S. 1316 would amend the Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) program to permit the Department of Justice (DOJ) to award competitive grants to local law enforcement agencies for training programs for their recruits and officers. To be eligible, recruits and officers would need to serve in a local law enforcement agency within seven miles of their residence, or within 20 miles if they live in a county with fewer than 150,000 people, for at least four of the eight years after they complete the training program. The bill would require officers or recruits to repay the training costs if they do not meet the service requirements. Lastly, the bill would require DOJ to report to the Congress annually on the grants it awards under the bill.
Most underlying authorizations for the COPS program expired in 2009. The Congress has continued to provide funding for the program and provided $417 million for the program in 2025. In this estimate, CBO is estimating the cost of the amounts necessary to implement the new activities specified in the bill and not the cost of reauthorizing the COPS program.
Using information from DOJ about awards in recent years under the COPS program, CBO expects that about 40 law local law enforcement agencies would receive grants each year under the bill, with an average of five recruits or officers per agency. On average, CBO estimates that it costs about $25,000 to train a recruit or officer. On that basis and based on the historical spending pattern for the program, CBO estimates that implementing the grant program would cost $10 million over the 2025-2030 period. CBO expects that the reporting requirement would cost less than $500,000 over the same period. Any related spending would be subject to the availability of appropriated funds.
The CBO staff contact for this estimate is Jeremy Crimm. The estimate was reviewed by H. Samuel Papenfuss, Deputy Director of Budget Analysis.
Source: US Department of Health and Human Services – 3
This recall involves removing certain devices from where they are used or sold. The FDA has identified this recall as the most serious type. This device may cause serious injury or death if you continue to use it. Affected Product
Product Names: Adult Manual Resuscitator with Medium Adult Mask, Bag Reservoir, Filter, Manometer and 7 ft Oxygen Tubing Unique Device Identifier (UDI)/Model: Each: 10884389164822, Case: 40884389164823 Lot/Serial Numbers: 526782, 526790, 526796, 526797, 526798, 526800, 526802, 526804, 526805, 526806, 26807, 526808, 526809, 526810, 526814, 526815, 526816, 526811, 526817, 526818
What to Do
Stop using and quarantine all affected product immediately. Document quantity on hand and arrange to return or destroy affected units.
On May 1, 2025, SunMed Holdings, LLC sent all affected customers an Urgent Medical Device Recall notice recommending the following actions:
Check your inventory for the affected product. Stop using the product immediately and quarantine it. Document the amount of product on hand and return or destroy affected units. Distribute the recall notice to any customers who received the product from you. Complete and return response form via e-mail to productquality@myairlife.com as soon as possible. If you need urgent assistance or replacement, contact SunMed directly. Notify all affected personnel in your organization of recall.
Reason for Recall SunMed Holdings, LLC is recalling Adult Manual Resuscitator devices due to incorrect assembly of the B/V filter. The use of affected product may cause serious adverse health consequences, including lack of oxygen to the body (hypoxia), build-up of carbon dioxide in the blood (hypercapnia), organ failure, and death. There have been no reported injuries. There have been no reports of death. Device Use The manual resuscitator is used to provide emergency respiratory support to adult patients. It includes a face mask, bag reservoir, filter, manometer, and oxygen tubing, and is used during situations such as cardiac arrest or respiratory failure to manually deliver breaths. Contact Information Customers in the U.S. with questions about this recall should contact SunMed Holdings, LLC at 1-800-433-2797. Additional FDA Resources (listed in order of most to least recent):
Unique Device Identifier (UDI) The unique device identifier (UDI) helps identify individual medical devices sold in the United States from manufacturing through distribution to patient use. The UDI allows for more accurate reporting, reviewing, and analyzing of adverse event reports so that devices can be identified, and problems potentially corrected more quickly.
How do I report a problem? Health care professionals and consumers may report adverse reactions or quality problems they experienced using these devices to MedWatch: The FDA Safety Information and Adverse Event Reporting Program.
ADVISORY – LANCASTER – Department of Conservation Natural Resources to Unveil New Statewide Outdoor Recreation Plan at 2nd Annual Outdoors for All Day at Culliton Park
Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) Deputy Secretary Claire Jantz, Pennsylvania Director of Outdoor Recreation Nathan Reigner, and DCNR Director of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging Arlene Marshall-Hockensmith will join Lancaster officials, Let’s Go 1-2-3, SoWe, environmental groups, and outdoor industry leaders to celebrate the Commonwealth’s second annual Outdoors for All Day and release a new statewide plan for outdoor recreation.
The plan, Outdoor Places, Shared Spaces, outlines 14 goals and 55 action steps to meet the outdoor recreation needs of all Pennsylvanians. Outdoors for All Day is part of the Shapiro-Davis Administration’s work to make sure all Pennsylvanians – of all abilities and backgrounds – have the opportunity to enjoy the outdoors.
WHO: DCNR Deputy Secretary Claire Jantz Pennsylvania Director of Outdoor Recreation Nathan Reigner DCNR Director of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging Arlene Marshall-Hockensmith Lancaster Public Works Director Stephen Campell Let’s Go 1-2-3 Executive Director Keisha Scovens SoWe Communications and Engagement Manager Jacquie Morges
WHEN: Saturday, July 20, 2025, 11:00 AM – 2:00 PM Speakers will deliver remarks at 1:00 PM
WHERE: Culliton Park 200 South Water Street Lancaster, PA 17603
MEDIA CONTACT: Wesley Robinson, werobinson@pa.gov, 717.877.6315
The Rhode Island Department of Health (RIDOH) is advising consumers that Chetak LLC Group recalled frozen Deep Sprouted Mat (Moth) and Deep Sprouted Moong (Mung), and RIDOH is advising businesses to not sell or serve the recalled products. These products are associated with a multi-state salmonella outbreak. Currently, there are no Rhode Island cases associated with this recall.
Product The recalled products were distributed nationwide in retail stores and through mail orders and include: — Deep Sprouted Mat (Moth) in 1-pound (16 oz.) packages with the following lot codes printed on the back of the bag: IN 24330, IN 25072, IN 25108, IN 24353, IN25171, IN 24297, IN 25058,IN 25078, IN 24291, IN 25107, IN 24354, and IN 24292. — Deep Sprouted Moong (Mung) in 1-pound (16 oz.) packages with the following lot codes printed on the back of the bag: IN 24330, IN 25072, IN 25108, IN 24353, IN 25171, IN 24297, IN 25058, IN 25078, IN 24291, IN 25107, IN 24354, and IN 24292.
Symptoms of Salmonella infection Illness usually occurs within 12 to 72 hours after eating food that is contaminated with Salmonella, and the symptoms usually last four to seven days. Symptoms include diarrhea, fever, and abdominal cramps. Children younger than five, the elderly, and people with weakened immune systems are more likely to have severe infections.
Recommendations — Consumers, restaurants, and retailers should not eat, sell, or serve recalled products. — Consumers, restaurants, and retailers who bought or received the recalled products should wash hands, utensils, and surfaces with hot, soapy water before and after handling the recalled products. Follow FDA’s safe handling and cleaning advice and use extra care in cleaning and sanitizing any surfaces and containers that may have come in contact with these products to reduce the risk of cross-contamination. — Check your refrigerators and freezers for recalled products. If you have any recalled products, throw they away or return them to the store where you bought them. — Contact your healthcare professional if you think you may have symptoms of a Salmonella infection after eating the recalled products.
More information and pictures of the recalled products are available on FDA’s website.
Source: Government of Ireland – Department of Jobs Enterprise and Innovation
18th July 2025
The Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment, Peter Burke, has signed a Statutory Instrument to give legal effect in Ireland to the EU’s “Stop the Clock” Directive on Corporate Sustainability Reporting. These Regulations will provide much-needed legal certainty to Irish business, and will ensure that the original Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) will not apply to so-called Wave 2 and Wave 3 companies for a further two years respectively, while the European Commission’s Omnibus proposal is being negotiated and agreed.
Minister Burke remains strongly supportive of the Simplification and Burden Reduction agenda at EU level, which has led the Commission to introduce a number of Omnibus Directives – these are Directives which propose to simplify multiple regulatory regimes through one combined legislative instrument.
In late February, the European Commission announced a number of changes to the scope and timing of both the CSRD and the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD) requirements for certain categories of companies, as part of the Commission’s First Omnibus Directive on Sustainability.
The proposals by the Commission will remove approximately 80% of companies from the scope of CSRD, focusing the sustainability reporting obligations on the largest companies which are more likely to have the biggest impacts on people and the environment. For large companies, who are the main category currently within scope of CSRD, the Omnibus proposal would restrict the application of the requirements to only those companies having 1,000 employees, as opposed to 250 employees under the current law. The proposed changes will also ensure that sustainability reporting requirements on large companies do not burden smaller companies in their value chains.
Further, the CSRD aspect of the “Stop the Clock” Directive, which is being transposed into Irish law in this Statutory Instrument, will also postpone by two years the reporting requirements for companies currently in the scope of the original CSRD and which would have been required to report for the first time in 2026 or 2027.
The Regulations also make some technical clarifications to the existing Irish legislation governing CSRD, to further clarify and reduce the scope of companies covered. These Regulations will thereby deliver legal certainty for business at all levels in Ireland.
Minister Burke said:
“I ensured that Ireland transposed the original CSRD Directive, on time, in July of last year, and Ireland was one of a small number of Member States to achieve this by the required deadline. I have also supported the European Commission’s simplification agenda, and in particular I have supported the early adoption of the Stop the Clock Directive, to give businesses in Ireland the legal certainty that they need, at the earliest opportunity.
The Stop the Clock Directive moved at a very fast pace at EU level. It was initially proposed at the end of February, and was adopted by Member States one month later, at the end of March. It was approved by the European Parliament with a massive majority. I am very happy that it is now becoming law in Ireland in early July, and that Irish companies will have the certainty that they need at this point.
I have said before that, while the core principle of the EU’s original corporate sustainability reporting regime was well-founded, in the context of the EU’s Green Deal, I recognise that the level of administrative burden associated with the original CSRD was excessive, both for large companies and especially for small and medium companies.
I continue to strongly support the simplification and burden reduction agenda at European level, to maximise the competitiveness of businesses in Ireland and in the EU, in the evolving global trading environment. These proposed changes will significantly help enterprise in Ireland, and most of all our SMEs.”
ENDS
Notes for Editors
The Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (EU) 2022/2464 (CSRD) was the EU’s response to the global reframing of company reporting to include environmental, social and governance matters. It entered into force in January 2023 and arises from the European Green Deal and the EU Action Plan for Financing Sustainable Growth. The aim of the CSRD was to harmonise the EU rules for sustainability reporting by companies and to put this on the same footing as financial reporting, giving investors and other stakeholders access to information to assess investment risks arising from climate change and other sustainability issues.
The CSRD was transposed, on time, in Ireland on 5 July 2024 by S.I. No. 336/2024 – European Union (Corporate Sustainability Reporting) Regulations 2024. A small number of technical clarificatory amendments were required, and the Minister signed a short amending instrument on 1 October 2024, S.I. 498/2024.
The Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (EU) 2024/1760 (CSDDD) places legal obligations on companies within scope to address the adverse environmental and human rights impacts arising from their operations. Companies must conduct risk-based human rights and environmental due diligence to identify actual or potential adverse impacts and prevent / mitigate / minimise the extent of such impacts. Companies are also required to adopt a climate transition plan.
The Stop the Clock Directive (Directive EU 2025/794) was published in the Official Journal of the EU on 14 April 2025. It postpones by two years the entry into scope of CSRD reporting requirements for so-called Wave 2 and Wave 3 companies, for two years respectively, to 2027 and 2028, while negotiations are progressing at EU level to agree substantive changes to the scope of CSRD and CSDDD, under the main Omnibus proposal, which is expected to be agreed by end 2025. The Stop the Clock Directive has a required transposition date by Member States of 31 December 2025.
For further information please contact Press Office, Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment, press.office@enterprise.gov.ie or (01) 631-2200
Two F-15EX Eagle II aircraft deploy to Kadena Air Base, setting the stage for the permanent arrival of 36 more aircraft in spring 2026 – part of a long-term transformation to maintain U.S. air dominance in a dynamic theater.
Source: United States Senator for Idaho Mike Crapo
$3,600 to $6,400 increase in wages, 35,000 jobs protected
Washington, D.C.–According to estimates from the Council of Economic Advisers (CEA), the One Big Beautiful Bill (OBBB) will raise real wages in Idaho by $3,600 to $6,400 over the next four years. The CEA also finds hundreds of thousands of Idahoans will benefit from the bill’s tax benefits for seniors, no tax on tips and no tax on overtime. The legislation will also protect 35,000 jobs in Idaho that would have been at risk if the Trump tax cuts had expired.
Idaho wages and take-home pay:
OBBB will raise wages in Idaho by an inflation-adjusted range of about $3,600 to $6,400 over the next four years.
A typical family with two children in Idaho can expect to see higher take-home pay of about $7,200 to $10,200 with OBBB compared to if it had not passed.
300,000 seniors in Idaho could benefit from tax relief for seniors in the legislation.
Around 24 percent of all employees in Idaho regularly work overtime and could benefit from the no tax on overtime.
Idaho jobs, businesses and housing:
OBBB will protect about 35,000 full-time equivalent jobs in Idaho over the next four years, relative to if the Trump tax cuts had expired.
41,000 firms in Idaho could be eligible for the law’s permanent small business deduction, or about 45 percent of all firms.
OBBB makes the Opportunity Zone program permanent, which will lead to increased investment in low-income communities across Idaho.
Read the CEA’s summary HERE on how the OBBB will help Idaho.
Click HERE to learn more about the Finance Committee provisions in the One Big Beautiful Bill.
Source: US Congressman Ryan Zinke (Western Montana)
Congressman Zinke voted to pass the Big Beautiful Bill after successfully leading an effort to remove public land sales from the legislation
Washington, D.C – On July 3rd, Western Montana Congressman Ryan Zinke voted to pass the One Big Beautiful Bill (OBBB), a historic piece of legislation delivering major wins for Montana families, workers, seniors, and small businesses. The bill was signed into law by President Donald Trump on July 4th, cementing expanded tax relief, protection for critical healthcare and food security programs, strengthened border security, and a growth economy for Montanans and all American citizens.
“From protecting Montana jobs to increasing take-home pay and supporting small businesses, the One Big Beautiful Bill will deliver real results for Montana,” said Zinke. “This bill not only prevented the largest tax hike in American history but expanded tax relief for Social Security recipients, overtime earners, and tipped service industry workers. It reflects the core American promise: if you work hard, you should get what you earn. This legislation keeps that promise, while also reaffirming our support for those who need it most.”
Key Wins for Montana in the OBBB:
Wage Growth – Due to legislative provisions and tax cuts in the bill, wages in Montana will rise by an inflation-adjusted amount of $3,400 to $6,100 over the next four years.
Take Home Pay – A typical family with two children can expect $7,000 to $9,900 more in take-home pay with the OBBB in place.
Jobs Protected – The bill helps safeguard 22,000 full-time Montana jobs that would have been at risk if previous tax cuts were allowed to expire.
No Taxes on Social Security – With new deductions, the average Montana senior will pay zero taxes on their Social Security benefits, delivering tax relief to over 200,000 seniors in the state.
No Taxes on Overtime – Roughly 24% of Montana workers regularly work overtime and will see real benefits in their paychecks. As much as 64% of Montana workers are eligible for this relief.
No Taxes on Tips – About 4% of Montana’s labor force work in tipped industries and will see direct tax relief.
Death Tax Relief – The bill extends higher estate tax exemptions, protecting Montana’s family farms, ranches, and small businesses from being unfairly taxed at death.
No Sale of Public Lands – Congressman Ryan Zinke was successful in stripping a provision selling more than 450,000 acres of public land from the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act”.
Protecting Healthcare Access and Food Security for Rural and Vulnerable Montanans:
No Cuts to Medicare – The OBBB does not touch Medicare benefits. Not a single dollar is cut from services seniors rely on.
Strengthening Medicaid and SNAP– The bill protects Medicaid and SNAP for pregnant women, children, seniors, people with disabilities, and low-income families. By removing illegal aliens from the rolls and requiring able bodied adults to work part time to receive benefits, it eliminates pathways for fraud and abuse, ensures only eligible Americans receive coverage, and strengthens the system for the truly vulnerable, not illegal immigrants and fraudsters.
Support for Rural Hospitals – OBBB includes expanded protections for rural hospitals with $50 billion in targeted rural health grants under the “Rural Health Transformation Program” and gives states flexibility to support local providers, ensuring continued access to care in small towns and underserved areas.
Boosting Montana’s Economy:
Small Business Support – The bill extends the 199A small business tax deduction to about 29,000 Montana firms, nearly 45% of all businesses in the state.
Manufacturing Incentives – Targeted provisions support Montana’s manufacturing sector, which makes up 5% of total employment.
Opportunity Zones Made Permanent – Montana has 25 Opportunity Zones, including 10 on tribal land, which have already created 3,000 jobs and led to the construction of 500 new housing units.
Protecting the Northern and Southern Borders:
Tackles the Opioid Epidemic – Fights the flow of illicit fentanyl and deadly drugs across the southern border, helping combat the opioid crisis devastating Montana families and tribal communities.
Builds and Secures the Border Wall – Constructs hundreds of miles of new border wall and barriers to stop drug smuggling and human trafficking operations that reach Montana communities and Tribal Nations.
Funds Immigration, Customs, and Border Agencies at Record Levels – Provides resources for over 18,000 new frontline enforcement personnel, including 10,000 new ICE officers, 5,000 Customs officers, and 3,000 Border Patrol agents. This will helping secure both the southern and northern borders, which were left dangerously exposed under the Biden administration.
For additional information on the OBBB, visit: https://www.whitehouse.gov/obbb/
(July 18, 2025) WASHINGTON, D.C. – Yesterday, Congressman Tom Kean, Jr. (NJ-07) voted in favor of the GENIUS Act and the CLARITY Act, two landmark bills that lay the foundation for a safer, more innovative, and forward-looking financial future.
The CLARITY Act creates a long-overdue regulatory framework for digital assets by prioritizing consumer protection, offering market certainty, and supporting American innovation through clear oversight and stronger safeguards.
The GENIUS Act establishes a federal structure for payment stablecoins, aiming to protect consumers, encourage innovation, and strengthen the U.S. dollar’s role as the world’s reserve currency.
Congressman Kean said, “Clear and responsible rules around digital assets, are essential to helping them reach their full potential while keeping American consumers safe. I am glad to see these bipartisan bills move forward and pass the House with support from both sides of the aisle. They provide the confidence and transparency businesses need to innovate, create new opportunities, and grow—in New Jersey and across the nation. With strong safeguards in place, we can ensure that America remains a global leader in the future of finance and digital payments. I look forward to seeing these bills reach President Trump’s desk and be signed into law.”
Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Mariannette Miller-Meeks’ (IA-02)
Washington, D.C. – Last night, the House of Representatives passed H.R. 4016, the Department of Defense Appropriations Act, 2026, which fully funds the U.S. military, delivers a well-deserved pay raise for our servicemembers, and reinforces America’s military superiority at home and abroad.
“This bill gives our troops the pay raise they deserve and the resources they need to defend this country,”said Miller-Meeks. “It protects jobs at home, advances our refueling capabilities, and preserves our military history. I’ll keep fighting to strengthen our national defense, support Iowa’s workforce, and put America’s security first.”
Miller-Meeks Amendments Included in H.R. 4016:
The legislation includes two amendments authored by Congresswoman Mariannette Miller-Meeks that protect defense jobs in Iowa and invest in next-generation aerial refueling technology to enhance combat effectiveness and operational safety. The bill also ensures the Rock Island Arsenal Museum remains open to preserve our military history and honor the service of generations of Americans.
Miller-Meeks Amendment 235 – Preserving Military History
Blocks any funding from being used to close the Rock Island Arsenal Museum, one of the oldest military museums in the country, protecting a vital part of America’s military heritage.
Miller-Meeks Amendment 453 – Advancing Next-Generation Aerial Refueling Systems
Transfers funding to support the development of advanced air-to-air refueling technologies that improve pilot safety, increase mission effectiveness, and reduce fuel usage.
Miller-Meeks is also working closely with Defense Appropriations Subcommittee Chairman Ken Calvert (CA-41) to strengthen the workforce protections inAmendment 234and close any potential loopholes that could harm Army arsenals. A revised version of the amendment will be offered during conference negotiations.
More on the Department of Defense Appropriations Act, 2026:
Troop Support:
Increases basic pay 3.8% for all military personnel effective January 1, 2026.
Continues historic FY25 pay raises for junior enlisted service members.
Ending Woke and Wasteful Spending:
Codifies President Trump’s orders to end DEI programs.
Prohibits taxpayer funding for sex-change surgeries, abortion-related travel, drag shows, and COVID mandates.
Codifies DoD cooperation with the DOGE Office and streamlines Pentagon management.
Restoring Combat Readiness and Military Superiority:
Boosts funding for 5th and 6th generation aircraft like the F-35, F-47, and F/A-XX.
Modernizes the nuclear triad, including the B-21 Raider, Columbia Class Submarine, and Sentinel.
Provides $13 billion for missile defense and space programs and over $2.6 billion for hypersonics.
Border Security and Counter-Drug Operations:
Provides $1.15 billion for counterdrug programs, $245 million above the request.
Increases National Guard Counterdrug Program funding.
Moves Mexico from NORTHCOM to SOUTHCOM for better threat coordination.
Countering Adversaries and Supporting Allies:
$500 million for Taiwan Security Cooperation.
$500 million for Israeli Missile Defense.
$7 billion for classified space superiority programs.
A 24-year Army veteran, Congresswoman Miller-Meeks has consistentlyfoughtto protect our defense workforce, safeguard key installations like Rock Island Arsenal, and ensure taxpayer funds support mission-critical operations. Her amendments to the FY26 defense appropriations bill reflect that mission.
Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Kat Cammack (R-FL-03)
Washington, D.C. — Today, Congresswoman Kat Cammack (FL-03) released the following statement after the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Senate-amended version of H.R. 4, the Recissions Act of 2025, which eliminates $9 billion in wasteful spending uncovered by DOGE. This legislation now heads to President Trump’s desk for his signature.
“The American people are tired of footing the bill for unchecked government agencies, watching their hard-earned money shipped overseas, and funding woke nonsense disguised as policy,”said Congresswoman Cammack.“This rescissions package is just the beginning, but it’s a critical step toward restoring fiscal sanity in Washington and putting American taxpayers back in the driver’s seat. I’m proud to stand with President Trump and my Republican colleagues to ensure our federal budget works for the American people—not against them.”
Background: Congresswoman Cammack has championed the fight to defund the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, by co-authoring the Defund NPR Act alongside Senator Jim Banks to stop the flow of taxpayer dollars to politically biased media outlets. The Rescissions Act of 2025 builds on that effort, clawing back billions in federal funding identified as waste by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), including:
$1.1 billion for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), including NPR and PBS
$135 million to the World Health Organization
$18 million to improve gender diversity in Mexican street lighting
$4.4 million for a Melanesian Youth Climate Corps
$3.9 million for LGBTQI+ advocacy in the Western Balkans
$2.5 million to teach children about environmentally friendly “reproductive health” choices
$300,000 for a pride parade in Lesotho
$500,000 for electric buses in Rwanda
$500,000 for a gender equality and empowerment hub
A digital euro would be a digital form of central bank money, specifically the euro. It could be used by the general public in much the same way as cash, only in virtual form. Alongside cash, the Eurosystem would thus supply households with an additional form of central bank money that can be used quickly, easily and securely.
H.R. 2285 would require the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to report annually to the Congress on whether its basic training programs for law enforcement positions are accredited by an independent organization. The reporting requirement would end after all programs are accredited. The bill also would require DHS to inform the Congress when a program’s accreditation lapses. Lastly, H.R. 2285 would require the department to carry out research and development of technologies to enhance the preparedness of state, local, tribal, and territorial law enforcement agencies to respond to terrorist threats.
Based on the costs of similar activities, CBO estimates that implementing the reporting requirements in H.R. 2285 would cost less than $500,000 over the 2025-2030 period. Under current law, DHS already conducts research and development activities similar to those required in the bill. On that basis, CBO estimates that any costs to implement that provision would be insignificant. Any related spending would be subject to the availability of appropriated funds.
The CBO staff contact for this estimate is Jeremy Crimm. The estimate was reviewed by H. Samuel Papenfuss, Deputy Director of Budget Analysis.
H.R. 2158 would establish the Transnational Repression Working Group within the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The task force would monitor and analyze actions by foreign governments that threaten or intimidate citizens, residents, or other people present in the United States, as well as any related terrorism threats. The bill would require the working group to report annually to the Congress about incidents of transnational repression and related terrorism threats from the previous year. Under the bill, the working group would terminate seven years after enactment. The bill also would require DHS to conduct, to the extent practicable, research and development on technology to enhance the department’s support to federal, state, local, tribal, and territorial governments in countering transnational repression.
Based on the costs of similar activities, CBO expects that DHS would need five employees at an average annual cost of $180,000 per employee to staff the working group and complete the bill’s reporting requirements. Because DHS already conducts research and development to enhance its security and intergovernmental awareness, CBO expects that implementing that provision would cost less than $500,000. On that basis, CBO estimates that implementing H.R. 2158 would cost $5 million over the 2025-2030 period. Any related spending would be subject to the availability of appropriated funds.
The CBO staff contact for this estimate is Jeremy Crimm. The estimate was reviewed by H. Samuel Papenfuss, Deputy Director of Budget Analysis.
H.R. 1569 would require Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to establish a pilot program to test technological enhancements for inspecting vehicles and cargo at land ports of entry. The bill would require CBP to evaluate the effectiveness of at least five technologies, including artificial intelligence, machine learning, and quantum information sciences, to detect contraband and increase the efficiency of inspections. H.R. 1569 also would require CBP to report to the Congress on the effectiveness of the technologies in the program and their effect on privacy and civil rights and liberties.
Using information from CBP, CBO estimates that the agency currently deploys three technologies that are compliant with the bill’s requirements and would need to evaluate two additional types of technologies. Based on the costs of similar projects, CBO estimates that CBP would incur additional costs of about $8 million annually to procure, deploy, and evaluate those technologies. Additionally, CBO estimates that it would cost less than $500,000 to comply with the bill’s reporting requirements. In total, CBO estimates that implementing H.R. 1569 would cost $42 million over the 2025-2030 period. Any related spending would be subject to the availability of appropriated funds.
The costs of the legislation, detailed in Table 1, fall within budget function 750 (administration of justice).
Table 1.
Estimated Increases in Spending Subject to Appropriation Under H.R. 1569
By Fiscal Year, Millions of Dollars
2025
2026
2027
2028
2029
2030
2025-2030
Estimated Authorization
*
8
8
9
9
9
43
Estimated Outlays
*
7
8
9
9
9
42
* = between zero and $500,000.
The CBO staff contact for this estimate is Jeremy Crimm. The estimate was reviewed by H. Samuel Papenfuss, Deputy Director of Budget Analysis.
Memphis, TN – On July 17, 2025, the U.S. Marshals Service (USMS) captured Arkansas murder suspect Travis Boyd, 30, in Memphis, Tennessee.
On November 8, 2024, Orlando Garza was shot and killed after exiting a casino in West Memphis, AR. An arrest warrant was issued in Crittenden County, Arkansas, charging Travis Boyd with First-Degree Murder.
On December 2, 2024, the case was adopted by the USMS Eastern Arkansas Fugitive Task Force. When the investigation indicated that Boyd was hiding out in the Memphis area, the USMS Two Rivers Violent Fugitive Task (TRVFTF) in Memphis was requested to assist.
Today, Investigators with the TRVTF developed information and went to a residence in the 3900 block of Watkins in Memphis to search for Boyd. He was located and taken into custody without incident. He is being held at the Shelby County Jail awaiting extradition back to Arkansas.
The U.S. Marshals Service Two Rivers Violent Fugitive Task Force is a multi-agency task force within Western Tennessee. The TRVFTF has offices in Memphis and Jackson, and its membership is primarily composed of Deputy U.S. Marshals, Shelby, Fayette, Tipton, and Gibson County Sheriff’s Deputies, Memphis and Jackson Police Officers, Tennessee Department of Correction Special Agents and the Tennessee Highway Patrol. Since 2021, the TRVFTF has captured over 3,000 violent offenders and sexual predators.
Two F-15EX Eagle II aircraft deploy to Kadena Air Base, setting the stage for the permanent arrival of 36 more aircraft in spring 2026 – part of a long-term transformation to maintain U.S. air dominance in a dynamic theater.
Members of the G20 have pledged to address the mounting debt pressures in low and middle-income economies amid the global financial turbulence.
This is according to Deputy Finance Minister Dr David Masondo who addressed a media briefing on Friday following the third G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors (FMCBG) Meeting held in Kwa-Zulu Natal this week.
Developing and emerging economies – particularly those in Africa – are grappling with high and rising debt vulnerabilities, shrinking fiscal flexibility and high borrowing costs.
“[Members]…reaffirmed their commitment to further strengthen the implementation of the G20 Common Framework. To give effect to this, the G20 FMCBG endorsed the G20 Note on Lessons Learned from the Initial Common Framework Cases and the G20 Note on Steps of a Debt Restructuring under the Common Framework.
“These documents have been published on the G20 website. In addition, fact sheets on the Common Framework country cases for Chad, Zambia and Ghana have also been published on the G20 and Paris Club websites to improve information sharing,” he said.
WATCH | Closing media briefing
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In further discussions, the members also acknowledged the G20 Note on Special drawing rights [SDRs] which, the Deputy Minister said, “highlights the achievement of exceeding $100 billion in voluntary channelling of SDRs or equivalent contributions for countries in need.”
The pledges to this currently stand at some $113.8 billion coming from 35 countries.
“Members also underscored the need for enhancing the representation and voice of developing countries in decision-making in MDBs [Multilateral Development Banks]and other international economic and financial institutions.
“Members recognised the relative resilience of capital flows in Emerging Market and Developing Economies [EMDEs] despite heightened global policy uncertainty – underscored by strong macroeconomic fundamentals and sound policy frameworks.
“They also highlighted the growing influence of non-bank financial institutions [NBFIs] and stressed the importance of gaining a deeper understanding of their impact on these flows. Members further emphasised the significance of structural reforms in fostering long-term sustainable capital flows to EMDEs,” said the Deputy Minister.
Energy transitions
Regarding energy transitions, Masondo said during the meeting, Ministers and central bank Governors considered key recommendations for “enhancing collaboration among Vertical Climate and Environment Funds, Multilateral Development Banks, National Development Banks and the private sector”.
“Members reaffirmed the urgency of scaling up financing for adaptation and just transitions and reflected on key recommendations emerging from a comprehensive analysis undertaken by multiple knowledge partners. These included guidance on integrating adaptation into voluntary transition planning, addressing insurance protection gaps, scaling financing mechanisms, and strengthening enabling environment.
“[They] also received an update on the work of the Climate Data Steering Committee, which has developed a set of principles for the development of a Common Carbon Credit Data Model aimed at promoting interoperability and improving transparency of carbon markets.
“They noted that the draft data model is currently undergoing a public consultation with both the private and public sectors,” the Deputy Minister said.
The full communique of the third FMCGB meeting is available at https://www.treasury.gov.za/comm_media/press/2025/3rd%20G20%20FMCBG%20Communique.pdf and on the g20.org website.
The National Treasury and the South African Reserve Bank are jointly responsible for overseeing the work of the G20 Finance Track under the co-chairship of Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana and Reserve Bank Governor Lesetja Kganyago. – SAnews.gov.za
Amidst the global economy facing heightened uncertainty and complex challenges, the Deputy Minister of Finance, Dr David Masondo, has emphasised the importance of fair trade.
The global economy is experiencing ongoing wars and conflicts, geopolitical and trade tensions, disruptions to global supply chains, high debt levels, and frequent extreme weather events and natural disasters, which affect economic growth, financial and price stability.
To address the existing and emerging risks to the global economy, the Group of Twenty (G20) Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors (FMCBG) meeting that was held in Durban this week, pledged to strengthen multilateral cooperation to address existing and emerging risks to the global economy.
The meeting also recognised the importance of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) to advance trade issues and the agreed-upon rules in the WTO as an integral part of the global trading system.
It also recognised that the WTO has challenges and needs meaningful, necessary, and comprehensive reform to improve all its functions, through innovative approaches in order to be more relevant and responsive in light of today’s realities.
“We are living in a globalised economy. Multinational companies are producing in different sovereigns in geographic spaces and as they produce you don’t want them to find it difficult to have access to markets.
“If it is difficult for them to get access to the market, they are not going to realise profits and they won’t reinvest into the growth of the economy. This meeting emphasised that it [is]important for us to be a rules-based world. It’s important for us to run our global economy through multilateral platforms,” the Deputy Minister said on Friday at a media briefing held at the conclusion of the FMCBG.
WATCH | Closing media briefing
[embedded content]
The Ministers and Governors agreed to bolster long-term growth potential by pursuing growth-oriented macroeconomic policies, while building fiscal buffers, ensuring fiscal sustainability, encouraging public and private investments, undertaking productivity-enhancing reforms and safeguarding central bank independence to maintain price stability.
“Structural reforms are essential for generating strong economic growth and creating more and better jobs.
“All excessive imbalances should be further analysed by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and, if necessary and, without discrimination, addressed through country-specific reforms and multilateral coordination, in a way that contributes to an open global economy and without compromising sustainable global growth,” the FMCBG communique said.
Central banks affirmed a strong committed to ensuring price stability, consistent with their respective mandates and will continue to adjust their policies in a data-dependent manner.
“Central bank independence is crucial to achieving this goal,” the communique said.
Meanwhile, members of the G20 have pledged to address the mounting debt pressures in low and middle-income economies amid global financial turbulence.
This as developing and emerging economies – particularly those in Africa – are grappling with high and rising debt vulnerabilities, shrinking fiscal flexibility and high borrowing costs. –SAnews.gov.za
Source: United States Senator Peter Welch (D-Vermont)
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Following Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s visit to the United States last week, U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.) joined U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), and Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) in issuing the following statement in response to the Israeli Higher Planning Council’s directive on June 18 to reject all zoning and building permits in Masafer Yatta that are not compliant with Israeli military training needs:
“We are deeply alarmed by the Israeli Higher Planning Council’s decision to reject all planning and zoning requests in Masafer Yatta that do not align with the Israeli Defense Force’s training needs. This directive places at least 12 Palestinian villages under the threat of imminent demolition – all while illegal Israeli outposts in the area remain untouched.
“For decades, the Israeli government has denied residents of Masafer Yatta building permits, confiscated their agricultural lands, and demolished key infrastructure. Taken as a whole, the Council’s decision as well as the recent announcement of 22 new settlements across the West Bank, rising extremist settler violence, and a petition from cabinet ministers urging Netanyahu to apply Israeli sovereignty and law over the West Bank before the end of the month, advance a broader project of de jure and de facto Israeli annexation aimed at preventing the formation of a future Palestinian state. Forced evictions, demolitions, settler violence, and rapid settlement expansion all exacerbate tensions in an already volatile region and put any peaceful future for Israelis and Palestinians further out of reach.
“With the ceasefire between Israel and Iran still tenuous and the humanitarian crisis in Gaza already dire, the Netanyahu government’s continued reckless policy in the West Bank is deeply alarming. The Masafer Yatta directive is part of that trajectory, one that pushes us further from a future Palestinian state living peacefully alongside the state of Israel and toward permanent occupation.
“We refuse to look away from the injustice unfolding in Masafer Yatta and the escalating violence in the West Bank at large, which has now claimed the lives of five Palestinian Americans since October 7. To ensure lasting peace and stability in the region, we call on the Israeli government to revoke the Higher Planning Council’s directive, impose an immediate moratorium on all demolitions and evictions, halt further military training exercises in Masafer Yatta, and take immediate action to de-escalate the growing violence in the West Bank.”
Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments 3
Speech
ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting: Foreign Secretary’s remarks, July 2025
Foreign Secretary David Lammy spoke at the UK Post Ministerial Conference with ASEAN member states, highlighting achievements under the UK’s Dialogue Partnership.
Thank you all. Minister Bui, we’re grateful for Vietnam’s support as our country coordinator. And Minister Mohamad, it’s such a pleasure to be here in your beautiful country.
Last year, I told ASEAN I wanted to reconnect Britain with the world. Today, I’m the first British Foreign Secretary to return to one of these meetings since we became your newest Dialogue Partner.
I hope this consistency is welcome right now. The world feels no less volatile than it did a year ago.
Rapid technological change is remaking our societies, rewiring our economies, reshaping the global balance of power.
I agree countries like ours need to respond with resilience, with innovation and dynamism, and by putting people – our citizens – first.
Those are the values of your Community Vision 2045, precisely what we hope partnership with Britain can achieve.
As our recently published Trade Strategy set out, we believe this region offers real potential for our businesses to expand. We are working with you to unlock that.
That’s why we backed CPTPP’s decision in May to work towards a dialogue this year with ASEAN, why we’ve been supporting development of the ASEAN Power Grid, why we’re backing British firms to scale up their investments here.
Likewise, as our recently published National Security Strategy stressed, our region’s security and your region’s security are inextricably linked.
Russia illegally invaded Ukraine – that has consequences for markets here in Asia. North Korean troops fight for Russia – that has consequences for our Ukrainian friends on the European frontline. Smugglers or scammers ply their criminal trade – that has consequences for all our citizens and, ultimately, our tax revenues.
At the heart of our security cooperation is a shared commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific. The recent visit of Britain’s Carrier Strike Group and this Dialogue Partnership are just 2 examples of how, together, we can support this goal.
We stand firmly behind ASEAN centrality, recognising it underpins peace, prosperity and stability across the region.
All told, we’ve done a lot on both growth and security this past year. Nearly 95% of our Action Plan on track for delivery, the commitments we made last year in our first joint ministerial statement well under way.
Our job now is to go further, ahead of the fifth anniversary of this partnership next year and a new Action Plan to guide our cooperation to 2030.
Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments
News story
Sovereign Base Areas Specialised Committee meeting: joint statement
Joint statement following the sixth meeting of the Withdrawal Agreement Specialised Committee on issues related to the implementation of the Protocol relating to the Sovereign Base Areas of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland in Cyprus
The sixth meeting of the Specialised Committee on issues related to the implementation of the Protocol relating to the Sovereign Base Areas in Cyprus was held on 3 July 2025, co-chaired by officials from the European Commission and the UK Government.
The Committee was established by the Withdrawal Agreement to facilitate the implementation and application of the Protocol. The co-chairs reviewed the operational phase of the implementation of the Protocol since its last meeting in December 2023. This review showed that implementation is operating well in most areas.
Both sides reaffirmed their continued commitment to the smooth implementation of the Protocol and agreed to finalise further technical discussions with the objective of reaching a common understanding on the correct implementation of the Protocol in the area of taxation (Article 3 of the Protocol) and fisheries (Article 6 of the Protocol) as a matter of priority. The Specialised Committee will revert to this issue immediately afterwards.
Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments
News story
UK statement: response to E1 settlement plan in the occupied West Bank
The UK has issued a statement in response to the announcement by Israel’s Civil Administration to reintroduce the E1 settlement plan in the occupied West Bank
A Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) spokesperson said:
The UK strongly opposes the announcement by the central planning bureau of Israel’s Civil Administration to reintroduce the E1 settlement plan, frozen since 2021.
This plan would build over 3000 houses to the east of Jerusalem, dividing a future Palestinian state in two, and marking a flagrant breach of international law.
If implemented, the E1 settlement plan would critically undermine the two-state solution – the only route to a lasting peace for both Israelis and Palestinians.
Moving around Gaza has become ever more difficult amid the ongoing 21-month-long war.
Mr. Saad, who was displaced from the town of Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip, was waiting for the vehicle pulling the cart he was sitting in to move.
“Transportation is very difficult and unsafe,” he told UN News. “The roads are exhausting. We pray to God to grant us patience and to return home.”
This was on Rashid Street, west of the city, which connects the north and south of the Strip. It is crowded with carts, cars and three-wheeled motorcycles that have also been converted into means of transportation.
The area is interspersed with tents of displaced people, all surrounded by the rubble of buildings destroyed by war on both sides of the road.
War and evacuation orders have left many in Gaza scrambling for transportation to safety.
A luxury not for everyone
“People can barely find enough to eat, so how will they pay for transportation?” Umm Haytham Al-Kulak asked while waiting in a passenger compartment attached behind a motorcycle,
“We walk mostly; we can’t take public transportation,” she said.
“May God help the drivers. Fuel prices are high, and all the people are exhausted and overwhelmed.”
In Gaza, many people have no choice but to use risky ways to get around during the ongoing war.
Sky high fuel costs
Drivers are paying skyrocketing prices for fuel, which is a heavy burden, Abdel Karim Abu Asi said as he waited for his car to be fully loaded with passengers.
“The price of a litre of diesel has reached 100 shekels [around $27],” he said. “What should we do? We’re trying to use locally produced fuel, but it causes significant damage to cars and a lot of problems.”
This isn’t the only problem facing drivers. Mr. Abu Asi said the prices of spare parts are very high. A part that used to cost around 100 shekels now sells for around 2,000 shekels, or around $560.
“We also suffer from the destruction of the streets, and no matter how hard the municipalities try to repair them, the problem is not solved because they require a large number of bulldozers to clear them,” he said.
“People must be helped with transportation costs and many other aspects.”
Fuel vendors sell their products at sharply inflated prices, with a litre of fuel reaching around 100 shekels.
Only option
Despite all the challenges, people there continue to go about their daily lives, even if it takes all day to get from one place to another. That’s what happened to Hussein Al-Hamarneh, who was waiting in a car to travel to the southern Gaza Strip.
Mr. Al-Hamarneh believes that most of these means of transportation are “uncomfortable, such as tuk-tuks [three-wheeled motorcycles] and carts pulled by cars, which are primarily designed to transport goods or animals, not people”.
“This is the only option for those who do not own cars,” he said.
Tayseer Abu Asr, who arranges for passengers to board a cart pulled by a car, stood on the section of the road.
“We’re trying to help people get around,” he said. “These carts have become our only means of transportation after the destruction of buses and taxis.”
On top of these challenges during the ongoing war, the Gaza Strip is facing a fuel crisis.
UN agencies warned earlier this week that the fuel shortage in Gaza has reached critical levels. They said if supplies run out, it will place an unbearable new burden on the population.
Written by Maya Kelly, a Strategic Communications Consultant and Social Media Coordinator for the UN Department of Peace Operations. She has a background in media, communications, technoculture, and education policy
Human rights belong to everyone – including prisoners.
Nelson Mandela once said, “A nation should not be judged by how it treats its highest citizens, but rather its lowest ones.” Imprisoned for 27 years under apartheid, the late president of South Africa saw firsthand the injustices faced behind bars. He spent his life advocating for the fair and human treatment of all people, including prisoners.
His fight continues today. Around the world, prisons hold individuals convicted of violent or non-violent offences, political prisoners, juveniles, and pre-trial detainees held for months or years without any conviction – and who accounted for nearly a third of the world’s 11.5 million prison population as of 2022.
In many places, these prisoners’ rights are still not upheld. Many are subjected to violence. Many are denied humane treatment, clean water, adequate food, proper sanitation, healthcare, and legal protections. Overincarceration, overcrowding, underfunding, poor conditions and the serious neglect of prison services threaten the lives of prisoners, the safety of communities, and the global community’s efforts to advance human rights, sustainable development, and peace.
The Nelson Mandela Rules, adopted by the UN General Assembly 10 years ago, seek to change this by establishing minimum standards for the treatment of prisoners. In the countries where we operate, UN peacekeeping helps host governments put these rules into practice in countries like South Sudan, the Central African Republic, and Kosovo*. Our efforts protect the rights of detainees, improve the safety and security of communities, and help advance sustainable peace in regions affected by conflict.
The new resolution was named to honour the legacy of Mandela’s lifelong struggle for global human rights, equality, democracy, and the promotion of a culture of peace.
The Nelson Mandela Rules are the universally recognized blueprint for effective and humane prison management in the 21st century.
While there are 122 rules in total, they are guided by a set of key principles, which seek to create prison systems that ensure humane treatment for prisoners and help prevent repeat offences:
Humane treatment: Every prisoner is a human being whose rights and dignity must be respected. This includes protection from torture and from cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment, and the right to food, water, and medical attention.
Non-discrimination: The rules should be applied equally and without discrimination based on race, gender, language, religion, sexuality or another other status.
Normalisation: Life in prison should be as similar as possible to life in the wider community, with access to resources and regular family contact, to support reintegration and deter repeat offences.
Safety and security: Prisons should provide a safe and secure environment for prisoners, prison staff, service providers and visitors, including protecting prisoners from violence.
Tailored rehabilitation: Rehabilitation opportunities, including education and vocational training, should meet prisoners’ individual needs to prepare them to live a law-abiding and self-supporting life upon release. Rehabilitation reduces the likelihood of repeat offences upon prisoners’ release.
Ensuring prisons meet these standards protects the prisoners and personnel inside and improves the safety of surrounding communities.
Why are the Mandela Rules Important?
When the Nelson Mandela Rules are applied, we’re all better off: the rules improve both prisoner and community safety and security.
Humane, rehabilitative prisons lower reoffending rates upon release, improving public safety. Overcrowding and poor sanitation in prisons accelerates the spread of disease, threatening the health of inmates and the wider community. Improving prison health protects public health. Incarceration disrupts families and communities for generations, while prison alternatives and maintained family contact during incarceration leads to stronger social and community cohesion. Incarceration is not only expensive for governments but has long lasting economic costs for families and communities who lose economic potential.
While the Mandela Rules establish the minimum standards in countries where United Nations peace operations are present, chronic underfunding, overcrowding, and outdated infrastructure severely limit governments’ abilities to meet even the most basic standards of detention. If left unchecked, prisons become breeding grounds for communicable disease, violence, and radicalization with social, economic and political costs that are felt well beyond the prison walls. We, therefore, work together with national authorities and partners to implement and uphold the Mandela Rules in prisons in some of the world’s toughest conflict environments.
How UN Peacekeeping helps countries put the Mandela Rules into practice
UN Peacekeeping deploys Justice and Corrections experts to improve how prisons are run, support programs that help prisoners reintegrate into society, and train national prison staff to strengthen justice for prisoners and wider community members.
We support host governments implement the Nelson Mandela Rules, building safer, fairer prisons that respect human rights, reduce the risk of violence and radicalization, and strengthen public trust in justice institutions. These are key foundations for building lasting peace, security, and stability in conflict and post-conflict settings.
In prisons in South Sudan, climate shocks, regional conflict, stalled imports and overcrowding in prisons mean that prisoners do not have enough to eat. The peacekeeping mission UNMISS is working with the Food and Agriculture Association (FAO) to train inmates in agriculture and let them grow food on “prison farms” to supply the prisons. The results have been transformative: food insecurity has been reduced, and prisoners have gained vocational skills that give them hope for their futures. “This farm helps us produce food, gives us the physical exercise we need, but above all, gives us hope for rebuilding our lives once we finish our sentences,” says Jakor Kuron, an inmate.
Written by Maya Kelly, a Strategic Communications Consultant and Social Media Coordinator for the UN Department of Peace Operations. She has a background in media, communications, technoculture, and education policy
Human rights belong to everyone – including prisoners.
Nelson Mandela once said, “A nation should not be judged by how it treats its highest citizens, but rather its lowest ones.” Imprisoned for 27 years under apartheid, the late president of South Africa saw firsthand the injustices faced behind bars. He spent his life advocating for the fair and human treatment of all people, including prisoners.
His fight continues today. Around the world, prisons hold individuals convicted of violent or non-violent offences, political prisoners, juveniles, and pre-trial detainees held for months or years without any conviction – and who accounted for nearly a third of the world’s 11.5 million prison population as of 2022.
In many places, these prisoners’ rights are still not upheld. Many are subjected to violence. Many are denied humane treatment, clean water, adequate food, proper sanitation, healthcare, and legal protections. Overincarceration, overcrowding, underfunding, poor conditions and the serious neglect of prison services threaten the lives of prisoners, the safety of communities, and the global community’s efforts to advance human rights, sustainable development, and peace.
The Nelson Mandela Rules, adopted by the UN General Assembly 10 years ago, seek to change this by establishing minimum standards for the treatment of prisoners. In the countries where we operate, UN peacekeeping helps host governments put these rules into practice in countries like South Sudan, the Central African Republic, and Kosovo*. Our efforts protect the rights of detainees, improve the safety and security of communities, and help advance sustainable peace in regions affected by conflict.
The new resolution was named to honour the legacy of Mandela’s lifelong struggle for global human rights, equality, democracy, and the promotion of a culture of peace.
The Nelson Mandela Rules are the universally recognized blueprint for effective and humane prison management in the 21st century.
While there are 122 rules in total, they are guided by a set of key principles, which seek to create prison systems that ensure humane treatment for prisoners and help prevent repeat offences:
Humane treatment: Every prisoner is a human being whose rights and dignity must be respected. This includes protection from torture and from cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment, and the right to food, water, and medical attention.
Non-discrimination: The rules should be applied equally and without discrimination based on race, gender, language, religion, sexuality or another other status.
Normalisation: Life in prison should be as similar as possible to life in the wider community, with access to resources and regular family contact, to support reintegration and deter repeat offences.
Safety and security: Prisons should provide a safe and secure environment for prisoners, prison staff, service providers and visitors, including protecting prisoners from violence.
Tailored rehabilitation: Rehabilitation opportunities, including education and vocational training, should meet prisoners’ individual needs to prepare them to live a law-abiding and self-supporting life upon release. Rehabilitation reduces the likelihood of repeat offences upon prisoners’ release.
Ensuring prisons meet these standards protects the prisoners and personnel inside and improves the safety of surrounding communities.
Why are the Mandela Rules Important?
When the Nelson Mandela Rules are applied, we’re all better off: the rules improve both prisoner and community safety and security.
Humane, rehabilitative prisons lower reoffending rates upon release, improving public safety. Overcrowding and poor sanitation in prisons accelerates the spread of disease, threatening the health of inmates and the wider community. Improving prison health protects public health. Incarceration disrupts families and communities for generations, while prison alternatives and maintained family contact during incarceration leads to stronger social and community cohesion. Incarceration is not only expensive for governments but has long lasting economic costs for families and communities who lose economic potential.
While the Mandela Rules establish the minimum standards in countries where United Nations peace operations are present, chronic underfunding, overcrowding, and outdated infrastructure severely limit governments’ abilities to meet even the most basic standards of detention. If left unchecked, prisons become breeding grounds for communicable disease, violence, and radicalization with social, economic and political costs that are felt well beyond the prison walls. We, therefore, work together with national authorities and partners to implement and uphold the Mandela Rules in prisons in some of the world’s toughest conflict environments.
How UN Peacekeeping helps countries put the Mandela Rules into practice
UN Peacekeeping deploys Justice and Corrections experts to improve how prisons are run, support programs that help prisoners reintegrate into society, and train national prison staff to strengthen justice for prisoners and wider community members.
We support host governments implement the Nelson Mandela Rules, building safer, fairer prisons that respect human rights, reduce the risk of violence and radicalization, and strengthen public trust in justice institutions. These are key foundations for building lasting peace, security, and stability in conflict and post-conflict settings.
In prisons in South Sudan, climate shocks, regional conflict, stalled imports and overcrowding in prisons mean that prisoners do not have enough to eat. The peacekeeping mission UNMISS is working with the Food and Agriculture Association (FAO) to train inmates in agriculture and let them grow food on “prison farms” to supply the prisons. The results have been transformative: food insecurity has been reduced, and prisoners have gained vocational skills that give them hope for their futures. “This farm helps us produce food, gives us the physical exercise we need, but above all, gives us hope for rebuilding our lives once we finish our sentences,” says Jakor Kuron, an inmate.
At the moment, everyone needs to fill in an individual voter registration application at least 12 days before an election. Automatic registration would enable electoral officials to update the electoral rolls without people having to make an application to register to vote. They could use other reliable data to make the electoral register as accurate and complete as possible.
Electoral officials would then write to the potential voter to inform them that they had been added to the register. They would have the opportunity to make any corrections needed.
The details are still to be worked out and the change would not come overnight. The process may be semi-automated to begin with – with the individual process sitting alongside some automation.
Why is automatic registration needed?
Many people don’t register in time for elections. Some don’t intend to vote, but others assume that they’re already registered. Some are also just busy.
The result is that there are around 7-8 million people who are not correctly registered when the polling stations open on election day. A significant number are then turned away. The problem is getting worse as the number of people who are not registered is also rising at an alarming rate.
Estimated number of people missing from the electoral register at UK general elections, 1945-2024.
What is especially troubling is that there are large gaps in registrations by age, gender, ethnicity and socioeconomic status. Nearly all over-65-year-olds are on the register, but younger people are increasingly missing. Only 60% of 18-to-19-year-olds are on the electoral rolls – and 16% of the soon-to-be-enfranchised 16- to 17-year-olds (you can currently register to vote at 16).
Automatic registration will therefore be crucial to making votes at 16 a success. Asking and reminding young people to register would inevitably involve an enormous administrative effort. But if data could be transferred from schools and government departments to election officials to put them straight onto the roll, it would save both time and money – and bring about a higher participation rate.
Does automatic voter registration work?
Roughly half of countries around the around the world use automatic voter registration – including Germany, the Netherlands, Iceland and Finland. Countries which have historically not had automatic registration, such as the US, Malta, Canada and Australia, have all moved to at least partially implement it over recent years.
In a recent report with colleagues, I set out how this can be implemented and suggested a range of datasets that could be securely used.
Electoral rolls could be updated when people apply for a passport, register to pay council tax, update their driving licence details, register at university or claim benefits. Electoral officials could also be authorised to update the electoral rolls with data such as council tax data and information held by the Department for Work and Pensions.
One option would be to register people to vote when they apply for a passport. Shutterstock/ClimbWhenReady
Data sharing is already used in electoral registration. Every time a voter registration application is made, it is checked against another government dataset. There is therefore already the data infrastructure to enable automatic registration to work.
Electoral officials already use such data to register, remove or re-register people. This has enabled a lot of savings and less administrative hassle for many people.
Voter identification changes
The government’s election bill proposals will also extend the forms of identification that voters can present at polling stations to include bank cards. It clears the path for future digital forms of ID to be accepted.
The last government introduced a requirement for everyone to provide photographic identification at polling stations at UK general elections and some local elections. Accepted forms of identification include passports and driving licences but also a range of other options. If citizens don’t have identification, then they can apply for a free voter authority certificate, provided that they do so before the deadline.
However, our research found that many people were turned away in polling stations as they did not have required identification. Poll workers reported that the impact particularly affected some groups, such as students and women.
They may not, however, go far enough. The previous government restricted the independence of the Electoral Commission and these changes have not been reversed by the Labour government. The Electoral Commission will play an important role in automatic registration, so the government could renew its independence to help build confidence and trust in elections.
Nonetheless, the move to automatic registration would be a major step forward for a changing democracy – as long as the government now puts on the afterburners to power the effort needed to make these changes work effectively in time for the next election.
Toby James has previously received funding from the AHRC, ESRC, Joseph Rowntree Reform Trust, British Academy, Leverhulme Trust, Electoral Commission, Nuffield Foundation, the McDougall Trust, Unlock Democracy, International IDEA and the Canadian SSHRC.
Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Mike Johnson (LA-04)
WASHINGTON — This morning, following House passage of landmark crypto legislation and the first spending rescission in 25 years, Speaker Johnson joined CNBC’s Squawk Box to discuss how the House Republican economic agenda is delivering for American families.
Watch the full interview here
On the pocketbook benefits of the One Big Beautiful Bill:
The reason we named it the One Big Beautiful Bill is because there’s so much in it for everyone. And I’m delighted to hear the former HUD Secretary sing the praises of the bill. There are a lot of praises to sing, and everyone will be singing that tune, and certainly the voters will when they come to the midterms in 2026. And the reason for that is because we wrote this bill for the lower- and middle-class earners in America. We’re the working-class party, the Republican Party is, and we delivered for them. And it’s important to point out, all the Democrats in Congress voted against all those great provisions.
You’re talking about historic tax cuts, historic savings at the same time. But what it means for the typical family in America, an additional average $13,000 in their pocket at the end of the year in take home pay, you’re talking about the child tax credit. 91% of Americans will benefit from the increase that we did there. Seniors got tax relief, no tax on tips and overtime, things that are really going to mean a lot to people, and it’s going to be jet fuel the US economy. You’re beginning to see just the enthusiasm that the passage of the bill has sparked. This is the beginning of a great run for America. President Trump called me early this morning, we were doing a victory lap together on the phone about the passage of the rescission bill late here last night. And he said, Mike, we’re just winning. We’re going to continue to win. This is a great moment for America. I said, sir, it’s historic and there’s much more to come.
On Jerome Powell’s job as Fed Chairman:
I’m as anxious to see how that plays out as you are. I will tell you that the sentiment here, my opinion is that we should reduce interest rates. The American economy is hot, and we have so many good things going on. We’re delivering over and over. The Republican majority here for the American people, not just the One Big Beautiful Bill, not just with the rescissions package that we passed last night, clawing back with $9 billion of wasted taxpayer funds…the sectors of the economy right now that are giving us the most concern is, as the president has discussed, home ownership, you know, you’ve got a lot of young people and people of all ages who are having a hard time getting into the real estate market because they can’t afford the interest rates on a home. And it affects purchases of automobiles and all large ticket items. If you reduce that, I don’t say slash interest rates but do something that’s meaningful to get that humming again, because that will last. It’ll have a lasting effect. And if you combine that with the other things that are happening, I think we’ll have the greatest economy in the history of the world.
On House Republicans pushing for maximum transparency regarding the Epstein Files:
I believe in maximum transparency. And so does President Trump, and that’s what he said. He says it many different ways. Many different times. But we want all credible evidence to be put out there for the American people. Reagan used to remind us to trust the American people. They’re smarter than anybody gives them credit for. And I believe people can draw their own conclusions about that, but they have to have the documents. Now, at the same time, I think the interest here and the concern, and frankly the duty, the responsibility is to protect the innocent, right? If you have minors who are victims of sex trafficking, heaven forbid, predatory activity, you can’t have their names out there, right?
So, the courts and law enforcement and government agencies have a custom of protecting the innocent [and] bogus allegations that would be made against people that can’t be authenticated. So that’s the concern. They’re trying to thread that needle because the Department of Justice does have a responsibility to make sure those people’s lives are not destroyed.
Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Barry Loudermilk (R-GA)
Washington, D.C. (July 18, 2025) | Rep. Barry Loudermilk (GA-11) issued the following statement after the House passed The Recissions Act of 2025 (Senate Amendment to H.R. 4):
“House Republicans have passed President Trump’s recissions bill, which makes permanent several of the spending cuts made previously by executive order. President Trump campaigned on cutting wasteful government spending, and Congressional Republicans have delivered, saving American taxpayers $9 billion that was slated to go to programs such as far-left, government-funded programming and unchecked foreign assistance.
“This legislation, coupled with the reconciliation bill signed into law on July 4, are significant steps towards reigning in out-of-control big government spending, improving fiscal responsibility, and delivering on the historic mandate given at the ballot box. While our work will continue, this is a major step toward ensuring future generations of Americans have a nation that is free, safe, and full of opportunity.”
Funds to be rescinded (cut) include:
– $1.2 million for LGBTQI+ programs in Uganda and the Western Balkans – $833K for trans sex workers in Nepal -$3 million for Iraqi Sesame Street – $2.5 million to teach kids eco-friendly reproductive health – $500K for electric buses in Rwanda – $6 million for “net zero cities” in Mexico – $1 million to promote voter ID in Haiti – $5.1 million to strengthen the global queer movement – $3 million for condoms and productive procedures in Zambia
Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Jonathan Jackson – Illinois (1st District)
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Washington, D.C.— Congressman Jonathan L. Jackson released the following statement in strong opposition to the passage of the Republican Rescission bill, which narrowly passed the House and Senate:
“Tonight, a slim majority in Congress moved to gut nearly $9 billion in funding that supports America’s role in the world and protects the most vulnerable among us. I am deeply disappointed in the passage of the Republican Recission bill—a package of cuts that abandons our promises to struggling families at home and to children facing hunger and disaster abroad.
Let’s be clear about what these votes mean. This bill does not just trim ‘waste’; it takes food out of the mouths of millions, undermines global disease prevention, and withdraws America’s leadership when the world needs it most. Foreign assistance slashed by this bill—including funding for humanitarian food, medicine, and education—means less hope for children in Afghanistan, Haiti, and Pakistan, as well as lost lives where U.S. aid is the last line of defense.
Here in Chicago, and across our nation, this legislation also cuts at public broadcasting and resources that build an informed, connected democracy. Over objections from both parties, this bill was rushed through, ignoring real concerns about transparency, fairness, and the irreversible harm these reductions will cause.
America’s strength has always come from our compassion and our commitment; not only to our own families but also to those who look to us in moments of desperate need. Slashing funding for global food programs, disease surveillance, and public broadcasting is not fiscal responsibility; it is shortsighted and unworthy of a great nation.
I will continue fighting for policies that reflect our highest values; justice, generosity, and truth. I call on my colleagues and constituents to join me in demanding a Congress that chooses people over politics, at home and abroad.”
