Source: US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Current Convective Watches (View What is a Watch? clip)Updated: Fri Jul 18 07:05:06 UTC 2025 No watches are currently valid
Archived Convective ProductsTo view convective products for a previous day, type in the date you wish to retrieve (e.g. 20040529 for May 29, 2004). Data available since January 1, 2004.
Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)
INVL Technology (hereinafter – the Company) notifiesthat on 17 July 2025 it terminated the agreement with a company of the Corum group, specifically, the Zurich branch of Luxembourg-based Corum Group International S.à.r.l., which was hired to assist INVL Technology in divesting of it‘s portfolio companies before the end of the envisaged investment period. Certain terms will remain in force for the 12 month period after the termination date (tail period).
Despite the termination of the collaboration with Corum Group, the Company continues to actively pursue the sale of its portfolio companies. Negotiations with potential buyers are ongoing, and initiated processes are not being suspended. the Company will also launch a search for new investment advisors that have expertise in business divestments.
The decision to terminate the collaboration with Corum Group was made to provide greater flexibility in exploring alternative strategic options for the sale of the portfolio companies.
Additional information:
INVL Technology, a company that invests in IT businesses, decided to terminate the contract with the Zurich branch of Corum Group’s Luxembourg-based unit Corum Group International on intermediary services in the divestment of INVL Technology’s portfolio companies on 17 July 2025. Certain terms of the agreement will remain in force for a 12-month tail period.
“Notwithstanding the challenging economy and ongoing stagnation of B2B technology companies in Europe, the US and Canada, resulting in a less-than-ideal situation in the market for divesting businesses, we have interested parties, and we are continuing the sale process. We decided to terminate the contract with our current investment advisor in order to be able to explore other divestment possibilities. We are not halting the process and Corum Group will complete negotiation processes with the parties that have expressed interest in the portfolio companies. INVL Technology will seek for other exit opportunities,” says Kazimieras Tonkūnas, the Managing Partner at INVL Technology. “The portfolio companies are performing well, their results will be reflected in the report for the first half of the year which we will publish at the end of August.”
INVL Technology, which is managed by INVL Asset Management, the leading alternative asset manager in the Baltics, is a closed-end investment company.
INVL Technology owns and manages the cybersecurity company NRD Cyber Security, the GovTech company NRD Companies, and the Baltic IT company Novian.
The shares of INVL Technology are traded on the secondary list of the Nasdaq Vilnius stock exchange (INC1L).
The person authorized to provide additional information:
Kazimieras Tonkūnas
INVL Technology Managing Partner
E-mail k.tonkunas@invltechnology.lt
Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)
INVL Technology (hereinafter – the Company) notifiesthat on 17 July 2025 it terminated the agreement with a company of the Corum group, specifically, the Zurich branch of Luxembourg-based Corum Group International S.à.r.l., which was hired to assist INVL Technology in divesting of it‘s portfolio companies before the end of the envisaged investment period. Certain terms will remain in force for the 12 month period after the termination date (tail period).
Despite the termination of the collaboration with Corum Group, the Company continues to actively pursue the sale of its portfolio companies. Negotiations with potential buyers are ongoing, and initiated processes are not being suspended. the Company will also launch a search for new investment advisors that have expertise in business divestments.
The decision to terminate the collaboration with Corum Group was made to provide greater flexibility in exploring alternative strategic options for the sale of the portfolio companies.
Additional information:
INVL Technology, a company that invests in IT businesses, decided to terminate the contract with the Zurich branch of Corum Group’s Luxembourg-based unit Corum Group International on intermediary services in the divestment of INVL Technology’s portfolio companies on 17 July 2025. Certain terms of the agreement will remain in force for a 12-month tail period.
“Notwithstanding the challenging economy and ongoing stagnation of B2B technology companies in Europe, the US and Canada, resulting in a less-than-ideal situation in the market for divesting businesses, we have interested parties, and we are continuing the sale process. We decided to terminate the contract with our current investment advisor in order to be able to explore other divestment possibilities. We are not halting the process and Corum Group will complete negotiation processes with the parties that have expressed interest in the portfolio companies. INVL Technology will seek for other exit opportunities,” says Kazimieras Tonkūnas, the Managing Partner at INVL Technology. “The portfolio companies are performing well, their results will be reflected in the report for the first half of the year which we will publish at the end of August.”
INVL Technology, which is managed by INVL Asset Management, the leading alternative asset manager in the Baltics, is a closed-end investment company.
INVL Technology owns and manages the cybersecurity company NRD Cyber Security, the GovTech company NRD Companies, and the Baltic IT company Novian.
The shares of INVL Technology are traded on the secondary list of the Nasdaq Vilnius stock exchange (INC1L).
The person authorized to provide additional information:
Kazimieras Tonkūnas
INVL Technology Managing Partner
E-mail k.tonkunas@invltechnology.lt
Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)
18 July 2025 – Fleet utilisation for June 2025 was 79 per cent.
Our operations in Brazil with Safe Eurus, Safe Notos, and Safe Zephyrus operated at full capacity in June, achieving between 99 and 100 per cent commercial uptime.
Safe Caledonia successfully commenced operations at the Captain Field in the UK on 2 June 2025, delivering a commercial uptime of 94 per cent during the initial period.
Safe Boreas is currently being transported to Singapore ahead of her upcoming contract in Australia.
Prosafe is a leading owner and operator of semi-submersible accommodation vessels. The company is listed on the Oslo Stock Exchange with ticker code PRS. For more information, please refer to https://www.prosafe.com
For further information, please contact:
Terje Askvig, CEO
Phone: +47 952 03 886
Reese McNeel, CFO
Phone: +47 415 08 186
This information is subject to the disclosure requirements pursuant to Section 5-12 the Norwegian Securities Trading Act.
Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Aaron Bean Florida (4th District)
WASHINGTON—Today, DOGE Caucus founder and co-chair U.S. Congressman Aaron Bean (FL-04), co-chair Blake Moore (UT-01), and co-chair Pete Sessions (TX-17) released the following statements after the House’s final passage of H.R. 4, the Rescissions Act of 2025, a major victory for fiscal responsibility and taxpayer advocacy:
“With the passage of this rescissions package, we’re taking one small step to cut wasteful spending and one giant leap toward fiscal sanity,” said Congressman Bean. “Thanks to the DOGE Caucus, we’ve eliminated $9 billion in wasteful spending—launching us toward stronger fiscal health and renewed trust in how government handles taxpayer dollars.”
“Today’s vote is another step in the right direction in reversing Washington’s spending culture. Our ballooning national debt and deficit will make it harder for the next generation to achieve the American Dream, and this effort keeps the momentum going in our work to ensure every taxpayer dollar is spent efficiently and responsibly,’ said Congressman Moore.
“I’m pleased to support this essential legislation to rescind $9 billion in funding for wasteful programs and lock in some of the commonsense DOGE spending cuts. The American people deserve and expect a government that respects their tax dollars. This is an important step toward restoring fiscal discipline in Washington,” said Congressman Sessions.
BACKGROUND
The DOGE Caucus has long advocated for Congress to enact the cuts identified by DOGE and continues to work with the White House on future rescissions.
The legislation passed 216-213. With the House and Senate now aligned, all eyes turn to the White House, where President Trump is expected to sign this landmark legislation into law.
Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Hakeem Jeffries (8th District of New York)
Today, Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries spoke on the House Floor in opposition to the reckless Republican rescissions package that cuts funding for public broadcasting and international assistance.
LEADER JEFFRIES: Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and I thank the distinguished gentleman, the top Democrat on the Rules Committee, Mr. McGovern, for his leadership and for yielding. I thank all of the distinguished members of the Rules Committee for their steadfast and courageous, insightful participation in opposition to this rule and the substantive legislation that underlies this particular rule. I also want to thank Rosa DeLauro for her principled and strong opposition to this reckless Republican rescissions package, this effort by the Trump administration to once again hurt everyday Americans.
Mr. Speaker, it was just said on the House Floor that the American people are fed up with out-of-control, wasteful government spending. As Democrats, we’re committed to making sure that taxpayer dollars are spent in an effective, efficient and equitable manner. This bill that’s on the Floor right now has nothing to do with waste, fraud and abuse. It represents an attack on the public health of the American people, the national security of the American people, the public safety of the American people and the ability of the American people to actually get information, particularly in rural America, that they may need through public radio or public television in the face of an emergency.
Mr. Speaker, no one is buying the notion that Republicans are actually trying to improve wasteful spending, in the aftermath of this One Big Ugly Bill that just passed this chamber and has been signed into law that explodes the debt by more than $3 trillion, and then asks everyday Americans to pay for part of the expenses in the bill by ripping away healthcare for more than 17 million Americans. Hospitals will close, nursing homes will shut down, community-based health clinics will be unable to provide services to everyday Americans and as a result of the One Big Ugly Bill, people will die. It’s an all-out assault on healthcare, the largest cut to Medicaid in American history. It also rips food out of the mouths of hungry children, seniors and veterans. All of this being done to provide massive tax breaks to billionaires.
And then, Mr. Speaker, in this One Big Ugly Bill that now has been signed into law, the debt and the deficit will explode by trillions of dollars. How dare anyone from the other side of the aisle claim to be the party of fiscal responsibility? That’s fake, and that’s phony.
So when you look at this particular piece of legislation that’s in front of us right now, this reckless Republican rescissions package, it undermines American national security and American leadership in the world. This is not an America First bill, it’s a China First bill because of the void that’s being created all across the world. It’s in America’s interests, our national security interests, our leadership interests, to make sure that we’re investing in development and diplomacy and democracy all across the world.
Great leaders have recognized that throughout the American journey. It was Abraham Lincoln who came to the House chamber in the middle of the Civil War in the early 1860s, spoke to the Congress and talked about America being the last best hope on Earth. President Lincoln said that in the 1860s, visionary declaration of the role that America might one day play as the leader of the free world. And this legislation, this reckless Republican rescissions package, undermines our ability to keep our people safe here and to project America’s soft power all over the globe. Why would we undermine our ability to use diplomacy, democracy and development to protect our own national security?
Mr. Speaker, Mr. President—he promised that on day one, he was going to end the war in Ukraine. That’s now going on, and in this particular piece of legislation, we’re undermining the ability of Ukraine to continue to valiantly fight against Russian aggression. Russia’s not our friend. They’re our enemy. Vladimir Putin is a sworn enemy of the United States of America. Why is it, Mr. Speaker, that Republicans in this bill are undermining, once again, Ukraine? Ukraine stands on the side of democracy. Ukraine stands on the side of freedom. Ukraine stands on the side of truth. Russia stands on the side of autocracy and tyranny and propaganda. Why would we stand on the side of Russia? That’s inconsistent with American leadership. But this reckless Republican rescissions package, it does the exact opposite.
Mr. Speaker, we just saw tragedy unfold in the Texas Hill Country. More than two dozen children have died. Parents should never have to bury their children. More than 100 Texans died in the deadly floods. And there are a lot of questions that need to be asked about government failure, state government failure in Texas. The Governor of Texas, he’s got a lot of questions that need be answered. Instead, he’s trying to rig the Texas congressional map, in the middle of a search and rescue operation. He’s got to answer some questions. The Trump administration needs to answer some questions about the National Weather Service and the devastating cuts that have been inflicted on them. The Trump administration, Mr. Speaker, needs to answer some questions about the stated goal to defund FEMA.
So in the midst of this tragedy that we all need to collectively respond to in Texas, just like we need to respond to the tragedy that unfolded in California in the wildfires earlier this year, this reckless Republican rescissions package is going to undermine the ability of people in rural America and in small-town America to receive advance warning or necessary information when disaster strikes, when extreme weather strikes, when flooding strikes, when hurricanes strike. That’s what happens when you shut down public radio, when you shut down public television, which is what this reckless rescissions package will do.
It’s all extraordinary. Mr. Speaker, I don’t understand why Republicans continue to advance legislation on the Floor of the House of Representatives that hurt everyday Americans. Is it simply because the goal is always to reward billionaires, as was done with the One Big Ugly Bill, providing them with massive and unnecessary tax breaks?
Mr. Speaker, at the beginning of this Congress, we as House Democrats made clear that we will work with anyone in this town in order to make life better for the American people, to lower the high cost of living of the American people, to address the affordability crisis afflicting the American people. And we thought perhaps that we would have some partners in this necessary endeavor. Why? Because, Mr. Speaker, Donald Trump and House Republicans promised that you were going to lower costs. In fact, that costs were going go down on day one. Not my words, President Trump’s words. Costs haven’t gone down in the United States of America. Costs are going up. Inflation is on the way up. Life is getting more expensive for the American people. And nothing in this reckless rescissions package is going to make life more affordable for everyday Americans. It’s going to complicate their life even further, just like what happened with the One Big Ugly Bill. So, Mr. Speaker, we are strongly opposed to this legislation. Legislation that, apparently, Republicans don’t even want to actually debate on the House Floor. And once again, want to address an issue to be debated in this chamber under the cover of darkness.
Finally, Mr. Speaker, the challenge that we have with this legislation is that the appropriations process has historically and traditionally been bipartisan—Democrats and Republicans working to try to come together to reach a spending agreement that meets the needs of the American people in terms of their health, their safety and their economic well-being. And do it—House Democrats, Senate Democrats, House Republicans, Senate Republicans—a bipartisan appropriations process to try to reach an enlightened agreement. But what this rescissions package signals to us and the people that we represent, more importantly, what it signals to America, as the OMB director just said, Republicans, Mr. Speaker, aren’t interested in bipartisanship, aren’t interested in common-sense solutions to finding common ground anchored in Democrats and Republicans coming together. We know that’s the case because we’ve made clear our willingness to solve the challenges that the American people face and work with anyone in this town, particularly when it comes to lowering the high cost of living in the United States of America. Republicans continue to do nothing about that, not a damn thing, to make life more affordable for the American people.
And that’s one of many reasons why we continue to be opposed to this reckless legislation that you bring to the House Floor that hurts everyday Americans, will hurt children, will hurt families, will hurt older Americans and will hurt people that Republicans represent in rural America, all while undermining American leadership in the world. And so, Mr. Speaker, once again, this is unfortunate. Once again, we see a Congress not functioning as a separate and co-equal branch of government, a Congress, given this Republican majority, not willing to serve as a check and balance on an out-of-control executive branch, but always willing to do the bidding of the executive branch, as if we work for the Article II branch of government. We don’t work for Donald Trump. We don’t work for JD Vance. We don’t work for the OMB director. We work for the American people, and that’s why we are a hard no against this reckless rescissions package. I yield back.
Full speech can be watched here.
###
Translation. Region: Russian Federal
Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian – People’s Republic of China in Russian –
An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
JERUSALEM, July 18 (Xinhua) — Israel “deeply regrets” the bombing of Gaza’s only Catholic church on Thursday that killed three people and wounded at least 10, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said.
According to him, the Church of the Holy Family was hit by a “stray shell.” “Every innocent life lost is a tragedy. We share the grief of the families and the faithful,” the prime minister said.
On social media, the Israeli Foreign Ministry reported that the country’s army “is studying this incident, the circumstances of which are still unclear.” The results of the investigation will be published “transparently,” the ministry noted. -0-
Please note: This information is raw content obtained directly from the source of the information. It is an accurate report of what the source claims and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.
.
Translation. Region: Russian Federal
Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian – People’s Republic of China in Russian –
An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
MEXICO CITY, July 18 (Xinhua) — Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum on Thursday criticized the U.S. decision not to open its border to Mexican cattle due to an outbreak of a parasitic disease caused by blowfly larvae, saying the measure lacks clear scientific basis and may be politically motivated.
The parasite was found in southern Mexico, more than 1,000 km from the northern cattle-raising states affected by the US restrictions, Sheinbaum said at a daily press conference, calling on Washington to clarify the health criteria justifying maintaining the ban.
“It seems to be more about politics. In some cases, it could be interpreted as a political attack on Mexico, but let’s not forget that there are elections in the United States in a year,” she said.
The president also criticized a number of American politicians for treating Mexico like a “piñata” during election campaigns and warned against exploiting bilateral issues for domestic political purposes.
K. Sheinbaum said that Mexican Agriculture Minister Julio Berdegué is in talks with his American counterpart Brooke Rollins to prevent further restrictions on cattle exports.
The president said the United States had agreed to invest $30 million to breed sterile flies, a key biological tool in the fight against the parasite, in Mexico. The facility is expected to be completed in less than a year. –0–
Please note: This information is raw content obtained directly from the source of the information. It is an accurate report of what the source claims and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.
.
Source: Republic of Taiwan – Ministry of Foreign Affairs
July 13, 2025
No. 239
After arriving in Paraguay in the evening of July 10, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung visited the Paraguayan Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the morning of the following day to meet with Minister of Foreign Affairs Rubén Ramírez Lezcano. The two reviewed progress made on key components of the Diplomatic Allies Prosperity Project, which is being implemented by the government of Taiwan under the policy framework of integrated diplomacy. Based on mutual trust and mutual benefit, Taiwan and Paraguay are jointly promoting exchanges in economics, trade, investment, infrastructure, smart medicine, technology, education, and smart transportation. Cooperation has brought prosperity to both countries and benefited the Taiwanese and Paraguayan people.
Speaking at a joint press conference with Minister Ramírez after the meeting, Minister Lin said that Taiwan and Paraguay shared the core values of democracy, freedom, human rights, and the rule of law. He affirmed that the bilateral diplomatic relationship was rock-solid. Looking ahead, Minister Lin pledged that both countries would continue to work together to deepen interactions and collaboration in various fields and jointly enhance the well-being of their people. Minister Lin noted that this demonstrated Taiwan’s policy of values-based diplomacy was steadily developing into value-added diplomacy, showing the world that Taiwan-Paraguay ties were a model of successful cooperation.
In the evening, Minister Lin and Minister Ramírez cohosted a reception celebrating the 68th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the Republic of China (Taiwan) and the Republic of Paraguay. The event was attended by over 250 guests, including Paraguayan Supreme Court President César Diesel, Chamber of Deputies Speaker Raúl Latorre Martínez, other deputies and senators, members of the diplomatic corps, and representatives of the overseas Taiwanese community. In his remarks, Minister Lin commended the fruitful outcomes of the long-term and close partnership between Taiwan and Paraguay. He said that recent benchmark initiatives such as the Taiwan-Paraguay Smart Technology Park, the Taiwan-Paraguay Polytechnic University, the Health Information Management Efficiency Enhancement Project, and an electric bus pilot program were steadily yielding results. Noting that Taiwan was a vital link in global supply chains, Minister Lin said that Taiwan was willing to use its advantages in ICT to further deepen cooperation with Paraguay on comprehensive technological development. Minister Lin added that Taiwan was ready to assist its fraternal ally Paraguay in achieving its national blueprint for development and transformation, jointly realizing the vision of sustainability and prosperity.
In his address, Minister Ramírez thanked Taiwan for its long-term assistance in promoting the development of agriculture, livestock, public health, medicine, education, innovation, and infrastructure in Paraguay. He said that cooperation had targeted the sectors of society that were most in need, benefiting farming communities and young students. Praising the Taiwan-Paraguay Polytechnic University as a landmark bilateral cooperation project, Minister Ramírez said that more than 170 engineers had already been trained. He noted that the two countries were working together to construct campus buildings, representing their shared commitment to investing in knowledge and talent. Minister Ramírez added that Taiwan and Paraguay were jointly creating a future for the next generation by incorporating smart industries and global supply chain integration into their cooperation projects.
Paraguay is an important diplomatic ally of Taiwan. A mutual agreement on visa-free entry for ordinary passport holders between the two countries that will come into effect on July 25 is expected to further advance exchanges among the people of Taiwan and Paraguay and make investment by Taiwanese companies in Paraguay more convenient. The two nations will continue to deepen cooperation in all spheres and jointly inject new momentum into their democratic partnership.
Source: Republic of Taiwan – Ministry of Foreign Affairs
July 13, 2025
No. 240
During his extensive trip to Paraguay, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung visited the Taiwan-Paraguay Smart Technology Park in Ciudad del Este on July 12. He was accompanied by Paraguayan Minister of Foreign Affairs Rubén Ramírez Lezcano, Minister of Industry and Commerce Javier Giménez García de Zúñiga, Minister of Information and Communication Technologies Gustavo Villate, Executive Secretary of the Office of the President Marianna Saldívar Gadea, Deputy Minister of Public Works Emiliano Fernández, Governor of Alto Paraná César Landy Torres, President of the Taiwan-Paraguay Polytechnic University Jorge Daniel Duarte Rolon, and other officials.
The technology park originates from a commitment made by President Lai Ching-te to assist Paraguay with economic development and job creation. Then Vice President Lai made the pledge in August 2023 while visiting Paraguay as a special envoy to attend the inauguration of President Santiago Peña Palacios.
When Minister Lin took office on May 20 last year, he held in-depth talks on the project—which would have a profound impact on Paraguay—with President Peña, who was visiting Taiwan to attend President Lai’s inauguration. The two agreed that Taiwan and Paraguay would work together to make Paraguay a South American base for the smart technology industry and talent incubation.
During his visit to the park, Minister Lin remarked that promotion of the Diplomatic Allies Prosperity Project in Paraguay followed a comprehensive plan led by a national team of businesses from Taiwan. He said that the project integrated civil engineering, private 5G network architecture, and smart applications. Minister Lin added that the initiative would not only create favorable conditions for Taiwanese enterprises investing in Paraguay, but that it would also bring substantial industrial development and employment opportunities to Paraguay. He noted that the process of building the park had been a team effort. Although there had been challenges along the way, Minister Lin said that the difficulties were a source of strength for today. He stated that the newly revitalized Taiwan-Paraguay Smart Technology Park would offer Taiwanese companies the same 006688 land rental incentive provided by special zones in Taiwan. (The 006688 plan offers free rent in years one and two, a 40 percent discount in years three and four, and a 20 percent discount in years five and six.) This is the first time that the preferential policy has been made available to Taiwanese enterprises overseas. Paraguay is also the first country outside Taiwan to apply the incentive. Minister Lin said that he had long advocated for the strategy of larger enterprises guiding smaller ones, combining soft and hard tactics, promoting public-private cooperation, and facilitating internal-external exchanges. He explained that the integration of various technological, financial, and human resources would help Taiwanese industries deploy investments in Paraguay. Minister Lin indicated that Paraguay’s stable economy, abundant and cheap supplies of water and electricity, and convenient business environment could make it a base for Taiwanese enterprises entering the South American market.
For the trip, Minister Lin extended special invitations to prominent manufacturers from all areas of the supply chain to join the delegation, tour the technology park, and explore business opportunities in Paraguay. The group included representatives from the semiconductor, AI applications, smart manufacturing, smart transportation, animal husbandry, cold chain logistics, and food processing industries. It is hoped that the companies will establish a presence in Paraguay as a joint fleet, joining forces in a new flying geese pattern of development and creating a Taiwan+n model of global industrial deployment. Taiwan will work together with Paraguay to create mutual prosperity and well-being, realizing President Lai’s policy vision of making Taiwan a global economic powerhouse.
Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)
Second quarter 2025 operational update
BW Energy will publish its financial results for the second quarter and first half of 2025 on 1 August 2025. Today, the company provides preliminary operational figures.
Net production attributable to BW Energy was 2.9 million barrels of oil (mmbbls) in the second quarter 2025, equivalent to 32.3 thousand barrels of oil per day (kbopd), from the Dussafu license in Gabon (73.5% working interest) and the Golfinho field in Brazil (100% working interest).
| Q2 2025 | Q1 2025 | Q2 2024 | |
| Production (mmbbls) | 2.9 | 3.2 | 2.1 |
| Dussafu | 2.4 | 2.6 | 1.4 |
| Golfinho | 0.5 | 0.7 | 0.7 |
| Production (kbopd) | 32.3 | 36.0 | 23.6 |
| Dussafu | 26.6 | 28.7 | 15.6 |
| Golfinho | 5.7 | 7.3 | 8.0 |
| Net volume sold (mmbbls) | 2.8 | 3.7 | 1.9 |
| Dussafu1 | 2.3 | 3.2 | 0.9 |
| Golfinho | 0.5 | 0.5 | 1 |
| 1incl. Domestic market obligations (DMO) | 0.07 | 0.07 | 0.03 |
| 1incl. State profit oil | 0.30 | 0.32 | 0.17 |
| Quarter-end stock inventory (mmbbls) | 0.5 | 0.2 | |
| Dussafu | -0.2 | -0.4 | |
| Golfinho | 0.7 | 0.6 | |
| Average realised price (USD) | 66.7 | 74.8 | 83.8 |
| Dussafu | 66.2 | 74.8 | 81.1 |
| Golfinho | 69.1 | 75.0 | 86.4 |
| Operational costs2 (USD per barrel) | 20.4 | 16.5 | 28.5 |
| Dussafu | 14.3 | 9.9 | 19.8 |
| Golfinho | 49.0 | 42.2 | 45.4 |
2) Operating costs exclude Royalties, Tariffs, Workovers, Domestic Market Obligation purchases, Production Sharing costs in Gabon, and incorporates the impact of IFRS 16 adjustments.
Reporting
BW Energy will publish its financial results for the second quarter and first half of 2025 on 1 August at 07:00 CEST. Management will host a webcast presentation later the same day at 14:00 CEST, followed by a live Q&A session. The webcast will be available at www.bwenergy.no.
For further information, please contact:
Martin Seland Simensen, VP Investor Relations BW Energy
+47 416 92 087, martin.simensen@bwenergy.no
About BW Energy:
BW Energy is a growth E&P company with a differentiated strategy targeting proven offshore oil and gas reservoirs through low risk phased developments. The Company has access to existing production facilities to reduce time to first oil and cashflow with lower investments than traditional offshore developments. The Company’s assets are 73.5% of the producing Dussafu Marine licence offshore Gabon, 100% interest in the Golfinho and Camarupim fields, a 76.5% interest in the BM-ES-23 block, a 95% interest in the Maromba field in Brazil, a 95% interest in the Kudu field in Namibia, all operated by BW Energy. In addition, BW Energy holds approximately 6.6% of the common shares in Reconnaissance Energy Africa Ltd. and a 20% non-operating interest in the onshore Petroleum Exploration License 73 (“PEL 73”) in Namibia. Total net 2P+2C reserves and resources were 599 million barrels of oil equivalent at the start of 2025.
This information is subject to the disclosure requirements pursuant to section 5-12 of the Norwegian Securities Trading Act.
Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)
Second quarter 2025 operational update
BW Energy will publish its financial results for the second quarter and first half of 2025 on 1 August 2025. Today, the company provides preliminary operational figures.
Net production attributable to BW Energy was 2.9 million barrels of oil (mmbbls) in the second quarter 2025, equivalent to 32.3 thousand barrels of oil per day (kbopd), from the Dussafu license in Gabon (73.5% working interest) and the Golfinho field in Brazil (100% working interest).
| Q2 2025 | Q1 2025 | Q2 2024 | |
| Production (mmbbls) | 2.9 | 3.2 | 2.1 |
| Dussafu | 2.4 | 2.6 | 1.4 |
| Golfinho | 0.5 | 0.7 | 0.7 |
| Production (kbopd) | 32.3 | 36.0 | 23.6 |
| Dussafu | 26.6 | 28.7 | 15.6 |
| Golfinho | 5.7 | 7.3 | 8.0 |
| Net volume sold (mmbbls) | 2.8 | 3.7 | 1.9 |
| Dussafu1 | 2.3 | 3.2 | 0.9 |
| Golfinho | 0.5 | 0.5 | 1 |
| 1incl. Domestic market obligations (DMO) | 0.07 | 0.07 | 0.03 |
| 1incl. State profit oil | 0.30 | 0.32 | 0.17 |
| Quarter-end stock inventory (mmbbls) | 0.5 | 0.2 | |
| Dussafu | -0.2 | -0.4 | |
| Golfinho | 0.7 | 0.6 | |
| Average realised price (USD) | 66.7 | 74.8 | 83.8 |
| Dussafu | 66.2 | 74.8 | 81.1 |
| Golfinho | 69.1 | 75.0 | 86.4 |
| Operational costs2 (USD per barrel) | 20.4 | 16.5 | 28.5 |
| Dussafu | 14.3 | 9.9 | 19.8 |
| Golfinho | 49.0 | 42.2 | 45.4 |
2) Operating costs exclude Royalties, Tariffs, Workovers, Domestic Market Obligation purchases, Production Sharing costs in Gabon, and incorporates the impact of IFRS 16 adjustments.
Reporting
BW Energy will publish its financial results for the second quarter and first half of 2025 on 1 August at 07:00 CEST. Management will host a webcast presentation later the same day at 14:00 CEST, followed by a live Q&A session. The webcast will be available at www.bwenergy.no.
For further information, please contact:
Martin Seland Simensen, VP Investor Relations BW Energy
+47 416 92 087, martin.simensen@bwenergy.no
About BW Energy:
BW Energy is a growth E&P company with a differentiated strategy targeting proven offshore oil and gas reservoirs through low risk phased developments. The Company has access to existing production facilities to reduce time to first oil and cashflow with lower investments than traditional offshore developments. The Company’s assets are 73.5% of the producing Dussafu Marine licence offshore Gabon, 100% interest in the Golfinho and Camarupim fields, a 76.5% interest in the BM-ES-23 block, a 95% interest in the Maromba field in Brazil, a 95% interest in the Kudu field in Namibia, all operated by BW Energy. In addition, BW Energy holds approximately 6.6% of the common shares in Reconnaissance Energy Africa Ltd. and a 20% non-operating interest in the onshore Petroleum Exploration License 73 (“PEL 73”) in Namibia. Total net 2P+2C reserves and resources were 599 million barrels of oil equivalent at the start of 2025.
This information is subject to the disclosure requirements pursuant to section 5-12 of the Norwegian Securities Trading Act.
Source: UNESCO World Heritage Centre
Site managers and park rangers from Costa Rica and Panama responsible for the transboundary World Heritage site of Talamanca Range-La Amistad Reserves/La Amistad National Park gathered from 8 to 11 July 2025 to discuss how to enhance sustainable tourism at the site.
Organized in the framework of the UNESCO project ‘Communities for Heritage – Latin America and the Caribbean’, financed by Saudi Arabia, the workshop took place in the Las Cruces Biological Station, located in San Vito de Coto Brus, Costa Rica.
Extending along the border between Panama and Costa Rica, the Talamanca Range–La Amistad Reserves / La Amistad National Park encompasses a vast mountainous wilderness where exceptional biodiversity, wetland ecosystems, and cross-border conservation efforts come together. In addition to its designation as a UNESCO World Heritage site, it is also recognized as a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve and a Ramsar Wetland of International Importance – making it one of the most comprehensively protected natural landscapes in Central America.
Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Hakeem Jeffries (8th District of New York)
Know Your Immigration Rights
If you or a loved one encounter immigration enforcement officials, it is essential that you know your rights and have prepared your household for all possible outcomes.
Ask for a warrant: The Fourth Amendment of the Constitution protects you from unreasonable search and seizure. You do not have to open your door until you see a valid warrant to enter your home or search your belongings.
Your right to remain silent: The Fifth Amendment protects your right to remain silent and not incriminate yourself. You are not required to share any personal information such as your place of birth, immigration status or criminal history.
Always consult an attorney: You have a right to speak with an attorney. You do not have to sign anything or hand officials any documents without speaking to an attorney. Try to identify and consult one in advance.
The New York City Office of Civil Justice and the Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs (MOIA) support a variety of free immigration legal services through local nonprofit legal organizations. To access these resources, dial 311 and say “Action NYC,” call the MOIA Immigration Legal Support Hotline at 800-354-0365 Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. or visit MOIA’s website.
Learn more here: KNOW YOUR IMMIGRATION RIGHTS – Congressman Hakeem Jeffries
Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz (FL-23)
Washington, July 17, 2025
Today, I was proud to support the GENIUS Act as a significant first step towards responsible and effective regulation of the cryptocurrency industry.
“Today, I was proud to support the GENIUS Act as a significant first step towards responsible and effective regulation of the cryptocurrency industry. Although I was unable to support the CLARITY Act at this time, I hope that the bill that returns from the Senate will incorporate the necessary changes and safeguards that would enable me to support it.”
####
Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Jimmy Gomez (CA-34)
Washington, July 17, 2025
“This bill is a handout to billionaires and a punch in the gut to working families and children.
“When I was growing up, my family couldn’t afford cable, so we relied on public broadcasting for education, news, weather forecasts, public safety announcements, and emergency alerts. Now, as a dad to a two-year-old, I watch PBS programs like Sesame Street, The Cat in the Hat, and Daniel Tiger with my son. The same public service that helped raise me is now helping raise him.
“But Republicans moved forward with these cuts to free up federal dollars for their ‘Big Billionaire Bill,’ which hands massive tax breaks to the richest corporations and individuals. While the ultrawealthy and top corporations get tax breaks for yachts and bonuses, millions of kids in rural and working-class communities are losing Sesame Street.
“This bill also guts humanitarian aid, ripping away food from starving children, medicine from disease zones, and hope from families fleeing war, which undermines America’s global leadership in responding to global crises.
“Even though we’re outnumbered in the House, I’ll keep fighting to make sure that public money is used to help people who actually need it — not handed out as giveaways to billionaires.”
Source: US State of Idaho
Rep. Simpson Secures INL Priorities in Energy and Water Appropriations Bill
Washington, July 18, 2025
WASHINGTON—The House Committee on Appropriations voted to advance the Fiscal Year 2026 Energy and Water Development and Related Agencies Appropriations Bill. Idaho Congressman Mike Simpson supported this advancement and secured critical funding for the Idaho National Laboratory (INL). This bill champions America’s nuclear deterrent and strengthens national security, restores energy dominance, and supports the Trump administration’s policy initiatives.
“The Idaho National Laboratory is a world leader in nuclear energy research and a hub for remarkable advancements in nuclear technologies,” said Rep. Simpson. “INL has long worked to advance America’s nuclear technology and strengthen our national security, and I have been proud to support their efforts in Congress. I am confident that the future of nuclear energy is bright under President Trump and Secretary Wright. As a longtime member and former Chairman of this critical subcommittee, I am pleased to see this legislation expand America’s nuclear capabilities and address the future of nuclear energy. I look forward to seeing this bill cross the finish line.”
Highlights of the bill include:
Provides funding for INL’s infrastructure and operations.
Provides funding for INL’s Microreactor Application Research Validation and Evaluation (MARVEL) project.
Provides funding for the Demonstration of Microreactor Experiments (DOME) Test Bed at INL.
Funding for a variety of advanced reactor construction and demonstrations.
Funding for further research and development of advanced Tri-structural Isotropic (TRISO) and High-Assay Low Enriched Uranium (HALEU) reactor fuel.
The measure was approved by the Committee with a vote of 35 to 27.
This funding package will now go to the full floor of the House of Representatives for further consideration.
Source: US House Committee on Foreign Affairs
Media Contact 202-321-9747
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Brian Mast issued the following statement upon the House’s final passage of the rescissions package.
“This is a win for the American taxpayer. Under the Biden administration, the U.S. wasted billions in taxpayer dollars spreading far-left ideology disguised as foreign aid. Republicans on this committee exposed those programs for years only to have Democrats turn a blind eye.
Foreign aid is not benevolence. It’s not charity. It’s a soft power that gives America a chance to get what it is that we need because of some mutual benefit that exists out there between two nations. It’s not an opportunity to push radical liberal ideas on countries that would otherwise want to be our allies.
Today, House Republicans joined President Trump in giving the American people a say in how their tax dollars are spent abroad.”
###
US Senate News:
Source: United States Senator for Massachusetts Ed Markey
Bill Text (PDF)
Washington (July 17, 2025) – Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), a member of the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, today reintroduced the Preparing and Retaining All (PARA) Educators Act, legislation that would establish higher wages, career pipelines, and professional development opportunities for school paraeducators. More than 1.2 million paraeducators across the country provide classroom management support to teachers, assist students with disabilities, and facilitate individual and small group learning.
“As the Trump administration continues its relentless attack on education, it is more important than ever that we ensure paraprofessionals receive the support, compensation, and professional development opportunities they deserve,” said Senator Markey. “Instructional assistants, teachers’ aides, special education aides, and other educators keep our schools running and students thriving—often with little recognition and low pay. My PARA Educators Act will invest in these educators what they invest in our students, our communities, and our future.”
“From special education aides and classroom assistants to English language learning specialists and other support staff, paraeducators are the unsung heroes of our public schools, helping students overcome challenges and reach their potential,” said AFSCME President Lee Saunders. “These hardworking professionals – including thousands of AFSCME members – deserve wages and benefits that match the important contributions they make to teaching and learning every single day. We applaud Senator Markey for sponsoring the PARA Educators Act, which will help more schools – especially in high-need and rural districts – recruit and retain the paraeducators they need to support student success in the classroom and beyond.”
“Students of every color, background and ZIP code deserve qualified and caring educators who are dedicated and have the resources to uncover the passions and potential of every child. Education Support Professionals are essential to supporting students and ensuing we have strong schools and communities across the country. They play a critical role in the lives of students and help keep our schools running and our students safe, healthy, and ready to learn every day,” said Kimberly Johnson Trinca, Director of Government Relations, National Education Association. “The Preparing and Retaining All Educators (PARA) Act will help schools deal with an educator shortage that has been decades in the making. This bill will help schools across the country recruit and retain diverse, qualified and experienced paraeducators in our schools to support our students. This is more important than ever as the Trump Administration continues to take a wrecking ball to public education and the futures of the 50 million students in rural, suburban, and urban communities across America. NEA is pleased to support this legislation, and we applaud Senator Markey for his continued leadership on issues so important to education support professionals.”
Low wages and a lack of training and professional development opportunities contribute to high rates of turnover and position vacancies among paraeducators, particularly in high-poverty school districts. The PARA Educators Act would support the recruitment and retention of paraeducators by funding state and school level initiatives to improve wages, working conditions, and professional development and credentialing programs for paraprofessionals working in public schools.
Specifically, the PARA Educators Act would:
Establish a grant program within the Department of Education to support state and district efforts to recruit and retain paraprofessionals.
Prioritize high-need rural and urban areas to ensure grant funding is distributed equitably.
Provide paraprofessionals with access to high-quality professional development programs that will advance in their careers and benefit their students.
The bill is cosponsored by Senators Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Alex Padilla (D-Calif), and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.).
The bill is endorsed by the National Education Association, AFT, the Advocacy Institute, CommunicationFIRST, Council for Exceptional Children, National Rural Education Association, National Center for Learning Disabilities, AFSCME, The Arc.
In April 2025, Senator Markey reintroduced the Paraprofessionals and Education Support Staff Bill of Rights alongside Rep. Jahanna Hayes (D-CT-05), which would establish livable wages, benefits, and dignified working conditions for paraeducators and other essential school support staff. In February 2025, Senator Markey introduced the No Cuts to Public Schools Act, which would block all federal funding cuts to critical education programs serving students with disabilities, English learners, low-income students, and rural students through fiscal year 2027.
From Botswana, UNSW researchers have collaborated with international partners to protect the future of the Cubango-Okavango River Basin.
UNSW Sydney researchers, as part of a PLuS Alliance initiative, recently joined 60 international delegates at a workshop in Botswana focused on protecting the Cubango-Okavango River Basin (CORB).
Spanning Angola, Namibia and Botswana, the CORB is a large inland river basin that
Source: Government of India
Source: Government of India (4)
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva on Thursday said he would not take orders over tariffs from a foreigner, referring to U.S. President Donald Trump, and later called the United States’ threatened duty “unacceptable blackmail.”
The comments, made during two separate events, mark a continuation of a spat between the two leaders that escalated when the U.S. announced a 50% tariff on Brazil last week.
Trump attributed the tariff, set to start in August, to Brazil’s treatment of former President Jair Bolsonaro and to trade practices against U.S. companies that he said are unfair. The tariff announcement came days after Lula called Trump an “emperor” the world does not want.
Lula and members of his cabinet have rejected the reasoning behind the tariffs and insisted on Brazil’s sovereignty, while calling for trade negotiations with the United States.
“No foreigner is going to give orders to this president,” Lula said in a speech, using the slang word ‘gringo’, which in Brazil is a common term for foreigners without the pejorative sense it carries in other parts of Latin America.
He added that Brazil would go ahead with regulation and taxation of U.S. tech firms, telling a gathering of leftist student activists in the state of Goias that tech firms are conduits of violence and fake news disguised as freedom of expression.
Later on Thursday, during an evening TV and radio address to the nation, Lula said the defense of Brazil’s sovereignty extends to protecting itself against the actions of foreign digital platforms.
During the near five-minute address, Lula said Brazil has been negotiating with the U.S. over tariffs, and repeated that the Latin America country had sent a proposal in May.
“We expected a response, and what we received was unacceptable blackmail, in the form of threats to Brazilian institutions and false information about trade between Brazil and the United States,” Lula said.
Brasilia has been holding discussions with industry groups and companies that will be affected by the U.S. tariff, while also readying potential retaliatory measures if talks fall through.
Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira told CNN Brasil separately on Thursday that Lula was open to talks with Trump, who had not yet met each other.
“If the circumstances are given, they will speak,” he added.
Lula, who is in his third non-consecutive term as president of Latin America’s largest economy, saw his approval ratings start to rebound after the trade spat with Trump last week.
(Reuters)
Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Ed Case (Hawai‘i – District 1)
(Washington, DC) – U.S. Congressman Ed Case (HI-01), a member of the House Appropriations Committee, today voted in full Committee against the proposed Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 Transportation-Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Appropriations and FY 2026 Energy and Water Appropriations measures.
The FY 2026 housing and transportation bill proposes to spend $89.9 billion for HUD, the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness and the Department of Transportation, including the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). This is a decrease of $4.5 billion from the FY 2025 enacted level.
The $57.3 billion Energy and Water Appropriations bill funds the Department of Energy (DOE), the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ (USACE) civil works programs and various energy programs. This is a decrease of nearly $776 million from the FY 2025 enacted level.
“While these measures fund many critical Hawai‘i priorities I requested, I regrettably had to vote against both bills because of massive cuts to federal program that help everyday Americans with rising housing, transportation and energy costs,” explained Case.
The Transportation-HUD Appropriations bill included some important wins for Hawai‘i requested by Case including $5.5 million for Case’s Community Funding Projects (described below), as well as $18.3 million for the Native Hawaiian Housing Block Grant and $28 million for the Native Hawaiian Housing Loan Guarantee Fund (for both of which programs the President’s budget has proposed $0). It also included Case’s request to continue funding for the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), which plays a crucial role in enhancing the safety of the helicopter and small aircraft industry through accident investigation, analysis and recommendations to prevent future incidents, including several fatal accidents throughout Hawai‘i.
Despite these positives, Case said the bill poses significant risks to vulnerable communities by exacerbating the cost-of-living crisis and undercutting critical housing support systems. The bill eliminates the HOME Investment Partnerships Program, the only federal program dedicated to developing new affordable rental and homeownership options. It also defunds the PRO Housing Program, which empowers local governments to address housing shortages. Together, these actions remove essential tools for expanding the affordable housing supply.
The bill further harms Americans aspiring to homeownership by stripping funding from housing counseling assistance. The net effect of the bill threatens nearly 415,000 households that rely on HUD assistance, putting them at risk of eviction and housing instability.
The Energy and Water Appropriations bill also included numerous wins for Hawai‘i requested by Case, including funding for USACE programs that aid in the preservation of Hawaii’s coastlines across all seven inhabited islands. Specifically, the bill includes $2 million to study avenues of protection for public infrastructure on small beaches from erosion and damage caused by storms and natural wave currents; $18 million for regional sediment management, construction, operations and regulatory functions in the coastal zone; and $38 million for programs which manage aquatic weeds in public waters.
Notably, one of Case’s highest priorities, an instruction to the USACE to complete a major update study for Honolulu Harbor, was included in the bill. This provision directs the USACE to investigate modifications to Honolulu Harbor to better handle the impacts of military operations in the state and throughout the Indo-Pacific as a whole, which can open up additional federal resources for the planned improvements of Honolulu Harbor. Also included in the bill is $9.5 million for USACE program that aids in the planning, designing and construction of small projects for commercial navigation purposes such as channels, breakwaters and jetties. This funding will aid in the investigation of best practices for Honolulu Harbor modifications.
Despite these positives, Case opposed the measure in light of the widespread elimination of funding to advance clean, affordable and secure energy for Americans. The bill slashes vital clean energy funding nationwide, with Hawai‘i set to experience a cut of 31% on federal funding for clean energy projects and investments.
“While the Energy and Water Appropriations measures fund many critical Hawai‘i and priorities I requested, regrettably the bill will increase energy costs for American families by revoking more than $5 billion in clean energy investments.
“Without these federally funded programs and incentives, we risk falling dangerously behind our clean energy goals,” said Case.
Through his assignment on the Committee, Case secured the following seven Member-designated Community Project Funding (CPF) projects across the two bills that specifically focused on local needs in Hawai‘i:
· $2 million for the Hawai‘i Department of Transportation to repair Aloha Tower, including replacing its 40-foot mast, repairing the crown of the tower and replacing its windows to weatherproof the landmark. This funding is essential to maintain Aloha Tower’s structural integrity, enhance public access and ensure that it remains a celebrated symbol of Honolulu’s history for generations to come.
· $1 million for the City and County of Honolulu for its Waikīkī Vista Project. This project converts former Tokai University and Hawai‘i Pacific University classrooms into a consolidated, family-friendly emergency shelter and additional affordable housing units for low-income families. This investment will directly enhance the City’s ability to reduce family homelessness and expand affordable housing inventory in one of Hawaii’s most housing-challenged areas.
· $850,000 for the City and County of Honolulu to support its Safe Harbor Support for Housing Survivors of Domestic Violence project. This funding will expand the Domestic Violence Action Center’s successful housing program by supporting property acquisition and staffing to increase safe and stable housing options for survivors and their children.
· $850,000 for Kalihi Waena Elementary School to construct a new single-span pedestrian bridge with American with Disabilities Act-compliant access between Kūhiō Park Terrace and the school. The new bridge will replace dangerously deteriorating infrastructure and ensure safe and equitable access for students and community members.
· $300,000 for Highlands Intermediate School to modernize and expand its media center infrastructure. The renovation will create a collaborative, technology-driven learning environment that fosters student creativity, innovation and digital literacy.
· $250,000 for the Hawai‘i State Parks System and Hawai‘i Nature Center to upgrade educational and operational facilities, including classroom expansion and replacement of a sustainable wetland wastewater system supporting environmental education for thousands of Title I students annually.
· $250,000 for the Hawai‘i State Broadband Office for broadband infrastructure development in our local community centers. Funding will be used toward essential network enhancements, including rewiring, electrical system upgrades and the installation of Wi-Fi access points to ensure reliable, high-speed connectivity.
The House’s CPF rules require that each project must have demonstrated community support, must be fully disclosed by the requesting Member and must be subject to audit by the independent Government Accountability Office. Case’s disclosures are here: https://case.house.gov/services/funding-disclosures.htm.
Transportation-HUD Funding Bill
More specifically, the bill includes the following funding requested by Case for programs to improve access to affordable housing in Hawai‘i and nationwide:
· $18.3 million for the Native Hawaiian Housing Block Grant Program, which supports the building, acquisition and rehabilitation of affordable homes.
· $5 million for core housing research partnerships with Native Hawaiian serving institutions among other minority serving institutions.
· $56 million for the Self-Help and Assisted Homeownership Opportunity Program.
· $17 billion for project-based rental assistance.
· $5.6 billion for the Community Development Fund, which includes $3.3 billion for the Community Development Block Grant formula program.
· $4 billion for the Homeless Assistance Grants.
Transportation and infrastructure programs requested and secured by Case include:
· $380 million for the Maritime Security Program, $123 million for the Port Infrastructure Development Program and $30 million for assistance to small shipyards like Kalaeloa/Barbers Point.
· $64 billion for the Federal Highway Administration to improve the safety and long-term viability of our highways.
· $23 billion for the FAA, including $10 billion to fully fund air traffic control operations and allow the FAA to hire 2,500 air traffic controllers to replace the retiring workforce.
· $15 billion for the Federal Transit Administration.
A summary of the Transportation-HUD Appropriations bill is available here.
Energy and Water Funding Bill
More specifically, the bill includes the following energy and water-related programs and provisions requested and secured by Case and of specific benefit to Hawai‘i:
· Language directing the USACE to investigate modifications to Honolulu Harbor to better accommodate the impacts of military operations in the state and throughout the Indo-Pacific as a whole.
· $2 million for the USACE’s beach erosion and hurricane and storm damage reduction activities.
· $40 million for flood control and coastal emergencies efforts.
· $18 million for the USACE’s National Coastal Mapping Program, which provides high-resolution elevation and imagery data along the U.S. shorelines on a recurring basis which can provide a better understanding of human uses, issues and constraints in coastal regions.
· $12 million for the USACE’s Aquatic Plant Control Program, which conducts research and development of biological, chemical, cultural and ecological capabilities for controlling invasive aquatic plants.
· Language modifying a clean energy program under DOE that has been widely beneficial for Hawai‘i. The newly named Energy Technology Innovation Office, previously known as the Energy Transitions Initiative, supports island and remote communities by providing personalized technical and financial assistance. Case recently introduced legislation make to make this program permanent. (See here for more details.)
· Language directing the DOE to investigate potential benefits of having small-modular nuclear reactors as a source of clean, domestically sourced electricity for remote, noncontiguous U.S. areas such as Hawai‘i.
A summary of the Energy and Water Appropriations bill is available here.
These two bills are the 6th and 7th of twelve separate bills developed and approved by the Appropriations Committee that would fund the federal government at some $1.6 trillion for FY 2026 commencing October 1st of this year. The bills now move on to the full House of Representatives for its consideration.
###
ER Report: Here is a summary of significant articles published on EveningReport.nz on July 18, 2025.
WA had the highest rates of Indigenous child removal in the country. At last, the state is finally facing up to it
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jenna Woods, Dean, School of Indigenous Knowledges, Murdoch University Matt Jelonek/Getty Images First Nations people please be advised this article speaks of racially discriminating moments in history, including the distress and death of First Nations people. In 1997, Australia was confronted with the landmark Bringing Them Home
Separated men are nearly 5 times more likely to take their lives than married men
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michael Wilson, Research Fellow and PhD Candidate in Men’s Mental Health, The University of Melbourne Breakups hurt. Emotional and psychological distress are common when intimate relationships break down. For some people, this distress can be so overwhelming that it leads to suicidal thoughts and behaviours. This problem
Thinking of trekking to Everest Base Camp? Don’t leave home without this expert advice
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Heike Schanzel, Professor of Social Sustainability in Tourism, Auckland University of Technology Purnima Shrestha /AFP via Getty Images Tourists in Kathmandu are tempted everywhere by advertisements for trekking expeditions to Everest Base Camp. If you didn’t know better, you might think it’s just a nice hike in
Pragmatic engagement – what Albanese’s visit reveals about China relations in a turbulent world
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Edward Sing Yue Chan, Postdoctoral Fellow in China Studies, Australian National University The Albanese government has faced an increasingly uncertain world since its re-election in May. US President Donald Trump has cast a long shadow over the Australia–US alliance, raising fresh questions about Canberra’s long-term regional strategy.
‘Don’t tell me!’ Why some people love spoilers – and others will run a mile
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Anjum Naweed, Professor of Human Factors, CQUniversity Australia DreamBig/Shutterstock, The Conversation This article contains spoilers! I once leapt out of a train carriage because two strangers were loudly discussing the ending of the last Harry Potter book. Okay – I didn’t leap, but I did plug my
Keith Rankin Analysis – Letter from Westphalia, Germany; 6 June 1933
Analysis by Keith Rankin. On Saturday I came into possession of this letter, transcript below. I will note that the recipient of the letter is someone I know a bit about; I would like to know more about his time in London, circa 1930-1932. I understand that he attended the London School of Economics. I
Australian law is clear: criticism of Israel does not breach the Racial Discrimination Act
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Bill Swannie, Senior Lecturer, Thomas More Law School, Australian Catholic University Earlier this month, the Federal Court found controversial Muslim cleric Wissam Haddad breached the Racial Discrimination Act. Justice Angus Stewart ruled a series of speeches Haddad posted online were “fundamentally racist and antisemitic [and] profoundly offensive”
New Barbie with type 1 diabetes could help kids with the condition feel seen – and help others learn
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Lynne Chepulis, Associate Professor, Health Sciences, University of Waikato Mattel Inc/AP, The Conversation, CC BY Barbie has done many things since she first appeared in 1959. She’s been an astronaut, a doctor, a president and even a palaeontologist. Now, in 2025, Barbie is something else: a woman
Rising seas threaten to swallow one of NZ’s oldest settlement sites – new research
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Peter N. Meihana, Senior Lecturer in History, Te Kunenga ki Pūrehuroa – Massey University Veronika Meduna, CC BY-SA One of Aotearoa New Zealand’s oldest settlement sites is at risk of being washed away by rising seas, according to new research. Te Pokohiwi o Kupe (Wairau Bar) near
AI is now part of our world. Uni graduates should know how to use it responsibly
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rachel Fitzgerald, Associate Professor and Deputy Associate Dean (Academic), Faculty of Business, Economics and Law, The University of Queensland MTStock Studio/ Getty Images Artificial intelligence is rapidly becoming an everyday part of lives. Many of us use it without even realising, whether it be writing emails, finding
Susi Newborn among activists featured in Pacific ‘nuclear free heroes’ video
Pacific Media Watch Greenpeace pioneer and activist Susi Newborn is among the “nuclear free heroes” featured in a video tribute premiered this week in an exhibition dedicated to a nuclear-free Pacific. The week-long exhibition at Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland’s Ellen Melville Centre, titled “Legends of the Pacific: Stories of a Nuclear-Free Moana 1975-1995,” closes tomorrow afternoon.
Grattan on Friday: New parliament presents traps for Albanese and Ley
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra Anthony Albanese hasn’t been in any rush to convene the new parliament, which Governor-General Sam Mostyn will open on Tuesday. It’s only mildly cynical to observe that governments of both persuasions often seem to regard having pesky members and senators
Police protection for New Caledonian politicians following death threats
By Patrick Decloitre, RNZ Pacific correspondent French Pacific desk New Caledonian politicians who inked their commitment to a deal with France last weekend will be offered special police protection following threats, especially made on social media networks. The group includes almost 20 members of New Caledonia’s parties — both pro-France and pro-independence — who took
12 countries agree to confront Israel collectively over Gaza after Bogotá summit
ANALYSIS: By Mick Hall Collective measures to confront Israel’s genocide of the Palestinian people have been agreed by 12 nations after an emergency summit of the Hague Group in Bogotá, Colombia. A joint statement today announced the six measures, which it said were geared to holding Israel to account for its crimes in Palestine and
Rainbow Warrior bombing by French secret agents remembered 40 years on
SPECIAL REPORT: By Te Aniwaniwa Paterson of Te Ao Māori News Forty years ago today, French secret agents bombed the Greenpeace campaign flagship Rainbow Warrior in an attempt to stop the environmental organisation’s protest against nuclear testing at Moruroa Atoll in Mā’ohi Nui. People gathered on board Rainbow Warrior III to remember photographer Fernando Pereira,
Why a surprise jump in unemployment isn’t as bad as it sounds
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jeff Borland, Professor of Economics, The University of Melbourne New figures show Australia’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate unexpectedly rose to 4.3% – its highest level since late 2021 – in June this year, up from 4.1% in May. While this is bad news, it’s not as bad
Australia got off on a technicality for its climate inaction. But there are plenty more judgement days to come
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Wesley Morgan, Research Associate, Institute for Climate Risk and Response, UNSW Sydney This week, the Federal Court found the Australian government has no legal duty to protect Torres Strait Islanders from climate change. The ruling was disappointing, but it’s not the end of the matter. The plaintiffs,
Source: US Representative Andrea Salinas (OR-06)
Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Congresswoman Andrea Salinas (OR-06), alongside Reps. Sharice Davids (KS-03), Raja Krishnamoorthi (IL-08), Doris Matsui (CA-07), Seth Moulton (MA-06), Chris Pappas (NH-01), and Paul Tonko (NY-20), sent a letter to Reps. Robert Aderholt (AL-04) and Rosa DeLauro (CT-03), the Chairman and Ranking Member of the House Appropriations Committee Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies, urging them to maintain funding for the 988 LGBTQI+ Youth lifeline. The letter was co-signed by nearly 100 of their Democratic colleagues.
The letter underscores the effectiveness of the lifeline, which was shut down by the Trump Administration today. Since its inception, the lifeline has received nearly 1.5 million contacts from LGBTQI+ youth, serving as a critical resource for young people across the country who are at an elevated risk of suicide and mental illness.
Click here for the full letter.
###
Source: US State of California Governor
SACRAMENTO – Governor Gavin Newsom and Acting Governor Eleni Kounalakis issued the following statement regarding the death of California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) Parole Agent Joshua Lemont Byrd:
“This is a heartbreaking loss. Agent Byrd served with integrity and courage — and we’re forever grateful. We are keeping his family in our prayers and we join the men and women of CDCR in mourning this tragedy.”
Governor Gavin Newsom
On July 17, at approximately 12:50 p.m., Parole Agent Byrd was shot inside the Division of Adult Parole Operations (DAPO) office located in Oakland. Agent Byrd was immediately transported to a local hospital for treatment, where he succumbed to his injuries. A suspect has been detained by Oakland Police Department officers.
Agent Byrd, 40, joined CDCR as a cadet at CDCR’s correctional officer academy in June 2014. After serving as a correctional officer and correctional sergeant, he joined the DAPO Oakland office as a parole agent in October 2024.
He leaves a wife and children.
In honor of Agent Byrd, flags at the State Capitol and Capitol Annex Swing Space will be flown at half-staff. This is the first line-of-duty loss for CDCR since 2018.
Source: The Conversation – Global Perspectives – By Alexander Howard, Senior Lecturer, Discipline of English and Writing, University of Sydney
In the thrilling finale of the TV series The Americans, set during the Reagan administration, deep-cover KGB operatives Philip and Elizabeth Jennings are faced with a difficult decision. Posing as an ordinary American married couple, for decades they have raised children, filed tax returns and slipped effortlessly into the rhythms and routines of everyday suburban existence in Washington, D.C.
All the while, they’ve been spying – gathering intelligence and surreptitiously feeding it to their communist masters in Soviet Moscow. Now, with the FBI closing in and their cover on the brink of collapse, they must decide whether to stay and face arrest or flee the country they’ve come to call home. There’s also their teenage children to consider.
The story seemed too incredible to be true – but in fact it was based in part on Donald Heathfield and Ann Foley, subsequently outed as Andrei Bezrukov and Elena Vavilova, a Russian couple who had spent more than 20 years masquerading as Canadians. At the time of their unmasking, they were living quietly in the United States with Tim and Alex, their two sons.
Review: The Illegals: Russia’s Most Audacious Spies and the Plot to Infiltrate the West – Shaun Walker (Profile)
A new book, The Illegals, tells of a network of Russian agents operating across the US, during the late 20th and early 21st centuries – including Bezrukov and Vavilova. It opens with their dramatic 2010 arrest, part of ten Russian spies (mostly illegals like them) detained by the FBI.
Author Shaun Walker, the Guardian’s central and eastern Europe correspondent, draws on declassified archival material and first-hand interviews. The result is an engrossing, eye-opening account of the secret world of the Soviet “illegals programme”: embedded spies who lived surreptitiously in the West without the safety blanket of diplomatic protection.
As Walker explains, “legals” were Russian operatives working under official cover – as diplomats or embassy staff, privy to diplomatic immunity. By contrast, “illegals” operated off the grid. They crept silently into Western countries under false identities, often stolen from the dead. This made them harder to detect, but left them far more vulnerable if exposed.
One of the most high-profile figures in the 2010 spy bust was Anna Chapman. Unlike many other illegals, Chapman didn’t even bother to disguise her Russian identity. Instead, as Walker recounts, she entered America using a British passport – acquired through a brief marriage to a UK citizen – and worked as a New York real estate broker.
Her photogenic looks and media-friendly persona made her the public face of the scandal. After being deported, Chapman reinvented herself as a television host, runway model and pro-Kremlin influencer.
Walker outlines how Bezrukov and Vavilova first met in the early 1980s, as history students in Siberia. There, KGB “spotters” identified them for potential recruitment. Later, he adds,
they progressed to an arduous training programme lasting several years, moulding their language, mannerisms and identities into those of an ordinary couple. They left the Soviet Union separately in 1987, staged a meeting in Canada, and began a relationship as if they had just met.
Having married under their assumed names, Andrei and Elena adopted the habits and customs of an ordinary middle-class life. After the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, the couple were cut off from Moscow, but by the end of the decade they were reactivated by the SVR, Russia’s new foreign intelligence agency. Around this time, Andrei won a place at Harvard’s Kennedy School, allowing the family to move to Massachusetts and integrate further into American society.
As Andrei networked in academic and policy circles, Elena maintained the illusion of domestic normality, fashioning herself as a doting “soccer mom”, raising the kids and keeping house. Meanwhile, she was secretly decoding encrypted radio messages in the back room.
This went on for years. Then, one day, an unexpected knock on the door as they celebrated their son Tim’s 20th birthday brought the charade crashing down. FBI agents burst in, handcuffed the couple in front of their sons and marched them out into the street.
Soon after their arrest, Andrei and Elena were deported to Russia in a high-profile spy swap. They were awarded state honours by Vladimir Putin and briefly became minor celebrities in Moscow. Their sons, both born in Canada, were left reeling.
In 2016, Walker tracked the sons down for a piece he was writing for The Guardian: they were in the process of suing the Canadian government to have their citizenship reinstated, having been stripped of it when everything kicked off. In 2019, a court ruled Tim and Alex (who was 16 when the FBI arrested his parents) could keep their citizenship. Both insisted they had known nothing about their parents’ espionage work.
As Walker recounts, the raid had been coordinated by then-FBI director Robert Mueller. It had been timed to avoid derailing a carefully planned diplomatic summit.
In 2009, Barack Obama launched a high-profile “reset” of relations with Russia. Obama wanted to woo Dmitry Medvedev – a moderate political figurehead standing in for Putin, who remained the real power behind the scenes in Russia.
A planned summit in Washington intended to cement the spirit of renewed cooperation. But as the scale of Russia’s covert operation became apparent, the White House was faced with a dilemma: how to respond without jeopardising the reset.
According to Walker, Obama was irked by the whole situation. He quipped that it felt like something out of a John Le Carré novel. Eventually, a compromise was reached: the arrests would happen, but only after Medvedev’s visit, so as not to cause undue embarrassment.
Colonel Aleksandr Poteyev, deputy head of Directorate “S” of the SVR, was the man overseeing the illegals scheme. After the arrests were made, he quietly walked out of the agency headquarters in Yasenevo for the last time. He was the mole who had tipped off the Americans. From there, he made his way to Ukraine, where the CIA could safely extricate him to the US. On hearing the news, Putin was reportedly beside himself with rage, Walker writes.
Intrigued by this “twisted family story”, Walker started to look into the illegals venture in greater depth. He quickly realised “there was nothing quite like it in the history of espionage”. At times, various intelligence agencies had deployed operatives as foreign nationals, “but never with the scope or scale of the KGB programme”.
The illegals were, in Walker’s reckoning, something uniquely Russian, rooted in the country’s complex historical experience. The more he read, the more he came to view the programme as a lens through which he could “tell a much bigger story, of the whole Soviet experiment and its ultimate failure, a century of dramatic and bloody history”.
To understand how the illegals project came about, Walker winds the clock all the way back to 1917, when the Bolsheviks seized power – and espionage became a cornerstone of the nascent Soviet state. He reminds us while Lenin and his comrades had won formal control of the nation, “they still faced the colossal task of implementing and retaining it across the vast Russian landmass”.
Gripped by his belief in the predictive principles of historical materialism,
Lenin was sure that state institutions would eventually wither away, the evolving worker’s paradise rendering them meaningless. However, to achieve this happy end point, he believed an interim period of ruthless state violence was required.
This helps to explain why he established the Cheka, a secret police force tasked with crushing counterrevolutionary activity and enforcing Bolshevik rule. At its head was Feliks Dzerzhinsky, a fanatical Polish ideologue who had spent years in Siberian exile. Far from a temporary measure, the Cheka “quickly grew to a huge fighting force that could be unleashed on political and class enemies”, Walker writes.
The Cheka was an important player in the Russian Civil War, which pitted Lenin’s Reds against the Whites – a loose alliance of pro-tsarist regiments and foreign mercenaries, often united by little more than their implacable hatred of Bolshevism. The situation on the ground was chaotic and unpredictable; both sides engaged in ruthless violence.
Here, in this blood-drenched crucible, the Bolsheviks honed their clandestine methods – konspiratsiya (subterfuge) – perfecting the use of disguises, false identities and underground communication. In areas where the Whites gained a territorial foothold, agents were ordered to stay behind and coordinate resistance, laying the groundwork for what would become the illegals programme.
When the Bolsheviks emerged victorious in 1921, the Cheka was not disbanded – but repurposed. The practice of planting operatives deep inside enemy lines survived the war and expanded in scope. Lenin’s idea of combining legal diplomatic work with illegal undercover infiltration became a defining feature of how the Soviet Union would run its intelligence services for the next 70 years.
Under Lenin’s successor, Joseph Stalin, the secret police was transformed into an all-encompassing instrument of surveillance, repression and domination.
Purges consumed the party. Ideological fervour curdled into show trials and murderous terror. And paranoia became an organising principle of Soviet political life. The demand for vigilance intensified – not just at home, where informants and denunciations became routine, but also abroad. Real and purported enemies were seen lurking in the democratic institutions of the West.
Ironies abound here. The very methods that helped to sustain the early Soviet state – secrecy, trickery, duplicity – soon became grounds for suspicion on Stalin’s watch. The generation of illegals trained and embedded during the 1920s and early 1930s were among those earmarked for liquidation, Walker writes. Stalin, ever wary of plots against him, came to view his own spies as potential traitors.
He ignored – or wilfully dismissed – much of the intelligence they had risked their lives to gather, often with disastrous consequences. When advance warnings of Operation Barbarossa, Hitler’s secret plan to betray Stalin and launch a massive invasion of the Soviet Union, landed on his desk in 1941, for instance, they were waved away as provocation or outright fabrication. In some cases, he had his spies tortured or shot. Loyalty was no protector against paranoia.
Among the casualties was Dmitry Bystrolyotov, who Walker describes as “perhaps the most talented illegal in the history of the programme”. A truly chameleonic figure, Bystrolyotov was a dashing and multilingual agent whose exploits in Western Europe made him a legend in Soviet intelligence circles. “His speciality was the recruitment of agents who had access to diplomatic codes and ciphers,” the Russian scholar Emil Draitser attests, “and his modus operandi involved women”.
Through a series of painstakingly crafted affairs, Bystrolyotov gained access to confidential dispatches, internal memos and state secrets. His work offered Stalin a rare glimpse into the inner workings of Europe’s ruling elite. But when The Great Terror rolled around in 1937, none of it mattered. He was arrested, sentenced and dispatched to the Gulag, callously tossed aside by the system he had served with such distinction.
Walker emphasises:
the history of the illegals offers a neat reflection of the story of Russia itself. The early programme, with its soaring ambition, its obsession with subterfuge, and its disregard for the well-being of individuals, holds up a mirror to the fiery utopianism of the early Soviet Union.
These were people expected to vanish into enemy territory, sacrifice their identifies and live double lives, all in service of a revolutionary vision. But by the time the Soviet Union spluttered to an ignominious halt in 1991, that dream had long since died.
As Walker shows, most of the operatives who followed in the footsteps of Bystrolyotov were not darkly romantic infiltrators scaling embassy walls or charming secrets out of countesses. They were “sleepers” – often efficient, occasionally incompetent – blending quietly into Western cities and suburbs, awaiting a call to action that, in many cases, never came. The glitz had given way to the grind.
The Americans ends with Phillip and Elizabeth, the couple based on Bezrukov and Vavilova, gazing out across the Moscow skyline. Two weary spies coming in from the cold, they have returned to a rapidly unravelling motherland that may not understand – let alone appreciate – the sacrifices they have made in the service of its ideology.
As Walker discovered, Berzukov, when he isn’t being paid handsomely by an oil company, now lectures in international relations at one of Russia’s most prestigious universities. Vavilova, fittingly enough, now writes spy fiction.
Yet in real life, the story doesn’t end quite there. Under Putin, a former KGB officer who cut his teeth in the culture of espionage, Russia’s intelligence services have returned to the illegals programme with a renewed sense of purpose (though stripped of the ideological zeal that once propelled it).
Walker is careful not to indulge in idle speculation, but he points to compelling evidence suggesting the illegals programme has evolved rather than vanished. High-profile attacks on UK soil – including the poisoning of form spy Sergei Skripal – suggest Russian intelligence agencies remain willing to operate far beyond their national borders.
In the same breath, Walker describes what might be termed the digital turn of the illegals programme. In the place of suburban sleepers decoding radio signals, Russia has backed teams of online operatives – “troll illegals” – tasked with wrecking havoc across Western social media platforms.
These paid agents don’t gather intelligence so much as sow discord. They stoke culture wars, amplify political divisions and undermine trust in democratic institutions. Walker offers Russia’s meddling in the rancorous 2016 American election as an illustrative case in point.
In Putin’s merciless autocracy, secrecy has once again became a virtue – and the spy, far from being a dusty relic of the 20th century, is once again a symbol of national strength.
In that sense, The Illegals is not just a history of espionage. It is a timely reminder that, at least for some, the Cold War never really ended. It just burrowed deeper underground.
Alexander Howard does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
– ref. Friday essay: ‘nothing quite like it in the history of espionage’ – the Russian spies who pretended to be American – https://theconversation.com/friday-essay-nothing-quite-like-it-in-the-history-of-espionage-the-russian-spies-who-pretended-to-be-american-260063
MIL OSI –
US Senate News:
Source: United States Senator for New Mexico Martin Heinrich
WASHINGTON — U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) led the introduction of the Protect DREAMer Confidentiality Act, legislation to provide a statutory guarantee to current and prospective Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program applicants, also known as Dreamers, that the private information they provide in their applications will not be weaponized against them as the Trump Administration increases information sharing to advance their draconian mass deportation agenda.
Last month, the Trump Administration gave Department of Homeland Security (DHS) personal data, including immigration status, on millions of Medicaid enrollees and announced it would require some undocumented immigrants to register with DHS. The Administration also finalized an agreement giving U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) access to taxpayer data from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) for immigration enforcement. Meanwhile, the Administration’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) recently gained access to key immigration databases, including the Executive Office for Immigration Review’s (EOIR) Courts and Appeals System (ECAS), U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services’ (USCIS) Data Business Intelligence Services, which contains information on noncitizens who have applied for DACA, and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) Unaccompanied Alien Children portal.
The Protect DREAMer Confidentiality Act will prohibit the DHS Secretary from disclosing information included in an individual’s application for the DACA program to law enforcement agencies, including ICE and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), for any purpose other than the implementation of the DACA program, with limited exceptions.
“Dreamers in New Mexico and across the country are frontline health care workers, teachers, firefighters, police officers, and scientists. These inspiring young people are Americans in every sense of the word except on paper, and they want nothing more than to be productive members of their communities. Unfortunately, the Trump Administration doesn’t care about any of that and is indiscriminately sharing the private information of Dreamers. We need to ensure that Dreamers’ private information is not weaponized against them and is protected — full stop,” said Heinrich. “That’s why, for years, I’ve championed the Protect DREAMer Confidentiality Act to safeguard Dreamers’ DACA application information and provide DACA applicants with a sense of security as they continue on their paths to citizenship. I call on Congress to quickly take up and pass my legislation to make sure Dreamers are able to stay in school, keep working and contribute to our economy, and remain in their homes and neighborhoods.”
Since 2012, more than 825,000 people have received deferred action pursuant to DACA, contributing an estimated $140 billion to the U.S. economy in spending power and paying $40 billion in combined federal, payroll, state, and local taxes.
In 2021, a federal district court judge paused the DACA program and prevented USCIS from approving any new DACA applications. Since then, USCIS has continued to accept and hold initial applications and more than 100,000 initial DACA applications are currently pending. Earlier this year, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit issued a decision limiting that 2021 injunction to just Texas, allowing USCIS to begin processing those pending applications from the other 49 states. However, USCIS has not done so, nor have they provided the public with a timeline for when those applications will begin to be processed. And many individuals who could be eligible for DACA fear that applying for the protections afforded by DACA will allow the Trump Administration to weaponize the information they provide against them or their family members.
The Protect DREAMer Confidentiality Act sends a clear message of support to the hundreds of thousands of DACA recipients and prospective applicants. Increased protections for their personal information are essential to make sure that they are not unfairly targeted for immigration enforcement and ensure that they can utilize the DACA program and continue to contribute to our communities in New Mexico and across the country without the fear of retribution.
Specifically, the Protect DREAMer Confidentiality Act will:
The legislation is led by U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.). The bill is co-sponsored by U.S. Senators Brian Schatz (D- Hawaii), John Fetterman (D-Penn.), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), Ben Ray Lujan (D-N.M.), Patty Murray (D-Wash.), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Ed Markey (D-Mass.), Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.), Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Andy Kim (D-N.J.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Peter Welch (D-Vt.), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-Del.), Angus King (I-Maine), Jack Reed (D-R.I.), Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) and Chris Murphy (D-Conn.).
A one-page summary of the bill is here.
The text of the bill is here.
Source: US Geological Survey
This near-vertical view into the north vent within Halema‘uma‘u crater was captured during a USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory UAS (uncrewed aircraft systems) flight on July 17, 2025. The aircraft was about 150 m (500 ft) above the vent, with north oriented to the upper left in this view. No incandescence or lava was visible within the vent. These UAS flights were conducted with the permission of Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park, owing to the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory’s mission to monitor active volcanoes in Hawaii, assess their hazards, issue warnings, and advance scientific understanding to reduce the impacts of eruptions. Unauthorized launching, landing, or operating of a UAS from or on lands and waters administered by the National Park Service is prohibited under 36 CFR Closures & Public Use. USGS photo by M. Zoeller.
Crater Rim Drive within Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park was damaged during the earthquakes and collapse events in 2018. Tephra has been deposited parts of the damaged road during recent lava fountaining episodes in Halemaʻumaʻu, underscoring the hazardous nature of this area that has remained closed to the public since 2008. USGS photo by K. Mulliken.
US Senate News:
Source: United States Senator for Texas Ted Cruz
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Sen. Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), and colleagues introduced the Space Exploration Research Act to promote aeronautical and space research, educate a 21st century space workforce, and enhance U.S. commercial competitiveness in the space and aerospace industries.
The legislation authorizes the Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to lease and lease-back certain property to alleviate roadblocks for the development and use of property adjacent to NASA facilities. The bill also helps Johnson Space Center (JSC) remain as a lead center for training and exploration activities, which will make Texas a hub for job growth in the space and aerospace industry.
Sen. Cruz said, “This is a pivotal moment and exciting time for space exploration. A strong, strategic partnership between NASA and our thriving commercial space sector has made the U.S. a leader in space. This legislation is a big win for Texas jobs, American innovation, and national security. As China races to dominate the final frontier, the U.S. must stay ahead, which means continuing to promote space research and exploration here at home.”
Sen. Padilla said, “California’s three NASA centers promote vital scientific research and support groundbreaking space innovations critical to our nation’s competitiveness. Our commonsense, bipartisan legislation would allow NASA centers in California and across the country to take advantage of unused facilities to generate revenue and advance scientific research, education, and training.”
Joining Sens. Cruz and Padilla were Sens. Katie Britt (R-Ala.), Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) and Adam Schiff (D-Calif.).
Sen. Britt said, “Our space program is vitally important to both U.S. national and economic security. I am proud that Alabama and NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center are right at the heart of fulfilling President Trump’s mission for space exploration. This commonsense measure will allow us to put unused properties to good use — advancing workforce training, allowing the transfer of aeronautical and space technologies to companies and universities, and ensuring our state remains a leader in space research. I’m proud to stand with Chairman Cruz in introducing this legislation.”
Sen. Luján said,“New Mexico plays a big role in leading the country in space exploration and innovation. By strengthening partnerships between NASA and our universities, we can give more students in New Mexico the chance to get hands-on experience with space research. That’s why I’m proud to introduce a bill that will make it easier for NASA to team up with public and nonprofit groups, helping grow our space economy and create new opportunities.”
Sen. Wicker said,“Innovation is critical to expanding America’s space exploration capabilities. NASA centers should have the resources and expertise to grow in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. This legislation would enable Mississippi’s Stennis Space Center to maximize underutilized areas at its facilities.”
BACKGROUND
In June of 2023, as a part of a strategy to build a nearby hub of human spaceflight expertise, JSC announced a solicitation of proposals from civil and commercial entities for use of 240 acres of land on the western end of the property. The proposals were for the lease of all or a portion of the available undeveloped property.
Texas A&M submitted a proposal to JSC, and the Texas State Legislature passed House Bill 1, which appropriated funding to the Texas Space Commission and Texas A&M University for the construction of facilities adjacent to JSC for mission training, research, and the curation of astronautical materials. Representatives from JSC and Texas A&M broke ground on the Texas A&M Space Institute at Exploration Park in November 2024.
JSC has expressed interest in utilizing the capabilities of the Space Institute to supplement its facilities. This proposed legislation codifies the ability of NASA facilities to lease the land to state governments, universities, and non-profits. After the land and facilities are developed by the above parties, this legislation also allows NASA to lease back the facilities for its use.
The Space Exploration Research Act aims to benefit a multitude of educational institutions, commercial space, and surrounding employers. The legislation enables access to cutting-edge facilities, provides students with hands-on opportunities to solve real-world space problems, and builds up a workforce for the rapidly growing space economy.
Click here for the full bill text.
US Senate News:
Source: United States Senator for Maine Susan Collins
Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Susan Collins, Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, announced that she advanced $6.5 million in Congressionally Directed Spending to support the necessary design and reconfiguration work to construct a new security facility at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard (PNSY) in the Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies Appropriations bill.? The legislation, which was officially approved by the Senate Appropriations Committee today, now awaits consideration by the full Senate and House.
“Portsmouth Naval Shipyard is the gold standard for repairing, retrofitting, and refueling our nation’s nuclear submarines. Its talented workforce helps maintain our Navy’s fleet and our national security, while the Shipyard’s fire department and first responders work long hours to ensure their safety,” said Senator Collins.? “This new, consolidated facility would help to improve response times, mitigate hazards, and provide the PNSY fire department with an adequate space to work, train, and live. As the Chair of the Appropriations Committee, I will continue to advocate for this funding as the appropriations process moves forward.”??????
“The members of the Shipyard Professional Fire Fighters, IAFF Local F-123 are incredibly grateful and fully support Senator Collins and her hard work on our behalf to advance funding for a new firehouse,” said Kyle Mosher, President Shipyard Professional Fire Fighters, IAFF Local F-123. “This project is long overdue as our current quarters, though historic, no longer meet the day-to-day needs of a modern fire department. Federal Firefighters work a grueling 72-hour work week and, specifically here at the Shipyard, we work in 48 continuous hour shifts, so the firehouse, like all firefighters, is our home away from home.”
Constructed in the 1800s, the current facility that houses the PNSY fire department is poorly configured and is at maximum capacity. The Shipyard fire department responds to an average of 2,000 calls a year and assists the surrounding communities. This funding would support the planning and design of a renovated and expanded facility to consolidate the Shipyard’s security, police, NCIS, and fire departments.
This funding advanced through the Committee’s markup of the FY 2026 Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Appropriations bill—an important step that now allows the bill to be considered by the full Senate.
In 2021, Congress reinstituted Congressionally Directed Spending.? Following this decision, Senator Collins has secured more than $1 billion for hundreds of Maine projects for FY 2022, FY 2023, and FY 2024.? As the Chair of the Appropriations Committee, Senator Collins is committed to championing targeted investments that will benefit Maine communities.??
