Source: United States Senator Tommy Tuberville (Alabama)
AUBURN – U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) penned an op-ed in Newsweek about how President Trump’s “Liberation Day” tariffs are already delivering results for Alabama manufacturers, businesses, workers, and producers.
Read excerpts from the piece below or read the full piece here.
“It’s been two weeks since President Donald Trump announced tariffs on more than 180 countries and territories that have been ripping us off for decades. A full-blown meltdown followed that day. But those of us who have been following President Trump for a long time knew better than to panic. The president is a master negotiator—and if there’s one thing he understands, it’s how to create leverage.
That leverage is clearly working, as more than 75 countries have come crawling to the United States begging to negotiate better trade deals in exchange for the president lowering tariffs. Only Democrats and their friends in the media would find a reason to be upset about that. Sadly, I’m convinced that many Democrats and woke media would rather see America fail than watch us succeed with President Trump. It’s clear that the president is using tariffs as a bargaining chip to level the playing field with our trade partners. Trump is a skilled dealmaker, and his strategy is already delivering results for the American people.
President Trump understands that America boasts the strongest economy in the world—and other countries would fall apart without trade deals with the United States. But President Trump also, like me, believes that America has been taken advantage of by unfair trade deals for decades.
The truth is, the international trade system has been stacked against the United States for years. Since 1976, $20 trillion of American wealth has been transferred into foreign hands. That’s more than 60 percent of the U.S. GDP in 2024. Can you believe that? This country is getting robbed in broad daylight.
Countries like Vietnam and India are prime examples of ‘trade partners’ who have been ripping us off. In Alabama, we have seen some of the effects firsthand. For years, Vietnamese and Indian exporters have been adulterating honey with cane, rice, and corn sweeteners before dumping it on the U.S. domestic market. Additionally, Vietnam has been dumping billions of dollars’ worth of catfish from sewage-polluted water into U.S. markets, while India is doing the same with shrimp—flooding the markets and driving down prices for our high-quality domestic products. Alabama’s honey, catfish, and shrimp producers have had a hard time competing as a result.
With simply the threat of President Trump imposing various tariff rates, Vietnam and India are crawling to the negotiating table. The end result will hopefully give Alabama producers a fair shot to compete. Vietnam and India aren’t the only countries caving to President Trump, however. More than 75 have announced their intention to negotiate with the U.S., leading President Trump to announce a 90-day pause on most tariffs, with a 10 percent blanket duty on almost all U.S. imports. The president’s plan is unfolding just as he expected.
China is a different beast. When President Trump levied heavy tariffs on China, he made it clear that if Beijing retaliated, the tariffs will escalate. Predictably, China didn’t back down—it imposed steep retaliatory tariffs on the U.S. But if China thinks it can intimidate President Trump, it should think again. China has a choice here—it can either renegotiate a fair trade deal, or it can pay the piper. My money is on President Trump to win in the end.”
MORE:
Tuberville Celebrates President Trump’s “Liberation Day” on Senate Floor
ICYMI: Tuberville Joins Kudlow to Discuss How President Trump’s Tariffs Strategy is Working for Alabama
Yellowhammer News: Tuberville says tariffs will help Alabama’s catfish farmers
ICYMI: Tuberville in Yellowhammer: President Trump’s tariffs are Making America Great Again
Tuberville Praises President Trump for Making Tariffs Great Again
Newsmax: Sen. Tuberville: Cut Spending, Boost Manufacturing to Cut Debt
Tuberville Speaks on Importance of Boosting U.S. Economy to Help Struggling Seniors
1819 News: ‘A big relief’: Tuberville claims victory, says Alabama’s catfish industry safe from Biden administration proposal
Senator Tommy Tuberville represents Alabama in the United States Senate and is a member of the Senate Armed Services, Agriculture, Veterans’ Affairs, HELP and Aging Committees.
Continues commitment to protecting Californians’ privacy rights
OAKLAND — California Attorney General Rob Bonta today announced an agreement of formal collaboration between six states and the California Privacy Protection Agency (CPPA) to promote collaboration and information sharing in the bipartisan effort to safeguard the privacy rights of consumers. Known as the Consortium of Privacy Regulators, the group regularly discusses developments in privacy law, shared priorities, and coordinates enforcement, as appropriate, based on the members’ common interest. In forming the Consortium of Privacy Regulators, Attorney General Bonta joins the CPPA and the attorneys general of Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Indiana, and Oregon.
“Data knows no borders — state and nationwide coordination is vital for protecting consumers’ rights, especially in our data-driven world,” said Attorney General Bonta. “Collaborating with partners across the country provides another tool in the toolbox for my office to tackle enforcement priorities and continue safeguarding the privacy rights of Californians.”
Privacy matters because when information or data falls into the wrong hands, it can harm people, businesses, and organizations, often financially. The risk of harm continues to grow as more consumers conduct essential tasks online, like banking, shopping, or managing medical care. Businesses that collect this personal information also create the risk of data breaches when they fail to safeguard it. Lapses in upholding privacy laws can threaten to disclose information like our financial condition, health status, and sensitive aspects of our personal lives. Anyone can become vulnerable.
California’s Landmark Privacy Law: The CCPA
The California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) secures increased privacy rights for California consumers, such as the right to know how businesses collect, share, and disclose their personal information. Businesses that are subject to the CCPA have specific responsibilities, including responding to consumer requests to exercise these rights and giving consumers certain notices explaining their privacy practices. Under the CCPA’s right to opt-out, businesses that sell personal data or share personal information for targeted advertising must permit consumers the right to opt-out. Exercising this right should be easy and involve minimal steps.
Our Recent Work to Protect Californians’ Privacy
Attorney General Bonta is committed to educating California consumers about their right to privacy and enforcing the nation’s toughest data privacy law.
Last month, Attorney General Bonta issued a consumer alert to customers of 23andMe, reminding Californians of their right to direct the deletion of their genetic data under the Genetic Information Privacy Act (GIPA) and the CCPA. Also last month, Attorney General Bonta announced an ongoing investigative sweep into the location data industry, which collect and share detailed data on consumers’ location. The risk posed by the widespread collection and sale of location data has become particularly relevant given federal threats to California’s immigrant communities, and to reproductive and gender-affirming healthcare. In January, Attorney General Bonta reminded Californians of their right to stop or “opt-out” of the sale and sharing of their personal information under the CCPA.
Attorney General Bonta has filed three enforcement actions involving alleged violations of the CCPA:
In 2022, he announced a settlement with Sephora resolving allegations that it failed to disclose to consumers that it was selling their personal information and failed to process opt-out requests via user-enabled global privacy controls in violation of the CCPA.
In 2023, he secured a settlement with DoorDash after it sold the personal information of its customers without providing notice or the opportunity to opt-out.
In 2024, he worked with local partners to secure a settlement with video game developer Tilting Point Media for violating state and federal privacy laws by illegally collecting and sharing children’s data.
For more information about the CCPA, visit www.oag.ca.gov/ccpa. To report a violation of the CCPA to the Attorney General, consumers can submit a complaint online at www.oag.ca.gov/report.
More than $750 million spending boost to regional towns expected
Local accommodation, hospitality and bakeries the big winners
Service station spending set to soar as Aussies opt for road trips to regional locations
Regional towns across the country are expecting a bumper spending period this Easter as travellers flock to the regions to enjoy an extra-long holiday period.
New NAB data reveals more than $750 million is expected to be spent on regional tourism, including accommodation, hospitality and tourist attractions over the Easter period.
More than $450 million is expected to be spent at regional service stations as Australians pack up the car and nearly $200 million will be spent at regional restaurants, bars and pubs.
Whether it’s for a pitstop on the way through, or a pie and sausage roll for lunch, bakeries will also benefit from the influx of holidaymakers, expecting an $18m uptick and spending about 11% higher than normal.
Aussies stocking up on last minute chocolate eggs will see regional confectionary stores benefit from more than $1.6m in spending.
NAB Retail Customer Executive Larna Manson said many Aussies planned ahead this year and were enjoying a 10-day break by taking just three days off between the Easter and ANZAC Day public holidays.
“We expect regional towns to be big winners out of this extra-long Easter break, with many accommodation providers, cafes and restaurants booked out ahead of time by travellers,” Ms Manson said.
“With cost of living still at the forefront of many people’s minds, road trips across Australia are proving to be a more cost-effective way families can enjoy some time away and make new memories without the price tag of an overseas trip.”
Tim Bone, owner of BIG4 Holiday Parks Bellarine and Anglesea, said the extra-long break coming off the back of school holidays was a welcome addition for the tourism industry.
“We’re booked out for three weeks straight in April which is great,” Mr Bone said. “It’s definitely helped having school holidays combined with the Easter and ANZAC day periods together this year.
“It’s been a slower start to the year for bookings, but this is a welcome boost for us and small businesses across the region.”
Notes to the Editor: Predictions made from NAB transaction data pulled during the 2024 Easter period.
Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) State Crime Alerts (b)
CONCORD – An indictment has been unsealed charging eight defendants in connection with an international scheme to bill $10 million in fraudulent market survey data, Acting U.S. Attorney Jay McCormack announces.
Each of the following defendants has been indicted on one count of Conspiracy to Commit Wire Fraud:
Frank Hayden, 57, of Evanston, Illinois.
Daniel Harriman, 38, of Huntsville, Alabama.
Frank Nappo, 55, of Rye, New Hampshire.
Ryan Stoudt, 38, of Dallas, Texas.
Katarina Grubljesic, 46, of Belgrade, Serbia.
Strahinja Grubljesic, 38, of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Archie Ignacio, 46, of Verona, New Jersey.
Arvind Iyer, a/k/a S. Aravindan, of Delhi, India.
According to the indictment, Op4G and Slice were market research companies based in the United States. Clients would hire the companies to conduct market research surveys. As part of their business model, Op4G and Slice maintained “panels” consisting of individuals potentially eligible to take surveys. In 2014, Hayden, Harriman, and Nappo, who were senior leaders at Op4G, decided to increase company revenues by generating fabricated survey data. To execute the scheme, some of the defendants recruited “ants”, who pretended to be legitimate survey takers but instead were paid a nominal fee for completing surveys that produced fraudulent market research data. Some of the defendants even served as “ants” and fraudulently took large quantities of surveys themselves and received significant payment for their “ant” work.
In or around 2018, Nappo, Hayden and others, decided that Op4G should move the fraudulent survey operation to a new company, which became Slice. By 2019, Op4G and Slice began conspiring with Iyer, a senior leader at an international company, SNWare. By 2021, Katarina Grublijesic left Op4G, but she continued to conspire with the defendants using her international company, Bright Analytic Consulting.
To evade detection, the defendants, including Stoudt and Ignacio, exchanged instructions with each other and the “ants.” These instructions included directions on how to answer survey screener questions, provided parameters on how long “ants” should remain on surveys, and encouraged the use of virtual private network (VPN) services to conceal real IP addresses.
Hayden, Harriman, Nappo, Stoudt, and Ignacio will appear in federal court at a later date.
The charging statute provides a sentence of no greater than 20 years in prison, up to three (3) years of supervised release, and a maximum fine of $250,000 or twice the gross gain or loss, whichever is greater. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.
The FBI led the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Alexander S. Chen is prosecuting the case.
Companies that purchased survey data from Op4G or Slice between 2014-2024 are encouraged to contact the U.S. Attorney’s office at usanh.webmail@usdoj.gov with the subject line “Slice”.
The details contained in the indictment are allegations. The defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
FREMONT, Calif., April 16, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — ACM Research, Inc. (“ACM”) (NASDAQ: ACMR) announced today that it will release its preliminary revenue range for the first quarter of 2025 before the U.S. market open on Tuesday, April 29, 2025, to coincide with reporting obligations of ACM Research (Shanghai), Inc., ACM’s principal operating subsidiary, to the Shanghai Stock Exchange.
ACM will release its full financial results for the first quarter of 2025 before the U.S. market open on Thursday, May 8, 2025. ACM will conduct a corresponding conference call at 8:00 a.m. U.S. Eastern Time (8:00 p.m. China Time) to discuss the results.
What:
ACM First Quarter (ended March 31, 2025) Earnings Call
When:
8:00 a.m. U.S. Eastern Time on Thursday, May 8, 2025
To join the conference call via telephone, participants must use the following link to complete an online registration process. Upon registering, each participant will receive email instructions to access the conference call, including dial-in information and a PIN number allowing access to the conference call. This pre-registration process is designed by the operator to reduce delays due to operator congestion when accessing the live call.
A live and archived webcast of the conference call will be available on the Investors section of ACM’s website at www.acmr.com.
About ACM Research, Inc.
ACM develops, manufactures and sells semiconductor process equipment spanning cleaning, electroplating, stress-free polishing, vertical furnace processes, track, PECVD, and wafer- and panel-level packaging tools, enabling advanced and semi-critical semiconductor device manufacturing. ACM is committed to delivering customized, high-performance, cost-effective process solutions that semiconductor manufacturers can use in numerous manufacturing steps to improve productivity and product yield. For more information, visit www.acmr.com.
The Correspondent is a film every journalist should see.
There are no spoiler alerts. It is based on the globally-publicised jailing in Cairo in 2013 of Australian journalist Peter Greste (played by Richard Roxburgh) and his Al Jazeera English colleagues, Canadian journalist Mohamed Fahmy (Julian Maroun) and local reporter Baher Mohamed (Rahel Romahn).
Skilfully directed by Kriv Stenders, The Correspondent follows Greste’s 2017 memoir. Roxburgh’s performance as the embattled journalist is breathtaking and career defining. With a tight screenplay by Peter Duncan, the film is a masterclass in political subtlety.
Authenticity in truth telling
At its world premiere at Adelaide Film Festival in October, Greste said The Correspondent “paid huge respect” to his memoir.
The film begins with Greste’s surprise arrest in 2013 by Egyptian authorities at the Marriott hotel in Cairo. This is juxtaposed with historical snippets of the Arab Spring uprising in Tahrir Square in January 2011, which ended the 30-year dictatorship of President Hosni Mubarak.
The next president after Mubarak was Mohamed Morsi, leader of the Freedom and Justice Party. This party was affiliated with the Brotherhood, the country’s oldest and largest Islamist organisation.
In June 2013, a militarised coup d’état in Egypt was led by Abdel Fattah al-Sisi’s regime. Morsi was jailed by the freshly minted President al-Sisi. By December, the Brotherhood was blacklisted and declared a terrorist organisation.
The Correspondent argues the Al Jazeera English journalists were political pawns for the new Egyptian regime. The regime had a problematic relationship with its wealthy neighbour, Qatar, a country that partially funds Al Jazeera and publicly supported the Muslim Brotherhood.
Working from a media bunker in the Marriott because their offices were subject to a series of raids and closed down by local police, the trio were accused of illegally mastering a grand conspiracy against al-Sisi’s authoritarian regime.
Struggle for justice and risky business
Set between the grimy underworld of the Egyptian jail and the endless circus of Egyptian court trials, The Correspondent is a look into the psychological torment of Greste and his colleagues.
Between card playing, sarcastic humour and planned hunger strikes, the ritual reality of cell life sets in. Friendships are tested and forged between the journalists, student activist detainees and prison authorities.
Greste spent decades writing headlines from conflict zones before becoming a headline himself.
A repetitive motif in The Correspondent is Greste’s flashbacks to his BBC
days during 2005 in Mogadishu, Somalia, where his producer Kate Peyton (Yael Stone) was killed outside the Sahafi Hotel. In these flashbacks, we are privy to Greste’s guilt-driven internal monologues.
Roxburgh’s performance as the embattled journalist is breathtaking and career defining. Maslow Entertainment
In three studies, I examined the reportage by the ABC, the BBC and the Al Jazeera network about Greste’s case. Across these publications, the safety of journalists received minimal coverage.
Coverage focused on the innocence of the trio, impact of Greste’s sentencing on his ageing parents and press freedom. All these facets of the story are reflected in The Correspondent.
This month, the International Federation of Journalists said at least 156 journalists and media workers have been killed in the current war in Palestine. In December, the Committee to Protect Journalists put the number at more than 137, “making it the deadliest period for journalists since [the committee] began gathering data in 1992”.
Imprisonment of a Western foreign correspondent often generates international headlines, but most journalists who are imprisoned are local journalists. Foreign correspondents rely on these local journalists, wrote Greste, “when they land in a new, dangerous environment”.
In focusing tightly on Greste, the film omits the story of the local journalists imprisoned at the same time. Maslow Entertainment
Local journalists hold power to account, as Greste describes it in “ways far more dangerous than any of us in more secure environments could possibly imagine”.
In focusing tightly on Greste’s story, The Correspondent fails to shine a light on the dozens of local journalists imprisoned at the same time.
Rarely have so many of us been imprisoned and beaten up, intimidated or murdered in the course of our duties.
The Correspondent is an extraordinary film about human resilience and the importance of global diplomacy in the ongoing fight for press freedom.
The Correspondent is in cinemas from today.
Andrea Jean Baker 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.
That asset is a customer database containing sensitive personal information about millions of New Zealanders. So what happens to it matters.
Founded in 1996, some 2.9 million New Zealanders representing 74% of the nation’s households eventually signed up to Flybuys. Members collected points at affiliated retailers which they could then redeem through the Flybuys website.
But over the past decade, partners such as Air New Zealand, Mitre 10 and New World pulled out of the scheme to either join other loyalty programmes or start their own.
In May last year, Loyalty New Zealand announced it was closing Flybuys New Zealand and liquidators were called in to manage the company’s end. Flybuys Australia continues to operate, jointly owned by Coles Group and Wesfarmers (which owns retailers K-mart and Bunnings).
According to the first liquidator’s report from early April, Loyalty New Zealand is solvent. This means it is not bankrupt and can pay all debts in full.
Once creditors are paid, the remaining funds will go to shareholders – Z Energy, BNZ, IAG and Foodstuffs Ventures (NZ), a joint subsidiary of Foodstuffs North Island and Foodstuffs South Island.
However, the report is silent on Flybuys’ customer database. That data likely includes years of shopping histories, behavioural profiles and potentially sensitive demographic or inferred financial information.
When the end of Flybuys was announced, Loyalty New Zealand assured customers and retailers it would manage private data according to the New Zealand Privacy Act. But with the liquidation of the company, it is unclear what will now happen to this information.
While no one has publicly said the information will be sold, there is no assurance it will be deleted either. And the database is arguably Loyalty New Zealand’s most valuable, albeit intangible, asset. Unless liquidators explicitly commit to deletion, the data could potentially be transferred or sold.
Loyalty schemes such as Flybuys can gather a great deal of information on those who sign-up. That information can become a valuable – and potentially tradable – asset. Zamrznuti tonovi/Shutterstock
While privacy laws vary by country, the 23andMe case showed how personal data can make customers vulnerable. Flybuys’ data may not be genetic, but it is similarly rich, detailed and easily re-identifiable when combined with other datasets.
In extreme cases, such data can be used to infer sensitive customer characteristics such as financial stress or health-related behaviours. This could lead to political profiling or surveillance captialism – the collection and commodification of personal data.
New Zealand’s Privacy Act 2020 is designed to protect personal information. If data is reused for purposes beyond its original intent, or transferred without proper consent, it may breach the law. But the act does not clearly prohibit the sale of data during a liquidation. Nor is it clear on how the rules could be enforced.
Australia’s Privacy Act 1988 offers even less protection. It allows companies to send personal data overseas if they take “reasonable steps” to ensure recipients follow similar privacy rules. This means Australian Flybuys’ data could be sent to countries such as the United States.
That is especially worrying given the power of US tech giants, which routinely collect, profile and monetise data with little oversight. In the wrong hands, Flybuys’ trove of shopping habits, preferences and behavioural patterns could be repurposed to build invasive consumer profiles without people’s knowledge or control.
Setting a global standard
If Flybuys New Zealand’s data is treated as an asset during the liquidation process, could set a precedent and shape future regulatory standards internationally.
We have seen this before. In November 2022, Deliveroo Australia entered voluntary administration, raising concerns about how it would handle its extensive customer data. Users were told they had six months to download their own information, but there was no clarity on whether the data would then be deleted, retained or sold.
This lack of transparency revealed a gap in Australia’s data protection laws during liquidation. While the ultimate fate of the data remains publicly unknown, experts have suggested it was transferred to Deliveroo’s UK-based parent company.
While Australia’s 1988 Privacy Act requires organisations to handle personal information responsibly, it does not clearly regulate the sale or transfer of data during insolvencies or liquidations. There is a legal grey area which leaves customers and consumers vulnerable, as their data could be treated as a tradable asset without their consent.
The need for ethical stewardship
Customer data accumulation is the product of a relationship built on trust that should end when the company and relationship does. Ethical stewardship demands deletion, not redistribution.
When a company winds down, users should be clearly informed of their options: to retrieve their data, delete it or consent to its transfer. That decision should rest with the member or customer, not be made behind closed doors for potential financial gain.
The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
Injectable medications originally developed for the treatment of diabetes are also effective for weight loss, and have surged in popularity for this purpose around the world.
In Australia, Ozempic is approved for the treatment of type 2 diabetes, while Wegovy is approved for weight management. Both are formulations of the drug semaglutide, which mimics the action of the naturally occurring GLP-1 hormone on GLP-1 receptors in the gut and the brain, helping regulate appetite and making you feel fuller for longer.
However these medications are expensive, and sometimes hard to get. They also come with side effects. For these reasons, people are taking to “microdosing” weight-loss drugs, or using less than the dose recommended by the manufacturer.
But is this effective, and is it safe? As a GP, people are asking me these questions. Here’s what we know – and what we don’t know yet.
However, the term is increasingly being used to describe the use of weight-loss injectables at lower-than-recommended doses.
Three common reasons come up when I ask patients why they microdose weight-loss drugs.
Cost: injectables used for weight loss are not covered by the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme, so patients must pay for these out-of-pocket. Costs start from A$260 per month and increase from there.
Side-effects: side-effects are common, and can include nausea, vomiting, bowel habit changes and reflux. Lower doses cause fewer side-effects, which is why the recommended dosing schedule starts low and gradually builds up.
A standard dose of semaglutide is 2.4mg, but we start patients on much lower doses (0.25mg) and gradually build up to this by increasing the dose each month. This is because starting at the full dose invariably causes bad side-effects.
Injectables come in an adjustable auto-injector pen which is twisted until the dose counter shows the prescribed dose in milligrams. There’s a click every time the dial is turned. Once the prescribed dose is showing, it’s injected under the skin.
To microdose, patients simply turn the dial fewer times than recommended for the full dose. They estimate a microdose by “counting clicks”, which means they’re turning it according to the clicks they hear rather than until they see the dial showing the correct dose has been reached.
Weight-loss drugs come in an adjustable auto-injector pen. myskin/Shutterstock
Alternatively, they may inject the full recommended dose but do so less often than once per week.
Is it safe?
Using injectables in this way has not been researched, so the safety has not been established. However, it’s unlikely lower doses would lead to higher safety concerns.
In fact, logically, lower doses are likely to mean fewer side-effects.
But these drugs do expire after a few weeks, and microdosing could increase the risk of inadvertently using them after their expiration date. Injecting out-of-date medication can be a significant health risk. For example, it could cause infection if bacteria has started to grow.
The biggest concern around the safety of microdosing is if patients are doing it without the knowledge of their treating team (such as their GP, dietitian and pharmacist).
Because there are no clear guidelines around microdosing, patients should only try it with caution and under medical care. Their team can assist with issues such as accounting for the limited shelf-life of the medication.
Is it effective?
As lower doses than recommended for weight loss have not been tested, we cannot answer this question yet. However, reduced side-effects at lower doses make it likely there are also reduced therapeutic effects.
In my experience there’s a reason patients increase their doses as recommended: they simply don’t lose enough weight on the starting doses.
It’s best to seek advice from your medical team before making any dose changes. AnnaStills/Shutterstock
At the height of semaglutide shortages in 2023, experts from the American Diabetes Association published recommendations around how to prescribe lower doses for patients with diabetes. But these recommendations were for diabetes management, not for patients using the drug for weight loss.
It’s also important to note that for patients using Wegovy to reduce heart attack and stroke risk – which Australia’s Therapeutic Goods Administration recently approved it for – there’s no evidence that cardiovascular benefits will be achieved at lower-than-recommended doses.
Is there any role for microdosing weight-loss drugs?
There may be a role for microdosing in a few scenarios:
When side-effects are not manageable: when side-effects are intolerable for patients, even on the lowest introductory dose, there may be a role for individualised approaches. But this is best done with clear communication and regular monitoring, so patients are not under-treated.
Supply disruption: if there’s a supply disruption, lowering the dose or lengthening the time between doses may be preferable to ceasing the medication altogether.
Maintenance of weight loss: once therapeutic levels have helped patients achieve their goal weight, lowering the dose may be a helpful longer-term way of keeping them there. We know stopping these drugs altogether results in rebound weight gain. We await evidence for microdosing for weight maintenance.
So what’s the take-home message?
Patients who use injectables as part of their approach to weight loss should be under the care of an experienced team, including a GP, who can monitor their progress and ensure they achieve their weight loss in a safe and sustainable way.
Microdosing weight-loss drugs currently has no clear evidence base, but if a person wants to attempt it, they should do so with the full knowledge of their treating team.
Natasha Yates wishes to thank Dr Terri-Lynne South – a GP, dietician, and the chair of the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners’ specific interest group in obesity management – for providing feedback and peer review on this article.
Natasha Yates is affiliated with the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners.
The federal election campaign has passed the halfway mark, with politicians zig-zagging across the country to spruik their policies and achievements.
Where politicians choose to visit (and not visit) give us some insight into their electoral priorities and strategy.
Here, six experts analyse how the campaign has looked so far in New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria and Western Australia.
New South Wales
David Clune, honorary associate, government and international relations, University of Sydney
Opposition Leader Peter Dutton’s strategy in NSW seems to include a tacit concession Liberal heartland seats won by the Teals in 2022 are unlikely to come back.
Instead, the Liberals are hoping to make inroads into Western Sydney electorates held by Labor. It’s a fast-growing, diverse area where families are struggling to pay the mortgage and household bills, and young people have difficulty renting or buying homes. Dutton and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese have concentrated their campaigning in this area, both claiming to be the best choice for cost-of-living relief and housing affordability.
Many of these seats are among Labor’s safest. Most would require a two-party preferred swing of 6% or more to be lost. Historically speaking, swings of this size are unlikely, although nevertheless possible.
Labor is putting much effort into “sandbagging” marginal coastal seats. A major issue is Labor’s emphasis on renewables versus the Coalition’s policy of building nuclear power plants, including one in the Hunter Valley.
Dutton’s messaging in the early part of the campaign was confusing, combining pragmatic politics, such as cutting the excise on petrol, with right-wing ideology, such as slashing the public service. The former resonated in the marginals, the latter did not. Albanese, by contrast, stayed on message, releasing a stream of expensive handouts to win the votes of battling Sydneysiders.
A wildcard is the emergence of Muslim lobby groups, The Muslim Vote and Muslim Votes Matter. These were formed to support pro-Palestine candidates in safe Labor seats in Western Sydney where there is a large Muslim population, such as Blaxland and Watson.
One factor that won’t be influential is the state government. Premier Chris Minns leads a Labor administration whose performance has generally been lacklustre, but which is not notably unpopular. Unlike in Victoria, NSW voters seem to have their baseball bats in the closet.
The opinion polls continue to show the trend developing since February of a swing back to Labor in NSW, mirroring the national trend. According to an aggregate of polling data, as at April 15 the Labor two-party preferred vote in NSW was 51.9%, an increase of 1.7% since the March federal budget.
Queensland
Paul Williams, associate professor of politics and journalism, Griffith University
The fact neither Albanese nor Dutton has spent a disproportionate amount of time campaigning in Queensland underscores the view the Sunshine State is not a pathway to The Lodge.
But the fact both leaders have made several visits – Albanese campaigned here four times in 12 days – also indicates neither leader is taking any seat for granted.
Indeed, Albanese has visited normally tough-to-win seats, such as Leichhardt in far north Queensland (held by the Coalition for 26 of the past 29 years), which reveals an emboldened Labor Party. With the retirement of popular Coalition MP Warren Entsch, and held by just 3.44%, Labor thinks Leichhardt is “winnable”, especially after reports the LNP candidate Jeremy Neal had posted questionable comments regarding China and Donald Trump on social media.
If so – and given the growing lead Labor boasts in national polls – the LNP would be also at least a little concerned in Longman (3.1%), Bonner (3.4%), Flynn (3.8%), Forde (4.2%) and Petrie (4.4%).
At least the opposition can placate itself with this week’s Resolve Strategic poll, which indicates it still leads Labor in Queensland by six points after preferences, 53% to 47%. That’s just a one-point swing to Labor since 2022. However, it would be concerned that the LNP’s lead has been slashed ten points from the previous YouGov poll.
But most concerning must surely be a uComms poll in Dutton’s own seat of Dickson, held by a slender 1.7%, which forecast the opposition leader losing to high-profile Labor candidate Ali France, 51.7 to 48.3%. The entry of the Climate 200-backed independent candidate Ellie Smith appears to have disrupted preference flows.
Labor’s own polling indicated a closer contest at 50% each, while the LNP’s polling indicates an easy win for Dutton, 57% to 43%, despite Labor spending A$130,000 on France’s campaign.
An alleged terror plot against Dutton in Brisbane doesn’t appear to have shifted the dial. But voters’ potential to conflate Dutton with Trump may well have, especially given Trump’s tariffs now threaten Queensland beef producers’ $1.4 billion trade with the United States. In the closing weeks, watch as Dutton draws on the new and popular Premier David Crisafulli for electoral succour.
South Australia
Rob Manwaring, associate professor of politics and public policy, Flinders University
Is there a federal election campaign taking place? In South Australia, there is a something of an elusive air about the current festival of democracy, with many voters disengaged. The lack of excitement reflects the fact that only two seats in the state are marginal: Sturt (0.5%) and Boothby (3.3%).
The party campaigns have sparkled and flickered, but not really caught alight. The signature move was Albanese’s early announcement of the $150 million new healthcare centre at Flinders, in the seat of Boothby. For the ALP, this neatly coalesced around Labor’s campaign on Medicare.
Federal Labor also sees its strongest asset in the state in Premier Peter Malinauskas, who was prominent during the recent AFL gather round – the round played entirely in Adelaide and its surrounds.
In a welcome development for the state, Labor’s announcement Adelaide would be put forward to host the next Climate COP conference in 2026 was an interesting flashpoint. Locally, many businesses welcomed the announcement, as it potentially will generate significant footfall and economic activity.
Yet, the Coalition quickly announced they would not support the bid, trying to shift the attention away from climate to cost-of-living issues.
More generally, there is a perception the Coalition has been struggling to build campaign momentum. Notably, in a recent visit by members of the shadow cabinet, energies appear to be focused more on sandbagging the seat of Sturt than on winning Boothy, which Labor holds with a nominal 3.3%.
Other factors also might explain a sense of indifference in South Australia. There have been key developments in state politics, for example, notably the ongoing criminal case against former Liberal leader David Speirs, and independent MP, and former Liberal, Nick McBride, who faces assault charges related to family and domestic violence (to which he’s yet to enter a plea).
Tasmania
Robert Hortle, deputy director of the Tasmanian Policy Exchange, University of Tasmania
The Labor and Liberal campaign strategies started quite differently across Tasmania’s five electorates.
Labor is desperate to defend Lyons and Franklin and hopeful of picking up Braddon (though perhaps overly ambitious, given the 8% margin).
Its candidates have focused on promoting Labor’s big, national-level policies. In the first couple of weeks of the campaign, this meant pushing its flagship healthcare and childcare policies. Following the campaign launches on the weekend, housing is the new flavour.
The Liberal Party – there is no Coalition in Tassie – is focused on winning super marginal Lyons (0.9%) and holding Braddon and Bass. In contrast to Labor, the Liberal campaign was initially defined by lots of community-level funding announcements and Tasmania-specific infrastructure support.
Since the Coalition’s plan to halve the fuel excise was announced, the approach has changed somewhat. Tasmanian Liberal candidates are now swinging in behind this and other national policy pronouncements about – you guessed it – housing.
Both major party candidates have been pretty quiet on the controversial issue of salmon farming. This is surprising given the national spotlight on Braddon’s Macquarie Harbour and the waterways of Franklin. The only exception is Braddon Labor candidate Anne Urquhart’s very vocal support for the salmon industry.
For the Greens, the goal is to build on their 2022 vote share and turn one Senate seat into two, although this is a long shot. They have campaigned hard on issues – mainly salmon farming and native forest logging – where agreement between the Labor and Liberal parties has left space for a dissenting voice.
Although the Greens’ chances of winning any of the lower house seats are slim, they will be hoping these issues help them make further inroads into the declining primary vote share of the major parties.
Victoria
Zareh Ghazarian, senior lecturer in politics, school of social sciences, Monash University
Victoria has several seats that can potentially change hands at this election. As ABC election analyst Antony Green reminds us, the state is home to at least a dozen seats the major parties hold by a margin of 6% or less. Additionally, the independents in Kooyong and Goldstein are also on thin margins (2.2% and 3.3% respectively).
Within this context, the campaign in Victoria has been marked by several visits by the major party leaders. The challenge, however, has been how they have worked with their state counterparts.
State Liberal Leader Brad Battin has fallen short of explicitly supporting the Coalition’s focus on nuclear energy. Instead, he says he’s ready to have an “adult conversation” about the prospect. Coal currently provides more than 60% of electricity in Victoria.
Dutton was, however, happy to campaign alongside Battin and also visited a petrol station with the state leader while in Melbourne.
The Labor Party in Victoria, on the other hand, has been grappling with a drop in support in the polls, with Premier Jacinta Allan’s popularity falling. As a result, there’s been much speculation among political commentators about whether Albanese would want to be campaigning with a leader seemingly struggling to attract support.
In one of the first visits to the state, Albanese did not campaign with Allan. This was even though he had been happy to be with the premiers of South Australia and Western Australia while campaigning there.
According to Albanese, it was the fact that parliament was sitting that made it impossible for Allan to join him on the campaign trail. Both leaders were together at a subsequent visit, but this elicited questions about the impact of Allan’s leadership on Labor’s standing in Victoria.
Western Australia
Narelle Miragliotta, associate professor in politics, Murdoch University
Reports the state’s 16 seats will decide which party grouping will form government has resulted in WA voters being treated to regular visits by the major party leaders, including Labor’s campaign launch.
The campaign context in WA is shaped by its mining economy. Perth is the fastest growing capital in the country, which has led to strong growth in the median housing price and an expensive rental market.
On top of this two potentially divisive issues – the nature positive laws and North West shelf gas expansion – have been defused by federal Labor. The party has backtracked in the case of the former. In the case of the latter, it has merely delayed (not without criticism, however) what is likely to be an eventual approval.
Clearer differences have emerged on future of the WA live sheep trade. But while important to communities directly affected by the phasing out of the practice, the issue does not appear to be capturing the attention of most metropolitan voters.
What might we expect? Labor’s two-party-preferred margin is comfortable in eight of the nine seats it holds. The five Liberal-held seats are on much slimmer margins. Polling suggests little improvement in their state-wide share of the two party preferred vote since 2022.
To the extent the polls portend the outcome, the Liberals’ lack of electoral momentum in WA suggests it will be a struggle to regain the target seats of Curtin and Tangney. Only the outcome in WA’s newest seat, Bullwinkel, remains uncertain.
Paul Williams is a research associate with the TJ Ryan Foundation.
David Clune, Narelle Miragliotta, Rob Manwaring, Robert Hortle, and Zareh Ghazarian do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
In the run up to the May 3 election, questions are being raised about the value of multiculturalism as a public policy in Australia.
They’ve been prompted by community tensions arising from the Israeli/Palestinian conflict and the sharp increase in antisemitic and Islamophobic hate crimes.
Is the erosion of social cohesion a consequence of multiculturalism? Or is multiculturalism the most effective approach to minimising the fissures opening up in the Australian community?
Can Australia still pride itself on being one of the world’s most successful multicultural societies? Or will reinvigorating Australian multiculturalism be one of the great policy challenges for the next government?
Landmark review
It could be argued the election of the Albanese government three years ago was only possible because new multicultural candidates unexpectedly won in marginal electorates.
Yet, the 2022 campaign barely mentioned multicultural policies apart from Labor’s pledge for a Multicultural Framework Review. That pledge was announced the day before the election. It was the first detailed examination of the state of Australia’s multicultural society in 40 years.
Its report last year recommended the existing structures for managing multiculturalism be replaced. A Multicultural Affairs Commission and a standalone Department of Multicultural Affairs should be established.
The existing Australian Multicultural Council was criticised as having “limited influence under Home Affairs”. Its proposed replacement, a renamed Multicultural Community Advisory Council, would be better armed to provide strategic advice. It would also have legislated powers to implement institutional change.
But the government ignored the recommendation. It has persisted with the current Council with a slightly revised membership. Labor hasn’t indicated how it plans to overcome the problem of the Council’s ineffectual influence on multicultural affairs.
The review stressed the importance of bipartisanship and found discrimination and prejudice is “stubbornly common” in Australia.
But bipartisanship has been hard to find. Shadow Citizenship Minister Dan Tehan complained the review failed to deal with antisemitism. Nor did it tackle the strains on social cohesion. He blamed this on pro-Palestine civic action, hate speech and intimidation.
Shifting focus
The review was rapidly overtaken by events, especially public tensions associated with the Israel/Gaza war and local outbreaks of vandalism. Many grassroots initiatives proposed by the review to promote multiculturalism have been supplanted by urgent action to repair community facilities and improve safety.
Two government-appointed envoys against antisemitism and Islamophobia have been crossing the country talking to communities, and testing the capacity of institutions to support their aspirations.
This hive of activity around social cohesion distracts from the limited action on multiculturalism and the persistence and pervasiveness of racism in Australia.
Last month’s federal budget funded increased security and support for multicultural communities. But the government has failed to rework the institutional infrastructure needed to move forward on the deeper issues raised by the review.
Multicultural battleground
There are signs in the first weeks of the campaign that the parties are aware of the issues facing particular communities. However, multiculturalism may struggle to flourish, whoever wins the election.
Opposition Leader Peter Dutton launched a preemptive attack on diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI), by threatening to sack DEI positions in the Australian Public Service. And he nailed his colours to the mast by declaring he won’t stand in front of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander flags if he is elected prime minister.
The Coalition may have painted itself into a tight corner after Liberal Senator Dave Sharma declared Islamophobia in Australia was “fictitious”. He contradicted the envoy on Islamophobia and potentially alienated hundreds of thousands of conservative Muslim voters.
Nor has Labor been served well by its initial small target position on multiculturalism and its lethargic implementation of the framework review.
It’s been wedged on the Middle East conflict: pilloried by the Coalition for its perceived weakness on antisemitism, and condemned by the Greens, who accuse it of a morally questionable position on Gaza and Palestinian issues.
Labor also suffered a setback with Senator Fatima Payman’s desertion to the cross bench over its approach to the war in Gaza. This was shadowed by rising hostility from the “Arab street”, which could put some Western Sydney seats at risk.
For its part, the coalition is targeting Teal seats with Jewish communities, while the contest to secure the Chinese-Australian vote could be critical in up to ten seats.
Muliticultralism post election
Multicultural policy cannot be allowed to drift, let alone be degraded. High levels of political alienation in many communities across the country suggest a much more fractured electorate.
It is critical for Australians’ sense of community cohesion, inclusion and social justice that a more robust multicultural strategy be articulated by the major parties. A Multicultural Community Advisory Council with the heft to influence debate must be adopted, as should the recommendation for a legislated Australian Multicultural Commission.
Silence on multicultural policy will not deliver these outcomes. At the moment the sound of that silence is deafening.
This is the ninth article in our special series, Australia’s Policy Challenges. You can read the other articles here
Andrew Jakubowicz was a consultant to the Multicultural Framework Review on research.
Source: United States Senator for Delaware Christopher Coons
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.), Ranking Member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense, led a letter to the White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles asking for additional details regarding their decision to close the case on the disclosure of sensitive information after The Atlantic revealed senior Trump Administration defense officials included a journalist in a Signal group chat about plans for U.S. strikes in Yemen.
Last month, The Atlantic’s Jeffrey Goldberg published a series of articles detailing his inclusion in a Signal chat with high-ranking Trump administration officials about upcoming military strikes conducted in Yemen. Despite lawmakers on both sides of the aisle calling for investigations into the officials and circumstances around the group chat, the White House said that this “case has been closed.” However, shortly after White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt made those comments, the press reported that National Security Advisor Mike Waltz and his aides used personal Gmail accounts for government business.
The senators wrote, “It is unclear to us if this White House review included the existence of additional Signal group chats, or their contents, or the use of personal email accounts for government business.”
In their letter, the Senators requested that Wiles answer the following questions:
Did the White House review identify other instances in which Signal, or other unapproved personal applications such as Gmail, were used to conduct official business?
How many additional Signal group chats were created to conduct official business? What topics were discussed? Have those chats been archived in compliance with the Presidential Records Act? Were subsequent classification reviews of the material conducted?
What steps have been taken to ensure that the National Security Council’s archives directorate has accessed all communication on Signal, or other unapproved applications, to preserve the content of these deliberations in compliance with the Presidential Records Act?
What, if any, disciplinary actions were taken as a result of the unauthorized disclosure of sensitive military information to a journalist?
Was a formal classification review conducted of the messages included in the “Houthi PC small group” Signal group chat? Did the Department of Defense and the United States Central Command concur with the proposed portion-markings contained in any classification review?
Did this classification review assess the risk of adversary detection of U.S. aircraft if the adversary were able to obtain the precise take-off location of inbound aircraft?
Is Signal an approved messaging application for the transmission of Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI)?
What specific steps have been taken “to ensure that something like that can, obviously, never happen again?
In addition to Senator Coons, the letter is signed by U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-Wash.), Senate Appropriations Committee Vice Chair; Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.); Jack Reed (D-R.I.), Ranking Member of the Senate Armed Services Committee; and Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), Ranking Member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on State and Foreign Operations (SFOPS).
Last month, Senator Coons led his fellow democratic ranking members in sending a letter to the Acting Inspectors General of the Department of Defense, the Intelligence Community, the National Archives and Records Administration, and the Department of State calling for an investigation into the matter.
Whether by foot, phone, or website, the Trump Administration has made it harder for Americans to access SSA
OAKLAND — California Attorney General Rob Bonta this week joined a coalition of 21 attorneys general in filing an amicus brief in American Association of People with Disabilities v. Dudek, a lawsuit challenging the Trump Administration’s abrupt changes to core Social Security Administration (SSA) policies, many of which have caused serious disruptions and delays, preventing people from accessing essential benefits. At the same time, chaotic operational changes at SSA — including staffing cuts, field office closures, and the illegal shuttering of departments — have hampered SSA’s ability to respond to and correct these disruptions. Rather than make the agency more efficient, these cuts are preventing SSA from effectively serving Americans applying for and receiving social security benefits. In the brief, the attorneys general argue that cuts and changes to SSA will harm states and their ability to provide critical services to their residents, including making disability determinations and administering Medicaid.
“Social Security benefits are a lifeline for over six million Californians. Social Security Administration staff help older Californians and Californians with disabilities process their applications and ensure people can qualify for health insurance — this is critically important work,” said Attorney General Bonta. “Through their erratic and illegal actions, the Trump Administration and DOGE have weakened both the Social Security Administration’s ability to serve people and the public’s trust in essential government services. This has made it harder — at times impossible — for older adults and persons with disabilities to access the lifesaving benefits and services they depend on.”
In the name of efficiency, the Elon Musk-led Department of Governmental Efficiency (DOGE) has infiltrated SSA, changing policy on several fronts in the name of rooting out supposed fraud, waste, and abuse. Efficiency implies doing more with less — but SSA is currently doing less with less. For example, this year, callers have waited about 50% longer on hold before speaking with an SSA representative than they did in 2024. Because many seniors and people with disabilities lack internet service or the technological knowledge to complete their transactions online, field offices have been flooded with more people seeking assistance.
SSA’s online services are faring no better — the SSA website has crashed several times in recent weeks. These crashes come after SSA dissolved the office responsible for managing the agency’s website amid the layoffs of roughly half its information technology staff. Due to staffing cuts, SSA has announced that it will rely on X, the social media platform owned by Elon Musk, as its primary method of communicating to the public, even though the majority of seniors do not use social media. At the same time, a significant reduction in staff working at field offices has severely impacted offices’ ability to serve the public. Amidst the turmoil, DOGE has announced plans to shutter field offices and regional offices, further impairing already short-staffed offices. In some states, many seniors lack access to broadband and already live hundreds of miles from their nearest SSA field office. Closing field offices will only make it harder for people to obtain the benefits they are entitled to, especially as SSA’s website is crashing and phone services are cut.
In the brief, the attorneys general argue that as the Trump Administration continues to impair SSA’s essential functions, states will bear the cost of their residents’ increased need to rely on state aid programs and the disruption of statutorily mandated state programs that rely on SSA determinations and funding. The Administration’s actions have already caused, and will continue to cause, substantial harm to millions of Americans who rely on a functioning SSA to receive the lifesaving benefits they need.
In filing the brief, Attorney General Bonta joins the attorneys general of Connecticut, Arizona, Colorado, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, and the District of Columbia.
Attorney General Bonta is committed to protecting Californians from unlawful actions by the Trump Administration and preserving access to federal programs and benefits — including social security. In February, he filed a lawsuit challenging the Trump Administration’s decision to allow people associated with the DOGE to access Americans’ personal and private information, including bank account and social security numbers. Also in February, Attorney General Bonta filed a lawsuit that challenges Elon Musk’s unlawful exercise of power and seeks to immediately halt his unlawful exercise of power. This month, amid growing concerns over Social Security disruptions, he unveiled a new webpage to allow Californians to report any disruptions they’ve experienced.
Source: United States Senator for New Hampshire Jeanne Shaheen
(Washington, DC) – U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), a top member of the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee and Ranking Member of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee, sent a letter to U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth detailing her concerns about the impact of President Trump’s trade war on America’s national defense and military readiness. Specifically, Shaheen expressed how the administration’s announced tariffs on imports from virtually every country in the world will increase prices for the U.S. Department of Defense’s (DOD) defense acquisitions – harming DOD’s purchasing power, weakening supply chains and raising costs on small businesses. Shaheen called on Secretary Hegseth to explain how DOD is addressing the threats to military readiness and preventing cost overruns no later than April 30.
Senator Shaheen wrote, in part: “In the short term, the announced tariffs alone will increase costs for U.S. defense industrial supply chain companies. […] In the long term, tariffs will drive up DOD’s contracting and procurement costs, limit DOD buying power and ultimately harm the warfighter and our military readiness.”
She continued: “Additionally, we are concerned about DOD’s ability to secure its own supply chains and fully assess how much of its industrial base is foreign-sourced. […] With the globalization of supply chains, these suppliers and their goods come from a wide array of places. Some foundational industrial supply chain sectors, like optical instruments, mechanical gears, welding equipment and printed circuit boards source a large part of their components from outside North America.”
Senator Shaheen concluded: “I request answers to the following questions no later than April 30, 2025: 1.) What critical imported supplies are currently subject to new tariffs this year? 2.) How do you calculate the monetary impact of tariffs on DOD contracts? 3.) How is DOD factoring increased costs due to tariffs into fixed-price contracts? 4.) What is the impact of increased costs due to tariffs on DOD’s purchasing power? 5.) Can DOD defense industrial base contractors continue to use Chapter 98 of the Harmonized Tariff Schedule to purchase critical materials without duties under all tariff actions this year? If not, which actions does this apply to?”
The full text of the letter can be foundhereand below.
Dear Secretary Hegseth:
I write out of concern regarding the impact of President Trump’s trade war on our defense industrial base (DIB) and military readiness. So far this year, new tariffs have been placed on imports from virtually every country in the world, including allies like Canada, the European Union and Japan, in addition to product-specific tariffs on aluminum, and more tariffs are expected. According to the Chamber of Commerce’s Defense and Aerospace Council, “prices will increase” for DOD’s defense acquisitions due to these tariffs, and I am concerned these increased costs will hurt both DOD’s purchasing power and small contractors.
As you may know, these tariffs would come on top of the pressing budgetary pressures highlighted by the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) in a November 2024 report on the Future Years Defense Program (FYDP) for Fiscal Year 2025. According to CBO, if the Department’s costs grow at rates consistent with CBO’s economic forecast (in areas such as compensation) or historical trends (in areas such as weapons acquisition), they would be about 4 percent higher from 2025 to 2029 and about 5 percent higher from 2025 to 2039. To accommodate those higher costs, CBO said the Department of Defense (DOD) would need to scale back its plans or request larger budgets than are anticipated in the 2025 FYDP.
Adding unexpected tariffs on top of the budgetary risks cited by CBO will place even more unnecessary burdens on the DIB. In the past decade, more than 40 percent of small businesses left the DIB supply chain, and over 15,000 U.S. suppliers are at risk of leaving the defense industrial supply chain in the next decade, according to the Government Accountability Office. In the short term, the announced tariffs alone will increase costs for U.S. defense industrial supply chain companies. DIB companies and their suppliers may be forced to absorb those costs which could drive more companies and jobs out of the defense industrial supply chain, stifling innovation. In the long term, tariffs will drive up DOD’s contracting and procurement costs, limit DOD buying power and ultimately harm the warfighter and our military readiness.
Moreover, without proper planning and thoughtful consideration of U.S. productive capacity, these tariffs have the potential to balloon the DOD budget far beyond CBO’s expected increases. According to a former Pentagon acquisition official, “[t]here’s going to be shortages of supplies… [s]ome potentially vital supplies are either going to cost a whole heck of a lot more than what they did or they’re just not going to be available.”
Additionally, we are concerned about DOD’s ability to secure its own supply chains and fully assess how much of its industrial base is foreign-sourced. The average American aerospace company relies on roughly 200 first tier suppliers. The second and third tiers have more than 12,000 companies. With the globalization of supply chains, these suppliers and their goods come from a wide array of places. Some foundational industrial supply chain sectors, like optical instruments, mechanical gears, welding equipment and printed circuit boards source a large part of their components from outside North America.
Lastly, Chapter 98 of the Harmonized Tariff Schedule typically allows for duty-free entry of material procured by authorized agencies and certified by the Commissioner of Customs. However, given the number of different tariff actions announced this year, it is unclear how widely Chapter 98 applies. Providing clarity on this front would help businesses throughout the defense supply chain.
Therefore, it is critical that the Department keep an account of these actions to prevent cost overruns. I request answers to the following questions no later than April 30, 2025:
What critical imported supplies are currently subject to new tariffs this year?
How do you calculate the monetary impact of tariffs on DOD contracts?
How is DOD factoring increased costs due to tariffs into fixed-price contracts?
What is the impact of increased costs due to tariffs on DOD’s purchasing power?
Can DOD defense industrial base contractors continue to use Chapter 98 of the Harmonized Tariff Schedule to purchase critical materials without duties under all tariff actions this year? If not, which actions does this apply to?
Thank you for your timely response to my questions.
Senator Shaheen is helping lead efforts in Congress to mitigate the harmful impacts of President Trump’s tariffs. Earlier this month, Shaheen took to the Senate floor to highlight the devastating impacts that President Trump’s tariffs and trade war will have on American families and the economy. In January, Shaheen introduced the Protecting Americans from Tax Hikes on Imported Goods Act which would limit the president’s ability to leverage sweeping tariffs that increase costs for American consumers and families. Her effort to pass this bill by unanimous consent was blocked by Senate Republicans. In recent months, Shaheen has traveled across the Granite State to visit businesses including Chatila’s Bakery, C&J, DCI Furniture, Mount Cabot Maple and American Calan Inc. to hear directly from Granite Staters impacted by the administration’s tariffs.
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Brian Mast issued the following statement in response to Secretary Rubio’s actions to protect free speech and ensure that the Counter Foreign Information Manipulation and Interference office—formerly the Global Engagement Center (GEC)—remains relegated to the dustbin of history.
“The GEC was an un-American assault on free speech and a chilling warning about what can happen when far-left ideology takes root in the very institution charged with promoting our values abroad,” Chairman Mast said. “Secretary Rubio is taking the decisive action needed to ensure taxpayer dollars are not being used to silence American voices. Congress will codify permanent First Amendment safeguards into law to ensure the State Department will never again be able to censor Americans.”
Last Congress, Chairman Mast led a subcommittee hearing and released an Oversight and Intelligence Subcommittee report exposing the GEC’s censorship of Americans. Following the Republican-led effort to abolish the GEC, the Biden State Department restructured the office under the Counter Foreign Information Manipulation and Interference office, continuing its censorship mission against the will of the American People.
Earlier this month, the South and Central Asia Subcommittee—which oversees the State Department’s R family of bureaus and offices—held a hearing to further examine the activities of both the GEC and the Counter Foreign Information Manipulation and Interference office in censoring Americans.
ST. PAUL, Minn. – Jason Speed of St. Paul, Minnesota, has been sentenced to 292 months in prison followed by 15 years of supervised release for solicitation and production of child sexual abuse material (CSAM), announced Acting U.S. Attorney Lisa D. Kirkpatrick.
According to court documents, between January 2020 through February 2024, Jason Miller Speed, 42, solicited the production of child pornography over the internet. During that time, Speed conducted an online relationship with an adult woman located in the Philippines. In exchange for money from Speed, and under his direction, the woman produced CSAM content featuring minor victims under the age of 12. Speed was aware the victims were minors. Through cooperation with the FBI’s International Operations division, local authorities were able to rescue the minor victims.
“Child predators are conniving, creative, and profoundly dangerous. Speed lived in our community and lurked in the dark corners of the internet. From his perch in St. Paul, Speed victimized little children halfway around the world,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Lisa D. Kirkpatrick. “While I am appalled at Speed’s predation, I am extraordinarily proud of the above-and-beyond efforts of law enforcement in this case. Because of the heroic efforts of the FBI and AUSA Will Mattessich, the young victims in the Philippines were rescued from a life of sexual torture.”
“Speed’s actions were calculated, exploitative, and deeply disturbing,” said Special Agent in Charge Alvin M. Winston Sr. of FBI Minneapolis. “He knowingly financed and directed the creation of content that victimized innocent children. The FBI, in close coordination with the U.S. Attorney’s Office and our law enforcement partners will continue to pursue those who exploit minors. We remain unyielding in our commitment to identifying offenders, dismantling these networks of abuse, and ensuring perpetrators are brought to justice.”
Speed pleaded guilty to one count of aiding and abetting the production of child pornography. He was sentenced in U.S. District Court by Judge Jeffrey M. Bryan. In handing down the sentence Judge Bryan noted, “What happened to the two minor children is appalling and it is horrific.”
This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the FBI, Maplewood Police Department, St. Paul Police Department, and the Carver County Sheriff’s Office. It was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit Justice.gov/PSC.
Assistant U.S. Attorney William C. Mattessich prosecuted the case.
Fargo – Acting United States Attorney Jennifer Klemetsrud Puhl announced that on April 14, 2025, Austin Ray Lester, age 29 of Tokio, ND, appeared in United States District Court and pleaded guilty before Chief Judge Peter Welte to Involuntary Manslaughter and two counts of Child Neglect in Indian country, as well as Assault of a Child with a Dangerous Weapon in Indian country. Lester’s sentencing date is scheduled for August 5, 2025.
The charges are related to the August 2022 neglect and death of three-year-old child within the boundaries of the Spirit Lake Reservation. A co-defendant, Krissy Louise Hinsley was also charged with Involuntary Manslaughter and Child Neglect in Indian country and is scheduled for a change of plea and sentencing hearing on July 28, 2025.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and was prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office, District of North Dakota, Assistant U.S. Attorney Lori H. Conroy.
Source: United States Senator for Connecticut – Chris Murphy
WASHINGTON—U.S. Senators Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), a member of the U.S. Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), and U.S. Representatives Joe Courtney (D-Conn.-02), Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.-03), and Jahana Hayes (D-Conn.-05) joined 171 members of Congress and 85 organizations from across the country in introducing the Raise the Wage Act of 2025. This bicameral legislation would ensure American workers make a living wage, drive economic growth, and reduce income inequality by raising the minimum wage to $17 for all workers and gradually eliminating subminimum wages for tipped workers, workers with disabilities, and youth workers. The minimum wage in Connecticut is $16.35 per hour.
“It’s shameful that there are millions of people in this country who work full-time jobs and yet they can’t afford rent or pay for their groceries. Raising the federal minimum wage to $17 would help 42,000 workers in Connecticut keep up with the cost of living, but it’s just a start. Our economy is failing working people, and I will keep fighting for a future where hard work gives everyone in this country a fair shot at the American Dream,” said Murphy.
“Low wages have impoverished workers in our country for too long. Raising the minimum wage would drive much-needed economic growth, reduce wealth inequality, and raise 22 million Americans across the country out of poverty. I’m proud to support the Raise the Wage Act and I urge my colleagues to do the same because working class Americans deserve economic security,” said Blumenthal.
“American workers have gone for more than a decade without a raise in the federal minimum wage,” said Courtney. “At a pitiful $7.25 an hour, the current federal minimum wage does not provide working people with a paycheck that meets the true cost of living. Increasing the minimum wage and indexing it to inflation will go a long way to helping 42,000 Connecticut workers meet their basic needs. ”
“Working-class Americans are struggling with the high cost of living, and Democrats are moving policies to put more money in their pockets right now,” said DeLauro. “The Raise the Wage Act would ensure the minimum wage is $17 for all workers, strengthening economic security for workers across America – including the 42,000 minimum wage earners in Connecticut. I am proud to join my colleagues in championing this critical legislation.”
“Connecticut has been ahead of the curve in providing workers with a livable wage,” said Hayes. “The benefits of raising the federal minimum wage would be far-reaching, as there has been no change since 2009 at the federal level. A person who works should be paid a living wage that meets their basic needs.”
Last year, nearly one in four workers in the U.S. made less than $17 per hour. The Raise the Wage Act of 2025 would raise the federal minimum wage to $17 over five years, eliminate the tipped subminimum wage over seven years, eliminate the subminimum wage for workers with disabilities over five years, and eliminate the subminimum wage for youth workers over seven years. According to analysis by the Economic Policy Institute (EPI), passing the Raise the Wage Act of 2025 would provide raises to over 22 million workers across the country by 2030.
In 2024, voters in Missouri and Alaska overwhelmingly voted to raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour. In 2022, voters in Nebraska voted to raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour. In 2020, Florida voted to raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour. As a result of inflation, $15 an hour a couple of years ago would be over $18 an hour today. Moreover, if the minimum wage had increased with worker productivity over the last 57 years, it would be over $23 an hour today, not $7.25 an hour.
Over the last 50 years, nearly $80 trillion in wealth has been redistributed from the bottom 90 percent of America to the top one percent. Today, the value of the current federal minimum wage – $7.25 per hour – is the lowest it has been since 1956 and has declined by over 32 percent since it was last increased in 2009. While approximately four million tipped workers in the U.S. depend on tips for as much as half of their income or more, the tipped sub-minimum wage has remained stagnant at just $2.13 per hour since 1991. The current median wage for at least 37,000 workers with disabilities is just $3.50 per hour.
Meanwhile, across every state in the country, a living wage for a worker in a family with two working adults and one child is greater than $17 per hour, according to the Economic Policy Institute’s (EPI) Family Budget Calculator. Many of these low-wage workers face persistent economic insecurity, struggling to put food on the table and afford basic necessities, including housing, health care, and childcare.
Black and Hispanic workers disproportionately feel the burden of these low wages as compared to their white counterparts, and that disparity is even worse for women of color. Nearly 40 percent of Hispanic women and 35 percent of Black women make less than $17 per hour.
U.S. Senators Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Angela Alsobrooks (D-Md.), Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-Del.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), John Fetterman (D-Pa.), Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), Andy Kim (D-N.J.), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Ed Markey (D-Mass.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Patty Murray (D-Wash.), Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Gary Peters (D-Mich.), Jack Reed (D-R.I.), Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), Tina Smith (D-Minn.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Peter Welch (D-Vt.), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) also cosponsored the legislation.
More than 85 organizations endorsed the Raise the Wage Act of 2025, including Service Employees International Union (SEIU), AFL-CIO, American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD), American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), American Federation of Teachers (AFT), Autistic Self Advocacy Network (ASAN), Business for a Fair Minimum Wage, Communications Workers of America (CWA), Economic Policy Institute (EPI), Equal Pay Today, International Union of Painters and Allied Trades (IUPAT), National Domestic Workers Alliance (NDWA), National Education Association (NEA), National Employment Law Project (NELP), The National Partnership for Women & Families, National Women’s Law Center (NWLC), One Fair Wage, Oxfam America, Patriotic Millionaires, UNITE HERE, United Autoworkers (UAW), United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW), United for Respect, and United Steelworkers (USW).
The full bill text is available HERE and a fact sheet is available HERE.
Source: United States Senator for Connecticut – Chris Murphy
April 16, 2025
WASHINGTON—U.S. Senators Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), a member of the U.S. Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) joined 43 of their Senate colleagues in introducing the Tax Cut for Workers Act to give millions of working Americans a much-needed tax break. The bill is part of Senate Democrats’ comprehensive plan to bring relief to the American people, and it is being introduced with the senators’ American Families Act to permanently expand the Child Tax Credit.
“Donald Trump and Republicans’ sole priority is passing a massive tax break for the billionaires and corporations, while ordinary Americans get table scraps. This bill would give a tax break to the working families who actually need it – not billionaires trying to buy their seventh home or second yacht,” said Murphy.
“Connecticut workers deserve a break. They are struggling with soaring grocery prices, exorbitant electricity costs, and a myriad of challenges to their everyday budgets. Hard-working Americans need help, not Trump’s billionaire buddies. This bill makes sure tax breaks go to people who really need them,” said Blumenthal.
The existing Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) – the Worker Tax Cut – has been delivering tax relief for millions of workers for decades. This legislation would cut taxes for working class Americans without children, who currently receive a much smaller EITC than workers with children. It also extends eligibility for the tax cut to workers under the age of 25 and over the age of 64.
U.S. Senators Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.), Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), Angela Alsobrooks (D-Md.), Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-Del.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Chris Coons (D-Del.), Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), John Fetterman (D-Pa.), Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), Andy Kim (D-N.J.), Angus King (I-Maine), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), Ed Markey (D-Mass.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Patty Murray (D-Wash.), Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Gary Peters (D-Mich.), Jack Reed (D-R.I.), Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.), Tina Smith (D-Minn.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Mark Warner (D-Va.), Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Peter Welch (D-Vt.), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) also cosponsored the legislation.
Source: United States Senator for Connecticut – Chris Murphy
April 16, 2025
WASHINGTON—U.S. Senators Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) joined 27 of their Senate colleagues in introducing the Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit Enhancement Act, legislation to help more working families cover a greater share of the high cost of childcare.
The senators’ bill would help ease the burden of high childcare costs for working families by permanently expanding the Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit, raising the maximum credit to $4,000 per child and up to $8,000 per family to offset up to $16,000 in expenses. It would also make the credit refundable to ensure low-income working families can benefit. The credit would be indexed to inflation to retain its value over time.
“The cost of child care in this country is astronomical, even for millions of Americans who are working full-time to provide for their family. Permanently expanding the Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit would offer some relief to parents in Connecticut and across the country trying to keep up with the skyrocketing cost of care,” said Murphy.
“As the Trump Administration slashes child care funding, we need to fight for even greater investment in this critical resource – sadly unaffordable for countless families. Expanding access to high quality child care is a tremendous boon not only for young children, but also for families, enabling parents to be breadwinners and assets to the workforce. It’s a sound investment and force multiplier for the economy at a time when businesses need more workers,” said Blumenthal.
The Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit Enhancement Act would:
Increase the maximum credit amount to $4,000 per child, allowing families to receive up to $8,000 in tax credits to offset up to $16,000 in expenses;
Automatically adjust it to keep pace with inflation;
Save money by phasing out the credit for families making more than $400,000; and
Ensure low-income families can benefit from the tax credit by making it refundable.
U.S. Senators Tina Smith (D-Minn.), Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.), Patty Murray (D-Wash.), Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), John Fetterman (D-Pa.), Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Angus King (I-Maine), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.), Jack Reed (D-R.I.), Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), Peter Welch (D-Vt.), Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.), Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) also cosponsored the legislation.
The bill is also endorsed by the National Women’s Law Center Action Fund, Child Care Aware of America, Save the Children, First Focus Campaign for Children, First Five Years Fund, Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP), Moms Rising, National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), Zero to Three, Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) and the Early Care and Education Consortium (ECEC).
Matsuyama City is the local government of the capital city of Ehime Prefecture on Japan’s Shikoku Island. Matsuyama City provides public services to the citizen of the city.
Estimated population as of April 1, 2022 (based on the most recent census, with additions and subtractions of births, deaths, and in- and out-migration data)
Total population: 503,123
Men: 235,901
Women: 267,222
Number of households: 239,436
Average household size: 2.10
Population density: 1,172 people/km2
Matsuyama City has an area of 429.35 square kilometers
DRR activities
Matsuyama City has a warm Seto Inland Sea climate, with an average annual temperature of 16.8°C. The annual precipitation is about 1,300mm, with most rain in June and little rain in December. Overall, the city enjoys mild and favorable climatic conditions, with little precipitation, very little snowfall, and fewer typhoons than Kochi Prefecture and Tokushima Prefecture on the Pacific coast.
Matsuyama City is actively implementing various DRR activities and also has joined the MCR2030 of UNDRR in the year 2023.
The overarching goal of the report is to assess the state of policy coherence between disaster risk reduction (DRR) and climate change adaptation (CCA) across 16 countries in Europe and Central Asia, and to support the development of coherent approaches in line with global frameworks such as the Sendai Framework, the Paris Agreement, and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. This report identifies gaps, showcases emerging good practices, and provides actionable recommendations to foster greater policy coherence – helping governments to avoid maladaptation, improve resource efficiency, and enhance resilience-building efforts across sectors.
Despite significant progress in individual DRR and CCA initiatives, there remains a gap in integrating these efforts across Europe and Central Asia. Enhancing policy coherence can lead to more effective and efficient resource use, improved resilience, and better outcomes for sustainable development. Key recommendations to strengthen coherence in the region proposed by this report include:
Strategic alignment: Align and integrate DRR and climate action planning into existing mechanisms and use resilience as framework to broadly engage and mobilize stakeholders and institutions.Institutional coordination: Improve institutional coordination to overcome siloed approaches and establish dedicated plattforms for coordination and to ensure DRR stakeholders are included in climate action, sustainable development and residence decision making spaces.
Technical collaboration: Promote technical collaboration through data sharing and implementing cross-cutting actions e.g. through joint action plans, especially in common areas between DRR and CCA such as early warning systems and agrifood systems.
Financial integration: Integrate risk reduction principles into government investment decisions, promote joint financing mechanisms between DRR and climate action and capitalize on both domestic and international climate finance opportunities.
SAN DIEGO, April 16, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Olympia Gaming, the developer of Casino Fandango in Carson City, NV and Legends Bay Casino in Sparks, NV and Quick Custom Intelligence (QCI) today announced the rollout of mobile apps, LB Rewards and CF Rewards. With this launch, Olympia Gaming becomes the first operator in Northern Nevada to deliver the QCI Player App, setting a new regional standard for real-time, mobile guest engagement.
Current Features (Now Available):
Player Account Information – live tier status, point balance, free play, and comp dollars
Offer Listing – view of current and upcoming offers including free play, dining and hotel
Secure Tax Forms – digital retrieval of win/loss statements and tax documentations
Entertainment & Special Event Schedule – full calendar of concerts and events
Host Chat & Service Requests – direct, secure messaging for concierge-level support
Interactive Property Navigation – maps, parking guidance, and way-finding tools
Interactive Prizes – in-app rewards that are redeemable at either casino
“Launching the QCI Player App is a milestone for both Casino Fandango and Legends Bay Casino,” said DeCourcy Graham, Chief Operating Officer at Olympia Gaming. “Our guests can now see their rewards, view exclusive offers, and even access tax forms—all from their mobile device, furthering the value of our rewards program. We are thrilled to pioneer this technology in Northern Nevada and elevate the guest experience across our properties.”
With a combined focus on value and exceeding guest expectations, Olympia Gaming and QCI’s collaboration is delivering on a promise to set a new industry standard, offering capabilities that surpass current market offerings.
“Olympia Gaming challenged us to create an app that goes beyond basic account lookup and truly empowers the player,” said Dr. Ralph Thomas, Chief Executive Officer at QCI. “This successful launch reflects a close collaboration between the Olympia team and QCI, and we are excited to see the QCI Player App drive deeper engagement and new revenue opportunities for both properties.”
The LB Rewards and CF Rewards mobile apps are now available for download on Apple IOS and Google Play store.
ABOUT Olympia Gaming Olympia Gaming is the gaming development division of Olympia Companies, whose subsidiaries and related entities include Casino Fandango in Carson City and Legends Bay Casino in Sparks. Voted the best casino in Carson City year after year, Casino Fandango features a wide variety of gaming, dining, and entertainment venues. Legends Bay Casino builds upon Olympia’s success in Carson City with the latest slots and table games, northern Nevada’s only Circa Sports Sportsbook, several original dining and bar concepts, as well as seamless access to the open-air shopping and dining at the Outlets at Legends and the adjacent Sparks Marina. For more information, visit Olympia Gaming.
ABOUT QCI Quick Custom Intelligence (QCI) has pioneered the revolutionary QCI Enterprise Platform, an artificial intelligence platform that seamlessly integrates player development, marketing, and gaming operations with powerful, real-time tools designed specifically for the gaming and hospitality industries. Our advanced, highly configurable software is deployed in over 250 casino resorts across North America, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Latin America, and Europe. The QCI AGI Platform, which manages more than $35 billion in annual gross gaming revenue, stands as a best-in-class solution, whether on-premises, hybrid, or cloud-based, enabling fully coordinated activities across all aspects of gaming or hospitality operations. QCI’s data-driven, AI-powered software propels swift, informed decision-making vital in the ever-changing casino industry, assisting casinos in optimizing resources and profits, crafting effective marketing campaigns, and enhancing customer loyalty. QCI was co-founded by Dr. Ralph Thomas and Mr. Andrew Cardno and is based in San Diego, with additional offices in Las Vegas, St. Louis, Dallas, and Tulsa. Main phone number: (858) 299.5715. Visit us at www.quickcustomintelligence.com.
ABOUT Dr. Ralph Thomas Ralph is a product visionary in applied analytics and the founder of two companies that deliver solutions in casino gaming, education, and adult learning. As a gaming industry veteran, Dr. Thomas has substantial experience implementing analytics into single and multi-property gaming companies to drive tangible and measurable gains to the bottom line and has built business intelligence tools for multibillion-dollar casinos. Dr. Thomas is co-author of seven books and over 80 articles on applied analytics and data science in gaming, an inventor on dozens of patents, and understands gaming from raw data up through casino operations, giving him a unique, 360-degree view of the industry.
The WTO Secretariat’s latest Global Trade Outlook and Statistics report, issued today (16 April), comes at a time of growing uncertainty for the global economy – and with it, a sharp deterioration in the prospects for world trade.
Following a strong performance in 2024, global trade is now facing headwinds from a surge in tariffs and rising trade policy uncertainty. The volume of world merchandise trade is projected to decline by 0.2 per cent in 2025 – almost three percentage points lower than it would have been without the recent policy shifts. A modest recovery of 2.5 per cent is expected in 2026.
This marks a notable reversal from forecasts earlier this year, when WTO economists anticipated continued trade expansion, supported by improving macroeconomic conditions.
There are also important downside risks that could lead to a steeper decline in world trade. These include the possible implementation of the currently suspended “reciprocal tariffs” by the United States, as well as the potential for a broader spillover of trade policy uncertainty to other trading relationships.
If enacted, reciprocal tariffs would reduce global merchandise trade growth by an additional 0.6 percentage points. A wider spread of trade policy uncertainty could cut growth by a further 0.8 percentage points. Taken together, these risks would lead to a 1.5 per cent decline in world merchandise trade volume in 2025.
The impact of recent trade policy changes varies sharply across regions.
According to our current forecast, North America now subtracts 1.7 percentage points from global merchandise trade growth in 2025, turning the overall figure negative. Asia and Europe continue to contribute positively but less than in the baseline “low tariff” scenario, with Asia’s contribution halved to 0.6 percentage points. Meanwhile, the combined contribution of other regions – Africa, the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), the Middle East, and South and Central America and the Caribbean – also declines somewhat but remains positive. An important driving force behind these changes is the decoupling between China and the United States, resulting from tariffs that now well exceed 100 per cent.
The disruption in United States–China trade is also expected to trigger significant trade diversion, raising concerns among other markets about increased competition from China. As trade is redirected, Chinese merchandise exports are projected to rise by between 4 and 9 per cent across all regions outside North America. At the same time, US imports from China are expected to fall sharply in sectors such as textiles, apparel and electrical equipment, creating new export opportunities for other suppliers able to fill the gap. This could open the door for some least-developed countries to increase their exports to the US market.
Services trade, while not directly subject to tariffs, is also expected to be adversely affected. Declines in goods trade are likely to reduce demand for related services, such as transport and logistics, while broader uncertainty is likely to dampen discretionary spending on travel and to slow investment-related services.
As a result, the volume of global services trade is now forecast to grow by 4.0 per cent in 2025 and 4.1 per cent in 2026 – well below the baseline projections of 5.1 per cent and 4.8 per cent. These figures are part of a new element in our analysis: for the first time, this report includes projections for commercial services trade in volume terms, complementing our long-standing merchandise trade estimates.
The broader economic picture is also affected. World GDP is now expected to grow by 2.2 per cent in 2025 – 0.6 percentage points below the baseline prediction – before recovering slightly to reach 2.4 per cent in 2026. The largest impact will again be in North America, where growth is projected to slow by 1.6 percentage points, followed by Asia (down by 0.4 percentage points) and South and Central America and the Caribbean (down by 0.2 percentage points).
While reciprocal tariffs alone would have a limited effect on global GDP, a wider spread of trade policy uncertainty could nearly double the projected GDP loss, bringing it to 1.3 percentage points below the baseline scenario.
All of this follows a notably strong year for trade. In 2024, the volume of world merchandise trade grew by 2.9 per cent, and commercial services trade expanded by 6.8 per cent. With global GDP growing 2.8 per cent at market exchange rates, 2024 was the first year since 2017 – excluding the post-COVID-19 rebound – in which merchandise trade growth outpaced GDP growth. In value terms, merchandise exports rose 2 per cent, to US$ 24.43 trillion, and services exports increased by 9 per cent, to US$ 8.69 trillion, supported by strong global demand.
Although the current outlook is challenging, it is worth recalling that the trajectory of world trade will not be determined by any single economy or bilateral relationship. Much will depend on how the broader international community responds. The fact that 87 per cent of global merchandise trade takes place outside the United States – and that bilateral trade between the United States and China accounts for around 3 per cent – is a reminder of the importance of other trading relationships.
Open, predictable and cooperative trade policies remain essential – not just for trade itself, but for global economic resilience.
The volume of world merchandise trade is expected to decline by 0.2% in 2025 under current conditions, nearly three percentage points lower than what would have been expected under a “low tariff” baseline scenario, according to the WTO Secretariat’s latest Global Trade Outlook and Statistics report released on 16 April. This is premised on the tariff situation as of 14 April. Trade could shrink even further, to -1.5% in 2025, if the situation deteriorates.
Services trade, though not directly subject to tariffs, is also expected to be adversely affected, with the global volume of commercial services trade now forecast to grow by 4.0%, slower than expected.
Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala said: “I am deeply concerned by the uncertainty surrounding trade policy, including the US-China stand-off. The recent de-escalation of tariff tensions has temporarily relieved some of the pressure on global trade. However, the enduring uncertainty threatens to act as a brake on global growth, with severe negative consequences for the world, the most vulnerable economies in particular. In the face of this crisis, WTO members have the unprecedented opportunity to inject dynamism into the organization, foster a level-playing field, streamline decision-making, and adapt our agreements to better meet today’s global realities.”
At the start of the year, the WTO Secretariat expected to see continued expansion of world trade in 2025 and 2026, with merchandise trade growing in line with world GDP and commercial services trade increasing at a faster pace. However, the large number of new tariffs introduced since January prompted WTO economists to reassess the trade situation, resulting in a substantial downgrade to their forecast for merchandise trade and a smaller reduction in their outlook for services trade.
Risks to the forecast
Risks to the merchandise trade forecast persist, particularly from the reactivation of the suspended “reciprocal tariffs” by the United States, as well as the spread of trade policy uncertainty that could impact non-US trade relationships. If realized, reciprocal tariffs would reduce global merchandise trade volume growth by 0.6 percentage points in 2025 while spreading trade policy uncertainty could shave off another 0.8 percentage points. Together, reciprocal tariffs and spreading trade policy uncertainty would lead to a 1.5% decline in world merchandise trade in 2025. These scenarios are explored in detail in the Analytical Chapter of the report. Risks to services trade related to the escalation in trade tensions are not currently captured in the forecast.
“Our simulations show that trade policy uncertainty has a significant dampening effect on trade flows, reducing exports and weakening economic activity,” WTO Chief Economist Ralph Ossa said. “Moreover, tariffs are a policy lever with wide-ranging, and often unintended consequences. In a world of growing trade tensions, a clear-eyed view of those trade-offs is more important than ever.”
Regional goods trade forecasts
The latest forecast marks a reversal from 2024, when the volume of world merchandise trade grew 2.9%, while GDP expanded by 2.8%, making 2024 the first year since 2017 (excluding the rebound from the COVID-19 pandemic) where merchandise trade grew faster than output.
In 2025, the impact of recent tariff measures on merchandise trade is expected to differ sharply across regions.
Under the current policy landscape, North America is expected to see a 12.6% decline in exports and 9.6% drop in imports in 2025. The region’s performance would subtract 1.7 percentage points from world merchandise trade growth in 2025, turning the overall figure negative. Asia is projected to post modest growth in both exports and imports this year (1.6% for both), along with Europe (1.0% export growth, 1.9% import growth). Both regions’ contributions to world trade growth would remain positive under current policies, albeit smaller than in the baseline low tariff scenario. The collective contribution to world trade growth of other regions would also remain positive, in part due to their importance as producers of energy products, demand for which tends to be stable over the global business cycle.
The disruption in US-China trade is expected to trigger significant trade diversion, raising concerns among third markets about increased competition from China. Chinese merchandise exports are projected to rise by 4% to 9% across all regions outside North America, as trade is redirected. At the same time, US imports from China are expected to fall sharply in sectors such as textiles, apparel, and electrical equipment, creating new export opportunities for other suppliers able to fill the gap.
Additionally, the reinstatement of US tariffs could have severe repercussions for export-oriented least-developed countries (LDCs) whose economies are particularly sensitive to external economic shocks due to their concentration of trade on a small number of products as well as their limited resources to deal with setbacks. Under the current situation with the pause on US’ “reciprocal” tariffs, LDCs may benefit from trade diversion as their export structure is similar to China’s, especially in textiles and electronics.
Commercial services trade
In 2024, services accounted for 26.4% of global trade based on balance of payments statistics, the highest share since 2005. Rising demand for services and advances in digitalization have helped expand the contribution of services to global trade. In 2024, services trade totalled US$ 8.69 trillion, increasing by 9% and mirroring the growth registered in 2023. This is in sharp contrast to goods trade, which rose by only 2% in value terms in 2024.
Although the high tariffs are limited to goods, their effects are expected to ripple across the broader economy, including on services trade.
High tariffs will directly affect the volume of goods traded, leading to weaker demand for freight shipping and logistics services in ports and airports, which account for the bulk of overall transport. International travel, particularly leisure travel, may be the first sector impacted by economic uncertainty, as discretionary spending on trips and accommodations can easily be curtailed. Furthermore, various intermediate services supporting goods trade and other services such as professional, research and development, and information technology services, will likely face declining demand in the current economic climate.
Most services growth in 2025 will originate from Europe, where exports are expected to grow by 5.0% under current policies. European growth will continue at 4.4% in 2026. Asian economies’ services exports are projected to increase by 4.4% in 2025 and by 5.1% in 2026. Growth in services exports of North America will slow to 1.6% in 2025 but then accelerate to 2.3% in 2026. For the Middle East, services exports are expected to grow by 1.7% in 2025 and 1.0% in 2026. In the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), growth of 1.1% in 2025 and of 3.5% in 2026 is anticipated. The outlook for 2025 is subdued for Africa and for South and Central America and the Caribbean, both of which are expected to record declines in 2025.
On 15 April 2025, to commemorate the 106th Birth Anniversary of the Marshal of the Indian Air Force Arjan Singh Padma Vibhushan, DFC, a bust was unveiled at Astha, Senior Citizen Home, Tughlakabad, Delhi by Air Mshl Vijay Kumar Garg, Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Maintenance Command and Air Mshl Jagjeet Singh (Retd) Senior Vice President Air Force Association. The event was attended by Mrs Ritu Garg, President AFFWA(R), lAF veterans and Personnel of Air Force Station, Tughlakbad.
The event was a tribute casted in the form of unveiling of the Marshal’s bust, symbolising his enduring courage, visionary leadership and selfless service to the nation. The audience was reminded of his strategic brilliance and unflinching resolve shown as the Chief of the Air Staff during 1965 war. Under his leadership, the Indian Air Force provided the decisive close air support to pulverise the Pakistani Armoured thrust in the Akhnoor sector which changed the course of the war in India’s favour. He is the only Five-star officer of the lAF, who is an institution by himself and shall remain a guiding beacon to follow for generations to come.
During the event, the AOC-in-C, Maintenance Command and President AFFWA (R) also interacted with the senior citizens and enquired about their wellbeing. The Air Force personnel also had the opportunity to interact with veterans who had served with the Marshal. Their real life narrative revived the heroic life of the legend.
106th Birth Anniversary Celebrations of the Marshal of the Indian Air Force Arjan Singh Padma Vibhushan, DFC.
Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya to Inaugurate Newly Developed 220-Bedded ESIC Hospital in Ranchi, Jharkhand Tomorrow Union Minister to Give Cash Benefits Certificates/Sanction Letters to ESI beneficiaries and Felicitate Construction Workers
Posted On: 16 APR 2025 4:14PM by PIB Delhi
Union Minister of Labour & Employment and Youth Affairs & Sports, Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya, will inaugurate the newly developed 220-bedded ESIC Hospital at Namkum, Ranchi, Jharkhand on 17th April 2025. This state-of-the-art facility marks a significant milestone in strengthening healthcare delivery under the Employees’ State Insurance (ESI) Scheme in the state of Jharkhand. Union Minister of State for Defence, Shri Sanjay Seth along with Shri Pradip Verma, Hon’ble Member of Parliament (Rajya Sabha), Shri Rajesh Kachhap, MLA, Khijri, Ranchi and senior officers of ESIC will also be present on the occasion.
During the programme, Dr. Mandaviya will felicitate and give Cash Benefits Certificates/Sanction Letters to ESI beneficiaries. He will also felicitate construction workers who were involved in the construction of hospital.
Originally established in 1987, the ESIC Hospital in Namkum was founded with the primary objective of providing accessible, affordable, and quality healthcare services to insured workers and their families. For over four decades, it has played a vital role in serving the healthcare needs of industrial workers in Ranchi and the surrounding areas.
To further enhance healthcare services in the region, the Employees’ State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) approved the construction of a 200-bed hospital in June 2018. Construction commenced on 31st May 2018 and has since been completed, with the facility now upgraded to a 220-bedded hospital. In a significant development, ESI Corporation also approved the establishment of a Medical College with 50 MBBS seats in October 2024, with operations set to begin in near future.
The hospital is well-equipped with essential departments such as General Medicine, Surgery, Gynaecology, Orthopaedics, Ophthalmology (Eye), and Dental, along with various support services. It offers both Outpatient (OPD) and Inpatient (IPD) care, effectively meeting the medical needs of ESI beneficiaries. The upgraded hospital will now also offer speciality and super-speciality treatments, greatly improving access to advanced healthcare services for residents of Ranchi and neighbouring districts.
The modernised facility is expected to benefit over 5 lakh Insured Persons (IPs) and their dependents, offering improved infrastructure and a broader range of medical services. The hospital complex features a Basement, Ground Floor, and four additional floors, spread across a 7.9-acre campus. New building has been constructed with a cost of 99.06 crore and spread 17559 sq meter area. It is a 4 storey building equipped with 03 modern Operation Theatres (OTs) and provision for one additional Operation Theatres (OTs). It has 34 wards and 6 isolation wards, 40 OPD rooms and enough space for all doctors, administrative officers and staff.
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region
The Drainage Services Department (DSD) achieved outstanding results at the 50th International Exhibition of Inventions of Geneva, winning one gold medal with the congratulations of jury, one gold medal, four silver medals and two bronze medals.
The Director of Drainage Services, Mr Ringo Mok, said today (April 16), “The DSD won a total of eight awards at the 50th International Exhibition of Inventions of Geneva. Among them, an in-house developed project – the Mosaic Model Map (M³) received a gold medal with the congratulations of jury. Additionally, the Flood Alert System for Tomorrow (FAST), which received a silver medal, was the first collaborative achievement between the DSD and the Pearl River Water Resources Research Institute of the Pearl River Water Resources Commission in an international competition. These accomplishments underscore the department’s commitment to research and the application of innovative technologies, driving the development of a smart city.”
The International Exhibition of Inventions of Geneva is one of the most significant global annual events on inventions. Around 1 050 inventions from 35 countries and regions were evaluated by an international jury of specialists.
The DSD’s winning projects are:
Gold medal with the congratulations of jury
Mosaic Model Map (M³) – Real-time territorial flood risk visualisation system leveraging Hydraulic Model Pre-run, Scenario Mapping and Mosaic Compilation technologies
​Gold medal
The Smart Structural Integrity Monitoring System
Silver medals
CRISmart – CRISPR-based Smartphone Microbial Assay for Rapid Testing
Flood Alert System for Tomorrow (FAST) – Intelligent Flood Alert and Emergency Response System
MAESTRO – Machinery Analysis & Early System Trouble Resolution Operator
Automated Software for Drainage Network Detailed Design
​Bronze medals
MoShark Water Surface Mowing Robot – Wireless AI-powered Remote-controlled River Cleaning Robot
RAPID – Real-time Alert Platform for Inundation Detection
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region
Following is the speech by the Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism, Miss Rosanna Law, at the World Tourism Cities Federation (WTCF) Hong Kong Fragrant Hills Tourism Summit 2025 Gala Dinner today (April 16):
Mr Michael Lee, Chairman of the Hong Kong Jockey Club, Mr Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges, Chief Executive Officer of the Hong Kong Jockey Club, Mr Guo Huaigang, Secretary General of WTCF, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen and friends from the global tourism community,
Good evening, everyone!
Over the past few days, we have witnessed together a rich and colourful array of Summit activities, from experiencing Hong Kong’s diversified and unique tourism resources through visiting tourists attractions, to engaging in in-depth fora and meetings about the latest developments, trends, and insights of the tourism industry, on top of deepened mutual understanding and strengthened friendship, I know that we also reached valuable consensus covering many aspects on tourism development. Through exploring innovative strategies and best practices that can elevate our respective destinations and enhance the experiences we offer to visitors from around the globe together, I am confident that we shall meet our common goal and achieve high-quality development of the tourism economy.
As far as Hong Kong is concerned, we boast significant traditional strengths: world-class tourist attractions, vibrant culinary scene, efficient urban management and unparalleled transport systems, to name just a few. Some of you have experienced first hand the tourism assets of Hong Kong earlier this week and just now in the afternoon. But Hong Kong is a city that never stands still. We are working in full steam to strengthen these assets, as well as unearthing new tourism resources to consolidate our position as a world-class premier tourist destination. One of our key strategies is to press ahead with the four “+ Tourism” directions, which integrates culture, sports, ecology and mega events into our tourism offerings. And tonight we are enjoying the breathtaking ambiance of the iconic Happy Valley racecourse, which is a perfect example for illustrating this approach.
Horse racing has been a cornerstone of Hong Kong’s cultural identity for over a century. It is a game, a sport and so much more. The Hong Kong Jockey Club is Hong Kong’s largest charitable donor, and the various sectors under my purview – sports, culture and tourism, benefit tremendously from the generosity of the Jockey Club. And as you can see and feel for yourselves, horse-racing is also a vibrant social event that brings people together, and people are enjoying themselves no doubt. We are further enriching this activity with cultural experiences, culinary delights, and entertainment. Unique tourism products, integrating different offerings, are being developed to bring holistic experience to visitors. Similarly, we are also crafting a series of distinctive and attractive tourism products and projects under the four “+ Tourism” directions to showcase Hong Kong’s unique and diversified characteristics in new and exciting ways.
Tourism is an important dynamo for economic development, and an important bridge that connects people and culture. In the face of future challenges and opportunities, we need to unite more closely and jointly explore new friends, areas and paths in tourism. I believe that with the friendship we developed in the last few days, and our concerted efforts, we can together foster brighter and sustainable development of the global tourism industry.
Once again, please accept my sincere gratitude for your active participation in this episode of the Fragment Hills Tourism Summit, and your unwavering dedication to advancing the tourism sector.
I would also like to take this opportunity to express my special and heartfelt gratitude to the Hong Kong Jockey Club, Chairman Michael and CEO Winfried, for the Club’s generous sponsorship of this wonderful evening.
Thank you so very much, and enjoy the rest of your evening!
The leaders review ongoing bilateral collaboration and reiterated commitment to to further deepen the partnership.
They exchanged view on regional and global issues
Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi had a telephonic conversation with the President of the Republic of Finland H.E. Mr. Alexander Stubb today.
The leaders reviewed the ongoing collaboration between the two countries including in the areas of digitalization, sustainability and mobility. They reiterated their commitment to further strengthen and deepen the partnership including in the areas of quantum, 5G-6G, AI and cyber-security.
The leaders also exchanged the views on regional and global issues of mutual interest, including the situation in Ukraine. President Stubb expressed Finland’s support for closer India- EU relations and conclusion of a mutually beneficial FTA at the earliest.
The National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) India successfully organized a conference on “Building Together a Clean Sport Ecosystem” today at the India International Centre (IIC), New Delhi. The event, held as part of Play True Week 2025, brought together a wide spectrum of stakeholders committed to fostering a clean, fair, and values-based sporting environment in India.
In the inaugural session, Secretary, Department of Sports, Smt. Sujata Chaturvedi emphasised that as India is bidding to host the 2036 Summer Olympics, we must anchor our sporting ambition with a robust anti-doping system to ensure fairness, integrity, and commitment to clean sport.
Dr. Mayumi Yaya Yamamoto, Director, Asia/Oceania Office, World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) commended NADA India’s and national stakeholders’ efforts in this year’s global Play True Campaign. She underscored the importance of the ‘It Starts With Me’ campaign and highlighted the shared responsibility and unity required to build a clean sport ecosystem together.
One of the key moments of the inaugural session was the unveiling of “NADA India’s Fair Play Guide” in ten different regional languages, aimed at making clean sport education more accessible to athletes and stakeholders across the nation. Participants also engaged in a pledge signing ceremony to reaffirm their commitment to fair play and doping-free sport.
The conference featured engaging panel discussions on critical themes including anti-doping policy, enhancing education and testing, and increasing awareness about athlete rights & responsibilities, particularly in the context of Therapeutic Use Exemptions (TUEs). Experts from national sports federations, medical institutions, and international organizations shared practical insights and actionable strategies to strengthen India’s anti-doping system.
The event witnessed participation from sport administrators, athletes, coaches, educators, and medical experts, and created a space for collaboration, idea exchange, and future-oriented planning.
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