NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – EDGARDO AMADOR-RODRIGUEZ, age 27, a native of Honduras, was indicted on March 13, 2025, for re-entry of a removed alien, in violation of Title 8, United States Code, Section 1326(a), announced Acting U.S. Attorney Michael M. Simpson.
According to the filed indictment, on or about March 7 2025, in the Eastern District of Louisiana, the defendant, EDGARDO AMADOR-RODRIGUEZ, was found in the United States, after having been officially deported and removed therefrom, on or about June 8, 2018.
EDGARDO AMADOR-RODRIGUEZ faces up to two years imprisonment, a fine of up to $250,000, up to one year of supervised release, and a mandatory special assessment fee of $100.00, if convicted of re-entry of a removed alien.
Acting U.S. Attorney Simpson reiterated that an indictment is merely a charge, and the guilt of the defendant must be proven beyond a reasonable doubt.
Acting U.S. Attorney Simpson praised the work of the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency, the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office and the Orleans Parish Sheriff’s Office, in investigating this matter. Assistant United States Attorney Carter K.D. Guice, Jr. of the General Crimes Unit is in charge of the prosecution.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
Source: United States Senator for Wisconsin Tammy Baldwin
LA CROSSE, WI – Today, U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) kicked off her “Hands Off Medicaid Tour” in La Crosse to call out President Donald Trump and Congressional Republicans’ plan to slash Medicaid to pay for tax cuts for billionaires. In La Crosse, Senator Baldwin was joined by Wisconsinites who shared their stories about how Medicaid helps them and their families afford the care they need to stay healthy.
“Republicans are planning to terminate health care for Wisconsin grandparents, kids, and loved ones on Medicaid – all to pay for new tax breaks for big corporations and billionaires,” said Senator Baldwin. “Today, I was in La Crosse to show Republicans what cuts to Medicaid would mean for real Wisconsinites and send the message loudly and clearly: Hands off Medicaid.”
Senator Baldwin was joined by the following Wisconsinites who shared their stories and appealed to Congressional Republicans to stop their efforts to terminate the health care that keeps them and their families well:
Kim Fredrick – Mindoro, WI – Kim shared the story of her 17-year-old son Matt who has Down Syndrome and has been on Medicaid since he was a few months old.
Rachel Maxon – Stoddard, WI – Rachel shared that her 5-year-old daughter with autism and 78-year-old father-in-law with dementia rely on Medicaid for their health, safety, and increased independence in the community.
Dana Horstman – Bangor, WI – Dana has relied on Medicaid since a spinal cord injury in 2013 left her in a wheelchair.
Tina Pohlman – La Crosse, WI – Tina was diagnosed with lupus and antiphospholipid syndrome in 2002 and receives Medicaid assistance.
Bethany McAlister – La Crosse, WI – Bethany shared her story of multiple people in her family who rely on Medicaid, including her brother with down syndrome and mother-in-law with dementia.
Republicans are planning deep cuts to Medicaid that will jeopardize the coverage of 72 million Americans. In Wisconsin, over 1.2 million are enrolled in Medicaid. About 1 in 3 children in both Wisconsin’s rural and metro communities have Medicaid coverage. More than 300,000 kids under age 19 are members of BadgerCare Plus or another Wisconsin Medicaid program.
Across the country, Medicaid covers nearly half of all children, 31.5 million, over 8.3 million seniors, and around 15 million people with disabilities. Medicaid also pays for 6 out of 10 residents in nursing homes, with 5.6 million Americans counting on Medicaid for their long-term care bills and Medicaid paying for over half of long-term care in the United States. Severe cuts to Medicaid will also jeopardize rural hospitals and clinics’ ability to keep their doors open. Over 12 million rural Americans rely on Medicaid for health care.
The next stops of the “Hands Off Medicaid Tour” include:
Eau Claire on Tuesday, March 18, 2025
Madison and Racine on Thursday, March 20, 2025
Waukesha on Friday, March 21, 2025
Source: United States Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.)
Padilla, Booker, Durbin, Welch Statement on Trump Invoking the Alien Enemies Act to Target Immigrants Without Due Process
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senators Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), and Peter Welch (D-Vt.), members of the Senate Judiciary Committee, issued the following statement after President Trump invoked the Alien Enemies Act of 1798, claiming wartime power to deport noncitizens without due process:
“Over the weekend, President Trump invoked the 1798 Alien Enemies Act to deport noncitizens without due process. This attempt to use an archaic wartime law — not used since World War II — for immigration enforcement is yet another unlawful and brazen power grab.
“Let’s be clear: we are not at war, and immigrants are not invading our country. Furthermore, courts determine whether people have broken the law — not a president acting alone, and not immigration agents picking and choosing who gets imprisoned or deported. It’s what our Constitution demands, and it’s the law Trump is bound by no matter how much he tries to mislead the American people otherwise. These protections are there to help ensure U.S. citizens aren’t wrongfully deported, or people who haven’t committed a crime aren’t wrongfully punished.
“A District Court issued a temporary restraining order to block the Administration’s use of this wartime law, and ordered deportation flights already underway to return to the U.S. We cannot allow Trump to flout the rules and due process.
“All of us, including the courts, must continue to hold this Administration accountable, and prevent the Trump Administration from taking us down a dark and dangerous road.”
Source: United States Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.)
Padilla, Durbin Lead Push to Save Task Force Combating Threats to Election Officials
Senators to Attorney General: “In this challenging environment for election officials, it is essential to our democracy that they can continue to rely on [DOJ] to uphold the law”
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senators Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration, and Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, led 29 Democratic Senators in urging Attorney General Pam Bondi to continue the essential work of the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) Election Threats Task Force, which directs the Department’s efforts to protect election officials from rising threats and acts of violence.
The Senators’ letter comes as the Trump Administration has significantly rolled back the federal government’s capacity to fight against foreign and domestic election security threats. On Attorney General Bondi’s first day in office, she disbanded the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s (FBI) Foreign Influence Task Force, hindering efforts to address secret influence campaigns waged by China, Russia, and other foreign adversaries. Additionally, the Administration has fired or put on leave dozens of officials responsible for combating foreign election interference at the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) and has reportedly frozen all of CISA’s ongoing election security work. The Administration has also defunded CISA’s nationwide program to train local officials and monitor threats through the Elections Infrastructure Information Sharing and Analysis Center.
“Given the recent disturbing personnel and policy decisions at the Department and the lack of transparency about the future of the Task Force, we request an immediate update on the status and activities of the Task Force, as well as what resources will be provided to ensure its important work continues so that election officials of both parties can safely administer our elections,” wrote the Senators.
“Recent surveys have found that one in three election officials reported facing threats, harassment, and abuse. Similarly, 48 percent of local election officials know of someone who has left their job because of fear for their safety—a troubling loss of institutional knowledge needed for the smooth running of elections. Election workers continue to fear for their safety, so it is critical that the work of the Task Force continues to deter and counter these threats. In this challenging environment for election officials, it is essential to our democracy that they can continue to rely on the Department to uphold the law,” continued the Senators.
In addition to Senators Padilla and Durbin, the letter was also signed by Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), and Senators Angela Alsobrooks (D-Md.), Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-Del.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Chris Coons (D-Del.), Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), Andy Kim (D-N.J.), Angus King (I-Maine), Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Jon Ossoff (D-Ga.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Mark Warner (D-Va.), Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Peter Welch (D-Vt.), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.).
As Ranking Member of the Rules Committee, which has oversight over federal elections, Senator Padilla has fought against President Trump’s unprecedented attacks against election security. Last month, he pressed senior officials at CISA for answers after they fired employees who have worked to combat election misinformation. During his first business meeting as Rules Committee Ranking Member, Padilla highlighted threats to election security and the importance of free and fair elections. Additionally, Padilla expressed serious concerns about the dangerous implications for elections following President Trump’s executive order purporting to bring independent regulatory agencies under total control of the White House. Padilla previously denounced the illegal firing of Federal Election Commission (FEC) Chair Ellen Weintraub and led 10 Democratic Senators to demand President Trump rescind his attempt.
Full text of the letter is available here and below:
Dear Attorney General Bondi:
We write to strongly urge you to continue the critical law enforcement work of the Department of Justice’s Election Threats Task Force, which protects election officials from ongoing threats and acts of violence. Given the recent disturbing personnel and policy decisions at the Department and the lack of transparency about the future of the Task Force, we request an immediate update on the status and activities of the Task Force, as well as what resources will be provided to ensure its important work continues so that election officials of both parties can safely administer our elections.
The Task Force was established in the wake of the 2020 election cycle when election officials across the political spectrum began facing unprecedented threats of violence intended to thwart the peaceful transfer of power that is the hallmark of our democracy. In close collaboration with state and local law enforcement, the Task Force has assessed thousands of complaints of suspected threats of violence and investigated and prosecuted violent offenders. Over the years, these threats have not only continued but escalated. The Task Force has investigated fentanyl-laced letters, bomb threats, and swatting incidents—serving as a legacy of the 2020 election and impacting the ways election officials interact with voters in their communities.
Recent surveys have found that one in three election officials reported facing threats, harassment, and abuse. Similarly, 48 percent of local election officials know of someone who has left their job because of fear for their safety—a troubling loss of institutional knowledge needed for the smooth running of elections. Election workers continue to fear for their safety, so it is critical that the work of the Task Force continues to deter and counter these threats. In this challenging environment for election officials, it is essential to our democracy that they can continue to rely on the Department to uphold the law.
Moreover, the federal government’s ability to fight election interference has been greatly hampered in the early weeks of this Administration. Dozens of officials at the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), who are responsible for combatting foreign election interference, have been fired or put on leave. CISA has also reportedly frozen all of its ongoing election security work, including defunding its nationwide program to train local officials and monitor threats through the “Elections Infrastructure Information Sharing and Analysis Center.” Additionally, on your first day in office, you signed a directive disbanding the FBI’s Foreign Influence Task Force, which was aimed at responding to secret influence campaigns waged by China, Russia, and other foreign adversaries.
We request a response on the status and future plans of the Election Threats Task Force, the extent of resources and personnel dedicated to its work, and how it plans to incorporate related work previously led by CISA and the Foreign Influence Task Force by March 31, 2025.
Sincerely,
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla., March 18, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — iQor CXBPO™, an award-winning customer experience business process outsourcing (BPO) solutions provider, today announced the appointment of Fleurette (Flo) Navarro as Regional President – Philippines, marking a historic leadership milestone as the first Filipina executive to lead the company’s Philippines’ organization. This appointment is part of a broader leadership realignment aimed at enhancing local decision-making, agility, and strategic growth across global markets.
Country leaders will now oversee administration, facilities, human resources, and recruiting functions within their respective regions, enabling localized execution, streamlined decision-making, and seamless integration of local policies and cultural priorities. Sonia Goyal will lead Global Human Resources Operations, driving strategic HR initiatives and overseeing a Center of Excellence dedicated to transforming people practices through technology and AI.
“These strategic leadership realignments reinforce our commitment to excellence, innovation, and employee engagement,” said Chief Administrative Officer Art DiBari. “Flo is the first Filipina executive to lead our Philippines organization—a milestone that brings immense pride to our team. We are confident these changes will enhance our ability to deliver world-class CX solutions while fostering an agile, collaborative, and people-centric culture.”
As Regional President – Philippines, Navarro will oversee human resources, recruiting, and administrative functions in the Philippines, while managing external relationships with industry bodies, government agencies, and academic institutions. With 17 contact centers spanning the Philippine archipelago and a workforce of 31,000 in-country solutionists, this new role will drive continued growth in the region. Navarro will report to DiBari.
With more than 25 years of experience in the BPO industry, Navarro has held senior leadership positions at HSBC, CapitalOne, and Tata Consultancy, gaining deep expertise in operations, account management, training, quality assurance, and human resources. Since joining iQor in 2017, she has played a pivotal role in reshaping the company’s talent strategy, earning Great Place to Work® Certifications™ in the Philippines, India, and Colombia. Most recently, as Global Chief People Officer (2023–2025), she led human resources, recruiting, payroll, compensation, and benefits strategies, significantly impacting iQor CXBPO™’s workforce and business outcomes.
“I am honored to take on this role and excited to continue elevating iQor CXBPO™’s Philippines organization,” said Navarro. “Our people are at the heart of everything we do, and I look forward to strengthening our presence, fostering innovation, and driving meaningful results for our employees, clients, and stakeholders.”
Goyal will lead Global Human Resources Operations, overseeing human resources and recruiting functions outside Colombia, India, the Philippines, and Trinidad and Tobago.
Since joining iQor in 2014, Goyal has implemented transformative human resources strategies that have enhanced performance, profitability, and employee engagement. She has also led major global hiring initiatives, including the launch of iQor CXBPO™’s Trinidad sites and the expansion of bilingual operations in Medellín, Colombia.
“I’m excited to lead our global HR operations at such a pivotal time for iQor CXBPO™,” said Goyal. “This realignment strengthens our ability to attract and retain top talent while driving excellence in HR practices worldwide.”
For more information about iQor CXBPO™ and its leadership, visit www.iqor.com.
About iQorCXBPO™ iQor CXBPO™ is a trusted partner in intelligent customer experience solutions, delivering exceptional results for global brands. With 40,000 employees across 10 countries, we combine 30 years of industry expertise with cutting-edge AI-driven innovations to optimize customer interactions at every stage. Our agile, scalable solutions ensure seamless omnichannel engagement, driving loyalty and measurable business success. Recognized as a Great Place to Work® and a leader in CX excellence, we elevate performance through a people-first approach, operational expertise, and secure, technology-enabled solutions. Learn more at iQor.com.
What was left unsaid is that the individuals would be knowingly placed into a prison system in which a range of sources have reported widespread human rights abuses at the hands of state forces.
A first transfer of U.S. deportees from Venezuela has now arrived into that system. On March 16, the U.S. government flew around 250 deportees to El Salvador despite a judge’s order temporarily blocking the move. Bukele later posted a video online showing the deportees arriving in El Salvador with their hands and feet shackled and forcibly bent over by armed guards.
We have also heard firsthand of the human rights abuses that deportees and Salvadorans alike say they have suffered while incarcerated in El Salvador, and we have worked on hundreds of asylum cases as expert witnesses, testifying in U.S. immigration court about the nature and scope of human rights abuses in the country. We are deeply concerned both over the conditions into which deportees are arriving and as to what the U.S. administration’s decision signals about its commitments to international human rights standards.
For the past three years, Bukele has governed with few checks and balances under a self-imposed “state of exception.” This emergency status has allowed Bukele to suspend many rights as he wages what he calls a “war on gangs.”
The crackdown manifests in mass arbitrary arrests of anyone who fits stereotypical demographic characteristics of gang members, like having tattoos, a prior criminal record or even just “looking nervous.”
As a result of the ongoing mass arrests, El Salvador now has the highest incarceration rate in the world. The proportion of its population that El Salvador incarcerates is more than triple that of the U.S. and double that of the next nearest country, Cuba.
Safest country in Latin America?
Bukele’s tough-on-gangs persona has earned him widespread popularity at home and abroad – he has fostered an immediate friendship with the new U.S. administration in particular.
But maintaining this popularity has involved, it is widely alleged, manipulating crime statistics, attacking journalists who criticize him and denying involvement in a widely documented secret gang pact that unraveled just before the start of the state of exception.
Bukele and pro-government Salvadoran media insist that the crackdown on gangs has transformed El Salvador into the safest country in Latin America.
But on the ground, Salvadorans have described how police, military personnel and Mexican cartels have taken over the exploitative practices previously carried out by gangs like MS-13 and Barrio 18. One Salvadoran woman whose son died in prison just a few days after he was arbitrarily detained told a reporter from Al Jazeera: “One is always afraid. Before it was fear of the gangs, now it’s also the security forces who take innocent people.”
Bukele has ordered a communication blackout between incarcerated people and their loved ones. This means no visits, no letters and no phone calls.
Such lack of contact makes it nearly impossible for people to determine the well-being of their incarcerated family members, many of whom are parents with young children now cared for by extended family.
Despite the blackout, scholars, international and national rights’ groups and investigative journalists have been able to build up a picture of conditions inside El Salvador’s prisons through interviews with victims and their family members, medical records and forensic analysis of cases of prison deaths. What they describe is a hellscape.
Incarcerated Salvadorans are packed into grossly overcrowded cells, beaten regularly by prison personnel and denied medicines even when they are available. Inmates are frequently subjected to punishments including food deprivation and electric shocks. Indeed, a U.S. State Department’s 2023 country report on El Salvador noted the “harsh and life-threatening prison conditions.”
The human rights organization Cristosal estimates that hundreds have died from malnutrition, blunt force trauma, strangulation and lack of lifesaving medical treatment.
Often, their bodies are buried by government workers in mass graves without notifying families.
Although El Salvador is a signatory to the United Nations’ Convention Against Torture, Amnesty International concluded after multiple missions to the country and interviews with victims and their families that there is “systemic use of torture” in Salvadoran prisons.
Likewise, a case-by-case study by Cristosal, which included forensic analysis of exhumed bodies of people who died in prison, determined in 2024 that “torture has become a state policy.”
‘At risk of irreparable harm’
What makes this all the more worrying is the scale of potential abuse.
El Salvador now houses a prison population of around 110,000 – more than three times the number of inmates before the state of exception began.
To increase the country’s capacity for ongoing mass incarceration, Bukele built and opened the Terrorism Confinement Center mega-prison in 2023. An analysis of the center using satellite footage showed that if the prison were to reach its full supposed capacity of 40,000, each prisoner would have less than 2 feet of space in their cells.
It is to this prison that deportees from the U.S. have been taken.
There are serious concerns over both the process and the legality of transferring U.S. prisoners to a nation that has not protected the human rights of its detained population.
Moreover, the agreement through which the Trump administration is seeking to moving migrants detained in the U.S. to El Salvador faces scrutiny under international law, given what is known about the country’s prison conditions.
International human rights is governed by laws that prohibit nations from transferring people into harm’s way, be it returning foreign nationals to countries where “there are substantial grounds for believing that the person would be at risk of irreparable harm,” or transferring detainees to jurisdictions in which they are at risk of being tortured or cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment.
The efforts of human rights organizations, journalists and scholars to document prison conditions point to an unequivocal conclusion: El Salvador does not meet the terms necessary to protect the human rights of deported and incarcerated migrants.
Mneesha Gellman received funding from Emerson College’s Faculty Development Fund. She is the Director of the Emerson Prison Initiative.
Sarah C. Bishop has received research funding from the Fulbright Organization, The Waterhouse Family Institute for the Study of Communication and Society at Villanova University, the Robert Bosch Stiftung Foundation, and the Professional Staff Congress at the City University of New York. She serves on the board of directors of the nonprofit organization Mixteca.
From Fraser Health: https://www.fraserhealth.ca/news/2025/Mar/New-mobile-MRI-arrives-at-Surrey-Memorial-Hospital-as-enhancements-to-medical-image-take-shape
A new $3.3-million mobile magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) unit has arrived at Surrey Memorial Hospital, ensuring patients have uninterrupted access to vital diagnostic services while work continues on two new advanced MRI scanners for the imaging department.
“This new MRI unit is a significant step forward in ensuring that our community continues to receive timely, high-quality care,” says Amna Shah, MLA for Surrey City Centre. “As construction progresses on two new advanced MRI scanners, this mobile unit will help make sure there are no disruptions in essential diagnostic services for patients. With over 10,000 MRI scans conducted annually at Surrey Memorial, this mobile MRI unit is an invaluable addition, helping reduce wait times and improving access to life-saving imaging for residents of Surrey and neighboring communities.”
The new MRI is inside a 15-metre trailer located behind the Critical Care Tower at the north end of the hospital campus. A new space will connect the mobile MRI unit to Surrey Memorial Hospital, providing protection from the elements while staff transfer patients between the hospital and the trailer. The mobile MRI unit is expected to begin seeing patients in late July, once construction and necessary testing and permitting is complete.
The GE Signa Voyager 1.5T MRI System accommodates children and adults, is quieter than older machines, produces sharper images and reduces scan times.
“Access to timely diagnostics and treatment is a key pillar of our health care system,” says Josie Osborne, Minister of Health. “This new mobile MRI Unit will ensure that people in Surrey have uninterrupted access to life-saving diagnostic services while work on two new state of the art MRI Scanners occurs.”
Advanced MRI can help detect abnormalities of the brain and spine, as well as tumours, cysts and soft-tissue injuries in other parts of the body. MRI is used to detect cancers in the breast, brain, abdomen, prostate, and lymph nodes, as well as cardiac and neurological diseases.
“Ensuring continuity of care during hospital construction requires careful planning and creative solutions like the new mobile MRI unit,” says Dr. Lynn Stevenson, interim president and CEO, Fraser Health. “Currently, more than 10,000 MRI scans are done annually at Surrey Memorial Hospital, so the mobile unit is necessary to ensure residents of Surrey and neighbouring communities continue to receive the imaging they need while we upgrade for today and the future.”
MRI uses strong magnetic fields to generate three-dimensional pictures of the organs, bones and tissue inside the human body. Early diagnosis of abnormalities can lead to earlier treatment and better outcomes.
The MRI project is part of the 30 prioritized actions announced in June 2023 aimed at transforming health services at Surrey Memorial Hospital. To date, 19 of those actions have been completed, with an additional 11 currently in progress.
Winnipeg, Manitoba, March 13, 2025 — Members of the media are invited to an infrastructure announcement with Ben Carr, Member of Parliament for Winnipeg South Centre, and Jason Oliver, President of Riverview Community Centre.
Date: Friday, March 14, 2025
Time: 6:00 p.m. [CDT]
Location: Riverview Community Centre 90 Ashland Avenue Winnipeg, MB R3L 1K6
. Pillen Editorial Supports U.S. Department of Education Changes; Praises Nebraska Teachers
LINCOLN, NE – In an editorial published today by The Federalist, Governor Jim Pillen addressed the Trump Administration’s efforts to rethink the size and scope of the U.S. Department of Education, an effort he supports. In the piece, Pillen praises Nebraska’s teachers and administrators for their work serving our students and details a pro-kid, pro-parent, pro-teacher, pro-school vision for the future of American education that returns power and decision making to local leaders, giving families more freedom.
The editorial is available below:
The Best Thing Trump Can Do For Teachers And Kids Is Shut Down The Education Department
By Governor Jim Pillen
March 17, 2025
Think about the three people who affected you the most growing up. For a lot of us, I’d bet at least one is a teacher or coach. It speaks to the influence and importance schools can have on our lives and education.
Teachers are difference makers who help us, as parents, educate and develop our kids. But just as we don’t need Washington to tell parents how to parent, we don’t need federal bureaucrats telling our schools how to teach. Many classroom decisions are best left up to our leaders at the local level.
Last week, the Trump administration, under the leadership of Education Secretary Linda McMahon, announced it is following through with a campaign promise to rethink the size and scope of the Department of Education. I think it’s beyond time to return those powers and decisions to the states and restore local control, giving families more freedom.
Since the Department of Education was formed as a standalone department in 1980, we’ve seen its budget and workforce bloat — but we haven’t seen improved outcomes for students, parents, or teachers. We clearly aren’t getting what we’re paying for.
For a decade, I served on the Board of Regents for the University of Nebraska system, getting into the weeds of education policy and decision making for our state. One of the philosophies I brought with me from that experience into the governor’s office is that we need more accountability in government.
Just like a teen staring at a phone screen, too often the U.S. Department of Education’s bureaucracy has been distracted from its mission, and American education has suffered for it. We can’t predict the future, but we have to change something. Our kids’ education is too important for us to keep pursuing mediocre results that cost us billions.
For starters, American taxpayers shouldn’t be funding controversial culture wars through our schools. We should expect that our investment will be spent on teaching kids the essentials: math, reading, science, and civics.
There is a simpler, better path forward. By sending education back to states, we let those nearest to the student have the biggest influence. This is a pro-kid, pro-parent, pro-teacher, pro-school position. No matter the style of schooling families choose — public, private, homeschool, or hybrid — our lessons should be focused on helping our youth succeed, and you don’t need federal government mandates to do that.
In Nebraska, I know the type of people who serve in our schools. Our teachers devote their lives to our kids. We’re human, and we’re not going to get things right 100 percent of the time, but I’m confident in our ability to lead and ensure we’re addressing the needs of our students, teachers, and schools.
Because technology and research constantly change the way we learn, educators must be able to move fast in the classroom in ways some faraway cubicle worker in Washington can’t. Teachers and administrators are closer to the action and better prepared for this type of work.
In my state, we’re leading by making localized decisions: We’re rethinking how we invest and fund K-12 schools, raising awareness and doubling down on special education opportunities, and working with students and schools to ban the distraction of cell phones bell-to-bell.
Secretary McMahon’s stated goal is to make the state of education in America “freer, stronger, and with more hope for the future.” That’s a mission all of us should be able to get behind because there’s no politics in it.
Let’s focus more on how to help the teacher in the classroom who is giving our kids this week’s spelling test. Let’s figure out ways to better support dynamic, inspiring lessons. Let’s support the guidance counselor who is helping our students navigate adolescence while they make big, life-long decisions.
Let’s let our country’s kids — and education — reach the world-changing potential they have. That should be the American tradition. The Department of Education just needs to get out of the way.
EW YORK – New York Attorney General Letitia James today led a coalition of 11 other attorneys general in opposing the U.S. Department of State’s proposed changes to passport application requirements, which would prevent transgender and non-binary individuals from obtaining passports that accurately reflect their gender. Attorney General James and the coalition argue that the proposed changes would conflict with state laws, cause significant confusion, increase administrative burdens, and threaten public safety. The changes would also infringe on the rights of transgender and non-binary individuals to travel freely and safely, while exposing them to potential harassment, discrimination, and harm.
“All Americans deserve to have identification documents that accurately reflect their gender and who they are, and any attempt to take away that right is an attack on the dignity and freedom of transgender and non-binary individuals,” said Attorney General James. “The Trump administration’s proposed changes threaten the safety and well-being of our communities, create unnecessary barriers to travel, and put transgender and non-binary Americans at unnecessary risk. The federal government cannot trespass on Americans’ rights, and that includes the rights of transgender and non-binary people.”
On January 20, the Trump Administration issued an Executive Order declaring that the United States will only recognize two sexes, male and female, and instructing the Secretaries of State and Homeland Security, among others, to “implement changes that require that government-issued identification documents, including passports, visas, and Global Entry cards, accurately reflect the holder’s sex,” as defined by the Executive Order. The EO not only goes against acceptable medical standards and science, but attempts to erase the existence of intersex, transgender, and nonbinary people. The U.S. Department of State then proposed changes to several passport application forms that would prevent transgender and non-binary Americans from obtaining a passport consistent with their gender and ignores the existence of intersex Americans. The Executive Order and proposed application form changes break with decades of federal policy on gender identity, including the ability for individuals to align their gender markers on identifying records and documents with their gender identity.
In their letter, Attorney General James and the coalition highlight the harmful consequences of this policy, including the potential for transgender and non-binary individuals to be outed, harassed, or denied access to essential services. Forcing a transgender or non-binary person to have identity documents that do not match their gender impedes their ability to live freely and could cause confusion, delays, or harassment when they travel within the United States and internationally. This is only compounded by the individual psychological harm that the new policy could cause.
The attorneys general also emphasize that many states, including New York, have enacted laws that allow individuals to change gender markers on birth certificates, driver’s licenses, and other legal documents without medical documentation. State laws also allow individuals to seal their original birth certificate or name change from disclosure. The proposed federal changes would create inconsistencies between state and federal identification documents, leading to confusion for state agencies, employers, public accommodations, and law enforcement. In such cases, individuals would likely experience harassment or delays when trying to access resources, and states would likely be forced to expend needless resources to review mismatched documents and ensure compliance with the law.
Attorney General James and the coalition strongly urge the State Department to withdraw the proposed changes and instead uphold policies that respect the rights and dignity of all individuals, regardless of their gender identity.
Joining Attorney General James in submitting the comment letter, which was co-led by Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Campbell, are the attorneys general of California, Connecticut, Hawaii, Illinois, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, Oregon, Vermont, and Washington.
Marc H. Silverman, Acting United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that EDDIE LIMAS, 35, of New Britain, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Sarala V. Nagala in Hartford to 144 months of imprisonment, followed by five years of supervised release, for trafficking fentanyl.
According to court documents and statements made in court, in 2022, the FBI’s Northern Connecticut Gang Task Force received information that Limas and others were receiving kilogram quantities of fentanyl from sources in the Dominican Republic, storing the drug at a stash house in the Bronx, New York, and distributing it in central Connecticut. Between January and April 2022, investigators made five controlled purchases of distribution quantities of fentanyl from Limas.
On May 13, 2022, Connecticut State Police stopped a vehicle driven by Limas’ uncle, Hector Limas, on I-84 in Danbury after investigators suspected that he had delivered narcotics to Eddie Limas’ residence on Chapman Street in New Britain. A search of the vehicle revealed approximately 700 grams of fentanyl and approximately $19,000 in cash.
Also on May 13, 2022, law enforcement attempted to arrest Eddie Limas in Hartford, but he crashed his vehicle into a Hartford police cruiser and fled at a high rate of speed. At the same time, investigators maintaining surveillance at Eddie Limas’ residence saw a neighbor remove bags and boxes from the residence, lock them in a car that was parked in front, and give the key fob to Carmen Hernandez, who had also exited the residence. A search of the car revealed more than two kilograms of fentanyl, more than 300 grams of cocaine, approximately one kilogram of marijuana, items used to process and package narcotics, and a .380 caliber pistol. Hernandez also possessed a quantity of fentanyl, and a search of Limas’ residence revealed a loaded .40 caliber pistol and additional narcotics.
Eddie Limas eluded capture until May 9, 2023, when he was arrested in New Britain after conducting additional drug sales. He has been detained since his arrest. On September 18, 2024, he pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute, and to possess with intent to distribute, 400 grams or more of fentanyl.
Hector Limas, 59, of the Bronx, and Hernandez, 61, of Hartford, pleaded guilty to related charges. On November 8, 2023, Hector Limas was sentenced to 90 months of imprisonment, and on January 14, 2025, Hernandez was sentenced to 24 months of imprisonment.
This matter was investigated by the FBI’s Northern Connecticut Gang Task Force, the Hartford Police Department, the East Hartford Police Department, the New Britain Police Department, and the Connecticut State Police. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney A. Reed Durham.
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – ENRIQUE TORRES-BEIZA, a/k/a “Enrique B. Torres,” age 39, a native of Mexico, was indicted on March 13, 2025, for re-entry of a removed alien, in violation of Title 8, United States Code, Section 1326(a), announced Acting U.S. Attorney Michael M. Simpson.
According to the filed indictment, on or about October 26, 2024, in the Eastern District of Louisiana, the defendant, ENRIQUE TORRES-BEIZA, a/k/a “Enrique B. Torres,”,was found in the United States, after having been officially deported and removed therefrom, on or about December 26, 2018
ENRIQUE TORRES-BEIZA, a/k/a “Enrique B. Torres,” faces up to two years imprisonment, a fine of up to $250,000, up to one year of supervised release, and a mandatory special assessment fee of $100.00, if convicted of re-entry of a removed alien.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
Acting U.S. Attorney Simpson reiterated that an indictment is merely a charge and that the guilt of the defendant must be proven beyond a reasonable doubt.
Acting U.S. Attorney Simpson praised the work of the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency and the Terrebonne Parish Sheriff’s Office in investigating this matter. Assistant United States Attorney Carter K.D. Guice, Jr. of the General Crimes Unit is in charge of the prosecution.
March 17, 2025 – Ottawa, Ontario – Department of Finance Canada
Earlier today, the Honourable François-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Finance, chaired his first G7 virtual Finance Ministers’ Meeting.
The ministers discussed various issues of common interest, including global trade, competitiveness, and economic growth.
This meeting was a first opportunity for Minister Champagne, as Minister of Finance, to discuss important global issues with his counterparts ahead of the upcoming G7 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors’ Meeting that will be held in May in Banff, Alberta, and the G7 Leaders’ Summit in June in Kananaskis, Alberta, under Canada’s G7 Presidency.
Freedom of the press — a bedrock principle of American democracy — is under threat in the United States.
Here at Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism we are witnessing and experiencing an alarming chill. We write to affirm our commitment to supporting and exercising First Amendment rights for students, faculty, and staff on our campus — and, indeed, for all.
After Homeland Security seized and detained Mahmoud Khalil, a recent graduate of Columbia’s School of Public and International Affairs, without charging him with any crime, many of our international students have felt afraid to come to classes and to events on campus.
They are right to be worried. Some of our faculty members and students who have covered the protests over the Gaza war have been the object of smear campaigns and targeted on the same sites that were used to bring Khalil to the attention of Homeland Security.
President Trump has warned that the effort to deport Khalil is just the first of many.
These actions represent threats against political speech and the ability of the American press to do its essential job and are part of a larger design to silence voices that are out of favour with the current administration.
We have also seen reports that Immigration and Customs Enforcement is trying to deport the Palestinian poet and journalist Mosab Abu Toha, who has written extensively in the New Yorker about the condition of the residents of Gaza and warned of the mortal danger to Palestinian journalists.
There are 13 million legal foreign residents (green card holders) in the United States. If the administration can deport Khalil, it means those 13 million people must live in fear if they dare speak up or publish something that runs afoul of government views.
There are more than one million international students in the United States. They, too, may worry that they are no longer free to speak their mind. Punishing even one person for their speech is meant to intimidate others into self-censorship.
One does not have to agree with the political opinions of any particular individual to understand that these threats cut to the core of what it means to live in a pluralistic democracy. The use of deportation to suppress foreign critics runs parallel to an aggressive campaign to use libel laws in novel — even outlandish ways — to silence or intimidate the independent press.
The President has sued CBS for an interview with Kamala Harris which Trump found too favourable. He has sued the Pulitzer Prize committee for awarding prizes to stories critical of him.
He has even sued the Des Moines Register for publishing the results of a pre-election poll that showed Kamala Harris ahead at that point in the state.
Large corporations like Disney and Meta settled lawsuits most lawyers thought they could win because they did not want to risk the wrath of the Trump administration and jeopardize business they have with the federal government.
Amazon and Washington Post owner Jeff Bezos decided that the paper’s editorial pages would limit themselves to pieces celebrating “free markets and individual liberties.”
Meanwhile, the Trump administration insists on hand-picking the journalists who will be permitted to cover the White House and Pentagon, and it has banned the Associated Press from press briefings because the AP is following its own style book and refusing to refer to the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America.
The Columbia Journalism School stands in defence of First Amendment principles of free speech and free press across the political spectrum. The actions we’ve outlined above jeopardise these principles and therefore the viability of our democracy. All who believe in these freedoms should steadfastly oppose the intimidation, harassment, and detention of individuals on the basis of their speech or their journalism.
The price of eggs has risen dramatically in recent years across the US. A dozen eggs cost US$1.20 (92p) in June 2019, but the price is now around US$4.90 (with a peak of US$8.17 in early March).
Some restaurants have imposed surcharges on egg-based dishes, bringing even more attention to escalating costs. And there are also shortages on supermarket shelves.
In the coming months, the US plans to import up to 100 million of this consumer staple. Government officials are approaching countries from Turkey to Brazil with enquiries about eggs for export.
Agriculture secretary Brooke Rollins, who previously said that one option to the crisis was for people to get a chicken for their backyard, suggested in the Wall Street Journal that prices are unlikely to stabilise for some months. And Donald Trump recently shared an article on Truth Social calling on the public to “shut up about egg prices”.
The main cause of the problem is an outbreak of avian flu that has resulted in over 166 million birds in the US being slaughtered. Around 98% of the nation’s chickens are produced on factory farms, which are ripe for contagion.
According to the Centers for Disease Control, the flu has already spread to several hundred dairy cattle and to one human. The USDA recently announced a US$1 billion plan to counter the problem, with funding for improved bio-security, vaccine research and compensation to farmers.
In January 2025, Donald Trump’s White House press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, blamed the previous administration for high egg prices. It is true that birds were slaughtered on President Joe Biden’s watch, but this was and remains standard practice at times of bird flu outbreaks and had also been the case during the Obama and first Trump administrations.
However, this points to the way the rising price of eggs has become a political touchstone. It was referred to regularly in campaign speeches and press briefings as a sign of things going wrong and a symbol of the US economy faced. Donald Trump promised to fix the price of eggs swiftly if elected, but so far the issue shows no sign of going away.
Prices are still trending up. Even when prices suddenly drop, as they have this week, the public know how much cheaper they used to be until recently, and do not tend to feel better.
There are a number of reasons why egg prices have become an important to US politicians. First, almost everyone buys eggs. So the shortage and subsequent price rise is newsworthy and affects consumers in all income brackets.
Secondly, they are a measure of broader economic vulnerabilities, so egg-related problems tend to be part of a larger story about how weak the economy is. And thirdly, egg prices are political because of Trump’s promise to bring them down.
Polls showed that the economy and inflation were key factors in voter choice on election day 2024. In February 2025, Donald Trump did an interview with NBC News in which he said he won the election on the border and groceries.
On immigration, voters often base their opinions on what they perceive to be true. For example, tough rhetoric on building a wall may equate with a sense of feeling that the president is taking strong action, whether anything tangible actually materialises or not.
With groceries, reality trumps perception. The price of eggs is printed on the box and the cost is paid directly by voters.
Donald Trump on what he’s doing on egg prices and the economy.
Then there are the egg producers. US farmers tended to overwhelmingly support Trump on election day, so it is prudent for him to feel their pain, or at least appear to. Farming areas voted for him increasingly in his three election efforts, even increasing their support for him in 2020 after trade wars and price increases which would have negatively impacted them.
Another factor that may push up egg prices is that an estimated 70% of the factory farm workforce is immigrant labour, and as many as 40% are undocumented. Should the administration’s plans for high tariffs and mass deportations come to fruition, the industry would struggle to function.
Further food price increases will be inevitable, with potential exacerbation via the funding freezes for some USDA programmes that Trump has enacted. As of March 2025, US$1 billion in cuts has been announced, the consequences of which are already being felt by farmers. The “pain now for gain later” message is a tricky political sell.
Even in the current era of international turbulence, elections are largely won on more pedestrian matters. Specifically, “kitchen-table” economics is relatable to every voter, regardless of how grand, or not, their table is.
Americans will be aware that in neighbouring Canada, egg prices have not risen dramatically and there have not been shortages. But prices in Canada have been traditionally higher than the US, this is in part at least because farming standards differ.
The US does not have high welfare standards for agricultural workers or animals, and this shortcoming needs to be addressed in order to help reduce future risk of flu, but this is likely to also raise prices.
Blaming the previous incumbent is not a durable stance for Donald Trump. As former president Harry Truman might remind him: “The buck stops here.” Right at his desk.
Clodagh Harrington does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Jonathan Cazabonne, Doctorant en mycologie et écologie des vieilles forêts, Université du Québec en Abitibi-Témiscamingue (UQAT)
Fungi are among the most important organisms on Earth. Even though most of the world’s described 157,000 fungal species are only visible with a microscope, these organisms are essential to our ecosystems, our societies and economies.
Fungi are also important to human cultures — including as a source of food, medicine and art. Economically, fungi also support a growing economy centred around mycotourism — with a growing number of travellers visiting Canada and Spain each year to forage for wild mushrooms.
All the benefits fungi provide to humans are estimated to be worth the equivalent of US$54.57 trillion. This is why it’s an understatement to say that the world’s ecosystems and human societies are shaped by fungi.
And yet fungi continue to be an important but overlooked element of conservation strategies.
Why fungi are forgotten
Conservation efforts have long focused on protecting well-studied animals and plants. This is reflected in the number of species that have been assigned a conservation status by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
Around 84 per cent of known species of vertebrates have received an IUCN conservation status. But just 0.5 per cent of all described fungi — 818 fungal species — are currently present on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Considering scientists estimate that there could be around 2.5 million fungal species in the world — of which we currently only know about six per cent of them — this means just 0.03 per cent of all fungi have been assigned a conservation status.
Several factors explain this alarming reality.
Fungi are difficult to study in both nature and under experimental conditions. This is because of many species’ microscopic size, their short lifespan and the hidden habitats they call home — such as soils, the tissues of other organisms and dung deposits.
Many species of fungi are difficult to study because of their microscopic size. (Shutterstock)
Fungi are also considered “uncharismatic” — meaning they don’t have the level of human appeal that some other species have. Much of their diversity is cryptic, as well. This means that while many fungi were once considered to be a single species, in reality they’re made up of multiple species that may look similar but are genetically distinct from one another. Because of this, conservation projects for fungi are poorly funded and do not easily capture public interest.
Protecting the unknown
In recent years, there’s been momentum within the scientific community to recognise fungi as a distinct kingdom within conservation strategies — one that’s on equal footing with animals and plants.
A significant milestone in this movement has been the adoption of the term “funga,” which mirrors “fauna” and “flora”. This designates the fungal diversity within a given environment or habitat.
Another important advancement was the recent pledge for fungal conservation that was presented at the 2024 Conference of Parties (COP16) in Colombia. This pledge urged parties to make fungal conservation a priority given fungi are central to achieving the biodiversity targets set out by the Kunming-Montréal Global Biodiversity Framework.
More local initiatives are also emerging. In Québec, over 70 mycologists and biologists signed an opinion letter encouraging the government to integrate fungi into its legislative framework.
Such progress is not trivial and may help correct misconceptions about fungi that continue to be present among the public, economic sectors and policymakers. For example, the misconception that fungi are plants is something that still persists to this day. Allowing this misconception to continue being perpetuated is harmful to the field of mycology, and may be preventing it from becoming a standalone discipline that deserves dedicated funding and specialists.
Still, there’s much we don’t know about these unique, important organisms. And in order for us to be able to protect and preserve the planet’s fungi, we need to begin by formally identifying areas where knowledge is lacking and close these gaps.
Last year, researchers used Laboulbeniomycetes — a class of poorly understood microfungi — as a case study to understand what biodiversity and conservation shortfalls continue to affect funga. This group of fungi includes species that rely on arthropods to disperse their spores or act as hosts for them. Many of these fungi live as minute parasites on the surface of insects such as cockroaches and ladybirds.
The case study uncovered four major biodiversity shortfalls that are undermining the conservation of funga. These include knowledge gaps in species diversity, distribution, conservation assessments and species persistence.
Part of conservation
Failing to protect fungi means, by extension, failing to protect the roles they play in our ecosystems and daily lives.
This is especially timely, as fungi, like animals and plants, are also facing numerous threats. Habitat degradation, pollution, invasive species and climate change may all increase their risks of extinction.
And, as recently exemplified in vertebrates, many undescribed species of fungi may be even more at peril than we might know. This is because they’re most likely to be found in remote geographical regions — such as tropical rainforests — and thus heavily susceptible to human-induced changes.
A key priority to better integrate fungi into conservation biology is to accumulate data on species diversity. But in order to accumulate data and understand how we can better protect fungal species worldwide, we need to fund research on fungi and make mycology a more attractive field for young scientists.
One thing remains certain: the more we explore, the more we realise just how little we know.
Jonathan Cazabonne is financially supported by a B2X doctoral research fellowship from the Fonds de Recherche du Québec – Nature et technologies (FRQNT).
Danny Haelewaters receives funding from the Czech Academy of Sciences (Lumina Quaeruntur Fellowship LQ200962501).
Source: United Nations General Assembly and Security Council
The Commission on the Status of Women entered its second week today with an interactive dialogue on inclusive development, shared prosperity and decent work. Speakers emphasized the urgency of turning gender equality commitments into concrete, actionable policies to ensure women have equal opportunities to improve their employment prospects and livelihoods.
The Commission’s two-week annual session focuses on accelerating the implementation of the Platform for Action adopted at the 1995 conference on women in Beijing, where world leaders pledged to achieve gender equality and uphold women’s rights. Discussions also focus on contributing to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Women Friendly Tax Administration
Diane Elson, Emeritus Professor of Sociology at the University of Essex, England, said that systemic barriers to women’s enjoyment of decent work include discrimination in hiring, misogyny, sexual harassment, violence in the workplace and lack of investment to reduce and redistribute unpaid work. “Unfortunately, some of these barriers are actually intensifying in some countries, where there are now attempts to wipe from the record the gains that women and ethnic minorities and other minorities have made,” she said. However, there are many things that can be done. While inclusive development policies tend to garner wide support, there are many forms of inclusion that are impoverishing and exploitative. It is therefore important to focus on “rights at work as well as the right to work, and to understand that economic growth does not necessarily create more jobs,” she stressed. To that end, it is critical to improve women friendly tax administration systems for filing taxes. “We need the elimination of tax breaks that do not increase investment and productivity and serve only to reduce tax payments for well off people and businesses,” she said.
Access to Technology Training Key to Empowering Women
Corina Rodriguez, researcher at the National Council of Research and the Interdisciplinary Centre for the Study of Public Policy in Buenos Aires, Argentina, said that artificial intelligence (AI) and digitalization presents many opportunities to reduce gender disparities but also creates challenges and presents risks. Technology might lead to a displacement of the working population to get cheaper labour, particularly in certain sectors where women are overrepresented, and those perhaps where the qualifications are lower. Technology creates new employment opportunity in design, in goods and services, technological services, logistics, customer care — opportunities that women can seize. “But it depends, of course, on whether they’re able to first access training in these careers,” she said. “Women are under much more time pressure, because in addition to work, they have to very often care for other members of the family,” she said. It is essential to ensure that women do not “fall into the work trap” and take on additional hours without additional pay while also having to balance numerous other responsibilities.
Lekha S. Chakraborty, Professor at National Institute of Public Finance and Policy (NIPFP) in New Delhi, India, called on Governments to “move beyond the paradigm” of the gross domestic product (GDP). “The fiscal policy space is shrinking,” she went on to underscore, noting that funds to women’s programmes have been substantially cut in the post-pandemic landscape. However, it still remains true that the “smartest and fastest” way to increase GDP is to have women involved in economic growth through employment and empowerment. “There are challenges with the care economy infrastructure,” she emphasized, spotlighting a sector of the economy where women are overrepresented. In the post-pandemic paradigm “conscious public policy decisions are crucial”, she added. Gender-responsive budgeting should not be confined solely to “what is specifically targeting women”. She discussed the connection between gender bonds and fiscal policy, stating that in countries with high fiscal deficits, internal bond financing could be tied to gender equality outcomes. However, she cautioned against linking bond financing to external funding, as it is subject to external factors, which carry inherent risks. She emphasized that there are innovative approaches to addressing this issue. “Public financial management reforms for climate change are currently under way without being tied to a job guarantee,” she added.
Gender Mainstreaming
Barbara Ky, director of gender at the West African Economic and Monetary Union, discussed how the Union is working to translate gender perspective and gender equality commitments into practical public policies that can be implemented by Governments and thereby enhance women’s employment prospects and livelihoods. The Union has developed guidelines, digital tools and information technology procedures that are carried out by the sectoral ministry in each of the Union’s member country. Public policy is based on goals that will integrate a gender perspective. “This requires mainstreaming the gender perspective and integrating it into every stage of planning, programming, budgeting and implementation,” she said. At the highest level all documents prepared by Government ministries should include a gender-related aspect “so that public policy is truly permeated by an awareness of these issues and gender has to be taken into account from the initiative of the process,” she said. For example, to address the issue of women’s unpaid employment, the hours that women spend bringing water to the household, compared with men, has been assessed. Planning programmes need to be aware of women’s contributions.
Women Spend 4.5 Hours Daily on Unpaid Care Work
Marija Babovic, a professor affiliated with the University of Belgrade, shared her perspective on the sustained negative impact that unpaid work has on women’s employment, income and economic security. These negative impacts are increasing as more women work in unpaid care and in unprotected domestic work. She noted that while in developed countries many women have entered the formal labour market since the 1970s, women and girls still provide more than three fourths of the unpaid care work around the world. For example, women spend 4 hours and 25 minutes each day on these activities while men spend 1 hour and 23 minutes each day on the same type of activities. More than 600 million women are working outside the paid labour force because of their care responsibilities, compared with 41 million men. “Unpaid work lowers women access to the labour market and paid work and is a factor in their higher financial poverty and time poverty,” she said. The paid care economy accounts for 11.5 per cent of the global economy, including jobs in such areas as childcare, disability care, aged care and paid domestic work. However, “across the world, paid care work remains characterized by a lack of rights, benefits or protections, low wages or non-compensation,” she said, adding that some women are subject to physical, mental and even sexual harassment.
The discussion was moderated by Anita Kemi DaSilva-Ibru, founder of the Women at Risk International Foundation (WARIF), a leading non-profit organization that addresses the prevalence of sexual violence in Nigeria and Africa.
The Commission also held a second interactive dialogue this afternoon on poverty eradication, social protection, and social services.
Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments
News story
PS752: International Civil Aviation Organisation Vote
The UK Government has issued a statement following the outcome of the International Civil Aviation Organisation hearing on the case of Flight PS752.
A UK Government spokesperson said:
“Today, on 17 March 2025, the Council of the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) rejected Iran’s preliminary objection in the case of Flight PS752.
“Canada, Sweden, Ukraine, and the United Kingdom welcome the decision by the ICAO Council to accept jurisdiction in the case.
“This decision takes us a step closer to holding Iran to account for its illegal downing of Flight PS752 in January 2020. We will now proceed to the next phase in our case against Iran at ICAO.
“We remain committed to seeking justice, transparency, and accountability for the 176 innocent victims and their families.”
One of UniSA’s most passionate advocates for Aboriginal communities and marginalised groups has won the 2024 SA Governor’s Multicultural Award for Outstanding Individual Achievement.
Dr Jelina Haines, a practitioner-academic who has collaborated with Aboriginal Elders for more than 21 years and used art, storytelling and digital technologies to empower marginalised communities, was among nine winners and 31 finalists who attended the awards ceremony at Government House on 5 March.
The award, presented by the Governor of South Australia Frances Adamson AC, honoured Dr Haines’ extensive body of work over two decades championing social cohesion, intercultural understanding and the revitalisation of Aboriginal arts.
A Filipino-born Australian with an ancestral link to Indigenous Americas-Mexico, Dr Haines migrated to South Australia in 1997. Since then, she has spearheaded 52 minor programs, five major projects, and three international educational initiatives.
Her work has provided crucial income opportunities for Aboriginal artists while fostering a strong sense of identity within communities.
One of her most notable artistic collaborations has been with the Ngarrindjeri Cultural Weavers at Camp Coorong. Through this mutual partnership, she has helped create intricate woven sculptures representing Ngarrindjeri totems, including a life-sized whale exhibited at the SA Museum and the Le Havre Museum in France.
Dr Jelina Haines with her SA Governor’s Multicultural Award.
Other remarkable pieces, such as the Pelican and Murray Cod sculptures, have found homes in the National Australia Gallery, the SA Maritime Museum, and Ngarrindjeri Totems at the Department of Infrastructure, and Uniting Communities. These projects have not only united Aboriginal families and storytelling traditions but have also reinforced deep connections to ancestral landscapes.
Beyond her artistic contributions, Dr Haines has made an international impact through her research on the impact of digital technologies on marginalised communities, particularly Aboriginal groups.
Her award-winning studies have also shaped policies and practices that bridge digital gaps and create inclusive opportunities for underrepresented groups.
She currently serves as a Policy Advocacy Lead at Catalyst Now Oceania and Co-Chair of Catalyst Now Australia Chapter, and as SIG-Cabinet Deputy Director at the Association for Information Science and Technology (ASIS&T), USA. She has also played a pivotal role in student mentorship, bringing exchange students from Japan, Asia, Europe, and America to South Australia while guiding students from Bangladesh, India, and Pakistan in visual arts, archiving, information science and anthropology.
UniSA Associate Professor David Radford was also a finalist in the Outstanding Individual Achievement category, recognising his extensive research and ongoing work to support the settlement and integration of Hazara Afghan refugees in Australia.
ATLANTA (March 17, 2025) — Tomorrow, March 18, at 1:00 p.m., Sen. Donzella James (D–Atlanta) will hold a press conference on Diaspora Day.
MEETING DETAILS:
Date: Tuesday, March 18, 2025
Time: 1:00 p.m.
Location: South Steps, State Capitol, 206 Washington St SW, Atlanta, GA, 30334
This event is open to the public.
ABOUT THE PRESS CONFERENCE:
Sen. James will speak on the importance of International Diaspora Day. International Diaspora Day is observed annually and recognizes the economic, social and cultural impact of individuals who have migrated from their countries of origin while maintaining strong ties to their heritage. The day serves as a platform for discussions on policies that support diaspora engagement, international cooperation and the role of global communities in fostering development and unity.
MEDIA OPPORTUNITIES: We kindly request that members of the media confirm their attendance in advance by contacting Jantz Womack at SenatePressInquiries@senate.ga.gov.
# # # #
Sen. Donzella James serves as the Chair of the Senate Committee on Urban Affairs. She represents the 35th Senate District, which includes portions of Douglas and Fulton counties. She may be reached by phone at 404.463.1379 or by email atdonzella.james@senate.ga.gov
Headline: U.S. Attorneys for Southwestern Border Districts Charge More than 750 Illegal Aliens with Immigration-Related Crimes During the Second week in March.
President Trump has been clear that securing the Southwestern Border of the United States is a priority of the absolute highest level. To that end, the Department of Justice is prosecuting every possible immigration violation, including first-time illegal entry cases, and is seeking a meaningful prison sentence in every possible case.
OAKLAND – California Attorney General Rob Bonta today joined a coalition of 12 attorneys general in submitting a comment letter opposing the U.S. Department of State’s proposal to eliminate the option of “X” as a marker for gender on U.S. passports for individuals who identify as transgender or nonbinary. The Department has also sought to change the use of “gender” to “sex” on these forms. In the letter, the coalition argues that these changes contradict state laws which permit the use of gender markers including “X” in official government documents, including birth certificates and driver’s licenses, among other concerns.
“Everyone deserves the right to live as their authentic self, free from discrimination based on their gender identity. The Trump Administration’s attempt to force our transgender and nonbinary communities to use a passport that does not accurately reflect who they are is a direct attack on individual liberties and the work we do to protect our citizens from discrimination,” said Attorney General Bonta. “In California we recognize the importance of gender identity and are committed to protecting and defending rights of our transgender and nonbinary communities.”
Prior to the Trump Administration’s issuance of the Executive Order entitled “Defending Women from Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government,” the Department of State had permitted gender marker changes and a designation of “X” for gender. Dating back as early as the 1980s, the federal government has recognized gender identity as distinct from sex assigned at birth and accordingly granted individuals the ability to change gender markers in identifying records and documents. It was not until this Executive Order that the Department sought to abandon its rooted practice of allowing for gender marker changes.
In the letter, the coalition argues that the Department’s departure from the longstanding approach of allowing for gender marker changes lacks rational justification and will:
Conflict with state laws, that allow individuals to use gender designations that correspond with their gender identity;
Cause significant confusion and disruption in the administration of state-issued identification materials;
Interfere with the rights of transgender and nonbinary citizens to travel freely, as the proposed changes would force transgender and nonbinary individuals to use a passport that does not accurately reflect who they are; and
Expose transgender and nonbinary individuals to harm, including harassment, discrimination, and negative mental health outcomes.
In sending today’s comment letter, Attorney General Bonta joins the attorneys general of Massachusetts, New York, Connecticut, Hawaii, Illinois, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, Oregon, Vermont, and Washington.
Source: United States Senator for Wisconsin Ron Johnson
WASHINGTON – Yesterday, Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations Chairman Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) and Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) sent a letter to Attorney General Pam Bondi and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Director Kash Patel, to make public legally protected whistleblower disclosures showing the FBI, as part of its Arctic Frost investigation, acquired the government cell phones of President Trump and former Vice President Mike Pence, among other government officials. FBI agents used taxpayer dollars to crisscross the country and conduct dozens of interviews in support of the political probe.
Unclassified FBI records released by Chairmen Johnson and Grassley convey the alarming scope and speed of the FBI’s 2022 investigation of President Donald Trump, dubbed “Operation Arctic Frost.” The investigation – launched in April 2022 by anti-Trump FBI agent Timothy Thibault in a breach of FBI protocol – formed the basis of Special Counsel Jack Smith’s elector case against Trump. Upon opening the investigation, Thibault vowed it would be “prioritized over all others in the Branch” and commented that “it frankly took too long for us to open this [investigation].”
“Sunshine is the best disinfectant,” the chairmen wrote to Bondi and Patel. “The American people deserve to know the complete extent of the corruption within the DOJ and FBI that led to the investigation into President Trump. We are making this information public for purposes of public accountability and to provide specific examples of past behavior at your institutions that must not be repeated. Quite simply, the public has a right to know what happened in Arctic Frost and, based on what we’ve exposed to date, the American public deserves better from its law enforcement agencies. It is important that every individual at your agencies maintains the highest level of professionalism, and does not allow political bias to motivate or guide their investigative work.”
Within weeks of opening Arctic Frost on April 13, 2022, FBI agents began taking aggressive action to build out their case. The following is a summary of some Arctic Frost investigatory updates, based on unclassified internal FBI records:
Update 1 (April 22-25, 2022):
FBI begins scheduling over a dozen interviews in coordination with 13 FBI field offices.
DOJ and FBI begin the process of acquiring Trump and Pence’s government phones, which were in the Biden White House’s possession.
Update 2 (May 2-3, 2022):
FBI begins analyzing communications between Trump team members and Republican electors.
FBI meets with Justice Department (DOJ) officials to discuss possible search warrants for the Trump and Pence cell phones.
Update 3 (May 10, 2022):
FBI attempts to contact individuals in states throughout the country to schedule interviews.
Update 4 (May 13-17, 2022):
FBI obtains Trump and Pence’s government phones and enters them into evidence for the case.
FBI interviews the first Trump administration’s Deputy White House Counsel.
Additional interviews are planned with Trump administration officials, including employees from the Offices of the President and Vice President, DOJ and former Director of National Intelligence Director John Ratcliffe.
DOJ and FBI begin discussing the possibility of merging the DOJ Office of Inspector General (OIG) investigation, which included former Acting Assistant Attorney General (AAG) for the Civil Division, Jeffrey Clark, with the FBI’s Arctic Frost investigation.
DOJ OIG makes plans to seek search warrants for phones associated with former AAG Jeffrey Clark, John Eastman, Mark Meadows and Ken Klukowski.
Update 5 (May 21-24, 2022)
FBI makes the decision to add former AAG Jeffrey Clark to the Arctic Frost investigation.
FBI drafts a search warrant for the Trump and Pence cell phones in its possession.
Plans continue for additional interviews with former Trump administration officials.
Update 6 (May 27, 2022):
FBI plans to conduct approximately 50 interviews, coupled with subpoenas, across at least seven states during the week of June 20, 2022. Interviews are set to take place with those who “signed and/or mailed the certificates in each state, as well as the Trump Campaign’s Directors of Election Day Operations for the relevant states, and certain GOP officials who are believed to have facilitated the scheme by communicating with individuals associated with the Trump campaign and the ‘fraudulent’ or ‘alternate’ electors.”
The DOJ OIG investigation that includes Jeffrey Clark is formally merged with the FBI Arctic Frost investigation, providing FBI access to phones and email accounts from a variety of DOJ officials, including former Attorney General Bill Barr.
Resources and Staffing
Over the course of just four days in June 2022, the FBI Arctic Frost team spent approximately $16,000 in taxpayer-funded travel to “conduct more than 40 interviews, serve subpoenas and execute several cellular device search warrants.”
Read more about Chairmen Johnson and Grassley’s letter on Fox News.
A federal judge swiftly blocked the deportations and ordered the planes carrying Venezuelans heading to El Salvador to return. But the White House, which has appealed the ruling, said that the court order came too late on a Saturday night, after it had already sent the Venezuelan immigrants to El Salvador.
Legal analysts were trying to determine where the planes carrying the Venezuelans were shortly before 7 p.m. on March 15, when the judge issued the order stopping their removal, in an attempt to determine if the Trump administration had violated the judge’s order.
The Alien Enemies Act empowers presidents to apprehend and remove foreign nationals from countries that are at war with the United States. U.S. presidents have issued executive proclamations and invoked thislaw three times: during the War of 1812, World War I and World War II. All three instances followed Congress declaring war.
Why bother dusting off a 227-year-old law?
Invoking the Alien Enemies Act could make it far easier for the Trump administration to quickly apprehend, detain and deport immigrants living without legal authorization in the U.S. That’s because the law lets presidents bypass court review of the deportation.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio meets with El Salvador President Nayib Bukele at his residence at Lake Coatepeque in El Salvador, on Feb. 3, 2025. AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein, Pool
Repressive origins and populist backlash
The Alien Enemies Act traces back to the late 1700s, when the Federalists, an early political party, controlled Congress. The Federalists wanted strong national government as well as harmonious diplomatic and trade relations with Great Britain.
The opposing Democratic-Republican Party, led by Thomas Jefferson, supported France in its fight against Great Britain.
The Federalists in Congress considered Jefferson’s pro-France position to be against U.S. interests. They also were troubled that the Democratic-Republicans were backed by thousands of French and Irish immigrants who had some political clout in big cities such as Philadelphia and New York.
So in 1798, the Federalists tried to quell domestic opposition by passing the Alien and Sedition Acts, a series of controversial laws that banned political dissent by limiting free speech. The laws also made it harder for immigrants to become citizens.
One of these laws was the Alien Enemies Act, which gave presidents broad authority to control or remove noncitizens ages 14 or older if they had ties to foreign enemies during times of a declared war.
The Alien and Sedition Acts elicited a firestorm of criticism soon after they were passed, including from Jefferson and James Madison, who asserted that states have the right and duty to declare some federal laws unconstitutional. The populist backlash against the Alien and Sedition Acts helped propel Jefferson and Democratic-Republicans to victory in the 1800 presidential election. Nearly all of the Alien and Sedition Acts were then either repealed or allowed to expire.
Only the Alien Enemies Act, a law enacted without an expiration date, survived.
History of the Alien Enemies Act
Madison, the fourth U.S. president, first invoked the Alien Enemies Act during the War of 1812 with Great Britain, which was sparked for several reasons, including trade and territorial control of North America.
Madison invoked the act in 1812 by proclaiming that “all subjects of His Britannic Majesty, residing within the United States, have become alien enemies.”
But rather than imposing mass deportations, Madison’s administration simply required British nationals living in the U.S. to report their age, home address, length of residency and whether they applied for naturalization.
Wilson used the Alien Enemies Act to impose sweeping restrictions on the residency, work, possessions, speech and activities of foreign nationals from places that the U.S. was at war with – Germany, Austria-Hungary, the Ottoman Empire and Bulgaria. U.S.-born women married to any people born in these places were also deemed “enemy aliens.”
Two decades later, President Franklin D. Roosevelt notoriously used the Alien Enemies Act in World War II.
In 1941, Roosevelt authorized special restrictions on German, Italian and Japanese nationals living in the U.S. More than 30,000 of these foreign nationals, including Jewish refugees from Germany, spent the war imprisoned at internment camps because the government considered them potentially dangerous. The U.S. government released these detainees after World War II ended.
The Trump administration wrote in its order that the Venezuelan criminal organization Tren de Aragua is “conducting irregular warfare and undertaking hostile actions against the United States.”
The American Civil Liberties Union and another legal nonprofit, Democracy Forward, filed a lawsuit on March 15, the same day the Trump administration announced it was invoking the act.
The Alien Enemies Act’s text and history present formidable legal hurdles for the Trump administration proving that Tren de Aragua is at war with the U.S. While the organization is primarily based in Venezuela, Tren de Aragua members in the U.S. have been arrested in Pennsylvania, Florida, New York, Texas and California for crimes including shooting New York police officers.
The 1798 law is clear that an “invasion or predatory incursion” must be undertaken by a “foreign nation or government” in order for it to be invoked.
Yet Congress has not declared war on any country, including Venezuela, in over 80 years, nor has another government launched an invasion against U.S. territory.
And drug cartels are not actual national governments running Latin American countries, so they don’t meet the criteria in the Alien Enemies Act.
In the past, Trump’s senior advisers have said with no clear evidence that the administration can justly claim that some Latin American governments, such as Mexico and Venezuela, are run by drug cartels that are attacking U.S. security.
Whatever the argument, the tenacious problem that the Trump administration will face is that neither the letter of the law nor historical precedents support peacetime use of the Alien Enemies Act.
None of these textual and historical realities will matter, however, if the courts ultimately decide that a president – simply saying that the country is being invaded by a foreign nation – is sufficient to legally invoke the act and is not subject to judicial review.
This makes it impossible to automatically dismiss blueprints for using an 18th-century law, however dubious, and it appears the Venezuelan deportations case appears headed for the Supreme Court. If Trump succeeds at invoking the Alien Enemies Act, I believe it would add another chapter to the Alien Enemies Act’s sordid history.
Daniel Tichenor 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.
More people in North Okanagan will soon have better access to healthy, fresh food as funding bolsters support for critical food infrastructure.
The Land to Table Network Society received $1 million through the provincial Critical Food Infrastructure Fund (CFIF) to develop the Food Shed, a North Okanagan-based warehouse, which will support the distribution of nutritious food to those in need across multiple regions.
“We know that due to the global inflation and uncertainties, some people in B.C. and in our region are struggling to put good food on the table and to buy daily essentials like groceries; therefore, our government is continuing to take action,” said Harwinder Sandhu, parliamentary secretary for agriculture. “We are funding critical infrastructure updates that will connect community service agencies with local food suppliers, helping more people access fresh and local food to address this challenge.”
The project will involve upgrading a centrally located cold-storage warehouse in Armstrong to collect, combine, process, store, market and distribute food. The upgrades will help schools, institutions, food banks and non-profit organizations in nearby regions connect to year-round, local, affordable food.
The $14-million CFIF, announced in September 2023, will span three years and is administered by United Way British Columbia (United Way BC). It provides grants for food-infrastructure projects that increase a community’s capacity to offer nutritious and culturally appropriate food to people who need it.
“This unique, centralized distribution will increase sales opportunities for local producers, increasing employment and revenue,” said Liz Blakeway, executive director, Land to Table Network. “At the same time, it will help meet the growing demand that schools, food banks and non-profits experience for affordable food for the people they serve.”
The CFIF addresses some of the key challenges faced by communities, strengthening food security for those who need it the most.
Quotes:
Sheila Malcolmson, Minister of Social Development and Poverty Reduction –
“We all want people to have access to nutritious food, so we’re taking more action to help people withstand the impacts of the trade war and global inflation. That’s why on top of hundreds of other projects, we’ve funded new critical infrastructure that helps people access fresh food in the North Okanagan and throughout B.C.”
Lana Popham, Minister of Agriculture and Food –
“When it comes to strengthening food security and food supply for British Columbians, collaboration is key. This project brings together important community partners, non-profits and government to strengthen the local food system and help more people access affordable nutritious food.”
Alžběta Sabová, director, food security, community impact and investment, United Way BC –
“Despite its abundant farmland, the North Okanagan faces food security challenges as families struggle with access to fresh, nutritious food and farmers have a hard time reaching secure markets. Transforming a cold-storage warehouse into a food hub for storage, processing and distribution tackles these issues directly. United Way BC is proud to help strengthen the local food system through this project, an inspiring rural food-security model with lasting impact across British Columbia.”
Eric Larocque, school food co-ordinator, Rocky Mountain School District No. 6 –
“Having worked in the food-security sector for several years now, it has become apparent that there are large infrastructure and logistical challenges facing the Interior of British Columbia. A lot of rural and remote communities face issues accessing fresh and B.C.-grown foods, especially in our food banks and school food programs. It is through initiatives like this that real, positive changes can be made in food access and food security for all families in our province.”
Quick Facts:
In 2024, the B.C. government announced that more than $7.2 million of the CFIF has been distributed to more than 100 organizations to support small and medium-sized projects that help people throughout B.C. put food on the table.
Grants from the CFIF are helping community organizations, including Indigenous organizations and First Nations, build, buy and improve warehouse storage space and equipment, buy refrigerated vehicles to transport food, and buy equipment to preserve and process food for extended shelf life.
By increasing the capacity for storing, transporting and redistributing food locally, the grants help increase year-round availability of nourishing and culturally appropriate foods.
Learn More:
To learn more about the CFIF, visit: https://news.gov.bc.ca/releases/2023SDPR0057-001516 and https://news.gov.bc.ca/releases/2024SDPR0013-001349
To learn more about Land to Table Network, visit: https://landtotablenetwork.com/
For more information about United Way British Columbia, visit: https://uwbc.ca/program/food-security/
Source: United States Senator for Alabama Tommy Tuberville
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) joined U.S. Senator Todd Young (R-IN) in reintroducing the Fair and Open Competition Act (FOCA), which would prevent the federal government from mandating project labor agreements (PLAs) on federal projects funded by taxpayers. This legislation would provide more opportunities to bid on government work, increase workforce competition, lower government construction costs, and save taxpayer dollars.
Sen. Tuberville cosponsored this legislation in the 118th Congress.
“Alabama’s workers deserve an equal playing field,” said Sen. Tuberville. “Alabama is a Right-to-Work state, and that means we don’t force workers to unionize. Construction companies and workers should win bids based off of merit, not their unionization status. I am proud to work with my colleagues to protect workers, boost business, and lower costs.”
“The Fair and Open Competition Act is pro-worker legislation that will restore competition in the construction industry, protect Hoosier workers from discriminatory contracts, and lower costs for taxpayers,” said Sen. Young. “Growing up with a dad who ran a small business and around family members and close friends who were union members, I appreciate what everyone brings to the table. This bill strikes the right balance to ensure various contractors can bid on these projects on their own merits.”
Sens. Tuberville and Young were joined by Sens. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), Katie Britt (R-AL), Ted Budd (R-NC), John Cornyn (R-TX), Kevin Cramer (R-ND), Mike Crapo (R-ID), Ted Cruz (R-TX), Lindsey Graham (R-SC), Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Bill Hagerty (R-TN), James Lankford (R-OK), Cynthia Lummis (R-WY), Jim Risch (R-ID), Rick Scott (R-FL), and Thom Tillis (R-NC) in cosponsoring the legislation.
Congressman Clay Higgins (R-LA-3) led the effort in the U.S. House of Representatives.
Read full text of the legislation here.
BACKGROUND:
On February 4, 2022, President Biden issued Executive Order 14063, requiring federal contracting agencies to mandate Project Labor Agreements (PLAs) on federal construction projects valued at $35 million or more, with limited exceptions. This new mandate poses serious risks:
It effectively bars over 80% of the U.S. construction workforce—those who are non-union—from competing on these federal projects.
Taxpayers bear the cost, as various studies have shown that PLAs can increase construction costs by 12% to 20%.
Right-to-work states are especially harmed when local non-union workers are shut out of cooperative federal projects.
Specifically, the FOCA would:
Prohibit federal agencies from requiring PLAs as a condition of winning a contract.
Permit contractors and subcontractors to decide if a PLA is suitable on a case-by-case basis—without government interference.
Direct the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) to be updated within 60 days to remove or block any requirement that contractors enter into PLAs.
Senator Tommy Tuberville represents Alabama in the United States Senate and is a member of the Senate Armed Services, Agriculture, Veterans’ Affairs, HELP, and Aging Committees.
CONWAY, Ark., March 17, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Home BancShares, Inc. (NYSE: HOMB), parent company of Centennial Bank, today announced it expects to release First Quarter 2025 earnings after the market closes on April 16, 2025. Following this release, management will conduct a conference call to review these earnings at 1:00 p.m. CT (2:00 p.m. ET) on Thursday, April 17, 2025.
We strongly encourage all participants to pre-register for the conference call webcast or the live call using one of the following links. First, participants can pre-register for the conference call webcast using the following link: https://events.q4inc.com/attendee/447517977. Participants who pre-register will be given a unique webcast link to gain immediate access to the conference call webcast. Second, participants can pre-register for the live call using the following link: https://www.netroadshow.com/events/login?show=a44e9900&confId=79637. Participants who pre-register will be given the phone number and unique access codes to gain immediate access to the live call. Participants may pre-register now, or at any time prior to the call, and will immediately receive simple instructions via email. The Home BancShares conference call will also be scheduled as an event in your Outlook calendar.
Those without internet access or unable to pre-register may dial in and listen to the live call by calling 1-833-470-1428, Passcode: 947933. A replay of the call will be available by calling 1-866-813-9403, Passcode: 685290, which will be available until April 24, 2025, at 11:59 p.m. CT. Internet access to the call will be available live or in recorded version on the Company’s website at www.homebancshares.com.
Home BancShares, Inc. is a bank holding company, headquartered in Conway, Arkansas. Its wholly-owned subsidiary, Centennial Bank, provides a broad range of commercial and retail banking plus related financial services to businesses, real estate developers, investors, individuals and municipalities. Centennial Bank has branch locations in Arkansas, Florida, South Alabama, Texas and New York City, with branches in Texas operating as Happy State Bank, a division of Centennial Bank. The Company’s common stock is traded through the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol “HOMB.”
FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT: Home BancShares, Inc. Donna Townsell Senior Executive Vice President & Director of Investor Relations (501) 328-4625 Ticker symbol: HOMB
Not for distribution to United States newswire services or for dissemination in the United States
TORONTO, March 17, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — PIMCO Canada Corp. (“PIMCO Canada”) today announced the 2025 first quarter cash distributions for the ETF series (“ETF Series”) of the PIMCO Canada mutual funds that distribute quarterly (“Funds”). Unitholders of record of the ETF Series, at the close of business on March 21, 2025, will receive a per-unit cash distribution payable on or about March 31, 2025.
Details of the per-unit cash distribution amounts are as follow:
Fund Name
Ticker
Cash Distribution per Unit
PIMCO Managed Conservative Bond Pool
PCON
$0.15106
PIMCO Managed Core Bond Pool
PCOR
$0.15602
PIMCO Canadian Core Bond Fund
CORE
$0.15218
The Manager, PIMCO Canada, administers and manages the PIMCO Canada ETFs, and retains Pacific Investment Management Company LLC (“PIMCO”) to provide sub-advisory services to the Funds.
About PIMCO
PIMCO is a global leader in active fixed income with deep expertise across public and private markets. We invest our clients’ capital across a range of fixed income and credit opportunities, drawing upon our decades of experience navigating complex debt markets. Our flexible capital base and deep relationships with issuers have helped us become one of the world’s largest providers of traditional and nontraditional solutions for companies that need financing and investors who seek strong risk-adjusted returns.
Forward-Looking Statements
Certain statements included in this news release constitute forward-looking statements, including, but not limited to, those identified by the expressions “expect”, “intend”, “will” and similar expressions to the extent they relate to the Funds. The forward-looking statements are not historical facts but reflect the Funds’, PIMCO Canada’s and/or PIMCO’s current expectations regarding future results or events. These forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results or events to differ materially from current expectations, including, but not limited to, market factors. Although the Funds, PIMCO Canada and/or PIMCO believes that the assumptions inherent in the forward-looking statements are reasonable, forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and, accordingly, readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on such statements due to the inherent uncertainty therein. The Funds, PIMCO Canada and/or PIMCO undertakes no obligation to update publicly or otherwise revise any forward-looking statement or information whether as a result of new information, future events or other factors which affect this information, except as required by law.
No offering is being made by this material. Interested investors should obtain a copy of the prospectus, which is available from your Financial Advisor.
Commissions, trailing commissions, management fees and expenses all may be associated with mutual fund investments. Please read the prospectus before investing. Mutual funds are not guaranteed, their values change frequently and past performance may not be repeated.
All investments contain risk and can lose value. For a summary of the risks of an investment in a specific fund, please see the Funds prospectus.
The Fund’s distribution rates may be affected by numerous factors, including but not limited to changes in realized and projected market returns, fluctuations in market interest rates, Fund performance, and other factors. There can be no assurance that a change in market conditions or other factors will not result in a change in the Fund’s distribution rate or that the rate will be sustainable in the future.
For instance, during periods of low or declining interest rates, the Fund’s distributable income and distribution rate may decline for many reasons. For example, the Fund may have to deploy uninvested assets (whether from purchases of Fund units, proceeds from matured, traded or called debt obligations or other sources) in new, lower yielding instruments. Additionally, payments from certain instruments that may be held by the Fund (such as variable and floating rate securities) may be negatively impacted by declining interest rates, which may also lead to a decline in the Fund’s distributable income and distribution rate.
Funds can offer different series, which are subject to different fees and expenses (which may affect performance), having different minimum investment requirements and are entitled to different services.
The products and services provided by PIMCO Canada may only be available in certain provinces or territories of Canada and only through dealers authorized for that purpose.
PIMCO Canada has retained PIMCO LLC as sub-adviser. PIMCO Canada will remain responsible for any loss that arises out of the failure of its sub-adviser.
OUAGADOUGOU, Burkina Faso, March 17, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — This news release is issued by Nioko Resources Corporations (“Nioko Resources”) pursuant to the early warning requirements of Canada’s National Instrument 62-104 (“NI 62-104”) and National Instrument 62-103 with respect to common shares (the “Common Shares”) of Orezone Gold Corporation (“Orezone”), a reporting issuer in each of the Provinces and Territories of Canada with a head office at 450-505 Burrard St., Vancouver, British Columbia, V7X 1M3.
Pursuant to a binding subscription agreement dated March 17, 2025 (the “Subscription Agreement”), Nioko Resources has acquired deemed beneficial ownership (in accordance with section 1.8 of NI 62-104) of 10,719,659 Common Shares (the “Acquired Shares”) to be issued from treasury at a price of C$0.82 per Acquired Share for aggregate consideration of C$8,790,121.38 (the “Equity Financing”).
Immediately prior to entering into the Subscription Agreement, Nioko Resources held 92,743,855 Common Shares of Orezone representing approximately 18.2% of the issued and outstanding Common Shares.
Immediately following the entering into of the Subscription Agreement, the Acquiror has acquired deemed beneficial ownership (determined in accordance with NI 62-104) of 10,719,659 Common Shares, expected to represent approximately 2.0% of the issued and outstanding Common Shares on closing of the Equity Financing.
The total holdings in the Common Shares of Orezone held by the Acquiror post-closing of the Equity Financing will represent approximately 19.9% of the issued and outstanding Common Shares.
Nioko Resources is acquiring the Acquired Shares for investment purposes. Depending on market and other conditions, Nioko Resources may increase or decrease its beneficial ownership, control or direction over Common Shares through market transactions, private agreements, treasury issuances, exercise of options, warrants, convertible securities or otherwise, in each case as investment conditions warrant.
An early warning report (the “Report”) disclosing the acquisition of the deemed beneficial ownership of the Acquired Shares under the Equity Financing will be filed on Orezone’s SEDAR+ profile at www.sedarplus.ca and can be obtained from Nioko Resources, Ouagadougou, Secteur 54, Parcelle 02, Lot 17, Section 281(I), S/C 01 BP 2061, Ouagadougou 01, Burkina Faso, attention: Director General, by phone: (+226) 70 21 70 04 or by email: direction_generale@niokoresources.com.
About Nioko Resources Corporation
Nioko Resources is a West African investment group focused on regional growth.
Forward-Looking Statements
This news release may contain “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of applicable securities legislation, including statements regarding the filing of the Report and the disposition or acquisition of additional Common Shares or other securities of Orezone by Nioko Resources. Forward-looking statements are necessarily based upon a number of estimates and assumptions that, while considered reasonable by management at the time of preparation, are inherently subject to significant business, economic and competitive uncertainties and contingencies, and may prove to be incorrect. Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual financial results, performance or achievements to be materially different from the estimated future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by those forward-looking statements and the forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance. Except as required by law, Nioko Resources disclaims any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, events or otherwise.
Source: United States Senator for Michigan Gary Peters
Published: 03.14.2025
WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senator Gary Peters (D-MI) released the following statement on his vote to allow debate to proceed on the continuing resolution to prevent a government shutdown:
“Under a normal administration, a government shutdown would be devastating to families in Michigan and across the country who count on federal programs for health care, veterans’ benefits, and small business loans. Shutdowns are also incredibly damaging, the last shutdown cost the U.S. economy $11 billion. Make no mistake, a shutdown under President Trump right now would be catastrophic.
“A government shutdown would give President Trump, Elon Musk, and Office of Management and Budget Director Russ Vought unchecked power to continue their illegal campaign of dismantling agencies that provide services Americans need. In a shutdown, the President and OMB have ultimate control over which parts of the government stay open and which workers stay on the job – and I know their decisions would not be in the best interests of the American people.
“In a shutdown, the Trump Administration would be emboldened to deem countless more federal workers as non-essential, making those civil servants prime targets for future rounds of mass layoffs. This action will make our country less safe and make it much harder for Americans to access programs they count on.
“When the first Trump Administration shut down the government, they repeatedly broke the law. This time, they would take it even further. A shutdown would also give them free rein to keep some agencies closed indefinitely – including the Department of Education, Environmental Protection Agency, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, and more. “This is a difficult choice, but with the deadline quickly approaching, I believe Congress must do its most basic job to keep the lights on. I voted to move this process forward and give the Senate a chance to take a vote so that agencies remain open and providing services, independent watchdogs can stay on the job, and Democrats can keep fighting in both Congress and in the courts to stop Republican tax cuts for billionaires and President Trump’s harmful agenda.”
