Source: New Zealand Police
One person has died following a crash on State Highway 1, Seddon last night.
The single vehicle crash was reported to Police at 9.30pm.
The driver was the sole occupant of the car.
Enquiries into the circumstances of the crash are under way.
ENDS
Issued by Police Media Centre.
Source: NASA
Students from New York and Utah will hear from NASA astronauts aboard the International Space Station as they answer prerecorded questions in two separate events.
At 11:30 a.m. EDT on Monday, June 23, NASA astronauts Nichole Ayers and Anne McClain will answer questions submitted by students from P.S. 71 Forest Elementary School in Ridgewood, New York. Media interested in covering the event must RSVP by 5 p.m. Friday, June 20, to Regina Beshay at: rbeshay2@school.nyc.gov or 347-740-6165.
At 11:05 a.m. on Friday, June 27, Ayers and McClain will answer questions submitted by students from Douglas Space and Science Foundation, Inc., in Layton, Utah. Media interested in covering the event must RSVP by 5 p.m. Wednesday, June 25, to Sarah Merrill at: sarahmonique@gmail.com or 805-743-3341.
Watch the 20-minute Earth-to-space calls on NASA STEM YouTube Channel.
P.S. 71 Forest Elementary School will host kindergarten through fifth grade students. Douglas Space and Science Foundation will host participants from the Science, Technology, Achievement Research camp. Both events aim to inspire students to imagine a future in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics careers through ongoing collaborations, mentorship, and hands-on learning experiences.
For nearly 25 years, astronauts have continuously lived and worked aboard the space station, testing technologies, performing science, and developing skills needed to explore farther from Earth. Astronauts aboard the orbiting laboratory communicate with NASA’s Mission Control Center in Houston 24 hours a day through SCaN’s (Space Communications and Navigation) Near Space Network.
Important research and technology investigations taking place aboard the space station benefit people on Earth and lays the groundwork for other agency missions. As part of NASA’s Artemis campaign, the agency will send astronauts to the Moon to prepare for future human exploration of Mars; inspiring explorers and ensuring the United States continues to lead in space exploration and discovery.
See videos of astronauts aboard the space station at:
https://www.nasa.gov/stemonstation
-end-
Gerelle DodsonHeadquarters, Washington202-358-1600gerelle.q.dodson@nasa.gov
Sandra JonesJohnson Space Center, Houston281-483-5111sandra.p.jones@nasa.gov
Source: NASA
Two students guide their rover through an obstacle course in this April 11, 2025, image from the 2025 Human Exploration Rover Challenge. The annual engineering competition – one of NASA’s longest standing student challenges – is in its 31st year. This year’s competition challenged teams to design, build, and test a lunar rover powered by either human pilots or remote control. More than 500 students with 75 teams from around the world participated, representing 35 colleges and universities, 38 high schools, and two middle schools from 20 states, Puerto Rico, and 16 other nations.
See the 2025 winners.
Image credit: NASA/Charles Beason
Source: NASA
Scientific papers, industry forum presentations, and videos covering the concepts used in the digital information platform are available to the public. For those interested in a deeper understanding of the technical workings of DIP, please refer to these resources.
April 2025December 2024August 2024June 2024March 2024November 2023
NASA Partners With Airlines to Save Fuel, Reduce Flight Delays
NASA Flight Rerouting Tool Curbs Delays, Emissions
NASA Cloud-Based Platform Could Help Streamline, Improve Air Traffic
NASA Machine Learning Air Traffic Software Saves Fuel
View the Technical Papers
View all the Events
Fuser Architecture Overview
Video recordings of the presentations at the ATD-2 Industry Days
2023 Jan 21 – AIAA LA LV NASA’s Digital Information Platform DIP to Accelerate NAS Transformation
DIP Collaborative Digital Departure Reroute Overview
Digital Information Platform
Source: NASA
November 20, 2024 at 10:00 AM ESTDigital Information Platform Virtual Workshop: A Virtual Workshop on Service Quality, Data Governance, Cybersecurity, and Interoperability
June 28, 2023 at 10:00 AM EDTDIP Information Session: Announcement of Collaborative Opportunity (ACO) for Service Providers
July 27, 2022 at 10:00 AM EDTDIP Announcement of Collaborative Opportunity (ACO) for Flight Operators
February 23, 2022 at 10:00 AM ESTDIP Workshop Series 3: DIP for Consumers
January 12, 2022 at 10:00 AM ESTDIP Workshop 2: DIP for Service Providers
November 17, 2021 at 10:00 AM ESTDIP Workshop Series 1: DIP Architecture and Data Integration Services
August 18, 2021 at 10:00 AM EDTDIP RFI Outbrief Session
April 14, 2021 at 11:00 AM EDTDIP Request for Information (RFI) Information Session
Digital Information Platform (DIP)
DIP Library
Source: NASA
StartApril 14, 2021 at 11:00 AM EDT
EndApril 14, 2021 at 1:00 PM EDT
NASA’s Digital Information Platform (DIP) sub-project as part of Air Traffic Management -eXploration (ATM-X) project has recently released the Request for Information (RFI) to obtain information to define collaboration strategy and identify community needs and goals. As a follow-on activity, DIP hosted an online information session to provide the stakeholder community with background of DIP sub-project, example use cases, collaboration approach, and areas of potential contributions both from NASA and interested parties. The purpose of the information session was to help the community understand the scope of the sub-project and thus respond to the RFI in a meaningful way.
Date: Wednesday, April 14, 2021
Time: 11 am – 1 pm (Pacific Time)
DIP Vision and Motivation
Example Use Cases
Collaboration Approach
Demonstration Progression
Information Requested
RFI Instructions to Submit
Question & Answer
Digital Information Platform
Digital Information Platform Events
Source: NASA
StartAugust 18, 2021 at 10:00 AM EST
EndAugust 18, 2021 at 12:00 PM EST
NASA’s Digital Information Platform (DIP) sub-project as part of Air Traffic Management -eXploration (ATM-X) project has received responses to the Request for Information (RFI) from aviation community. As a follow-on activity, DIP is hosting an online information session to brief out to the community with the summary of RFI inputs as well as the latest updates on DIP sub-project planning. The purpose of this session is to share the valuable inputs from the RFI responses on data & service needs for airspace operations, recommended use cases for DIP collaborative demos, and potential data and technology services that can be provided by the DIP platform through NASA-industry collaboration.
Interested parties are encouraged to register for the outbrief session by submitting the registration form shown below. The outbrief session will be organized by a series of presentation followed by a Q&A session, and will be available through MS Teams.
Date: Wednesday, August 18, 2021
Time: 10 am – 12 pm Pacific
DIP Overview
Partner Engagement Strategy
Request for Information
Responses Summary
Demo Plan Overview
Next Steps,
Q&A
Digital Information Platform
Digital Information Platform Events
Source: NASA
StartNovember 17, 2021 at 10:00 AM EST
EndNovember 17, 2021 at 12:00 PM EST
The Digital Information Platform (DIP) workshop series is intended to provide a deeper dive and a closer look at some of the core features being developed by the DIP sub-project under ATM-X.
These workshops will give insight into DIP development, technology, and assumptions as well as providing a forum for engaging with the DIP team to pose questions and provide feedback on proposed designs. Engagement with the broader aviation community is a critical component to success of the DIP sub-project!
There will be several workshops within this series spanning a variety of topics. Participants are encouraged to sign up for any workshop topics they feel they could contribute to or provide feedback on.
Please keep an eye on the DIP homepage, under the upcoming events section, for future announcements of additional workshop topics!
This workshop will cover DIP architecture and data integration services. Participants will get a look at how the DIP architecture is set-up as well as how data integration services are planned to be hosted on the platform.
The DIP architecture review is intended to cover how DIP was envisioned and how DIP is being developed to address data needs across the industry. Participants will have a chance to provide feedback on the DIP architecture and gain insight into how one might interface with the DIP to send or receive data.
The data integration services portion is intended to cover DIP’s technical approach to data integration. As an example implementation, there will be a first look at possible data fusion on the platform , including utilizing NASA’s Fuser, and tailoring for industry data consumers. Descriptions, at a high-level, of input to and output of the Fuser will also be discussed.
Participants interested in partnering with DIP and registering their service with the DIP platform are highly encouraged to attend this workshop. This is a unique opportunity for the aviation community to provide feedback and input on how this platform is structured to meet your needs.
Data and service consumers as well as data and service providers are encouraged to attend this workshop to provide their feedback and input for DIP development.
Participants looking to gain insight into upcoming DIP demonstrations or to learn more about DIP are encouraged to attend this workshop.
Digital Information Platform
Digital Information Platform Events
Source: NASA
Current day air traffic management systems are segmented by domain, operator groups, and solution provider groups, which creates a challenge for those seeking a system wide solution. Future airspace operations will be increasingly more complex as new types of aircraft (such as on-demand air taxis and autonomous drone deliveries) intensify traffic density. This will require the aviation community to embrace a wider range of managing aircraft operations. Traditional systems were built in an era when rapid technologies were not available or commonplace. Changing the large and complex system-of-systems in the National Airspace System (NAS) is an overwhelmingly complex integration challenge, which often requires significant domain knowledge about operations and data.
The Digital Information Platform (DIP) team aims to tackle these challenges and address the stakeholder needs. The subproject is one of four contained within the Air Traffic Management – eXploration (ATM-X) project. The primary focus of DIP is to develop and demonstrate a digital service-oriented framework to enable increasingly safe and efficient operations for today and the future airspace system.
The subproject is actively partnering with flight operators, new entrants, service providers, data integrators, platform providers, and other aviation stakeholders who are committed to building and evaluating a community-supported system of digital services to enhance future aviation operations. Four operational evaluations missions are being conducted to validate concepts that will improve operational efficiency and predictability.
The DIP team is embracing advances in technology through cloud-based infrastructures and artificial intelligence/machine learning (AI/ML) to provide improved decision making tools to flight operators that are more collaborative and scalable in nature. more collaborative, integrated, and scalable way.
Cloud-based microservices infrastructure – The subproject plans to define an interoperability framework that will allow disparate software services to connect and exchange data relying on standards and protocols across various platforms. In addition, a cybersecurity management framework will be defined to assure the confidentiality, integrity, authenticity, and availability of NASA and partner data assets available on or through the platform.
Digital trajectory management – The DIP team is conducting a series of operational evaluations with its airline partners, the aviation industry and the Federal Aviation Administration to showcase digital trajectory management capabilities in real operational environments. Alternate route options are being evaluated, which reduce the pre- and post-departure delays at both the individual flight and fleetwide levels.
AI/ML use case exploration – The use of AI/ML aviation services offer robust and scalable solutions that can significantly reduce the deployment costs of decision support tools for flight operators and service providers compared to legacy physics-based systems. The subproject has developed and released open-source software for AI/ML solutions that can be readily adopted by the aviation industry and combined in various ways to meet their specific needs.
Digital Information Platform
Source: NASA
[embedded content]
NASA/Jacob Shaw
A NASA system designed to measure temperature and strain on high-speed vehicles is set to make its first flights at hypersonic speeds – greater than Mach 5, or five times the speed of sound – when mounted to two research rockets launching this summer.
Technicians in the Environmental Laboratory at NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California, used machines called shakers to perform vibration tests on the technology, known as a Fiber Optic Sensing System (FOSS), on March 26. The tests confirmed the FOSS could operate while withstanding the shaking forces of a rocket launch. Initial laboratory and flight tests in 2024 went well, leading to the recently tested system’s use on the U.S. Department of Defense coordinated research rockets to measure critical temperature safety data.
Hypersonic sensing systems are crucial for advancing hypersonics, a potentially game-changing field in aeronautics. Capitalizing on decades of research, NASA is working to address critical challenges in hypersonic engine technology through its Advanced Air Vehicles Program.
Using FOSS, NASA will gather data on the strain placed on vehicles during flight, as well as temperature information, which helps engineers understand the condition of a rocket or aircraft. The FOSS system collects data using a fiber about the thickness of a human hair that collects data along its length, replacing heavier and bulkier traditional wire harnesses and sensors.
“There is no reliable technology with multiple sensors on a single fiber in the hypersonic environment,” said Patrick Chan, FOSS project manager at Armstrong. “The FOSS system is a paradigm shift for hypersonic research, because it can measure temperature and strain.”
For decades, NASA Armstrong worked to develop and improve the system, leading to hypersonic FOSS, which originated in 2020. Craig Stephens, the Hypersonic Technology Project associate project manager at NASA Armstrong, anticipated a need for systems and sensors to measure temperature and strain on hypersonic vehicles.
“I challenged the FOSS team to develop a durable data collection system that had reduced size, weight, and power requirements,” Stephens said. “If we obtain multiple readings from one FOSS fiber, that means we are reducing the number of wires in a vehicle, effectively saving weight and space.”
The research work has continually made the system smaller and lighter. While a space-rated FOSS used in 2022 to collect temperature data during a NASA mission in low Earth orbit was roughly the size of a toaster, the hypersonic FOSS unit is about the size of two sticks of butter.
To help advance hypersonic FOSS to test flights, NASA Armstrong Technology Transfer Office lead Ben Tomlinson orchestrated a partnership. NASA, the U.S. Air Force Test Pilot School in Edwards, California, and the U.S. Air Force’s 586th Flight Test Squadron at Holloman Air Force Base in New Mexico, agreed to a six-flight series in 2024.
The test pilot school selected an experiment comparing FOSS and traditional sensors, looking at the data the different systems produced.
The hypersonic FOSS was integrated into a beam fixed onto one end of a pod. It had weight on the other end of the beam so that it could move as the aircraft maneuvered into position for the tests. The pod fit under a T-38 aircraft that collected strain data as the aircraft flew.
“The successful T-38 flights increased the FOSS technology readiness,” Tomlinson said. “However, a test at hypersonic speed will make FOSS more attractive for a United States business to commercialize.”
After the experiment with the Air Force, NASA’s hypersonic technology team looked for other opportunities to advance the miniaturized version of the system. That interest led to the upcoming research rocket tests in coordination with the Department of Defense.
“We have high confidence in the system, and we look forward to flying it in hypersonic flight and at altitude,” Chan said.
Source: US Federal Emergency Management Agency
Headline: FEMA Assistance May Be Available for Losses Not Covered by Insurance
FEMA Assistance May Be Available for Losses Not Covered by Insurance
OKLAHOMA CITY –If you sustained damage from the March 14-21 wildfires and straight-line winds, and initially did not receive FEMA assistance because of insurance coverage, you may now be eligible
For residents in Cleveland, Creek, Lincoln, Logan, Oklahoma, Pawnee and Payne counties, if your insurance did not cover all damages or if your reimbursement is delayed, FEMA may be able to help
While FEMA cannot duplicate insurance payments, it may be able to help where insurance did not
You may be eligible for FEMA Individual Assistance if you:Were denied insurance benefits by your insurance company, orYour insurance claim has been settled and you can demonstrate to FEMA that your settlement didn’t cover your disaster-related essential needs
Survivors who apply with FEMA may be eligible for Housing Assistance and Other Needs Assistance (ONA)
Housing Assistance may include help with rentals, home repairs and home replacements
ONA may include help with personal property, medical expenses, dental expenses, funeral expenses, childcare, transportation, and other miscellaneous items
The first step is to contact your insurance company to request one of the following documents:A denial letter, or proof that you are not being covered by your insurance company
A settlement letter, or exactly what is being covered by your insurance company
A delay letter, or proof there has been no official decision yet by your insurance company on your insurance claim, and it has been more than 30 days from the time that you filed your insurance claim
Any funds that you may receive from FEMA in this process would then be considered an advance and must be repaid when you get your settlement
FEMA assistance is based on the specific information provided on each FEMA application, including the documentation provided by the applicant
You can submit your documentation of denial letters, settlement letters or letters of delay:Online at DisasterAssistance
gov
By mail at: FEMA – Individuals and Households ProgramNational Processing Service Center P
O
Box 10055Hyattsville, MD 20782-7055By fax at 800-827-8112, Attention: FEMA – Individuals and Households Program
By downloading the FEMA appYou can also speak with a FEMA specialist directly by calling the FEMA Helpline at 800-621-3362
If you use a video relay service, captioned telephone service, or other communication services, please provide FEMA the specific number assigned for that service
Lines are open daily from 6 a
m
to 10 p
m
CDT, seven days a week
For the latest information, visit fema
gov/disaster/4866
Follow us on Twitter at twitter
com/FEMARegion6 and like us on Facebook at facebook
com/FEMARegion6
thomas
wise
Wed, 06/18/2025 – 14:12
Source: US State of California 2
What you need to know: Two sites in San Francisco are the latest to be transformed under Governor Newsom’s executive order converting excess and underutilized state land into affordable housing.
SAN FRANCISCO — Today, Governor Gavin Newsom announced the groundbreaking of two new affordable housing communities in San Francisco’s Fillmore District. Utilizing Governor Newsom’s executive order from 2019 to spur the production of affordable housing in California, the formerly state-owned parking sites will be transformed into 167 homes for low- to extremely-low-income residents.
“These projects are the latest testament to the innovative work happening across the state to make housing more affordable. The sites announced today help put a roof over people’s heads and place them in a stronger position for opportunities to uplift themselves, their families, and their community.”
Governor Gavin Newsom
The Excess Sites program is administered in partnership by the California Department of General Services (DGS) and the California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD). The program identifies state-owned land available and suitable for housing and creates a digital inventory of those properties available through the State Excess Sites – Affordable Housing Opportunities Map Viewer. DGS and HCD review proposals for unawarded sites on a rolling basis.
“Thanks to the Excess Sites program, the state has successfully converted underutilized state properties into community assets for current and future generations of Californians,” said Business, Consumer Services and Housing Agency Secretary Tomiquia Moss. “These projects in San Francisco will build much-needed affordable homes for people who often find it difficult to live in the very communities they serve.”
“As with our other affordable housing developments across the state, this project is a partnership that allows us to zero in on a community’s specific housing needs,” said Government Operations Agency Secretary Nick Maduros. “Providing convenient, affordable housing lightens a significant burden for these valued members of the local educational community.”
Rendering of the project at 750 Golden Gate Avenue
At 750 Golden Gate Avenue, a surface parking lot will be replaced to create 75 affordable rental homes for San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD) and San Francisco Community College District (SFCCD) employees. This will be the second educator-employee housing project to break ground in San Francisco. The second phase of this project will consist of building 96 affordable homes at an adjacent parcel at Golden Gate Avenue and Franklin Street.
Rendering of the project at 850 Turk Street
The second project to break ground—850 Turk Street—will be a 92-unit multifamily affordable housing development redeveloping the site of a former Employment Development Department (EDD) parking garage podium. The project will feature indoor and outdoor common areas, office space, residential service spaces, and a range of available amenities, including a private courtyard, rooftop terrace, and barbecue facilities. Both communities will be developed by MidPen Housing Corporation.
“We are repurposing excess properties throughout the state to build affordable housing that California communities urgently need,” said DGS Director Ana M. Lasso. “DGS is enthusiastic to collaborate on a project that has the unique distinction of benefiting educators and employees of the SFUSD and SFCCD.”
“Strong, healthy communities need teachers, firefighters, nurses, and others who have too often been priced out of living in the neighborhoods they serve,” said HCD Director Gustavo Velasquez. “We are honored to help implement the Governor’s vision to transform underutilized state land to meet this critical need for affordable housing options.”
From state land to affordable housing
In 2019, Governor Gavin Newsom issued an Executive Order N-06-19, which tasked HCD and DGS with tackling the state’s affordable housing crisis by identifying underutilized state-owned land that could be converted into affordable housing, with consideration to factors such as proximity to job centers, amenities, and public transit. The order has since been utilized to create hundreds of affordable homes, including:
Source: US State of Alabama
MONTGOMERY – Governor Kay Ivey on Wednesday announced the appointment of Michael Godwin to the Montgomery County District Court.
“I am pleased to appoint Michael Godwin to serve as District Judge for the 15th Judicial Circuit in Montgomery County,” said Governor Ivey. “His considerable legal experience and familiarity with the Court ensure he will make an effective district judge for the people of Montgomery County. I am confident Judge Godwin will serve with honor and integrity.”
“I am humbled and honored by the governor’s appointment, and immensely appreciative for the opportunity to serve the people of Montgomery County as a District Judge,” said Godwin.
Godwin will succeed former District Judge Tiffany McCord who was appointed to serve on the Montgomery Circuit Court by Governor Ivey on April 5, 2025.
Godwin began his legal career as a judicial law clerk and mediation coordinator for the Montgomery County District Court in 2008. From 2010 through 2025, he practiced law for the firms of Chambless, Math, & Carr, P.C., and Edmondson Godwin in Montgomery.
A resident of Montgomery, Godwin received his Bachelor of Arts degree in English from Birmingham-Southern College in 2003 and Juris Doctor from the Thomas Goode Jones School of Law in Montgomery in 2007.
Godwin’s appointment is effective immediately.
Godwin’s official photo is attached.
###
Source: United States Attorneys General 7
The Department of Justice filed a civil forfeiture complaint today in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia against more than $225.3 million in cryptocurrency. According to the complaint, law enforcement used blockchain analysis and other investigative techniques to determine that the cryptocurrency is connected to the theft and laundering of funds from victims of cryptocurrency investment fraud schemes, commonly referred to as “cryptocurrency confidence scams.”
Members of the public who believe they are victims of cryptocurrency investment fraud and other cyber-enabled crime should contact the FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center at www.ic3.gov. If you believe you may be a victim of one of the scams alleged in the government’s complaint, add the code “BT06182025” in the narrative of your complaint, and if you have previously filed a related complaint, make note of the prior complaint in the narrative.
Source: Amnesty International –
Israeli and Iranian authorities repeatedly demonstrate utter disregard for international human rights and humanitarian law with impunity
Escalation masks Israel’s deepening starvation of Gaza and West Bank oppression in ongoing apartheid
Iran responds to Israeli attacks by imposing internet restrictions, arresting journalists, and executing a man for alleged espionage
‘Instead of cheering on one party to the conflict over another as if civilian suffering is a mere sideshow, governments must ensure the protection of civilians’ – Agnès Callamard
As civilians continue to suffer the devastating impact of the escalating hostilities between Iran and Israel since 13 June, and with threats of further violence looming, Amnesty International is calling on both governments to uphold their obligations under international humanitarian law and ensure the protection of civilians.
Agnès Callamard, Secretary General of Amnesty International, said:
“As the number of deaths and injuries continue to rise, both parties must comply with their obligations and ensure that civilians in both countries do not further pay the price of reckless military action.
“Further escalation of these hostilities’ risks unleashing devastating and far-reaching consequences for civilians across the region and beyond.
“Statements by the US and the G7 so far have failed to recognise the catastrophic impact this escalation will have on civilians in both countries.
“Instead of cheering on one party to the conflict over another as if civilian suffering is a mere sideshow, governments must ensure the protection of civilians. Preventing further suffering must be the priority – not the pursuit of military or geopolitical goals.
“Both Israeli and Iranian authorities have time and again demonstrated their utter disregard for international human rights and humanitarian law, committing grave international crimes with impunity.
“The world must not allow Israel to use this military escalation to divert attention away from its ongoing genocide against Palestinians in the occupied Gaza Strip, its illegal occupation of the whole Occupied Palestinian Territory and its system of apartheid against Palestinians.
“Likewise, the international community must not ignore the suffering that decades of crimes under international law by the Iranian authorities have inflicted upon people inside Iran, that is now being compounded by relentless bombardment.”
International law prohibits attacks on civilians
Under international humanitarian law, all parties must take all feasible precautions to spare civilians and minimise their suffering and casualties.
International humanitarian law strictly prohibits attacks directed at civilians and civilian objects, as well as attacks which do not distinguish between military targets and civilians or civilian infrastructure.
Weapons that are extremely inaccurate and have large warheads that produce large area effects, such as ballistic missiles, should never be used in areas with large populations of civilians. Attacks on military objectives that are likely to result in disproportionate civilian casualties or destruction of civilian objects are also prohibited.
In the shadow of this latest escalation, Israeli authorities continue to forcibly displace and starve Palestinians in the occupied Gaza Strip as part of their ongoing genocide. They have imposed a full closure on the West Bank, where state-backed settler violence continues to rise, further entrenching Israel’s illegal occupation and apartheid system.
Meanwhile, Iranian authorities have responded to Israel’s latest military attacks by imposing internet restrictions, arresting journalists and dissidents within the country. They have also restricted prisoners’ communication with the outside world, including those in prisons near sites of the bombings. On 16 June, the Iranian authorities executed a man for alleged espionage for Israel, raising concerns about the fate of others on death row for similar charges. The Iranian authorities must release all human rights defenders and others arbitrarily detained.
Sinister and fear-inducing ‘warnings’
Over the past three days, Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Minister of Defence Israel Katz, and Persian-language spokesperson of the Israeli army Kamal Pinchasi have issued alarming threats and overly broad, ineffective evacuation warnings to millions of civilians in Tehran a major city with a population of around 10 million people, located in Tehran province which is home to around 19 million people. In some cases, warnings were issued in the middle of the night when residents were asleep or did not clarify if they referred to the city or the province of Tehran.
On 16 June, Israel Katz, Israel’s Minister of Defense threatened on X that “the residents of Tehran will be forced to pay the price” for the actions of the Iranian authorities. Hours later, the Israeli military’s Persian-language spokesperson warned civilians to evacuate Tehran’s District Three – an area of approximately 30 square km and home to over 350,000 people via a video showing unclear danger zones. The video included a map indicating danger zones for civilians but did not clearly specify targeted locations or areas of blast and fragmentation hazard, leaving residents uncertain about which areas to avoid. Iranian civil society activists later republished the map with cleared boundaries and locations named.
Prior to the “evacuation” warnings on 16 June, the Israeli army had issued another overly broad warning in Persian, instructing people across the country to “immediately leave areas … [housing] military weapons manufacturing facilities and their support institutions”. The statement sowed panic and confusion among people, as the locations of military facilities are not known to the general public, and no clear guidance was provided on where civilians should or should not go to ensure their safety.
Evacuation warnings do not release Israel from its other obligations under international humanitarian law. They must not treat as open-fire zones areas for which they have issued warnings. Millions of people in Tehran cannot leave, either because they have no alternative residences outside the city or due to limited mobility, disability, blocked roads, fuel shortages or other constraints. Israel has an obligation to take all feasible precautions to minimise harm to these civilians.
Early morning Tehran time on 17 June, US President Donald Trump caused further panic with a Truth Social post stating: “Everyone should immediately evacuate Tehran.” US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and the White House amplified the message on X, amid media reports that the United States may join Israel in striking Iran.
In reaction to the Israeli warnings, Iranian state media reported on 15 June that the Iranian armed forces had issued warnings urging residents of Tel Aviv to evacuate. In a video aired on state media, Reza Sayed, spokesperson of the Communication Center of the General Staff of the Armed Forces stated: “Leave the occupied territories [referring to Israel and the OPT], as they will undoubtedly become uninhabitable for you in the future. Parties to armed conflicts are prohibited from issuing threats of violence which are designed to spread terror among the civilian population. They cannot hide behind overly general warnings to claim that they have met their obligations under international law.”
In Israel, these Iranian warnings have not triggered the same level of chaos and mass evacuation, largely due to the presence of the Iron Dome defense system and available shelters. However, there have been cases where civilians, particularly Palestinian citizens of Israel and Bedouin communities, who do not have access to underground shelters, such as the Khatib family in the Palestinian town of Tamra, were killed as a result of an Iranian missile strike. Israeli civil society groups are calling on the government to urgently address the chronic lack of protected space for non-Jewish Israeli citizens.
Internet shutdowns and media censorship
In Iran, the authorities have disrupted access to the Internet and instant messaging applications, preventing millions of people caught up in the conflict from accessing essential information and communicating with loved ones both inside and outside the country and thereby exacerbating their suffering.
The Israeli authorities are also using vague security pretexts to target people over social media posts or sharing videos deemed to breach strict censorship rules.
Agnès Callamard added:
“Access to the Internet is essential to protect human rights, especially in times of armed conflict where communications blackouts would prevent people from finding safe routes, accessing life-saving resources, and staying informed. The Iranian authorities must immediately ensure full restoration of internet and communication services in all of Iran.
“Israeli authorities must refrain from using military escalations, as they have done in the past, as a further pretext to crack down on freedom of expression, disproportionately targeting Palestinian citizens of Israel, including through arbitrary detention over unsubstantiated allegations of incitement.”
Source: Amnesty International –
As more and more civilians bear the cruel toll of the terrifying military escalation in Iran and Israel since 13 June 2025, and amid threats of further escalation in the conflict, Amnesty International is urging the Israeli and Iranian authorities to abide by their obligations under international humanitarian law to protect civilians.
On 16 June, an Iranian government spokesperson reported that Israeli attacks had killed at least 224 people, including 74 women and children, without specifying how many of them were civilians. The health ministry also stated 1,800 people have been injured.
In Israel, the Israeli Military Home Front reported that Iranian attacks had killed at least 24 people, including women and children, stating that they were all civilians, with nearly 600 injured.
“As the number of deaths and injuries continue to rise, Amnesty International is urging both parties to comply with their obligations and ensure that civilians in both countries do not further pay the price of reckless military action,” said Agnès Callamard, Secretary General of Amnesty International.
“Further escalation of these hostilities risks unleashing devastating and far-reaching consequences for civilians across the region and beyond.
As the number of deaths and injuries continue to rise, Amnesty International is urging both parties to comply with their obligations and ensure that civilians in both countries do not further pay the price of reckless military action
Agnès Callamard, Secretary General of Amnesty International
“Statements by the US and the G7 so far have failed to recognize the catastrophic impact this escalation will have on civilians in both countries.
“Instead of cheering on one party to the conflict over another as if civilian suffering is a mere sideshow, states must ensure the protection of civilians. Preventing further suffering must be the priority – not the pursuit of military or geopolitical goals.
“Both Israeli and Iranian authorities have time and again demonstrated their utter disregard for international human rights and humanitarian law, committing grave international crimes with impunity.
“The world must not allow Israel to use this military escalation to divert attention away from its ongoing genocide against Palestinians in the occupied Gaza Strip, its illegal occupation of the whole Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT) and its system of apartheid against Palestinians.
“Likewise, the international community must not ignore the suffering that decades of crimes under international law by the Iranian authorities have inflicted upon people inside Iran, that is now being compounded by relentless bombardment.”
Under international humanitarian law, all parties must take all feasible precautions to spare civilians and minimize their suffering and casualties. International humanitarian law strictly prohibits attacks directed at civilians and civilian objects, as well as attacks which do not distinguish between military targets and civilians or civilian infrastructure.
For this reason, weapons that are extremely inaccurate and have large warheads that produce large area effects, such as ballistic missiles, should never be used in areas with large populations of civilians. Attacks on military objectives that are likely to result in disproportionate civilian casualties or destruction of civilian objects are also prohibited.
In the deadliest incident in Israel, eight people including three children, were killed in Bat Yam, south of Tel Aviv, on 15 June.
In Iran, at least 12 people including children and a pregnant woman were killed in one attack in Tajrish square in Tehran on 15 June.
In the shadow of this latest escalation, Israeli authorities continue to forcibly displace and starve Palestinians in the occupied Gaza Strip as part of their ongoing genocide. They have imposed a full closure on the West Bank, where state-backed settler violence continues to rise, further entrenching Israel’s illegal occupation and apartheid system.
Meanwhile, Iranian authorities have responded to Israel’s latest military attacks by imposing internet restrictions, arresting journalists and dissidents within the country. They have also restricted prisoners’ communication with the outside world, including those in prisons near sites of the bombings. On 16 June, the Iranian authorities executed a man for alleged espionage for Israel, raising concerns about the fate of others on death row for similar charges. The Iranian authorities must release all human rights defenders and others arbitrarily detained and should relocate other prisoners away from locations at risk of being attacked by Israel.
Sinister and fear-inducing ‘warnings’
Over the past three days, Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Minister of Defence Israel Katz, and Persian-language spokesperson of the Israeli army Kamal Pinchasi have issued alarming threats and overly broad, ineffective evacuation warnings to millions of civilians in Tehran a major city with a population of around 10 million people, located in Tehran province which is home to around 19 million people. In some cases, warnings were issued in the middle of the night when residents were asleep or did not clarify if they referred to the city or the province of Tehran.
On 16 June, Israel Katz, Israel’s Minister of Defense threatened on X that “the residents of Tehran will be forced to pay the price” for the actions of the Iranian authorities. Hours later, the Israeli military’s Persian-language spokesperson warned civilians to evacuate Tehran’s District Three – an area of approximately 30 square km and home to over 350,000 people- via a video showing unclear danger zones. The video included a map indicating danger zones for civilians but did not clearly specify targeted locations or areas of blast and fragmentation hazard, leaving residents uncertain about which areas to avoid. Iranian civil society activists later republished the map with cleared boundaries and locations named.
Prior to the “evacuation” warnings on 16 June, the Israeli army had issued another overly broad warning in Persian, instructing people across the country to “immediately leave areas … [housing] military weapons manufacturing facilities and their support institutions”. The statement sowed panic and confusion among people, as the locations of military facilities are not known to the general public, and no clear guidance was provided on where civilians should or should not go to ensure their safety.
Evacuation warnings, even if detailed and effective, do not release Israel from its other obligations under international humanitarian law. They must not treat as open-fire zones areas for which they have issued warnings. Millions of people in Tehran cannot leave, either because they have no alternative residences outside the city or due to limited mobility, disability, blocked roads, fuel shortages or other constraints. Israel has an obligation to take all feasible precautions to minimize harm to these civilians.
Early morning Tehran time on 17 June, US President Donald Trump caused further panic with a Truth Social post stating: “Everyone should immediately evacuate Tehran.” US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and the White House amplified the message on X, amid media reports that the United States may join Israel in striking Iran.
In reaction to the Israeli warnings, Iranian state media reported on 15 June that the Iranian armed forces had issued warnings urging residents of Tel Aviv to evacuate. In a video aired on state media, Reza Sayed, spokesperson of the Communication Center of the General Staff of the Armed Forces stated: “Leave the occupied territories [referring to Israel and the OPT], as they will undoubtedly become uninhabitable for you in the future … Do not allow the criminal regime to use you as human shields. Avoid residing or moving near the aforementioned locations and know that even underground shelters will not provide you with safety.”
In Israel, these Iranian warnings have not triggered the same level of chaos and mass evacuation, largely due to the presence of the Iron Dome defense system and available shelters. However, there have been cases where civilians, particularly Palestinian citizens of Israel and Bedouin communities, who do not have access to underground shelters, such as the Khatib family in the Palestinian town of Tamra, were killed as a result of an Iranian missile strike. Israeli civil society groups are calling on the government to urgently address the chronic lack of protected space for non-Jewish Israeli citizens
Parties to armed conflicts are prohibited from issuing threats of violence which are designed to spread terror among the civilian population. They cannot hide behind overly general warnings to claim that they have met their obligations under international law. To constitute effective warnings under international humanitarian law, parties must provide civilians with clear and practical instructions on moving away from military objectives that will be targeted rather than unlawfully calling for the mass exodus of millions – an approach that appears designed more to incite panic and terror among civilians than to ensure their protection.
Internet shutdowns and media censorship
In Iran, the authorities have disrupted access to the Internet and instant messaging applications, preventing millions of people caught up in the conflict from accessing essential information and communicating with loved ones both inside and outside the country and thereby exacerbating their suffering.
“Access to the Internet is essential to protect human rights, especially in times of armed conflict where communications blackouts would prevent people from finding safe routes, accessing life-saving resources, and staying informed. The Iranian authorities must immediately ensure full restoration of internet and communication services in all of Iran,” said Agnès Callamard.
The Israeli authorities are also using vague security pretexts to target people over social media posts or sharing videos deemed to breach strict censorship rules.
“Israeli authorities must refrain from using military escalations, as they have done in the past, as a further pretext to crack down on freedom of expression, disproportionately targeting Palestinian citizens of Israel, including through arbitrary detention over unsubstantiated allegations of incitement,” said Agnès Callamard.
Background
On 13 June 2025, Israeli authorities launched air and drone strikes against Iranian territory. Shortly afterwards, Israeli officials announced that they launched the operation to target Iranian nuclear and ballistic missile capabilities and decapitate Iran’s military leadership. The Israeli strikes began as Iran and the US were in the process of negotiating a new deal to limit Iran’s nuclear program and enrichment activities in exchange for sanctions relief.
Iranian authorities have retaliated by launching hundreds of missiles and drones against Israeli territory.
Israeli attacks have struck cities in multiple provinces across Iran, including the provinces of Alborz, East Azerbaijan, Esfahan, Fars, Kermanshah, Hamedan, Lorestan, Ilam, Markazi, Qom, Tehran, West Azerbaijan and Khorasan Razavi.
Iranian attacks have struck several urban areas in Israel, such as Tel Aviv, Bat Yam, Tamra, Petah Tikva, Bnei Brak, Haifa, Herzliya.
Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman August Pfluger (TX-11)
Washington, June 18, 2025
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Second Lady of the United States Usha Vance announced her Summer Reading Challenge, and Congressman August Pfluger (TX-11) is encouraging all K-8 students in Texas’s 11th Congressional District to participate. To enter, students must read 12 books, complete the reading log, and submit it to receive a prize. The challenge is open to all students in grades K-8, and participants will be entered into a raffle for a special trip to visit the Nation’s Capital!
“The Second Lady’s Summer Reading Challenge is in full swing! Developing strong reading skills lays the foundation for lifelong success. I know my daughter is actively participating, and I encourage every eligible student to join in as well. This is an incredible opportunity to show the rest of America what I already know — that TX-11 is home to some of the best and brightest students in the country,” said Rep. Pfluger.
The Summer Reading Challenge runs through September 5, 2025. To learn more and enter the challenge, please click HERE.
US Senate News:
Source: United States Senator for Wisconsin Ron Johnson
WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) released his report titled, “FY 2025 Budget Reconciliation: Facts, Figures, and Analysis.” The senator contends that neither Congress, the Administration, nor the public at large has fully acknowledged the depth of the fiscal hole we have dug, or what it will take to dig ourselves out of it. “The first step in solving any problem is admitting you have one. The second step is defining it clearly,” said Sen. Johnson.
In the seven years prior to the pandemic, federal deficits averaged $660 billion per year. Mass panic during the pandemic resulted in a spending increase of $2.1 trillion in FY2020 ($4.4 to $6.5 trillion), with a one-year deficit exceeding $3.1 trillion. Instead of returning to a reasonable pre-pandemic level of spending as the economy recovered and unemployment rates returned to normal, President Biden and congressional Democrats kept the spending spree going, resulting in deficits averaging $1.9 trillion over the next four years, sparking forty-year high inflation.
CBO’s January 2025 baseline projects a cumulative 10-year (FY2025-FY2034) deficit of $21.1 trillion, or $2.1 trillion average deficit per year. CBO’s score of the One Big Beautiful Bill (OBBB) projects a 10-year deficit of $24.1 trillion, or $2.4 trillion average per year. Even the scenario presented by the White House in its June 7, 2025 memo projects a 10-year deficit of $18.6 trillion, or $1.86 trillion average per year, only slightly below President Biden’s level. The White House scenario assumes $2.8 trillion in tariff revenue and $1.5 trillion in additional discretionary spending reduction.
With these facts in mind, Sen. Johnson’s report provides an analysis of different scenarios using various growth rates and spending levels to prove that, without returning to a much lower pre-pandemic spending level, there is virtually no hope of achieving a balanced budget.
As Republican leaders have repeatedly stated, “We don’t have a revenue problem; we have a spending problem.”
“Republicans must ask themselves whether they’re willing to address this spending problem. I hope the answer is yes — and I will continue doing everything I can to ensure it is,” said Sen. Johnson.
The full text of the report can be found here.
Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
The owner of a Chicago laboratory has been sentenced today to seven years in prison for his role in a COVID-19 testing fraud scheme.
According to court documents, Zishan Alvi, 46, of Inverness, Ill., owned and operated a laboratory in Chicago that performed testing for COVID-19. In 2021 and 2022, Alvi caused claims to be submitted to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) for COVID-19 tests that were either not performed at all or not performed correctly. As part of the scheme, the laboratory released negative test results to patients, even though the laboratory either had not tested the specimens or the results were inconclusive because Alvi had diluted the tests to save on costs, rendering the tests unreliable. Alvi knew that the laboratory was releasing negative results for tests that were not performed or were inconclusive but still caused the laboratory to bill HRSA for those tests. Alvi also lied to laboratory directors to conceal his fraud. As a result of the fraudulent claims, HRSA paid the laboratory more than $14 million.
Alvi pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud on September 30, 2024. At sentencing, he was also ordered to pay $14,199,217 in restitution, and forfeit approximately $6.8 million in cash, a 2021 Range Rover HSE, and over $630,000 from an E-Trade account.
Matthew R. Galeotti, Head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Andrew S. Boutros for the Northern District of Illinois, Special Agent in Charge Douglas S. DePodesta of the FBI Chicago Field Office, and Deputy Inspector General for Investigations Christian J. Schrank, of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG) made the announcement.
The FBI and HHS-OIG investigated the case.
Trial Attorney Claire Sobczak Pacelli of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Jared Hasten for the Northern District of Illinois prosecuted the case.
The Fraud Section leads the Criminal Division’s efforts to combat health care fraud through the Health Care Fraud Strike Force Program. Since March 2007, this program, currently comprised of nine strike forces operating in 27 federal districts, has charged more than 5,800 defendants who collectively have billed federal health care programs and private insurers more than $30 billion. In addition, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, working in conjunction with the Office of the Inspector General for the Department of Health and Human Services, are taking steps to hold providers accountable for their involvement in health care fraud schemes. More information can be found at https://www.justice.gov/criminal-fraud/health-care-fraud-unit.
Source: WTO
Headline: WTO members review six regional trade agreements, discuss transparency issues
The Committee considered the following Agreements:
The Chair of the Committee, Ambassador José Valencia of Ecuador, noted that 61 RTAs in force have still not been notified to the WTO up to 2 June 2025 – up from 58 RTAs on the previous list.
The Chair outlined the informal consultations he recently held with members on the issues of non-notified RTAs, factual presentations, and possible inputs for the 14th WTO Ministerial Conference to be held in Yaoundé, Cameroon, on 26-29 March 2026.
Ambassador Valencia shared a report summarizing members’ views, with background context provided primarily by the Secretariat, and his own suggestions for action. The report was presented under the Chair’s own responsibility and without prejudice to members’ views. Further informal consultations are planned after the summer to facilitate deeper discussions on the report’s content and future actions.
Under other business, Brazil sought clarification on the trade deal recently announced by the United States and the United Kingdom. The US and the UK said they would relay the questions to capitals and revert back.
Next meeting
The next Committee meeting is scheduled for 10 November.
Share
Source: Thales Group
Headline: The European Space Agency, Thales Alenia Space and Blue Origin to explore collaboration opportunities
Paris Air Show, June 18th 2025 – The European Space Agency (ESA) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Thales Alenia Space, a joint venture between Thales (67%) and Leonardo (33%), and Blue Origin to foster and facilitate commercial and industrial advancements in the area of space exploration in Low Earth Orbit.
Signature Ceremony – from left to right: Giampiero Di Paolo,Deputy CEO and Senior Vice President of Observation, Exploration, and Navigation at Thales Alenia Space, Daniel Neuenschwander, Director of Human and Robotic Exploration at ESA and Pat Remias, Vice President, Advanced Concepts and Enterprise Engineering, Blue Origin © ESA
The signatories will explore opportunities for European payloads and/or crew members to utilize on a non-exclusive basis the low-Earth orbit (LEO) space station Orbital Reef which will offer end-to-end services, including transportation of crew and cargo, astronaut accommodations, and payload utilization services.
Through this MoU, the European Space Agency intends to develop a closer relationship with Blue Origin and Thales Alenia Space for the development of Orbital Reef, that could provide services meeting Europe’s long-term research and commercial needs in alignment with ESA’s recently announced requirements.
The MoU will also support European industry in preparing to supply modules, systems, subsystems, and equipment for Orbital Reef, and conducting risk-mitigation activities. Furthermore, Thales Alenia Space and Blue Origin are considering using future qualified European LEO cargo and/or crew transportation services under commercially viable terms and conditions as a means to transport astronauts and supplies to and from the station.
“I am thrilled to witness an opening of a new economic dimension on Low Earth Orbit, to which this MoU is contributing,” said Daniel Neuenschwander, Director of Human and Robotic Exploration at ESA. “Our core mission at ESA is to support our Member States’ ambitions, and to do so, we are always keen to investigate potential collaborations in a renewed ecosystem with a growing commercial segment.”
“We’re truly honored that ESA has placed its trust in our company to explore opportunities in the LEO ecosystem together with Blue Origin to meet Europe’s commercial needs,” said Giampiero Di Paolo, Deputy CEO and Senior Vice President of Observation, Exploration, and Navigation at Thales Alenia Space.“Thales Alenia Space has played a key role in achieving humanity’s ambitions in LEO in recent years. By leveraging our expertise in space exploration infrastructures and vehicles, we’re committed to competing and investing in the development of technological solutions to empower Europe’s plans for the commercialization of low-Earth orbit. We’re excited about our collaboration with Blue Origin and are ready to implement whatever’s required to prepare for human presence and life in space, laying the groundwork for the post-ISS era while addressing new economic needs for research and science.”
“This alliance is a unique opportunity to not only enable a new era of research and progress in orbit, but to welcome the broadest spectrum of partners in constructing humanity’s future beyond Earth,” said Pat Remias, Vice President, Advanced Concepts and Enterprise Engineering, Blue Origin. “Together, we are building foundations for industries and missions yet to be imagined.”
The European Space Agency (ESA) provides Europe’s gateway to space.
ESA is an intergovernmental organisation, created in 1975, with the mission to shape the development of Europe’s space capability and ensure that investment in space delivers benefits to the citizens of Europe and the world.
ESA has 23 Member States: Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. Latvia, Lithuania and Slovakia are Associate Members.
ESA has established formal cooperation with other four Member States of the EU. Canada takes part in some ESA programmes under a Cooperation Agreement.
By coordinating the financial and intellectual resources of its members, ESA can undertake programmes and activities far beyond the scope of any single European country. It is working in particular with the EU on advancing the Galileo and Copernicus programmes as well as with Eumetsat for the development of meteorological missions.
Drawing on over 40 years of experience and a unique combination of skills, expertise and cultures, Thales Alenia Space delivers cost-effective solutions for telecommunications, navigation, Earth observation, environmental monitoring, exploration, science and orbital infrastructures. Governments and private industry alike count on Thales Alenia Space to design satellite-based systems that provide anytime, anywhere connections and positioning, monitor our planet, enhance management of its resources, and explore our Solar System and beyond. Thales Alenia Space sees space as a new horizon, helping to build a better, more sustainable life on Earth. A joint venture between Thales (67%) and Leonardo (33%), Thales Alenia Space also teams up with Telespazio to form the Space Alliance, which offers a complete range of solutions including services. Thales Alenia Space posted consolidated revenues of €2.23 billion in 2024 and has more than 8,100 employees in 7 countries with 15 sites in Europe.
We are building a road to space for the benefit of Earth, humanity’s blue origin. Our team is focused on radically reducing the cost of access to space and harnessing its vast resources while mobilizing future generations to realize this mission. Blue Origin builds and operates reusable rocket engines, launch vehicles, in-space systems, and lunar landers.
Source: World Trade Organization
The following documents are available:
A detailed report written independently by the WTO Secretariat.
A policy statement by the government of the member under review.
The Secretariat and Government reports are discussed by the WTO’s full membership in the Trade Policy Review Body (TPRB).
Trade Policy Reviews are an exercise, mandated in the WTO agreements, in which member countries’ trade and related policies are examined and evaluated at regular intervals. Significant developments that may have an impact on the global trading system are also monitored. All WTO members are subject to review, with the frequency of review depending on the country’s size.
Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Lori Trahan (D-MA-03)
LOWELL, MA – Today, Congresswoman Lori Trahan (MA-03), House Agriculture Committee Ranking Member Angie Craig (MN-02), Congresswoman Shontel Brown (OH-11), Congresswoman Jahana Hayes (CT-05), and Congressman Jim McGovern (MA-02) led 30 House Democrats in demanding answers from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) on its handling of the personal data of Americans who applied for or received food assistance through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).
“For months, this Administration has been on an unprecedented quest to collect and consolidate as much personal data from the American people as possible,” the lawmakers wrote. “Initiated by the so-called Department of Government Efficiency and bolstered by executive actions, including Executive Order 14243 on ‘Stopping Waste, Fraud, and Abuse by Eliminating Information Silos,’ the administration has combined the sensitive information of millions of individuals, creating major cybersecurity risks, endangering Americans’ privacy, and repeatedly violating the letter and spirit of longstanding laws, like the Privacy Act of 1974.”
Last month, USDA notified states that they would be required to turn over sensitive data about millions of Americans as part of its Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) effort to collect and consolidate as much personal data as possible. The SNAP data requested by the administration includes Americans’ Social Security numbers, dates of birth, home addresses, employment and citizenship statuses, incomes, health information, history of substance abuse treatment, paternity, and history of child support payments. In its request, USDA wrote that the data would be used to “ensure program integrity” and is the “only way” to detect improper payments, despite the rollout of privacy-preserving initiatives like its National Accuracy Clearinghouse.
In the lawmakers’ letter, they warn about the serious risks the Department’s demand poses for data breaches, hacking, and eroding trust in SNAP.
“If Americans begin to lose trust in state SNAP agencies and EBT processors as good-faith stewards of their personal data, it will become increasingly difficult–and costly–to effectively administer SNAP. Americans may even forgo participation in SNAP entirely. These are unacceptable and, frankly, entirely avoidable outcomes,” the lawmakers concluded.
A copy of the letter sent today can be accessed HERE.
Additional co-signers include Representatives Alma S. Adams, Ph.D. (NC-12), Yassamin Ansari (AZ-03), Nanette Barragán (CA-44), Judy Chu (CA-28), Emanuel Cleaver, II (MO-05), Sharice Davids (KS-03), Danny K. Davis (IL-07), Diana DeGette (CO–01), Debbie Dingell (MI-06), Cleo Fields (LA-06), Jesús “Chuy” García (IL-04), Maggie Goodlander (NH-02), Josh Gottheimer (NJ-5), Sara Jacobs (CA-51), Pramila Jayapal (WA-07), Julie Johnson (TX-32), George Latimer (NY-16), Stephen F. Lynch (MA-08), Betty McCollum (MN-04), Eleanor Holmes Norton (DC-AL), Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (NY-14), Jimmy Panetta (CA-19), Chris Pappas (NH-01), Jan Schakowsky (IL-09), Lateefah Simon (CA-12), Shri Thanedar (MI-13), Bennie G. Thompson (MS-02), Rashida Tlaib (MI-12), Jill Tokuda (HI-02), and Nydia M. Velázquez (NY-07).
This request follows efforts Trahan has led regarding DOGE’s alleged mishandling of Americans’ sensitive data housed in the Treasury Department’s payment system and separately at the National Labor Relations Board. In March, Trahan announced that she will be introducing legislation to rewrite the Privacy Act for the first time since its passage in 1974.
###
Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Christina Clark-Kazak, Professor, Public and International Affairs, L’Université d’Ottawa/University of Ottawa
As World Refugee Day approaches on June 20, advocates and health experts are calling on the Canadian government to urgently address prolonged family separation for refugees. With wait times for family reunification now averaging more than four years, critics say the delays are causing irreparable harm to refugee families and imposing long-term costs on the health-care system and the Canadian economy.
The significant health, social and economic costs of prolonged family separation merit urgent action. These costs are borne by refugees and their families as well as municipal, provincial and federal governments.
People seeking refugee protection whose claims are accepted in Canada receive protected person status and are allowed to apply for permanent residence. They are permitted to include dependent children and spouses who are outside Canada on their permanent residence applications.
While accepted refugees and their family members are legally eligible for permanent residence in Canada, they must be admitted under the immigration levels for Protected Persons in Canada and Dependants Abroad. Because the number of people applying under these levels exceeds the number of spaces available, family separation currently lasts 50 months.
In 2024, the government of Canada announced major reductions in immigration levels starting in 2025. These reductions will further delay family reunification, prolonging refugees’ bureaucratic limbo.
Studies document the several mental health consequences of the separation of children from their parent(s), and of spouses from their partner. These challenges intensify as the duration of the separation increases.
Medical associations around the world say family separation is a traumatic event that can cause developmental regression and higher rates of unexplained illness in children.
This trauma may stem from the sense of abandonment that children experience while being separated from their parents. In one study from 2005, an interviewee said:
“It was hard at first … .The children thought that I had abandoned them. They considered me a traitor.”
Despite the time and efforts invested in long-distance relationships, family breakdown may result from prolonged family separation, necessitating counselling or child protection services.
These mental health consequences not only have human costs. They also represent a financial burden for the Canadian government through the Interim Federal Health Care (IFHC) Program. After protected people transition away from IFHC, provincial and territorial governments pay for health costs associated with family separation.
Some children may also require school-based interventions, mental health services and counselling, the costs of which are also borne by provincial governments.
Protected people separated from their families also pay to maintain two households: one in Canada and one overseas. In a 2019 study, a refugee said that “sending remittances was more expensive than if they lived together in Canada.”
Remittances not only represent a financial challenge to refugee families, they also result in indirect economic losses to Canada as funds leave the country instead of being invested in Canada.
Research shows that family separation also inhibits integration. The inability to find affordable child care in a single-parent household, for example, limits the ability to learn official languages, participate in community groups and find work opportunities.
For example, one woman from Afghanistan who had been waiting more than six years for reunification with her husband told researchers:
“In night I sometimes cannot sleep and I just walk and walk around the lobby of my apartment building. […] I can no longer take care of my children when they’re missing all the time their father. They need their father. Even sometimes my family asking ‘where is he?’ and other kids at my children’s schools are asking.”
This stress caused severe mental and physical health issues for this woman and her family, further limiting her ability to work.
These integration challenges mean fewer people can work to their full capacity, limiting participation in the Canadian economy. Delayed economic integration due to family separation results in lower tax revenues for all levels of the Canadian government.
Family unity provides refugees with the necessary support to manage the stresses of resettlement. Family reunification increases flexibility to adjust to a new country and culture without additional challenges.
As refugees and their families integrate, Canada benefits. They find work, pay taxes and contribute to their communities.
The United Nations declared June 20 to be World Refugee Day almost 25 years ago. Although it’s just one day, it reminds us to honour refugees from around the world.
It is a good time for the Canadian government to work towards issuing temporary visas to eligible family members, allowing them to live in Canada while they await permanent residence.
The right to family unity is protected by international law. Canada’s reputation as a leader in refugee protection is at risk if family reunification continues to be delayed.
The social, health and economic costs of family separation are both inhumane and unnecessary.
Chloé Bissonnette, undergraduate student in Conflict Studies and Human Rights at the University of Ottawa, contributed to this article.
Christina Clark-Kazak receives funding from the Social Sciences Humanities and Research Council (SSHRC).
– ref. World Refugee Day: Prolonged refugee separation is harming families — and Canada’s economy – https://theconversation.com/world-refugee-day-prolonged-refugee-separation-is-harming-families-and-canadas-economy-258441
Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Sydney Kamlager California (37th District)
ADELANTO, CA – Today, Rep. Sydney Kamlager-Dove (CA-37), Rep. Judy Chu (CA-28), Rep. Linda Sánchez (CA-38), Rep. Mark Takano (CA-39), and Rep. Luz Rivas (CA-29) were granted entry to the Adelanto ICE Processing Center in order to conduct oversight guaranteed by federal law. The lawmakers demanded answers following reports of unlawful immigration raids, due process violations, and alarming allegations that U.S. citizens may have been wrongfully detained.
The Members learned that the facility, which held just 300 individuals last month, is now at full capacity with 1,100 detainees. This drastic surge is not about targeting dangerous criminals. It is the direct result of Donald Trump’s policies aimed at rounding up hard-working immigrants who are essential to our communities and economy.
“Donald Trump’s ICE raids in Los Angeles have terrorized our communities and left families in the dark about the whereabouts of their loved ones,” said Rep. Kamlager-Dove. “Alarming reports of inhumane conditions and lack of access to legal counsel at the Adelanto detention facility compelled my colleagues and I to conduct this oversight visit — and what we witnessed confirmed our worst fears. Detainees forced to wear the same clothes for ten days. Individuals lacking access to drinking water and medical care. Meals every fourteen hours. We will not stop fighting until every constitutional right is upheld and every abuse is brought to light.”
“While I’m relieved that we were ultimately allowed into the Adelanto facility, as is our legal right as Members of Congress, this visit only reinforced how much work remains,” said Rep. Chu. “The conditions many of these people are facing are inhumane. The detainees told me that they have gone days without changing their clothes, and they have been unable to use the telephone to call their families or a legal representative. The people I met are not criminals, they are hardworking individuals who strengthen our communities and they simply want the opportunity to work for a better life. I will continue to closely monitor conditions at this ICE facility, as I have done before, and work with both local and federal officials to ensure that everyone, regardless of status, is afforded their full right to due process.”
“President Trump is indiscriminately targeting the hardworking individuals in our communities who keep our economy running. He is not reducing crime. The immigration raids happening today in places like Pico Rivera are racial profiling. Full stop. What we saw and heard at Adelanto is equally as disturbing as the cruel ICE raids in our neighborhoods. The administration is deliberately hiding the truth: immigrants, some here legally, are being detained in inhumane conditions, without enough food, clean clothing, the ability to call their families or access to a lawyer. This is a betrayal of our values and a violation of our immigration laws. It must end,” said Rep. Sánchez.
“Just because ICE has opened their doors to a few members of Congress does not excuse their inflammatory tactics to meet deportation quotas,” said Rep. Takano. “Accountability means showing a consistent pattern of accessibility, not just a one-off event. ICE and DHS still must be reined, and stop a bad faith enforcement of immigration law to bring relief to my community.”
“The conditions we saw inside the Adelanto ICE Detention Center prove that Donald Trump’s policies are putting our most vulnerable in harm’s way,” said Rep. Rivas. “From being detained for lawfully seeking asylum to cutting off communication to family and counsel, no one should be forced to live through what this Administration is forcing immigrants to live through. My colleagues and I will continue to conduct oversight of these facilities to expose the effects of Donald Trump’s cruel policies on our most vulnerable communities.”
###
Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Sydney Kamlager California (37th District)
ADELANTO, CA — Yesterday, Congresswoman Sydney Kamlager-Dove (CA-37) gained entry to the Adelanto ICE Processing Center to fulfill her constitutional oversight responsibilities. Alongside Representatives Judy Chu (CA-28), Linda Sánchez (CA-38), Mark Takano (CA-39), and Luz Rivas (CA-29), she demanded answers following reports of inhumane conditions, due process violations, and alarming allegations that U.S. citizens may have been wrongfully detained.
Congresswoman Kamlager-Dove explains what the lawmakers learned in a video shared to social media following the oversight visit.
Following the visit, the lawmakers hosted a press conference to share their experiences at the facility. Congresswoman Kamlager-Dove’s full remarks as-delivered can be found below:
“We should be here talking to you about the $880 billion cut to Medicaid. The closures of Social Security Administration offices. But instead, we are talking about these indiscriminate and illegitimate ICE raids that have been happening across our community.
“I came here today to find my constituents. I have a constituent who is deaf and mute. He was picked up by ICE and transported and we are still looking for him. We had a list of constituents that we are trying to check on. We were conducting oversight and we were also conducting casework.
“And let me tell you, we have had laundromats, we have had churches, we have had elementary schools, we have had small stores raided by [the] FBI [and] Homeland Security, in cooperation with ICE, snatching folks, not asking them for identification, not providing identification or judicial warrants themselves. We talked to the agents in the detention facility, and we did not get concrete information about how folks were lawfully being detained if they did have criminal records or not. Some of that is still being decided while folks are being detained.
“And something else we learned is that people are being detained and separated and let go by race. Now, I don’t know about you, but if this Administration said that it was looking for folks with criminal records and they have detained U.S. Citizens, legal immigrants, and folks who are legally going through the immigration status process, then tell me why you are also racially profiling folks and then separating them and doing different things to each of these communities.
“And let me tell you something else. We are decimating the local economy here because most of the folks were students. They were applying for licenses to do work. They have businesses. They have families. They are workers. This is impacting our economy, our regional and state economy.
“And we have an Administration that is interested in manufacturing a violent and traumatizing show called “LA Raids” to distract us from the larger issues that are impacting everyday Americans like the cost of living, the cost of food, the cost of health care. And now we are dealing with an Administration that is racially profiling and detaining folks without giving them the representation that they need.
“This is why we came out here to conduct oversight. And this is why we are going to continue to hold this administration accountable because it is illegitimate. You are denying folks their 4th, their 5th, and their 14th Amendment rights when you are not giving them due process, when people do not know why they have been picked up other than the color of their skin. And we must demand more from this Administration. That is what Congress is trying to do.”
# # #
US Senate News:
Source: United States Senator for Massachusetts – Elizabeth Warren
RFK Jr. cut hundreds of millions of dollars for bird flu, HIV vaccine development
“The public has little reason to trust your judgment or your review of the science surrounding vaccines or any aspect of public health.”
Text of Letter (PDF)
Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.) wrote to Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., pressing him on his recent reckless decisions to slash funding for critical vaccine development. In May, the Trump Administration announced that it would cut off millions of dollars that the federal government had committed to the development of the critical bird flu vaccine, and HHS abruptly ended an over-$250 million program to develop an AIDS vaccine.
“This is a grievous mistake that threatens to leave the country unprepared for what experts fear might be the next pandemic – and there appears to be no rationale for this decision other than your ill-informed and dangerous war on vaccines,” wrote the lawmakers.
In January, HHS championed the development of new vaccines to make sure “Americans have the tools they need to stay safe.” Now, the RFK Jr.-led HHS is ripping those tools away — tools which would save lives and save billions in health care costs over time.
An HHS spokesperson indicated that the decision to cut funding for the bird flu vaccine was made following a “rigorous review.” Another senior HHS official claimed that the decision to slash funding for the HIV vaccine was made after a “review by N.I.H. (National Institutes of Health) leadership.” HHS has made neither review available to the American public.
“You have failed to justify either of these moves to [ruin] vaccine research,” wrote the lawmakers. “This is just the latest example that calls into question your commitment to ‘radical transparency.’”
The Administration also recently released its “Make America Healthy Again” report containing numerous references and citations that were fully fabricated. RFK Jr. himself has long peddled anti-vaccine conspiracy theories and spread harmful misinformation.
“The public has little reason to trust your judgment or your review of the science surrounding vaccines or any aspect of public health,” wrote the lawmakers.
The lawmakers requested copies of the “rigorous review” that resulted in the termination of funding for the bird flu vaccine and the “review by N.I.H. leadership” that prompted the termination of funding for AIDS vaccine research. The lawmakers also requested a detailed description of the process by which HHS decided to end these contracts, including whether it was based on a recommendation by Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) officials.
US Senate News:
Source: United States Senator for Massachusetts – Elizabeth Warren
Trump’s “Big, Beautiful Bill” would raise costs on 40% of American families, while the top 0.1% would see their taxes cut by an average of $400k per year
Text of Letter (PDF)
Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Ranking Member of the Senate Banking Committee, and Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), along with Senators Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Ranking Member of the Senate Finance Committee, and Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.), led the entire Senate Democratic caucus in urging Republican Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) and Senate Finance Chairman Mike Crapo (R-Ind.) to abandon their plan to cut taxes for billionaires and instead work together to help American families.
“Senate Democrats oppose efforts to give the richest Americans a tax break, especially at a time when ordinary Americans are struggling to make ends meet because of this administration’s reckless economic actions,” wrote the senators.
Trump promised to lower costs for American families “on day one.” Instead, the Republican agenda raises costs on families while showering benefits on billionaires.
Their “Big, Beautiful Bill” takes away health insurance from 16 million Americans and makes it harder for families to put food on the table. Meanwhile, the average person in the top 0.1% would get a tax cut of nearly $400,000 in 2026. When combined with Trump’s tariff tax, which he has suggested helps pay for the bill, the Republican agenda raises costs on 80 percent of American families, funneling its benefits solely to the most affluent.
“If Republicans continue down the path of slashing taxes for the ultra-wealthy and destroying vital benefits for working families, we will stand opposed to those efforts—and so will the American people,” the caucus concluded.
US Senate News:
Source: United States Senator Jacky Rosen (D-NV)
Watch the full exchange HERE.
WASHINGTON, DC – During a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing, Senator Jacky Rosen (D-NV) slammed Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth for promoting Kingsley Wilson to serve as the Pentagon’s spokesperson despite her history of spreading antisemitic conspiracy theories. Senator Rosen pressed Secretary Hegseth and called on him to dismiss Ms. Wilson, which Secretary Hegseth refused to do.
Below is an excerpt from the exchange:
Senator Rosen: Secretary Hegseth, would you agree that every senior official in the Department of Defense must reflect the values and conduct that our servicemembers must uphold and our citizens expect?
Secretary Hegseth: Senator, we want to uphold the highest possible standards.
Senator Rosen: I’ll take that for a yes. Would you also agree that antisemitism and antisemitic conspiracy theories have no place in our government or military?
Secretary Hegseth: They should not.
Senator Rosen: Would you agree that anyone who has posted “antisemitic conspiracy theories lifted right out of the neo-Nazi playbook,” shouldn’t be anywhere near a position of power? Yes or no, please.
Secretary Hegseth: Since I don’t believe the characterization of many officials in the news media, I would need to see precisely what’s being characterized.
Senator Rosen: But generally…
Secretary Hegseth: Generally speaking, sure.
Senator Rosen: Would you not say that if you thought something was coming out of a neo-nazi playbook it doesn’t have any place in our Department of Defense?
Now, Secretary Hegseth, the quote I just read you was referencing Ms. Kingsley Wilson, the DOD press secretary, who my Republican colleagues on this committee have also expressed alarm over due to her public comments. In fact, one colleague said, “Obviously, I don’t agree with her comments. I trust the Pentagon will address this.”
However, in the months since, not only have you not addressed these comments, you have promoted Ms. Wilson. This seems to be at odds with President Trump’s commitment to combat antisemitism, which you just said you agreed with.
So, Secretary Hegseth, given the rise in antisemitic violence and hate crimes in our nation, and to show that the Trump Administration does have a zero-tolerance policy for antisemitism, will you dismiss Ms. Kingsley from her role as the U.S. military’s spokesperson today? Yes or no.
Secretary Hegseth: Again, that’s why I referenced the context and characterization. I’ve worked directly with her; she does a fantastic job, and any suggestion that I, or her, or others are party to antisemitism is a mischaracterization attempting to win political points.
Senator Rosen: I’m going to assume that your lack of an answer confirms what we’ve known all along, that the Trump Administration is not serious. You are not a serious person. You are not serious about rooting out antisemitism in the ranks of our DOD. It’s despicable. You ought to be ashamed of yourself.