Samsung Electronics today announced its latest Smart Monitor lineup, featuring the flagship Smart Monitor M9 (M90SF model) alongside the updated Smart Monitor M8 (M80F model) and M7 (M70F model). With the introduction of QD-OLED technology to the M9 and advanced AI features across the lineup, the new offerings provide a more personalized and connected screen for work and entertainment.
“The Smart Monitor series continues to evolve based on how people work, watch and play,” said Hoon Chung, Executive Vice President of the Visual Display (VD) Business at Samsung Electronics. “With the introduction of QD-OLED and AI-powered enhancements, the M9 delivers a more responsive and refined screen experience — all within a single, versatile display.”
The Smart Monitor M9 introduces QD-OLED technology to the Smart Monitor lineup for the first time. Its 32-inch 4K QD-OLED panel delivers deep contrast and vibrant color, offering a more immersive visual experience across productivity, streaming and gaming. Samsung OLED Safeguard+ helps maintain screen integrity over time with a proprietary cooling system designed to reduce the risk of burn-in. The M9 also features a Glare-Free display to minimize reflections and ensure consistent visibility and comfort — even in bright lighting conditions.
The M9 is powered by AI Picture Optimizer, 4K AI Upscaling Pro and Active Voice Amplifier (AVA) Pro, which work together to enhance picture and sound quality in real time based on content and surroundings. Whether users are watching, creating or multitasking, the display adapts automatically to deliver optimized performance.
The M9 also serves as a smart entertainment hub with access to popular streaming apps, Samsung TV Plus and Samsung Gaming Hub — which enables cloud-based gaming without a connected console or PC. With a 165Hz refresh rate, a 0.03ms response time and NVIDIA G-SYNC compatibility, the M9 supports smooth, fast-moving visuals ideal for high-performance use.
The M9 also features a slim metal design that blends premium aesthetics with functional form, creating a modern look that complements any workspace.
Recognizing its precise and reliable color performance, the Smart Monitor M9 has achieved Pantone Validated certification. This certification assures users that the M9 has passed the rigorous standards of testing and can replicate over 2,100 colors and more than 110 SkinTone shades from Pantone’s library. Paired with its brilliant QD-OLED display, the monitor ensures visuals appear just as content creators intended, providing confidence and clarity for any application.
Smart Monitor M8 and M7: Versatile Displays With AI Functionality and Enhanced Connectivity
The new Smart Monitor M8 and Smart Monitor M7 extend Samsung’s smart monitor experience to a broader audience, offering 32-inch 4K UHD screens with vibrant picture quality and built-in AI features. Equipped with Samsung’s advanced VA panel technology, both models deliver sharp detail and rich contrast, making them ideal for everyday productivity, streaming and much more.
Both displays support AI-powered discovery tools, including Click to Search.1 These features help users explore content, retrieve information and engage with their screen more intuitively, while Tizen OS Home personalizes recommendations and makes it easier to access frequently used services and inputs.
Designed for flexibility, all three models integrate with SmartThings, support Multi Control between Samsung devices and offer Multi View for side-by-side working or entertainment. With Microsoft 365 access, users can create and edit documents directly from the monitor without a PC, making the lineup a practical solution for modern work setups.
Ongoing Support and Availability
The Smart Monitor M9, M8 and M7 are available in 32-inch screen sizes and will begin rolling out to markets worldwide starting this month.2
To ensure long-term usability and support, Samsung offers up to seven years of One UI Tizen upgrades for the Smart Monitor lineup, allowing users to continue benefiting from the latest features and services over time.3
For more information about Samsung’s Smart Monitor lineup, please visit www.samsung.com/.
1 Feature available in certain regions and models only.
2 Availability of models may vary by market.
3 Free One UI Tizen upgrades are available for Smart Monitors models released in 2023 and onward.
Secretary-General of ASEAN, Dr. Kao Kim Hourn, met with the Minister Delegate to the Head of Government in Charge of the Administration of National Defense of Morocco, Abdeltif Loudyi, in Rabat, on 24 June 2025. They exchanged views on security issues, the work of the ASEAN defence sector, and potential future engagements.
Please credit: Administration of National Defense of Morocco
The post Secretary-General of ASEAN meets the Minister Delegate to the Head of Government in Charge of the Administration of National Defense of Morocco appeared first on ASEAN Main Portal.
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
BEIJING, June 24 — Chinese State Councilor and Minister of Public Security Wang Xiaohong on Tuesday called on Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) member states to deepen practical cooperation on law enforcement and security, and to promote the development of a closer SCO community with a shared future.
Wang made the remarks when attending the 20th Meeting of the Security Council Secretaries of the SCO Member States, where he delivered a keynote address. He noted that China stands ready to work with all member states to make new and greater contributions to the security and stability of the region and the world at large.
The Global Security Initiative, which was proposed by Chinese President Xi Jinping, advocates a new path for security that features dialogue over confrontation, partnership over alliance, and win-win results over zero-sum outcomes, Wang said. China is willing to implement this initiative alongside all member states, vigorously promoting the “Shanghai Spirit.”
Wang put forward a five-point proposal at the meeting, calling on SCO member states to practice true multilateralism and provide solutions to global challenges, remain committed to sharing weal and woe and shielding against interference from forces outside the region, focus on common concerns and enhance regional counter-terrorism capabilities, improve cooperation mechanisms and strengthen their platform combating emerging transnational crimes, and deepen exchange to provide experience for the development of a global community of security for all.
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
BEIJING, June 24 — China’s State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters on Tuesday launched a Level-IV emergency response to flooding in Chongqing Municipality and Guizhou Province as the two southwestern regions brace for a new round of rainfall.
A team has been dispatched to Guizhou to assist with flood prevention and relief efforts in the province’s Rongjiang and Congjiang counties, according to the headquarters.
China has a four-tier emergency response system for flood control, with Level I being the most severe.
Due to recent rainfall, the upper reaches of the Liujiang River in Guizhou have experienced flooding, necessitating flood-prevention work in Rongjiang and Congjiang, the headquarters said.
According to meteorological forecasts, further heavy rainfall will affect the eastern regions of southwest China. Some parts of Chongqing and Guizhou are expected to experience moderate-to-heavy rains or torrential downpours, leading to heightened risks of river floods, mountain torrents and other geological disasters.
Local authorities have been urged to step up their inspections and implement risk-mitigation measures in key areas, strengthen rainfall and flood monitoring work, and ensure timely evacuation of residents from high-risk areas, according to the headquarters.
Source: United States Senator for Alabama Tommy Tuberville
WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) participated in a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing to consider the nominations of Vice Admiral Charles B. Cooper II, to be Commander for United States Central Command, and Lieutenant General Alexus G. Grynkewich to be Commander for United States European Command and Supreme Allied Commander of Europe. During the hearing, Senator Tuberville and Lt. General Grynkewich discussed the general’s relationship with NATO commanders as well as the conflict in Eastern Europe. Additionally, he spoke to Vice Admiral Cooper about preventing the Houthis from obstructing trade in the Middle East.
Read Senator Tuberville’s remarks below or on YouTube or Rumble.
ON NATO RELATIONSHIPS:
TUBERVILLE: “Good morning. Thanks for both of your service and moving your families around. Kinda like a coach. You know, you don’t stay very long in one spot. Admiral, it’s good to see your family here. Auburn folks. Good Alabama folks. Living Montgomery, I think. Right? […]
“General, let me ask you this. What’s your relationship with the NATO commanders in the bigger countries? That we have.”
GRYNKEWICH: “Senator, I have worked with European partners around the world over the years in a variety of coalition environments, and I know many of the leaders across all of those countries. It’s a solid relationship, sir.”
TUBERVILLE: “How about Turkey?”
GRYNKEWICH: “Sir, I’ve had the privilege of visiting Türkiye several times over the course of my career and have great respect for the military capabilities that they can bring to bear.”
TUBERVILLE: “Largest military in NATO. Is that right?”
GRYNKEWICH: “Yes, sir.”
ON LIKELIHOOD OF UKRAINE DEFEATING RUSSIA:
TUBERVILLE: “Yeah. Let me ask this question. This Ukraine-Russia war has been going on for a long time. A lot of people killed. We’ve spent a lot of money. Can Ukraine win?”
GRYNKEWICH: “Senator, I think Ukraine can win. I think anytime your own homeland is threatened, you fight with a tenacity that’s difficult for us to conceive of if we haven’t found ourselves in that same situation.”
TUBERVILLE: “Yeah. They’ve they have absolutely fought hard. You gotta give it to them.”
ON WHO SUPPORTS HOUTHIS:
TUBERVILLE: “Admiral, we hadn’t talked about the Houthis. I think we’ve bombed them for 30 straight days. Is that correct?”
COOPER: “Sir, we bombed them for 51 straight days in conjunction with Operation Rough Rider.”
TUBERVILLE: “Yeah. Have we stopped?”
COOPER: “Sir, the president gave the military a very precise mission, which was to restore the freedom of navigation, and that mission was successfully executed. We have freedom of navigation today. We agreed [to] a ceasefire several weeks ago. Now 40 days ago. If the Houthis didn’t shoot at us, we wouldn’t shoot at them. They have not shot at us. We have not shot at them. And we have multiple examples of destroyers going back and forth through the Bab al-Mandab.”
TUBERVILLE: “Destroyers, but what about merchant ships?”
COOPER: “There is merchant ships flowing through the Bab al-Mandab today. If we walk back to the fall of 2023 when the Houthis started their kinetic actions, it took several months for the flow of commerce to leave the Red Sea. I would expect it’s gonna take several months for it to fully come back.”
TUBERVILLE: “My understanding is that the Houthis are one of the strongest groups that are backed by Iran. Is that correct?”
COOPER: “Sir, they’ve been supported with arms, people, training, ISR for the better part of 10 years. They’re well supported.”
TUBERVILLE: “Yeah. China support’s them too?”
COOPER: “They do.”
TUBERVILLE: “So, do you think this is going to be an on and off project with the Houthis over the years? Or are we going to be able to stabilize it?”
COOPER: “I think we’re now 40 days into this; the ball is in the Houthis’ court. We’re prepared for a range of actions, but I think the policies associated with the ceasefire remain in place, and we’ll just be prepared, from a military perspective, for a wide range of contingencies as is our obligation to do so.”
TUBERVILLE: “Do we actually know who the leadership is that controls the Houthis?”
COOPER: “We do, sir.”
TUBERVILLE: “Yeah. […] Do we talk to them? They talk back to us? How does that work?”
COOPER: “Communications with the Houthis is done through diplomatic channels. And Houthis are a foreign terrorist organization. We don’t have a communication via the military.”
TUBERVILLE: “So the president, when he works and tries to calm the situation down, who does he talk to?”
COOPER: “Sir, he uses the Envoy for the Middle East, Ambassador Steve Witkoff, who helped enable the most recent ceasefire.”
TUBERVILLE: “Yeah. They must be some tough rascals. I mean, we bombed them for 51 days and they’re still kicking. Right?”
COOPER: “They’re extremely well supplied by the Iranians.”
TUBERVILLE: “They’re supplied, but what? Are they dug in?”
COOPER: “As we’ve seen throughout the region, groups are going underground, Hamas, Hezbollah, the Houthis. This is a serious issue that we will have to look at into the future.”
TUBERVILLE: “Yeah. We do make a bomb in Huntsville called ‘MOAB.’ They do a lot of damage. I think we’ve seen that in Afghanistan. We got a few left. So, maybe in the future, [if] we can’t get them to reconcile…because we’re gonna have to have full passage in the Red Sea. If we’re going to get AI going, we’re going to get supply chains going, we can’t haphazardly wonder if they’re going to sink one of our ships but thank you. Good luck to both of you. Thank you very much. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.”
Senator Tommy Tuberville represents Alabama in the United States Senate and is a member of the Senate Armed Services, Agriculture, Veterans’ Affairs, HELP and Aging Committees.
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Representative Val Hoyle (OR-04) released the following statement after her vote on today’s motion to table impeachment:
“My position on the strikes in Iran has been clear. My constituents, regardless of party, do not want to send their children or their tax dollars to another forever war in the Middle East. That said, I voted to table the motion to impeach because there is no viable path to impeachment at this time. Impeachment is one of the most serious actions Congress can take, and it shouldn’t be used as a symbolic gesture or partisan spectacle.”
Background
Since coming to Congress in 2022, Rep. Hoyle has been an outspoken critic of presidential abuses of Congressional War Powers by both Democratic and Republican administrations.
In 2023, Rep. Hoyle voted against the House’s version of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) in part due to concerns about War Powers authorities. She offered amendments to:
Prohibit U.S. involvement in the war in Yemen unless authorized by Congress;
End unauthorized U.S. military involvement in Syria;
And to repeal the 1991, 2001, and 2002 Authorizations for the Use of Military Force (AUMFs), citing their misuse by presidents of both parties who use them to unilaterally engage in foreign wars.
In 2023, Rep. Hoyle spoke out against President Biden’s use of unauthorized military strikes.
In January 2024, Rep. Hoyle was among the first Democratic Congresspeople to speak out against President Biden’s unilateral decision to launch strikes in Yemen.
In April 2025, Rep. Hoyle joined Rep. Jayapal (D-WA) and Rep. Khanna (D-CA) to lead 30 of her colleagues in calling out President Trumps unilateral decision to launch strikes in Yemen.
In June 2025, Rep. Hoyle was one of 14 original cosponsors of Rep. Khanna’s (D-CA) and Rep. Massie’s (R-KY) Resolution to require President Trump to seek Congressional authorization before engaging in strikes on Yemen.
Following President Trump’s unilateral decision to strike Iran on Saturday, June 21, 2025, Rep. Hoyle released a statement condemning the action as unconstitutional act.
Congressional War Powers are clearly outlined by U.S. law:
1. After a declaration of war by Congress;
2. After a specific statutory authorization from Congress;
3. Or in a national emergency created by an attack on the U.S.
Source: United States Senator for Oklahoma James Lankford
Bipartisan resolution condemns antisemitic attacks in Washington, DC, and Boulder, Colorado
WASHINGTON, DC — US Senators James Lankford (R-OK) and Jacky Rosen (D-NV) introduced a bipartisan resolution condemning antisemitism and the recent antisemitic attacks in the United States, specifically the brutal murders of Sarah Milgrim and Yaron Lischinsky in Washington, DC, and the violent attack in Boulder, CO. Lankford and Rosen serve as co-chairs of the Senate Bipartisan Task Force for Combating Antisemitism.
“The recent brutal murders of Sarah Milgrim and Yaron Lischinsky and the violent attack in Boulder are horrific reminders of the unfortunate rise in antisemitism across our country,” said Lankford. “This resolution makes it clear: we unequivocally condemn antisemitism in all its forms. Our Jewish friends and neighbors should not live in fear because of their faith and heritage, and this resolution affirms the right to live their faith freely.”
“Communities across our country are experiencing an increase in antisemitic vandalism, threats, and violence that endangers the safety of Jewish Americans, like the recent attacks in Washington and Colorado,” said Rosen. “We have a responsibility to call out antisemitism and do everything we can to combat acts of hate in all of its forms. Senator Lankford and I introduced this bipartisan resolution to condemn recent attacks and recommit to doing all we can to tackle the alarming rise of antisemitic incidents. As one of the co-chairs of the Senate Bipartisan Task Force for Combating Antisemitism, I look forward to continuing this important work.”
“There is no place for antisemitism in our society,” said Senate Majority Leader John Thune. “We must forcefully condemn antisemitic hate and do everything we can to stand with and protect our Jewish neighbors. I thank Senator Lankford for leading this bipartisan resolution and hope for a day where antisemitism is a thing of the past.”
Joining Lankford and Rosen in co-sponsoring the resolution are Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) and Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), as well as Sens. Michael Bennet (D-CO), John Hickenlooper (D-CO), Dave McCormick (R-PA), John Fetterman (D-PA) and Jerry Moran (R-KS).
You can read the full text of the resolution HERE.
Background
The resolution comes amid a documented surge in antisemitic threats, violence, and rhetoric across the United States, particularly following the October 7, 2023, terrorist attack by Hamas on Israel. In 2024, the Anti-Defamation League recorded over 9,000 antisemitic incidents nationwide—a historic high—with more than half linked to anti-Israel sentiment. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) data also shows that Jewish Americans, who make up just 2.4% of the US population, were the target of 68% of all reported religiously motivated hate crimes in 2023.
The resolution specifically condemns two recent antisemitic attacks: the May 21, 2025, shooting that killed Sarah Milgrim and Yaron Lischinsky outside an American Jewish Committee event in Washington, DC, and the June 1, 2025, Molotov cocktail attack during a peaceful walk in Boulder, Colorado showing support for the hostages still held captive by Hamas. The resolution rightfully labels both attacks as the result of antisemitism, extremism, and political violence, which are threats not only to Jewish individuals but to all of society in the United States.
Sarah Milgrim, a Jewish American from Kansas, and Yaron Lischinsky, an Israeli-German dual citizen, were both staffers at the Israeli Embassy in Washington. They were engaged in Middle East diplomacy, united by a shared passion for peacebuilding, and were planning their future together before their lives were tragically cut short.
Lankford, who recently traveled to the Middle East, remains committed to defending religious liberty and combating antisemitism both at home and abroad.
You can read the exclusive published in Jewish Insider HERE.
Source: United States Senator for Alaska Dan Sullivan
06.24.25
WASHINGTON—U.S. Senators Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska) and Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.), and Representative Mark Messmer (R-Ind.)— members of the Senate and House Armed Services Committees—hosted a press conference today with their colleagues announcing the introduction of their legislation, the Ground and Orbital Launched Defeat of Emergent Nuclear Destruction and Other Missile Engagements (GOLDEN DOME) Act. The GOLDEN DOME Act authorizes more than $23 billion to begin developing a modernized, layered homeland missile defense system that can counter, detect, track, and defeat existing and evolving threats as envisioned by President Donald Trump in his January 27, 2025 executive order.
Click here or the image above to watch the full press conference.
“The escalating missile threats we’ve witnessed from the Iranian terrorist regime and the rapidly evolving missile threats from Russia and China demonstrate why we need to develop a robust, modernized missile defense system to protect the entire country—which the GOLDEN DOME Act will do,” said Sen. Sullivan. “The three prongs of successful policy in D.C. are presidential leadership, appropriated funding and comprehensive authorizing legislation. We have all three of these elements behind this historic Golden Dome initiative. President Trump has, for years, going back to his first term, driven the vision of a layered, open architecture missile defense system. Congress is stepping up with a down payment appropriation of $25 billion in the reconciliation bill. And now, we are introducing the GOLDEN DOME Act to cement this vision in law. The GOLDEN DOME Act will incorporate space-based sensors and new intercept technologies, significantly expand and modernize existing infrastructure, like the ground-based missile interceptor fields at Alaska’s Fort Greely and North Dakota’s PARCS radar system, and enhance all-domain awareness to counter, detect, track, and defeat potential missile threats. The great State of Alaska has been—and will continue to be—the cornerstone of our missile defense system. I look forward to working with my colleagues in both the House and the Senate to get this important legislation to President Trump’s desk to better secure the homeland.”
“Our adversaries have developed more advanced long-range weapons over the last couple of decades, posing a significant threat to our national security,” said Sen. Cramer. “We have to act in order to defend against the evolving and complex threat landscape. Senator Sullivan and I introduced the GOLDEN DOME Act to build a layered missile defense system, which protects our homeland from catastrophic attacks from modern missiles. Our bill puts the legislative muscle behind President Trump’s executive order to support his innovative vision of protecting our great nation from current and future threats. The Golden Dome is great for America, great for North Dakota, and great for Alaska. The time is now to prioritize the defense of the United States by modernizing our missile defense infrastructure.”
“In a world where hostile adversaries like Russia and China present an ever-present nuclear threat, America must stand ready to prevent nuclear weapons from harming our citizens,” said Rep. Messmer. “The Golden Dome Act fulfills President Trump’s initiative to keep America safe with this state of the art missile defense shield.”
Specifically, the GOLDEN DOME Act is focused on enhancing the all-domain awareness of the U.S missile defense system, bolstering the capacity of U.S. missiles and drones to defend against threats from rogue nations as well as near-peer nations, and accelerating the development of new capabilities to keep pace with future threats, particularly from hypersonics and cruise missiles.
This legislation is cosponsored in the Senate by Sens. John Hoeven (R-N.D.), Tim Sheehy (R-Mont.), Katie Britt (R-Ala.), Jim Banks (R-Ind.), Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.), and Tim Scott (R-SC).
The introduction of the GOLDEN DOME Act was also reported on in an exclusive story today by Charles Creitz in Fox News Digital.
‘Golden Dome’ comprehensive weapons defenses in the works as lawmakers make Trump dream a reality
By: Charles Creitz
June 24, 2025
EXCLUSIVE –With the Iran situation intensifying, senators will put forward a bill Tuesday that creates the “Golden Dome” missile defense system modeled off Israel’s Iron Dome that President Donald Trump asked for at the beginning of his term.
Sens. Dan Sullivan, R-Alaska, and Kevin Cramer, R-N.D., came together to craft the Ground & Orbital Launched Defeat of Emergent Nuclear Destruction and Other Missile Engagements (Golden Dome) Act, a $21 billion congressional authorization split among more than two dozen individual defensive strategies.
It comes after Trump ordered in January that a defense system be realized in response to the “threat of attack by ballistic, hypersonic, and cruise missiles, and other advanced aerial attacks.” Trump later confirmed his plan to seek construction of the Golden Dome at a May White House appearance with Sullivan.
“The escalating missile threats we’ve witnessed from the Iranian terrorist regime and the rapidly evolving hypersonic, cruise missile and drone threats from Russia, China, and other adversaries demonstrate why we need to develop a robust, modernized missile defense system to protect the entire country—which the Golden Dome Act will do,” Sullivan told Fox News Digital.
“The three prongs of successful policy in D.C. are presidential leadership, appropriated funding and comprehensive authorizing legislation.”
Trump’s order cited former President Ronald Reagan’s so-called “Star Wars” plan to build laser-based nuclear defense systems against the Soviet Union, while Sullivan and Cramer took a big step Tuesday toward creating something even more comprehensive.
Similar to “Star Wars,” the Golden Dome plan calls for the development and deployment of space-based weapons sensors, as well as research into another orbital component, Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture.
Sullivan’s state of Alaska is home to some of North America’s most important extant defense systems, particularly at Clear Space Force Base near Fairbanks and Fort Greely in Delta Junction.
The latter is home to Alaska Army National Guard members who provide “operational control and security for the nation’s ground-based interceptors,” according to Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy. There are about 80 interceptors at-the-ready at Fort Greely.
The Golden Dome plan builds on such defenses, by creating, maintaining and/or revitalizing other sites as well, including the Cobra Dane – a land-based “passive electronically scanned array” radar system positioned in the Aleutian Chain.
“Alaska is a big part of [missile defense] because the location is sort of perfect,” Trump said. As both the easternmost and westernmost state in the union, Alaska is also the commercial and defensive gateway to Asia, state officials have noted.
…..
“We have to act in order to defend against the evolving and complex threat landscape. Senator Sullivan and I introduced the GOLDEN DOME Act to build a layered missile defense system, which protects our homeland from catastrophic attacks from modern missiles,” Cramer said.
Rep. Mark Messmer, R-Ind., who will lead companion legislation in the House, added that the U.S. “must stand ready to prevent nuclear weapons from harming our citizens.”
Source: United States Senator for Connecticut – Chris Murphy
June 24, 2025
WASHINGTON—U.S. Senators Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), a member of the U.S. Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) today, on the third anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade, joined the entire Democratic caucus in introducing the Women’s Health Protection Act of 2025, legislation to guarantee access to abortion everywhere across the country and restore the right to comprehensive reproductive health care for millions of Americans. The bill’s introduction comes as the Trump Administration further attacks a woman’s right to choose and Congressional Republicans barrel ahead with a bill that defunds Planned Parenthood. Put together, Trump and Congressional Republicans’ assault on Americans’ reproductive rights is a backdoor national abortion ban, ripping away millions of women’s access to abortion care and right to control their bodies.
“In the three years since Roe was overturned, newly enacted, draconian abortion bans have put women’s lives at risk all over the country. Women – not politicians or radical right-wing judges – should be in charge of decisions about their health care, but Donald Trump and Republicans are hellbent on chipping away at women’s reproductive rights so they can eventually pass a nationwide abortion ban. This legislation would stop Republicans from turning back the clock on women’s freedom in this country and restore the right to reproductive health care,” said Murphy.
“This issue is about more than health care; it is about women’s rights, individual rights, and human rights. The foundation of the Women’s Health Protection Act is simply the right to make your own health care decisions. Three years after Dobbs, American women don’t have that right. Today, thanks to Republican lawmakers and conservative courts, a woman in America might walk into an ER and faint, bleeding, and be refused treatment. That woman might die,” said Blumenthal. “By restoring abortion access and implementing basic protections against medically unnecessary restrictions on health care, the Women’s Health Protection Act overturns the death sentence handed down by Dobbs.”
President Trump appointed the Supreme Court Justices who ruled in the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization case to overturn Roe v. Wade and nearly 50 years of precedent. Since the Dobbs decision, 19 states have banned abortion or severely restricted women from being able to access the procedure, leaving one in three American women without access to safe, legal abortion care. Additionally, state legislatures across the country have introduced hundreds of bills to include medically unnecessary restrictions that limit access to abortion care.
In his second term, President Trump has continued to relentlessly attack reproductive rights, including freezing Title X funding for clinics that offer reproductive care, cutting Biden-era emergency abortion protections, pardoning anti-abortion extremists, and fighting to defund Planned Parenthood. Additionally, the House-passed Republican budget bill kicks 16 million people off their health insurance and defunds Planned Parenthood – threatening the closure of 200 health centers across the country and putting access to vital reproductive care for millions of families at risk.
The Women’s Health Protection Act creates federal rights for patients and providers to protect abortion access. Specifically, the Women’s Health Protection Act would:
Prohibit states from imposing restrictions that jeopardize access to abortion earlier in pregnancy, including many of the state-level restrictions in place prior to Dobbs, such as arbitrary waiting periods, medically unnecessary mandatory ultrasounds, or requirements to provide medically inaccurate information.
Ensure that later in pregnancy, states cannot limit access to abortion if it would jeopardize the life or health of the mother.
Protect the ability to travel out of state for an abortion, which has become increasingly common in recent years.
U.S. Senators Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), Patty Murray (D-Wash.), Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), Angela Alsobrooks (D-Md.), Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-Del.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Chris Coons (D-Del.), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.), Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), John Fetterman (D-Pa.), Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.), Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), Andy Kim (D-N.J.), Angus King (I-Maine), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), Ed Markey (D-Mass.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Jon Ossoff (D-Ga.), Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Gary Peters (D-Mich.), Jack Reed (D-R.I.), Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.), Tina Smith (D-Minn.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Mark Warner (D-Va.), Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Peter Welch (D-Vt.), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) also cosponsored the bill.
Full text of the bill is available HERE. A one-pager on the bill is available HERE.
Source: African Development Bank Group What? Launch of the 2025 Country Focus Reports series. Institutional launch and presentation of the Côte d’Ivoire report.
Who? The African Development Bank
When? Abidjan: 23 June 2025, at 9:15 a.m. GMT / Starting from 24 June: national launches
Pre-loved tech will help to bridge digital divide under new government charter
Organisations can sign up to the IT Reuse for Good charter on GOV.UK and then work with their chosen charity partner to distribute devices.
Pre-loved tech bridging digital divide under new government charter.
Big names like Deloitte, Vodafone and Three alongside leading charity Good Things Foundation are uniting with government to encourage organisations to donate pre-loved tech to digital excluded Brits.
Organisations can sign up to the IT Reuse for Good charter on gov.uk from today and then work with their chosen charity partner to distribute devices.
The Charter encourages organisations to change how they manage and dispose of IT assets, with the aim of increasing device donations to the 1.5 million people in the United Kingdom who lack access to a basic laptop, tablet and smartphone.
With technology transforming essential services like healthcare access, job applications and housing, government is doubling down on commitment to improve skills and technology access for all – breaking down barriers to opportunity as part of our Plan for Change.
Telecoms Minister Sir Chris Bryant said:
Britain is leading the way when it comes to technological advancements with everyday essentials such as doctor’s appointments and job applications becoming increasingly digital. But to maximise the full potential of technology, we need to bring everyone along with us on this journey.
This Charter represents a significant step forward in our mission to bridge the digital divide and create a more sustainable approach to technology. By working together with industry and charity partners, we’re helping more people access the digital tools they need to improve their lives while reducing harmful electronic waste.
Research also shows that digitally excluded people face higher costs for things like home insurance, train travel and food paying up to 25% more on average than consumers who are online.
The charter sets out principles for organisations to adhere to including ensuring devices are securely wiped, professionally refurbished and fit for purpose so they can be provided free of charge to those who need them.
Ryan, a single father from Essex, struggled without access to a laptop. “Job searching felt impossible,” he said. “I couldn’t keep up and felt like I was falling behind.”
Through a donation from Vodafone’s Great British Tech Appeal to the National Device Bank, an initiative led by Good Things Foundation, Ryan received a laptop that transformed his prospects. “This laptop isn’t just a piece of equipment – it’s a lifeline,” Ryan shares. Now, he can actively search for jobs, attend online training, and build a better future.
“I want my kids to see what’s possible with determination and the right support,” Ryan says.
Helen Milner OBE, CEO of Good Things Foundation, said:
Alongside the government, Vodafone, Three and Deloitte, Good Things Foundation has developed the IT Reuse for Good Charter, tackling the UK’s digital divide and e-waste crisis head-on. With 1.5 million adults lacking essential devices and 1.45 million tons of e-waste discarded yearly, we’re proud to lead the charge for a more inclusive and sustainable future. The Charter builds on the success of our National Device Bank and will be a game-changer, unlocking thousands of devices. We have also launched a Playbook to help businesses to navigate IT reuse for good, and bake it into their organisations.
Richard Houston, Senior Partner and CEO Deloitte UK said:
Since 2021, we’ve donated 20,000 devices to schools and charities through our network of social impact partners. I’m incredibly proud that we have been able to help thousands of people continue education, find employment, and connect with loved ones through technology. Yet I know there is so much more that can be done. I encourage all organisations, whatever size, to consider the role you can play, and together, we can bridge the digital divide.
Rich Marsh, Responsible Business Director at BT Group, said:
As well as being a leader in sustainability for more than 30 years, at BT we’ve seen first-hand the positive impact that digital inclusion projects are having across the UK – supported by our networks, social tariffs and digital skills programs.
We warmly welcome the ‘IT Re-Use for Good’ Charter, which brings these 2 things together and gives a second life to our devices. Now we’re committing to donate even more devices, helping play our part in providing people with the tech they need in today’s digital society.
Notes to editors
Signatories must donate their first device within 6 months of signing the charter. Progress will be monitored by self-reporting every 6 months.
Paula Coughlan, Chief People, Communications and Sustainability Officer said:
At Currys, everything we do is to help everyone enjoy amazing technology. Within that, we’re very aware that not everyone can afford or have access to the amazing tech we sell. Through our work to date, it’s clear to see the positive, transformative power of just one digital device for a child or for a family, and how isolating not having access to the digital world really is. That’s why we were founding members of the Digital Poverty Alliance, and why we’re committed to doing everything we can to help make digital poverty a thing of the past. It’s been wonderful to work with Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) on this important new Charter and we’re proud to be signatories. The more we can do as a society, as businesses, working together with government with solutions to bridge the digital divide, the more likely we are to really make a difference.
As of 4:00 p.m. on Wednesday, June 24, there are 19 active wildfires in Saskatchewan. Of those active fires, one is categorized as contained, five are not contained, 11 are ongoing assessment and two are listed as protecting values.
This year, Saskatchewan has had 267 wildfires, which is well above the five-year average of 163 to date.
Four communities remain under an evacuation order: East Trout Lake, as well as priority individuals from Creighton, Denare Beach and Cumberland House.
The Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency’s (SPSA) Recovery Task Team has begun meeting with community leaders to discuss recovery efforts.
Over $4 million has been transferred directly to residents as well as communities that are distributing the $500 Government of Saskatchewan Financial Assistance to their residents that have been impacted by the wildfires. The SPSA is continuing to coordinate with communities that have asked for its support in distributing this financial assistance.
Evacuees who have not yet registered are encouraged to do so through the Sask Evac Web Application or by calling 1-855-559-5502 between 8:00a.m. and 5:00p.m. A full list of evacuated and repatriated communities can be found on the Information for Evacuees webpage.
Evacuees supported by the Canadian Red Cross can call 1-800-863-6582.
The latest information, an interactive fire ban map, frequently asked questions, fire risk maps and fire prevention tips can be found at saskpublicsafety.ca.
The Government has taken a major step towards protecting food production by ending the large-scale conversion of productive farmland into pine plantations, with the first reading of the Climate Change Response (Emissions Trading Scheme—Forestry Conversion) Amendment Bill receiving unanimous support in Parliament last night.
“This Bill is about protecting our most valuable land that grows food for export and sustains rural communities,” Agriculture and Forestry Minister Todd McClay says.
“For too long, ETS incentives have driven the wrong outcomes for our rural sector.”
“Once farms are planted in trees as a result of carbon credits we lose the ability to produce the high-quality safe food that consumers demand – and we lose rural jobs, export earnings, and the families that go with them. Today we are putting a stop to the harm that this has done to rural New Zealand.”
The Bill will:
Prevent exotic forests from entering the ETS on LUC 1–5 land (New Zealand’s most productive soil);
Limit new ETS registrations on LUC 6 land to 15,000 hectares per year, allocated by ballot;
Allow up to 25 per cent of a farm to go into the ETS, preserving landowner choice while ending full-farm conversions;
Protect eligible Māori-owned land, and provide time-limited exemptions for pre-announced investments.
The Bill includes temporary exemptions where an investor can provide evidence of a qualifying forestry investment between 1 January 2021 and 4 December 2024. For instance, the purchase of land and ordering of trees prior to 4 December 2024 would be an example of proof of a qualifying investment, whilst each of these actions alone would not.
“The last Government sat back while 300,000 hectares of farmland were sold off for carbon credits. That short-sighted policy puts ideology ahead of long-term food security. We’re reversing that damage.”
The new settings will take effect from 4 December 2024, with the law coming fully into force in October 2025.
Legislation fixing the inconsistent treatment of boarder and rental payments has been passed into law in Parliament today. The Social Assistance Legislation (Accommodation Supplement and Income-related Rent) Amendment Bill and the supporting legislation of the Social Security (Mandatory Reviews) Amendment Bill has addressed the inconsistent treatment of board and rent payments around housing subsidies. “This has been an unnecessarily complicated and confusing system,” says Minister for Social Development and Employment Louise Upston. “This legislative change means that from March 2026, payments from boarders and renters will be treated equally when considering housing assistance. “These common-sense changes were signalled in Budget 2024. The changes don’t take effect until March 2026, meaning recipients will have time to provide information about any boarders they have.” Currently, if people have only one or two boarders, board payments aren’t included when MSD calculates housing subsidies — unless it’s their main source of income. This can result in the Government subsidising the same accommodation costs more than once. In contrast, rent payments received are included when calculating a person’s eligibility for housing subsidies. “This change supports our Government’s aim of ensuring our public services are fiscally sustainable and effective. “We believe that those who have a genuine need should be able to get the help they require while ensuring consistency across MSD payments,” Louise Upston says. Passed this morning, the Social Security (Mandatory Reviews) Amendment Bill introduces mandatory reviews of some specified benefits. These reviews will require MSD to check in and confirm a client’s eligibility and rate of benefit at least once a year. Clients must confirm if they are receiving any contributions from boarders, as well as any other circumstances which may impact their eligibility and rate of benefit, like their income. Some aspects of the mandatory reviews will use Automated Decision-Making so MSD staff can focus on supporting people in to work. Notes for Editors From 2 March 2026, payments from all boarders will be included when MSD:
calculates how much a person can get for housing subsidies (e.g. Accommodation Supplement or Temporary Additional Support), and calculates the Income Related Rent (IRR) for a social housing tenant in a social housing property.
Additionally, if the total board and rent a person receives exceeds their total accommodation costs (or market rent for social housing tenants), the excess amount will be considered as income for other MSD assistance. The housing subsidies that will be impacted from 2 March 2026 are:
Accommodation Supplement Income-Related Rent Subsidy Accommodation Benefit for students who are sole parents Away from Home Allowance Temporary Additional Support Special Benefit.
After years of decline, the number of Australians getting a crack at university are bouncing back.
When you take out the two COVID years, this year looks set to be the biggest year for Australians commencing an undergraduate or postgraduate university degree on record.
Preliminary data for 2024 shows around 390,000 domestic students began a degree – a 3.7 per cent increase on 2023.
This includes more than 20,000 new starters in nursing degrees (a 3 per cent increase) and more than 25,000 new starters in teaching degrees (a 9 per cent increase).
Early, year to date figures for 2025 suggest that growth is continuing with commencements up another 3 per cent compared to the same time in 2024.
This reverses the trend seen since 2017, excluding the COVID years, where the number of domestic students commencing an undergraduate or postgraduate degree have been steadily falling.
Source: Higher Education Statistics – Student Data
Notes: 2024 data are preliminary. Final, official statistics may vary. 2025 data are a preliminary forecast based on year-to-date (YTD) May 2025 data. Final, full year 2025 data may differ if YTD May growth is not sustained at previous levels throughout the academic year.
In addition, over 14,000 students have taken up Fee-Free Uni Ready courses this year.
Fee-Free Uni Ready courses are short courses that help prepare people for university, acting as a bridge between school or work and higher education.
Quotes attributable to Minister for Education Jason Clare:
‘We need more people with more skills. That means more people finishing schools and more people going to TAFE or uni, or both.
“The Universities Accord sets a target that by 2050, 80 per cent of workers will have a TAFE or university qualification.
“To hit that target, we need to break down that invisible barrier that stops a lot of Australians from disadvantaged backgrounds, from the regions and the outer suburbs from getting a crack at uni and succeeding when they get there.
“That requires reform across the entire education system. That’s what the fully funding of our public schools is about. It’s also what the new funding system for our universities, that will roll out next year, is about.
“That will deliver demand-driven funding for equity students and needs based funding ensuring students get the academic and wrap-around supports they need to succeed at university.”
Source: United States Senator for North Dakota John Hoeven
06.24.25
WASHINGTON – Senator John Hoeven, Chairman of the Senate Agriculture Appropriations Committee and a senior member of the Senate Agriculture Committee, issued the following statement after the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced it will rescind the 2001 Roadless Rule, which impacts the Little Missouri National Grassland. Hoeven has been working with USDA Secretary Rollins and other senior USDA officials to help ensure better access to lands managed by USDA in North Dakota, including for grazing and energy production.
“Rolling back the restrictive roadlesss rule is an important step in helping to ensure access to the grasslands and putting decision-making back into the hands of locals who know best how to manage these lands. We appreciate Secretary Rollins and USDA for working to rescind this rule and to provide more local control over our federal lands,” said Hoeven. “This deregulation is an important step as we continue working with USDA to ensure section line rights-of-way are respected in the Little Missouri National Grasslands.”
Hoeven continues working with USDA on grassland management issues, including:
Working to resolve the dispute between North Dakota and the USFS regarding section lines in the Little Missouri National Grasslands.
Hoeven has made clear to USDA officials that section line rights-of-way are critical for enabling ranchers to access cattle grazing on USFS lands.
Coordinating with local ranchers and rural fire departments on wildfire management.
Source: United States Senator for North Dakota John Hoeven
06.24.25
Senator Joins Sullivan, Cramer in Introducing GOLDEN DOME Act, Highlights Critical Role of Grand Forks, Cavalier in Integrated Defense System
WASHINGTON – Senator John Hoeven, a member of the Senate Defense Appropriations Committee, today outlined efforts to ensure the U.S. is secure against threats both present and future, including advanced missile technologies and emerging threats from unmanned aircraft. To this end, Hoeven is joining with Senators Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska) and Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.) in introducing the GOLDEN DOME Act, legislation that supports the establishment of a network of sensors and intercept capabilities to protect against the range of threats facing the U.S. Hoeven joined his colleagues at a press conference today announcing the legislation and highlighted key missions and initiatives in North Dakota that would fit into the Golden Dome architecture:
The Space Development Agency’s (SDA) low-Earth orbit (LEO) satellite mission in Grand Forks.
In addition to his efforts to stand up the SDA mission, which will serve as the backbone of all U.S. military communications, Hoeven has been working to ensure the LEO satellites can provide missile tracking and advanced fire control.
The Perimeter Acquisition Radar Attack Characterization System (PARCS) radar at Cavalier Space Force Station, which provides early warning of incoming missiles.
Hoeven is working as a member of the Senate Defense Appropriations Committee to fund the modernization of PARCS.
The counter-drone research and development taking place in the Grand Forks region.
Hoeven is working to leverage Project ULTRA to develop counter-drone technologies, while bringing in new capabilities like securing access to the Federal Aviation Administration’s unfiltered radar data feed to support and accelerate these efforts.
At the same time, Hoeven stressed the importance of maintaining an effective nuclear deterrent and keeping nuclear modernization on track, including for the dual-nuclear mission in Minot.
“This is about integrating all of the systems we are developing throughout the various military branches to ensure we have a comprehensive defense network that works across all domains. Whether it’s ground-based radar in Cavalier, satellite detection out of Grand Forks, or the new missile and drone interception technologies we are advancing, we need all of these pieces to work seamlessly together,” said Hoeven. “At the same time, the best protection is a strong deterrent, so our adversaries don’t even consider striking the U.S. That’s why we need to keep our nuclear modernization programs moving forward, so we can match any of the capabilities being developed by hostile nations like Russia and China. This will be critical as we work to get the Golden Dome established and will remain essential even when these new defenses are in place.”
Specifically, the GOLDEN DOME Act:
Directs the Department of Defense (DoD) to establish a layered defense system that fully integrates all of the nation’s missile defense technologies.
Enhances existing U.S. missile defense by authorizing procurement of additional sensors and interceptors.
Enables SDA to develop, procure and deploy satellite-based sensors in support of Golden Dome.
Requires the modernization of numerous early warning radar detection systems across the U.S., including PARCS at Cavalier Space Force Station.
Supports development of advanced technologies to track and defeat enemy missile threats.
Source: United States Senator for North Dakota John Hoeven
06.24.25
Senator Joins Sullivan, Cramer in Introducing GOLDEN DOME Act, Highlights Critical Role of Grand Forks, Cavalier in Integrated Defense System
WASHINGTON – Senator John Hoeven, a member of the Senate Defense Appropriations Committee, today outlined efforts to ensure the U.S. is secure against threats both present and future, including advanced missile technologies and emerging threats from unmanned aircraft. To this end, Hoeven is joining with Senators Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska) and Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.) in introducing the GOLDEN DOME Act, legislation that supports the establishment of a network of sensors and intercept capabilities to protect against the range of threats facing the U.S. Hoeven joined his colleagues at a press conference today announcing the legislation and highlighted key missions and initiatives in North Dakota that would fit into the Golden Dome architecture:
The Space Development Agency’s (SDA) low-Earth orbit (LEO) satellite mission in Grand Forks.
In addition to his efforts to stand up the SDA mission, which will serve as the backbone of all U.S. military communications, Hoeven has been working to ensure the LEO satellites can provide missile tracking and advanced fire control.
The Perimeter Acquisition Radar Attack Characterization System (PARCS) radar at Cavalier Space Force Station, which provides early warning of incoming missiles.
Hoeven is working as a member of the Senate Defense Appropriations Committee to fund the modernization of PARCS.
The counter-drone research and development taking place in the Grand Forks region.
Hoeven is working to leverage Project ULTRA to develop counter-drone technologies, while bringing in new capabilities like securing access to the Federal Aviation Administration’s unfiltered radar data feed to support and accelerate these efforts.
At the same time, Hoeven stressed the importance of maintaining an effective nuclear deterrent and keeping nuclear modernization on track, including for the dual-nuclear mission in Minot.
“This is about integrating all of the systems we are developing throughout the various military branches to ensure we have a comprehensive defense network that works across all domains. Whether it’s ground-based radar in Cavalier, satellite detection out of Grand Forks, or the new missile and drone interception technologies we are advancing, we need all of these pieces to work seamlessly together,” said Hoeven. “At the same time, the best protection is a strong deterrent, so our adversaries don’t even consider striking the U.S. That’s why we need to keep our nuclear modernization programs moving forward, so we can match any of the capabilities being developed by hostile nations like Russia and China. This will be critical as we work to get the Golden Dome established and will remain essential even when these new defenses are in place.”
Specifically, the GOLDEN DOME Act:
Directs the Department of Defense (DoD) to establish a layered defense system that fully integrates all of the nation’s missile defense technologies.
Enhances existing U.S. missile defense by authorizing procurement of additional sensors and interceptors.
Enables SDA to develop, procure and deploy satellite-based sensors in support of Golden Dome.
Requires the modernization of numerous early warning radar detection systems across the U.S., including PARCS at Cavalier Space Force Station.
Supports development of advanced technologies to track and defeat enemy missile threats.
Source: United States Senator for North Dakota John Hoeven
06.24.25
Senator Joins Sullivan, Cramer in Introducing GOLDEN DOME Act, Highlights Critical Role of Grand Forks, Cavalier in Integrated Defense System
WASHINGTON – Senator John Hoeven, a member of the Senate Defense Appropriations Committee, today outlined efforts to ensure the U.S. is secure against threats both present and future, including advanced missile technologies and emerging threats from unmanned aircraft. To this end, Hoeven is joining with Senators Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska) and Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.) in introducing the GOLDEN DOME Act, legislation that supports the establishment of a network of sensors and intercept capabilities to protect against the range of threats facing the U.S. Hoeven joined his colleagues at a press conference today announcing the legislation and highlighted key missions and initiatives in North Dakota that would fit into the Golden Dome architecture:
The Space Development Agency’s (SDA) low-Earth orbit (LEO) satellite mission in Grand Forks.
In addition to his efforts to stand up the SDA mission, which will serve as the backbone of all U.S. military communications, Hoeven has been working to ensure the LEO satellites can provide missile tracking and advanced fire control.
The Perimeter Acquisition Radar Attack Characterization System (PARCS) radar at Cavalier Space Force Station, which provides early warning of incoming missiles.
Hoeven is working as a member of the Senate Defense Appropriations Committee to fund the modernization of PARCS.
The counter-drone research and development taking place in the Grand Forks region.
Hoeven is working to leverage Project ULTRA to develop counter-drone technologies, while bringing in new capabilities like securing access to the Federal Aviation Administration’s unfiltered radar data feed to support and accelerate these efforts.
At the same time, Hoeven stressed the importance of maintaining an effective nuclear deterrent and keeping nuclear modernization on track, including for the dual-nuclear mission in Minot.
“This is about integrating all of the systems we are developing throughout the various military branches to ensure we have a comprehensive defense network that works across all domains. Whether it’s ground-based radar in Cavalier, satellite detection out of Grand Forks, or the new missile and drone interception technologies we are advancing, we need all of these pieces to work seamlessly together,” said Hoeven. “At the same time, the best protection is a strong deterrent, so our adversaries don’t even consider striking the U.S. That’s why we need to keep our nuclear modernization programs moving forward, so we can match any of the capabilities being developed by hostile nations like Russia and China. This will be critical as we work to get the Golden Dome established and will remain essential even when these new defenses are in place.”
Specifically, the GOLDEN DOME Act:
Directs the Department of Defense (DoD) to establish a layered defense system that fully integrates all of the nation’s missile defense technologies.
Enhances existing U.S. missile defense by authorizing procurement of additional sensors and interceptors.
Enables SDA to develop, procure and deploy satellite-based sensors in support of Golden Dome.
Requires the modernization of numerous early warning radar detection systems across the U.S., including PARCS at Cavalier Space Force Station.
Supports development of advanced technologies to track and defeat enemy missile threats.
Source: United States Senator for Massachusetts – Elizabeth Warren
June 24, 2025
“American families don’t need another war – they need good jobs and lower prices, and that is what we should be focused on.”
Video of Floor Speech (YouTube)
Washington, D.C. — In a speech on the floor of the U.S. Senate, Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) underscored the recklessness of President Trump’s decision to bomb Iran and highlighted ten ways Republicans’ ‘Big, Beautiful Bill’ raise costs for American families.
“We all agree that Iran should not and cannot have a nuclear weapon…But the only successful strategy for preventing Iran from developing a nuclear weapon is diplomacy, something Trump had been pursuing right up until Netanyahu began bombing Iran,” said Senator Warren.
“American families don’t need another war – they need good jobs and lower prices, and that is what we should be focused on,” she continued.
Senator Warren also called out the hypocrisy of President Trump’s promise to lower costs “on Day 1” while instead he has been working to rip health care away from over 16 million people to pay for tax cuts for the wealthy. She then highlighted ten ways the bill would raise costs for families, from rent to groceries to prescription drug prices.
“But what makes the bill worse is that the money you lose doesn’t pay down the national debt or help us rebuild our roads and bridges. The money you lose will be handed directly to a handful of giant corporations and billionaires in the form of new tax giveaways,” said Senator Warren.
Senator Warren called for her Republican colleagues to stand up for American families and say no to the dangerous bill.
“We still have time to stop it—and that’s exactly what we should do. Democrats will vote NO. We just need a few courageous Republicans, people who care more about working people instead of billionaires, to join us and stop the Big Beautiful Betrayal from passing,” she concluded.
Transcript: Floor Speech on Iran, ‘Big, Beautiful Bill’U.S. Senate FloorJune 24, 2025
As Prepared for Delivery
Senator Elizabeth Warren: Bombing another country is an act of war.
And last week, Donald Trump launched an attack that could spin the United States into another endless war in the Middle East.
What followed from that decision can only be described as pure madness.
Trump declared total victory. Iran threatened retaliation. Americans in the region were forced to shelter in place. Trump’s own team admitted no one knows where the nuclear materials are and what nuclear capacity Iran may still have. Trump called for regime change. And then last night, for a moment, we hoped and believed there was a ceasefire, only for us to wake up to frantic posts on social media by the president begging both sides to stop shooting missiles and rockets at each other.
Today the Deputy commander of Central Command could describe nothing about what kind of contingency plans the Defense Department was making or even whether they did—or didn’t—have plans for U.S. boots on the ground. And the classified briefing scheduled for right now so that all the senators can ask questions about what has happened and what is currently happening in Iran has just been scrapped for another 48 hours.
There is no grand plan. There is no careful effort to develop a responsible U.S. foreign policy to keep us all safe. Once again, Trump serves up chaos—dangerous chaos that threatens the long-term security of the American people.
New reporting by CNN and the New York Times suggest Donald Trump’s bombing of Iran failed to destroy its nuclear program. The media reports highlight that the strikes only set back Iran’s nuclear program by a few months.
A few months – while risking another war in the Middle East.
We all agree that Iran should not and cannot have a nuclear weapon. We are committed to that. But the only successful strategy for preventing Iran from developing a nuclear weapon is diplomacy, something Trump had been pursuing right up until Netanyahu began bombing Iran.
That is what we need right now: for all sides to come to the table to build an agreement that’s sturdy and that cements lasting peace.
But Trump’s reckless action, backed by many Republicans in Congress, makes it more likely this crisis escalates into a deadly cycle of violence.
Trump’s reckless action puts American lives at risk.
Trump’s reckless action risks initiating another endless war that could last months – or even decades – as it did in Iraq and Afghanistan.
We have the power to put a stop to this madness now. Senator Kaine has introduced a War Powers Resolution to stop Donald Trump from turning these Iran bombings into another endless war in the Middle East.
American families don’t need another war – they need good jobs and lower prices, and that is what we should be focused on.
When Donald Trump ran for President, he promised over and over that he would lower costs “on Day 1.” His words—on Day 1. After he was elected, and he was told that his policies would drive up costs, Trump said he “couldn’t care less.”
Now we’re at Day 154, and costs are up. Families are paying more for gas. More for housing. More for electricity. Prices are even going up on baby strollers — or as Donald Trump calls it, “the thing you carry the babies around in.” Yes, Donald Trump, the man of the people.
So logically, right now, Republicans in Congress are ramming through Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill.” A bill that’s not designed to bring down costs, but that will rip health care away from over 16 million people and hand that money over to every billionaire CEO who paid to be in the front row of Trump’s inauguration.
For anyone who is watching, I’m here today to read into the record ten ways Trump and Republicans’ “Big Beautiful Bill” will make your life more expensive:
One, your utility bills may go up. The Republicans’ bill will get rid of investments we’ve made in clean energy. We need that energy, and the Republican bill takes our country backwards. It also means that the price of electricity will go up for American families like yours.
Two, your rent could go up. How? Republicans are trying to block state and local governments from fighting schemes that predatory housing companies use to artificially jack up the price of rent.
Three, if you’re a kid from a working-class family and don’t have the money to write one check to pay for college, Republicans will make that even more expensive for you. That’s right – Republicans are cutting Pell Grants.
Four, Republicans are making your student loan payments go up. Independent experts explain that by changing how student loan repayment plans work, Republicans could raise your student loan payments by an average of $400 a month.
Five, Republicans are making it more expensive to go to medical school. I can’t believe I have to say this, but rich kids shouldn’t be the only people who can become doctors. But this bill would limit how much you can take out in loans to go to medical school.
Six, Republicans are making the cost of groceries go up. They are cutting food assistance – or SNAP – by nearly $200 per person per year. More than seven million people will have less help, including more than four million people who will lose their food assistance altogether.
Seven, Republicans are increasing the cost of prescription drugs for millions of Americans. By demanding that states require higher copays for prescription drugs – from $4 to $35 – the cost of a prescription will go up nearly 900% for low-income people on Medicaid.
Eight, Republicans will send your Affordable Care Act premiums skyrocketing, pushing them up by thousands – and in some cases tens of thousands – of dollars every year.
Nine, Republicans’ will drive up the cost of private health insurance. More than half of all Americans get their insurance from their employer. When a portion of the uncompensated care is shifted to private insurers, experts estimate that the costs to your family will increase by hundreds of dollars a year.
Ten, Republicans are ripping health insurance away entirely from 16 million people. For those people who will be uninsured, the cost of essential services like X-rays and blood tests will go up. A trip to the emergency room, if God forbid there’s an accident, could mean they go bankrupt.
That’s just ten ways this bill could raise your costs. That’s bad. But what makes the bill worse is that the money you lose doesn’t pay down the national debt or help us rebuild our roads and bridges. The money you lose will be handed directly to a handful of giant corporations and billionaires in the form of new tax giveaways. Yes, Republicans are stealing your health care to pay for Jeff Bezos’ third yacht.
And at the same time working families are worried about war and are scraping together enough money to put food on the table, Jeff Bezos is already celebrating by renting out Venice for his ten-million-dollar wedding.
With control of the White House, the Senate, and the House of Representatives, this is what the Republicans decided to do with their power: drive up your costs and rip health care coverage from millions of people.
Really, imagine that: the Republicans have virtually unlimited power, and they want to use it to kick newborn babies out of the hospital and take wheelchairs away from people with disabilities – all so they can give that money to their billionaire friends and corporate donors.
It’s sickening. And I am angry.
I’m angry because I believe that it isn’t just rich kids who should be able to afford a trip to the hospital when they fall down and break an arm.
Because I believe it isn’t just babies from wealthy families who should be able to see a pediatrician when they get an ear infection.
Because I believe it isn’t just parents who are Wall Street bankers who should be able to pay for cancer treatment for their kids.
Our nation is better than that.
My Republican colleagues should feel ashamed. Experts have run the numbers. Fifty-one thousand more people will die a year – unnecessarily – if the Republican bill becomes law.
The Republican reaction? Senator Joni Ernst proclaimed, “well, we’re all going to die.”
And as recently as today, Senator Mitch McConnell is telling Republicans behind closed doors that their party can take a sledgehammer to Medicaid and ignore people’s concerns because quote “they’ll get over it.”
Really?
Seniors in nursing homes who get kicked to the curb won’t “get over it.”
Little kids who find their mom or dad on the kitchen floor after they couldn’t afford insulin won’t “get over it.”
Parents who rely on Medicaid to take care of their kid with a disability won’t “get over it.”
Because make no mistake: people won’t stop getting sick—they’ll just stop getting care. And it doesn’t matter if you’re in a red state or blue state, either.
And no, if Senate Republicans cut Medicaid, we will not get over it. We will hold you accountable at the ballot box.
But this bill isn’t law. We still have time to stop it—and that’s exactly what we should do. Democrats will vote NO. We just need a few courageous Republicans, people who care more about working people instead of billionaires, to join us and stop the Big Beautiful Betrayal from passing.
Source: United States Senator for Massachusetts – Elizabeth Warren
June 24, 2025
Warren underscores concerns with potential reclassification of Social Security workers to on strip civil service protections, pave way for mass firings
Text of SSA Response (PDF) | Text of Letter (PDF)
Washington, D.C. – In a response to a recent letter from U.S. Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Commissioner of the Social Security Administration (SSA) Frank Bisignano confirmed that SSA has not yet reclassified any frontline SSA workers as Schedule F policy-making employees. The confirmation follows pressure from the lawmakers, who sounded the alarm on SSA’s plans to recategorize critical employees, stripping them of their civil service protections and making it easier to fire them without cause.
“Donald Trump’s plan to reclassify Social Security staff was always about laying the groundwork to fire frontline workers without reason and replace them with DOGE lackeys — ultimately making it harder for Americans to access their services and benefits,” said Senator Warren. “We’ve kept up the pressure to make sure Trump and Bisignano don’t move forward with this reckless plan, and we’ll keep sounding the alarm.”
Shortly after Commissioner Bisignano was sworn in, the lawmakers pressed him on reported plans to recategorize thousands of Social Security workers as Schedule F policy-making employees.
The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) proposed “Schedule F” as a new category of government employees that have “important policy-determining, policy-making, policy-advocating, or confidential duties.” Schedule F workers are employed at-will, meaning they can be fired at any point and do not have the same rights that protect federal government employees from termination absent “misconduct, neglect of duty, (and) malfeasance.” Additionally, it is not clear that Schedule F employees are included in collective bargaining units or eligible for union representation.
“SSA’s broad reclassification of employees under seemingly false pretenses appears to be a deliberate effort to allow DOGE to purge SSA of the employees who work dutifully to make sure Americans receive their earned benefits,” wrote the lawmakers.
Senate Dems’ Social Security War Room is a coordinated effort to fight back against the Trump administration’s attack on Americans’ Social Security. The War Room coordinates messaging across the Senate Democratic Caucus and external stakeholders; encourages grassroots engagement by providing opportunities for Americans to share what Social Security means to them; and educates Senate staff, the American public, and stakeholders about Republicans’ agenda and their continued cuts to Americans’ Social Security services and benefits.
Source: United States Senator for Massachusetts – Elizabeth Warren
June 24, 2025
Warren underscores concerns with potential reclassification of Social Security workers to on strip civil service protections, pave way for mass firings
Text of SSA Response (PDF) | Text of Letter (PDF)
Washington, D.C. – In a response to a recent letter from U.S. Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Commissioner of the Social Security Administration (SSA) Frank Bisignano confirmed that SSA has not yet reclassified any frontline SSA workers as Schedule F policy-making employees. The confirmation follows pressure from the lawmakers, who sounded the alarm on SSA’s plans to recategorize critical employees, stripping them of their civil service protections and making it easier to fire them without cause.
“Donald Trump’s plan to reclassify Social Security staff was always about laying the groundwork to fire frontline workers without reason and replace them with DOGE lackeys — ultimately making it harder for Americans to access their services and benefits,” said Senator Warren. “We’ve kept up the pressure to make sure Trump and Bisignano don’t move forward with this reckless plan, and we’ll keep sounding the alarm.”
Shortly after Commissioner Bisignano was sworn in, the lawmakers pressed him on reported plans to recategorize thousands of Social Security workers as Schedule F policy-making employees.
The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) proposed “Schedule F” as a new category of government employees that have “important policy-determining, policy-making, policy-advocating, or confidential duties.” Schedule F workers are employed at-will, meaning they can be fired at any point and do not have the same rights that protect federal government employees from termination absent “misconduct, neglect of duty, (and) malfeasance.” Additionally, it is not clear that Schedule F employees are included in collective bargaining units or eligible for union representation.
“SSA’s broad reclassification of employees under seemingly false pretenses appears to be a deliberate effort to allow DOGE to purge SSA of the employees who work dutifully to make sure Americans receive their earned benefits,” wrote the lawmakers.
Senate Dems’ Social Security War Room is a coordinated effort to fight back against the Trump administration’s attack on Americans’ Social Security. The War Room coordinates messaging across the Senate Democratic Caucus and external stakeholders; encourages grassroots engagement by providing opportunities for Americans to share what Social Security means to them; and educates Senate staff, the American public, and stakeholders about Republicans’ agenda and their continued cuts to Americans’ Social Security services and benefits.
Source: United States Senator for Virginia Tim Kaine
WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senators Tim Kaine (D-VA), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Angus King (I-ME), and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) sent a letter to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Commissioner Billy Long regarding the hypocrisy of their claims that they want to cut the deficit while simultaneously slashing the IRS workforce and cutting taxes for the ultra-wealthy.
In June last year, Secretary Bessent said he was “alarmed by the size of [the government’s] deficit,” and publicly championed a plan to cut the annual deficit from 6.4 percent of GDP to three percent. In an interview in April, Deputy Treasury Secretary Faulkender reiterated that the Administration’s intent is to “bring the deficit down.” When pressed by senators in written questions, Secretary Bessent affirmed his commitment to lowering the deficit to three percent of GDP by the end of President Trump’s term.
However, according to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, an extension of the 2017 Republican tax bill, also known as the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, would add $52 trillion to the national debt over the next 30 years, adding more debt to the nation’s balance sheet in three decades than ever before.
Additionally, earlier this year, the Trump administration began reductions in force at the IRS, including a plan to reduce IRS employee headcount by 40 percent. Tens of thousands of workers have left the agency since President Trump’s inauguration. The IRS division that audits billionaires and the ultra-wealthy has already lost 38 percent of its employees and had its funding rescinded by President Trump and Congressional Republicans. Even before these massive layoffs, IRS audits were already at a 23-year low.
Treasury Secretary Bessent last week took a victory lap, touting increased IRS revenue in the most recent filing season — but planned mass layoffs at the IRS did not go into effect until after the post-filing season, meaning the impacts of significant Trump Admin staffing cuts are not reflected in revenue for the 2025 season. The planned layoffs, spearheaded by Bessent, will kneecap the agency’s ability to do its basic job. If IRS staffing levels are nearly halved, as the Administration has promised, these cuts could drive up the deficit and lead to $2.4 trillion in lost revenue over the next decade.
“Further cutting IRS staff means less staff to monitor wealthy tax cheats and collect the tax revenue that will help offset our budget deficit,” wrote the lawmakers.
Continued layoffs will also significantly damage the agency’s customer service capacity. When reductions in force began at the IRS this spring, personnel essential to the tax filing season operations were required to continue working until mid-May, which limited the impact of staffing losses on tax revenue for the 2025 season. But the continuing layoffs at the IRS will kneecap the agency’s ability to do its basic job.
“These actions are inconsistent with your public commitments to meaningfully reduce the federal deficit and will undo the improvements made to the IRS’s taxpayer services,” the lawmakers concluded.
The senators requested an explanation for the administration’s cuts to the IRS and the agency’s plans to retain adequate levels of customer service by June 30, 2025.
Source: United States Senator for Virginia Tim Kaine
WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senators Tim Kaine (D-VA), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Angus King (I-ME), and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) sent a letter to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Commissioner Billy Long regarding the hypocrisy of their claims that they want to cut the deficit while simultaneously slashing the IRS workforce and cutting taxes for the ultra-wealthy.
In June last year, Secretary Bessent said he was “alarmed by the size of [the government’s] deficit,” and publicly championed a plan to cut the annual deficit from 6.4 percent of GDP to three percent. In an interview in April, Deputy Treasury Secretary Faulkender reiterated that the Administration’s intent is to “bring the deficit down.” When pressed by senators in written questions, Secretary Bessent affirmed his commitment to lowering the deficit to three percent of GDP by the end of President Trump’s term.
However, according to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, an extension of the 2017 Republican tax bill, also known as the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, would add $52 trillion to the national debt over the next 30 years, adding more debt to the nation’s balance sheet in three decades than ever before.
Additionally, earlier this year, the Trump administration began reductions in force at the IRS, including a plan to reduce IRS employee headcount by 40 percent. Tens of thousands of workers have left the agency since President Trump’s inauguration. The IRS division that audits billionaires and the ultra-wealthy has already lost 38 percent of its employees and had its funding rescinded by President Trump and Congressional Republicans. Even before these massive layoffs, IRS audits were already at a 23-year low.
Treasury Secretary Bessent last week took a victory lap, touting increased IRS revenue in the most recent filing season — but planned mass layoffs at the IRS did not go into effect until after the post-filing season, meaning the impacts of significant Trump Admin staffing cuts are not reflected in revenue for the 2025 season. The planned layoffs, spearheaded by Bessent, will kneecap the agency’s ability to do its basic job. If IRS staffing levels are nearly halved, as the Administration has promised, these cuts could drive up the deficit and lead to $2.4 trillion in lost revenue over the next decade.
“Further cutting IRS staff means less staff to monitor wealthy tax cheats and collect the tax revenue that will help offset our budget deficit,” wrote the lawmakers.
Continued layoffs will also significantly damage the agency’s customer service capacity. When reductions in force began at the IRS this spring, personnel essential to the tax filing season operations were required to continue working until mid-May, which limited the impact of staffing losses on tax revenue for the 2025 season. But the continuing layoffs at the IRS will kneecap the agency’s ability to do its basic job.
“These actions are inconsistent with your public commitments to meaningfully reduce the federal deficit and will undo the improvements made to the IRS’s taxpayer services,” the lawmakers concluded.
The senators requested an explanation for the administration’s cuts to the IRS and the agency’s plans to retain adequate levels of customer service by June 30, 2025.
Source: United States Senator for Virginia Tim Kaine
WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senators Tim Kaine (D-VA), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Angus King (I-ME), and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) sent a letter to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Commissioner Billy Long regarding the hypocrisy of their claims that they want to cut the deficit while simultaneously slashing the IRS workforce and cutting taxes for the ultra-wealthy.
In June last year, Secretary Bessent said he was “alarmed by the size of [the government’s] deficit,” and publicly championed a plan to cut the annual deficit from 6.4 percent of GDP to three percent. In an interview in April, Deputy Treasury Secretary Faulkender reiterated that the Administration’s intent is to “bring the deficit down.” When pressed by senators in written questions, Secretary Bessent affirmed his commitment to lowering the deficit to three percent of GDP by the end of President Trump’s term.
However, according to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, an extension of the 2017 Republican tax bill, also known as the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, would add $52 trillion to the national debt over the next 30 years, adding more debt to the nation’s balance sheet in three decades than ever before.
Additionally, earlier this year, the Trump administration began reductions in force at the IRS, including a plan to reduce IRS employee headcount by 40 percent. Tens of thousands of workers have left the agency since President Trump’s inauguration. The IRS division that audits billionaires and the ultra-wealthy has already lost 38 percent of its employees and had its funding rescinded by President Trump and Congressional Republicans. Even before these massive layoffs, IRS audits were already at a 23-year low.
Treasury Secretary Bessent last week took a victory lap, touting increased IRS revenue in the most recent filing season — but planned mass layoffs at the IRS did not go into effect until after the post-filing season, meaning the impacts of significant Trump Admin staffing cuts are not reflected in revenue for the 2025 season. The planned layoffs, spearheaded by Bessent, will kneecap the agency’s ability to do its basic job. If IRS staffing levels are nearly halved, as the Administration has promised, these cuts could drive up the deficit and lead to $2.4 trillion in lost revenue over the next decade.
“Further cutting IRS staff means less staff to monitor wealthy tax cheats and collect the tax revenue that will help offset our budget deficit,” wrote the lawmakers.
Continued layoffs will also significantly damage the agency’s customer service capacity. When reductions in force began at the IRS this spring, personnel essential to the tax filing season operations were required to continue working until mid-May, which limited the impact of staffing losses on tax revenue for the 2025 season. But the continuing layoffs at the IRS will kneecap the agency’s ability to do its basic job.
“These actions are inconsistent with your public commitments to meaningfully reduce the federal deficit and will undo the improvements made to the IRS’s taxpayer services,” the lawmakers concluded.
The senators requested an explanation for the administration’s cuts to the IRS and the agency’s plans to retain adequate levels of customer service by June 30, 2025.
A copy of the letter is available here.
Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments
The first published research findings from Our Future Health data looks at whether people living with chronic inflammatory conditions, such as rheumatoid arthritis or Crohn’s disease, have a higher risk of mental health issues such as anxiety, depression, and bipolar disorder.
The research, published in BMJ Mental Health, analysed data from the Our Future Health research programme, which is now the world’s largest dataset for research on depression and anxiety. The findings show significant links.
Published Our Future Health data will give an insight into the prevalence of mental health issues in society. Experts from Our Future Health will provide further details of the data and how this will now be made available to mental health researchers in the UK and around the world.
Speakers included:
Dr Raghib Ali OBE,Chief Executive and Chief Medical Officer of Our Future Health
Professor Daniel Smith,Chair of Psychiatry and Head of Division of Psychiatry, The University of Edinburgh
Dr Arish Mudra Rakshasa-Loots,Research Fellow (Hub for Metabolic Psychiatry), The University of Edinburgh
Dr Rosalind Blackwood,Director of Population Health Insights, Our Future Health
Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments
A study published in the Lancet looks at global trends in routine childhood vaccination coverage.
Dr Simon Clarke, Associate Professor in Cellular Microbiology, and Head of Division of Biomedical Sciences & Biomedical Engineering, University of Reading, said:
“These figures indicate a worrying level of children in the UK who are completely unvaccinated against childhood diseases. While the comparative data do not show the specific causes of this rising trend over recent decades, the WHO and others are right to highlight it as a worrying trend.
“This is a very large assessment of multiple and large data sources, combined with models which are used to provide consistency between the data and provide forecasts into the future. Such methodology provides both a clear overview of the past trajectories of immunisation rates along with an effective range of possible scenarios for the future, which appears to be robust and based on sound data. The authors are clear about the limitations of their study but these do not detract from the overall message.
“The current move away from funding global health schemes through international aid in order to spend more on defence puts the whole world at greater risk of future epidemics and pandemics. Our security against this in the UK is improved by supporting efforts to not let dangerous diseases take hold in populations elsewhere in the world. Our experience of Covid reminds us that lethal human diseases can be very hard to contain on the other side of international borders.”
Dr David Elliman, Honorary Senior Associate Professor, UCL, said:
“Vaccination is one of the most cost-effective ways that the health service can improve the lives of children around the world. It is a great success story with more vaccines being introduced all the time. Not only does vaccination save lives, but it often saves money. However, in the last ten to twenty years, many countries, worldwide, have seen a reduction in the proportion of children receiving all the available vaccines. This article by a large group of researchers has documented the decline. It may be difficult to measure uptake of vaccination accurately, but the researchers have allowed for this. It is clear that the decline in uptake is happening around the world. This has resulted in outbreaks of disease, for examples measles and whooping cough in USA and Europe (including UK) as well as in resource poor countries. These diseases can and do kill children. While part of the fall in vaccination is related to COVID, the trend was clear before then.
“Declining vaccination rates are often blamed on misinformation, but there are many reasons, of which this is only one. Access to vaccines is often overlooked or underestimated as a factor, even in the UK. Around the world, the increasing number of countries torn apart by civil unrest and wars, combined with the drastic cuts in foreign aid from rich nations, such as USA and UK, makes it difficult to get vaccines to many populations. With the political changes in USA where it appears that policy is being made on the basis of ill-informed opinion, rather than science, we have a perfect storm. The researchers’ recommendations to strengthen primary health-care systems, address vaccine misinformation and hesitancy, and adapt to local contexts can, and should, be applied to all countries, including the UK. In addition we should ensure that vaccines are available to all.
“It is in everyone’s interest that this situation is rectified. Not only is it a moral imperative to improve the health of ALL children, wherever possible, but as was said during the COVID pandemic, no-one is safe, until everyone is safe. While vaccine-preventable infectious diseases, occur anywhere in the world, we are all at risk. Universal vaccination is a perfect example of ‘enlightened self interest’.”
Prof Sir Andrew Pollard FRCPCH FMedSci FRS, Director of the Oxford Vaccine Group, and Ashall Professor of Infection and Immunity, Pandemic Sciences Institute, University of Oxford, said:
“The study uses an established approach to track the global burden of disease and immunisation coverage and the authors have tried hard to get the most accurate data by using multiple sources and account for regional variation and inequalities. These types of study will always be limited by the lack of high quality national data from most countries in the world which means there has to be extrapolation and assumption. Nevertheless these are important data providing a concerning picture of recent declines in vaccine coverage and an increase in the number of zero dose children which risks the future health and lives of millions of children.
“Incredible progress has been made in the past 50 years since the global expanded programme of immunisation was launched 50 years ago and over 150 million lives, mostly children, have been saved by the programme. The story is the same here in the UK with the launch of our own national programme by JCVI 62 years ago: deaths from infectious diseases of childhood have plummeted here too. The rarity of childhood severe disease and death from infection risks that we become complacent. But the danger remains out there: all of the diseases for which vaccines can protect children remain at large, only kept at bay by the shield which is provided by immunuisation. Unvaccinated children are vulnerable to a wide range of awful life-threatening bacteria and viruses, just as was the case for our population in the first half of the 20th century. There is a worrying trend of falling vaccine coverage worldwide which has been manifest in the last year as the outbreaks in Europe and North America of measles and whooping cough, with measles deaths in Texas in 2025. Falling global vaccine coverage, an increase in the numbers of children receiving no vaccines, and delays in vaccination mean that more children will be hospitalised, permanently damaged and die from fully preventable diseases if the trend is not reversed. Alas, the cuts in global health funding mean that this situation is set to deteriorate. This is a big concern for the future of our health and global health security.”
Dr Ed Parker, Assistant Professor and Co-Director of the Vaccine Centre, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM), said:
“This is a timely study that attempts to quantify global trends in childhood vaccine coverage since 1980. The findings highlight the remarkable progress that has been made to deliver life-saving vaccines across the globe, while painting a clear picture of the challenges faced following disrupted vaccination during the COVID-19 pandemic and the stagnation in vaccination rates that preceded it.
“Underpinning the work is an immense data curation effort, drawing together data from household surveys, national coverage reports, and various other sources from across the globe. The study team estimated coverage trends with careful consideration of the biases, gaps, and inconsistencies that are inherent in these data, providing strong foundations for the study’s conclusions.
“A key uncertainty – acknowledged by the authors – is that it is too early to know what effect proposed funding cuts might have on vaccination programmes globally. The recent resurgence of measles, polio, and diphtheria – all preventable by vaccination – serves as a reminder of what is at stake if high and equitable vaccine coverage is not sustained.”
Prof Helen Bedford, Professor of Children’s Health, UCL, said:
“It is often said that, after clean water, vaccination is the most effective intervention for protecting the health of our children. While it can be challenging in many settings to measure vaccine uptake accurately, the researchers publishing the latest data from the World Health Organization have made allowance for this and it provides powerful evidence. It is estimated that vaccination has prevented an estimated 154 million deaths, mostly in the under-fives, across the globe in the last 50 years. However, we cannot rest on our laurels; this progress is stalling in many countries including the UK. In UK, although vaccination is the norm, with the overwhelming majority of parents vaccinating their babies, infants and children without hesitation, there has been a small but gradual decline in the number of parents doing so each year over the past 12 years with increasing inequity in uptake between social groups. This has resulted in recent outbreaks of disease with the largest number of confirmed cases of measles since the 1990s and the tragic deaths of eleven babies from whooping cough in 2024.
“The reasons for declining vaccine uptake are numerous and complex but require commitment and resource to meet the challenges of increasing social inequity, readily available mis-information about vaccine safety and necessity and improving public confidence in vaccination programmes. Vaccination remains one of our most powerful tools for protecting child health, but its continued success depends on sustained investment, equity, and public trust.”
‘Global, regional, and national trends in routine childhood vaccination coverage from 1980 to 2023 with forecasts to 2030: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2023’ by GBD 2023 Vaccine Coverage Collaborators was published in the Lancet at 23:30 UK time on Tuesday 24 June 2025.
DOI: 10.1016/S0140-6736(25)01037-2
Declared interests
Dr Simon Clarke: “No conflicts of interest.”
Dr David Elliman: “No conflicts of interest.”
Prof Sir Andrew Pollard: “Professor Pollard is chair of JCVI which provides independent scientific advice on vaccines to DHSC. The comment above is given in a personal capacity.”
Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Jerrold Nadler (10th District of New York)
WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Congressman Jerrold Nadler (NY-12) issued the following statement on the third anniversary of the Supreme Court’s decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, which overturned Roe v. Wade and eliminated the constitutional right to abortion:
“Three years ago today, six Justices on the Supreme Court issued a decision that overturned nearly half a century of settled law and ripped away a constitutional right that millions of Americans had relied on: the right to access abortion care.
The consequences have been devastating. In the wake of Dobbs, 22 states have enacted bans or severe restrictions on abortion, resulting in deeply troubling violations of individual rights and medical ethics. In Georgia, for example, a woman who had been declared brain dead while pregnant was kept on life support for months against her family’s wishes, not because of medical necessity, but because of the state’s abortion law.
These harms are not incidental. They are the predictable result of the Republican Party’s coordinated campaign to roll back reproductive freedom. President Trump, who appointed the justices responsible for the Dobbs decision, has since taken additional steps to undermine access to care. He has pardoned individuals convicted of violence against abortion providers, withheld federal funding from reproductive health care providers, and rescinded guidance that ensured pregnant patients could receive emergency medical care. Trump is also targeting mifepristone, a safe and effective abortion medication used in more than half of all abortions nationwide, by seeking to restrict access even in states where abortion remains legal.
Congressional Republicans are following his lead. House Republicans’ recently passed a dangerous reconciliation bill that would kick 16 million people off of their health coverage by slashing Medicaid. Medicaid allows millions of Americans to access birth control, family planning services, prenatal care, and other essential services. The same bill would also defund Planned Parenthood, which provides routine care to millions of patients each year.
The American people overwhelmingly support the right to make personal health care decisions without political interference. Yet Republican leaders continue to pursue a national abortion ban, regardless of the consequences for women, families, and our most basic freedoms.
I remain firmly committed to restoring the protections once guaranteed by Roe, to defending reproductive rights, and to ensuring that every individual, no matter where they live, can make their own health care decisions free from government intrusion.”
National labour force projections: 2024(base)–2078 – information release
25 June 2025
National labour force projections indicate the future size and age-sex structure of the labour force usually living in New Zealand based on assumptions about labour force participation and average hours worked, and current policy settings.
Key facts National labour force projections indicate the future size and age-sex structure of the labour force living in Aotearoa New Zealand. All data cited here relate to June years. Data before 2024 are sourced from the Household Labour Force Survey (HLFS, year ended June, unless otherwise stated).
The projections indicate that:
New Zealand’s labour force will continue to grow, but the growth rate will slow in the long-term
the labour force will age, reflecting increasing labour force participation rates among males and females aged 50 years and over (50+), and the general ageing of the population.
Visit our website to read this information release: