Source: United States Senator for Nebraska Deb Fischer
U.S. Senator Deb Fischer (R-Neb.), a senior member of the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee, pressed key transportation leaders on whether electric vehicles (EVs) should contribute to the Highway Trust Fund (HTF), which supports the construction and maintenance of U.S. roads and bridges.
While drivers of gasoline-powered cars pay into the HTF through the federal gas tax, EVs currently do not contribute at all – despite weighing significantly more due to their large batteries. The added weight contributes to greater wear and tear on roads and bridges, increasing maintenance costs.
Fischer’s Fair SHARE Act would require EVs to contribute to the HTF, helping offset the damage they cause to America’s infrastructure.
Click the image above to watch Fischer’s line of questioning.
Click here to download audio. Click here to download video.
On EVs Paying Their Fair Share: Fischer: I want to be able to discuss with you both the Highway Trust Fund. Though the fund is outside this committee’s jurisdiction, I remain concerned about its solvency and the impact that insolvency would have on our entire system, infrastructure around this entire country. Though not a silver bullet, we need to get electric vehicles paying into the fund. Currently, electric vehicles don’t pay a dime. They are heavier. They cause more damage to roadways without paying for the repair, for the maintenance. They impact new construction as well. I have legislation that requires electric vehicles to contribute to the Federal Highway Trust Fund, and I know [Transportation & Infrastructure Committee] Chair Graves in the House has a proposal as well, and I appreciate his work to address this important issue. From your perspective, gentlemen, why is it important for EVs to contribute to the trust fund and for Congress to step up and address the fund solvency in our upcoming surface reauthorization? Spear: So, I would just say that all users have to pay. They do. If you’re on the roads, you’re on the bridges, you should pay. EV’s don’t, and they’re heavier. It’s a developing technology that we need to capture and ensure that our roads and bridges remain a priority, and that those using them are contributing to that.
…
Fischer: Mr. Pugh, I’d like to hear your thoughts as well.
Pugh: Yeah, we definitely support some sort of registration fee or something going to the Highway Trust Fund with electric vehicles. I mean, by all means, why shouldn’t they pay? They use the highways, and they should. We should also make sure we’re not giving them special carve outs for hauling them or transporting them because they’re heavier loads to haul and transport. We should make sure we’re not doing that as well.
The Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) has approved a fungicide with a new active ingredient that controls blackspot and powdery mildew on apples and pears, and Botrytis on grapes.
UPL New Zealand Limited applied to import or manufacture Rhapsody, a fungicide containing 218 g/L ipflufenoquin, a chemical new to New Zealand.
UPL says Rhapsody gives growers an alternative to other products that may be becoming less effective due to increasing resistance, gives another option for late season use, and is lower risk to human health.
“This approval means growers will have access to an innovative tool with a new mode of action, helping protect crops vital to New Zealand’s primary sector,” says Dr Lauren Fleury, EPA Hazardous Substances Applications Manager.
The apple industry contributed almost $2 billion to the New Zealand economy last year, and the wine export value reached approximately $2.4 billion.
The decision to approve Rhapsody was made following a rigorous assessment and consultation process, says Dr Fleury.
“As this product contains an active ingredient that is new to New Zealand, we assessed the scientific data and evidence, as well as economic and local information, to enable access to new chemistry while continuing to protect people’s health and our unique environment.”
Ipflufenoquin has been approved in other countries, including Australia, Canada, Japan and the USA.
This decision is the latest for the EPA, which has reduced the queue of hazardous substance release applications by almost 21 percent since 1 July 2024. The EPA has set ambitious assessment targets for the coming year, including increasing the number of assessments for substances containing new active ingredients.
“We understand the importance of timely access to new products. Continuing to reduce the queue and assess new active ingredients is a top priority for us.”
The substance can only be used by professionals in commercial settings, and users must comply with specific controls.
As an agricultural compound, Rhapsody must also receive approval from the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) before it can be used in New Zealand.
Source: United States Small Business Administration
SACRAMENTO, Calif. – The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) announced the availability of low interest federal disaster loans to Arkansas small businesses, private nonprofits and residents affected by severe storms, tornadoes and flooding occurring April 2‑22. The SBA issued a disaster declaration in response to a request received from Gov. Sarah Sanders on July 18.
The disaster declaration includes the Arkansas counties of Cross, Hempstead, Lawrence and Little River.
Businesses and nonprofits are eligible to apply for business physical disaster loans and may borrow up to $2 million to repair or replace disaster-damaged or destroyed real estate, machinery and equipment, inventory, and other business assets.
Homeowners and renters are eligible to apply for home and personal property loans and may borrow up to $100,000 to replace or repair personal property, such as clothing, furniture, cars, and appliances. Homeowners may apply for up to $500,000 to replace or repair their primary residence.
Applicants may be eligible for a loan increase of up to 20% of their physical damages, as verified by the SBA, for mitigation purposes. Eligible mitigation improvements include insulating pipes, walls and attics, weather stripping doors and windows, and installing storm windows to help protect property and occupants from future disasters.
SBA’s Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) program is available to eligible small businesses, small agricultural cooperatives, nurseries and private nonprofit organizations impacted by financial losses directly related to this disaster. The SBA is unable to provide disaster loans to agricultural producers, farmers, or ranchers, except for aquaculture enterprises.
EIDLs are for working capital needs caused by the disaster and are available even if the business did not suffer any physical damage. They may be used to pay fixed debts, payroll, accounts payable, and other bills not paid due to the disaster.
“One distinct advantage of SBA’s disaster loan program is the opportunity to fund upgrades reducing the risk of future storm damage,” said Chris Stallings, associate administrator of the Office of Disaster Recovery and Resilience at the SBA. “I encourage businesses and homeowners to work with contractors and mitigation professionals to improve their storm readiness while taking advantage of SBA’s physical damage loans.”
Interest rates are as low as 4% for businesses, 3.625% for nonprofits and 2.75% for homeowners and renters, with terms up to 30 years. Interest does not begin to accrue and payments are not due until 12 months from the date of the first loan disbursement. The SBA sets loan amounts and terms based on each applicant’s financial condition.
The SBA encourages applicants to submit their loan applications promptly. Applications will be prioritized in the order they are received, and the SBA remains committed to processing them as efficiently as possible.
To apply online, visit sba.gov/disaster. Applicants may also call SBA’s Customer Service Center at (800) 659-2955 or email disastercustomerservice@sba.gov for more information on SBA disaster assistance. For people who are deaf, hard of hearing, or have a speech disability, please dial 7-1-1 to access telecommunications relay services.
The deadline to return physical damage applications is Sept. 22, 2025. The deadline to return economic injury applications April 22, 2026.
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About the U.S. Small Business Administration
The U.S. Small Business Administration helps power the American dream of business ownership. 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, 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. To learn more, visit www.sba.gov.
Source: United States Senator for Massachusetts – Elizabeth Warren
July 22, 2025
“Raising FDIC insurance limits is a common-sense policy that levels the playing field for the small and mid-sized banks that actually lend to small businesses.”
Watch here (YouTube)
Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), member of the Senate Finance Committee and Ranking Member of the Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee, secured an agreement from Jonathan McKernan, nominee to be Undersecretary of the Treasury for Domestic Finance, on working together towards increasing the limit for deposit insurance for business transaction accounts to help level the playing field in our banking system. Republican Senator James Lankford had a similar exchange with Mr. McKernan at the hearing, underscoring the bipartisan interest in deposit insurance reform.
Below is the full transcript of Ranking Member Warren’s questioning with McKernan:
Ranking Member Warren: FDIC insurance is limited to $250,000. Above that, customers with bigger deposits are supposed to wait in line and hope they can recover a portion of their funds when a bank fails.
In March 2023, Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank blew up, creating the third- and fourth-largest bank failures in U.S. history. In order to prevent additional bank runs and a full-blown financial crisis, the Fed, FDIC, and Treasury took the extraordinary step of guaranteeing all—ALL—uninsured deposits at those banks. That meant that huge companies, like the venture capital firm Sequoia, crypto company Circle, and electronics company Roku, had billions of dollars in deposits and they didn’t lose a penny. FDIC made good on all of it.
Now I want to contrast that with what Senator Lankford said about the treatment of two small bank failures in Oklahoma and Texas in the years after SVB crashed. Local small businesses, like pharmacies, grocery stores, and construction companies that kept payroll and other money at these community banks, got $250,000 in FDIC coverage and lost millions of dollars of the uninsured balance.
People understand which banks will—and won’t—get bailed out if there’s trouble. In the week following SVB’s crash, $100 billion in deposits left smaller banks, while the largest 25 banks saw $120 billion in new deposits.
Mr. McKernan, you were a Board Member at the FDIC in 2023 when SVB and Signature collapsed and you saw some of these dynamics up close. Has it become clear to the market that, in the event of failure, depositors at giant banks will get fully reimbursed while depositors at small banks may not?
Jonathan McKernan: Senator I was at the FDIC during those events. What I would say is, by law, uninsured depositors are at risk of loss. There has been a developing market expectation to the contrary at least with respect to large banks. The events around SVPB and signature may have reinforced that market expectation
Warren: Mr. McKernan, can you explain the implications of this two-tier system on both the banking system and broader economy?
McKernan: As the Secretary said, he is focused on the mainstream. What that means as a practical matter for me is it will focus on community banks and on every main street there is a community bank all too often that is a community bank under pressure whether from a mounting compliance burden or this market perception that may advantage the largest banks. So I think a central issue for financial regulation is how we ensure community banks continue to play a role in the financial system of the future
Warren: One way to help level the playing field is to increase deposit insurance limits for business transaction accounts – bank accounts that businesses use to make payroll and rent. Banks that benefit from the increase would pay for this expanded coverage ahead of time through their regular deposit insurance premiums.
This would help smaller banks compete. It also would require big banks to start paying for some of the insurance coverage they’ve been implicitly receiving for free. If small and mid-sized businesses are protected, this could also limit the government’s impulse to bail out giant banks whenever trouble hits.
Mr. McKernan, this idea has received broad bipartisan support. Do you believe that Congress should increase deposit insurance limits for business transaction accounts?
McKernan: Senator, as I was discussing with Senator Lankford, the Secretary has spoken on this and expressed a real interest in exploring an increase in the cap on deposit insurance for business, payment accounts, that would obviously require legislation, that would require congressional action. But I did recently discuss this issue with him. He’s heard this issue over and over again from many, many community banks that he’s met with inside the Treasury and outside the Treasury. The bottom line here is the Secretary would be very eager to see legislation to that effect to move the cap up on deposit insurance for business and community banks.
Warren: Will you work with me and Chairman Scott on the Banking Committee to get this done?
McKernan: Yes, Senator.
Warren: Great. The giant banks don’t need another subsidy. Raising FDIC insurance limits is a common-sense policy that levels the playing field for the small and mid-sized banks that actually lend to small businesses.
Source: United States Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.)
WATCH: Padilla Sets the Record Straight on Trump Administration’s Harmful Mass Deportation Agenda
Highlighted testimony from Alejandro Barranco — a veteran and the son of Narciso, who was violently detained by masked CBP agents in Orange County
WATCH: Padilla criticizes Trump and Republicans for backtracking on pledge to target violent criminalsWASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Immigration Subcommittee, joined a Senate Judiciary Subcommittee hearing to set the record straight on President Trump and Stephen Miller’s cruel mass deportation campaign, blasting the Administration for intentionally stoking fear and scapegoating immigrants.
Padilla emphasized that far from the Trump Administration’s stated plan to target violent criminals, less than 10 percent of immigrants whom Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has taken into custody have serious criminal convictions, and there has been a staggering 500 percent increase in the number of arrests of noncitizens without criminal records. He stressed that these ICE sweeps often illegally profile and target people based on their race, accents, or occupation, while hurting the economy by ripping away farm workers, service industry employees, and other essential workers.
Padilla called out Republicans for attempting to distract from the sharp turn in public opinion away from the President’s immigration policy by relitigating complaints from the Biden presidency more than six months into Trump’s second term. An all-time record 79 percent of Americans believe immigration is a good thing for the country.
He also criticized the $150 billion funding surge to carry out Trump’s enforcement agenda in Republicans’ billionaire-first reconciliation bill, underscoring that ICE’s budget is now larger than the budget of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI); Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF); Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA); U.S. Marshals Service, and Bureau of Prisons combined.
“It’s clear why we’re here today: we’re here because Donald Trump is scapegoating immigrants,” Padilla said in committee. “It’s always been his outlet. This is their break-glass-in-case-of-emergency option when public sentiment turns against them and their agenda. It hasn’t been about only targeting violent criminals and it’s certainly not about fixing or modernizing our immigration system.”
Padilla questioned three witnesses on the Trump Administration’s harmful immigration enforcement. He asked Deborah Fleischaker, a former ICE Acting Chief of Staff and longtime Department of Homeland Security official, to set the record straight that the Biden Administration encouraged ICE to do its job to detain violent criminals. He also highlighted the need for additional funding beyond immigration enforcement to support the hiring of more immigration judges and asylum officers.
Padilla heard further from Alejandro Barranco — a Marine veteran and the eldest son of Narciso Barranco, who was violently detained by masked Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents in Orange County — about the dangers of indiscriminate immigration enforcement, including sweeping up hardworking people with no history of violent crime.
PADILLA: The way they present it, the way they talk about President Biden’s administration and prior Democratic administrations is like it was never a priority for Democratic administrations to go after criminals, and that Democrats and Democratic administrations just didn’t care about the presence of dangerous people in our communities. Simply not true. … Ms. Fleischaker, you were in ICE leadership. In your view, in your experience, did the Biden Administration ever restrain ICE from pursuing serious criminals?
FLEISCHAKER: We absolutely did not stop ICE agents from enforcing the law and going after public safety threats. In fact, we encouraged them to do so. We very much want to want to find and arrest public safety threats in the community. […]
PADILLA: I don’t think anyone here would disagree with the idea of rooting out the ‘worst of the worst,’ even if we disagree over what immigration policy should be, but I believe it’s unacceptable that these raids are so indiscriminate that they end up sweeping up people with no history of violent crime, hardworking people trying to give their children a better life, like Alejandro’s father, Narciso. Alejandro, question is for you. … Is there anything else that you would like to share about the cruelty with which your father was treated or what your family’s gone through?
BARRANCO: I think that the way they treated him and the way they handled that situation was very unprofessional. It showed men who were not trained. It doesn’t seem like it. … They were running with guns in their hand, with fingers on the trigger, pointing it at civilian vehicles. And honestly, I don’t think that’s for the best of public safety, and I believe that they should have better training and go out and chase after the real criminals.
PADILLA: Well, I couldn’t agree more, and the more resources, personnel, funding, and otherwise that’s directed at again, just broad-based enforcement is less focus, less prioritization of those violent criminals that we know are out there, the Administration knows are out there, but they’re not the clear priority or focus.
Padilla also expressed concern about indiscriminate immigration raids creating widespread fear, keeping people home from work, businesses, church, and public spaces, while limiting the reporting of crimes. He heard from Dr. Giovanni Veliz, a retired Minneapolis Police Department Commander, about the importance of building trust with immigrant communities to combat crime and keep police officers safe.
Video of Senator Padilla’s opening remarks is available here, and his questions are available here.
More information on the hearing is available here.
United States Army Pacific (USARPAC) Commanding General, General Ronald P. Clark, met this week with New Zealand Chief of Army, Major General Rose King, to reaffirm the strong and enduring military relationship between the two nations and advance efforts to bolster security cooperation, readiness, and interoperability across the Indo-Pacific region.
Over the course of the senior leaders’ and their delegations meeting in Wellington, as well as a visit to the NZ Army’s training and cultural home in Waiouru, the deepening defence relationship was reflected between both countries, rooted in shared democratic values and more than a century of military cooperation dating back to the First World War.
“Our armies have stood side by side in every major conflict of the past century,” said General Clark. “Today, that legacy continues as we build the integrated landpower network required to meet today’s challenges and preserve peace in the Indo-Pacific.”
Their meeting underscored not only the historical depth of the US–New Zealand Army partnership, but also the shared commitment to preparing their forces for the challenges of a rapidly evolving regional security environment.
“New Zealand values its close and enduring relationship with the US Army,” said Major General Rose King. “Our cooperation is not just historical – it’s operational, forward-looking, and grounded in trust. Together, we are preparing our forces to meet shared challenges across the region with agility, adaptability and purpose.”
Discussions focused on building further interoperability, advancing combined readiness initiatives, and the US Army’s recent transformation efforts. The leaders emphasised the critical role both armies play in shaping a free and open Indo-Pacific, especially as the region faces evolving threats and strategic competition.
The meeting occurred as both nations’ armies participated in Exercise Talisman Sabre in Australia, where close to 700 New Zealand Defence Force troops trained alongside US, Australian, and other allied forces. The exercise demonstrated growing interoperability across air, land, maritime, cyber, and space domains.
Major General King highlighted New Zealand’s commitment to maintaining a modern, combat-ready force capable of deploying globally and regionally. The New Zealand Army – 4,200 active and 2,000 reserve soldiers strong – regularly integrates seamlessly with allied partners across combined missions and operations, supports United Nations peacekeeping operations and delivers humanitarian assistance across the Pacific when called upon.
“We know that we can’t contribute mass and scale, but we pride ourselves on the quality of our soldiers and our leaders, who regularly deploy to, and add significant value to multinational deployments and operations,” Major General King said. “To that end, it’s been great to be able to share some insight with General Clark and his team around how we go about training our people.”
As part of its publicly announced modernisation efforts through the New Zealand Government’s Defence Capability Plan, the New Zealand Army is pursuing upgrades to its Javelin anti-tank missile system, investing in a Network Enabled Army to improve its digital communications and command-and-control interoperability, and planning the replacement of aging vehicle fleets to enhance mobility and sustainment in the field.
“New Zealand is a stalwart partner in the Pacific,” said General Clark. “Whether in exercises like Talisman Sabre or standing shoulder to shoulder in peacekeeping operations, our soldiers share trust built on action, not just words.”
This sentiment was echoed by Major General King, who emphasised the operational value of combined training and the practical steps both armies are taking to improve regional preparedness.
“Participating in Talisman Sabre alongside US and Australian forces showcases our commitment to operational readiness and deepening interoperability,” said Major General King. “These exercises strengthen our collective capability to respond quickly and effectively in the region—whether in conflict, crisis, or humanitarian need.”
Both generals acknowledged the strategic importance of the Pacific Islands region and affirmed their role in promoting regional security, development, and sovereignty.
This visit underscored the enduring strength of the US–New Zealand partnership – one forged in the trenches of the First World War, battle-tested in the Pacific during the Second World War, and reaffirmed today through shared purpose and mutual respect.
United States Army Pacific (USARPAC) Commanding General, General Ronald P. Clark, met this week with New Zealand Chief of Army, Major General Rose King, to reaffirm the strong and enduring military relationship between the two nations and advance efforts to bolster security cooperation, readiness, and interoperability across the Indo-Pacific region.
Over the course of the senior leaders’ and their delegations meeting in Wellington, as well as a visit to the NZ Army’s training and cultural home in Waiouru, the deepening defence relationship was reflected between both countries, rooted in shared democratic values and more than a century of military cooperation dating back to the First World War.
“Our armies have stood side by side in every major conflict of the past century,” said General Clark. “Today, that legacy continues as we build the integrated landpower network required to meet today’s challenges and preserve peace in the Indo-Pacific.”
Their meeting underscored not only the historical depth of the US–New Zealand Army partnership, but also the shared commitment to preparing their forces for the challenges of a rapidly evolving regional security environment.
“New Zealand values its close and enduring relationship with the US Army,” said Major General Rose King. “Our cooperation is not just historical – it’s operational, forward-looking, and grounded in trust. Together, we are preparing our forces to meet shared challenges across the region with agility, adaptability and purpose.”
Discussions focused on building further interoperability, advancing combined readiness initiatives, and the US Army’s recent transformation efforts. The leaders emphasised the critical role both armies play in shaping a free and open Indo-Pacific, especially as the region faces evolving threats and strategic competition.
The meeting occurred as both nations’ armies participated in Exercise Talisman Sabre in Australia, where close to 700 New Zealand Defence Force troops trained alongside US, Australian, and other allied forces. The exercise demonstrated growing interoperability across air, land, maritime, cyber, and space domains.
Major General King highlighted New Zealand’s commitment to maintaining a modern, combat-ready force capable of deploying globally and regionally. The New Zealand Army – 4,200 active and 2,000 reserve soldiers strong – regularly integrates seamlessly with allied partners across combined missions and operations, supports United Nations peacekeeping operations and delivers humanitarian assistance across the Pacific when called upon.
“We know that we can’t contribute mass and scale, but we pride ourselves on the quality of our soldiers and our leaders, who regularly deploy to, and add significant value to multinational deployments and operations,” Major General King said. “To that end, it’s been great to be able to share some insight with General Clark and his team around how we go about training our people.”
As part of its publicly announced modernisation efforts through the New Zealand Government’s Defence Capability Plan, the New Zealand Army is pursuing upgrades to its Javelin anti-tank missile system, investing in a Network Enabled Army to improve its digital communications and command-and-control interoperability, and planning the replacement of aging vehicle fleets to enhance mobility and sustainment in the field.
“New Zealand is a stalwart partner in the Pacific,” said General Clark. “Whether in exercises like Talisman Sabre or standing shoulder to shoulder in peacekeeping operations, our soldiers share trust built on action, not just words.”
This sentiment was echoed by Major General King, who emphasised the operational value of combined training and the practical steps both armies are taking to improve regional preparedness.
“Participating in Talisman Sabre alongside US and Australian forces showcases our commitment to operational readiness and deepening interoperability,” said Major General King. “These exercises strengthen our collective capability to respond quickly and effectively in the region—whether in conflict, crisis, or humanitarian need.”
Both generals acknowledged the strategic importance of the Pacific Islands region and affirmed their role in promoting regional security, development, and sovereignty.
This visit underscored the enduring strength of the US–New Zealand partnership – one forged in the trenches of the First World War, battle-tested in the Pacific during the Second World War, and reaffirmed today through shared purpose and mutual respect.
Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Young Kim (CA-39)
Washington, DC – Today, the House Foreign Affairs Committee passed out of markup H.R. 4490, the Providing Appropriate Recognition and Treatment Needed to Enhance Relations (PARTNER) Act.
U.S. Representative Young Kim (CA-40), chairwoman of the House Foreign Affairs East Asia and Pacific Subcommittee, helped introduce H.R. 4490. Included in the bill are the PARTNER with ASEAN Act and Pacific Partnership Act, which Rep. Kim helped work on to elevate U.S. cooperation with our Indo-Pacific allies.
“When the United States shows up as the partner of choice for our Indo-Pacific allies and partners, we win,” said Congresswoman Kim. “The PARTNER Act sends a clear and needed message that the United States will stand shoulder-to-shoulder with our friends, including our Indo-Pacific partners, from the Philippines to Palau, to promote a free, open, and prosperous Indo-Pacific region.”
Source: United States Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn)
Klobuchar Opening Remarks at Spotlight Forum on the Consumer Product Safety Commission
WATCH KLOBUCHAR’S FULL REMARKS HERE
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) gave the following remarks at a spotlight forum she hosted titled “Buyers Beware: Attacks on Nation’s Product Safety Watchdog Threaten Americans’ Safety.”
Testifying at the forum was Don Mays, Product Safety Expert; Jonathan Midgett, PhD, Former CPSC Consumer Ombudsman; Austin Schlick, Former CPSC General Counsel and Executive Director; R. David Pittle, Former CPSC Commissioner; Alan Korn, Executive Director of Abbey’s Hope Charitable Foundation; Trista Hamsmith, founder of Reese’s Purpose; and Brett Horn, founder of Charlie’s House.
Senator Klobuchar: Well, thank you so much, Senator Blumenthal. I’m really impressed by this group, that knows a lot about what they’re talking about, and we need to hear from you today.
I think I’ve always figured, and maybe this is from my days as a prosecutor, but the first responsibility of government is to protect the people of America, and not only from foreign and domestic threats, but also from … unsafe products.
For over 50 years, the CPSC Commissioners have done just that, working on a bipartisan basis to ensure Americans feel confident about the safety and the reliability of their products. Last year alone, the CPSC negotiated the recall of 153 million unsafe items and conducted more than 4,100 in-depth investigations.
I have grown to value the CPSC through various administrations. My first experience was the toy issue. A little boy in Minnesota, Mom, bought some Reebok tennis shoes, and there was a charm in there as a little gift, and he swallowed it, and he didn’t die, actually, by choking, he died over a period of days because there was lead in the toy, and it went into his system. And from there, I got to as a brand new Senator, work on the Consumer Product Safety bill that was passed with a really strong vote, and we saved a whole lot of lives, and that was during the Bush administration.
Then you move forward, and the work that we’ve all done together on everything from Ikea dressers to airbags to, really, finally, for me, a little girl named Abbey Taylor who died by just going into a kiddie swimming pool. And I worked then, along with several others, to pass the Virginia Graeme Baker Act, which made very clear that you have to have safe pool drains. That bill was then implemented by someone; you can’t just pass a bill and say, “Hey, we did it,” and that was the CPSC, which engaged in education efforts around the country. And maybe one of my favorite moments as a Senator was a few years back when we had the Commissioners before us in the Commerce Committee, and I asked if there had been any deaths since then, 10 years had passed, and they said “not one,” and we were literally having a handful of kids die every year or get maimed because of these pool drains, and I think that’s just such a great example of the work that goes on.
So I’ve always seen this as bipartisan; the work we’ve done, it was one of the most interesting things and positive things we did on the Commerce Committee. And I’m very concerned to partisan up this CPSC, whose mission is just about a far away from partisanship as you can get, makes no sense, and so I’m so glad that we are, Senator Blumenthal, thank you, and that we are going to hear from all of you today about why we need a strong CPSC and that we shouldn’t be making it partisan. Thank you.
Klobuchar has long been a leader in consumer protection.
In 2023, Klobuchar’s legislation to protect children from furniture tip-over injuries was signed into law. The STURDY Act strengthens furniture safety standards to prevent children from being injured by fatal furniture tip-overs. Each year, nearly 10,000 children go to the emergency room (ER) as a result of furniture tip-over injuries.
Klobuchar also spearheaded regulating lead in consumer products as a part of the 2008 Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA), which set stringent standards for levels of lead in children’s toys.
In 2007, Klobuchar’s legislation, the Virginia Graeme Baker Pool and Spa Safety Act, was signed into law. The law mandated that all public pools install safe drain covers preventing suction entrapment, established a voluntary grant program for states to promote pool and spa safety, and created a national public education campaign to raise awareness about drowning prevention.
Video is available HERE.
Source: United States Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn)
WASHINGTON — U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) led her colleagues in a letter to Chair of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), Andrew N. Ferguson, urging him to reissue and finalize its Negative Option Rule (known as “click-to-cancel”) that would make it easier for consumers to unsubscribe from subscriptions.
“We write regarding the Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) rulemaking to revise its Negative Option Rule to make it as easy for consumers to cancel a subscription as it was to sign up, frequently referred to as ‘click-to-cancel,’” wrote the Senators. “A review of more than 16,000 comments from the public made clear what should be obvious: Businesses should not be allowed to trap consumers in costly subscriptions by making it difficult to unsubscribe—costing consumers valuable time and money while stifling competition.”
“The FTC’s vital click-to-cancel rule was set to go into effect on July 14, 2025,” the Senators continued. “Yet, as you are aware, the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals vacated the rule on procedural grounds. We urge the FTC to cure any perceived procedural defect and reissue the rule as quickly as possible to ensure consumers are protected from predatory subscription traps.”
The letter was also signed by Senators Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Ruben Gallego (D-AZ), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Cory Booker (D-NJ), , Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), and Jeff Merkey (D-OR).
The full text of the letter is availablehereand below:
Dear Chair Ferguson:
We write regarding the Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) rulemaking to revise its Negative Option Rule to make it as easy for consumers to cancel a subscription as it was to sign up, frequently referred to as “click-to-cancel.” A review of more than 16,000 comments from the public made clear what should be obvious: Businesses should not be allowed to trap consumers in costly subscriptions by making it difficult to unsubscribe—costing consumers valuable time and money while stifling competition. The FTC’s vital click-to-cancel rule was set to go into effect on July 14, 2025. Yet, as you are aware, the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals vacated the rule on procedural grounds. We urge the FTC to cure any perceived procedural defect and reissue the rule as quickly as possible to ensure consumers are protected from predatory subscription traps.
Putting this commonsense consumer protection in place is vital to foster competition, innovation, and fairness. In today’s digital economy, more and more of what consumers purchase are offered as fee-for-service subscription programs, whether it be for video and music streaming services, ecommerce membership programs, gaming subscriptions, meal kit delivery services, cloud storage, home security monitoring, magazine or news subscriptions, fitness memberships, and many others. While these services are valued by many consumers, the costs for subscription services often add up to far more than consumers think, and it is often difficult for consumers to navigate the complicated process of cancelling those subscriptions. Other firms that allow consumers to subscribe to a service with the click of a button require consumers to talk to a customer service agent or jump through other hoops just to unsubscribe, even though many such businesses tell consumers they can cancel at any time. These practices have no countervailing benefit or redeeming justification. They just make life difficult and expensive.
These unfair practices also deter competition and stifle innovation. Subscription traps make it more difficult for consumers to switch providers, even if the alternative offers better, cheaper, or more innovative services. Allowing these practices incentivizes firms to spend time and resources locking consumers into their subscriptions rather than working to retain them with lower prices and better products. It also creates barriers to entry for innovative startups to break into markets because it is difficult for them to win consumers locked into competing subscriptions they cannot easily escape.
We urge the FTC to take all the steps necessary to reissue and finalize the Negative Option Rule so that consumers can cancel subscriptions quickly and easily.
Source: United States Senator for New Jersey Cory Booker
NEWARK, N.J. – This afternoon, U.S. Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, issued the following statement:
“Attaching a profit motive to imprisonment is a moral failing and wholly inconsistent with our obligation to guarantee just and fair outcomes for all detained people. Today’s decision by the Third Circuit Court of Appeals allows private prisons to profit from immigrant detention contracts, hindering the state legislature’s power to protect New Jerseyans from predatory, greedy, and abusive private prison companies. This decision perpetuates a perverse incentive to fill beds that put corporate profits over human costs and undermines the will of New Jerseyans whose democratically-elected officials passed this legislation. Our communities deserve better, and it is in these moments that we must continue to fight for our neighbors and advocate for an end to for-profit detention.”
Source: United States Senator Peter Welch (D-Vermont)
WASHINGTON, D.C.—U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.) today met with Dylan Collins, a Vermonter and video journalist for the Agence France-Presse (AFP) news agency, who was attacked and wounded by Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) while reporting in Southern Lebanon. Representatives for Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Representative Becca Balint (D-VT-At Large) also attended the meeting.
The Vermont Congressional Delegation released the following statement of support for Mr. Collins:
“For two years, we have sought accountability for Dylan Collins, a Vermonter who was wounded in a targeted attack on international journalists in southern Lebanon by Israeli Defense Forces. A Reuters journalist was killed instantly, AFP’s Christina Assi suffered catastrophic injuries, including losing her right leg, and Mr. Collins and four others were wounded by shrapnel. Multiple credible independent investigations indicate that the attack by Israeli soldiers was a deliberate targeting of individuals who were clearly identified as journalists.
“We have demanded answers from both the Biden and Trump Administrations. The United States government has a responsibility to investigate and obtain accountability for an attack on an American citizen. This Administration has yet to recognize this obligation to Mr. Collins. Our delegation will continue to seek accountability for this shocking misuse of lethal force through legislation, including restrictions on taxpayer-funded weapons for Israel.”
Independent investigations conducted by Reuters, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, Agence France-Presse (AFP), and others have concluded that the IDF’s October 2023 attack on international journalists, including Dylan Collins, in southern Lebanon was targeted and deliberate.
Nine American citizens, including Palestinian-American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh, have been killed by IDF forces or settlers since 2022. The killings have been met by a lack of accountability from the Israeli government and a pattern of indifference by the U.S. government. These failures have contributed to an unacceptable culture of impunity when it comes to ensuring accountability for the deaths of Americans, journalists, and tens of thousands of Palestinian civilians in the West Bank, Gaza, Lebanon, and Syria.
Reports by the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) have revealed that at least 186journalists and media workers have been killed in Gaza, the West Bank, Israel, and Lebanonsince the conflict began on October 7, 2024, making it the deadliest period for journalists since CPJ began gathering data in 1992.
Source: United States Senator John Kennedy (Louisiana)
WASHINGTON – Senator John Kennedy (R-La.), a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, issued the following statement applauding the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) for entering into a 20-year lease agreement with McNeese State University in Lake Charles, La., the location of the PHMSA National Center of Excellence for Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) Safety (the Center). McNeese was chosen as the Center’s site earlier this year. The lease will start on August 1, 2025.
“LNG production is one of the most critical ways our nation can unleash our energy dominance and protect our national security, and Louisiana is leading the way. I’m proud to see the U.S. Department of Transportation take this major step forward in building our National Center of Excellence for LNG Safety in Lake Charles. This Center will be a game changer for our region and be the tip of the spear for LNG innovation, operations, and safety in the U.S.,” said Kennedy.
“Louisiana is at the heart of America’s growing LNG revolution. There is no better place to locate our Center of Excellence to ensure we safely transport this critical energy source,” saidU.S. Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy.
The Protecting our Infrastructure of Pipelines and Enhancing Safety (PIPES) Act of 2020 required PHMSA to establish that the National Center of Excellence for LNG Safety improve the federal government’s LNG facility expertise, serve as an information repository on best practices for LNG facilities, and facilitate collaboration among LNG stakeholders.
“We are excited to reach another important milestone in the construction of the Center, which will be a hub for advancing U.S. LNG safety,” said PHMSA Acting Administrator Ben Kochman.
“We are thrilled to finalize the long-term lease with PHMSA for a location on our McNeese campus. This project has been in the works for over two years, and it would not have been possible without the tireless efforts of Senator Kennedy and his staff, our partners in Washington, D.C., and our colleagues at the University of Louisiana. We believe having PHMSA right here in Lake Charles—working alongside us—will serve as a powerful catalyst for securing the future of our region’s vital industries,” said Dr. Wade Rousse, President, McNeese State University.
Kennedy has long fought for the National Center of Excellence for LNG Safety and its presence in southwest Louisiana.
In 2020, Kennedy inserted a provision into the PIPES Act requiring the Center to be located in Louisiana. The PIPES Act, including Kennedy’s addition, became law as part of the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021.
In May 2024, Kennedy questioned then-Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg during the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development and Related Agencies (THUD Appropriations). In response to Kennedy’s questions, Buttigieg confirmed that the Center would be located in Lake Charles, La.
During a May 2025 THUD Appropriations hearing, Kennedy questioned Secretary Duffy and confirmed that McNeese State University would be the site of the new Center. McNeese State University is the first undergraduate institution in the U.S. to offer a certificate program in the LNG Business and already hosts its own LNG Center of Excellence.
PHMSA and other federal agencies, including the U.S. Coast Guard, Department of Energy, and Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, have worked together to ensure the Center is focused on its mission of making the U.S. the leader in LNG operations.
Additional information about the National Center of Excellence for LNG Safety is available on PHMSA’s website.
Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments
An observational study published in BMJ Open Diabetes Research & Care looks at GLP-1 drugs vs metformin and the risk of dementia in people with type 2 diabetes.
Dr Richard Oakley, Associate Director of Research and Innovation, Alzheimer’s Society, said:
“Dementia is the UK’s biggest killer and one in three people born today will go onto to develop the condition. So, it’s exciting to see more research which shows how drugs currently being used for diabetes and weight loss – which are relatively cheap and easy to use – may also reduce the risk of dementia.
“This study found that GLP1RAs may significantly reduce some people’s risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease, and more so than those taking a second diabetes drug called metformin.
“However, they’re not a silver bullet in the fight against dementia and this study had several limitations that mean we mustn’t rush to conclusions about the effectiveness of these drugs – clinical trials will tell us more.
“These treatments didn’t reduce people’s risk of developing other types of dementia, such as vascular dementia, and there was a significant difference in risk reduction depending on patients’ ethnicity, with White patients much more likely to have a reduced risk than other racial groups.
“The study was retrospective, meaning we don’t know participants’ long-term outcomes and how many went on to develop dementia beyond the lifespan of the study. We need more dedicated research to understand whether these drugs could be used to tackle dementia while also finding therapies that benefit people from all backgrounds.
“We’re not at the finish line by any means, but we’re heading in the right direction.”
Dr Sheona Scales, Director of Research, Alzheimer’s Research UK, said:
“Research shows that nearly half (45 %) of dementia cases are linked to 14 risk factors, including type 2 diabetes. Recent studies suggest that some commonly prescribed diabetes medicines could help reduce the risk of dementia, but it’s still unclear which treatments are most effective. This new study adds to a growing body of evidence that GLP-1 medicines may play a role in lowering dementia risk.
“This is the first major study to compare the effect of two common diabetes treatments — GLP-1 medicines and metformin — on dementia risk, using health records from more than 174,000 people. The findings suggest that people with type 2 diabetes taking GLP-1 medicines had a lower risk of developing dementia than those taking metformin.
“Using real health records helps us understand how these medicines might work in everyday life — not just in clinical trials. And the findings suggest a lower dementia risk in those taking GLP-1 medicines, but the study cannot tell us how these medicines affect the underlying biology that causes dementia. People with type 2 diabetes often have other health conditions, like high blood pressure or high cholesterol, which are also linked to dementia — so it’s hard to untangle what role these factors might have had on dementia risk in this study.
“The two-year follow-up period may also be too short to tell what longer-term benefits these medicines may have on the brain. To build on the findings, we will need longer studies and clinical trials to look in detail at how different medicines may affect the brain and risk of developing dementia, in people with and without diabetes.
“Anyone who has concerns or questions about their diabetes medications, brain health or dementia risk should speak to their GP.”
Prof Patrick Kehoe, Gestetner Professor of Translational Dementia Research and Director of the Elizabeth Blackwell Institute for Health Research, University of Bristol, said:
“This retrospective observational study gives more credence to the growing narrative about Alzheimer’s disease, as opposed to Vascular dementias, having a strong insulin resistance component, which happens in ageing but is thought to be more pronounced in Alzheimer’s disease.
“But, as the authors acknowledge, it would need a formal trial to prove. There are some other considerations to note from this study. Most of the GLP-1 drugs studied in this group, of which there are several, remain largely under patent protection. This means they are more expensive and therefore not as widely available in some countries, such as those with public health care systems – compared to insurance-funded healthcare provision. So there is a possibility the favourable findings for this group of drugs may relate to the people who take them having some additional socioeconomic advantages, including diet, greater or more frequent access to exercise, and maybe higher or longer levels of education, that have also offered some other forms of protection.
“A properly designed blinded randomised clinical trial could help address and counter these potential sources of bias, allowing a better head-to-head comparison. Such a trial would also enable the monitoring of drug side effects, which is also important. However, such robust research would be prohibitively costly and time-consuming, particularly when some of the GLP-1 drugs are already off patent or soon to be, making them less attractive to investigate in the commercial sector, and so it would fall to ever-tightening publicly-funded schemes, such as UKRI or Research Charities in the UK to fund them.
“It may be the case that over time, as more GLP-1 drugs fall off patent and become available in cheaper forms, doctors will prescribe more of them because they have more choice and additional evidence might have become available. They are fortunate to have several choices to treat the diabetes which would be the more immediate concern. Further evidence of benefit may emerge in a way similar to what seems to have happened when there was a huge and successful effort to improve the detection and treatment of high blood pressure, in other words hypertension, and so with the increased levels of prescribing those drugs it possibly provided some protection as well as some slowing. Accordingly, reduced rates of dementia were observed, as reported in a similar observational study reported in 2016.
“In the absence of clear findings in relation to these drugs, people still have some choices. Continued efforts to maintain a healthy diet and lifestyle, as well as body weight, will help not only to lessen the effects of diabetes but also improve cardiovascular health, all of which can do no harm to quality of life – and may offer additional protection against dementia.”
Dr Martin Whyte, Associate Professor in Metabolic Medicine, University of Surrey, said:
“Type 2 diabetes (T2D) is known to increase the risk of cognitive impairment and dementia. Two of the most commonly prescribed medications for T2D are metformin and GLP-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1 drugs), which are primarily used to control blood sugar. However, GLP-1 drugs are known to have additional effects beyond glucose lowering, including actions on inflammation and the central nervous system.
“There has been growing interest in whether GLP-1 drugs might help reduce the risk of dementia. The REWIND trial, which tested dulaglutide (a GLP-1 drug) versus placebo in people with T2D, reported a 14% reduction in the risk of significant cognitive decline, although it was not specifically designed to assess dementia risk.
“In a new observational study by Sun and colleagues, based on routinely collected healthcare data, GLP-1 use was associated with a 10% lower risk of developing dementia (of all types) compared to metformin use. Since GLP-1 receptors are present throughout the brain, it is possible that the effect is direct; or it may be indirect—for example, via reductions in systemic inflammation or metabolic risk factors.
“However, this was an observational study, which means it is subject to bias and confounding. Notably, the authors did not provide detailed information about the characteristics of patients in each group, either before or after statistical matching, and treatment duration for either GLP-1 drugs or metformin was not reported. These limitations make it difficult to draw firm conclusions, but the findings add to the growing interest in the potential cognitive benefits of GLP-1 drugs. A number of prospective randomised controlled trials are ongoing, to examine whether GLP-1 drugs can reduce the risk of dementia.”
Dr Craig Beall, Senior Lecturer, University of Exeter, said:
“It is important to note that people with diabetes have a 60% increased risk of dementia. Earlier separate studies using health records have shown that both metformin and GLP-1RAs are associated with reduced dementia risk. This study puts the two drugs head-to-head and shows that GLP-1RAs seem to be associated with a superior risk reduction for dementia.”
“However, whether these drugs only reduce the diabetes related dementia risk is not yet clear. Whether people without diabetes could benefit is still unknown. What we need to determine this are randomised control trials and there are three large randomised control trials currently running. In these trials people without diabetes but with mild cognitive impairment, are given metformin or GLP-1RAs, and metformin in Alzheimer’s disease trial and EVOKE and EVOKE+ trials. Results are not expected until 2026. These studies will give the best evidence of whether these two drugs can slow progression or prevent full blown dementia from becoming established.”
Prof Tara Spires-Jones, Director of the Centre for Discovery Brain Sciences at the University of Edinburgh, Group Leader in the UK Dementia Research Institute, and Past President of the British Neuroscience Association said:
“This study adds to a series of recent papers indicating GLP-1 receptor agonists likely protect people with diabetes from developing dementia. Lin and colleagues looked at medical records from over 170,000 people with diabetes, half of whom were treated with GLP-1 receptor agonists and half treated with metformin, and the GLP-1 receptor agonist treatment was associated with 10% lower risk of dementia than metformin over a four year follow up time. As the authors point out, this type of study cannot prove that the GLP-1 receptor agonist treatment directly lowered dementia risk. The study also has limitations of relatively short follow up time of 4 years and the types of dementia diagnosed rely on physician diagnosis and were not confirmed with brain scans or other biomarkers, meaning the data on which types of dementia were prevented are not very robust. Overall, this study and many others coming out recently indicate GLP-1 receptor agonists likely lower dementia risk in people with diabetes. Further work is needed including randomised clinical trials to confirm these drugs are protective in people with type 2 diabetes and whether these drugs will be protective in people who do not have type 2 diabetes.”
‘Evaluating GLP-1 receptor agonists versus metformin as first-line therapy for reducing dementia risk in type 2 diabetes’ byMingyang Sunet al.was published in BMJ Open Diabetes Research & Care at 23:30 UK time on Tuesday 22nd July.
DOI:doi:10.1136/ bmjdrc-2025-004902
Declared interests
Prof Patrick Kehoe: No interests to declare.
Dr Martin Whyte: “I am a site PI at King’s College Hospital for the FOCUS study which is examining the effect of semaglutide on retinopathy. I am not a grant holder for this.”
Dr Craig Beall: CB has previously collaborated with Rigel Pharmacuticals Inc. (CA, USA) on a JDRF/Breakthrough T1D-funded research project.
CB is currently studying the effects of both drug types brain cells, in the context of diabetes.
Prof Tara Spires-Jones: I have no conflicts with this study but have received payments for consulting, scientific talks, or collaborative research over the past 10 years from AbbVie, Sanofi, Merck, Scottish Brain Sciences, Jay Therapeutics, Cognition Therapeutics, Ono, and Eisai. I am also Charity trustee for the British Neuroscience Association and the Guarantors of Brain and serve as scientific advisor to several charities and non-profit institutions.
Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman John Rutherford (4th District of Florida)
WASHINGTON, D.C. – On Friday, U.S. Congressman John H. Rutherford (FL-05) released the following statement on the House passage of President Trump’s rescissions package:
“The House just passed legislation to slash over $9 BILLION in waste, fraud, and abuse AND end taxpayer funding for NPR, PBS, and USAID. Americans’ hard-earned money shouldn’t be used to bankroll leftist propaganda and organizations that act contrary to U.S. interests at home and abroad. That’s why I was proud to vote YES on President Trump’s rescissions package today to cut overseas and domestic spending to help get our country back on track.”
Source: United States House of Representatives – Julia Brownley (D-CA)
Washington, DC – Today, Congresswoman Julia Brownley (D-CA) joined Congressman Adriano Espaillat (D-NY), Chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC), and Congressman Salud Carbajal (D-CA) in a letter to Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Acting Director Todd Lyons expressing serious concern about large scale immigration raids conducted across multiple counties in California during the week of July 8-12:
“According to multiple reports, ICE agents conducted large-scale, coordinated raids—many targeting agricultural sites—resulting in the detention of hundreds of individuals, most of whom are long-time community members and workers, including U.S. citizens. These operations appear to have involved aggressive tactics, including warrantless intrusions, racial profiling, and denial of access to counsel. Such actions raise significant constitutional, legal, and humanitarian concerns,” wrote the lawmakers.
In their letter, the Members requested detailed information about the enforcement operations in question, including how many individuals were detained and are being held, and whether ICE is adhering to humanitarian and legal detention standards.
The lawmakers also requested information on how ICE will adhere to the temporary restraining order (TRO) issued by a federal judge in Vasquez Perdomo v. Noem, which bans ICE officials from detaining individuals based on their appearance or ethnicity; speaking Spanish or speaking English with an accent; their presence at a particular location; or the work they do.
The TRO further requires ICE to only detain individuals based on a reasonable suspicion that they are in violation of immigration law — a reasonable suspicion not based on any of the factors listed above — and to provide adequate access to legal assistance to individuals who are detained.
“My district, which encompasses most of Ventura County, was recently the site of one of the largest ICE operations in the country, resulting in more than 360 detentions in a single day. The troubling way these raids have been carried out throughout California raises serious concerns about the tactics used by federal agents and their disregard for due process and the rule of law,” said Congresswoman Brownley. “This is not about public safety — it’s about instilling fear. These actions lack transparency, accountability, and basic respect for the legal rights of every person in this country. My Democratic colleagues and I are continuing to work to hold this administration accountable and to ensure that our immigration policies reflect our values and our commitment to justice.”
“The Trump administration’s zeal to reach a million deportations in a year — a meaningless, arbitrary number — is pushing ICE agents to trample basic constitutional and human rights,” said Congressman Espaillat. “It’s also putting the federal government at odds with the social and economic well-being of our communities. The Trump administration needlessly changed the rules of the game overnight and everyone is paying the price, starting with the irreplaceable skilled laborers who grow our food.”
“The Trump administration is using immigration enforcement as a political weapon, targeting working families to score political points,” said Congressman Carbajal. “This is not how you keep people safe. In fact, this kind of chaos only makes communities more insecure. I’ll continue working with the Congressional Hispanic Caucus to push back on ICE and the Trump administration’s cruel and inhumane immigration enforcement tactics.”
The full letter can be found here and below:
The Honorable Kristi Noem Secretary U.S. Department of Homeland Security 2707 Martin Luther King Jr. Ave., SE Washington, DC 20528-0525
Mr. Todd M. Lyons Acting Director U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement 500 12th Street, SW Washington, DC 20536-5010
Dear Secretary Noem and Acting Director Lyons,
We write to express serious concern regarding the recent series of enforcement actions reportedly carried out by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) across multiple counties in California, including Ventura, Santa Barbara, Monterey, and Kern, among others, during the week of July 8–12, 2025.
According to multiple reports, ICE agents conducted large-scale, coordinated raids—many targeting agricultural sites—resulting in the detention of hundreds of individuals, most of whom are long-time community members and workers, including U.S. citizens. These operations appear to have involved aggressive tactics, including warrantless intrusions, racial profiling, and denial of access to counsel. Such actions raise significant constitutional, legal, and humanitarian concerns.
These enforcement actions also target individuals who are essential to local and state economies. The immigrant workers detained during these raids are overwhelmingly hard-working individuals who contribute daily to California’s agricultural industry and food supply chain. Many have lived in the United States for decades, raising families and building deep ties in their communities. Targeting these essential workers not only harms families but disrupts vital economic sectors that depend on their labor and dedication.
In light of these events, and in view of the Temporary Restraining Order (TRO) issued on July 11, 2025, in Vasquez Perdomo v. Noem, we respectfully request the following detailed information about these enforcement operations:
How many individuals were detained during ICE operations in California from July 8 to July 12, 2025?
Where are those individuals currently being held? Please provide facility names and addresses.
Are individuals in your custody being provided with reliable access to basic needs? Please include when they are being provided water, food, sanitation, and hygiene.
What was the legal basis for the initial stops, arrests, and detentions, particularly in light of the court’s prohibition on reliance upon race, ethnicity, language, or occupation as justification?
Were administrative warrants obtained and presented prior to entering any private areas, including worker housing or vehicles? Please include a copy of the warrant.
Did ICE coordinate or communicate with any local or state law enforcement agencies during the planning or execution of these operations? If so, please detail the nature and scope of that cooperation.
How will ICE adjust its operational practices in California in light of the court’s TRO, which restricts stops lacking individualized suspicion and mandates access to legal counsel?
We also request confirmation that individuals currently detained, as a result of these raids, are being granted regular and confidential access to legal representation, in accordance with the court’s ruling.
Furthermore, we want to reiterate that Members of Congress have both the constitutional authority and the responsibility to conduct oversight of federal agencies, including ICE. This includes the right to observe enforcement operations and inspect detention facilities without prior notice, as affirmed by federal law and agency policy. Any attempt to obstruct congressional access during enforcement activities or to withhold information from elected representatives will be regarded as a serious violation of that duty and rights.
These raids have caused widespread fear and disruption across communities, and they raise deeply troubling questions about ICE’s commitment to due process and constitutional norms. As Members of Congress, we will be closely monitoring any future enforcement actions to ensure they comply with federal court orders, respect individual rights, and uphold the rule of law.
Thank you for your attention to this urgent matter. We respectfully request a response by July 25, 2025.
Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Tom Tiffany (WI-07)
WASHINGTON, DC –Today, Congressman Tom Tiffany’s (WI-07) Wabeno Economic Development Act passed the U.S. House of Representatives with overwhelming bipartisan support. H.R. 3937 will expedite the conveyance of 14 acres of land in the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest to Tony’s Wabeno Redi-Mix for fair market value.
After years of not making progress with the U.S. Forest Service, Tony—the owner of Tony’s Wabeno Redi-Mix—turned to Congressman Tiffany’s office for help. His business is running out of nearby aggregate materials like stone, sand, and gravel, and they will exhaust supply in approximately 2 years. The adjacent parcel is critical for the business’s future and ability to stay in operation.
“This conveyance will deliver long-term economic growth and protect local jobs for the people of Wabeno and Forest County,”said Congressman Tiffany.“It will ensure Tony’s Wabeno Redi-Mix stays open and continues serving the community for years to come.”
Background:
Tony’s Wabeno Redi-Mix has been serving the community for 25 years and currently employs 17 people. The company provides concrete for both contractors and homeowners across a 50-mile radius. Projects include large-scale work for the Forest County Potawatomi Community, local fire and rescue stations, town shops and offices, agricultural projects for local farmers, and residential construction and remodeling.
Tony first began working with the Forest Service on this land exchange more than eight years ago. However, the agency made it clear the project was not a priority and lacked the resources to complete it. With much of Forest County under federal ownership as part of the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest, there is limited private land available for small business expansion.
This legislation is supported by the Wabeno Area Chamber of Commerce, the Forest County Economic Development Partnership, and the Town of Wabeno. Tom Tallier, Forest County Board Supervisor for District 8, offered key testimony in favor of the bill last year.
You can view Rep. Tiffany’s comments on the House floor here, and Rep. Debbie Dingell’s (MI-06) floor statement of support here. You can read the full text of the bill here.
Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Tom Tiffany (WI-07)
WASHINGTON, DC –Today, Congressman Tom Tiffany’s (WI-07) Wabeno Economic Development Act passed the U.S. House of Representatives with overwhelming bipartisan support. H.R. 3937 will expedite the conveyance of 14 acres of land in the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest to Tony’s Wabeno Redi-Mix for fair market value.
After years of not making progress with the U.S. Forest Service, Tony—the owner of Tony’s Wabeno Redi-Mix—turned to Congressman Tiffany’s office for help. His business is running out of nearby aggregate materials like stone, sand, and gravel, and they will exhaust supply in approximately 2 years. The adjacent parcel is critical for the business’s future and ability to stay in operation.
“This conveyance will deliver long-term economic growth and protect local jobs for the people of Wabeno and Forest County,”said Congressman Tiffany.“It will ensure Tony’s Wabeno Redi-Mix stays open and continues serving the community for years to come.”
Background:
Tony’s Wabeno Redi-Mix has been serving the community for 25 years and currently employs 17 people. The company provides concrete for both contractors and homeowners across a 50-mile radius. Projects include large-scale work for the Forest County Potawatomi Community, local fire and rescue stations, town shops and offices, agricultural projects for local farmers, and residential construction and remodeling.
Tony first began working with the Forest Service on this land exchange more than eight years ago. However, the agency made it clear the project was not a priority and lacked the resources to complete it. With much of Forest County under federal ownership as part of the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest, there is limited private land available for small business expansion.
This legislation is supported by the Wabeno Area Chamber of Commerce, the Forest County Economic Development Partnership, and the Town of Wabeno. Tom Tallier, Forest County Board Supervisor for District 8, offered key testimony in favor of the bill last year.
You can view Rep. Tiffany’s comments on the House floor here, and Rep. Debbie Dingell’s (MI-06) floor statement of support here. You can read the full text of the bill here.
Source: United States Senator for Kansas Roger Marshall
Washington – On Tuesday, U.S. Senator Roger Marshall, M.D. (R-Kansas) announced the Trump Administration is fulfilling his request for disaster relief aid following multiple rounds of severe weather and tornadoes this past May. President Trump personally called Senator Marshall to share that he was allocating $6.7 million in public assistance for the affected communities.
“This past May, several of our communities experienced devastating EF3 tornadoes, causing widespread destruction. Entire towns were leveled and significant damage was sustained to Interstate 70, public infrastructure, and private property,” said Senator Marshall. “I am very grateful to President Trump and his administration for quickly fulfilling our request to provide the much-needed assistance to our Kansas communities.”
The following Kansas counties will be eligible for public assistance: Bourbon, Cheyenne, Edwards, Gove, Kiowa, Logan, Pratt, Reno, Scott, Sheridan, and Stafford.
Senator Marshall led a letter in June asking for this public assistance.
Source: United States Senator for Kansas Roger Marshall
Washington – U.S. Senator Roger Marshall, M.D. (R-Kansas) sat down with Fox News Digital to discuss the nearly 30 bipartisan bills he has proposed for his Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) legislative package. Senator Marshall is the chairman of the MAHA Caucus.
Read the full article HERE or below:
GOP Senator Reveals the ‘Dirty’ Secret to Trump’s Make America Healthy Again Movement
Alex Miller
Fox News Digital
July 18, 2025
For one lawmaker, the path to making Americans healthier starts in the dirt.
Sen. Roger Marshall, R-Kan., has styled himself as an early adopter of the Make America Healthy Again movement, a political slogan born on the 2024 campaign trail that has since seen major companies tweak their products to nix artificial additives.
But Marshall sees the initiative, commonly known as MAHA, as one that can start sooner than switching the oil in deep friers or swapping out high-fructose corn syrup for cane sugar in soda.
He has his own four pillars of MAHA, which include dialing up efficiency in agriculture; healthier, more nutrient-rich food; affordable access to primary care healthcare; and addressing mental health challenges among young people.
But it all starts below the surface with soil health.
“Soil is a dirty topic, you know, pun intended,” Marshall told Fox News Digital in an interview.
MAHA diehards and farmers are, at a surface level, at odds with one another, he said. For example, returning to an entirely organic food production process devoid of fertilizers would create healthier food, but also crank up the costs on consumers and strain farmland.
Earlier in the week, Marshall held a roundtable with Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins and Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to try and bridge that gap.
“Soil health seems to be the common ground,” he said. “So healthy soil meets healthy food meets healthy people. Rather than MAHA telling these farmers what you can and can’t do, we wanted to say, ‘What’s our goal here?’ If we have the same goals, then we’re going to figure this out. Well, the goal is healthy soil.”
Getting those two in a room together, along with experts on regenerative agriculture, which is a more holistic approach to farming that targets soil health by restoring and enhancing ecosystems, is just a part of his plan.
He also intends to drop a massive package of bills that is divided up into categories that echo his four pillars, including legislation geared toward health care, mental health, nutrition and agriculture.
Among the nearly 30 bills and amendments in the package is one Marshall is particularly keen to see codified. The Plant Biostimulant Act would spur usage of organisms that can be placed into the soil and that latch onto the roots of plants that absorb nitrates and more water, he said.
The bill ties in directly with his passion for regenerative agriculture, which uses fewer fertilizers, water and other status-quo farming techniques to produce healthier foods on more sustainable farmland, which, in turn, would yield a cheaper, more nutritious diet for Americans.
“It’s growing more with less,” he said.
Among the various, bipartisan pieces of legislation from both chambers are bills that would push mobile cancer screenings with grant funding, add mental health warnings for kids scrolling through social media, require more transparency in food ingredients, expansion of employer healthcare coverage for chronic diseases, and measures that would allow bleeding edge soil health technology and processes to be considered conservation practices and eligible for Farm Bill funding, among others.
Most bills need to get 60 votes to pass in the Senate, Marshall noted, and that led to a desire to incorporate as many bipartisan measures in the package as possible. It’s also a topic that, in spite of the political polarization in Washington, “unites us, rather than divides us.”
Still, with President Donald Trump in office, he sees the chance for the measures to pass as a kind of now or never moment.
“We’re seeing a time in our lives where the incidence of cancer, the age of cancer, is growing younger and younger, the age of Alzheimer’s onset is growing younger and younger, and we believe it’s an inflammatory reaction to the food that we’re eating that leads to all that,” he said.
“We think heart disease, hypertension, is really an inflammatory reaction… to the food we’re eating and the constantly high sugar levels in our blood system,” he continued. “So absolutely, I think, seize the moment. This is it.”
Source: United States Senator Peter Welch (D-Vermont)
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.) today submitted a Statement for the Congressional Record excoriating President Trump for withdrawing from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). In his statement, Senator Welch called the withdrawal from UNESCO ill-conceived, and warned this move will allow the Chinese government to expand its influence in the United Nations.
Read Senator Welch’s Statement for the Congressional Record below:
“Mr. President, of all the uninformed, ill-conceived, and self-inflicted errors of this Administration, the just-announced decision to withdraw from UNESCO stands out.
“The justification given by the State Department spokeswoman was a recitation of outdated, vague, and inaccurate criticisms of an organization that has seen dramatic reforms over the past seven years under the outstanding leadership of Director General Audrey Azoulay. Since her initial appointment in 2017, Director General Azoulay has made numerous trips to Washington to meet with leaders in the Congress and the Administration. I have heard consistently positive reactions to her leadership of UNESCO by Republicans and Democrats alike, including regarding UNESCO’s efforts to address antisemitism.
“Given Director General Azoulay’s success in focusing UNESCO on its mission of promoting international cooperation and peace in a manner consistent with democratic values and human rights and dignity, one can only conclude that the Administration officials behind this short-sighted decision never bothered to do their homework. Or they were guided purely by Project 2025’s mindless opposition to multilateralism, regardless of the facts. As far as I am aware they did not bother to consult anyone in Congress, including those who have regularly engaged with Director General Azoulay and her professional staff.
“Mr. President, most Republicans and Democrats have long recognized that it is far better for the United States to be in the room, rather than remain outside and cede our influence to those who don’t share our interests or values. The Chinese Government is looking for any opportunity to expand its influence in the United Nations, and UNESCO is no exception. We rejoined UNESCO in 2023 after a five-year absence, and now we are withdrawing again. It sends a terrible message that the United States can no longer be counted on. It is a message the Chinese will applaud.”
Congressman Russell Fry (SC-07) Introduces Legislation to Codify President Trump’s Executive Order on Showerheads
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Congressman Russell Fry (SC-07) introduced the Saving Homeowners from Overregulation With Exceptional Rinsing (SHOWER) Act, a bill to codify President Trump’s clear and consistent definition of “showerhead” and put an end to the federal government’s overregulation of household water fixtures.
Under the 2016 Trump Administration, the Department of Energy (DOE) rightly clarified that each nozzle in a multi-head shower system could be treated as a separate showerhead, each allowed to flow at up to 2.5 gallons per minute (GPM), consistent with the original intent of the 1992 Energy Policy Act.
But in 2021, the Biden Administration reversed course, reinstating a burdensome interpretation that limited the combined flow of all nozzles in a system to 2.5 GPM—effectively reducing water pressure and restricting consumer choice. That rule was widely criticized as overreach and emblematic of a broader regulatory agenda targeting everyday household appliances.
President Trump issued an Executive Order in April of 2025 directing DOE to eliminate the Biden-era rule, and DOE followed through in May by repealing the restrictive definition entirely. The SHOWER Act now ensures this rollback is enshrined in law and cannot be reversed by future administrations.
Specifically, the bill:
Codifies the definition of “showerhead” using the ASME A112.18.1–2018 industry standard.
Clarifies that each individual nozzle in a multi-nozzle unit may operate independently at up to 2.5 GPM.
Excludes safety showerheads used for emergency purposes.
Directs the DOE to revise existing regulations within 180 days to reflect the updated statutory definition.
Prevents future reinterpretations that would restrict water flow and limit consumer options.
“Washington bureaucrats have gone too far in dictating what happens in Americans’ own homes,” said Congressman Fry. “The SHOWER Act is a smart fix that reaffirms each shower nozzle is just that—its own showerhead—and should be treated accordingly under the law. This is about defending consumer choice, pushing back on regulatory overreach, and standing up for commonsense policy.”
“For far too long federal regulations and red tape have limited consumer choice and forced Americans to live with limited water pressure,” said Chairman Guthrie. “Low pressure showers waste time and increase water usage. By codifying how different nozzles are categorized, the SHOWER Act offers a commonsense fix that will allow households to choose what meets their needs, not what Washington mandates. Thank you to Representative Fry for leading this legislation and for your work to deliver results for consumers across the country.”
Full text of the bill can be found HERE.
Congressman Fry serves on both the House Energy and Commerce Committee and the House Judiciary Committee. To stay up to date with Congressman Fry and his work for the Seventh District, follow his official Facebook, Instagram, and X pages and visit his website at fry.house.gov.
Source: United States Senator Tommy Tuberville (Alabama)
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) joined Larry Kudlow on Fox Business Network to highlight some of President Trump’s many wins since taking office six months ago, including historic tax cuts, increased military recruitment, protecting female athletes, securing the southern border, and making our food healthier.
Excerpts from the interview can be found below and the full interview can be viewed on YouTube or Rumble.
KUDLOW: “So Senator Tuberville, I think one of the themes here—this is something we’ve talked about. Victor Davis Hanson has been writing about this. The experts were wrong. Trump got this stuff done. In particular, the southern border—which is virtually flat now, virtually empty—no crossings. We didn’t need new legislation, right? Remember that push? We just needed somebody who was tough enough to enforce the laws. Let’s start with that one, okay? Immigration. How about that? Maybe his greatest achievement.”
TUBERVILLE: “Well, you’re exactly right and one of the repercussions of the immigration stoppage of keeping very few illegals coming to our country—we’re saving $40 billion dollars to this point in this budget. $40 billion dollars. And that’s going to count up. We could not afford for Kamala Harris to win this election because it would have been a disaster, just for the immigration alone, which would [have] just stair-stepped everything to becoming a disaster when it come to the economy.”
KUDLOW: “And you know Senator, the Democrats have to be crazy and just out of their minds to oppose this, okay? They’re still defend[ing]—and they’re still in the business of defending sanctuary cities and of defending the worst of the worst criminals. And we just had this awful shooting of a border agent in New York City. And DHS secretary Kristi Noem correctly just blasted New York City Democrats. They got a mayor—the Socialist mayor, Communist mayor, whatever he is—Mamdani the Commie. He wants to keep ICE agents out. He wants to keep Netanyahu out. He wants to keep Trump out. I mean, how can the Democrats be so stupid? I call them experts. They’re really just deep state people who arejust on the wrong side of all these issues.”
TUBERVILLE: “Well, the wrong side, and that’s the only side they can reach to, Larry, for votes. They have to have votes, and they’re looking for somewhere to get votes. This sanctuary city nonsense—it’s unlawful. People are going to get hurt more and more when you hang out in these sanctuary cities. But all they’re doing is pushing socialism, and all socialism is just—it’s communism without a gun, at the end of the day. And so, we need to understand the direction this country’s going if the Democrats have an opportunity to get a leg back into this country in terms of leadership. That’s not going to happen. As you just said, I was at that dinner in the White House Friday night when President Trump was going through all those wins that we’ve had. It’s just amazing to me that it takes so long to go through them, our dinner got cold. But at the end of the day, it was so fun to listen to all that. It’s just amazing what he’s done in six months.”
KUDLOW: “So the experts were wrong, tariffs are not inflationary, real wages are actually going up, the stock market is now hitting new record highs. I believe today, both the NASDAQ and the SMP hit new record highs. But here’s one for you, which I think is very important: in six months, military recruitment—new military recruitment—Pete Hegseth, Defense Secretary, Donald Trump, President of the United States and Commander in Chief—new military recruitment has gone sky high, record levels. What do you make of that, Senator?”
TUBERVILLE: “Well, I’ll tell you why, people—these young men and women—are feeling good about our country again. They’re not being told that they’re woke, and they need to be social justice warriors. They’re doing it for the right thing. They’re doing it to protect our country. But it’s also a great way to get an education. It’s a great job. But it wasn’t sold that way by the Democrats. It was sold by the Democrats as ‘Hey, be part of a basically a clown show,’ and that’s what it was turning into. I’m on Armed Services. I’ve never seen anything like the recruiting that was going on. The books that our generals were telling our troops to read, whether it was on ships or in in some of these camps—it’s just amazing to me the direction where we were going.”
KUDLOW: “Well, here’s another one then. We obliterated Iran, but the deep state experts said, ‘No. No. No. If we hit Iran, it would cause a massive blow-up and war throughout the Middle East and the rest of the world.’ What I don’t see is any of that stuff. In fact, we’re—I guess, we’re at a ceasefire, de facto, if not de jure. But the point is he obliterated the Iran nuclear program. None of them under the Bidens or the Obamas or anybody else had the backbone, I’ll call it, to do such a thing. You know what I mean? Here—tough wins, okay? Tough always wins.”
TUBERVILLE: “Yep. President Trump’s a peacemaker. He understands sometimes you have to take the tough decision. Don’t listen to everybody else around you. Go by your instincts. He understood that, hey, there is no possible way we can allow Iran to have a nuclear weapon. And if they’re getting this close as his experts were telling him, we’ve got to do something. And so go in, go out. He set them back probably a year and a half, two years. They can always build back. But who’s to say we won’t go back in there in two years and destroy it again? And it’s cost them a trillion dollars to build this infrastructure up. […]”
KUDLOW: “Here’s another one: no men in women’s sports. How about that? Commonsense, you wouldn’t have thought. This was like a major battle—a major battle. This was like the Democrats’ last stand, but no men in women’s sports.”
TUBERVILLE: “Yeah. Of course, I’ve been on this ever since it started. This was my first vote when I got here four years ago. And there’s [been] no Democrats in four years vote on any of my bills about no men and women sports. It’s absolutely insane what they’ve tried to do. And it’s an attack on women. And it doesn’t—I don’t understand this. I must be talking to people from a different planet sometimes when they talk about [how] they need the opportunity to do whatever they want to do. No, they don’t. Men and women have separate identities in terms of physical ability, and they need to be separate in sports and that’s the reason we’ve had it this way for 249 years.”
KUDLOW: “How about this one? I didn’t put it in my riff, but alright, fancy colleges and universities—no more antisemitism. No more racism. No more affirmative action. And if you don’t play ball, you’re gonna lose your grants, your federal grants. Now that is a tough President doing the right thing. Is he not?”
TUBERVILLE: “Exactly. Our education is going to hell in a handbasket. And here’s the reason why: it’s become a business, Larry. It’s become a business of making money and doing things to where they can pay their presidents $2 or $3 million dollars each and have their private planes. It’s really gone overboard. But let me give you one: 35-40% of the companies in this country have cut out this poison that we’re putting in our food. And of all the people I talk to, this is one of the major wins that President Trump’s had. We don’t talk about it enough. I’m having dinner with Dr. Oz and some of the people of MAHA tonight, and it’s gonna be a celebration of making a lot of progress in just a short period of time and cleaning up our food.”
KUDLOW: “Well, I love that. Look, we had Bobby Kennedy on the show. He was absolutely terrific. I gotta stop eating ice cream because they’re always weird dyes. I can’t do that anymore. I’m gonna stick to my—”
TUBERVILLE: “Eat vanilla. Eat vanilla, Larry.”
KUDLOW: “I don’t know. Even vanilla, I can’t be sure anymore. He really shook everybody up. But finally, Senator—and this is a tragedy. Today a Border Patrol agent got shot in New York City. I think people, alright. Kristi Noem—DHS Secretary Noem—is blasting this as part of the New York City problem. This is part of the sanctuary city problem. This is part of the blue city Democratic problem. This is Mamdani the Commie problem. He’s gonna make it worse. I mean, this poor guy got shot for no good reason. Now, this stuff has gotta stop.”
TUBERVILLE: “It really does have to stop. And again, law enforcement, Customs and Border Patrol, whoever is in authority—protect yourself. President Trump has given them authority to protect themself. It’s unfortunate this young person got shot and shot in the face [is] my understanding. Hope he’s fine. But again, this is not gonna be the end of it, Larry. It’s gonna get worse and worse as we go from here. But they have to protect themselves, give them the right to shoot back if they shoot at them…”
KUDLOW: “And so, let me ask you. I mean, Democrats defunding the police again. I haven’t heard that this is what Mamdani the Commie wants to do. Defund the police, put social workers in their place. By the way, he’s got a clone who just got the Democratic nomination for mayor out in Minneapolis, unbelievable to me. How can they actually argue that? You got your Mayor Bass. You got your Governor Newsom. You got all these people, okay? They may not come out for defund the police, but they don’t want any law and order when it comes to chasing the worst of the worst of the illegal criminals who should be deported. I mean, honestly, this is the Democratic position. I think I saw poll today. The Democratic Party has an approval rating, Senator, of 19%. How about those apples? 19%.”
TUBERVILLE: “It’s gonna get worse. Can you imagine [in] Minneapolis, and Chicago, and Detroit, and New York, San Francisco, LA—social workers being the police? What uniform are they gonna wear, first of all? And then are they gonna be armed? It will be a total disaster and it’s a disaster waiting to happen. But [radical Democrats] believe in this. I don’t understand it, but it’ll all get straightened out at the end of the day. They’re not gonna win any of the elections coming up [that] they think they’re gonna win. And President Trump’s gonna keep hammering them every day in terms of making sure we take this social justice nonsense out of everything that we do.”
KUDLOW: “Yes, sir. Yes, sir. Absolutely. Senator Tommy Tuberville, as always, sir, thank you for your wisdom.”
Senator Tommy Tuberville represents Alabama in the United States Senate and is a member of the Senate Armed Services, Agriculture, Veterans’ Affairs, HELP and Aging Committees.
Source: United States Senator Tommy Tuberville (Alabama)
WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) joined U.S. Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) in introducing the Stop Financial Underwriting of Nefarious Demonstrations and Extremist Riots (Stop FUNDERs) Act. The legislation would add rioting to the list of Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO) predicate offenses, giving the U.S. Department of Justice authority to use the full suite of RICO tools against entities who fund or coordinate violent interstate riots, such as the ones recently seen in Los Angeles, California.
“77 million Americans voted for President Trump and his America First policy agenda – and that includes arresting and deporting illegal aliens,” said Senator Tuberville.“Democrats don’t like that – so they are rioting in the streets and violently attacking law enforcement officers. This cannot stand. My colleagues and I are introducing a bill to make sure the Department of Justice has the tools it needs to go after anti-American terrorist groups and their funders who are protecting illegal rapists, murderers, and criminals. We have to cut these violent riots off at the source. The adults are back in charge, and law and order will prevail.”
“Every American has the right to freedom of speech and peaceful protest, but not to commit violence,” said Senator Cruz.“Domestic NGOs and foreign adversaries fund and use riots in the United States to undermine the security and prosperity of Americans. My legislation will give the Department of Justice the tools it needs to hold them accountable, and I urge colleagues to pass it expeditiously.”
U.S. Senators Bill Hagerty (R-TN), Mike Lee (R-UT), Thom Tillis (R-NC), John Cornyn (R-TX), and Josh Hawley (R-MO) also joined the legislation. U.S. Representative Beth Van Duyne (R-TX-24) introduced companion legislation in the U.S. House of Representatives.
This bill is supported by Heritage Action and National Right to Work Committee.
Senator Tommy Tuberville represents Alabama in the United States Senate and is a member of the Senate Armed Services, Agriculture, Veterans’ Affairs, HELP and Aging Committees.
Source: United States Senator Tommy Tuberville (Alabama)
WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) spoke with Vice Admiral Frank Bradley, President Trump’s nominee to be Admiral and Commander of U.S. Special Operations Command (SOCOM) and Lt. Gen. Dagvin Anderson, President Trump’s nominee to be General and Commander of U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) during their Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC) nomination hearing. They discussed SOCOM’s military operations in Panama and Latin America to combat narco-terrorism and secure our southern border, along with the strategic need for having a military presence in Africa.
Read Sen. Tuberville’s remarks below or on YouTube or Rumble.
TUBERVILLE: “Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Good morning.
Thanks [to] both of you. Thanks for what you’ve done for our country over your careers—you and your family. What a sacrifice it’s been, but you’ve done an outstanding job.
ON SOCOM EFFORTS TO COMBAT NARCO-TERRORISTS:
“Admiral, I think [for] far too long, we’ve had our eyes on other things and not on our hemisphere—whether it’s illegal migrants, drugs, or both. So, what is [the] Special Operations community doing to assist the militaries and governments in our hemisphere like Panama to combat narco-terrorists?”
BRADLEY: “Senator, in my current capacity, I’m not privy to all of the activities that SOCOM is engaged in, in the Southern Hemisphere. But in listening and watching General Fenton and his leadership over these last three years, I know that the partnerships that our teams have been engaging in and developing remain critical to being able to help them build capacity, to be able to defend themselves, but also to provide security locally, which, of course, helps to prevent and secure our Southern border as well.”
TUBERVILLE: “Yeah, I’m sure you’re up on the point of the Darién Gap and the problems that’s caused over the years, and relationship with our Special Ops, down in that area—training people—that will probably be in your forte going forward. What’s your thoughts about cooperation activities with Latin America as [you’re] going into this job?”
BRADLEY: “Yes, sir. I think as the counterterrorism fight informs us, it is far better to find the root of the problem well away from our borders than it is to have to defend them internal to the United States. And so, if confirmed, making it a priority to provide assistance to all of our combatant commanders as far forward as possible, and with those partnered forces to help them to be able to secure their own territory.”
ON AMERICAN MILITARY PRESENCE IN AFRICA:
TUBERVILLE: “Yeah, and we and we have problems all over the world. But if we don’t watch our back door, then we’re gonna [really have] problems within our country, which we already have. General, I think we need to be reinforcing our military presence in Africa. Unfortunately, under the previous administration, we seemed like we were doing just the opposite. Niger—you and I talked about this in a meeting in my office—the vacuum that was caused there. China, Russia, Iran, were all too happy to feel the things that we were doing there. What’s your assessment of our withdrawal from Airbase 201? And have we learned from these lessons? And your thoughts about maybe the future there?”
ANDERSON: “Senator, I appreciate that question and there was a significant investment that went into that airbase. It was in a key area for us to be able to monitor the threat. So, the loss of that is one that we have to find creative ways to continue to get the indicators and warnings of what the terrorists are doing in that area. I think we also have to understand that there is some volatility across the continent. So how do we make smart investments with the partners that we can continue to sustain. I will say that the relationships that we built in Niger with the military over several decades are still there. There is—when the time is right—I believe there will be an opportunity, but that time will have to be determined. And if confirmed, I’ll look at what that is.”
TUBERVILLE: “Yeah. After your confirmation, I guess, by telling committee and people even watching at home—why do we need to have [a] presence in Africa? What [are] your thoughts?”
ANDERSON: “So, Africa is key to any strategy. It’s just on strategic terrain. It’s just the waterways that it forms between the Strait of Gibraltar all the way down to the Suez Canal and the Red Sea. It [has] critical minerals and resources that are on the continent that we need for the future economy. Both China and Russia see their strategies going through the continent, and they are going to engage there and so we can cede that ground or we can compete in that ground. And I think we have a very powerful tool to compete with. As Admiral Bradley mentioned, nobody brings more credibility to the counterterrorism fight than the U.S. As a matter of fact, when we rescued that hostage in Niger, the next morning [there was an] influential blogger that posted, ‘The Americans came like the lion in the night. They killed their enemies and rescued their own.’ No other nation on Earth could do that.And that is a powerful symbol across the continent and around the world of what our military and what the United States is capable of. And I do think that some level of engagement in Africa does matter. I’d agree it’s an economy of force, but a small investment goes a long way so that we don’t have a strategic surprise that then distracts the United States from focusing on the rising threats in the Pacific and other areas.”
TUBERVILLE: “Thank you. Thanks Mr. Chairman.”
Senator Tommy Tuberville represents Alabama in the United States Senate and is a member of the Senate Armed Services, Agriculture, Veterans’ Affairs, HELP and Aging Committees.
Source: United States Senator Tommy Tuberville (Alabama)
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) joined Newsmax’s Chris Salcedo Show to discuss DNI Tulsi Gabbard’s recent report exposing the FBI’s involvement in covering up then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s mishandling of classified information. Sen. Tuberville and Salcedo also discussed the Senate’s effort to continue advancing President Trump’s America First policy agenda as well as the Radical Democrat Socialist Party’s violence against law enforcement.
Excerpts from the interview can be found below and the full interview can be viewed on YouTube or Rumble.
SALCEDO: “Senator Tommy Tuberville. Senator, it’s always good to see you. DNI Gabbard releases revelations about Obama, Comey, Brennan, and that gang. Now, we learn that James Comey’s FBI rigged the Hillary Clinton investigation so we would never know how badly she damaged our national security when they didn’t probe those crucial thumb drives. Senator, where is your party’s push for accountability?”
TUBERVILE: “Well, thanks for having me on, Chris. What a colossal cover up this has been. I got here right after Joe Biden took office, and it has been a disaster of […] most Republicans watching this go down. It is a huge cover up.
They’ve tried to push a narrative that, basically, they wanna change our country [into] something that it’s not. They wanted to take all the ability of us as Republicans, as Americans, to try to keep our country going in the right direction. But the mainstream media, the Democrats, and a few Republicans have pushed this narrative of ‘let’s do it the right way. Let’s make sure we’re doing the right thing.’ It has been something that I’ve been shocked at since I’ve been here. And now we’re finally seeing things start to leak out, the truth of really what happened.
The American people are going to find out. It is going to be fun up here to watch all this start taking a narrative, a true narrative, of what really happened of the Democrats trying to change this country into a socialist-communist country for the last four years. These people need to lawyer up, and they need to find out what it’s really like to be under the gun. Putting their hand up, testifying in front of people all over this country because it’s gonna be much-watched as we look at all this narrative being brought forward.”
SALCEDO: “Well, Senator, you know, getting real Americans put into prosecutorial positions would help bring this accountability to these lawless Democrats. There are a number of confirmations for U.S. Attorney backed up in the United States Senate right now. Some have been waiting for months. Has leader Thune committed to you that this backlog will be done away with before the August recess?”
TUBERVILLE: “Well, we’ve talked about that. We’re trying to catch up. The problem, Chris, is the Democrats are playing four corners of basketball here. Slow play. They don’t get back anytime.
It’s a lot of fundamental errors that have happened, not just from here in the Senate, but also the White House. We have to have some firepower. We have to be able to fight back. But at the end of the day, we’re gonna get this done, even if we have to stay up here weekends through August. The Democrats don’t think that we’ll stay up here and work. Guess what? We’ll stay up here and work. We’ll have enough people up here to get a quorum to make sure that we push the agenda. And if they don’t wanna take a vacation, we don’t have to take one.”
SALCEDO: “Wow. I think you’re breaking some news right there. ‘The Senate actually works.’ That’s some big news, Senator. Look, over the weekend, an off-duty CBP officer was shot in the face by an illegal alien suspect. In Wisconsin, an illegal alien was finally arrested by ICE after he allegedly decapitated a woman and stored her body three months after a nut job Illinois judge let him walk free on those gruesome charges. And then there’s Hunter Biden. He’s upset with Americans for trying to stop illegal immigration and the effort to deport illegal aliens.” […]
TUBERVILLE: “This is coming from somebody that’s never had a job, Joe Biden’s son. He’s lived off his dad for many, many years. And so whatever you get from him, you can take [with] a grain of salt. Again, but he’s coming back even at his Democrat team, the members that have actually pushed everything towards the Republicans. But 800% surge of assault on our law enforcement officers in this country. Our justice system, Chris, is in shambles.
Judges taking people that are arrested, letting them go in the front door, go out the back door. That is stopping as we speak, but we have to continue to push that. Again, the Democrats pushed a lot of these judges out in the last few years. They’re overwhelmed all over the country of being very lax on crime. But if we don’t take our neighborhoods back and our streets back, we do not have a country […] but we’ve gotta protect our law enforcement people. They get up every day, ICE, Border Patrol. They get up every day, put a badge on, a gun on their side, and not knowing whether they’re gonna come back or not.
President Trump gave them authority, and they need to take that authority. That [if they’re] shot at, they need to shoot back. We need to take advantage of what’s going on right now and make sure we take our streets back because the Democrats […] could[n’t] care less about that. They want their voters to vote for them, that’s the voters for the Democratic Party. These people are breaking all these laws all over the country.” […]
Senator Tommy Tuberville represents Alabama in the United States Senate and is a member of the Senate Armed Services, Agriculture, Veterans’ Affairs, HELP and Aging Committees.
“I deeply regret President Donald Trump’s decision to once again withdraw the United States of America from UNESCO,” Audrey Azoulay, Director-General of the Paris-based agency, said in a statement.
In New York, UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said that the Secretary-General joins Ms. Azoulay “in deeply regretting the decision by the United States.”
The US first withdrew from UNESCO in 1984 under President Ronald Reagan and didn’t rejoin for two decades. Fourteen years after re-entry, the first Trump administration withdrew from the organization in 2017, but the decision was reversed under President Joseph Biden in 2023.
Ms. Azoulay underscored that “this decision contradicts the fundamental principles of multilateralism,” and she highlighted that this decision would affect UNESCO partners in the United States, including communities seeking site inscription.
A White House press statement on the withdrawal said the decision had been taken to protect American interests from UNESCO’s work to advance “divisive social and cultural causes.”
The statement also said the organization is focused on the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which it described as “a globalist, ideological agenda for international development at odds with our America First foreign policy.”
The statement also specifically cited UNESCO’s decision to admit the State of Palestine as a Member State as problematic, contrary to US policy and fuelling the United Nations’ “anti-Israel rhetoric”.
Ms. Azoulay in her statement denied these claims that UNESCO is “anti-Israel,” highlighting the organization’s work in Holocaust education and combating antisemitism.
“UNESCO is the only United Nations agency responsible for these issues, and its work has been unanimously acclaimed by major specialized organizations,” she said, including American organizations such as the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, DC.
Diversifying funding in preparation
Ms. Azoulay stressed that this announcement was anticipated, and the organization has prepared accordingly, highlighting major structural reforms in recent years, including the diversification of funding sources.
“The decreasing trend in the financial contribution of the US has been offset,” she explained. Despite the US now representing eight per cent of the organization’s budget, UNESCO’s budget has steadily increased thanks to donations from member states and private contributors, the latter of which have doubled since 2018.
“Today, the Organization is better protected in financial terms,” she said.
Continuing US partnerships
“UNESCO’s purpose is to welcome all the nations of the world, and the United States of America is and will always be welcome,” Ms. Azoulay emphasised.
The organization will continue to work with its US partners in the private, academic and non-profit sectors, and it will pursue discussions with the US Government.
July 22, 2025 – Vancouver, British Columbia – Global Affairs Canada
The Honourable Maninder Sidhu, Minister of International Trade, was in British Columbia (B.C.) from July 17 to 21, to meet with provincial and industry leaders, as well as Trade Commissioner Service (TCS) clients in the defence, aerospace and agriculture sectors.
During a keynote address at a Surrey Board of Trade event, Minister Sidhu outlined Canada’s economic priorities, including strengthening and diversifying trade relationships worldwide. He spoke about the significance of the Government of Canada’s Team Canada Trade Missions, a key initiative under the Indo-Pacific Strategy that helps Canadian businesses export to new international markets.
The minister also met with his newly appointed B.C. counterpart, the Minister of Jobs and Economic Growth, Ravi Kahlon. They explored collaboration opportunities between the federal and provincial governments to create market connections for Canadian companies, including through Canada’s TCS. Following their meeting, Minister Kahlon joined Minister Sidhu at a round-table discussion with Business Council of British Columbia members, where they shared Canada’s and B.C.’s priorities for continued growth in the energy sector.
While in the Vancouver area, Minister Sidhu toured the Port of Vancouver and saw first-hand how the harbour contributes to Canada’s international supply chain, facilitating the flow of exports to Asia and connections to essential goods from around the world. He also visited OSI Maritime Systems Ltd., a successful TCS partner, where he gained valuable insights into the unique export challenges faced by Canadian defence companies. The Minister then met with Tamara Vrooman, President and CEO of the Vancouver International Airport to discuss key priorities, including cargo capacity and enhancing international connectivity.
In Kitimat, he visited LNG Canada, the country’s first export-oriented liquefied natural gas facility, where he learned about the company’s exports to Asia. As a world leader in the energy sector, Canada is a partner of choice for clean energy solutions and is ready to become a conventional and clean energy superpower.
Minister Sidhu concluded his visit to B.C. in Kelowna. He participated in a discussion with business leaders at the Kelowna Chamber of Commerce, where he highlighted the role the TCS can play to help B.C. companies reach new export markets. While in Kelowna, the minister also visited Anodyne Electronics Manufacturing, Hillcrest Farms, and KF Aerospace, local businesses, to gain insights into their experiences, discuss challenges they face, and explore how the TCS can support them.
ALBUQUERQUE – A Zuni man has been charged in federal court for allegedly stabbing another man without provocation, causing serious injuries.
According to court documents, on the night of June 16, 2025, Adrian Cheama, 36, an enrolled member of the Zuni Pueblo, allegedly approached the victim while he was walking with a friend along a residential street in Zuni, New Mexico. Without provocation, Cheama stabbed the victim in the abdomen with a weapon described as either a circular metal pole or a knife, then walked away laughing. The victim sustained serious injuries as a result.
Multiple witnesses placed Cheama at the scene and described him carrying a backpack and a baton-like object before and during the attack. The investigation revealed that Cheama had previously made statements suggesting he was looking for the victim.
Cheama is charged with assault resulting in serious bodily injury and assault with a dangerous weapon. He will remain in custody pending trial, which has not yet been scheduled. If convicted of the current charges, Cheama faces up to 10 years in prison.
U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison and Philip Russell, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Albuquerque Field Office, made the announcement today.
The Gallup Resident Agency of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case with assistance from the Zuni Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Aaron Jordan is prosecuting the case.
A criminal complaint is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
LAREDO, Texas – A 23-year-old Laredo woman has been ordered to prison for her role in an unaccompanied minor smuggling ring, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.
Vanessa Valadez pleaded guilty Sept. 20, 2024, admitting she smuggled a child into the United States for financial gain.
U.S. District Judge Keith P. Ellison has now ordered her to serve 18 months in federal prison to be immediately followed by three years of supervised release.
“Those that choose to engage in the human trafficking business are not good people. They aren’t motivated by altruism or sympathy. They are paid to traffic in human beings, and they treat people they smuggle as nothing more than cargo,” said Ganjei. “The Southern District of Texas will not rest until all such smuggling rings—particularly those that deal in children—are completely eradicated.”
“The sentencing of this individual underscores the serious consequences for those who exploit and endanger vulnerable populations, especially children,” said Immigration and Customs Enforcement – Homeland Security Investigations (ICE-HSI) San Antonio Special Agent in Charge Craig S. Larrabee. “Drugging children to facilitate human smuggling is not only criminal it’s inhumane. HSI is committed to identifying and dismantling the criminal networks behind these horrific acts and ensuring those responsible are brought to justice.”
From August to September 2023, Valadez and other family members operated a child smuggling ring working to bring young illegal minors from Nuevo Laredo, Mexico, into the United States. All the children were under the age of five.
On the night of Sept. 19, 2023, members of the smuggling ring retrieved a young girl from a stash house which the organization members operated. The co-conspirators smuggled the girl across the border and delivered her to Valadez in downtown Laredo. Co-conspirators then took the child further into the United States and delivered her to unknown people.
Two days later, the ring attempted to transport another young girl. However, law enforcement intercepted them following a routine border inspection at the Juarez Lincoln Bridge in Laredo. To carry out their scheme, co-conspirators had sedated the girl with melatonin gummies and used an unlawfully obtained birth certificate to deceive authorities into believing the girl was a family member.
The investigation revealed the smuggling ring had attempted to similarly transport at least four girls into the United States, three of whom remain unidentified and their whereabouts are unknown. Members of the smuggling ring obtained birth certificates of U.S. citizen children to pose as a family unit at ports of entry to the United States. At times, organization members used melatonin gummies to sedate at least one child to ensure a successful smuggling attempt.
One text message uncovered in the investigation showed an image depicting an unconscious child and a caption, “La noquiamos con unas gomitas,” translated in English as “we knocked her out with some gummies.”
Co-conspirators Ana Laura Bryand, 47, Dallas; her niece Kayla Marie Bryand, 20, Jose Eduardo Bryand, 43, and Nancy Guadalupe Bryand, 44, all of Laredo; and Lizeth Esmeralda Bryand Arredondo, 32, Mexico, previously pleaded guilty and have all already been sentenced to federal prison.
ICE-HSI conducted the investigation with Customs and Border Protection’s Office of Field Operations and assistance from Border Patrol, Laredo Police Department, Department of Health and Human Services – Office of the Inspector General and FBI. Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Makens and former Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Terence A. Check Jr. prosecuted the case.