Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky (9th District of Illinois)
“Our tax code has been skewed to benefit wealthy pharmaceutical corporations, enabling them to profit off Americans, charging them the highest drug prices in the world, without paying their fair share of taxes.”
Full Text of Letters (PDF)
WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Representative Jan Schakowsky, Ranking Member of the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Commerce, Manufacturing, and Trade, and U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) wrote to five major pharmaceutical companies, calling them out for paying $0 in federal taxes for profit earned last year, despite earning billions of dollars. These companies, which are Abbvie, Pfizer, Amgen, Merck, and Johnson & Johnson, have taken advantage of tax loopholes created by President Trump’s 2017 tax bill and have lobbied for even more tax giveaways.
“This alarming fact illustrates just one of the ways in which our tax code has been skewed to benefit wealthy pharmaceutical corporations, enabling them to profit off Americans, charging them the highest drug prices in the world, without paying their fair share of taxes,” wrote the lawmakers.
The passage of the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) by President Donald Trump created new incentives for pharmaceutical companies to avoid paying taxes by holding their profits and intellectual property abroad. As a result, pharmaceutical companies have engaged in complex tax planning to move their intellectual property and production facilities out of the United States to tax shelters like Ireland and Bermuda to take advantage of this new regime.
Thanks to President Trump’s international taxation regime, these top pharmaceutical companies have paid almost nothing in U.S. taxes since 2018 while raking in billions of dollars in profit.
Johnson & Johnson paid zero dollars in federal taxes since 2018, while raking in over $594 billion in profits during that time.
Abbvie paid zero dollars in federal taxes since 2018, while raking in over $330 billion in profits during that time.
Pfizer paid zero dollars in federal taxes since 2018, while raking in over $429 billion in profits during that time.
Amgen paid zero dollars in federal taxes since 2018, while raking in over $186 billion in profits during that time.
Merck paid zero dollars in federal taxes since 2018, while raking in over $355 billion in profits during that time.
“Now, pharmaceutical companies want to extend these tax giveaways from the TCJA, and they are lining up to make their case on Capitol Hill,” wrote the lawmakers.
Indeed, lobbying by the pharmaceutical industry rose in 2024 compared to 2023, as the fight over extending the TCJA began.
“Congress should not slash Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, or other assistance to Americans trying to afford their prescription medication in order to pay for massive tax breaks for Big Pharma companies making record profits,” concluded the lawmakers.
Representative Schakowsky and Senator Warren are pushing the companies for answers on their role in extending massive tax cuts for the pharmaceutical industry.
UConn President Radenka Maric has been named a Fellow of The Electrochemical Society, a highly prestigious designation awarded annually to a select group of scientists and engineers from around the globe.
Maric is a world leader in electrochemistry at surfaces and interfaces, and in nanomaterials development for a wide range of renewable energy applications and sensors.
The Electrochemical Society announced that she is among 12 researchers worldwide who have been selected by their fellow scientists and engineers for the 2025 Class of ECS Fellows. She will be inducted this fall at the 248th ECS Meeting in Chicago.
The designation “Fellow of The Electrochemical Society” was established in 1989 for advanced individual technological contributions to electrochemistry and solid-state science and technology, leadership in the field, and service to the Society.
Maric was named the 17th president of the University of Connecticut in 2022, having previously served as UConn’s vice president for research, innovation, and entrepreneurship since 2017 and a UConn faculty member since 2010.
She is a Board of Trustees Distinguished Professor in Sustainable Energy in UConn’s Departments of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, and Materials Science and Engineering.
Her research has significantly advanced scientific understanding of materials and catalysts, and she has developed innovative manufacturing processes involved in fuel cell technologies, storage materials, and electrochemical sensors for health applications, leading to higher-performance, commercially viable clean energy systems.
Maric earned her Ph.D. in material science from Kyoto University and started her career as a member of the technical staff at the Japan Fine Ceramic Center, and later at Toyota Motors. She has been a member of The Electrochemical Society since 1999.
She moved to the U.S. in 2001, working for the startup nGimet to continue her work playing a pivotal role in advancing the development of electrochemical sensors, fuel cells, and materials and processes related to battery storage, hydrogen production, and various sensor technologies for industrial applications.
In addition to her newly announced honor as a Fellow of The Electrochemical Society, Maric holds the rank of Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (2019); the National Academy of Inventors (2019); and the International Association of Advanced Materials (2020). She is also an elected member of the Connecticut Academy of Science and Engineering.
Her many recognitions include receiving a Fulbright Chair Professor appointment at the Politecnico di Milano, Italy (2016-2017), a fellowship from the Japan Organization for the Promotion of Science (2012), the Leadership Award from the National Research Council of Canada (2009), and the Hartford Business Journal’s Women in Business Award (2020).
Maric’s scholarly work has resulted in more than 300 articles in refereed journals and conference proceedings, 21 book chapters, and invited review articles in major journals, one book published, and two books under preparation.
She also has six issued patents and 11 published patent disclosures. She serves on numerous review panels for the Department of Energy, the European Commission, and Horizon 2020, serves as a board member of the International Academy of Electrochemical Energy Science, and is a board member of the Connecticut Innovations and Eli Investment Fund.
Seattle – A 54-year-old Allen, Texas, man pleaded guilty today to abusive sexual contact for repeatedly illegally touching the woman sitting next to him while flying from Chicago to Seattle in March 2025, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Teal Luthy Miller. Cherian Abraham, who works for a technology company, faces up to two years in prison when sentenced by U.S. District Judge Kymberly K. Evanson on September 15, 2025.
According to records filed in the case, Abraham was seated next to the 22-year-old victim on the flight. On three different occasions, the victim reported that he reached under her arm to touch her breast. The first time the victim thought perhaps it was inadvertent contact. The second time, some five minutes later, the victim looked pointedly at Abraham, and he withdrew his hand. Apparently undeterred, the victim felt Abraham again poking her with his hand and she verbally confronted him. The victim got out of her seat, contacted the flight attendant, and was moved to a different seat.
An investigation by the responding FBI agent revealed that Abraham had twice before been alleged to have touched fellow passengers inappropriately. On April 24, 2024, a victim reported to the airline’s online customer service portal that Abraham had repeatedly touched her and attempted to put his hand between her thighs. The victim yelled at Abraham but was not able to get the attention of a flight attendant. On October 9, 2023, Minneapolis Airport Police interviewed Abraham after a victim reported that he had touched her leg with an open hand three times. The victim told him to stop and contacted the flight crew who put her in a different seat. When interviewed Abraham denied touching the victim. The victim did not want to pursue charges.
Abusive sexual contact is punishable by up to two years in prison. Prosecutors have agreed to recommend a sentence in the middle of Abraham’s guideline range as calculated by the court. Judge Evanson is not bound by the recommendation and can impose any sentence allowed by law.
The case is being investigated by the FBI.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Ajay Ravindran and Jessica M. Ly.
Glendale, California, June 18, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Radcred has launched an online platform designed to connect applicants to lenders offering emergency loan options for bad credit. This development addresses the growing need for alternative lending solutions in the United States. The platform enables borrowers to request up to $1,000 through a secure process that connects them with third-party lenders.
Many individuals are unable to secure traditional credit products during unexpected financial challenges. The increasing demand for no credit check emergency loans guaranteed approval reflects these conditions. Radcred’s platform offers a streamlined process that allows applicants to submit requests from anywhere in the country, subject to local regulations.
A Faster, Safer Way to Access Emergency Loans for Bad Credit
The rise of online lending platforms has changed how borrowers seek emergency financial assistance. Radcred’s new platform provides a secure method to request urgent loans for bad credit. The process is designed to reduce delays often associated with traditional credit applications.
Borrowers can complete a loan request form online, which is then forwarded to a network of lenders. This approach removes the need for in-person visits or lengthy paperwork. The demand for emergency loans no credit check continues to grow, as many consumers seek efficient solutions during financial emergencies.
Each lender sets its own terms, and approval is never automatic. Borrowers are encouraged to review offers carefully and consider their ability to meet repayment obligations. Responsible use of emergency loans online guaranteed approval claims should always be a priority for those in need of immediate funds.
Meeting the Rising Demand for Emergency Loan Options in the U.S.
In recent years, more borrowers across the United States have used online platforms to access emergency loan options. Traditional credit products can be difficult to secure, particularly for those without strong financial histories. This has led to greater interest in urgent loans no credit check services as part of the short-term lending market.
Unexpected costs, such as medical bills or essential repairs, often create a need for fast solutions. Platforms like Radcred provide a way for borrowers to connect with lenders offering emergency loan bad credit guaranteed approval options. This reflects a shift in consumer expectations, with greater demand for quicker, more convenient access to funds. Radcred’s platform aims to support these needs through efficient digital processes.
Radcred’s Key Features Supporting Emergency Loans for Bad Credit
Radcred’s platform has been structured to help applicants seeking emergency loan with bad credit options. The service connects users to a network of lenders through a streamlined and secure process. Key features of the platform include:
Secure Online Request Process: Borrowers submit information through an encrypted form designed to protect personal data.
Network of Third-Party Lenders: The platform forwards loan requests to multiple lenders who review applications independently.
Quick Decision Framework: The digital process helps speed up review times compared to traditional loan applications.
Flexible Loan Amounts: Borrowers can request emergency loans online guaranteed approval offers up to $1,000, depending on lender terms.
Transparent Terms Presentation: Applicants can review loan terms, fees, and repayment schedules before choosing an offer.
Radcred’s Technology Enables Urgent Loan Decisions for Bad Credit Borrowers
Radcred uses digital tools to help support faster review of loan requests. The platform’s technology is designed to assist borrowers seeking urgent loans for bad credit by streamlining communication between applicants and potential lenders. Key aspects of Radcred’s technology include:
Automated Application Routing: Loan requests are securely shared with lenders without manual handling, improving response times.
Encrypted Data Transmission: Sensitive borrower information is protected during submission and while being sent to lenders.
User-Friendly Interface: The platform guides applicants through each step clearly, minimizing errors during the request process.
Compatibility Across Devices: Borrowers can submit emergency loan bad credit guaranteed approval requests using desktop or mobile devices.
Support for Fast Lender Responses: The system is designed to allow lenders to evaluate applications efficiently and provide timely loan offers.
How Radcred’s Network Supports Emergency Loan Offers for Bad Credit
Radcred’s platform connects applicants to a network of third-party lenders that consider a range of credit profiles, including those with bad credit. This network structure provides borrowers with an opportunity to receive loan offers quickly by submitting a single request. Each lender within the network sets its own criteria for evaluating emergency loan options.
Key points about Radcred’s network:
Multiple Lender Access: Applicants are connected to various lenders through one loan request, expanding the possibility of receiving offers.
Independent Loan Terms: Each lender provides its own loan conditions, repayment schedules, and fee structures.
No Obligation to Accept Offers: Borrowers can review emergency loan with bad credit proposals without being required to proceed.
Coverage Across the U.S.: The network includes lenders operating in many states, subject to local lending regulations.
Streamlined Matching Process: The platform forwards loan requests efficiently, helping reduce the time it takes to receive a response.
Radcred Focuses on Secure and Private Loan Application Handling
Privacy and data security are critical concerns when applying for emergency loans online. Radcred’s platform is designed to help protect sensitive information during the loan request process. The system includes measures aimed at ensuring that personal data is handled responsibly while connecting applicants with potential lenders.
Key privacy and security features include:
Encrypted Data Transmission: Borrower details are transmitted through secure, encrypted channels during submission and lender matching.
No Unnecessary Data Sharing: Information is shared only with participating lenders who review applications.
Compliance with Standards: The platform is structured to follow applicable data protection practices for online financial services.
Controlled Access: Only authorized lenders receive applicant information for the purpose of evaluating loan requests.
Clear Privacy Policies: Borrowers can review privacy terms that explain how data is used and stored.
Understanding Emergency Loan Costs and Responsible Use
Emergency loans can help manage unexpected expenses, but borrowers should be aware of the associated costs and responsibilities. When seeking urgent loans for bad credit, understanding terms is essential to avoid further financial difficulty. Key points to consider include:
Interest Rates: Higher rates are common due to increased lender risk.
Fees: Review origination fees, late charges, or other costs.
Repayment Terms: Ensure payments fit within your budget.
Responsible Use: Only borrow what is necessary and plan for repayment.
Compliance: Verify that loan offers meet state lending regulations.
Radcred’s Application Process for $1,000 Loans Online
Radcred’s platform provides a structured and secure way for applicants to request emergency loan options online. The process is designed to help individuals submit loan requests efficiently and connect with lenders offering urgent loans for bad credit.
Key steps in the application process:
Complete the Online Form: Applicants provide basic personal, employment, and financial details using a secure form.
Request Submission: The system forwards the request to a network of third-party lenders for review.
Review of Offers: Lenders assess the request and provide loan offers with specific terms.
Decision by Borrower: Applicants review offers and choose if they want to proceed based on the loan conditions.
Radcred is a digital platform that connects borrowers with third-party lenders for personal and emergency loan options. It does not issue loans directly but facilitates secure online requests. The company focuses on data security, regulatory compliance, and helping applicants access short-term loan solutions through its network.
Disclaimer
Radcred is not a direct lender and does not make credit decisions. Loan approval, amounts, rates, and terms are determined solely by the third-party lenders within its network. Submitting a loan request does not guarantee approval or specific terms. Borrowers are encouraged to review all loan offers carefully and ensure they meet repayment obligations before accepting any agreement. All loan offers are subject to applicable federal and state regulations.
Source: The Conversation – UK – By Nathan Waddell, Associate Professor in Twentieth-Century Literature, University of Birmingham
George Orwell had a traumatic relationship with the sea. In August 1947, while he was writing Nineteen Eighty-Four (1949) on the island of Jura in the Scottish Hebrides, he went on a fishing trip with his young son, nephew and niece.
Having misread the tidal schedules, on the way back Orwell mistakenly piloted the boat into rough swells. He was pulled into the fringe of the Corryvreckan whirlpool off the coasts of Jura and Scarba. The boat capsized and Orwell and his relatives were thrown overboard.
It was a close call – a fact recorded with characteristic detachment by Orwell in his diary that same evening: “On return journey today ran into the whirlpool & were all nearly drowned.” Though he seems to have taken the experience in his stride, this may have been a trauma response: detachment ensures the ability to persist after a near-death experience.
We don’t know for sure if Nineteen Eighty-Four was influenced by the Corryvreckan incident. But it’s clear that the novel was written by a man fixated on water’s terrifying power.
This article is part of Rethinking the Classics. The stories in this series offer insightful new ways to think about and interpret classic books and artworks. This is the canon – with a twist.
Nineteen Eighty-Four isn’t typically associated with fear of death by water. Yet it’s filled with references to sinking ships, drowning people and the dread of oceanic engulfment. Fear of drowning is a torment that social dissidents might face in Room 101, the torture chamber to which all revolutionaries are sent in the appropriately named totalitarian state of Oceania.
An early sequence in the novel describes a helicopter attack on a ship full of refugees, who are bombed as they fall into the sea. The novel’s protagonist, Winston Smith, has a recurring nightmare in which he dreams of his long-lost mother and sister trapped “in the saloon of a sinking ship, looking up at him through the darkening water”.
The sight of them “drowning deeper every minute” takes Winston back to a culminating moment in his childhood when he stole chocolate from his mother’s hand, possibly condemning his sister to starvation. These watery graves imply that Winston is drowning in guilt.
The “wateriness” of Nineteen Eighty-Four may have another interesting historical source. In his essay My Country Right or Left (1940), Orwell recalls that when he had just become a teenager he read about the “atrocity stories” of the first world war.
Orwell states in this same essay that “nothing in the whole war moved [him] so deeply as the loss of the Titanic had done a few years earlier”, in 1912. What upset Orwell most about the Titanic disaster was that in its final moments it “suddenly up-ended and sank bow foremost, so that the people clinging to the stern were lifted no less than 300 feet into the air before they plunged into the abyss”.
Sinking ships and dying civilisations
Orwell never forgot this image. Something similar to it appears in his novel Keep the Aspidistra Flying (1936) where the idea of a sinking passenger liner evokes the collapse of modern civilisation, just as the Titanic disaster evoked the end of Edwardian industrial confidence two decades beforehand.
The Titanic disaster had a profound impact on Orwell. Wiki Commons
References to sinking ships and drowning people appear at key moments in many other works by Orwell, too. But did the full impact of the Titanic surface in Nineteen Eighty-Four?
Sinking ships were part of Orwell’s descriptive toolkit. In Nineteen Eighty-Four, a novel driven by memories of unsympathetic water, they convey nightmares. Filled with references to water and liquidity, it’s one of the most aqueous novels Orwell produced, relying for many of its most shocking episodes on imagery of desperate people drowning or facing imminent death on sinking sea craft.
The thought of trapped passengers descending into the depths survives in Winston’s traumatic memories of his mother and sister, who, in the logic of his dreams, are alive inside a sinking ship’s saloon.
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There’s no way to prove that the Nineteen Eighty-Four is “about” the Titanic disaster, but in the novel, and indeed in Orwell’s wider body of work, there are too many tantalising hints to let the matter rest.
Thinking about fear of death by water takes us into Orwell’s terrors just as it takes us into Winston’s, allowing readers to see the frightened boy inside the adult man and, indeed, inside the author who dreamed up one of the 20th century’s most famous nightmares.
Beyond the canon
As part of the Rethinking the Classics series, we’re asking our experts to recommend a book or artwork that tackles similar themes to the canonical work in question, but isn’t (yet) considered a classic itself. Here is Nathan Waddell’s suggestion:
As soon as the news broke of the Titanic’s sinking, literary works of all shapes and sizes started to appear in tribute to the disaster and its victims. As the century went on, and as research into the tragedy developed (particularly after the ships wreckage was discovered in 1985), more nuanced literary responses to the sinking became possible.
One such response is Beryl Bainbridge’s Whitbread-prize-winning novel Every Man for Himself (1996). It reimagines the disaster from the first-person perspective of an imaginary character, Morgan, the fictional nephew of the historically real financier J. P. Morgan (who was due to sail on the Titanic but changed plans before it sailed).
This article features references to books that have been included for editorial reasons, and may contain links to bookshop.org. If you click on one of the links and go on to buy something from bookshop.org The Conversation UK may earn a commission.
Nathan Waddell 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.
The unexpected attack by Israel on Iran, a major oil-producing nation, may undermine anaemic global economic growth and hinder central banks’ ability to cope in an already uncertain market.
Iran exports up to 2 million barrels of oil and refined petroleum products per day (million barrels per day – mbd). Due to long-standing sanctions, most of this oil is sold to China at discounted prices.
Normally, a sudden loss of the Iranian exports (equivalent to around 2% of global oil supply) would trigger panic. But Opec (the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries) is in the process of reversing the production cuts imposed early in the COVID pandemic (and subsequently). This leaves the organisation with an unusually large spare capacity of at least four million barrels per day, most of which is held by Saudi Arabia (up to 3.5 million) and the UAE (about one million).
On top of that, the International Energy Agency (IEA) holds more than 1.2 billion barrels of emergency reserves across OECD countries, ready to be deployed if needed. China, too, has significant reserves, though the line between its commercial and strategic stocks is less clear.
Additionally, some 40 million barrels of Iranian oil are stranded aboard anchored ships near China, unsold due to declining industrial demand and electric vehicles hitting petrol consumption. In May, China’s refinery throughput fell 1.8% year-on-year, with no signs of a swift rebound. What’s more, the IEA is expecting global oil production to exceed 1.8 mbd, compared to its earlier projection of only 0.72 mbd, leaving a massive surplus of supply over demand.
China has proven to be an opportunistic buyer. It did not buy the excess Iranian oil supplies at US$65 (£48) a barrel earlier this year, and whether it buys at US$75 (at the time of writing) or higher, may be a signal of how seriously it views the Middle East tensions. Meanwhile, other Asian importers have been quick to secure prompt shipments from west Africa, and have eyes on US supplies as well.
Thanks to this surplus capacity and stagnant demand, the oil market’s reaction has been more muted than many feared. Prices briefly spiked by US$10 but have since eased. It appears that the market is assessing whether the hostilities will escalate. If so, the impact on energy prices and inflation could be more significant.
A conflict of convenience
It remains somewhat unclear why Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu chose this moment to strike Iran, especially in the middle of peace negotiations between Iran and the United States. In a recent interview, former Israeli leader Ehud Barak admitted that even a full-scale attack would only delay Iran’s nuclear ambitions by weeks or months at best, with US support.
Diplomacy, then, may remain the more effective route. This was the rationale behind the Iran nuclear deal brokered under US president Barack Obama, a deal later dismantled by Trump under pressure from Netanyahu.
So, Netanyahu’s endgame might be political survival and diverting attention from the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza.
If Iran feels sufficiently cornered, it may retaliate by shutting down the Strait of Hormuz – a strategic chokepoint through which up to 20 million barrels of oil pass daily. A lot of that oil can be diverted through alternative supply routes such as a large (6 mbd) Saudi East-West pipeline leading to the Red Sea. There is also the UAE pipeline, which avoids the Strait of Hormuz and leads to the port of Fujairah, in the Gulf of Oman.
Iran could close off the Strait of Hormuz, causing widespread disruption. CeltStudio/Shutterstock
Nevertheless, the increased risk and higher shipping costs would certainly result in much higher prices at the pump. The cost of insurance for ships travelling through the Strait of Hormuz have jumped 60% since the start of the conflict. That, combined with the broader economic fallout, could have global repercussions.
The World Bank recently downgraded its global growth forecast to 2.3% for 2025 – nearly half a percentage point below previous estimates. While a worldwide recession is not yet predicted, the bank warned that growth this decade could be the slowest since the 1960s.
Among the leading culprits is Trump’s tariff policy, which has strained global trade, reduced efficiency and effectively imposed a tax on consumers both in the US and elsewhere. The fear of inflation has led to rising long-term bond yields.
Expectations of higher inflation and high bond yields, in turn, constrain central banks from stimulating the economy by cutting interest rates. This is a key tool used by the US Federal Reserve to influence the cost of borrowing throughout the US economy and thus attempt to stimulate economic activity.
And in spite of the recent US-UK trade agreement, the deal includes a 10% tariff on imports from the UK – with steel still at 25%.
UK economic growth had already slipped into negative territory before the conflict began. Now, with the added strain of geopolitical instability, households are bracing for higher petrol prices at the pump, sluggish wage growth and rising unemployment. The conflict in the Middle East may not have sparked a global oil crisis yet, but it certainly won’t improve anyone’s cost of living.
Adi Imsirovic is affiliated with Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in Washington.
The UK government has announced an extension of free school meals in England to all children whose parents receive universal credit, in order to address child hunger and poverty.
The government claims that half a million more pupils will now have access to school lunches for free. The total number of children registered for free school meals in England is currently about 2.2 million, or about 26% of the total school population. In addition, all children in infant school, aged between four and seven, are entitled to receive a hot lunch at school.
But given the high rates of child poverty in the UK, and the value a decent meal provides, there is evidence that free school meals for all children could provide significant benefits in England.
The provision in Scotland and Wales is more generous: free school meals for children from primary one to five in Scotland (ages four to ten) and for all children in primary school in Wales. But other countries make provision for all children, in both primary and secondary education, to receive meals at school.
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Child poverty in the UK continues to be historically high. In 2023-24, 3.4 million children – 23% of all children in the UK – were in relative income poverty. Incidence of child poverty is particularly acute in cities.
In the UK, the COVID-19 pandemic and Brexit resulted in a rise inunemployment. This in turn led to widespread instances of extreme poverty and child hunger. The lack of active policies in the UK to address child hunger, malnourishment and increasing childhood obesity has been widely criticised by the British Medical Association.
The UK’s experience of high levels of child poverty is in stark contrast with most other high-income countries. The UK ranked 37th out of 39 by child income poverty, ahead only of Turkey and Colombia, in 2023. In comparison, the UK’s adult poverty rate is close to the OECD average, ranking 23rd out of 39 high-income countries. This implies that child poverty can be high even if adult poverty levels are relatively low.
Global policy choices
Providing nutritious free school meals is a fundamental cornerstone of government policy to ensure child welfare. It’s used as a poverty alleviation measure all over the world. Almost half of the world’s school meals are free, feeding 418 million children.
Many of these programmes are based in developing countries. The world’s largest free school meal programme runs in India: the “mid-day meal scheme” feeds 125 million children aged six to 14 and costs the equivalent of £2 billion each year. Similar successful programmes are run in Brazil and some Africancountries, with another having recently been launched in Indonesia.
But schemes in Finland and Sweden also cover almost all school children.
There is a growing body of global evidence on the wider beneficial effects of free school meals on child poverty. Free school meals in India have resulted in higher cognitive outcomes. They have increased school enrolment and school attendance, and thus educational outcomes.
They have also been found to have an intergenerational effect. In India, fewer shorter children were born to women who had benefited from the country’s school food programme.
Nutritionally balanced children’s school meals are also associated with lower incidence of obesity. Studies in the US and UK, for example, have shown universal provision is linked to lower obesity rates.
Research into the Swedish scheme has found that children who have free school meals with prescribed nutritional standards not only have higher educational attainment and better health outcomes in adulthood, but also higher incomes. Children from families in the lowest income quartile in Sweden who received free school meals for nine years increased their lifetime income by 6%.
Other tangible economic benefits include significant reductions in potential healthcare costs as a result of malnutrition and non-communicable diseases. A 2025 European Union report estimates the return from investment in school meal programmes is at least sevenfold, up to a possible €34 for every €1 spent.
While there is rich scientific and economic evidence that universal free school meals are immensely beneficial, a child’s access to nutrition and government support to obtain nourishment is also a fundamental human right. The School Meals Coalition is an international consortium of 108 countries to achieve free school meals for all by 2030. The UK is one of the few advanced countries not signed up to it.
Sanghamitra Bandyopadhyay 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.
The UK government confirmed in its June 2025 spending review that it will honour its manifesto pledge and not cut the £13.2 billion warm homes plan, as had been speculated. The money will be spent over the next four years, marking a significant increase on funding for energy-related home upgrades compared to that offered by the previous government.
The plan encompasses several programmes for cutting energy bills and reducing carbon emissions by making homes easier to heat and replacing gas boilers and other fossil fuel heating systems. Low-income homeowners and renters will receive grants for “retrofit” upgrades such as insulation, solar panels and heat pumps through schemes delivered by energy companies and councils.
All homeowners can benefit from the boiler upgrade scheme, which offers £7,500 towards the cost of a heat pump, and those living in the least energy efficient homes can get free loft or cavity wall insulation. Councils and housing associations will also receive funding to make upgrades to their properties.
The British government has provided some form of financial support for insulation and other energy efficiency measures since the 1970s. Millions of homes were insulated over the 2000s, but over the last decade support has been cut and the number of households taking up grants has collapsed. Programmes have also not been designed to provide comprehensive, high-quality retrofits.
Over the next few years, the warm homes plan will significantly increase the amount of funding available for retrofitting homes. This is an opportunity to reshape the UK’s strategy for fixing its cold, leaky housing stock, reduce reliance on gas heating and lower household energy bills.
How support for retrofitting has evolved
For the last 30 years, energy companies have been required to provide insulation and other energy efficiency measures to households. These programmes are funded by levies on energy bills rather than public spending.
From 1994 to 2015 any homeowner, landlord, or renter could receive energy efficiency measures such as insulation from energy companies. Additional publicly funded schemes sought to eliminate fuel poverty and targeted low-income households. This approach proved broadly successful throughout the 2000s and early 2010s. At its peak in 2008-11, one in five UK households received insulation, more efficient boilers or another form of support.
However, these schemes were never designed to provide the comprehensive retrofits that modern climate targets demand. Ultimately, they failed to take a whole-house approach that could address multiple energy-efficiency issues at once.
A pivotal moment came in 2015 when the Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition government removed universal eligibility from supplier-led schemes and shaved £30 off annual household bills. Low-income and vulnerable households, which had already constituted a priority group under energy company-led schemes, became the only demographic eligible for support. Following this decision – plus other modifications to the programmes – the number of insulation measures installed each year fell by about 70%.
In 2023, the Conservative government of Rishi Sunak introduced the Great British insulation scheme which offers free cavity wall or loft insulation to homes registered given an efficiency rating of D or below (ratings run from A for the most efficient to G for the least). The universal boiler upgrade scheme was also introduced.
Meanwhile, the energy company obligation, which provides a greater range of measures, including several types of insulation, heat pumps and solar panels, remains restricted to low-income and vulnerable households.
However, due to complex eligibility requirements, low public awareness and a lack of trust, among other reasons, most of the financial support available is not reaching households and the number of homes receiving upgrades has not recovered.
While reinstating universal support is positive, the boiler upgrade scheme only covers about half the cost of installing a heat pump, making it a subsidy for wealthier households that can afford to foot the rest of the bill.
Energy bill levies, which fund the energy company obligation, disproportionately burden poorer households, which spend a higher proportion of income on energy. At the same time, while everyone continues to pay for the programme via their energy bills, restrictive eligibility requirements leave most households who cannot cover retrofit costs independently without support.
The scheme also incentivises companies and their subcontractors to meet the scheme’s carbon reduction requirements at the lowest possible cost. This discourages whole-house retrofits, more complex insulation measures, repairs prior to retrofit (such as removing damp and mould or repairing roofs) and work in certain types of homes.
Resulting insulation failures have damaged public confidence in retrofit programmes. These problems highlight the mismatch between a market-driven approach and the comprehensive changes necessary to make homes healthier to live in and cheaper to heat, as well as meet climate targets and restore public trust.
The case for replacing supplier-led schemes with public alternatives remains compelling, despite the government’s supposed fiscal constraints. Rather than relying on energy companies and their subcontractors for complex home interventions, councils could be empowered to guide households through the retrofit process and combine homes in area-based schemes.
The warm homes plan includes funding for councils to retrofit low-income households, including those earning less than £36,000, receiving means-tested benefits, or living in certain postcodes. But the scale of the programme is much smaller than the energy company obligation, although investment will increase over the next few years.
This is still a narrow approach to improve the country’s housing that focuses on low-income households, though most middle-income households cannot afford the cost of a retrofit either. The budget for other home improvements remains minimal – homes in poor condition are likely to be missed.
Details of how most of the warm homes plan funding will be spent is due to be revealed in autumn 2025. There is still time for the government to choose a more progressive approach.
An alternative would be to expand grant-funded upgrades for low-income homeowners and offer low-interest, long-term, property-linked loans for middle-income households. This could be designed to cover whole-house retrofits, encompassing insulation, ventilation, heat pumps, solar panels and other measures, as well as repairs.
There are also emerging plans from consultancies working with local governments to develop area-based retrofit programmes that blend public and private investment, aiming to attract investment from pension funds to shift the cost of retrofitting away from households.
However, it remains unclear whether such models will offer sufficiently competitive returns and low enough risk to appeal to institutional investors – and the UK cannot afford to wait for private capital to materialise when nationwide retrofitting is urgently needed.
Don’t have time to read about climate change as much as you’d like?
Madeleine Pauker receives funding from the Energy Demand Research Centre, funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council and the Economic and Social Research Council.
The ancient wandering womb theory suggested that many ailments in women were caused by the uterus becoming dislodged and roaming the body in search of moisture.
According to these theories, the uterus could roam freely around the body, pressing on the liver or lungs and causing symptoms such as breathlessness, fainting and emotional distress – what was later termed “hysteria”, from the Greek hystera (uterus).
Treatments included fumigating the lower body with sweet-smelling herbs to entice the uterus back downward, exposing the nose to pungent odours to drive it away from the chest and adding weights to the abdomen to prevent the uterus from rising. Marriage and pregnancy were often prescribed as cures, under the belief that a busy uterus was a happy, well-behaved one.
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In the 18th century, advances in anatomy and dissection began to disprove the notion that the uterus could physically roam. However, the legacy of the wandering womb lived on well into the 20th century in the diagnosis of “female hysteria”, an unevidenced catch-all for a multitude of symptoms.
While the uterus doesn’t float around like a balloon in the chest cavity, it does change position. And this matters. Mobility is essential for fertility, menstruation, pregnancy and pelvic health.
How much does the uterus move?
The uterus sits between the bladder and the rectum, suspended by a series of ligaments. These don’t hold it immobile – rather, they allow it to rock and tilt.
Its position can be anteverted (tilted forward over the bladder), retroverted (angled back toward the rectum and spine), or somewhere in between. These variations are entirely normal and often vary.
That position matters. The uterine angle can affect where menstrual pain is experienced. For those with a retroverted uterus, discomfort may radiate into the lower back. For others, cramping is felt more in the lower abdomen.
A forward-tilted uterus may press more directly on the bladder, increasing the urge to urinate, especially in early pregnancy. Conversely, a backward tilt might impinge on the rectum, contributing to constipation or bloating.
During sexual arousal, the uterus “tents” – lifting slightly and lengthening the vaginal canal. During labour, it contracts powerfully and rhythmically, drawing the cervix upwards and helping to expel the foetus.
Even the cervix – the narrow opening at the base of the uterus – is not fixed in place. Its height, texture and openness vary across the menstrual cycle in response to hormonal cues. During ovulation, it rises and softens to allow sperm entry. Before menstruation, it lowers and firms up again.
The uterine tubes: searching, not wandering
Perhaps the most surprising anatomical revelation is that a uterine (fallopian) tube on one side of the body can capture an egg released from the opposite ovary. If there’s a true seeker in the reproductive tract, it’s the uterine tube.
Each month, at ovulation, the fimbriae – finger-like projections at the end of the tube – sweep across the surface of the ovary, coaxing the released egg into the tube’s entrance. The tube isn’t anchored directly to the ovary. Instead, it finds it. Like a sea anemone in slow motion, it explores, flexes and moves.
Once caught, cilia – tiny hair-like structures that line the inner surface of the tube – work in concert with muscular contractions that move the egg towards the uterus. This choreography is vital but also explains the risk of ectopic pregnancy.
If a fertilised egg implants in the tube instead of travelling to the uterus, it can pose a serious medical emergency. Ironically, it’s the very adaptability and reach of the tube that makes it vulnerable.
The ovaries are also slightly mobile, suspended by ligaments that allow for some degree of movement within the pelvic cavity. This becomes especially apparent after hysterectomy when the removal of the uterus can cause the ovaries to “drift”, sometimes complicating imaging or surgical planning.
While their movement is more limited than that of the uterus or tubes, it still plays a role in pelvic dynamics. In rare cases, it can result in ovarian torsion, a painful twisting of the organ that requires emergency care.
While mobility is normal, excessive movement or weakened support can cause problems. Uterine prolapse – when the uterus descends into or beyond the vaginal canal – can result from weakened pelvic floor muscles, often after multiple childbirths or due to age-related changes. It’s a mechanical failure, not a moral one. Sadly, though, history hasn’t always treated it that way.
Similarly, adhesions from endometriosis or previous surgeries can limit natural mobility, causing severe pain as organs that should glide against one another become tethered and inflamed.
While the uterus does indeed move, it does so within anatomical boundaries and under the influence of ligaments and hormones – not whim. The enduring myth of the wandering womb reflected broader anxieties about the female body: that it was unpredictable, unruly and in need of control. Today, with the benefit of imaging, dissection and anatomical research, we can replace that myth with a deeper understanding of purposeful mobility.
Michelle Spear does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
Source: United States Senator for Maine Angus King
WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senator Angus King (I-ME) is joining efforts to highlight the hypocrisy of White House policy slashing funding for the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), resulting in diminished enforcement for “wealthy tax cheats.” In a letter to IRS Commissioner Billy Long, King and his colleagues suggest that plans to slash IRS funding would balloon the federal deficit and result in $2.4 trillion in lost revenue over the next decade.
In June last year, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said he was “alarmed by the size of [the government’s] deficit,” and publicly championed a plan to cut the annual deficit from just over six percent of GDP to three percent. In an interview in April, Deputy Treasury Secretary Faulkender reiterated that the Administration’s intent is to “bring the deficit down.” When pressed by Senators in written questions, Secretary Bessent affirmed his commitment to lowering the deficit to three percent of GDP by the end of President Trump’s term.
The Senators began, “We write to you with concern regarding the Trump Administration’s hollowing out of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). For too long, the IRS has been underfunded and operating with outdated technology and inadequate staffing – resulting in unacceptable levels of service to taxpayers and enabling wealthy tax cheats to evade taxes. The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), passed in 2021, finally provided the IRS with the resources the agency needed to modernize and improve efficiency, but Congressional Republicans quietly slashed that funding in recent years. It is critical that we protect and build on the IRA’s investments. Otherwise, we risk failing honest, hardworking taxpayers while ballooning the federal deficit.”
“Reducing the tax gap by ensuring that high-income individuals pay the taxes they owe should be an obvious bipartisan approach to making progress on the federal deficit,” the Senators continued. “Further, it is a good investment – one study found that $1 spent on auditing the highest earners yields $12 in returns to revenues. And after recent investments in enforcement targeted at high earners, the IRS collected over $1 billion in back taxes from just 1,600 wealthy taxpayers.”
“All of this is occurring at the same time that the Administration and Congressional Republicans are teeing up another huge deficit-busting reconciliation bill that includes massive tax cuts for the wealthy, which the House of Representatives recently approved. According to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, an extension of the 2017 Republican tax bill, also known as the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, would add $52 trillion to the national debt over the next 30 years, adding more debt to the nation’s balance sheet in three decades than in the previous 249- year history of our country’s existence. This extension is only one component of this larger bill. These actions are inconsistent with your public commitments to meaningfully reduce the federal deficit and will undo the improvements made to the IRS’s taxpayer services,” the Senators concluded.
Treasury Secretary Bessent last week took a victory lap touting increased IRS revenue in the most recent filing season. Yet, earlier this year, the Trump administration began workforce reductions at the IRS, including a plan to reduce IRS employee headcount by 40 percent. Tens of thousands of workers have left the agency since President Trump took office. More specifically, the auditing division of the IRS division has lost 38 percent of its employees. These cuts could drive up the deficit and lead to $2.4 trillion in lost revenue over the next decade.
In addition to King, the letter is signed by Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Tim Kaine (D-VA), and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI).
The full text of the letter can be found here and below.
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Dear Secretary Bessent and Commissioner Long:
We write to you with concern regarding the Trump Administration’s hollowing out of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). For too long, the IRS has been underfunded and operating with outdated technology and inadequate staffing – resulting in unacceptable levels of service to taxpayers and enabling wealthy tax cheats to evade taxes. The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), passed in 2021, finally provided the IRS with the resources the agency needed to modernize and improve efficiency, but Congressional Republicans quietly slashed that funding in recent years. It is critical that we protect and build on the IRA’s investments. Otherwise, we risk failing honest, hardworking taxpayers while ballooning the federal deficit.
Trump administration officials have repeatedly claimed a desire to lower the deficit. In June last year, Treasury Secretary Bessent said he was “alarmed by the size of [the government’s] deficit,” and publicly touted a plan to cut the annual deficit from 6.4 percent of GDP to three percent. In an interview in April, Deputy Treasury Secretary Faulkender reiterated that the Administration’s intent is to “bring the deficit down.” When pressed by Senators in written questions, Secretary Bessent affirmed his commitment to lowering the deficit to three percent of GDP by the end of President Trump’s term. Despite these commitments, the Administration’s signature tax priorities—gutting the IRS and passing significant tax cuts for the ultra-wealthy—will massively drive up the deficit and place a greater burden on future generations.
American workers pay their taxes on time and in full, often through automatic withholdings on their paychecks. A small subset of high-income taxpayers, though, find complicated workarounds to shield income from the taxes that they owe. This has resulted in a massive gap between revenue owed and revenue collected – known as the “tax gap.” The latest IRS estimate was that this tax gap was nearly $700 billion in 2022 – or 17 percent of the total taxes owed. This shifts more of the tax burden on hardworking Americans who abide by the law.
Reducing the tax gap by ensuring that high-income individuals pay the taxes they owe should be an obvious bipartisan approach to making progress on the federal deficit. Further, it is a good investment – one study found that $1 spent on auditing the highest earners yields $12 in returns to revenues. And after recent investments in enforcement targeted at high earners, the IRS collected over $1 billion in back taxes from just 1,600 wealthy taxpayers.
Investments in the IRS also make it easier for law-abiding taxpayers to file their taxes. Decades of underfunding and lack of investment at the agency left customer service in a poor state prior to passage of the IRA. For years, taxpayers struggled to get through on customer service lines or find an in-person assistance center to receive help with their tax return. Recent investments in the IRS have finally allowed the agency to start investing in long-overdue improvements, allowing for significant new and enhanced services for taxpayers. As of June 2024, call wait-times had dropped from 28 minutes to 3 minutes, the agency had opened 54 new taxpayer assistance centers, and online services had started expanding.
But the Trump administration is planning to turn back the clock on this progress. When reductions in force began at the IRS this spring, personnel essential to the filing season operations were required to continue working until mid-May, which limited the impact of staffing losses on tax revenue for the 2025 season. But the continuing layoffs at the IRS will kneecap the agency’s ability to do its basic job. President Trump and the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) have executed massive cuts to the IRS workforce—including a plan to reduce IRS employee headcount by 40 percent. Tens of thousands of workers have left the agency since President Trump’s inauguration. The IRS division that audits billionaires and the ultrawealthy has already lost 38 percent of its employees and had its funding rescinded by President Trump and Congressional Republicans. Even before these massive layoffs, IRS audits were already at a 23-year low. Further cutting IRS staff means less staff to monitor wealthy tax cheats and collect the tax revenue that will help offset our budget deficit. If IRS staffing levels are nearly halved, as the Administration has promised, these cuts could lead to $2.4 trillion in lost revenue over the next decade. And layoffs of this magnitude will significantly damage the agency’s customer service capacity.
All of this is occurring at the same time that the Administration and Congressional Republicans are teeing up another huge deficit-busting reconciliation bill that includes massive tax cuts for the wealthy, which the House of Representatives recently approved. According to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, an extension of the 2017 Republican tax bill, also known as the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, would add $52 trillion to the national debt over the next 30 years, adding more debt to the nation’s balance sheet in three decades than in the previous 249- year history of our country’s existence. This extension is only one component of this larger bill. These actions are inconsistent with your public commitments to meaningfully reduce the federal deficit and will undo the improvements made to the IRS’s taxpayer services.
Accordingly, we ask that you provide responses to the following questions by June 30, 2025:
1. Given the proven return on investment from increasing staffing levels at the IRS, how did the Administration determine that a 40 percent across-the-board cut in the IRS workforce was prudent?
2. What analyses did the Administration conduct on the impact of IRS workforce cuts on deficit reduction goals, including nearly halving the division of the IRS that investigates tax evasion? Please share the revenue impact of these workforce cuts.
3. In anticipation of the 2026 tax filing season, what metrics are the IRS using to ensure that revenue collections are maintained at equal or greater levels and do not decrease?
4. The Administration has instituted a prolonged hiring freeze for the IRS. The National Taxpayer Advocate noted that IRS customer service positions have an attrition rate of 19 percent. With additional workforce reductions, how does the IRS intend to sustain adequate levels of customer service? Please share relevant documentation, including performance metrics for casework, phone service, and in-person assistance centers.
Thank you for your attention to this important matter.
Good news – the slipway at Admiral’s Hard has been repaired and is ready to welcome the Cremyll ferries back again.
From this Friday – 20 June – boats which ferry passengers across the Tamar to Mount Edgcumbe will be able to land once more at the slipway.
It has been closed since mid-March following reports of damage to the structure and work has now been carried out to stabilise the historic slip.
A section of sheet piling on the wall of the slip had collapsed, releasing a quantity of stone infill into the water, preventing the ferries from using the slip.
Specialist marine engineers were deployed to repair this part of the quay which is Grade II listed and whose origins date back to the Bronze Age, although most of the slip was built in the late 18 and 19th centuries.
Their work entailed replacing the sheet piles and clearing the debris. Other work including concrete pours into voids which were created by wave action – not an easy task given the time needed for concrete to dry – even if it is quick drying – and the tides coming in and out.
Metal strappings have also been installed along the edge to provide more rigidity.
Councillor Chris Penberthy, cabinet member with responsibility for assets said: “Plymouth has miles of coastline with quays, wharves, walls and slipways which given their location, are always going to be at the mercy of time, tide and wave action.
“We try to prioritise spend where it is most needed and I am sure residents – and visitors who enjoy a day out to Mount Edgcumbe will appreciate that this work is now finished – particularly with a warm spell arriving.
“It means the Plymouth Boat Trips can use this historic slipway once more and I would like to thank the company – and their customers – for their flexibility and understanding while we carried out these works.”
Ben Squire, Managing Director of Plymouth Boat Trips, who run the Cremyll Ferry said: “We have managed in the Royal William Yard but walking down Admiral’s Hard somehow feels like the start of the trip, so it is great to be able to do this again.
“It’s brilliant that this work is now finished just as we are coming into the busy season.”
Some minor painting work is still to be carried out once the service has resumed as these can be carried out between ferry landings.
The work has enabled more detailed survey to be carried out on the quay and a further programme of work is being planned.
U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Kodzo Tse, the ground movement noncommissioned officer in charge (NCOIC) of transportation of the joint force throughout African Lion 2025 (AL25), U.S. Army Southern European Task Force, Africa (SETAF-AF), poses for a photo in Agadir, Morocco, May 22, 2025. AL25, the largest annual military exercise in Africa, brings together over 50 nations, including seven NATO allies and 10,000 troops to conduct realistic, dynamic and collaborative training in an austere environment that intersects multiple geographic and functional combatant commands. Led by SETAF-AF on behalf of the U.S. Africa Command, AL25 takes place from April 14 to May 23, 2025, across Ghana, Morocco, Senegal, and Tunisia. This large-scale exercise will enhance our ability to work together in complex, multi-domain operations—preparing forces to deploy, fight and win. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. 1st Class Andrew Mallett) (Photo Credit: Sgt. 1st Class Andrew Mallett) VIEW ORIGINAL
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U.S. Army Southern European Task Force, Africa (SETAF-AF)
AGADIR, Morocco – U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Kodzo Tse, the ground movement noncommissioned officer in charge (NCOIC) of transportation of the joint force throughout African Lion 2025 (AL25), U.S. Army Southern European Task Force, Africa (SETAF-AF), plays a pivotal role at the exercise.
Born in Kpalimé, Togo, Tse oversees the movement of personnel—including distinguished visitors (DVs)—across Ghana, Morocco, Senegal and Tunisia, ensuring logistical precision for an exercise involving 10,000 troops from over 50 nations. For Tse, AL25 is more than a mission; it’s a homecoming to the continent where he was born, blending personal heritage with professional purpose.
“My role is to plan and provide manifests for all personnel movements, from start to finish,” Tse said. “Whether it’s troops or DVs, I make sure everyone gets where they need to be to keep AL25 running smoothly.”
A global career, built on adaptability
Tse’s journey began in a bustling city 120 kilometers north of Lomé, the capital of Togo. After immigrating to the U.S., he settled in Gaithersburg, Maryland, which he now considers his second home. Enlisting as an automated logistics specialist, Tse built a diverse career, serving as a squad leader, warehouse NCOIC, platoon sergeant, drill sergeant and operations sergeant.
His assignments have taken him across the world, including Al Dhafra in Abu Dhabi, as well as nine months in Kandahar, Afghanistan, Kuwait and Poland.
“I’ve served across the globe, from Afghanistan to Poland,” Tse said. “Each assignment taught me how to deliver under pressure and adapt to new challenges.”
U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Kodzo Tse, the ground movement noncommissioned officer in charge (NCOIC) of transportation of the joint force throughout African Lion 2025 (AL25), U.S. Army Southern European Task Force, Africa (SETAF-AF), poses for a photo in Agadir, Morocco, May 22, 2025. AL25, the largest annual military exercise in Africa, brings together over 50 nations, including seven NATO allies and 10,000 troops to conduct realistic, dynamic and collaborative training in an austere environment that intersects multiple geographic and functional combatant commands. Led by SETAF-AF on behalf of the U.S. Africa Command, AL25 takes place from April 14 to May 23, 2025, across Ghana, Morocco, Senegal, and Tunisia. This large-scale exercise will enhance our ability to work together in complex, multi-domain operations—preparing forces to deploy, fight and win. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. 1st Class Andrew Mallett) (Photo Credit: Sgt. 1st Class Andrew Mallett) VIEW ORIGINAL
Now with SETAF-AF, Tse’s expertise ensures AL25’s complex personnel movements are seamless, supporting the exercise’s goals of enhancing combat readiness and interoperability among African and NATO partners.
Turning challenges into growth
Tse credits his skilled team for helping him manage AL25’s logistical demands. Yet, his career has presented its share of challenges, most notably mastering the art of briefing general officers (GOs) with concise, actionable information.
“Briefing GOs is an art—giving them exactly what they need, simply and effectively,” he said. “My team has been incredible, helping me refine that skill from day one. I’m still learning every day.”
This reliance on teamwork mirrors Tse’s approach to AL25’s multinational setting, where he navigates language and cultural differences to keep operations on track, from troop manifests to DV schedules.
Leadership as a mindset
Tse views leadership as a mindset rooted in adaptability and clear communication, guiding teams toward shared objectives. During AL25, he has witnessed this principle in action as leaders collaborate across offices, ensuring mission alignment.
“In this exercise, leadership is about clear communication at every level,” he said. “We’re all working together, from junior NCOs to senior officers, to make this happen.”
His leadership shines in coordinating logistics across four countries, ensuring every echelon—from planners to executors—functions as a cohesive unit.
A legacy of impact
As AL25 progresses, Tse reflects on the legacy he is crafting. Returning to Africa to support the training of African militaries resonates deeply, tying his personal roots to his professional impact.
“I want to tell the story of coming back to my continent, helping improve combat readiness and operational efficiency,” he said. “That’s what this mission means to me.”
His advice to young soldiers is straightforward yet powerful.
“Do what’s right. Strive to be better than yesterday and aim for the top,” advised Tse.
It is a philosophy that has guided his own path of service and growth.
A life anchored in heritage and purpose
Tse maintains a strong connection to Kpalimé, even as he builds a life in Gaithersburg. These dual homes represent a bridge between his past and present, grounding him amid the demands of military service.
U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Kodzo Tse, the ground movement noncommissioned officer in charge (NCOIC) of transportation of the joint force throughout African Lion 2025 (AL25), U.S. Army Southern European Task Force, Africa (SETAF-AF), poses for a photo in Agadir, Morocco, May 22, 2025. AL25, the largest annual military exercise in Africa, brings together over 50 nations, including seven NATO allies and 10,000 troops to conduct realistic, dynamic and collaborative training in an austere environment that intersects multiple geographic and functional combatant commands. Led by SETAF-AF on behalf of the U.S. Africa Command, AL25 takes place from April 14 to May 23, 2025, across Ghana, Morocco, Senegal, and Tunisia. This large-scale exercise will enhance our ability to work together in complex, multi-domain operations—preparing forces to deploy, fight and win. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. 1st Class Andrew Mallett) (Photo Credit: Sgt. 1st Class Andrew Mallett) VIEW ORIGINAL
“Gaithersburg is home, but Kpalimé will always be part of me,” he said. “It’s where I learned the value of hard work and community.”
As AL25 concludes, Tse’s contributions underscore the power of adaptability, teamwork and purpose. His story bridges continents and cultures, leaving a lasting mark on this historic exercise.
About African Lion
AL25, the largest annual military exercise in Africa, brings together over 50 nations, including seven NATO allies and 10,000 troops to conduct realistic, dynamic and collaborative training in an austere environment that intersects multiple geographic and functional combatant commands. Led by U.S. Army Southern European Task Force, Africa (SETAF-AF) on behalf of the U.S. Africa Command, AL25 takes place from April 14 to May 23, 2025, across Ghana, Morocco, Senegal, and Tunisia. This large-scale exercise will enhance our ability to work together in complex, multi-domain operations—preparing forces to deploy, fight and win.
About SETAF-AF
U.S. Army Southern European Task Force, Africa (SETAF-AF) prepares Army forces, executes crisis response, enables strategic competition and strengthens partners to achieve U.S. Army Europe and Africa and U.S. Africa Command campaign objectives.
Source: United States Small Business Administration
SACRAMENTO, Calif. – The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) is reminding small businesses and private nonprofit (PNP) organizations in California of the July 18, 2025 deadline to apply for low interest federal disaster loans to offset economic losses caused by the Airport Fire occurring Sept. 9-Oct. 6, 2024.
The disaster declaration covers the California counties of Imperial, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino and San Diego counties as well as La Paz County in Arizona.
Under this declaration, SBA’s Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) program is available to small businesses, small agricultural cooperatives, nurseries, and PNPs impacted by financial losses directly related to the disaster. The SBA is unable to provide disaster loans to agricultural producers, farmers, or ranchers, except for small aquaculture enterprises.
EIDLs are available for working capital needs caused by the disaster and are available even if the small business did not suffer any physical damage. The loans may be used to pay fixed debts, payroll, accounts payable, and other bills not paid due to the disaster.
“SBA loans help eligible small businesses and private nonprofits cover operating expenses after a disaster, which is crucial for their recovery,” said Chris Stallings, associate administrator of the Office of Disaster Recovery and Resilience at the SBA. “These loans not only help business owners get back on their feet but also play a key role in sustaining local economies in the aftermath of a disaster.”
The loan amount can be up to $2 million with interest rates as low as 4% for small businesses and 3.25% for PNPs with terms up to 30 years. Interest does not accrue, and payments are not due until 12 months from the date of the first loan disbursement. The SBA sets loan amounts and terms based on each applicant’s financial condition.
To apply online, visit sba.gov/disaster. Applicants may also call SBA’s Customer Service Center at (800) 659-2955 or email disastercustomerservice@sba.gov for more information on SBA disaster assistance. For people who are deaf, hard of hearing, or have a speech disability, please dial 7-1-1 to access telecommunications relay services.
Submit completed loan applications to the SBA no later than July 18.
###
About the U.S. Small Business Administration
The U.S. Small Business Administration helps power the American dream of business ownership. As the only go-to resource and voice for small businesses backed by the strength of the federal government, the SBA empowers entrepreneurs and small business owners with the resources and support they need to start, grow, expand their businesses, or recover from a declared disaster. It delivers services through an extensive network of SBA field offices and partnerships with public and private organizations. To learn more, visit www.sba.gov.
Source: United States Small Business Administration
SACRAMENTO, Calif. – The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) is reminding eligible small businesses and private nonprofit (PNP) organizations in Arizona of the July 18, 2025 deadline to apply for low interest federal disaster loans to offset economic losses caused by drought beginning Nov. 12, 2024.
The disaster declaration covers the Arizona counties of La Paz, Maricopa, Pima and Yuma as well as Imperial County in California.
Under this declaration, SBA’s Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) program is available to small businesses, small agricultural cooperatives, nurseries, and PNPs with financial losses directly related to the disaster. The SBA is unable to provide disaster loans to agricultural producers, farmers, or ranchers, except for small aquaculture enterprises.
EIDLs are available for working capital needs caused by the disaster and are available even if the business or PNP did not suffer any physical damage. The loans may be used to pay fixed debts, payroll, accounts payable and other bills not paid due to the disaster.
“Through a declaration by the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, SBA provides critical financial assistance to help communities recover,” said Chris Stallings, associate administrator of the Office of Disaster Recovery and Resilience at the SBA. “We’re pleased to offer loans to small businesses and private nonprofits impacted by these disasters.”
The loan amount can be up to $2 million with interest rates as low as 4% for small businesses and 3.62% for PNPs with terms up to 30 years. Interest does not accrue, and payments are not due until 12 months from the date of the first loan disbursement. The SBA sets loan amounts and terms based on each applicant’s financial condition.
To apply online, visit sba.gov/disaster. Applicants may also call SBA’s Customer Service Center at (800) 659-2955 or email disastercustomerservice@sba.gov for more information on SBA disaster assistance. For people who are deaf, hard of hearing, or have a speech disability, please dial 7-1-1 to access telecommunications relay services.
Submit completed loan applications to the SBA no later than July 18.
###
About the U.S. Small Business Administration
The U.S. Small Business Administration helps power the American dream of business ownership. As the only go-to resource and voice for small businesses backed by the strength of the federal government, the SBA empowers entrepreneurs and small business owners with the resources and support they need to start, grow, expand their businesses, or recover from a declared disaster. It delivers services through an extensive network of SBA field offices and partnerships with public and private organizations. To learn more, visit www.sba.gov.
There’s a reason casinos rarely have windows or clocks, they’re engineered to make you lose track of time. But what if it’s not just time you’re losing? New research suggests that the lighting used in gambling environments could be quietly altering how we make decisions, making us more prone to take risks.
The colour of the lights surrounding us can do more than just set the mood. It can shape our behaviour.
The new study from researchers at Flinders University in Australia found that blue-enriched lighting (the same cold, bright hue used in many modern LED lights and digital screens) can reduce a gambler’s sensitivity to losses. In a controlled experiment, participants exposed to this kind of light took riskier bets and responded less emotionally to losing.
The researchers believe this change in decision-making is rooted in our biology. The human body is sensitive to different wavelengths of light, not just for vision but also for regulating our internal clocks and emotional states. Blue light in particular has been shown to suppress melatonin production, a hormone which signals to the body it’s time to prepare for sleep.
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Research has also shown blue light can increase alertness and influence brain areas tied to reward and motivation by stimulating the neural circuits involved in anticipation and decision-making. In the case of gambling, this heightened arousal might dampen our natural aversion to loss, even when the odds are stacked against us.
Light can influence us in many other surprising ways. Studies have shown that cooler, blue-toned lighting can enhance cognitive performance and alertness during the day, which is why it’s often used in offices and classrooms. Warmer lighting is more relaxing and is typically recommended by sleep scientists and health professionals for evenings to promote better sleep.
Retailers, too, have long exploited the psychological effects of lighting, using bright, targeted lighting – often in the form of spotlighting or high-intensity LEDs – to draw attention to products.
The colour and intensity of lighting can also affect consumers’ perception of value and attractiveness. This encourages spending by increasing visual salience, making a product stand out more and grab your attention, and creating a more engaging sensory experience.
Specific colours of light seem to have an array of effects in different environments. Red lighting may have effects which increase appetite. This is possibly because it stimulates the sympathetic nervous system, which is associated with arousal and physiological readiness. Meanwhile studies suggest green light may reduce pain and light sensitivity for migraine sufferers.
But lighting is only one half of the sensory equation in casinos. Sound design plays a major role in immersive gambling environments. Upbeat music can make people less risk-averse by speeding up decision-making and creating a sense of urgency.
Jingles and celebratory sounds serve as auditory rewards, reinforcing positive feelings even in the absence of a financial win. When players lose, slot machines often produce celebratory sounds and flashing lights, creating what researchers call a “loss disguised as a win”. This sensory mismatch tricks the brain into thinking it’s succeeding, distorting our ability to assess risk or stop playing.
In gambling environments, red light combined with casino‑style sounds has been shown to eliminate the usual cognitive slowdown after losses during decision-making tasks, leading players to make faster choices without the normal pause for reflection.
A 2018 study showed that flashing animations and vivid colours can increase arousal and attention, making gambling more stimulating and immersive. This, in turn, delays self-regulation and increases time spent gambling. In effect, your surroundings are constantly nudging you to stay, to play, and to believe the next win is just around the corner.
As gambling moves increasingly online, these principles are being translated to digital platforms. Online slot games often use flashing animations, vivid colours, and background music that mimic the ambience of a physical casino. The blue light emitted from screens can be just as stimulating – especially late at night – potentially exacerbating the effects seen in the Flinders University study.
If subtle changes to lighting can lead to riskier decisions, then regulating these features might help promote less harmful gambling behaviour. For instance, encouraging warmer lighting in gambling venues or digital settings could help prevent excessive play.
The lights and sounds that surround us in these environments aren’t just decoration. They’re carefully designed to heighten arousal, dull sensitivity to losses, and encourage riskier decisions.
Our responses to colour, brightness and sound happen at a subconscious level, meaning even informed players can still be swayed by them. Reducing your device’s screen brightness, using blue light filters at night, or turning off in-game sounds can help counteract some of these psychological effects for online gambling.
But meaningful change will probably require policy intervention that treats environmental design not as a neutral backdrop, but as a powerful behavioural influence – one that should be shaped with responsibility to the wellbeing of the consumer, not just profit, in mind.
If you believe your or someone else may benefit from support with gambling behaviour, please access the International Support Contact for your jurisdiction or GamCare for UK specific support.
In the last three years, Dr Glen Dighton has received funding from Bristol Hub for Gambling Harms Research, and an honorarium from Greo Evidence Insights for grant-proposal review
‘Planting the sugar-cane’: vast fortunes were made from the trades in both sugar and human slaves in the Americas.Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, Photographs and Prints Division, The New York Public Library
Rich British aristocratic families with a legacy of owning colonial slave plantations are often accused by campaigners that their wealth solely originates from these plantations. One frequent target of this criticism has been the Drax family of Dorset, which is headed by Richard Grosvenor Plunkett-Ernle-Erle-Drax, who was the Conservative MP for South Dorset until July 2024.
Historian Alan Lester of the University of Sussex has noted of Drax (as he is commonly known): “Much of his fortune is inherited, coming down the family line from ownership of the Drax sugar plantations and the 30,000 enslaved people who worked them as Drax property for 180 years before emancipation in Barbados.”
Recently, I have researched and written a book on the Drax family’s history and involvement in the slave trade in the Caribbean, Drax of Drax Hall, that gives fresh insights into the level of wealth they derived from the sugar trade and the trade in African slaves who worked their plantations – as well as the family’s other income sources.
I searched the archives in the UK and Caribbean for evidence of their revenue streams until Britain’s 1834 abolition of slavery in the colonies. I estimate that the family today are worth more than £150 million from their land and property in Dorset and Yorkshire.
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Over a period of two centuries until 1834, eight generations of Drax ancestors owned and worked hundreds of enslaved African captives at any one time. The latest beneficiary of primogeniture – the legal concept that recognises the first-born child as heir to a familiy’s fortune – Richard Drax inherited the family’s still-operating 621-acre Drax Hall plantation in Barbados in 2021.
Drax, 67, has said: “I am keenly aware of the slave trade in the West Indies, and the role my very distant ancestor played in it is deeply, deeply regrettable. But no one can be held responsible today for what happened many hundreds of years ago. This is a part of the nation’s history, from which we must all learn.”
My research reveals the sources of his family’s wealth are more complex than the critics’ claims that it all derives from the slave-worked plantations.
Like most British landed gentry, much of the Drax family income has come as extensive landlords of their British estates which, in 1883, exceeded 23,000 acres across various counties. Today, it includes nearly 16,000 acres in Dorset and 2,520 acres in the Yorkshire Dales.
However, my research also shows the Drax family made more money from slavery than was previously thought, when taking into account the way revenues from their plantations were channelled into the family’s British estates over the two centuries of slavery.
Drax Hall plantation in Barbados
The Drax Hall plantation in the Barbados parish of Saint George has been described by Barbadian historian Sir Hilary Beckles, chair of the Caribbean Community reparations commission, as a “killing field” where as many as 30,000 slaves died in brutal conditions. Despite pressure from reparation campaigners in the Caribbean, Britain and elsewhere, Richard Drax has declined to make a formal public apology or gesture of recompense in the Caribbean for the years of slavery.
A 19th-century drawing of Drax Hall plantation in Barbados. Unknown source, Wikimedia Commons
As the prime minister of Barbados, Mia Mottley, explained in April 2024, despite the efforts of her government Drax has yet to agree to a settlement, pay reparations or contribute all or part of his family’s Drax Hall plantation to provide affordable housing or become a memorial to those who worked and died in colonial enslavement on the island.
Some other British landed families whose ancestors owned slave plantations in the Caribbean, including the Trevelyans (who owned six slave plantations in Grenada) and the Gladstones (British prime minister William Gladstone’s father owned plantations in Guyana), have made formal apologies and reparations. And while some families have kept the terms of these reparations private, longtime BBC reporter Laura Trevelyan made a US$100,000 (£73,000) donation to a Caribbean development fund.
The largest family estate
Four thousand miles from Barbados, Richard Drax lives in Charborough House, a historic 17th-century mansion in Dorset. He oversees the 23.5-square mile estate, the largest family estate in Dorset with over 120 properties, many of which are rented out.
Charborough was acquired by Drax’s ancestor Walter Erle by marriage in 1549. The family has gradually increased the estate over the centuries. Historically, their income comes from renting land to tenant farmers and cottages to agricultural workers. This, I identified, is where the bulk of their income has come from.
However, profits from sugar produced by slavery also poured into the family coffers over 200 years. Richard Drax’s remote ancestor James Drax (1609-1661) was one of the first settler group to arrive in the then-uninhabited island of Barbados in 1627. In his introduction to my book, TV historian David Olusoga writes that the Drax family were key players – arguably the key players – in the origin story of British slavery:
The Drax Hall plantation, the first estate on which a crop of sugar was commercially grown and processed by any English planter, became one of the laboratories in which early English slavery was developed and finessed.
Built around 1650, the Jacobean plantation house is thought to be the one of the three oldest extant residential buildings in the Americas. From the 17th into the 18th century, the Draxes created and owned the largest acreage in Barbados with the Drax Hall and and Mount plantations – plus a 3,000-acre estate, also called Drax Hall, in Jamaica. The family became enormously wealthy: James Drax was said by a visitor to Drax Hall in the 1640s to “live like a prince”, putting on lavish dinners for friends and guests.
In addition to owning slaves, James Drax shipped African captives to Barbados as a key part of the trade in slaves. Knighted by both Oliver Cromwell and Charles I, by 1660 he was a director and investor in the English East India Company which, in part, traded and exploited enslaved people.
Paul Lashmar’s book, Drax of Drax Hall. Bookshop.com
In her 1930 study, American historian Elizabeth Donnan presented evidence that the Draxes of the 17th century operated “off the books” – buying enslaved people from, and selling them to, “interloper” ships that circumvented the Royal African Company’s monopoly of slave trading to the colonies.
The Drax family married into the Erle family in 1719, combining three fortunes: that of the Erles of Charborough, the Draxes of Yorkshire, Barbados and Jamaica, and the landed-gentry Ernles of Wiltshire.
Despite being deeply involved in the South Sea Bubble scandal, the Drax family flourished. The slave registers in the National Archives show that between 1825 and 1834, the Drax Hall plantation in Barbados produced an average of 163 tonnes of sugar and 4,845 gallons of rum per year. This gave the family an average annual net profit of £3,591 – equivalent to about £600,000 now. Today, the plantation still produces 700 tonnes of sugar a year, earning the family something in the region of £250,000.
Pressure for reparations
In recent years, the value of Drax Hall’s land in Barbados has greatly increased as it is sought after for housing, and could now be worth as much as Bds$150,000 (£60,000) per acre. At the same time, pressure for reparations is growing. In 2023, the African Union threw its weight behind the Caribbean reparations campaign.
David Comissiong, deputy chairman of the Barbados reparations task force, has said: “Other families are involved, though not as prominently as the Draxes. This reparations journey has begun.”
Yet to date, the only reparations paid in the story of the Drax family’s involvement in the slave trade were to the family itself. In 1837, Jane-Frances Erle-Drax, the heiress of Charborough, received £4,293 12s 6d (worth more than £614,000 today) in reparations for freeing 189 slaves from Drax Hall plantation after the abolition of slavery in the colonies.
In the course of researching and writing my book, I approached Richard Drax both directly and through his lawyers and put the claims made here to him. He had no comment to add.
This page contains references to books included for editorial reasons, which may include links to bookshop.org. If you click on one of the links and go on to buy something from bookshop.org, The Conversation UK may earn a commission.
Treating lower back pain is enormously expensive. In the UK it’s estimated to cost the NHS around £3.2 billion a year. So, ensuring patients get the right treatment is critical.
However, the guidance issued by the UK’s National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice) on how to treat lower back pain was last updated in 2020, meaning many patients may be getting out-of-date advice from their healthcare practitioner.
Fortunately, most people with lower back pain recover quickly without treatment. But a minority don’t, and they can go on to develop long-term disability.
People with lower back pain usually see their GP first. The GP may refer the patient to a physiotherapist, or, in some parts of the UK, patients can refer themselves to one.
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However, Nice recommends using a short questionnaire to identify those least likely to recover, so they can be offered more intensive treatment. Those most likely to recover get an initial assessment and advice only.
This approach was supported by a UK study which found a small benefit compared to offering everyone standard physiotherapy care. But later studies have not confirmed that result. It may not matter if care is targeted at those at highest risk or not.
Nice also recommends self-management. This means giving patients information and leaving them to handle their own recovery. But recent research found that an online support programme was no better than usual care from their GP.
For people with at least three months of lower back pain, Nice recommends “radio frequency denervation” as an option. This is a procedure where a probe is inserted into the back next to the nerve carrying pain signals from the back. Heating the probe can disable the nerves that carry pain signals. The problem is that some studies suggest it may help while others show no benefit.
A more robust study is underway that will hopefully provide us with a more definitive answer. But, for now, we think this treatment should be approached with caution.
Most Nice recommendations for the use of medications align with the current evidence. Nice recommends against the use of opioids for people with short-term back pain. However, the guidance suggests that weak opioids, such as codeine, can be considered if anti-inflammatory drugs are ineffective or “contraindicated” (should be avoided), for example, for people with previous stomach bleeding.
This ambiguous approach is confusing and may result in people being given the wrong care. Also, a study published in 2023 showed that a stronger opioid does not help people with short-term back pain. Nice could adopt a clearer stance, explicitly discouraging opioid use for lower back pain.
The guidance could focus on treatments where there’s strong evidence of benefit. One option is non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, such as ibuprofen, which can be effective for treating people with acute and persistent symptoms. If this medication fails, heat therapy, such as hot packs and heat wraps, can be used for short-term lower back pain.
Nice suggests that codeine can be used if the patient is unable to take anti-inflammatory medication, such as ibuprofen. Matthew Nichols1/Shutterstock.com
Treating peristant lower back pain
Exercise programmes can help people with persistent back pain. A recent study found that regular walking can help prevent lower back pain flare-ups.
Approaches, such as cognitive functional therapy, where physiotherapists address both physical and psychological barriers to recovery, also show great promise. A recent study found that it offers lasting benefits when compared to a sham (placebo) intervention.
Mindfulness, a type of meditation, also seems a promising approach for persistent pain. A new study, published in The Lancet Rheumatology showed that it can have meaningful and lasting benefits for these patients.
Guidance from the World Health Organization recommends other treatments, such as manual therapy (spinal manipulation, for instance) and acupuncture, that could help people with persistent symptoms.
It is clear that the Nice guidelines don’t always reflect what we now know works, and sometimes steer care in the wrong direction.
Martin Underwood is chief investigator or co-investigator on multiple previous and current research grants from the UK National Institute for Health Research, and is a co-investigator on grants funded by the Australian NHMRC and Norwegian MRC. He is a director and shareholder of Clinvivo Ltd that provides electronic data collection for health services research. He has accepted honoraria for examining theses, and performing peer review. He receives some salary support from University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire. He is a co-investigator on two current and one completed NIHR funded studies that have, or have had, additional support from Stryker Ltd. He has accepted travel expenses and accommodation for speaking at academic meetings.
Gustavo Machado has an investigator grant from the National Health and Medical Research Council. He also holds research grants from the National Health and Medical Research Council, Medical Research Future Fund, and HCF Research Foundation.
Crystian Bitencourt Soares de Oliveira does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
Source: The Conversation – UK – By Natasha Lindstaedt, Professor in the Department of Government, University of Essex
Working alongside western democratic allies has not been a natural fit for Donald Trump. The US president left the recently concluded G7 summit in Canada early, with his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron assuming this was to work on addressing the most severe escalation between Iran and Israel in decades.
But Trump offered little communication with other G7 members, which include Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the UK, of what his plans were. He said he had to leave the summit “for obvious reasons”, though failed to elaborate on what he meant.
After exiting the summit, he lambasted Macron on social media. Trump wrote: “Wrong! He has no idea why I am now on my way to Washington, but it certainly has nothing to do with a Cease Fire”. Trump continued by saying his exit was due to something “much bigger than that”, adding: “Emmanuel always gets it wrong.”
This has prompted discussion over whether US forces may join Israel’s strikes on Iran. Despite initially distancing the US from the Israeli attacks, Trump said on June 17: “We now have complete and total control of the skies over Iran.”
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He has since demanded Tehran’s “unconditional surrender”, while also issuing a chilling threat to Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, describing him as an “easy target”.
The pressure campaign employed by Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, to convince Trump that the time is right for a military assault on Iran seems to be working.
Exploiting Trump’s impulsive nature, Netanyahu may soon be able to convince Trump to give Israel what it needs to destroy Iran’s underground uranium enrichment sites: a 30,000-pound “bunker buster” bomb and a B-2 bomber to carry it.
The US’s western allies have been left scrambling to interpret Trump’s social media posts and figure out the real reason he left the G7 summit early.
This wasn’t the first time that Trump has left a G7 forum early. In 2018, the last time such a meeting was held in Canada, Trump also left early after Macron and the then Canadian prime minister, Justin Trudeau, promised to confront Trump over the imposition of tariffs on US allies.
The latest G7 summit also wasn’t the first time Trump has treated traditional US allies with suspicion. Trump has cast doubt on US willingness to defend Nato allies if they don’t pay more for their own defence. He has repeatedly threatened to leave the alliance and has frequently denigrated it – even calling alliance members “delinquent”.
Trump thinks the US gains an advantage by abandoning relationships with “free riders”. But experts have made clear alienating allies makes the US weaker. While the alliance system has given the US unprecedented influence over the foreign policies of US allies in the past, Trump’s pressure to increase their defence spending will make them more independent from the US in the long-term.
Trump seems to prefer a world guided by short-term self-interest at the expense of long-term collective security. Indeed, with an “America first” agenda, multilateral cooperation is not Trump’s strong suit. With the G7, Trump is yet again making clear that he does not fit in, nor does he want to.
Because the G7 is small and relatively homogenous in membership, meetings between members are supposed to promote collective and decisive decision-making. However, even the task of coming up with a joint statement on the escalating conflict between Iran and Israel proved challenging.
Trump eventually joined other leaders in calling for deescalation in the Middle East, and the G7 was in agreement that Iran cannot acquire nuclear weapons. But Trump’s social media activity since then has left US allies in the dark over what role the US might play in the conflict.
Trump also alarmed G7 members with calls for Russia to return to the forum. He claimed that the war in Ukraine would not have happened had Moscow not been ejected from the former G8 grouping in 2014.
Then, on his way out of the summit, Trump bragged to reporters that Russia’s leader, Vladimir Putin, “doesn’t speak to anybody else” but him. Trump added that Putin was insulted when Russia was thrown out of the G8, “as I would be, as you would be, as anybody would be”.
Following weeks of frustration over Russia’s refusal to engage in serious peace talks about ending the war in Ukraine, Trump seems to have returned to being Putin’s most loyal advocate.
Hostility toward multilateralism
During Trump’s first term, he pushed multilateralism to the brink. But he did not completely disengage. The US withdrew from the Paris climate accords, the nuclear deal with Iran, negotiations for a trade deal with Pacific nations, and imposed sanctions against officials of the International Criminal Court.
However, when multilateral initiatives served Trump’s short-term objectives, he was willing to get on board. A trade deal struck with Canada and Mexico that Trump described as “the most important” ever agreed by the US. He said the deal would bring thousands of jobs back to North America.
The second Trump administration has been even more hostile to multilateralism. Not only has the trade deal with Canada and Mexico been undermined by Trump’s love of tariffs, his administration has been more antagonistic toward almost all of the US’s traditional allies. In fact, most of Trump’s ire is reserved for democracies not autocracies.
In contrast to the G7, where he clearly felt out of place, Trump was in his element during his May trip to the Middle East. Trump has a more natural connection to the leaders of the Gulf who do not have to adhere to democratic norms and human rights, and where deals can get done immediately.
Trump left the Middle East revelling in all of the billion dollar deals he made, which he exaggerated were worth US$2 trillion (£1.5 trillion). The G7, on the other hand, doesn’t offer much to Trump. He sees it as more of a nuisance.
The G7 forum is supposed to reassure the public that the most powerful countries in the world are united in their commitment to stability. But Trump’s antics are undermining the credibility of that message. It is these antics that risk dragging the west into a dangerous confrontation with Iran.
Natasha Lindstaedt does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian – People’s Republic of China in Russian –
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
BEIJING, June 18 (Xinhua) — The transformation of east China’s Shanghai into an international financial center befitting China’s comprehensive strength and global influence will be basically completed within the next five to 10 years, according to a newly issued guideline.
As noted in the policy document on supporting Shanghai’s accelerated development into an international financial center issued by the Central Financial Commission, the adaptability, competitiveness and inclusiveness of the city’s modern financial system are expected to be significantly enhanced, and its functions as a hub of financial openness will be greatly strengthened.
The document states that in order to achieve these goals, it is planned to actively develop the Shanghai financial market. The scientific and technological innovation platform on the Shanghai Stock Exchange will play a more significant and inclusive role in promoting “hard technologies”. In addition, support will be provided to the Shanghai Futures Exchange in its transformation into a world-class exchange.
According to the directive, Shanghai will take measures to attract a wide range of legal entities, branches of both Chinese and foreign large financial institutions, as well as licensed specialized organizations. The city will promote the formation and attraction of stable and effectively regulated financial holding companies, and encourage the placement of international financial organizations on its territory.
By forming an advanced international financial infrastructure system, the metropolis will intensify the development of the cross-border payment and settlement system in yuan. Shanghai will consistently expand the institutional openness of the financial sector and achieve full compliance with high-standard international trade and economic rules.
In addition, Shanghai will develop green finance standards in line with international practices and actively participate in international cooperation in this field. According to the directive, efforts will also be made to ensure financial security in an open environment using technologies such as blockchain, big data and artificial intelligence.
To implement the directive, the State Financial Supervision Administration of China and the Shanghai People’s Government have issued an action plan that includes a series of measures to enhance the city’s competitiveness and influence as an international financial center. These measures cover areas such as streamlining financial services, expanding institutional openness, and strengthening financial regulation. –0–
The Majority Leader of the House of Representatives announces bills that will be considered under suspension of the rules in that chamber. Under suspension, floor debate is limited, all floor amendments are prohibited, points of order against the bill are waived, and final passage requires a two-thirds majority vote.
At the request of the Majority Leader and the House Committee on the Budget, CBO estimates the effects of those bills on direct spending and revenues. CBO has limited time to review the legislation before consideration. Although it is possible in most cases to determine whether the legislation would affect direct spending or revenues, time may be insufficient to estimate the magnitude of those effects. If CBO has prepared estimates for similar or identical legislation, a more detailed assessment of budgetary effects, including effects on spending subject to appropriation, may be included.
CBO’s estimates of the bills that have been posted for possible consideration under suspension of the rules during the week of June 23, 2025, include:
H.R. 260, No Tax Dollars for Terrorists Act, as amended
H.R. 910, Taiwan Non-Discrimination Act of 2025, as amended
H.R. 1082, Shandra Eisenga Human Cell and Tissue Product Safety Act
H.R. 1190, Expanding Access to Capital for Rural Job Creators Act, as amended
H.R. 1520, Charlotte Woodward Organ Transplant Discrimination Prevention Act
H.R. 1664, Deploying American Blockchains Act of 2025, as amended
H.R. 1679, Global Investment in American Jobs Act of 2025
H.R. 1713, Agricultural Risk Review Act of 2025, as amended
H.R. 1737, To direct the Secretary of Commerce to submit to Congress a report containing an assessment of the value, cost, and feasibility of a trans-Atlantic submarine fiber optic cable connecting the contiguous United States, the United States Virgin Islands, Ghana, and Nigeria
H.R. 1767, Awning Safety Act of 2025
H.R. 1998, Sanction Sea Pirates Act of 2025, as amended
H.R. 2225, Access to Small Business Investor Capital Act, as amended
H.R. 2269, WIPPES Act
H.R. 2481, Romance Scam Prevention Act
H.R. 2808, Homebuyers Privacy Protection Act, as amended
H.R. 3301, ELEVATE Act of 2025, as amended
H.R. 3352, HALOS Act of 2025, as amended
H.R. 3381, Encouraging Public Offerings Act of 2025, as amended
H.R. 3394, Fair Investment Opportunities for Professional Experts Act, as amended
H.R. 3422, Promoting Opportunities for Non-Traditional Capital Formation Act, as amended
H. Res. __, Condemning the attacks on Minnesota lawmakers in Brooklyn Park and Champlin, Minnesota, and calling for unity and the rejection of political violence in Minnesota and across the United States
Source: United States Senator for Connecticut – Chris Murphy
June 17, 2025
WASHINGTON—U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), a member of the U.S. Senate Health Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee, joined Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) and Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) and U.S. Representatives Jimmy Gomez (D-Calif.-34) and Donald Beyer (D-Va.-08) in leading a group of bicameral colleagues in reintroducing the?Choose Medicare Act. This revolutionary proposal opens Medicare to all Americans with a new ‘Part E’ and builds on the system we have today by allowing Medicare to compete with private health insurance.
“Instead of shielding big insurance companies from competition, we should give Americans the option to choose Medicare’s high-quality, low-cost coverage if it’s right for them and their families,” said Murphy. “While Republicans spike the cost of living and cut health care for millions of Americans, we’ll keep fighting to expand access and affordability.”
“I’m proud to support the Choose Medicare Act which expands access to Medicare, making quality and affordable health care more attainable for all Americans,” said Blumenthal. “Every day, Americans across the country must choose between critical health care and other basic necessities. Our health care system needs updating and upgrading so that it works for everyone – not just giant private health insurers.”
“In the richest country in the world, no person should have to worry about whether they’ll be able to afford care if they become sick or get into an accident.?At a time when?proposed cuts?from Republicans?threaten the health and financial security of millions, it’s more important than ever to expand access to high-quality, affordable?health?care,”?said Merkley.?“The?Choose Medicare Act?does just that by allowing every American to buy into Medicare, protecting and expanding this effective, popular system, and?putting consumers and businesses in the driver’s seat on the road to universal health care.”
“I got pneumonia when I was seven years old, and my family almost went bankrupt because we were uninsured. Today too many families are still one medical emergency away from financial crisis,” said Gomez. “Our bicameral legislation lets every American opt into Medicare — which is affordable, effective, and trusted — and we’re going to keep fighting until everyone has access to the care they need.
The Choose Medicare Act is co-sponsored by Senators Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Jack Reed (D-RI), Brian Schatz (D-HI), Tina Smith (D-MN), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), and Dick Durbin (D-IL), and Representatives Jared Huffman (D-CA-02), LaMonica McIver (D-NJ-10), and Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC-AL). The bill is supported by Families USA, MoveOn, American Federation of Teachers, the Center for Medicare Advocacy, and the Center for Health and Democracy.
“Now, more than ever, millions of people are grappling with skyrocketing health care costs and rising concerns that they won’t be able to access affordable health insurance and the care they need to keep their families healthy. Lawmakers should be doing all they can to ensure people across the country have more options for affordable health care, not less. The Choose Medicare Act is an important effort that creates a new pathway to make Medicare accessible to more consumers and employers, and makes important improvements to the current program like coverage of all reproductive health and essential health benefits,” said Jane Sheehan, Deputy Senior Director of Government Relations for Families USA.
“The Choose Medicare Act would improve the existing Medicare program by creating a critically needed out-of-pocket cap in traditional Medicare,” said David Lipschutz, Co-Director of the Center for Medicare Advocacy. “The bill would also enable people currently not yet eligible for Medicare to enjoy the benefits of traditional Medicare, without the restrictions of limited provider networks found in many Medicare Advantage plans.”
“Big Insurance’s monopoly control over health care in this country has led to higher health care costs and a growing medical debt crisis, all while making health care unaffordable and inaccessible to a majority of Americans. It is a system designed to put profits over patients. This bill is a vital step towards breaking Big Insurance’s strangle hold over health care in this country and will open up the most successful health care program in our country’s history, Medicare, to even more people. I applaud Senator Merkley for introducing it,” said Wendell Potter, President, Center for Health and Democracy.
Medicare ‘Part E’ aims to be self-sustaining and fully paid for by premiums. Plans would be offered on all state and federal exchanges, giving people the ability to use existing Affordable Care Act?subsidies to help cover their premiums. Additionally, employers could choose to select Medicare ‘Part E’ rather than private insurance to provide affordable and reliable health care to their employees.
The?Choose Medicare Act
Increases Access, Competition, and Choice ?
1. Opens Medicare to employers of all sizes and allows them to purchase high-quality, affordable health care for their employees without requiring replacement of employment-based health insurance.?
2. Addresses the discrepancy between consumer protections in the individual and group markets by extending the ACA’s rating requirements to all markets, to end discrimination based on pre-existing conditions once and for all.?
?
Provides Comprehensive Coverage
1. Includes the ACA’s 10 essential health benefits and all items and services covered by Medicare.
2. Provides high-quality, gold-level coverage and cost-sharing.??
3. Ensures coverage for a wide range of reproductive services, including abortion.
?
Improves Affordability
1. Establishes an out-of-pocket maximum in traditional Medicare.
2. Increases the generosity of premium tax credits and extends eligibility to all earners.??
3. Directs Medicare to negotiate fair prices for prescription drugs by incorporating in the program the drug price negotiation section of the Inflation Reduction Act.?
4. Drives down private insurance premiums through competition from Medicare by allowing the HHS Secretary to block excessive private insurance rates.?
5. Extends traditional Medicare protections on balance billing or surprise bills to ‘Part E’ plans.
Glendale, California, June 18, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Radcred, a trusted name in online financial services, has officially announced the launch of its enhanced digital platform, offering $255 payday loans online with same-day no-credit-check options for Americans facing emergency cash needs. This new service aims to streamline the process of accessing same day payday loan offers, especially for borrowers with poor or limited credit history.
The platform is designed to deliver faster approvals, safer transactions, and a higher chance of matching applicants with instant online payday loans through Radcred’s network of direct lenders. By offering payday loans online same day $255, Radcred provides a lifeline for consumers dealing with urgent expenses, from medical bills to car repairs, where traditional banking solutions fall short.
As the demand for small payday loans online continues to rise, Radcred’s focus on financial inclusivity ensures that users with poor credit scores can secure funds responsibly and efficiently.
Radcred Launches Enhanced Platform for Faster, Safer $255 Payday Loans
Radcred’s upgraded platform introduces several innovations tailored to meet the urgent needs of people seeking $255 payday loans online same day. The user-friendly interface, combined with a network of reputable lenders, ensures a smooth application process, often leading to approvals in under an hour.
Unlike many traditional lenders, Radcred focuses on payday loans online same day no credit check, eliminating unnecessary delays caused by hard credit inquiries. Borrowers can apply within minutes, review offers transparently, and receive funds directly into their bank account, sometimes on the same day.
This digital solution emphasizes data security, quick decisions, and compliance with lending regulations, helping borrowers access instant payday loan options without hidden charges. With this initiative, Radcred is positioning itself at the forefront of responsible short-term lending.
The Growing Demand for Small Payday Loans in USA
In today’s economic climate, more individuals are turning to small payday loans online to handle unexpected financial hurdles. Rising living costs, coupled with economic uncertainties, have left many without sufficient savings for emergencies.
Same day payday loan solutions, such as Radcred’s offering, address these gaps by providing fast, accessible funds that help consumers cover essential expenses without resorting to high-interest credit cards or overdraft penalties.
Platforms that provide payday loans online same day $255 or similar quick loan amounts play an increasingly vital role in supporting financial stability for working individuals across the nation.
Features of Radcred for Your Payday Loan Needs
Radcred’s service model focuses on delivering convenience, speed, and fairness to borrowers in need of quick financial support. The platform is designed to help individuals secure online payday loans without unnecessary delays or hidden conditions. If you have poor credit or need emergency cash fast, Radcred offers features that simplify the lending process and promote responsible borrowing. Here are some standout features of its online payday loan platform:
Fast Application: Applicants can complete the process in minutes from any device. The platform connects borrowers instantly with lenders offering instant online payday loans.
No Hard Credit Checks: Radcred specializes in 1 hour payday loans no creditcheck, giving applicants with poor or no credit history a fair chance at approval.
Secure Data Handling: All personal and financial information is encrypted, ensuring privacy and safety throughout the application journey.
Transparent Offers: Users receive clear, upfront details about fees, APRs, and repayment schedules. No hidden charges or misleading terms.
Flexible Loan Amounts: While $255 payday loans online same day are a highlight, Radcred’s network also supports various small loan sizes to suit individual needs.
These features make Radcred a go-to choice for individuals seeking instant payday loan options with minimal hassle.
How Radcred Connects Borrowers to No Credit Check Payday Loans?
Radcred’s strength lies in its ability to match borrowers quickly and efficiently with a network of trusted lenders who specialize in payday loans online same day no credit check. By using a streamlined digital platform, Radcred simplifies the process for applicants with poor or limited credit history. The service helps connect individuals to lenders offering fast approvals, transparent terms, and secure transactions, making it easier to access emergency funds without the stress of traditional loan applications. Here’s how the connection works:
Once an applicant submits basic details through the platform, Radcred uses advanced algorithms to find compatible lenders from its network.
The system prioritizes lenders offering 1 hour payday loans online no credit check instant approval, reducing waiting times and eliminating hard credit pulls.
Borrowers can review multiple offers and choose the one that best aligns with their repayment ability and financial situation.
Approved funds are transferred directly to the borrower’s account, often within 24 hours or on the same day.
Radcred simplifies the process of accessing online payday loan services, helping consumers overcome cash shortages without added stress.
Radcred’s Lender Network and Support for Bad Credit Loans
Radcred collaborates with a robust network of direct lenders who understand the unique challenges faced by borrowers with poor credit scores. These lenders offer payday loans 255 and other small loan amounts with flexible requirements, focusing more on the applicant’s income and ability to repay rather than credit score alone.
By supporting bad credit loans, Radcred ensures that financial assistance remains within reach for a broader range of consumers, making same day payday loan approvals achievable for many.
Understanding Costs and Responsible Borrowing for Payday Loans
While $255 payday loans online same day no credit check can provide vital relief, borrowers should fully understand the associated costs to make informed choices.
Radcred emphasizes responsible lending by ensuring applicants see the APR, fees, and total repayment amount upfront. For example, while instant online payday loans offer speed, they typically carry higher interest rates compared to long-term loans.
Radcred encourages borrowers to:
Borrow only what’s necessary to cover the immediate need.
Plan repayment carefully to avoid late fees or extensions that increase costs.
Consider alternatives if the need is not urgent, such as personal installment loans or credit union options.
By educating users on the realities of small payday loans online, Radcred fosters a more responsible borrowing environment.
Radcred’s $255 Payday Loan Application Process
Applying for a payday loans online same day $255 through Radcred is designed to be fast and simple:
1️⃣ Complete the Online Form: Enter basic personal and employment information using the secure Radcred platform. 2️⃣ Get Matched: The system identifies lenders offering instant online payday loans that meet your profile. 3️⃣ Review Offers: Borrowers can compare offers, paying close attention to terms and repayment obligations. 4️⃣ Receive Funds: Once approved, funds are sent directly to your account, often on the same day.
Radcred is a leading financial service platform dedicated to connecting Americans with trusted direct lenders. With a focus on accessibility, transparency, and security, Radcred specializes in online payday loan options that cater to individuals with varied credit profiles. The company’s mission is to provide fast, fair, and reliable loan solutions that support financial resilience.
Disclaimer
Radcred is not a direct lender and does not make credit decisions. The company serves as a connection point between borrowers and licensed lenders. Loan amounts, terms, fees, and approval timelines vary by lender and by applicant’s profile. Users are encouraged to read all loan terms carefully and borrow responsibly. Payday loans are intended for short-term financial needs and may not be suitable for long-term use.
Media Contact: Sarah Johnson PR Manager, Radcred Email: press@radcred.com Phone: +44 20 7946 1234
Glendale, California, June 18, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Radcred, a trusted name in online financial services, has officially announced the launch of its enhanced digital platform, offering $255 payday loans online with same-day no-credit-check options for Americans facing emergency cash needs. This new service aims to streamline the process of accessing same day payday loan offers, especially for borrowers with poor or limited credit history.
The platform is designed to deliver faster approvals, safer transactions, and a higher chance of matching applicants with instant online payday loans through Radcred’s network of direct lenders. By offering payday loans online same day $255, Radcred provides a lifeline for consumers dealing with urgent expenses, from medical bills to car repairs, where traditional banking solutions fall short.
As the demand for small payday loans online continues to rise, Radcred’s focus on financial inclusivity ensures that users with poor credit scores can secure funds responsibly and efficiently.
Radcred Launches Enhanced Platform for Faster, Safer $255 Payday Loans
Radcred’s upgraded platform introduces several innovations tailored to meet the urgent needs of people seeking $255 payday loans online same day. The user-friendly interface, combined with a network of reputable lenders, ensures a smooth application process, often leading to approvals in under an hour.
Unlike many traditional lenders, Radcred focuses on payday loans online same day no credit check, eliminating unnecessary delays caused by hard credit inquiries. Borrowers can apply within minutes, review offers transparently, and receive funds directly into their bank account, sometimes on the same day.
This digital solution emphasizes data security, quick decisions, and compliance with lending regulations, helping borrowers access instant payday loan options without hidden charges. With this initiative, Radcred is positioning itself at the forefront of responsible short-term lending.
The Growing Demand for Small Payday Loans in USA
In today’s economic climate, more individuals are turning to small payday loans online to handle unexpected financial hurdles. Rising living costs, coupled with economic uncertainties, have left many without sufficient savings for emergencies.
Same day payday loan solutions, such as Radcred’s offering, address these gaps by providing fast, accessible funds that help consumers cover essential expenses without resorting to high-interest credit cards or overdraft penalties.
Platforms that provide payday loans online same day $255 or similar quick loan amounts play an increasingly vital role in supporting financial stability for working individuals across the nation.
Features of Radcred for Your Payday Loan Needs
Radcred’s service model focuses on delivering convenience, speed, and fairness to borrowers in need of quick financial support. The platform is designed to help individuals secure online payday loans without unnecessary delays or hidden conditions. If you have poor credit or need emergency cash fast, Radcred offers features that simplify the lending process and promote responsible borrowing. Here are some standout features of its online payday loan platform:
Fast Application: Applicants can complete the process in minutes from any device. The platform connects borrowers instantly with lenders offering instant online payday loans.
No Hard Credit Checks: Radcred specializes in 1 hour payday loans no creditcheck, giving applicants with poor or no credit history a fair chance at approval.
Secure Data Handling: All personal and financial information is encrypted, ensuring privacy and safety throughout the application journey.
Transparent Offers: Users receive clear, upfront details about fees, APRs, and repayment schedules. No hidden charges or misleading terms.
Flexible Loan Amounts: While $255 payday loans online same day are a highlight, Radcred’s network also supports various small loan sizes to suit individual needs.
These features make Radcred a go-to choice for individuals seeking instant payday loan options with minimal hassle.
How Radcred Connects Borrowers to No Credit Check Payday Loans?
Radcred’s strength lies in its ability to match borrowers quickly and efficiently with a network of trusted lenders who specialize in payday loans online same day no credit check. By using a streamlined digital platform, Radcred simplifies the process for applicants with poor or limited credit history. The service helps connect individuals to lenders offering fast approvals, transparent terms, and secure transactions, making it easier to access emergency funds without the stress of traditional loan applications. Here’s how the connection works:
Once an applicant submits basic details through the platform, Radcred uses advanced algorithms to find compatible lenders from its network.
The system prioritizes lenders offering 1 hour payday loans online no credit check instant approval, reducing waiting times and eliminating hard credit pulls.
Borrowers can review multiple offers and choose the one that best aligns with their repayment ability and financial situation.
Approved funds are transferred directly to the borrower’s account, often within 24 hours or on the same day.
Radcred simplifies the process of accessing online payday loan services, helping consumers overcome cash shortages without added stress.
Radcred’s Lender Network and Support for Bad Credit Loans
Radcred collaborates with a robust network of direct lenders who understand the unique challenges faced by borrowers with poor credit scores. These lenders offer payday loans 255 and other small loan amounts with flexible requirements, focusing more on the applicant’s income and ability to repay rather than credit score alone.
By supporting bad credit loans, Radcred ensures that financial assistance remains within reach for a broader range of consumers, making same day payday loan approvals achievable for many.
Understanding Costs and Responsible Borrowing for Payday Loans
While $255 payday loans online same day no credit check can provide vital relief, borrowers should fully understand the associated costs to make informed choices.
Radcred emphasizes responsible lending by ensuring applicants see the APR, fees, and total repayment amount upfront. For example, while instant online payday loans offer speed, they typically carry higher interest rates compared to long-term loans.
Radcred encourages borrowers to:
Borrow only what’s necessary to cover the immediate need.
Plan repayment carefully to avoid late fees or extensions that increase costs.
Consider alternatives if the need is not urgent, such as personal installment loans or credit union options.
By educating users on the realities of small payday loans online, Radcred fosters a more responsible borrowing environment.
Radcred’s $255 Payday Loan Application Process
Applying for a payday loans online same day $255 through Radcred is designed to be fast and simple:
1️⃣ Complete the Online Form: Enter basic personal and employment information using the secure Radcred platform. 2️⃣ Get Matched: The system identifies lenders offering instant online payday loans that meet your profile. 3️⃣ Review Offers: Borrowers can compare offers, paying close attention to terms and repayment obligations. 4️⃣ Receive Funds: Once approved, funds are sent directly to your account, often on the same day.
Radcred is a leading financial service platform dedicated to connecting Americans with trusted direct lenders. With a focus on accessibility, transparency, and security, Radcred specializes in online payday loan options that cater to individuals with varied credit profiles. The company’s mission is to provide fast, fair, and reliable loan solutions that support financial resilience.
Disclaimer
Radcred is not a direct lender and does not make credit decisions. The company serves as a connection point between borrowers and licensed lenders. Loan amounts, terms, fees, and approval timelines vary by lender and by applicant’s profile. Users are encouraged to read all loan terms carefully and borrow responsibly. Payday loans are intended for short-term financial needs and may not be suitable for long-term use.
Media Contact: Sarah Johnson PR Manager, Radcred Email: press@radcred.com Phone: +44 20 7946 1234
OAKDALE, Calif., June 18, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Oak Valley Bancorp (NASDAQ: OVLY) (the “Company”), the bank holding company for Oak Valley Community Bank (the “Bank”) announced the retirement of Thomas A. Haidlen and Danny L. Titus from the Bank and Company’s Boards of Directors, effective June 17, 2025. Concurrently, Erich A. Haidlen accepted his appointment to the Board of Directors of the Company and the Bank.
T. Haidlen and Titus joined the board of Oak Valley Community Bank in 1991 and 1992 respectively. T. Haidlen was one of the original board members and Titus joined the original group shortly after the formation of the Bank; both were appointed directors of the holding company at the formation of Oak Valley Bancorp in 2008.
“Tom and Danny played crucial roles in the establishment of the bank and in cultivating investor interest, particularly during its early years. For nearly 35 years, Tom and Danny contributed significant business acumen, local knowledge, and steadfast guidance, for which we are profoundly grateful,” stated CEO, Chris Courtney.
E. Haidlen has been employed with Haidlen Ford Inc. in Oakdale, California since 1998. He is currently the General Manager and President. Prior to joining Haidlen Ford, he worked as a Financial Analyst at FMV Opinions, Inc., where he performed valuations of majority and minority interests in operating companies, partnerships, and intangible assets. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from the University of California, Irvine, and is a 2002 graduate of the National Automobile Dealers Association. (NADA) Dealer Candidate Academy.
E. Haidlen is a past President of the Oakdale Chamber of Commerce (2006–2007) and a former member of the Oakdale Economic Development Committee. He brings valuable business and financial expertise to the board, and as a fifth-generation resident of Stanislaus County, he offers extensive knowledge about the local community. E. Haidlen lives in Oakdale with his wife and their three children.
“Erich is a welcome addition to the Board of Directors of Oak Valley Bancorp and Oak Valley Community Bank. He brings extensive business and financial expertise, demonstrated through his leadership as General Manager and President of Haidlen Ford. His background in financial analysis and deep connections in our region position him well to contribute meaningfully to our Board,” stated President and Chief Operating Officer, Rick McCarty.
Oak Valley Bancorp operates Oak Valley Community Bank and its Eastern Sierra Community Bank Division, offering a full range of loan and deposit services to individuals and small businesses. The bank currently serves customers through 18 conveniently located branches in Oakdale, Turlock, Stockton, Patterson, Ripon, Escalon, Manteca, Tracy, Sacramento, Roseville, two locations in Sonora, three in Modesto, and three in the Eastern Sierra communities of Bridgeport, Mammoth Lakes, and Bishop. A 19th branch location is scheduled to open in Lodi later this year.
For more information, call 1-866-844-7500 or visit www.ovcb.com.
Collombey-Muraz, Valais, Switzerland, June 18, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — After several years of sustained growth, No Limits officially announces the public launch of its all-in-one application across 110 countries. Developed in Switzerland, this platform introduces a new way of doing business, making it easier to access the right tools, trusted service providers, and effective strategies — even from scratch.
Launch of the No Limits App
A Solution Built From the Ground, Designed for Action
Designed for freelancers, solopreneurs, startup founders, and even large companies and their teams, the No Limits app delivers a complete entrepreneurial experience:
A structured international community focused on support and growth
Personalized coaching journeys
In-person events around the world
A concierge service (Coming in 2026)
Its promise: empower any entrepreneur or company to structure their operations, grow their revenue, and automate low-value tasks — so they can focus on their true expertise.
Client Results & Notable Collaborations
Among the success stories:
Yomi Denzel, a renowned entrepreneur, generated over €8M with his NFT project Crypto Champion, supported by No Limits for strategy and rollout.
Mathias Montavon (Be Lost) increased his conversion rate by over 30% in just a few weeks through positioning optimization.
Alec Henry, online trainer, raised €400,000 for an NFT project and reinvested the funds into webinars for his companies.
Edouard Clerc, founder of Inved, is now #1 in the Vaud real estate market after being coached by the platform in his early days.
Business success stories include:
Apili, a humor-based learning method founded by a speech therapist, scaled internationally with full digital growth support. Result: tens of thousands of children helped in 40+ French-speaking countries.
Mentorshow connected with key partners to film and distribute courses that have already sold thousands of copies.
Citroën increased local sales by over 40% in select agencies through a comprehensive social selling activation strategy.
Swiss Serenity reached €160M in assets under management in one year through a coordinated action plan with No Limits teams.
Tamedia saved hundreds of thousands of euros using an AI-powered ad fraud detection system developed with No Limits.
An App that Attracts the Right Partners
No Limits works closely with groups such as Swissquote, Rolex, Dassault Systèmes, Airbus, and Amazon, and also supports public innovation and entrepreneurial inclusion programs.
A Clear Vision
“Our goal is simple: to help every entrepreneur structure, grow, and shine — without being overwhelmed by tools or technical complexity, by bringing everything together in one place.”
Already available in both English and French, the app continues its international expansion with upcoming community features and AI-powered integrations.
About No Limits
No Limits is an all-in-one platform built to help entrepreneurs structure, grow, and automate their business — whether they’re starting from scratch or scaling to the next level. It brings together expert-led training, vetted service providers, actionable tools, a global community, and in-person events to help turn ideas into real, measurable results. Already trusted by over 130,000 members and credited with generating more than €190 million for its users, No Limits supports value creators at every stage of their journey, unlocking their full entrepreneurial potential.
Press inquiries
No Limits https://nolimits-inc.com/ No Limits Team press@nolimits-inc.com No Limits On-Line SARL Z.I. Proprèses 7, 1868 Collombey, Switzerland For direct contact via only WhatsApp: +33 7 80 94 94 32 Email: press@nolimits-inc.com
COCONUT CREEK, Fla., June 18, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Willis Lease Finance Corporation (NASDAQ: WLFC) (“WLFC” or the “Company”), the leading lessor of commercial aircraft engines and global provider of aviation services, announced today that its wholly-owned subsidiary, Willis Engine Structured Trust VIII (“WEST”), has completed the previously announced offering of $524,000,000 in aggregate principal amount of Series A Fixed Rate Notes (the “Series A Notes”) and $72,000,000 in aggregate principal amount of Series B Fixed Rate Notes (the “Series B Notes” and, together with the Series A Notes, the “Notes”).
The Notes are secured by, among other things, WEST’s direct and indirect interests in a portfolio of 62 aircraft engines and two airframes, which WEST will acquire from WLFC or its other subsidiaries, pursuant to an asset purchase agreement. The final subscription was 3.60x (gross) and 5.10x (avail) on the Series A Notes and 7.15x (gross) and 13.00x (avail) on the Series B Notes.
The Series A Notes and Series B Notes have a fixed coupon of 5.582% and 6.070%, respectively, an expected maturity of approximately six years, an expected weighted average life (based on certain modeling assumptions) of 5.1 years and a final maturity of 25 years. The Series A Notes and Series B Notes were issued at a price of 99.99721% and 99.99711% of par, respectively.
The Notes offered by WEST have not been and will not be registered under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), or any other securities laws of any jurisdiction, and may not be offered or sold in the United States or to U.S. persons (as defined in Regulation S under the Securities Act) absent registration or an applicable exemption from registration requirements. The Notes were offered only to persons reasonably believed to be “qualified institutional buyers” as defined in, and in reliance on, Rule 144A under the Securities Act and outside the United States to non-U.S. persons in accordance with Regulation S under the Securities Act.
This news release shall not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy, nor shall there be any sale of, the Notes in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the Securities Act or the securities laws of any such jurisdiction.
Willis Lease Finance Corporation
Willis Lease Finance Corporation (“WLFC”) leases large and regional spare commercial aircraft engines, auxiliary power units and aircraft to airlines, aircraft engine manufacturers and maintenance, repair, and overhaul providers worldwide. These leasing activities are integrated with engine and aircraft trading, engine lease pools and asset management services through Willis Asset Management Limited, as well as various end-of-life solutions for engines and aviation materials provided through Willis Aeronautical Services, Inc. Through Willis Engine Repair Center®, Jet Centre by Willis, and Willis Aviation Services Limited, the Company’s service offerings include Part 145 engine maintenance, aircraft line and base maintenance, aircraft disassembly, parking and storage, airport FBO and ground and cargo handling services. Willis Sustainable Fuels intends to develop, build and operate projects to help decarbonize aviation.
Except for historical information, the matters discussed in this press release contain forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. Do not unduly rely on forward-looking statements, which give only expectations about the future and are not guarantees. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made, and we undertake no obligation to update them to reflect any change in the Company’s expectations or any change in events, conditions or circumstances on which the forward-looking statement is based, except as required by law. Our actual results may differ materially from the results discussed in forward-looking statements. Factors that might cause such a difference include, but are not limited to: the effects on the airline industry and the global economy of events such as war, terrorist activity and the COVID-19 pandemic; changes in oil prices, rising inflation and other disruptions to world markets; trends in the airline industry and our ability to capitalize on those trends, including growth rates of markets and other economic factors; risks associated with owning and leasing jet engines and aircraft; our ability to successfully negotiate equipment purchases, sales and leases, to collect outstanding amounts due and to control costs and expenses; changes in interest rates and availability of capital, both to us and our customers; our ability to continue to meet changing customer demands; regulatory changes affecting airline operations, aircraft maintenance, accounting standards and taxes; the market value of engines and other assets in our portfolio; and risks detailed in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K and other continuing and current reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. It is advisable, however, to consult any further disclosures the Company makes on related subjects in such filings. These statements constitute the Company’s cautionary statements under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995.
CONTACT:
Scott B. Flaherty Executive Vice President & Chief Financial Officer sflaherty@willislease.com 561.413.0112
Source: United States Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn)
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), Chair of the Senate Commerce Subcommittee on Consumer Protection, Technology, and Data Privacy led a hearing to hold the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) accountable following the organization’s refusal to investigate Chinese swimmers testing positive for performance-enhancing drugs before the Tokyo Olympics.
Senator Blackburn asked former Olympic swimmer Katie McLaughlin about the bombshell reporting that revealed top Chinese swimmers tested positive for a banned drug and then went on to win Olympic Gold medals ahead of American athletes. Senator Blackburn also spoke with Travis Tygart, Chief Executive Officer of the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency, on why it is completely implausible that Chinese Olympic swimmers were unwittingly contaminated.
Click here to download video of Senator Blackburn’s remarks during the Senate Commerce Subcommittee hearing.
On Chinese Doping Scandal’s Impact on Olympic Athletes:
Blackburn: “Miss McLaughlin, I want to come to you first. Talk to me a minute about how it made you feel when you read the New York Times expose, and you felt like it was confirmed to you that you had been beat because somebody was a cheater, and here you were putting your heart and soul into your training, and you get to that moment to get that medal, and it’s not there because somebody cheated you out of it.”
McLaughlin: “Yeah, thank you for your question. It was devastating, honestly. I remember getting the call from USADA letting me know that the New York Times article was going to break, and I was just so taken aback and heartbroken, and I think I spent a lot of my career trusting in the powers that be, and it was really sad to find out that that’s not someone who could be trusted, meaning WADA. I think a lot of my teammates and I were just pretty let down, and I think, you know, at the end of the day, all I can control was myself and my own race, and my teammates could only control their part of the race, so that’s something to kind of hold on to. But I think, just pretty devastating, heartbreaking all around, but thank you.”
On Why It Is Completely Implausible That Chinese Swimmers Were Unwittingly Contaminated
Blackburn: “Mr. Tygart, as we’ve mentioned before, as soon as the allegations came to light, I got a letter out to WADA demanding to know why they felt like they could ignore this doping, and their answer back to me was insufficient, and of course, they blame everyone but themselves, which is not a surprise to us. And they even said that there was no basis to challenge that contamination and that the source was TMZ. And so there you go. We find out, of course, that they have lied about this, and I know you’ve reviewed their response. I want you to just talk for a minute about why it is completely implausible that the Chinese swimmers were unwittingly contaminated.”
Tygart: “WADA did no investigation, just blindly accepted the factual scenario that was provided by the Chinese. And in fact, months before these positive tests showed up on their desk, they had interviewed a defector, a whistleblower from China, who had indicated to them that TMZ was being given in a systemic fashion to athletes, but yet, WADA leaders never brought in their independent investigative unit. They have a 16 person, very experienced investigative unit. They were not involved at all with investigating the facts of this case. TMZ is a prescription medication in some countries, it does not just show up in the kitchen. It’s unbelievable to think that, you know, Tinker Bell showed up and sprinkled it within the kitchen…”
RELATED
Source: United States Senator for Idaho Mike Crapo
Washington, D.C.–U.S. Senate Finance Committee Chairman Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) today released legislative text within the Finance Committee’s jurisdiction for inclusion in Senate Republicans’ budget reconciliation bill.
“This bill prevents an over-$4 trillion tax hike and makes the successful 2017 Trump tax cuts permanent, enabling families and businesses to save and plan for the future.
“It delivers additional tax relief to middle-class families still recovering from record inflation under the Biden Administration. It powers the economy by permanently extending critical pro-growth provisions and introduces new incentives for domestic investment, providing certainty for American job creators to spur domestic economic activity and invest in their workers.
“The legislation also achieves significant savings by slashing Green New Deal spending and targeting waste, fraud and abuse in spending programs while preserving and protecting them for the most vulnerable.
“I look forward to continued coordination with our colleagues in the House and the Administration to deliver President Trump’s bold economic agenda for the American people as quickly as possible.”
Click HERE to view bill text.
Click HERE for a section-by-section.
Click HERE for a bill overview.
Click HERE to view the 2025 Tax Reform landing page.
Source: United States Senator for Idaho Mike Crapo
Washington, D.C.– U.S. Senate Finance Committee Chairman Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) joined Larry Kudlow on Fox Business to talk about Senate Republicans’ plans to prevent the largest tax hike in U.S. history, power the economy through pro-growth tax policy, provide additional tax relief for working families and address wasteful spending.
Click here or above to watch the interview
On the importance of making pro-growth tax policy permanent:
[T]he Council of Economic Advisors has indicated that—together with some regulatory reform that President Trump is doing and some of the DOGE activities—we ought to generate somewhere between 4 and 6 percent growth in GDP, and what that translates into with regard to our tax bill is trillions of dollars for growth in capital formations, jobs, wages, benefits and new revenue to the treasury to pay down our deficits.
This tax package will stop a $4.3 trillion tax increase, and it will make these taxes cuts permanent so that we don’t have to face another tax cliff like this in the future.
Bonus depreciation—permanent; R&D—permanent; and the EBITDA accounting rules—permanent. Those three business taxes that are now permanent are a big part of what is going to generate that capital formation in this country and help us grow back to the strength we did when we originally passed the [Tax Cuts and Jobs Act].
. . .
[The] 20 percent small business deduction is now permanent. Our passthrough entities can get treated fairly like corporations do, and be a part of that incredible capital formation and growth that our country is going to see.
On additional tax relief for American workers, seniors and businesses:
[I]n addition to stopping a $4.3 trillion tax increase, we’ve got full factory expensing, as President Trump has asked for as well, and a number of other tax cuts.
We’ve got no tax on tips, an increase in the deduction for seniors, and we also have no tax on overtime.
On Republican efforts to reduce spending:
We reduce actual spending in our entitlement programs by somewhere between one-and-a-half and $2 trillion, and that spending, as well as the growth element of these tax policies is going to generate a deficit reduction, not a deficit increase.
The $1.5 to $2 trillion in actual spending reduction is the biggest entitlement reform that has ever been done by Congress.
Legislative text within the Finance Committee’s jurisdiction can be found here, a section-by-section here and summary here.
Headline: Rosneft’s Green Investments Reach RUB 74 Billion in 2024
The 5th of June is World Environment Day and the aim is to raise public interest in actions that protect ecosystems. In Russia, this date coincides with Ecologist’s Day.
Rosneft carries out a wide range of activities and projects aimed at preserving a healthy environment. In 2024, the Company’s green investments totalled 74 billion roubles, which was a 16% increase on the previous year. Over the past three years, this figure totalled almost 200 billion roubles.
The key components of the Company’s long-term environmental agenda are captured in the Rosneft 2030: Reliable Energy and Global Transition strategy. The top priorities in this field for the Company and its subsidiaries are the implementation of programmes to remediate land, including historical heritage land; the improvement of pipeline reliability; and the preservation of water resources and biodiversity in the regions where the Company operates.
For instance, in 2024, Samotlorneftegaz completed a large-scale programme to remediate historical heritage lands, with the total area exceeding 2.2 thousand hectares. Approximately 85% of all remediation works were carried out by the Company’s own environmental department. The project has led to the development of new technologies and unique experiences that are in demand by other enterprises.
Rosneft devotes considerable attention to reforestation activities, thereby contributing to the sustainable development of ecosystems, preserving biodiversity, and combating climate change. The Company is working in partnership with the Government of the Krasnoyarsk Territory to develop a far-reaching environmental forestation project. This project aims to unlock the region’s forests’ climate-regulating potential and to promote sustainable development. In 2024, the Company and its subsidiaries planted almost 11 million trees of various types in the regions where they operate.
Rosneft is committed to the principles of the circular economy and is taking positive steps to implement them across its operations. Improving the efficiency of waste management processes is one of the priority goals of the Company’s 2030 strategy. The Company’s production enterprises have been successfully implementing zero-waste technologies that enable the production of artificial soil – an environmentally friendly construction material – from drilling cuttings.
Furthermore, the Company’s Samara Group enterprises recycled almost 300 tonnes of exhausted catalyst. A total of 8,000+ tonnes of non-ferrous and ferrous metals were sent for processing by the Achinsk, Saratov, Syzran, Kuibyshev, Novokuibyshevsk refineries, RN-Vankor and Bashneft subsidiaries.
Approximately 4,500 tonnes of waste oils and emulsions were sent for processing by the Kuibyshev Refinery, the Novokuibyshevsk Refinery, RN-Vankor and Bashneft enterprises.
Biodiversity conservation is another important area of Rosneft’s environmental activities. For over a decade, the Company has been implementing annual initiatives to replenish Russia’s aquatic bioresources. In 2024, Rosneft’s enterprises released over 21.7 million young fish into the country’s water bodies.
Volunteers from the Company, its subsidiaries and design institutes are also actively involved in various environmental initiatives and contribute to the development of a culture of rational and responsible consumption of natural resources. Employees and their children participate in activities involving the planting of greenery, with a view to enhancing both urban and natural recreational areas. These activities form part of federal environmental campaigns such as Green Spring, Memory Garden, Water of Russia, Clean Shores, etc.
For more than 15 years, Samotlorneftegaz volunteers have been organising cleanup days to treat the shoreline of Lake Kymyl-Emtor as part of the nation-wide campaign Water of Russia.
Samara oil workers assist the staff of the Botanical Garden of Samara University in a number of ways. These include the removal of deadwood and leaves, the purchase of rare plant species and plant seedlings, and the restoration and improvement of springs in the region. In 2024, volunteers in the Samara region collected over 30 cubic metres of rubbish from the banks of the Volga and Sok rivers. Volunteers from the Novokuibyshevsk Petrochemical Company participated in an environmental race, collecting a total of 930 kg of household waste.
In 2024, RN-Nyaganneftegaz oil workers collected approximately 3 tonnes of household rubbish from the shoreline of the Nyagan-Yugan River.
On the eve of Victory Day, Rosneft employees organised the cleaning of parks, memorial complexes and monuments dedicated to the Soviet people’s military achievements during the Great Patriotic War.
The Company’s initiatives play a significant role in preserving natural resources by organising campaigns to collect used batteries, plastic, and waste paper for recycling. In 2024, Rosneft employees recycled over 1,100 kg of waste batteries, uninterruptible power supplies, and disposable batteries. They also handed over seven tonnes of plastic for recycling and collected approximately 180 tonnes of waste paper.
Rosneft volunteers actively promote environmental education among young people, organising environmental quests, workshops, quizzes and eco-classes for schoolchildren. For instance, in 2024, Orenburgneft implemented the Eco-School project, collecting more than 10 tonnes of waste paper, over 70 kg of batteries, and over 17 kg of plastic caps with the help of students from regional schools.
For the past 14 years, the company has organised annual environmental safety competitions, which contribute to raising the level of environmental awareness and encourage subsidiaries to develop their expertise and improve their work in this area.
The public highly appreciated the successful environmental activities of Rosneft’s subsidiaries. In 2024, the Company’s Syzran, Novokuibyshevsk and Kuibyshev refineries received top honours at the nationwide Russian Environmental Leader contest.
Department of Information and Advertising Rosneft 5 June 2025
