The report on losses of public money within Saskatchewan health organizations has been tabled with the Standing Committee on Public Accounts.
The Ministry of Health reports losses by the Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA), Athabasca Health Authority (AHA), Saskatchewan Cancer Agency (SCA), Health Shared Services Saskatchewan (3sHealth), Health Quality Council (HQC) and Saskatchewan Association of Health Organizations (SAHO) in keeping with similar reporting of losses within ministries and Crown agencies.
Two reportable losses were reported by the SHA and HQC to the Ministry of Health in the second quarter of the 2024-25 fiscal year (from July 1 to September 30, 2024):
A former SHA employee was paid by SHA while working for an external organization at the same time, resulting in a loss of $2,018 over a period of sixteen months.
A former HQC employee was paid by HQC while working for an external organization at the same time, resulting in a loss of $1,800 over a period of a year and half.
See the attached report, or visit: www.saskatchewan.ca/government/government-structure/ministries/health/other-reports/public-losses.
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for more information, contact:
Media Desk Health Regina Phone: 306-787-4083 Email: media@health.gov.sk.ca Cell: 306-787-4083
UConn Engineering professors are aiding a national effort to maintain secure election infrastructure, ensuring fair elections for all United States voters.
School of Computing professors Benjamin Fuller, Laurent Michel, Ghada Almashaqbeh, and Alexander Russell partnered with the University of Nebraska at Omaha to launch the Secure, Holistic Infrastructure for Election Logistics and Data (SHIELD) project in October. The SHIELD project is supported by the National Counterterrorism Innovation, Technology, and Education (NCITE) Center, a United States Department of Homeland Security Center of Excellence.
The election system in the United States is historically complex, with local and state offices given decentralization and autonomy. The system offers oversight and independence to local and state offices. This decentralization yields increased cybersecurity resilience. However, the lack of sharing can result in duplication of efforts or a waste of limited resources.
This project will develop tools and processes that solidify the decentralized electoral systems in the United States to increase the trust of stakeholders in election outcomes. The research team will design a non-prescriptive formal process for election officials to reason holistically about the security of elections.
SHIELD has two main goals, including reporting on optimizing the standard for auditing election reporting, analyzing elections and their components, and specifying procedures for desired security; and organizing an Omaha forum on election security.
Fuller visited the University of Nebraska at Omaha early in October to attend an event hosted by NCITE, which brought Jen Easterly, director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, and five Midwestern secretaries of state to discuss the challenges of the 2024 election and priorities for keeping it secure.
“By partnering with the University of Nebraska at Omaha, we can elevate our impact and continue to provide thoughtful models for election audits and secure systems,” Fuller says. “Boosting the public’s trust in the electoral process should be considered a key offering from a public institution like UConn.”
The four UConn researchers have experience in applied cryptography, cryptography, computer systems security, privacy, information theory, modeling and programming languages, combinatorial optimization, constraint programming, electronic voting security, and statistical election auditing.
This project is one of many UConn is leading related to election standards and national security.
“Our faculty in the School of Computing are recognized authorities in their respective domains, and they are profoundly dedicated to strengthening the integrity of electoral processes,” says School of Computing Director Sanguthevar Rajasekaran. “Their pioneering research on voting security and election standards plays a crucial role in fortifying the resilience and reliability of our democratic systems. I take great pride in working with such distinguished scholars committed to advancing this essential field of study.”
Nurseresearchersfrom the School of Nursingwillinvestigateonhealth equitywith the receipt of sevengrant awards totaling over$1.2 millionfrom July to October,2024.
“At UConn Nursing, our research focus is on health equity across the lifespan.Multi–contextualfactors influence health beginning early in life and accumulate over time contributing to health inequities. To achieve health equity,researcheliminatinghealth disparities among diverse populations is a nursing research priority, especially as these populations grow in number and proportion,” saysDean Dickson.
Zuri, the trauma-informed sexual health app
Dr. Christina Ross’ research focuses on understanding how youth-serving professionals can address adolescents’ sexual and reproductive health (SRH) needs, promote their positive development by using their internal and external assets, and significantly lower the rates of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and unintended pregnancies. Dr. Ross’ interest involves health promotion and risk reduction among vulnerable adolescents locally and globally, SRH, and health disparities.
During her time at the University of Virginia, Dr. Ross knew that her niche was in sexual health but wanted to find her focus. She says that we know how to prevent sexually transmitted diseases and unwanted pregnancies, but there is still a disproportionate gap in sexual health education and an elevated risk amongst Black adolescent females. Furthermore, that gap widens when examining young women and girls in foster care.
“Most girls go to biological parents for support like dating, understanding their bodies, and contraceptive use, but in the foster care system, these girls don’t know who to turn to,” says Dr. Ross. “Some rely on partners or social media or peers. A lot of these girls also struggled with mental health, abuse, and neglect. I took this information and decided to work on intervention.”
At first, Dr. Ross worked with the Department of Social Services to study these inequities, but there was limited support. Then, when Dr. Ross came to Connecticut, she continued her work and teamed with the Department of Fine Arts at UConn. Together with Joel Salisbury and Ting Zhou, they are currently developing a digital app called Zuri, initially funded by the STEAM Innovation Grant through UConn.
Most recently, Dr. Ross (principal Investigator and fellow) was awarded $500,000 over a 3-year period from the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation in support of the Betty Irene Moore Fellowship Program for Nurse Leaders and Innovators.
The goal of this project, Assessing the Feasibility of Zuri App to Promote Sexual Health, is to develop and study this culturally sensitive, trauma-informed mobile health application. This app promotes safe sex, communication with partners about sexual needs, and contraceptive use negotiation skills among Black female adolescents and young women and girls in foster care.
Zuri is a sexual self-efficacy app, something that is totally different than what already exists. There is a profound need for an app like this that is culturally sensitive. – Dr. Ross
In this app, the user can create an avatar that looks like you – skin tone, hair, clothes – that acts as a “digital big sister”. There are games, video content, and different learning modules around pregnancy, STIs, and hygiene.The end goal is that users can communicate about their needs to caregivers, partners, and providers which will empower them to make informed decisions about their own bodies when it comes to sexual health. While still in discussion, the aim for this app is to be free for all users, therefore increasing availability to evidence-based resources that build self-efficacy and remove barriers to health care access.
While in development, Dr. Ross and her team are collecting preliminary data from potential users from ages 18 to 23 to design a prototype. The target demographic for this app is Black adolescent females ages 13 to 18 in foster care and out of foster care, but this focus group of caregivers and young adults allows retroactive research into what they have experienced.
During this phase, data helps users make better choices. Feedback from other institutions like the National Institute of Health (NIH) may allow the team to apply for consent waivers as they enter the next phase of the study. In addition, this grant provides professional development opportunities that will assist Dr. Ross in exploring these health inequities further.
There will be a randomized control trial after launch, which is estimated for spring of 2025. Dr. Ross and her team are working with the DXG Design Group and theUConn Accelerate Program, which helps student and faculty innovators to become actualized.
Dr. Ross’s team includes Dr. Sherry Pagoto, professor in the Department of Allied Health Sciences and director of the Center for Health and Social Media (mentor), Dr. Elizabeth Aparicio, associate professor of Behavioral and Community Health at the University of Maryland and Ting Zhou, assistant professor, School of Fine Arts Digital Media and Design (collaborator). The app’s development is spearheaded by Joel Salisbury, adjunct instructor in web/interactive media design at theUConn Center for mHealth and Social Media.
Early testing of a support intervention for Black breast cancer survivors
Dr. Maurade Gormley’s new K23 Training Career Development Award funded by the National Institutes of Health, National Institute of Nursing Research and totaling almost $500,000 is centered on developing and conducting early testing of a peer-led support intervention for Black breast cancer survivors experiencing distress in the survivorship period.
Building upon her clinical experience as a pediatric oncology nurse, Dr. Gormley’s research aims to optimize the psychosocial health and well-being of cancer survivors as they face the unique challenges of a cancer diagnosis and experience health disparities.
Survivorship begins at the time of diagnosis, but after treatment ends, many people experience psychosocial challenges and may feel ‘lost in translation’ as they work to establish a ‘new normal’. – Dr. Gormley
“Therefore,” Gormley continues, “our goal is to optimize well-being during this survivorship phase, which often involves less frequent support and structure from the healthcare system.”
Dr. Gormley points out that Black breast cancer survivors have a 41% higher mortality rate than white women and experience worse psychosocial outcomes, such as greater distress and lower health-related quality of life. Psychosocial support interventions can reduce distress among breast cancer survivors.
However, these interventions are often not culturally sensitive to Black breast cancer survivors who are not only underrepresented in breast cancer research, but also report inadequate supportive care and the need for greater emotional and informational support from other Black breast cancer survivors.
Therefore, Dr. Gormley aims to design an intervention that will be delivered by peers who share similar backgrounds and experiences in hopes that peers will foster the strongest connections and support. The intervention will be co-designed with other Black breast cancer survivors to identify the preferred content, format, and delivery of the intervention. Once the intervention is finalized, it will be tested in a randomized controlled trial.
Dr. Gormley’s team for this award is comprised of Dr. Nancy Redeker, senior associate dean for research and professor at UConn School of Nursing (primary mentor); Dr. Adana Llanos, associate professor of epidemiology at Columbia University (co-primary mentor); Dr. Crystal Park, professor at the Department of Psychological Sciences at UConn (co-mentor); Dr. Keith Bellizzi, professor of gerontology in the Department of HDFS at UConn (co-mentor); Dr. Stephen Walsh, associate professor and biostatistician at UConn School of Nursing (collaborator); and Dr. Andrew Salner, medical director of the Hartford HealthCare Cancer Institute (consultant).
Other Funding Awarded to the School of Nursing
NRSA F31 Fellowship Grant examines effects of disadvantaged and equitable neighborhoods on sleep in young children
Pre-doctoral student Hannah Scheibner received a National Research Services Award (NRSA) F31 Fellowship grant from the National Institute of Health. Her project aims to inform future community and family-level interventions and policy to reduce health inequities related to structural racism.
Scheibner’s mentorship team is led by Dr. Nancy Redeker, senior associate dean for research and professor at UConn School of Nursing (sponsor); and includes Dr. Eileen Condon, assistant professor at UConn School of Nursing (co-sponsor); Dr. Chuanrong Zhang, professor at Department of Geography at UConn (co-sponsor); and Dr. Sangchoon Jeon, senior research scientist at Yale University (collaborator/statistician).
Dr. Gee Su Yang awarded not just one, but two recent grants
The first grant explores the impact of Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors (ICIs) on cognitive function in older cancer survivors.
The primaryobjectiveofthis longitudinalpilot study is to examine changes in cognitive function,as well as genetic and neurodegenerative factors that best predict cognitive changes among older adults with cancer on ICIs compared to cancer survivors not treated with ICIs.This is a $60,000 one-year projectfunded bythe Office of the Vice President (OVPR)for theclinical Research and Seed Program (CRISP)Award.
Assistant professor Dr. Gee Su Yang is the principal investigator collaborating with Dr. Upendre Hegde (co-principal investigator), professor of medicine, UConn Health Neag Comprehensive Cancer Center Division of Hematology and Oncology; Dr. Breno Satler Diniz (co-principal investigator), associate professor of psychiatry, UConn Health UConn Center on Aging; and Dr. Nancy Redeker (co-principal investigator), senior associate dean for research and professor at UConn School of Nursing.
Dr. Gee Su Yang (principal investigator) was also awarded $48,000 for her pilot research:Aromatase Inhibitor-Associated Musculoskeletal Symptoms and Gut Microbiome Patterns in Black and White Breast Cancer Survivors. As part of the 2024-2025 Breast Cancer Project with the CT Breast Health Initiative, the purpose of this study will examine the influence of racial differences on gut microbiome patterns and lifestyle, including diet, physical activity, and stress, that may predispose breast cancer survivors receiving aromatase inhibitors to musculoskeletal pain.
“Connecticut is one of the U.S. states with the highest incidence rate of new breast cancer,” says Dr. Yang. “I recently attended a CT Breast Health Initiative event that recognized survivors, volunteers, donors, and health care providers for their dedication to raising breast cancer awareness and seeing how much effort they put into promoting screening, prevention, and improving survivorship in our community was inspiring. I appreciate their contributions and the opportunity to support their efforts through research.”
InCHIP grants awarded to Drs. Ruth Lucas and Eileen Carter
Dr. Ruth Lucas (principal investigator) received a two-year $10,000 faculty seed grant to revise and expand the Breastfeeding Self-Management (BSM)intervention modules to better meet the needs of women most impacted by breastfeeding inequities. The project title is WIC Partnership to Revise and Expand Pain Self-Management Intervention with Breastfeeding Women. Dr. Lucas is working with Dr. Shayna Cunningham (co-investigator), assistant professor of Public Health Sciences at UConn Medical Center.
InCHIP also awarded a two-year $10,000 Community-Engaged Health Research Seed Grant to Dr. Eileen Carter (principal investigator) and her team to determine the acceptability of penicillin allergy testing in school-based health centers as perceived by parents and primary care providers in school-based health centers. Dr. Carter is supported by Dr. Kelsey Kaman, assistant professor of Pediatrics Division of Pulmonology, Allergy, and Sleep Medicine at Yale School of Medicine.
The CRTC determined that a new temporary fund for commercial radio stations in smaller markets should be created. Today, the CRTC is launching a public consultation on the creation of this temporary fund.
November 4, 2024, 2024—Ottawa–Gatineau—Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC)
The CRTC is taking another step forward in the implementation of the Online Streaming Act (formerly Bill C-11).
The Online Streaming Act, which amended the Broadcasting Act, requires the CRTC to modernize Canada’s broadcasting framework and ensure that online streaming services make meaningful contributions to Canadian and Indigenous content.
In June 2024, the CRTC announced that new funding from online streaming services would be directed to areas of immediate need in the Canadian broadcasting system, including local radio news. The CRTC determined that a new temporary fund for commercial radio stations in smaller markets should be created.
Today, the CRTC is launching a public consultation on the creation of this temporary fund. The fund will be administered by the Canadian Association of Broadcasters and will be available to stations outside of Montreal, Toronto, Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, and Ottawa-Gatineau.
The CRTC is welcoming comments until December 19, 2024. Canadians can participate by:
writing to the Secretary General, CRTC, Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0N2
sending a fax to 819-994-0218
Quotes
“We know how important local radio news is to Canadians. That is why we are taking action to create a new fund supporting local radio stations in smaller communities across the country.’’
– Vicky Eatrides, Chairperson and Chief Executive Officer, CRTC
Quick facts
The CRTC is an independent quasi-judicial tribunal that regulates the Canadian communications sector in the public interest. The CRTC holds public consultations on telecommunications and broadcasting matters and makes decisions based on the public record.
The CRTC is fulfilling the mandate given to it by Parliament to modernize the broadcasting framework. The CRTC has already held four public consultations and issued four decisions to implement the new legislation.
Through its recent decision on base contributions from online streaming services, the CRTC announced that new funding will be directed to areas of immediate need in the Canadian broadcasting system, including local news. Audio online undertakings will be required to contribute 1.5% of their Canadian revenues to the temporary fund. On June 4, 2024, the CRTC took a major step forward by requiring online streaming services to contribute 5% of their Canadian revenues to support the Canadian broadcasting system, starting in the 2024-2025 broadcast year.
Local news plays an important role in keeping Canadians informed. In many small communities, local radio stations are the only source of local news.
Associated links
General Inquiries Telephone: 819-997-0313 Toll free: 1-877-249-CRTC (2782) TTY: 819-994-0423
Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Melanie Stansbury (N.M.-01)
ALBUQUERQUE—U.S. Representative Melanie Stansbury (NM-01)introduced theIHS Provider Expansion Act,which establishes an Office of Graduate Medical Education Programs within the Indian Health Service (IHS). This legislation would expand the existing IHS Residency Program, building from the Shiprock-University of New Mexico (SUNM) Family Medicine Residency which is the first in the nation.
“Access to healthcare should not be determined by history or geography,”said Rep. Melanie Stansbury (NM-01). “The IHS Provider Expansion Act is a vital step towards ensuring that Native and Indigenous communities can access healthcare and grow the number of medical professionals serving Native communities. By investing in medical education within the Indian Health Service, we can help expand healthcare and bridge the gap in healthcare disparities that have persisted for far too long.”
In New Mexico, which is home to 23 Tribal Nations and a population that is nearly 12% Native, access to healthcare services is a pressing issue. Currently, IHS provides services in 37 states to about 2.2 million out of 3.7 million Indigenous people in the country.
This bill is projected to directly impact millions of people across the country served by the IHS to improve access to healthcare and medical professionals who understand the unique health challenges faced by Tribal communities.
By expanding access through IHS, this bill will also help to address the significant deficit of rural primary healthcare providers across the country. Recent data from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services shows rural areas across the country face a significant deficit in primary care providers, with more than 80 million Americans living in Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSAs).
By expanding graduate medical education opportunities through IHS, we can expect an increase in the number of physicians willing to practice in these underserved regions.
Key Provisions of the Legislation:
Establishment of the Office:The Secretary of Health makes permanent the Office of Graduate Medical Education Programs to oversee residency and fellowship initiatives within the IHS.
Creating a Pipeline:The Office will facilitate opportunities for future healthcare professionals, paraprofessionals, and other health-related workers to engage in residency and fellowship programs.
Oversight of Residency Programs:The Office will oversee existing residency and fellowship programs at IHS facilities and support the creation of additional programs aimed at recruiting and retaining healthcare professionals.
Coordination with Academic Institutions:The Office will work in collaboration with academic institutions to strengthen educational ties and enhance training opportunities.
Interagency Working Group:An interagency working group, involving various federal agencies, will assist in the implementation and sustainability of the Office, ensuring ongoing support and resources.
Read the bill here.
View the press conference here.
Other statements of support:
“Investing in healthcare for Indian Country means supporting the professionals who provide it. This legislation will help address critical clinical shortages by creating a pipeline of well-trained, culturally competent providers for our tribal communities. We know long-standing vacancies have a negative effect on patient access, quality of care, and employee morale,” saidCongresswoman Teresa Leger Fernández (NM-03).“By establishing an Office of Graduate Medical Education through IHS, we are taking steps to bridge the gap in care and make sure Native communities have the medical support they deserve.”
“With Tribal communities in Arizona and across the country facing a critical shortage of health care professionals, it’s vital that we pass theIHS Provider Expansion Act,”saidCongressman Raúl Grijalva (D-AZ).“This legislation will address health care worker recruitment and retention challenges at IHS facilities and establish a much-needed pipeline of health care professionals. I’m proud to support fully funding IHS and providing the resources, personnel, and training required to serve Indian Country’s health care needs.”
“Tribal communities across the country face unacceptable barriers to accessing quality health care—a crisis that is exacerbated by chronic understaffing at the Indian Health Service. As Ranking Member of the Interior Appropriations Subcommittee that oversees IHS, I’ve heard firsthand how provider shortages lead to delayed care for patients and expensive travel contracts,” saidCongresswoman Chellie Pingree (D-Maine). “By establishing an Office of Graduate Medical Education at IHS that focuses on a dedicated pipeline to recruit and train talented physicians in tribal health systems, this legislation will help build a robust, sustainable workforce tailored to the unique needs of Native communities. I’m proud to be an original cosponsor. Together, we can tear down barriers to quality, culturally-competent care in tribal health systems from Maine to New Mexico and beyond.”
“The University of New Mexico Health Sciences is very supportive of this legislation that seeks to increase the number of physicians who work caring for Native American populations by supporting residency and fellowship training in Indian Health Service facilities,” saidDan Waldman, MD Vice Chair of Education Department of Family & Community Medicine University of New Mexico. “The proposed Office of Graduate Medical Education within the Indian Health Service would provide much-needed federal programmatic infrastructure and help create partnerships with academic institutions such as UNM. Where physicians train has an important impact on where they choose to work after they complete their training, and it can also impact their cultural knowledge of the populations they will ultimately work with. UNM also recognizes the potential value of expanding “grow your own” professional pipelines, including new opportunities for our local Indigenous medical residents and fellows to remain closer to home. Attracting, educating, and retaining New Mexico’s health professional talent remains a top priority for UNM Health Sciences educational administration.”
“First Nations Community HealthSource supports Representative Stansbury’sIndian Health Service (IHS) Provider Expansion Act,” saidFirst Nations Community HealthSource CEO Linda Stone. “First Nations Community HealthSource is New Mexico’s Urban Indian Health Center in Albuquerque. Its mission is to provide a comprehensive healthcare delivery system that addresses the physical, social, emotional, and spiritual needs of urban Indigenous people and other underserved populations in Albuquerque and the surrounding areas. First Nations Community HealthSource faces significant shortages of healthcare professionals, a national and state-wide challenge. The IHS Provider Expansion Act will help alleviate these shortages and improve access to essential healthcare services in American Indian communities.”
Today, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau spoke with the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
The leaders discussed the situation on the ground, and Prime Minister Trudeau reaffirmed Canada’s commitment to providing military, financial, humanitarian, and other support to Ukraine until it achieves victory against Russia’s unjustifiable war of aggression.
Prime Minister Trudeau reaffirmed Canada’s support for President Zelenskyy’s ongoing diplomatic efforts toward a just and sustainable peace. The two leaders also discussed Ukraine’s victory plan, and the Prime Minister conveyed Canada’s support for the plan’s objectives.
The leaders condemned North Korea’s troop deployment to support Russia’s ongoing war of aggression against Ukraine.
The Prime Minister and the President noted the success of the Ministerial Conference on the Human Dimension of Ukraine’s 10-Point Peace Formula, which was held last week in Montréal, Quebec. They highlighted the efforts made at the Conference to help return deported children, unlawfully detained civilians, and prisoners of war currently held by Russia, as well as to reintegrate them back into their daily lives in Ukraine.
The leaders agreed to remain in close and regular contact.
Minister Anand announces investment to support the training and development of IT workers in the Government of Canada
November 4, 2024 – Ottawa, Ontario – Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat
The Government of Canada is committed to building its digital talent to deliver best-in-class digital programs and services for all Canadians.
Today, the Honourable Anita Anand, President of the Treasury Board and Minister of Transport, announced the first annual investment of $4.725 million to support the IT Community Training and Development Fund.
The fund aims to support the professional development of over 20,000 IT practitioners in the Government of Canada (GC) and was established under the latest collective bargaining agreement with the Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada (PIPSC).
Managed jointly by the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat and PIPSC, this fund provides support to ongoing efforts to equip the government’s IT professionals with the latest digital skills and knowledge. In doing so, the fund helps to strengthen the capacity of the public service to design, deliver, and maintain robust, human-centered technology solutions and services.
By supporting the expertise and excellence of the public service, we can deliver effective, modern and citizen-focussed programs and services to Canadians.
Source: United States Senator for Massachusetts – Elizabeth Warren
November 04, 2024
With new inflation data showing inflation nearly at Fed’s target, Senators call for .5% cut
“If the Fed moves forward with more rate cuts, housing prices and mortgage rates would thus also likely drop, allowing more families to achieve the American dream.”
Text of Letter (PDF)
Washington, D.C. – Ahead of the Federal Reserve’s (Fed; the Board) November Federal Open Market Committee meeting, U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.) urged Fed to deliver a 50 basis point (.50%; each basis point is one hundredth of a percent) cut to the federal funds rate.
After months of calling on the Fed to cut the federal funds rate, the Board finally lowered it by 50 basis points in September, the first cut since 2020. The Fed explained: “[t]he Committee has gained greater confidence that inflation is moving sustainably toward 2 percent, and judges that the risks to achieving its employment and inflation goals are roughly in balance.”
Recent economic data shows that inflation has fallen to 2.1 percent, the lowest since February of 2021. There is no need for restrictive interest rates given this inflation data.
Even as the economy remains strong, the demand for workers may be waning due to the Fed’s restrictive monetary policy. New statistics from the Department of Labor indicate that unemployment claims fell while the number of Americans collecting unemployment benefits rose, suggesting unemployed people are having a more difficult time landing jobs.
The Senators noted that borrowing costs, and in turn housing costs, are still too high. Lowering interest rates is key to unlocking more supply: rate cuts will lower the cost of capital, which would help tackle inflation by spurring more housing construction and consequently lowering housing prices. However, the Fed’s high interest rates have suppressed housing construction for years.
“If the Fed moves forward with more rate cuts, housing prices and mortgage rates would thus also likely drop, allowing more families to achieve the American dream,” wrote the senators.
Senator Warren has been ringing the alarm bells about the serious dangers of Chair Powell’s failure to lower interest rates:
In September 2024, Senators Elizabeth Warren, John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.), and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) called on the Fed to cut the federal funds rate, currently at a two decade-high of 5.3 percent, by 75 basis points at the September Federal Open Market Committee meeting.
In July 2024, Senators Warren, Hickenlooper (D-Colo.), and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) urged Fed Chair Jerome Powell, cut to interest rates at the Fed’s July Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) meeting, in light of economic data showing that inflation was decreasing and very close to the Fed’s target.
In June 2024, Senators Warren, Rosen (D-Nev.), and Hickenlooper (D-Colo.) wrote to the Federal Reserve (the Fed), urging Chair Jerome Powell to cut the federal funds interest rates from the two-decade-high of 5.5 percent.
In March 2024, Senators Warren and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) sent a letter to Chair Powell, expressing concerns about the damaging impact of the Fed’s extreme 2022 and 2023 interest rate hikes, which have halted deployment of clean energy technologies and have undermined the Inflation Reduction Act’s climate and consumer benefits. The senators called on the Fed to cut interest rates to allow for continued progress on clean energy projects and the climate and economic benefits they provide.
In January 2024, Senators Warren, John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.), Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.), and Whitehouse sent a letter to Chair Powell, calling on the Fed to reverse its troubling interest rate hikes that have driven mortgage rates to 20-year highs and have put affordable housing out of reach for too many Americans.
In July 2023, Senator Warren sent a letter to Chair Powell, raising concerns about the disproportionate impact of the Fed’s monetary policy amid rising unemployment for Black workers.
In May 2023, Senator Warren led lawmakers in a letter to Chair Powell, calling on the Fed to pause interest rate hikes and respect its dual mandate of maximum employment and price stability, particularly in the wake of recent turmoil in the banking system following the collapses of Silicon Valley Bank, Signature Bank, and First Republic Bank. The lawmakers expressed serious concerns that the Fed’s monetary policy strategy of more rate hikes could trigger a recession, throw millions out of work, and crush small businesses.
In March 2023, at a hearing of the Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee, Senator Warren questioned Chair Powell on the Fed’s monetary policy plan and its projection that the unemployment rate will rise sharply to 4.6% by the end of the year if the Fed continues to raise interest rates. Senator Warren highlighted that the Fed’s projections suggest that nearly 2 million people will lose their jobs, and that history shows that the Fed has a poor track record of containing moderate increases in unemployment.
In November 2022, Senator Warren and Representative Madeleine Dean (D-Pa.) led their colleagues in sending a letter to Chair Powell, expressing concern and seeking answers about the Fed’s most recent economic projections, its intentions to continue to raise interest rates at a rapid pace, and its disturbing warning to American families that they should expect “pain” in the coming months.
In July 2022, Senator Warren published an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal warning that the Fed’s decision to aggressively raise interest rates risks triggering a devastating recession.
In June 2022, at a hearing of the Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee, Senator Warren called out Chair Powell for the Fed’s announced interest rate increases that wouldn’t address the key drivers of inflation. Chair Powell confirmed that the Fed’s interest rate increases will not bring down gas and food prices, two of the biggest drivers of inflation.
In our democracy, just like in the IAM Union, we have the power to determine our future.
Most of us believe in an America where everyone has the freedom to thrive. On Tuesday, Nov. 5, we will decide whether we’ll have a future where we decide for ourselves or one where the wealthy few try to control our lives.
Our vote is our voice and we’re turning out to vote to have a say in the decisions that impact our lives: from how we grow, support, and care for our families to making sure our children are safe and free to learn and thrive.
So, if you haven’t already, make a plan to vote at IWillVote.com.
Vote like our future depends on it – because it does.
Headline: Preservation Specialists in Three Florida Disaster Recovery Centers to Offer Advice on Salvaging Treasured Items
Preservation Specialists in Three Florida Disaster Recovery Centers to Offer Advice on Salvaging Treasured Items
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – As Floridians recover from hurricane damage, preservation specialists will be in three Disaster Recovery Centers this week to offer advice about salvaging damaged items such as photos, artwork, textiles and other items.FEMA and the Smithsonian Institution co-sponsor the Heritage Emergency National Task Force, a partnership of more than 60 national service organizations and federal agencies created to protect cultural heritage from the damaging effects of natural disasters and other emergencies.From Sunday, Nov. 3 through Thursday, Nov. 7, specialists from the Save Your Family Treasures Program will be at the following Disaster Recovery Centers:Enoch Davis Center, 1111 18th Ave, S, St. Petersburg, FL, 9 a.m.-5 p.m.Sarasota Municipal Auditorium, 801 N. Tamiami Trail, Sarasota, FL, 9 a.m.-5 p.m.Orange County Multi-Cultural Center, 7149 W Colonial Dr., Orlando, FL, 9 a.m.-5 p.m.For the latest information about Hurricane Milton recovery, visit fema.gov/disaster/4834. For Hurricane Helene, visit fema.gov/disaster/4828. For Hurricane Debby, visit fema.gov/disaster/4806. Follow FEMA on X at x.com/femaregion4 or on Facebook at facebook.com/fema.###FEMA’s mission is helping people before, during, and after disasters.FEMA is committed to ensuring disaster assistance is accomplished equitably, without discrimination on the grounds of race, color, nationality, sex, sexual orientation, religion, age, disability, English proficiency, or economic status. Any disaster survivor or member of the public may contact the FEMA Office of Civil Rights if they feel that they have a complaint of discrimination. FEMA’s Office of Civil Rights can be contacted at FEMA-OCR@fema.dhs.gov or toll-free at 833-285-7448. wesley.lagenour Mon, 11/04/2024 – 14:51
Source: US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
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Nov 4, 2024 1630 UTC Day 1 Convective Outlook
Updated: Mon Nov 4 16:12:06 UTC 2024 (Print Version | | )
Probabilistic to Categorical Outlook Conversion Table
Forecast Discussion
SPC AC 041612
Day 1 Convective Outlook NWS Storm Prediction Center Norman OK 1012 AM CST Mon Nov 04 2024
Valid 041630Z – 051200Z
…THERE IS AN ENHANCED RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING ACROSS PARTS OF NORTHEAST TX…EASTERN OKLAHOMA…WESTERN ARKANSAS…AND SOUTHWEST MISSOURI…
…SUMMARY… Tornadoes (some strong), large hail, and severe thunderstorm gusts, are expected today into tonight from the Southern Plains into the Ozarks and mid Mississippi Valley.
…OK/TX/MO/AR… Morning water vapor imagery shows a deep upper trough over the southern Rockies, with a strong mid/upper level jet rounding the base of the trough and moving into west TX. At the surface, the primary boundary extends from central OK southward into west-central TX. Strong southerly low-level winds to the east of the surface boundary will maintain a moist and moderately unstable air mass over a relatively wide area, leading to a rather active severe weather event later today as the upper speed max approaches.
Morning convection and associated boundaries are complicating the forecast over central OK, leading to uncertainty how far west the intense convection can form. Nevertheless, pockets of daytime heating and dewpoints in the upper 60s will result in rapid thunderstorm development by early afternoon across east-central OK and parts of north TX. These storms will likely be a mix of linear/bowing structures and discrete supercells. Forecast soundings suggest low and deep layer shear profiles more than sufficient for tornadoes, along with damaging winds and some hail. Strong tornadoes will be possible. The activity will spread northeastward into the evening into parts of western MO/AR, with a continued risk of damaging winds and tornadoes (some strong) along the primary convective line, and discrete storms ahead of the line.
..Hart/Moore.. 11/04/2024
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Source: US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
SPC AC 041253
Day 1 Convective Outlook NWS Storm Prediction Center Norman OK 0653 AM CST Mon Nov 04 2024
Valid 041300Z – 051200Z
…THERE IS AN ENHANCED RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS FROM PARTS OF THE SOUTHERN PLAINS INTO THE OZARKS…
…SUMMARY… Tornadoes (some strong), large hail, and severe thunderstorm gusts, are expected today into tonight from the Southern Plains into the Ozarks and mid Mississippi Valley.
…Synopsis… A high-amplitude mid/upper-level pattern will continue over the CONUS, dominated by a trough now located from a low over northern SK, to eastern MT, central WY, western CO, through another low over western NM south of GNT, and across western Chihuahua to the central Mexican Pacific Coast. A strong, basal shortwave trough was apparent in moisture-channel imagery south through southwest of the low, over the borderlands of southwestern NM and southern AZ. As the shortwave trough pivots around the broader-scale flow field today — across west TX to the South Plains/Permian Basin regions — the low should shift eastward roughly along I-40 to near TCC, then lose definition near the TX line around 00Z. By 12Z, the shortwave trough should become positively tiled and extend from eastern KS across southwestern OK to the lower Pecos Valley of west TX, somewhat ahead of the synoptic-scale trough.
At the surface, 11Z analysis showed an outflow-reinforced warm- frontal zone over southwest, south-central and east-central OK, moving slowly northward. A surface low was drawn over west-central TX near ABI, and is forecast to move northeastward along the combined convective/outflow boundary today. By 00Z, the low should be near PNC, with cold front across south-central/southeastern OK, then roughly down the I-35 corridor in TX. The warm front should extend from the low east-northeastward over central/northeastern MO. By 12Z tomorrow, the low should reach the northern MO/southern IA vicinity, with cold front to southeastern OK and east-central to deep south TX.
…Southern Plains to mid Mississippi Valley… A band of convection largely north of the warm front is moving through central OK at this time, with marginal potential for severe gusts or a tornado. See SPC mesoscale discussion 2201 for near-term details.
Convection farther south along/ahead of the cold front is expected to gradually organize as a QLCS through the remainder of the morning, including near the fresh convective boundary trailing the ongoing activity over OK. This should occur as the activity moves obliquely across the warm front/outflow boundary preceding it, and into a more-favorable, slowly northward-shifting boundary layer now across southern OK and northwest/north-central TX. Given the supportive low-level and deep-layer shear (with effective-shear magnitudes commonly 45-55 kt and 200-400 J/kg effective SRH), embedded mesovortices with tornado potential should exist, as well as the typical threat for severe gusts locally maximized near LEWP/bow formations. Due to the lack of a substantial EML and related weak MLCINH in the free warm sector, gradual buildup of convection is also expected ahead of the QLCS, with at least a few warm-sector supercells ultimately evolving and interacting with the outflow boundary. These would pose a threat for a few tornadoes, as well as large hail and damaging gusts, in an environment characterized by upper 60s to low 70s F surface dewpoints, low LCL, and enlarging hodographs.
The severe threats with the QLCS and foregoing supercells should shift eastward and northeastward across the outlook area through the period, with the convective band sweeping up cells just ahead of it. Meanwhile the warm front will shift northward to near or even a bit north of the I-44 corridor in northeastern OK/MO. Meanwhile additional supercells may develop farther east in the northward- expanding warm sector. The most favorable parameter space for tornadoes from all this activity should be this afternoon and evening from south-central and eastern OK into the Ozarks of southern MO and northwestern AR, with a relatively maximized risk of significant (EF2+) tornado potential. Forecast soundings reasonably depict enlargement of the preconvective hodographs from late afternoon into evening over this region, with around 30-kt shear vectors and 150-200 J/kg SRH just in the lowest 1/2 km.
The severe threat should persist into the mid Mississippi Valley late tonight, gradually winding down as the projected inflow layer becomes less unstable. The eastern bound remains uncertain, but somewhat more room has been added on the marginal outlook from IL-AR to account for that uncertainty. The backbuilding convective band into north and central TX — and the Arklatex tonight — also will pose a tornado and severe-gust threat, but with hodographs and deep ascent somewhat weaker than farther north.
..Edwards/Mosier.. 11/04/2024
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Source: US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
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Alberta’s diverse cultural communities are one of the many things that make the province a great place to live, work and raise a family. Up to $13.5 million over three years has been dedicated to help support community organizations and Indigenous communities promote the value and benefit of multiculturalism and intercultural connections through two grant programs.
“Our government is committed to working with communities to promote and foster respect and inclusion for all Albertans, regardless of cultural background or origin. These grants support locally driven initiatives that honour our multicultural communities and Indigenous and Métis Peoples in Alberta, helping build a strong and inclusive society.”
Ethnocultural Grant Program
Alberta’s Ethnocultural Grant program has two streams to support community-led initiatives that promote Alberta’s multicultural diversity and foster inclusivity, including by supporting Indigenous community organizations in celebrating and sharing their rich culture and heritage.
Stream 1 provides up to $50,000 for projects that create opportunities for intercultural connections with ethnocultural and Indigenous groups.
Stream 2 provides up to $15,000 for projects that create opportunities to celebrate diversity.
Anti-Racism Grant Program
Alberta’s Anti-Racism Grant program has two streams to support community-led initiatives that help address and prevent racism and promote more inclusive and accepting multicultural communities across Alberta.
Stream 1 provides up to $5,000 for projects that promote awareness and the impacts of racism faced by Indigenous and racialized groups.
Stream 2 provides up to $10,000 to support community-led anti-racism projects.
This past spring, the Ethnocultural Grant program supported 182 projects with a total of $5.1 million to deliver programs to increase cross-cultural awareness, and 49 anti-racism initiatives received a total of $424,000 in funding through the Anti-Racism Grant program.
“This grant was crucial to the success of our project. It enabled us to expand the scale of our event, ensuring we could include more diverse performances, educational workshops and community engagement activities. Without this financial support, it would have been impossible to achieve the same level of impact, particularly in reaching underrepresented communities and providing free access to the public.”
“The success of our initiative to minimize systemic discrimination and foster collaboration across sectors in Medicine Hat would not have been possible without the dedicated involvement of community leaders. The government’s grant has played a pivotal role, particularly by enabling the opportunity to create a video series after the Newcomer Connectivity Summit. This funding ensures that the stories and actionable insights from the summit will reach a broader audience, enhancing both the project’s impact and sustainability as we continue to tackle the challenges newcomers face.”
Source: US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Note: The expiration time in the watch graphic is amended if the watch is replaced, cancelled or extended.Note: Click for Watch Status Reports. SEL4
URGENT – IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED Tornado Watch Number 704 NWS Storm Prediction Center Norman OK 1055 AM CST Mon Nov 4 2024
The NWS Storm Prediction Center has issued a
* Tornado Watch for portions of Eastern Oklahoma Northeast Texas
* Effective this Monday morning and evening from 1055 AM until 600 PM CST.
* Primary threats include… A few tornadoes likely with a couple intense tornadoes possible Scattered damaging wind gusts to 70 mph likely Scattered large hail and isolated very large hail events to 2 inches in diameter possible
SUMMARY…Thunderstorms will intensify through the afternoon across the watch area, with supercells and bowing lines capable of damaging winds and tornadoes. A strong tornado or two is possible.
The tornado watch area is approximately along and 75 statute miles east and west of a line from 45 miles south southeast of Fort Worth TX to 35 miles northwest of Grove OK. For a complete depiction of the watch see the associated watch outline update (WOUS64 KWNS WOU4).
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS…
REMEMBER…A Tornado Watch means conditions are favorable for tornadoes and severe thunderstorms in and close to the watch area. Persons in these areas should be on the lookout for threatening weather conditions and listen for later statements and possible warnings.
&&
AVIATION…Tornadoes and a few severe thunderstorms with hail surface and aloft to 2 inches. Extreme turbulence and surface wind gusts to 60 knots. A few cumulonimbi with maximum tops to 500. Mean storm motion vector 24035.
…Hart
SEL4
URGENT – IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED Tornado Watch Number 704 NWS Storm Prediction Center Norman OK 1055 AM CST Mon Nov 4 2024
The NWS Storm Prediction Center has issued a
* Tornado Watch for portions of Eastern Oklahoma Northeast Texas
* Effective this Monday morning and evening from 1055 AM until 600 PM CST.
* Primary threats include… A few tornadoes likely with a couple intense tornadoes possible Scattered damaging wind gusts to 70 mph likely Scattered large hail and isolated very large hail events to 2 inches in diameter possible
SUMMARY…Thunderstorms will intensify through the afternoon across the watch area, with supercells and bowing lines capable of damaging winds and tornadoes. A strong tornado or two is possible.
The tornado watch area is approximately along and 75 statute miles east and west of a line from 45 miles south southeast of Fort Worth TX to 35 miles northwest of Grove OK. For a complete depiction of the watch see the associated watch outline update (WOUS64 KWNS WOU4).
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS…
REMEMBER…A Tornado Watch means conditions are favorable for tornadoes and severe thunderstorms in and close to the watch area. Persons in these areas should be on the lookout for threatening weather conditions and listen for later statements and possible warnings.
&&
AVIATION…Tornadoes and a few severe thunderstorms with hail surface and aloft to 2 inches. Extreme turbulence and surface wind gusts to 60 knots. A few cumulonimbi with maximum tops to 500. Mean storm motion vector 24035.
…Hart
Note: The Aviation Watch (SAW) product is an approximation to the watch area. The actual watch is depicted by the shaded areas. SAW4 WW 704 TORNADO OK TX 041655Z – 050000Z AXIS..75 STATUTE MILES EAST AND WEST OF LINE.. 45SSE FTW/FORT WORTH TX/ – 35NW GMJ/GROVE OK/ ..AVIATION COORDS.. 65NM E/W /35NNE ACT – 11S OSW/ HAIL SURFACE AND ALOFT..2 INCHES. WIND GUSTS..60 KNOTS. MAX TOPS TO 500. MEAN STORM MOTION VECTOR 24035.
LAT…LON 32219836 36969655 36969383 32219579
THIS IS AN APPROXIMATION TO THE WATCH AREA. FOR A COMPLETE DEPICTION OF THE WATCH SEE WOUS64 KWNS FOR WOU4.
Watch 704 Status Report Message has not been issued yet.
Note: Click for Complete Product Text.Tornadoes
Probability of 2 or more tornadoes
High (70%)
Probability of 1 or more strong (EF2-EF5) tornadoes
Mod (40%)
Wind
Probability of 10 or more severe wind events
High (70%)
Probability of 1 or more wind events > 65 knots
Low (20%)
Hail
Probability of 10 or more severe hail events
Mod (40%)
Probability of 1 or more hailstones > 2 inches
Mod (30%)
Combined Severe Hail/Wind
Probability of 6 or more combined severe hail/wind events
High (90%)
For each watch, probabilities for particular events inside the watch (listed above in each table) are determined by the issuing forecaster. The “Low” category contains probability values ranging from less than 2% to 20% (EF2-EF5 tornadoes), less than 5% to 20% (all other probabilities), “Moderate” from 30% to 60%, and “High” from 70% to greater than 95%. High values are bolded and lighter in color to provide awareness of an increased threat for a particular event.
NEW HOLLAND, Pa. (Nov. 2, 2024) – Savencia Cheese USA is recalling select soft ripened cheeses manufactured in our Lena manufacturing facility because it has the potential to be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes, an organism which can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems. Although healthy individuals may suffer only short-term symptoms such as high fever, severe headache, stiffness, nausea, abdominal pain and diarrhea, Listeria infection can cause miscarriages and stillbirths among pregnant women.
The following products are affected by this recall:
Description
Best Buy Date
GTIN
UPC-A
UPC-B
Emporium Selection Brie, 12/8oz Brie
12/24/2024
10041498111325
004149811132
041498111328
Supreme Oval 7oz, 6/7oz
12/24/2024
10071448504211
007144850421
071448504214
La Bonne Vie Brie, 6/8oz
12/24/2024
10820581678538
La Bonne Vie Camembert, 6/8oz
12/24/2024
10820581678613
12/8oz Industrial Brie
12/24/2024
10077901005226
077901005229
Market Basket Brie 6/8oz
12/24/2024
10049705666309
004970566630
049705666302
The only products being recalled are those in the table above. You can identify these products by reviewing the UPC and the best buy date on the product labels. These products had limited regional distribution in the United States. The few retailers that received the product have been informed of this possible contamination and are in the process of removing products from shelves. Consumers that have any of the recalled products listed in the table above should refrain from consuming them and return them to their place of purchase for a full refund.
At this time, there have been no confirmed reports of adverse health events due to consumption of these products.
Through routine testing, it was identified that processing equipment at the site may have been contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes. While finished product testing has not identified contaminated product, we have initiated a voluntary recall to retrieve the potentially affected product.
This voluntary recall is being conducted in coordination with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
Consumers with questions regarding the recall can contact Consumer Relations at (800)-322-2743 or email sc.customer.service@savencia.com.
Media Contact: Kriston Ohm kriston.ohm@savencia.com
As the Plateau State Local Government Elections approach, set for October 9, 2024, the Equity International Initiative, a civil society organization committed to advancing democracy and human rights, has called for a credible and transparent electoral process.
During a press conference held in Jos, Amb. Chris Iyama, the organization’s Team Lead, urged citizens to actively participate in the elections and appealed to the Plateau State Independent Electoral Commission (PLASIEC) to ensure a smooth electoral process free from intimidation, violence, or manipulation.
Iyama emphasized the importance of fairness in the electoral process and the significant roles played by various stakeholders.
. “We call on PLASIEC to be diligent in the deployment of materials and ensure that every voter has unhindered access to the polls.The integrity of our democracy hinges on this process, and we urge all political parties and candidates to respect existing rules and refrain from actions that could undermine the election’s credibility.” he stated.
He raised concerns about potential voter inducement, vote-buying, and the threats of violence on election day. Iyama revealed that Equity International Initiative plans to deploy both stationary and roving observers to monitor the election across all 17 Local Government Areas (LGAs).
“We will have trained observers at various polling units and roving observers to monitor the collation of results at ward levels. This strategy will enable us to compile a detailed report post-election, identifying areas for improvement in the electoral process,” he added.
Furthermore, the organization urged security personnel assigned to the election to maintain neutrality and professionalism. Iyama also called on other civil society organizations to join efforts in ensuring a peaceful and credible election. “Security personnel must act in accordance with their code of conduct and ensure that any attempts to interfere with the electoral process are swiftly addressed. Their role is to protect voters and uphold the integrity of the elections.”
“We believe that collaboration among civil society groups is vital for strengthening democracy. We are committed to working with others to ensure this election sets a standard for fairness and transparency,” he said.
Iyama particularly urged young voters to participate actively. “We encourage the youth to come out en masse and ensure their votes count. Your participation is crucial for the future of our democracy. Together, we can safeguard the integrity of this election,” he declared.
In the same vein, Dr. Chris Kwaja, Nigeria Country Director of the United States Institute of Peace (USIP), also highlighted the essential role that local government elections play in Nigeria’s political landscape.
He remarked, “In 2019, USIP launched a major report assessing the risks of election violence, and one of the key findings was that unresolved local conflicts often manifest in these elections.”
“When local government elections lack credibility, people often wait for general elections to vent their frustrations. This underscores the need for PLASIEC to ensure a fair, transparent election process at the grassroots level.”
Dr. Kwaja praised PLASIEC’s initiatives to promote an open and transparent electoral process, including the establishment of a Situation Room for monitoring election activities.
“I told the PLASIEC chairman that his integrity is on the line. This election is an opportunity for PLASIEC to demonstrate its credibility or risk falling back into the negative perceptions of the past. The media and civil society will be crucial in observing and validating the transparency of this process,” he noted.
He further stressed the need for civil society to remain vigilant, warning that a compromised civil society could undermine the credibility of the election.
The grouping which originally began with Brazil, Russia, India, China – was coined in 2001 by then Goldman Sachs chief economist Jim O’Neill – expanded to include South Africa in 2010.
The bloc was founded as an informal club in 2009 to provide a platform for its members to challenge a world order dominated by the United States and its Western allies.
Its creation was initiated by Russia.
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The group is not a formal multilateral organisation like the United Nations, World Bank or the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC).
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The heads of state and government of the member nations convene annually with each nation taking up a one-year rotating chairmanship of the group.
It now represents around 3.5 billion people – 45 per cent of the world’s population.
Its combined economies are valued at over $28.5 trillion – nearly a third of the global economy.
But which countries have recently joined? Which want to join now and why? And what does the expansion mean for the West?
With Prime Minister Narendra Modi attending the 16th Brics Summit in Kazan, let’s take a closer look at how Brics is expanding.
Which countries joined recently?
Brics in 2023 invited six countries – Argentina, Egypt, Iran, Ethiopia, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates – to become new members of the bloc.
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The formal invitation was made during a summit in August in Johannesburg.
While all BRICS members had publicly expressed support for growing the bloc, there were divisions among the leaders over how much and how quickly.
Members at the time said the move would help reshuffle a world order they view as outdated.
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In January, five of these nations – Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates – said they were joining the BRICS bloc.
Argentina declined the invitation to join.
As per Al Jazeera, this came after President Javier Milei took office.
Milei has vowed to increase ties with the West.
However, Saudi Arabia later said it is not yet joining the group and that the matter is being considered by its leadership.
Ultimately, Egypt, Iran, Ethiopia, and UAE joined the bloc.
Which want to join now and why?
Dozens of countries have voiced interest in joining the grouping.
Algeria, Bolivia, Cuba, Democratic Republic of Congo, Turkiye, Comoros, Gabon, Kazakhstan, Vietnam, Thailand and Malaysia have all expressed interest in joining the forum.
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Turkiye, a Nato member, formally requested to join BRICS in September.
As p_er Bloomberg,_ Turkiye is looking to become part of the bloc as it eyes increasing its global influence.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s administration is looking further than its time-tested allies in the West, people familiar with the development told the outlet.
Erdogan’s government believes the centre of geopolitics is moving away from the developed economies.
Turkiye is also eyeing improving its economic relationship with Russia and China.
Turkiye under President Tayyip Erdogan is looking to join Brics. Reuters
This is a departure for the NATO member nation which has historically been suspicious of Moscow and been a US ally.
Turkiye is also thought to be upset over the lack of forward movement in its decades-long attempt to join the European Union.
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According to Al Jazeera, Thailand said it was interested in joining the grouping during the BRICS Dialogue with Developing Countries held in Russia in June.
Malaysia too expressed interest in becoming a member ahead of a visit from Chinese Premier Li Qiang.
The bloc “can help Malaysia’s digital economy grow faster by allowing it to integrate with countries that have strong digital markets and also take advantage of best practices from other members,” Rahul Mishra, associate professor at the Center for Indo-Pacific Studies at Jawaharlal Nehru University in New Delhi, told DW.
“Thailand would also be able to draw investments in important industries including services, manufacturing, and agriculture,” Mishra added.
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Bolivia’s President Luis Arce has expressed interest in BRICS membership.
His government has said it is determined to curb dependence on the US dollar for foreign trade, instead turning to the Chinese yuan, in line with BRICS leaders’ stated aim to reduce dependence on the US currency.
Algeria last July it has applied for BRICS membership and to become a shareholder in the New Development Bank, the so-called BRICS Bank.
The North African nation is rich in oil and gas resources and is seeking to diversify its economy and strengthen partnership with China and other countries.
The countries hope the bloc can level the global playing field. Most nations view BRICS as an alternative to global bodies viewed as dominated by the traditional Western powers and hope membership will unlock benefits including development finance, and increased trade and investment.
Dissatisfaction with the global order among developing nations was exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic when life-saving vaccines were hoarded by the rich countries.
“That so many countries are willing to go to Russia, deemed a pariah state not so long ago for having violated international law by invading Ukraine, confirms a trend followed by an increasing number of countries in the world: They don’t want to have to choose between partners,” Tara Varma, a visiting fellow at the Brookings Institute, told Al Jazeera.
Adam Gallagher, writing for USIP.org, noting the size of the bloc, said there are clear economic benefits to joining the grouping.
“Intra-BRICS trade is one area that the group has found its footing,” Gallagher said. He noted how the June 2024 BRICS foreign minister’s meeting encouraged “enhanced use of local currencies in trade and financial transactions” by Brics members.
Gallagher said that countries like Malaysia, who want to join the grouping, are looking to form alliances across the globe and preserve their strategic autonomy.
“For these countries, it’s not about taking sides. Some countries also believe BRICS membership will give them a greater voice and representation in international politics. It’s not all about anti-Western ideology,” Gallagher wrote.
James Chin, a professor of Asian Studies at the University of Tasmania told DW “both Thailand and Malaysia are seen as middle powers.”
“It’s better for them to join groups like BRICS so that they will have a larger voice in the international arena. But the major benefit will be trade,” Chin added.
What does the expansion mean for the West?
Experts say that these growing number of nations who want to join Brics shows that they want their financial independence – and that the established world order may be vulnerable.
“In the aftermath of the war in Gaza, Russia and China have more effectively harnessed this anti-Western sentiment, capitalising on frustrations over Western double standards as well as the use of sanctions and economic coercion by the West,” Asli Aydintasbas, a Turkish foreign policy expert, was quoted as telling the Brookings Institute as per Al Jazeera.
“It doesn’t mean that middle powers want to trade US dominance for Chinese, but it means they are open to aligning with Russia and China for a more fragmented and autonomous world.”
As per Al Jazeera, Brics members and their associates clearly want to decrease their reliance on the US dollar and Europe’s Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication (SWIFT) network.
Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim walks with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi during Anwar’s ceremonial reception at India’s Presidential Palace Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi, India, August 20, 2024. REUTERS
This comes after Russia was cut-off from the system in the aftermath of the invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
“China now has an alternative to the SWIFT payment system, though limited in use, and countries like Turkiye and Brazil increasingly restructure their dollar reserves into gold,” Aydintasbas added. “Currency swaps for energy deals are also a popular idea – all suggesting a desire for greater financial independence from the West.”
As per CFR.org, Western nations until now have talked down the bloc as a threat.
White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan has said Brics isn’t a geopolitical rival, while Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen has downplayed the de-dollarisation strategy of Russia and China.
But some argue that the West needs to do some serious introspection.
“The accusation that the West is arrogant toward the needs of the Global South is serious. It cannot be answered by offering ‘value-based partnerships’ and a ‘rules-based’ multilateralism when the interest of the BRICS is focused on changing those rules in global finance, trade, and other standard-setting procedures,” Günther Maihold, senior fellow at the German Institute for International and Security Affairs, was quoted as saying by CFR.org.
“Ignoring BRICS as a major policy force—something the U.S. has been prone to do in the past—is no longer an option,” Tufts University scholars wrote in 2023.
It remains to be seen how the US-led West will react.
(Bloomberg) — The American Sikh separatist targeted in a foiled assassination plot allegedly planned by India said that intelligence agents in New Delhi still want him dead and said that the Biden administration’s “quiet diplomacy” has failed to deter Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government.
“The risk has increased,” Gurpatwant Singh Pannun said in an interview at his office in New York. “The Modi regime has not faced any consequences. They have not been held accountable. Why would they stop?”
The Indian government has branded him a terrorist and declared that his group Sikhs for Justice — which advocates for a Sikh nation known as Khalistan to be carved out of India’s Punjab state — is an “unlawful organization” that poses a threat to India’s sovereignty.
Pannun’s case first disrupted US-India ties late last year. That’s when the US Justice Department unsealed a superseding indictment in the Southern District of New York alleging that Nikhil Gupta, an Indian national, was recruited by an Indian government employee — known as “CC-1” — to have Pannun killed as part of a broader plan to assassinate overseas activists. At the time, Pannun’s group was organizing unofficial Khalistan referendums among Indian diaspora communities.
Gupta has plead not guilty.
India’s Ministry of External Affairs declined to respond to Pannun’s allegation that he remains a target of assassination. A ministry spokesman previously said the indictment was a “matter of concern,” that the allegations run “contrary to government policy” and that there is a “high-level committee” looking into the issue.
Months earlier in Canada, a Sikh separatist called Hardeep Singh Nijjar — a long-time associate of Pannun’s — was slain in a shooting that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau blamed on India, which rejected the accusations as “absurd.” But the US assassination plot on Pannun was foiled, according to the indictment, when an Indian national, operating under the Indian agent’s direction, inadvertently hired an undercover US agent posing as a potential hit-man.
Indian and US security agencies are in touch, and New Delhi continues to investigate the alleged murder plot, Vikram Misri, India’s foreign secretary, told reporters recently in New Delhi.
Earlier: India, Canada Meet as Arrests Point to Another Sikh Murder Plot
The case has been embarrassing for the Biden administration, which has continued to court Modi in an effort to counterbalance China.
“The question that this episode raises is whether we really are on the same page with this Indian government, and the extent to which an inclination to want to achieve a broader strategic end is maybe leading us to overlook the actually very transactional nature of the relationship,” said Daniel Markey, a former State Department official who’s now at the US Institute of Peace.
The case also represents a collision of geopolitical, criminal and constitutional considerations. India takes separatist movements seriously, given the militant history of the Sikh separatist movement in the 1980s and ongoing political violence in Kashmir. India blames overseas groups for fueling instability and potential violence at home.
Pannun, who worked at a Wall Street bank before turning to human rights law, now has five security guards to protect him and search the bags of even his close friends and associates, he said.
“I can continue to fight for the liberation of Punjab only if I stay alive,” he said. “You are doing a peaceful and democratic referendum, you are sitting at a place — and India has the resources and the proxies and the weapons and the money to kill you. You have to make sure that you survive and you continue the campaign.”
In a recent twist, Pannun filed a civil case in the US seeking restitution against senior Indian officials he alleges are responsible for the assassination attempt. Those allegations are “unsubstantiated” and “unwarranted,” Misri, the foreign secretary, said.
In Canada, which saw India expel dozens of diplomats after Trudeau accused India, the government is holding firm on its accusation that India was behind the killing of Nijjar. “That’s the ultimate breach of our country’s sovereignty,” Foreign Minister Melanie Joly told Bloomberg in an interview on Sept. 30. “That can’t happen again.”
About Sikh Separatists India Is Accused of Targeting: QuickTake
‘Terrorism’ Issue
“For India, the issue is that of terrorism,” said Aparna Pande, a research fellow at the Hudson Institute who put out a report pointing to ties between Khalistan groups and Pakistan, which India blames for fomenting violence in Kashmir. “India also believes that Western countries have shown tolerance towards groups and individuals deemed extremists and terrorists by the Indian government.”
Western law enforcement agencies are now attempting to balance protecting constitutional guarantees of free speech against what India views as a movement with the intent to break up the country — and that it alleges has ties to criminal gangs and smuggling. India also views Sikh protests outside its consulates and embassies as threatening.
Pannun, who was born in Amritsar, India, came to the US as a student. He made the new allegations that his life was still at risk after Sikh separatists in California had their truck “sprayed with bullets,” his group said.
That new attack is reviving concerns among US lawmakers after the original assassination plot prompted some Democratic senators to call on Secretary of State Antony Blinken to mount a strong diplomatic response “no matter the perpetrator.”
Senator Jeff Merkley, an Oregon Democrat, said it was crucial to investigate the California incident and to “send a strong message deterring potential future efforts to undermine the values of free speech and protest that we as a nation hold dear.”
Senior Biden administration officials, including White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, have raised Pannun’s case with Modi’s government. Sullivan said in July that the issue “is sensitive, it is something we are working through,” but that the US effort “has been effective, in my view, mostly because it is taking place behind closed doors.”
Pannun, however, says that “quiet diplomacy” hasn’t worked “in the last 15 months” and that “it will not work in the next three years.” He also the Biden administration was handling his case differently because of its desire to have a strategic relationship with New Delhi.
“Had it been Iran, had it been China, had it been Russia — would the administration’s response be the same?” he asked.
–With assistance from Laura Dhillon Kane and Sudhi Ranjan Sen.
(Updates in last paragraph with additional quote.)
India is unlikely to be a peace broker in the Middle East conflict despite calls by Iran to play such a role, with analysts saying New Delhi’s non-interventionist policy and limited influence offer little hope for success in a war-torn region where the US remains the dominant player.
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Iranian ambassador to India Iraj Elahi said on Saturday that Delhi could participate in the Middle East peace process and convince Israel to halt what he called the genocide in Gaza.
“We believe that India can play a constructive role … India has good relations with Israel so it can convince Israel to stop the genocide in Gaza, to stop escalation in the region,” Ilahi said during an interview with Asian News International, adding that India had a “big responsibility on its shoulder” as an emerging major power.
On October 1, Iran launched almost 200 ballistic missiles towards Israel, its second such attack on Israel this year after it struck with more than 300 missiles and drones in April.
Israel has vowed harsh retaliation, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu saying on Tuesday that Iran “does not understand our determination to defend ourselves and to retaliate against our enemies”.
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Daniel Markey, senior South Asia adviser at the United States Institute of Peace (USIP) think tank, said India’s strong ties with Israel and diplomatic links with Iran made it one of the few countries which could facilitate peace talks between the two Middle East rivals.
This week is National Pain Awareness Week in Canada. A time to raise awareness, show compassion towards people living with pain, and address stigma related to this chronic health condition.
November 4, 2024 | Ottawa, Ontario | Health Canada
Everyone will experience pain at some point in their lives, but for one in five Canadians, pain is a part of daily life. This week is National Pain Awareness Week in Canada. A time to raise awareness, show compassion towards people living with pain, and address stigma related to this chronic health condition. Since chronic pain remains largely invisible, those affected often feel stigmatized and isolated. As a result, they may not seek help. We know that when pain goes unmanaged, it takes a physical, emotional and social toll. Unmanaged pain increases risks of mental health and substance use issues and has been identified as a key contributor to the overdose crisis.
The prevalence of chronic pain is even higher for many, including women, military personnel and veterans, Indigenous Peoples, and those working in physically demanding jobs.
National Pain Awareness Week is also an opportunity to recognize and thank those in the pain community working hard to advance priorities identified by the Canadian Pain Task Force, supported by Health Canada. The Government of Canada a funded the establishment of Pain Canada, an initiative dedicated to coordinating national efforts and mobilizing resources for Canadians living with pain across Canada. Health Canada also supported the creation of the Power Over Pain Portal, which provides free, virtual resources to help Canadians living with pain better manage this complex health condition. Finally, in 2023, Canada became the first country to publish a national standard dedicated to the management of pain in our pediatric population.
Since injury and pain are common in the trades, workers often use alcohol or other substances to cope with pain. Pain relief is one way people get introduced to opioids. We recently re-launched an updated Ease the Burden campaign to offer free resources for men in the trades struggling with substance use and to share the message that “it takes strength to ask for help.” The campaign includes information for employers and employees to help start these difficult conversations in the workplace. The goal is to create a space where men feel safe and supported to reach out for help if they are struggling with substance use and addiction, to reduce stigma around getting help, and to ultimately save lives.
These are all actions that will enhance the quality of life for people living with pain. It is through the collective efforts undertaken by different orders of government, members of the medical community, pain researchers and experts, and through meaningful engagement with people living with pain, that we can better prevent and manage pain.
By raising awareness, we can help ensure that people living with chronic pain receive the supports they need to live their lives to the fullest.
The Honourable Ya’ara Saks, P.C., M.P.
Contacts
Callum Haney Press Secretary Office of the Honourable Ya’ara Saks Minister of Mental Health and Addictions and Associate Minister of Health 343-576-4407
Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments
From 28-30 October, charity regulators from eight nations gathered in the UK for a three-day meeting.
Representatives and Heads of Regulators from Australia, Canada, England and Wales, Ireland, Northern Ireland, Scotland, Singapore, in addition to an observing invitee from the United States, met to discuss matters of mutual interest and concern.
Regulators recognised the world is currently dealing with substantial challenges including evolving social environments with changing patterns of volunteering, climate change and more natural disasters, cost of living pressures driving higher demand for services and costs of running organisations, and the need to support populations through conflict not seen for a generation.
Regulators affirmed that given this current global context, the work of charities and not-for-profit organisations has never been more important. Charities and not-for-profit organisations have a long history of enabling society to adapt, improving the lives of millions globally, and supporting and enabling cohesion where there has been division. Working across sectors to find solutions to the world’s most challenging problems, they are fundamental to world class research, scientific endeavour and policy change that enables health, environmental and animal welfare issues to be advanced.
Regulators shared examples of how effective, expert regulation plays a fundamental part in allowing charities to thrive and allows the public to have trust and confidence in the work of charities. Our organisations each contribute to supporting and ensuring strong governance in charities, so that they deliver their charitable purpose for the benefit of all. Regulators have been delighted to advance our shared objectives at this meeting through the exchange of knowledge and best practice.
The meeting covered four key themes:
Charity registration and charitable status
Registration is the start of the journey for new charities and trustees, and at the core of each of our roles is making efficient, effective decisions to ensure genuine applicants can begin delivering their charitable purpose.
Regulators:
shared improvements to our respective processes for registration, acknowledging the constraints inherent in applying a legal test.
gained valuable insights from other jurisdictions approaches to improve the quality of applications from prospective charities
shared plans to digitise and improve registration services within jurisdictions
shared trends and case studies on those seeking to abuse charity status but were prevented from doing so
agreed, subject to national jurisdictions laws and restrictions, to improve data sharing to prevent cross border abuse of charity status via the registration process
agreed to explore how to enable simpler but robust registration services for those who work across borders
Digital, technology and data
Regulators are at different stages in their journeys of delivering new digital technologies, with a particular focus across each jurisdiction on using online services to enhance relationships with charity trustees, ensuring we provide charities with the best guidance and tools, as well as driving regulatory efficiency. Regulators discussed experiences in delivering recent innovations, and how charities in their jurisdiction responded, to inform each of our future plans.
Regulators:
agreed to share digital and technology plans to enable better cross jurisdiction co-operation and experience for charities and the public
agreed, subject to national laws and regulations, to share emerging trends, issues, impacts of technology on charities, charity regulation and policies to enable the benefits of technology to be exploited whilst mitigating risks and unintended consequences.
Communication, education and public trust
Regulators identified many commonalities in our approaches to using social media, events and guidance to secure greater engagement with charities, particularly those who are traditionally harder to reach or might have less knowledge.
Regulators:
identified several approaches that have been successfully applied in individual nations and have taken away from the meeting ideas as to how these could potentially be translated into new national initiatives.
welcomed the contribution such work programmes make in delivering our core remit to build public trust and confidence in charity, and in our own effectiveness.
Compliance
Regulators reviewed global trends in charity non-compliance, and how these have been addressed through use of regulatory powers. Discussion of recent domestic cases with international significance, allowed identification of issues in common, that might damage the vast majority of genuine, compliant charities.
With many charities and voluntary organisations working extensively across international borders, Regulators:
affirmed that, subject to national laws and regulations, we will continually share appropriate insight so we can each effectively tackle such risks, acting within our legislative frameworks.
affirmed, we each have a central role to play in supporting compliance with The Financial Action Task Force (FATF) standards, to ensure the substantial amount of money that flows across borders to facilitate the vital work of the sector is safe and secure and charities may continue to deliver vital services to the world’s most vulnerable.
The group will be hosted by a different member when they next reconvene in the spring of 2026. Until then, Regulators will continue their online quarterly meetings to build on these positive discussions to ensure lessons continue to be shared and the international community of charity Regulators remains united.
Delegate List
David Holdsworth – Chief Executive, England & Wales
Orlando Fraser KC – Chair, England & Wales
Paul Latham – Director of Communications & Policy, England & Wales
Sue Woodward AM – Commissioner, Australia
Natasha Sekulic – Assistant Commissioner – General Counsel, Australia
Sharmila Khare – Director General, Charities Directorate, Canada
Madeleine Delaney – Chief Executive, Ireland
Geraldine McCarthy – Head of Communications, Ireland
Source: United States Senator for Colorado John Hickenlooper
Funding comes from senators’ Inflation Reduction Act
WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senators John Hickenlooper and Michael Bennet welcomed the U.S. Department of Interior’s (DOI) announcement of $7.5 million in federal investment to expand clean drinking water access for the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe. Specifically, the funding will help the Ute Mountain Ute plan and complete 18 miles of a 22-mile waterline to connect Cortez and Towaoc and deliver clean water to the community.
Two weeks ago, the senators urged the Bureau of Reclamation to explore new opportunities for the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe and Southern Ute Indian Tribe to access federal funding for drought and water supply management.
“Our tribal communities have long lacked adequate resources to reliably access clean drinking water,” said Hickenlooper. “Thanks to our Inflation Reduction Act, we’re changing that. This $7.5 million will connect Cortez and Towaoc to deliver clean drinking water and create good-paying jobs for the Ute Mountain Ute.”
“When the federal government established reservations for Native American Tribes, it promised a permanent and livable homeland for those it had displaced from their ancestral lands. At a time when our country’s Tribes still lack reliable access to clean and safe water in the 21st century, that promise clearly has been denied and critical tribal water infrastructure like this pipeline should be a priority for the federal government,” said Bennet. “This funding is an important step forward to ensure more members of the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe can continue to access clean water, and I’m grateful to the Biden/Harris administration for working to fulfill our nation’s promises.”
“Investing in water infrastructure projects is crucial to ensuring the health, safety and economic prosperity of Indigenous communities,” said Secretary Haaland. “This new program, funded by the President’s Investing in America agenda, will help us ensure all Tribal families and communities have access to the clean, safe drinking water they need in order to thrive.”
“The Ute Mountain Ute Tribe considers water and its watersheds as a sacred and vital element to life. Stewardship of the environment allows life to flourish and is an obligation of our tribe and people. This grant is a crucial step in finishing the project that we’ve been working on for over 14 years to make sure everyone in our community has access to drinking water,” said Ute Mountain Ute Tribe Chairman Manuel Heart.
The Ute Mountain Ute’s project is one of 23 projects the DOI selected to receive $82 million from the Inflation Reduction Act’s $550 million allocated for domestic water supply projects for historically disadvantaged communities.
Hickenlooper and Bennet fought for $8 billion for western water infrastructure, $10 billion for forests, $19 billion for agricultural conservation, and $4 billion for drought in the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) and Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
Full list of selected projects available HERE.
Source: United States Senator Joni Ernst (R-IA)
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) and Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) urged President Biden to stand up for families navigating the People’s Republic of China’s (PRC) decision to end intercountry adoptions for those without Chinese familial ties.
In the letter, the lawmakers noted that approximately 300 children in the PRC – some with various health conditions – are already paired with families in the United States, including Iowans who have been waiting in the final stages of the adoption process for years.
“We request that you act in the best interest of these children and families by urging the PRC to fulfill and uphold the commitment the country has made,” the lawmakers wrote.
“The American families that have been matched with their adoptive children are prepared to meet their long-term medical and emotional needs, and to give them the love and nurturing they need,” they continued. “Many of these children know that they have a home, which in many cases have been prepared for their arrival since the families were notified that they were matched and moving forward with the adoption process.”
After the State Department noticed last week that the PRC may complete adoptions for families in some countries, the legislators called on President Biden to ensure such an action would pertain to the United States, too.
Read the full letter here.
Source: United States Senator Joni Ernst (R-IA)
Iran has reportedly paid criminal organizations in America to carry out violent crimes and assassination attempts.
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) and Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.) are announcing a bipartisan effort to strengthen criminal penalties and boost accountability for individuals who commit or attempt to commit violent crimes in the United States on behalf of foreign adversaries.
In September 2024, Ernst and Hassan called on the Department of Justice (DOJ) to take action and stop foreign actors, including the Iranian regime, from carrying out criminal activity on our soil.
“Iran is bringing their reign of violence to our homeland, and bad actors helping the regime carry out its proxy terrorism must be met with consequences,” said Ernst, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee. “Any person or organization that does the bidding of foreign adversaries on U.S. soil jeopardizes Americans’ safety. We must end the growing footprint of Tehran’s terrorism and deter this criminal behavior by ensuring it’s met with the full force of the justice system.”
“We need to do more to stop the new and chilling set of attempted crimes by our foreign adversaries who are trying to silence their critics in the United States by directing criminals in our country to harm them,” said Senator Hassan. “Our upcoming bipartisan legislation will help ensure that those who commit or attempt these heinous acts face serious consequences and deter others from accepting offers to do the dirty work of foreign governments.”
The Deterring External Threats and Ensuring Robust Responses to Egregious and Nefarious Criminal Endeavors (DETERRENCE) Actwould include measures such as:
Boosting sentences for offenders working with foreign adversaries and deter individuals and criminal organizations to carry out violence on American soil, like murder-for-hire, threatening or assaulting current or former U.S. officials, kidnapping, and stalking; and,
Increasing the maximum penalties available for stalking related charges when done on behalf of a foreign government.
Background:
Ernst has been leading the PUNISH Act to enforce “maximum pressure” sanctions on Iran until the State Department can certify that Iran has not supported any attempt in the last five years to kill a U.S. citizen or a former or current U.S. official.
Source: United States Small Business Administration
WASHINGTON – Today, Administrator Isabel Casillas Guzman, head of the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) and the voice in President Biden’s Cabinet for America’s more than 34 million small businesses, announced a single-year record for federal contracting certifications for FY24, in which the SBA certified more than 17,000 small businesses—a nearly 40 percent increase over FY23, across its certification programs for women, veterans, socially and economically disadvantaged businesses, and HUBZones. Further, the SBA also announced that its new MySBA Certifications online platform is live and accepting applications. The announcement comes as the Administrator proposes a new procurement rule to further supercharge small business participation in government contracting by expanding the number of small business set aside opportunities. The proposed rule, “Small Business Contracting: Increasing Small Business Participation on Multiple Awards,” expands the ‘Rule of Two’ to multiple-award contracts.
“Under the Biden-Harris Administration, the SBA has taken bold action to ensure that more small businesses than ever before can compete for and win valuable government contracts,” said SBA Administrator Guzman. “To increase opportunities for America’s small business owners, the SBA has rolled out MySBA Certifications, a streamlined technology tool that makes it easier for entrepreneurs to apply for multiple certifications with a single application. However, we don’t just want to certify more firms – we want those firms to have more contracts to pursue. That’s why we’re also proud to announce our proposed increase of small business set aside opportunities with a potential expansion of the ‘Rule of Two’ to multiple award contracts. All of these actions help further the SBA’s mission of driving competition, innovation, and opportunity in federal contracting.”
During the Biden-Harris Administration, the SBA has consistently exceeded its government-wide contracting goal and is projected to again exceed the 23% goal with over 28% awarded to small firms in FY24. In FY23, 28% of prime contracts went to small businesses, representing a $178.6 billion investment in the small business economy – an increase of $15.7 billion from FY22 fiscal year and a new all-time high.
Since taking office, President Biden and Vice President Harris have proudly championed the federal government’s record-high level of small business contracts, especially those owned by veterans and individuals who have traditionally been disadvantaged. Under President Biden’s Investing in America Agenda, the SBA has worked tirelessly to fuel the nation’s economy by leveling the playing field for entrepreneurs of all backgrounds and ensuring fair competition in federal contracting. With the newly announced MySBA Certifications platform, the already-growing number of certifications is expected to increase further, thanks to the overall improvements to the customer experience embedded within the platform.
Currently, per the SBA’s existing ‘Rule of Two,’ government agencies must set aside a contract for small businesses when there are two or more small businesses expected to submit offers at reasonable prices. Today’s new rule proposal would apply the ‘Rule of Two’ to multiple award contracts, which are becoming more prevalent in federal procurement. The SBA estimates that full implementation could increase contracting with small businesses by up to $6 billion annually.
Small businesses and other interested parties may submit comments on the proposed ‘Rule of Two’ during the next 60 days using regulations.gov. The SBA will review those public comments before finalizing the rule. For further information please contact Donna Fudge, Lead Procurement Policy Analyst in the SBA’s Office of Policy Planning and Liaison, at donna.fudge@sba.gov.
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About the U.S. Small Business Administration
The U.S. Small Business Administration makes the American dream of business ownership a reality. As the only go-to resource and voice for small businesses backed by the strength of the federal government, the SBA empowers entrepreneurs and small business owners with the resources and support they need to start, grow, or expand their businesses, or recover from a declared disaster. It delivers services through an extensive network of SBA field offices and partnerships with public and private organizations. Learn more at www.sba.gov.
Washington, D.C. —House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Michael McCaul sent a letter urging President Biden toend bureaucratic delays and surge defense articles to Israel amid increasing threats from Iran and its terrorist proxies.
“We are seeing mounting, tangible evidence of the myriad ways that Russia, China, and Iran are enabling each other’s aggression against the United States and our partners. This is a watershed moment that requires moral and strategic clarity. We need to double down on our partnerships and shore up our alliances, starting with a policy directive to ship the 2,000-pound bombs and to prioritize all pending Direct Commercial Sale and Foreign Military Sale cases to Israel, including the numerous cases that have been subjected to unprecedented bureaucratic delays.”
The full text of the letter can be found here and below:
Dear President Biden,
I urge you to take immediate, public action to surge defense articles to Israel, including 2,000-pound bombs, and to eliminate bureaucratic and other delays that are currently slowing more than ten critical weapons cases purchased via Direct Commercial Sale to Israel. It is apparent that Iran and its proxies, including Hezbollah, are attempting to exploit perceived divisions between the United States and Israel, exacerbated by recent actions of senior Biden-Harris administration officials. It is imperative that you act now to deter our adversaries by showing that there is no daylight between the United States and Israel.
Iran and its proxies are brazenly and persistently attacking the United States and Israel. In recent weeks, a drone launched by Iran-backed Hezbollah targeted a residence of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and Hezbollah fired projectiles at Israel while Secretary of State Antony Blinken was in the country. Yet instead of surging arms exports to Israel to deter further attacks, Secretary Blinken and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin sent a letter threatening to withhold further support to Israel. It is unconscionable that this letter was sent less than two weeks after Iran launched approximately 200 ballistic missiles at Israel. Every U.S. ally in the world is watching with disgust and questioning our reliability.
Worse still, the Blinken-Austin letter was sent with no prior consultation with or notification to Congress, despite Congress’ longstanding role in appropriating security assistance to Israel and approving arms sales. The administration has significantly delayed briefing Congress on these issues despite repeated requests. This is particularly egregious when just six months ago, Congress enacted a national security supplemental spending bill with significant aid to Israel, which your administration requested, and which placed no additional restrictions on assistance to our ally. Bipartisan congressional intent of staunch, ironclad support for Israel is clear, yet your administration is acting to the contrary.
In May, you halted a shipment of 2,000-pound bombs over disagreements regarding Israeli military operations in Rafah – the city where the Israeli military recently eliminated Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar and where numerous hostages, including American citizen Hersh Goldberg-Polin, were executed by Hamas terrorists in August. Major military operations in Rafah have concluded, yet the shipment is still blocked. As misguided as this decision was at the time, it is now downright dangerous. Israel has endured months of attacks from Hezbollah, and a second ballistic missile attack from Iran. Robust action is needed to deter Iran and its proxies. It is past time for you to publicly lift the hold on these bombs, making clear that the United States will provide Israel all support needed to restore its security against these lethal adversaries.
We are seeing mounting, tangible evidence of the myriad ways that Russia, China, and Iran are enabling each other’s aggression against the United States and our partners. This is a watershed moment that requires moral and strategic clarity. We need to double down on our partnerships and shore up our alliances, starting with a policy directive to ship the 2,000-pound bombs and to prioritize all pending Direct Commercial Sale and Foreign Military Sale cases to Israel, including the numerous cases that have been subjected to unprecedented bureaucratic delays. Lastly, I expect your administration to consult with Congress prior to any further withholding of assistance to our close ally Israel.
In August, the Association for Advancing Participatory Sciences (AAPS) announced a fellowship opportunity in partnership with the NASA Citizen Science Leaders Series. Fifty-five people applied! The applications came from graduate students and early career professionals in diverse disciplines, including astronomy, ecology, engineering, nursing, policy, and zoology, to name a few.
We are delighted to announce that Sadie Coffin, PhD student and co-lead (alongside her advisor, Dr. Jeyhan Kartaltepe) of the Redshift Wrangler project, will serve as the AAPS-NASA Cit Sci Leaders Fellow. Sadie’s task is to curate resources, advice, and best practices on topics of common interest from four years of NASA Cit Sci Leaders events. Sadie will dig into our recordings to find the moments, speakers, advice, and resources that offer the best guidance for project leaders starting or managing projects. She’ll help package the best elements of the recordings into usable formats for busy scientists and project leaders interested in creating, managing, and improving participatory science projects.
“This fellowship offers a unique opportunity to gain the mentorship and expertise I need to build a career that not only advances research but also fosters public engagement and inclusivity in science,” said Sadie.
The enthusiasm, talent, and passion in the applications we received revealed the broad appeal, utility, and growing acceptance of participatory research. One applicant commented, “Working in the participatory sciences is how I find meaning in my career as a researcher.” Many others commented that they were eager to connect with mentors and colleagues who were as invested in this work as they were.
Thank you to everyone who applied for this fellowship and to all of the early career professionals working in this field. You are inspiring, and we can’t wait to see what big ideas you contribute to the growth of this field! AAPS will announce additional fellowships focused on different projects in the coming months. Please watch for upcoming calls, consider applying yourself, and share them with the inspiring early career individuals in your networks!
On Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2024, NASA’s Parker Solar Probe will complete its final Venus gravity assist maneuver, passing within 233 miles (376 km) of Venus’ surface. The flyby will adjust Parker’s trajectory into its final orbital configuration, bringing the spacecraft to within an unprecedented 3.86 million miles of the solar surface on Dec. 24, 2024. It will be the closest any human made object has been to the Sun.
Parker’s Venus flybys have become boons for new Venus science thanks to a chance discovery from its Wide-Field Imager for Parker Solar Probe, or WISPR. The instrument peers out from Parker and away from the Sun to see fine details in the solar wind. But on July 11, 2020, during Parker’s third Venus flyby, scientists turned WISPR toward Venus in hopes of tracking changes in the planet’s thick cloud cover. The images revealed a surprise: A portion of WISPR’s data, which captures visible and near infrared light, seemed to see all the way through the clouds to the Venusian surface below.
“The WISPR cameras can see through the clouds to the surface of Venus, which glows in the near-infrared because it’s so hot,” said Noam Izenberg, a space scientist at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Maryland.
Venus, sizzling at approximately 869 degrees Fahrenheit (about 465 C), was radiating through the clouds.
The WISPR images from the 2020 flyby, as well as the next flyby in 2021, revealed Venus’ surface in a new light. But they also raised puzzling questions, and scientists have devised the Nov. 6 flyby to help answer them.
Left: A series of WISPR images of the nightside of Venus from Parker Solar Probe’s fourth flyby showing near infrared emissions from the surface. In these images, lighter shades represent warmer temperatures and darker shades represent cooler. Right: A combined mosaic of radar images of Venus’ surface from NASA’s Magellan mission, where the brightness indicates radar properties from smooth (dark) to rough (light), and the colors indicate elevation from low (blue) to high (red). NASA/APL/NRL (left), Magellan Team/JPL/USGS (right)
The Venus images correspond well with data from the Magellan spacecraft, showing dark and light patterns that line up with surface regions Magellan captured when it mapped Venus’ surface using radar from 1990 to 1994. Yet some parts of the WISPR images appear brighter than expected, hinting at extra information captured by WISPR’s data. Is WISPR picking up on chemical differences on the surface, where the ground is made of different material? Perhaps it’s seeing variations in age, where more recent lava flows added a fresh coat to the Venusian surface.
“Because it flies over a number of similar and different landforms than the previous Venus flybys, the Nov. 6 flyby will give us more context to evaluate whether WISPR can help us distinguish physical or even chemical properties of Venus’ surface,” Izenberg said.
After the Nov. 6 flyby, Parker will be on course to swoop within 3.8 million miles of the solar surface, the final objective of the historic mission first conceived over 65 years ago. No human-made object has ever passed this close to a star, so Parker’s data will be charting as-yet uncharted territory. In this hyper-close regime, Parker will cut through plumes of plasma still connected to the Sun. It is close enough to pass inside a solar eruption, like a surfer diving under a crashing ocean wave.
“This is a major engineering accomplishment,” said Adam Szabo, project scientist for Parker Solar Probe at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland.
The closest approach to the Sun, or perihelion, will occur on Dec. 24, 2024, during which mission control will be out of contact with the spacecraft. Parker will send a beacon tone on Dec. 27, 2024, to confirm its success and the spacecraft’s health. Parker will remain in this orbit for the remainder of its mission, completing two more perihelia at the same distance.
Parker Solar Probe is part of NASA’s Living with a Star program to explore aspects of the Sun-Earth system that directly affect life and society. The Living with a Star program is managed by the agency’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, for NASA’s Science Mission Directorate in Washington. The Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Maryland, manages the Parker Solar Probe mission for NASA and designed, built, and operates the spacecraft.
By Miles HatfieldNASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md.