us, and the U.S. had decided to incinerate that food rather than allow starving children to have it,” said Kaine. “Mr. Rigas, you’re the Deputy Secretary for Management and Resources. These are resources that were purchased with U.S. taxpayer dollars. They’re specifically designed to save the lives of starving children. Why is it a good use of resources to not distribute that food to kids and instead burn it?”
Rigas responded, “I’d have to look into that particular issue and see how those foodstuffs got there.”
“I asked this question at a hearing yesterday so you would be prepared to know that I would ask it today, and we called your office to tell you that I would ask it today. So the notion that you need to look into it strikes me as a little bit odd. As you sit here today, is that food being distributed to kids or is it being incinerated?” Kaine asked.
“If it’s been expired, my understanding is it’s the policy of the government to not distribute expired food or medicine,” Rigas responded.
“We’ve been asking Secretary Rubio about this back into March. Since it has been known for months that this food would have an expiration date, why has the State Department decided to burn it rather than distribute it to starving children?” Kaine pressed.
“I don’t have a good answer for that question,” Rigas said. “I am as distressed about that as you are.”
Rigas continued, “I think that this was just a casualty of the shutdown of USAID.”
“I view at as an intentional thing,” Kaine continued. “It’s not a mistake if you’ve been on notice of it for two months, and you’ve made the decision to keep the warehouse locked and allow this food to be destroyed rather than … feed at least 27,000 acutely malnourished children for a month.”
“I’d have to look into what the facts of the matter were,” Rigas responded.
“Sometimes the tiniest detail really exposes the soul,” Kaine concluded. “A government that is put on notice—here are resources that will save 27,000 starving kids. Can you please distribute them or give them to someone who can? Who decides, ‘no, we would rather keep the warehouse locked, let the food expire, and then burn it?’ To me, that really exposes the soul of this endeavor.”
Rigas concluded by saying that he would look into it and find out what happened.
Video of Kaine raising The Atlantic’s reporting during the July 15 SFRC nominations hearing for U.S. Representative Michael Waltz to be the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, Mr. John Arrigo to be U.S. Ambassador to Portugal, and Ms. Christine Toretti to be U.S. Ambassador to Sweden is available here.
US Senate News:
Source: United States Senator for Virginia Tim Kaine
WASHINGTON, D.C.— Today, U.S. Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA), a member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, released the following statement regarding the Trump Administration’s illegal withholding of $140 million in federal funding passed by Congress to support fentanyl overdose response efforts:
“I’m relieved that thanks to steps we took during the Biden Administration—including the passage of my Disrupt Fentanyl Trafficking Act—that fentanyl overdose deaths in Virginia have declined significantly. But one overdose death is too many, and it’s inexplicable that the Trump Administration is illegally withholding $140 million in federal funding to build on our progress and better protect communities from fentanyl. The fact that this news is being reported immediately after President Trump signed into law massive tax cuts for billionaires—paid for with cuts to programs working families rely on—makes it crystal clear who this Administration values. I’ll be doing all that I can to encourage my Republican colleagues to join me in raising hell about this decision to hamstring our efforts to address the fentanyl crisis.”
Kaine has long advocated for more resources to combat the fentanyl crisis. Kaine introduced and Congress passed the bipartisan Disrupt Fentanyl Trafficking Act to direct increased federal attention to fentanyl trafficking by declaring fentanyl trafficking a national security threat, utilizing Pentagon resources like counter-drug intelligence, and involving Mexico as an active partner to combat the crisis. Kaine also helped pass a supplemental national security funding package that included the FEND Off Fentanyl Act, bipartisan legislation cosponsored by Kaine, to require the President to sanction drug rings involved in international drug trafficking. In July 2024, Kaine traveled to Brownsville and McAllen, Texas to discuss fentanyl interdiction at the southern border with various law enforcement agencies and international partners from Mexico. In March 2024, Kaine also introduced the bipartisan Strengthening Tracking Of Poisonous Tranq Requiring Analyzed National Quantification Act, or the STOP TRANQ Act to require the State Department to include reporting on xylazine, or “tranq,” in its annual International Narcotics Control Strategy Report (INCSR). In February, Kaine introduced the bipartisan, bicameral Combating Illicit Xylazine Act, which would list xylazine as a Schedule III controlled substance while protecting the drug’s legal use by veterinarians, farmers, and ranchers.
US Senate News:
Source: United States Senator for Maine Susan Collins
Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Susan Collins, Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, joined Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV) and eight of her Senate colleagues in sending a letter to Russell Vought, Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), advocating for the release of paused education formula funding, which states had anticipated receiving on July 1. The pause could result in a loss of nearly $28,000,000 for Maine’s public schools.
Specifically, the letter requests that the Administration faithfully implement the Fiscal Year (FY) 2025 Full-Year Continuing Resolution Act, which President Trump signed into law earlier this year. This legislation contains critical funding that states and local school districts rely on to help students, families, and local economies.
“The Continuing Resolution contained funding for Supporting Effective Instruction State Grants; 21st Century Community Learning Centers; Student Support and Academic Enrichment Grants; English Language Acquisition; Migrant Education; Adult Basic and Literacy Education State Grants (including Integrated English Literacy and Civics Education State Grants). Withholding these funds will harm students, families, and local economies,” the Senators wrote.
“The decision to withhold this funding is contrary to President Trump’s goal of returning K-12 education to the states. This funding goes directly to states and local school districts, where local leaders decide how this funding is spent, because as we know, local communities know how to best serve students and families. Withholding this funding denies states and communities the opportunity to pursue localized initiatives to support students and their families,” they continued.
“We welcome the opportunity to work with you and Secretary McMahon to ensure that all federal education funding goes towards programs that help states and school districts provide students an excellent education. We want to see students in our states and across the country thrive, whether they are adult learners, students who speak English as a second language, or students who need after-school care so that their parents can work. We believe you share the same goal. We encourage you to reverse your decision and release this Congressionally-approved funding to states,” the Senators concluded.
In addition to Senators Collins and Capito, the letter was signed by Senators John Boozman (R-AR), Katie Britt (R-AL), Deb Fischer (R-NE), John Hoeven (R-ND), Jim Justice (R-WV), Mitch McConnell (R-KY), Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), and Mike Rounds (R-SD).
The complete text of the letter can be read here.
US Senate News:
Source: United States Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.)
Senators: “The Food Security and Farm Protection Act would harm America’s small farmers and infringe on the fundamental rights of states to establish laws and regulations within their own borders.”
This letter follows an announcement last week from the Trump Administration seeking to undermine Proposition 12 and other state laws.
WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senators Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), and Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) led 28 of their Senate colleagues in strongly objecting to the inclusion of the Food Security and Farm Protection Act in the next Farm Bill or in any other legislation. This letter follows a frivolous Trump Administration lawsuit announced last week seeking to undermine Proposition 12 and other state laws.
In a letter to Senate Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry Committee Chair John Boozman (R-Ark.) and Ranking Member Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), the Senators raised concerns over the risk this legislation poses to California’s Proposition 12, Massachusetts’ Question 3, and other similar laws nationwide that allow states regulate their own food standards. They also highlighted how undermining these measures would hurt American farmers who have long met the standards set by Proposition 12 or who already invested in resources to comply.
“This legislation would have a sweeping impact if passed—threatening countless state laws and opening the floodgates to unnecessary litigation. The bill is particularly draconian in that it aims to negate state and local laws when there are no federal standards to take their place, creating an overnight regulatory vacuum,” wrote the Senators. “In doing so, it would drastically broaden the scope of federal preemption, and disregard the wisdom of duly-enacted laws that address local concerns.”
“Countless farmers who wanted to take advantage of this market opportunity invested resources and made necessary modifications to be compliant. Federal preemption of these laws would be picking the winners and losers, and would seriously harm farmers who made important investments,” continued the Senators.
Fifteen states, including California, have implemented public health, food safety, and human standards for the in-state production and sale of certain products, following demands from consumers, food companies, and farmers. These standards include consumer information safeguards, food quality and safety regulations, animal welfare standards, and more.
In addition to Padilla, Schiff, Booker, and Markey, the letter is signed by Senators Angela Alsobrooks (D-Md.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-Del.), Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Christopher Coons (D-Del.), Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), John Fetterman (D-Pa.), Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.), Martin Heinrich (D-N.M), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), Andy Kim (D-N.J.), Angus King (I-Maine), Jeffrey Merkley (D-Ore.), Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), Patty Murray (D-Wash.), Gary Peters (D-Mich.), Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), Jack Reed (D-R.I.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Peter Welch (D-Vt.), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.).
Full text of the letter is available here and below:
Dear Chairman Boozman and Ranking Member Klobuchar:
We write today expressing our strong opposition to inclusion of the “Food Security and Farm Protection Act” (S. 1326), previously known as the “Ending Agricultural Trade Suppression Act (EATS) Act,” or any similar legislation in the next Farm Bill. Modeled after former Representative Steve King’s amendment, which was intensely controversial and ultimately excluded from the final 2014 and 2018 Farm Bills, the Food Security and Farm Protection Act would harm America’s small farmers and infringe on the fundamental rights of states to establish laws and regulations within their own borders.
This legislation would have a sweeping impact if passed—threatening countless state laws and opening the floodgates to unnecessary litigation. The bill is particularly draconian in that it aims to negate state and local laws when there are no federal standards to take their place, creating an overnight regulatory vacuum. In doing so, it would drastically broaden the scope of federal preemption, and disregard the wisdom of duly-enacted laws that address local concerns.
The range of potentially impacted laws includes measures aimed at protecting states from invasive pests and infectious disease, health and safety standards, consumer information safeguards, food quality and safety regulations, animal welfare standards, and fishing regulations. Below are just a few of the many areas that could be impacted by the Food Security and Farm Protection Act:
Demand from consumers, food companies, and the farming community has propelled 15 states to enact public health, food safety, and humane standards for the in-state production and sale of products from egg-laying chickens, veal calves, and sows. The Food Security and Farm Protection Act was introduced with the primary goal of undermining these standards – particularly California’s Proposition 12, in response to the Supreme Court’s recent decision upholding that law, and Massachusetts’s Question 3. Last Congress, the House Agriculture Committee included a similarly harmful provision in their Farm Bill draft, adding another poison pill that contributed to a lack of progress on the next Farm Bill.
California’s Proposition 12 has been in full effect for over a year, while Massachusetts’s Question 3 has been in full effect since 2023. The demand for Proposition 12- and Question 3- compliant products has been met. Countless farmers who wanted to take advantage of this market opportunity invested resources and made necessary modifications to be compliant. Federal preemption of these laws would be picking the winners and losers, and would seriously harm farmers who made important investments.
Due to these concerns, we respectfully ask that you reject inclusion of this provision in any form, as you did in the 2014 and 2018 Farm Bills.
Thank you, and we look forward to working with you to pass a bipartisan Farm Bill.
US Senate News:
Source: United States Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.)
What happens when a Pacoima kid turned MIT-trained engineer brings a wonk’s brain — and a line cook’s work ethic — into the halls of power?
Listen to the full podcast here
WASHINGTON, D.C. — In case you missed it, U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) recently sat down for the inaugural episode of the LA Times’ Making LA Podcast to discuss his journey from growing up in Pacoima in the San Fernando Valley as the proud son of immigrants from Mexico to rising through Los Angeles and California politics to become the state’s senior U.S. Senator. The interview took place at the Discovery Cube in the San Fernando Valley, a hands-on children’s science museum Senator Padilla helped found.
Padilla walked through his family’s history, sharing that his dad spent 40 years as a short order cook while his mom cleaned houses to provide for their family. His parents emphasized the importance of a good education, and he attended the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering.
Padilla discussed his political rise beginning with serving as former Representative Tony Cárdenas’ campaign manager for his longshot State Assembly campaign in 1996, then becoming a member of the Los Angeles City Council in 1999, and serving as the youngest person ever elected as City Council President just two years later. As City Council President, Padilla was acting Mayor of Los Angeles during the September 11, 2001 attacks, reassuring the city as residents feared Los Angeles could be targeted next. Padilla also detailed his work in the State Senate — including successful bills to require restaurant chains to display nutrition and caloric information for their menu items and to transform the transfer process from community colleges to four-year universities — as well as expanding voting access and resisting Republicans’ attacks on the right to vote during his tenure as California’s Secretary of State.
Now serving as California’s senior U.S. Senator, Padilla reflected on being sworn in just two weeks after the January 6 insurrection. He emphasized that he continues to fight on behalf of his 40 million constituents and is working to convince others to join him to fight for climate resilience, voting rights, infrastructure investments, wildfire prevention and response, and comprehensive immigration reform. Padilla shared that behind closed doors, his Republican colleagues agree on the need to reform our outdated immigration system, and committed to keep fighting to pass his Citizenship for Essential Workers Act, his first bill introduced in Congress.
Listen to the full podcast here.
US Senate News:
Source: United States Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND)
***Click here for audio. Click here for video***
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee held a hearing to discuss the development of the Surface Transportation Reauthorization Bill.
U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND), Chair of the EPW Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittee, introduced the first witness, North Dakota Governor Kelly Armstrong (R-ND).
“What’s interesting to me about Governor Armstrong is he’s not naturally a politician at all,” said Cramer. “In fact, he’s quite naturally the opposite. […] But Governor Armstrong brings that perspective, and as I look forward to hearing from the mayor, I think for all of us up here, it’s really, really important to remember that there’s probably no better illustration of the juxtaposition of the relationship between the federal government, local and state governments than in infrastructure.
“Kelly brings that very important perspective from a rural state that produces a lot of things that we don’t consume in our own state, or at least we don’t consume nearly in the supply that we provide to a hungry world and a growing economy,” continued Cramer. “Whether it’s energy or food or how you get durum wheat to turn into semolina flour to get it to a pasta plant, to get it to the restaurant in New York. He understands it all, and he understands the relationship. I’m really grateful he’s here.”
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Cramer first mentioned the importance of providing highway funds to states through a set formula, an approach he worked to maintain under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. This approach ensures states have consistent funding and flexibility to meet their constituents needs.
Cramer then began his questioning by addressing the broader challenge of funding the nation’s transportation infrastructure. He discussed how the highway system is built on a user-pays model, with drivers contributing to the Highway Trust Fund (HTF) through the federal gas tax paid at the pump. However, he noted current revenue is not adequate to meet national needs, and electric and hybrid vehicles use the roads and bridges but pay less into the system.
He asked witnesses to weigh in with solutions for increasing HTF revenue and ensuring all drivers contribute fairly. Cramer noted many states, including North Dakota, charge registration fees for electric vehicles (EVs) and hybrids so they are paying into the system. While gas taxes are paid at both the state and federal level, there is no mechanism at the federal level accounting for EVs’ use of roads and bridges.
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“Every car, combustion or otherwise, is driving a lot more on that 18.3 cents that is being taken in,” said Armstrong. “And I think as you get more and more other vehicles on the road, there is going to be a disparity there. […] I think whatever four-tired vehicle that ends up on the road is going to utilize that road and is going to require maintenance and upkeep and all of those things.”
“It’s important to me that we adequately fund the National Highway Trust Fund,” said Kate Gallego, Mayor of the City of Phoenix. “We would like to make sure it’s adequate funding, we want to protect privacy, any new solution, we think technology needs to be ready to go on day one. This is so essential we have to get it right.”
Cramer concluded by asking witnesses if they have closing recommendations for accelerating the delivery of infrastructure projects.
“You know, this is a really complicated topic, but I actually think the solutions are pretty simple,” said Austin Ramirez, President and CEO of Husco, an engineering and manufacturing company. “We need deadlines in the regulatory process that are enforceable, and we need limited expedited judicial review. I think if we do those two things, we’ll actually get infrastructure dollars from being approved and allocated to actually being spent and invested in new projects.”
“I think you all have a unique opportunity, because a lot of the fights that are associated with infrastructure reform don’t apply to roads, but try getting a bridge permitted across the federal waterway,” responded Armstrong. “And we’re not building new ones, we’re replacing the existing one. But every one of our constituents wants this kind of infrastructure and you don’t get into some of the ideological fights that exist in transmission or pipelines.”
Source: US Marshals Service
San Juan, PR – The U.S. Marshals New York/New Jersey Regional Fugitive Task Force, working a collateral lead from the USMS Puerto Rico Violent Offender Task Force, today arrested in Jamestown, New York, one of Puerto Rico’s 10 most wanted fugitives.
Bryan José Rivera-Montañez, 26, of Guayama, is wanted by the Puerto Rico Police Bureau on a state arrest warrant issued by the Ponce Court for first-degree murder and multiple violations of weapons law after he allegedly killed with a firearm an individual in Santa Isabel March 7, 2024. His bail had been set at $2,500,000.
In late June the USMS Puerto Rico Violent Offender Task Force sent a collateral lead to the USMS New York/New Jersey Regional Fugitive Task Force requesting assistance in locating and apprehending Rivera-Montañez, who was arrested without incident at an apartment in the 60 block of Water Street in Jamestown.
“This arrest exemplifies our agency’s fight against violent crime and demonstrates our unwavering commitment to the safety of our communities,” said Wilmer Ocasio-Ibarra, U.S. Marshal for the District of Puerto Rico. “I want to express my sincere appreciation for and recognize the great contribution of the members of the NY/NJ Regional Fugitive Task Force and their coordination with the Puerto Rico Violent Offender Task Force in capturing this violent fugitive.”
The New York/New Jersey Regional Fugitive Task Force began operations in April 2002 and was the first regional fugitive task force to become fully operational following the Presidential Threat Protection Act of 2000. The NY/NJRFTF was the flagship that allowed seven other regional fugitive task forces to be created across the country. With partnership agreements with over 90 federal, state, or local agencies and 13 fully operational offices, the NY/NJRFTF has successfully apprehended more than 100,000 fugitives since inception.
The USMS District of Puerto Rico encourages the community to continue to collaborate with our deputies on tips that help find the whereabouts of a fugitive by contacting our local office at (787) 766-6297, calling the U.S. Marshals Service Communication Center at 1 (800) 336-0102, or submitting tips using the USMS Tips App.
US Senate News:
Source: United States Senator for Nevada Cortez Masto
FTP for TV stations of her remarks is available here.
Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) called out Senate Republicans for refusing to protect public broadcasting funding and stand up for public safety and law enforcement. Across the country, public broadcasters help deliver vital local emergency alerts, AMBER Alerts, and important information during emergencies. These efforts help save lives, as well as protect our first responders and law enforcement. Cortez Masto introduced a commonsense amendment stating that Republicans’ gutting of funding from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting cannot advance if it impacts public safety, but Republicans voted to oppose it.
“For years, public broadcasting has been essential to keeping Americans informed during severe weather and environmental threats, and broader public safety situations,” said Senator Cortez Masto. “Now is not the time to claw back funding that this body has already approved for public broadcasting’s emergency alert system.”
In 2024, over 11,000 alerts were issued by federal, state, and local authorities through the PBS Warning, Alert, Response Network (WARN) system alone. From California to Kentucky to North Carolina, public broadcasting alert systems deliver timely alerts directly to Americans’ TVs, radios, and cell phones that have saved lives during natural disasters by providing crucial safety information to people in the area. Public broadcasting stations also work with law enforcement to get information out related to abducted children, missing seniors, and major acts of violence. The interconnected public broadcasting system is uniquely capable of broadcasting alerts to every corner of the nation.
US Senate News:
Source: United States Senator for Rhode Island Jack Reed
As Trump seeks to eliminate BEACH grants and cut funding to stop sewage overflows and runoff pollution, Reed seeks to keep clean water monitoring system afloat and restore clean water funding investments
WASHINGTON, DC – As more people head to coastal beaches, Great Lakes, and local waterways to enjoy the summer weather, U.S. Senator Jack Reed (D-RI) is leading federal efforts to help ensure America’s swimming beaches remain clean, safe, and welcoming to the public and protect human health, environmental health, and the economic health of coastal communities.
Today, outside the U.S. Capitol, Senator Reed joined Environment America, NCAA athletes who train in open waters, public health advocates, and fellow members of Congress to discuss the importance of the Beaches Environmental Assessment and Coastal Health (BEACH) Act grant program to help monitor beach water quality nationwide. VIDEO AVAILABLE.
Federal BEACH grants support beach water-quality collection, testing, and monitoring and public notification efforts if bacteria levels become unsafe.
“The BEACH Act is a smart investment in protecting public health, economic health, and the health of our waterways. It ensures people are informed when temporary beach closures are warranted and provides policymakers with the data needed to ensure sound management,” said Senator Reed, a member of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior and Environment, which oversees federal BEACH Act funding. Reed and his fellow appropriators helped make $9.7 million in BEACH grant funding for water quality monitoring at coastal and Great Lakes beaches in 2025 and he and several colleagues requested at least $15 million for BEACH grants in Fiscal Year 2026. “Clean, safe beaches are an economic and environmental imperative. I oppose President Trump’s attempt to eliminate BEACH grants and clean water infrastructure funds. Fixing and updating water systems isn’t cheap or easy. But it’s absolutely essential to public health, environmental health, and America’s economic well-being.”
“There’s nothing better than running into the water with your friends and family on a hot day in summer, but too often, our favorite beaches aren’t safe for swimming,” said Lisa Frank, executive director of Environment America, a non-profit that recently released its annual Safe for Swimming? report on the water quality of America’s beaches. “Keeping sewage pollution out of our waterways isn’t rocket science, but it’s clear more investment is needed to protect our health.”
“Growing up on the shores of Lake Erie, I’ve always had a deep appreciation for our beaches. These natural wonders are invaluable sources of recreation and economic drivers for our communities, but pollution and contamination threaten to make them too dangerous for the public,” said U.S. Representative Dave Joyce (R-OH). “I urge Congress to swiftly pass the BEACH Act, which will ensure that our beaches and the surrounding waters remain safe for future generations.”
“As a Division-1 rower, being able to train on a waterway without fear of exposure to nasty bacteria is vital to my well-being,” said Jordan Stock, a student athlete at Stanford University. “I should not have to risk my health to practice the sport that I love. From competitive water athletes like myself, to the local businesses sustained by beach tourism and clean water, to casual swimmers, surfers and sailors, this issue affects everyone.”
Common issues that make waterways unsafe include sewer overflows and runoff pollution. Swimming in waters contaminated with elevated levels of enterococci bacteria can cause gastrointestinal illness, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), which administers BEACH grants to coastal and Great Lake states based on a formula that includes the length of the recipients’ beach season, number of miles of shoreline, and population. Recipients must also have an EPA- approved water quality standards program.
Researchers estimate that people get sick 57 million times a year from swimming in polluted waters and Environment America released a new study showing nearly two-thirds of U.S. beaches (1,930 out of 3,187) experienced fecal contamination at some point last year, with roughly 1 in 7 beaches — 453 of those sampled — experiencing potentially unsafe fecal contamination on at least 25 percent of the days on which testing occurred.
Since Senator Reed helped launch the BEACH Act in 2001, over $225 million in BEACH grants have been awarded to test beach waters for illness-causing bacteria, identify the sources of pollution problems, and help notify the public. This year’s continuing resolution appropriated nearly $10 million in BEACH Act funds, resulting in $210,000 for Rhode Island. But now, the Trump Administration is trying to eliminate the program.
Nationwide, Gulf Coast beaches experienced the biggest share of unsafe water quality days in 2024 — 84 percent of Gulf Coast beaches experienced at least one unsafe swimming day — while just 10 percent of Alaska and Hawaii’s beaches had an unsafe day.
Rhode Island’s coastal beach-water quality monitoring program is managed by the Rhode Island Department of Health and works closely with the state’s Department of Environmental Management (DEM), cities, towns, and volunteer groups.
US Senate News:
Source: United States Senator for Rhode Island Jack Reed
VIDEO: Sen. Reed speaks out on Senate floor in opposition to Trump’s rescissions package that would eliminate life-saving global health programs, peacekeeping efforts, and economic development abroad, and undercut community-focused TV and radio stations
WASHINGTON, DC – Ahead of a July 18 deadline, Senate Republicans are rushing to pass a rescissions package to claw back roughly $9 billion in humanitarian aid and funding for public broadcasting. Senate Republicans advanced the proposal last night on a 50-50 vote with three Senate Republicans joining all Democrats and Independents opposing the measure, but with Vice President Vance breaking the tie.
U.S. Senator Jack Reed (D-RI) is urging lawmakers on both sides of the aisle to “oppose this partisan rescission bill because it represents a complete surrender of Congress’s power of the purse. It will hurt America’s standing in the world and it will cost lives,” Reed said today on the Senate floor. “We are considering this package at a time when the Trump Administration has frozen congressionally enacted funds, illegally impounded funds, and threatened to cancel unspent funds at the end of fiscal year. Now, the Administration is back asking Congress to ratify even more cuts.”
Reed is urging Senators to vote for their constituents best interests and against the Trump Administration’s rescission package, which includes cuts to public television and radio funds that Congress previously authorized and appropriated.
The Trump Administration’s attempt to defund public media investment would revoke about $1.1 billion in previously-appropriated funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), including over $1 million annually for Rhode Island TV and radio stations.
Congress provided CPB approximately $535 million in in federal support for each of the next two fiscal years to disburse across nearly 1,500 local radio and TV stations nationwide, as well as programmers and technology infrastructure providers. Cutting this funding in the upcoming two fiscal years could force some local stations off the air, while other stations may have fewer shows to broadcast and fewer resources for local news reporting and educational programming.
Speaking on the Senate floor today, Reed stated: “This bill will eliminate close to $1.1 billion in funding for the Corporation of Public Broadcasting. This would not simply affect funding for National Public Radio and national PBS, it would result in funding cuts for local stations like Rhode Island PBS and the Public’s Radio, which lose about 10 percent of its funding if this bill passes. The same story will play out in every state with independent local news and civic discourse taking the hit just because of the President’s command to the majority party.”
Reed also noted that public radio is decentralized. Stations in Kansas are covering local issues, with local personalities, differently than public broadcasters in Rhode Island or other states.
Since 2013, public TV stations have helped the Wireless Emergency Alert (WEA) system deliver emergency alerts to people’s cell phones via the stations’ own transmitters when cell companies’ connections fail.
In 2024, over 11,000 alerts were issued by federal, state, and local authorities via the PBS WARN system. Similarly, the Public Radio Satellite System (PRSS), which is managed by NPR, helps send presidential emergency alerts to local public radio stations nationwide—allowing critical communications to reach people, even when the internet or cellular connections fail.
Reed asked: “In the wake of deadly flooding in Texas and elsewhere do my colleagues really want to support a package that cuts funding for emergency alerts?”
The bill would also cut $7.9 billion from the kind of global assistance programs that are crucial to U.S. national security and our efforts to compete with China economically and diplomatically.
These programs are also the embodiment of American idealism and morality. As Catholic Relief Services wrote: “If passed, these rescissions drastically decrease U.S. investment in international assistance programs that support human dignity, protect life and build good will with countries around the world. Not only that, these cuts and other measures to eliminate international assistance programs also represent a retreat of the U.S. as a global leader in addressing poverty around the world. This would undermine decades of work in serving the global community and fostering a peaceful and prosperous world.”
The cuts on the table include $500 million from global health programs, which could affect efforts that have successfully slowed the spread of infectious diseases, along with cuts to lifesaving humanitarian assistance.
One proven program that could see drastic cuts under this rescissions package is the disbursement of Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food (RUTF). RUTF is a specialty product used to treat severe malnutrition in children, and could be impacted by the proposed cuts to UNICEF included in Trump’s package.
“Unfortunately, we have already seen this Administration’s disregard for the lifesaving treatment provided by RUTF. Edesia Nutrition, a key manufacturer of RUTF based in Rhode Island, has been forced to curtail production and delay shipments of lifesaving therapeutic food, which has sat in warehouses, unable to get to the children who need it because of the Trump Administration’s needless slow-walking. If OMB really cared about waste, it wouldn’t have this food aid and the millions of tons of wheat and other crops sitting and rotting rather than distributing it,” said Senator Reed, noting these are American-made products made by American workers, using domestically produced food, to prevent millions of at-risk, malnourished children from starving to death.
“These cuts are shortsighted, there is no other way to put it. To paraphrase former Secretary of Defense Mattis, ‘if we don’t fund these soft power and diplomatic programs, then we need to buy more ammunition,’” concluded Reed.