Source: United States Senator for Illinois Dick Durbin
July 08, 2025
Durbin voted against final passage of the bill last week
WASHINGTON – In a speech on the Senate floor, U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today slammed the Republicans’ so-called One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which will slash Medicaid, Affordable Care Act, and Medicare coverage for 17 million Americans to provide massive tax breaks for millionaires and billionaires. During his speech, Durbin underscored the dangers of this Republican bill, which was signed into law by President Trump on the Fourth of July.
“Americans across this nation overwhelmingly opposed this bill—and for good reason. This bill signed by the President on the Fourth of July was the largest cut to health care and the largest cut to nutrition assistance in history, slashing more than $1 trillion from health care programs like Medicaid and $200 billion from SNAP. Seventeen million Americans will lose their health insurance, health insurance premiums will rise for another 20 million families, and three million people will have food taken off the table, including kids, seniors, and veterans… Why would the government do these things to so many innocent people? In this case, very simply, to give tax breaks to the wealthiest Americans and big corporations with the richest Americans seeing $400,000 back in their pockets every year because of this legislation,” said Durbin.
More than 300 rural hospitals may be forced to close because the Republican bill cripples the Medicaid program that keep our rural hospitals and their communities afloat. Illinois hospitals at risk of closing includes HSHS St. Francis Hospital in Litchfield, Illinois, where Medicaid pays for 53 percent of hospitalizations; St. Mary’s Hospital in Centralia, Illinois, where Medicaid pays for 42 percent of hospitalizations; and OSF St. Clare Hospital in Princeton, Illinois, where Medicaid covers 45 percent of hospitalizations.
Durbin continued, “Aside from hospitals, this bill will also have major consequences on American energy… This bill kills solar, wind, and EV tax credits enjoyed by companies and consumers alike, all but ceding the future of electricity to China and risking billions of dollars of investments in renewable energy, ironically mostly in Republican states. And while working families grapple with the consequences of these cuts, they’ll also see their family home expenses increase by $1,000 a year—utility bills are going up because of this bill.”
During his floor speech, Durbin highlighted a constituent, Isaiah Rogers, who will be impacted by the Republican bill. Isaiah is a 61-year-old man who was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes. As a result of his diagnosis, he has not been able to return to his job trimming trees and has been working small side jobs. Medicaid pays for Isaiah’s doctors’ visits and insulin. A single father without a high school degree, he’s concerned the bill’s cuts and changes to Medicaid will result in him losing his health coverage.
Durbin continued, “And if Isaiah loses Medicaid, he’ll no longer be able to afford his insulin and other medications, and he may face a diabetic complication or even suffer a stroke. What would that mean for his 12-year-old son? It’s unconscionable to think the other party would pull-the-plug on life-saving health coverage and deny food from our most needy children—but that’s exactly what they voted for.”
Durbin then highlighted Democrats’ efforts to push back on the bill. Over the course of 27 hours, Senate Democrats forced votes on a slew of amendments to put Republicans on-notice and show their constituents how they’re betraying them. It was the longest vote-a-rama in Senate history.
“It [the amendments] included Republicans voting against: Nursing home care and home health aides, food assistance for children and veterans, protections for Medicaid, clean energy jobs… and an expansion of the Child Tax Credit… all to give billionaires another tax cut instead. In the end, three sensible Senate Republicans looked at this ugly betrayal of a bill and agreed that they couldn’t be part of the process. I commend them, but sadly, it wasn’t enough. And who swooped in to cast the decisive vote? Vice President Vance… This Vice President cast the deciding vote that will be painful for so many families across America.”
Durbin concluded, “As the effects of this bill take shape and slither their way through our communities, my Republican colleagues will have to look their constituents in the eye and explain their votes. They will have to explain to the farmer who now must drive 50 miles to the nearest hospital why they voted to shut his community’s hospital doors. They will have to explain to the grandmother in a nursing home why her care is being slimmed down because of cuts to Medicaid, and they will have to explain to the young mother who is preparing to have a baby why there is no longer a maternity ward in her county. This bill flies in the face of American values that we celebrate on the Fourth of July. The other party has a lot of explaining to do and the American people are going to face the consequences.”
The Joint Committee on Taxation estimates that Senate Republicans’ proposal will cost $4.45 trillion, but despite the price tag, the legislation primarily helps billionaires at the expense of American working families. In fact, this legislation provides a huge, permanent tax cut of nearly $350,000 for multimillionaires and billionaires while people earning $40,000 a year will see a comparatively meager average tax decrease of $442 per year.
Video of Durbin’s remarks on the Senate floor is available here.
Audio of Durbin’s remarks on the Senate floor is available here.
Footage of Durbin’s remarks on the Senate floor is available herefor TV Stations.
The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday cleared the way for Donald Trump’s administration to pursue mass government job cuts and the sweeping downsizing of numerous agencies, a decision that could lead to tens of thousands of layoffs while dramatically reshaping the federal bureaucracy.
Tuesday’s ruling stemmed from an executive order Trump issued in February ordering agencies to prepare for mass layoffs. At Trump’s direction, the administration has come up with plans to reduce staff at the U.S. Departments of Agriculture, Commerce, Health and Human Services, State, Treasury, Veterans Affairs and more than a dozen other agencies.
In a brief unsigned order, the court said the Trump administration was “likely to succeed” in its argument that his directives were legally within his power.
The decision is the latest win for Trump’s broader efforts to consolidate power in the executive branch. The Supreme Court has sided with Trump in several cases on an emergency basis since he returned to office in January, including clearing the way for implementation of some of his hardline immigration policies.
The Supreme Court’s decision on Tuesday lifted San Francisco-based U.S. District Judge Susan Illston’s order in May that temporarily blocked large-scale federal layoffs while the case proceeded.
Illston had ruled that Trump exceeded his authority in ordering the government downsizing without consulting Congress, which created and funded the agencies in question.
“As history demonstrates, the president may broadly restructure federal agencies only when authorized by Congress,” Illston wrote.
While Tuesday’s decision cleared one major legal obstacle for the White House, the court noted that it was not assessing the legality of any specific layoff plans at federal agencies.
Those layoff proposals, some of which were submitted earlier this year, could still face legal challenges on a variety of grounds, including union opposition, statutory restrictions and civil service protections.
The White House said in a statement that the decision is a “definitive victory for the president and his administration” that reinforced Trump’s authority to implement “efficiency across the federal government.”
However, two White House sources familiar with the matter, who asked to remain unidentified, said the ruling did not permit agencies to execute layoffs immediately. One of the sources said additional delays or legal hurdles “could alter the scope and timing of the cuts.”
A group of unions, nonprofits and local governments that sued to block the administration’s mass layoffs said the ruling “dealt a serious blow to our democracy and puts services that the American people rely on in grave jeopardy” and vowed to continue fighting as the case proceeds.
The plaintiffs had warned in court filings that Trump’s plans, if allowed to proceed, would result in hundreds of thousands of layoffs.
A Reuters/Ipsos poll in April found that Americans narrowly favored Trump’s campaign to downsize the federal government, with about 56% saying they supported the effort and 40% opposed. Their views broke down along party lines, with 89% of Republicans but just 26% of Democrats supportive.
Some agencies whose downsizing plans had been put on hold said they would resume advancing those efforts.
“We will continue to move forward with our historic reorganization plan,” the State Department, which has proposed laying off nearly 2,000 employees, said on X.
DOGE CUTS
Upon taking office in January, Trump launched a massive campaign to cut the 2.3-million strong federal civilian workforce, led by billionaire Elon Musk and his Department of Government Efficiency.
Musk and his mostly young lieutenants immediately moved into key government agencies, fired workers, gained access to government computer systems and virtually shuttered two agencies – the U.S. Agency for International Development and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.
Trump and Musk said the bloated federal bureaucracy needed to be downsized. Federal workers’ unions and most Democrats say the cuts so far, and the plans for further mass layoffs, have been carried out haphazardly, leading to chaos inside many agencies and threatening important public services such as the processing of Social Security claims.
By late April, about 100 days into the effort, the government overhaul had resulted in the firing, resignations and early retirements of 260,000 civil servants, according to a Reuters tally.
Liberal Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson was the sole member of the nine-person court to publicly dissent from Tuesday’s decision, criticizing the “court’s demonstrated enthusiasm for greenlighting this president’s legally dubious actions in an emergency posture.”
Tuesday’s decision extended Trump’s winning record at the Supreme Court since taking office. The court has let Trump’s administration resume deporting migrants to countries other than their own without offering them a chance to show the harms they could face and end temporary legal status previously granted on humanitarian grounds to hundreds of thousands of migrants.
In addition, it has allowed Trump to implement his ban on transgender people in the U.S. military, blocked a judge’s order that the administration rehire thousands of fired employees and curbed the power of federal judges to impose nationwide rulings impeding presidential policies.
Most of these decisions have been issued as emergency orders, known colloquially as the shadow docket, that respond to applications for immediate action from the court.
Source: The Conversation – Global Perspectives – By Samantha Chan, Immunology and Allergy Lead, Snow Centre for Immune Health, WEHI (Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research)
As the number of people with allergies grows worldwide, scientists are trying to work out precisely how and why these conditions – such as asthma and eczema – develop.
One long-standing idea is the “hygiene hypothesis”. This suggests our modern indoor lifestyles are to blame, as they limit our early exposure to germs and allergens which help train the immune system.
But growing evidence suggests having a pet may counter this effect. As any pet owner knows, our furry friends bring a lot of mess, germs and fur into our homes – along with the cuddles.
So, does spending time with animals lower children’s risk of allergies? Here’s what we know.
How allergies develop
During early childhood, our immune systems learn what to attack and what to ignore to stop us getting sick.
Evidence suggests early exposure – to family members, food, germs, dust, dirt, pollen and pet dander (skin flakes) – shapes this immune response.
Allergic conditions develop when the immune system overreacts to harmless substances, such as dust, pollen or certain foods. These reactions can affect the skin, airways and gut.
Dogs bring both love and mess – which might be just what a developing immune system needs. Samantha Chan/Author provided, CC BY-NC-ND
However, we still don’t fully understand why some people develop allergies while others don’t.
Scientists have identified genes linked to allergic conditions. But most have subtle effects on the immune system and act as “risk factors” – they increase the chance of disease but don’t cause it outright.
Recent research suggests exposure to bacteria in our environment could be another major factor.
From birth, our bodies are colonised by bacteria, especially in the gut. This community of microorganisms is known as the microbiome.
Ongoing “crosstalk” between the microbiome and immune system is crucial for healthy immune function. When this balance is disturbed, it can contribute to inflammation and disease.
The effect of our early environment
In the last few decades, studies of children raised on farms gave us some of the first clues that early environments can affect allergy risk.
Compared to children raised in cities, children on farms are less likely to have allergic conditions such as eczema and asthma. This is especially true of those in close contact with animals.
Notably, farm-raised children tend to develop a more diverse microbiome than children raised in urban environments. This may help make their immune system more tolerant to foreign substances (such as bacteria and dirt) and less likely to develop allergies.
However, across the world children are increasingly living in urban areas.
This means a pet may be the closest contact they have with animals. So, does this still lower their risk of developing allergies?
Some studies indicate children with pets may be less likely to have allergies.
However this evidence hasn’t always been easy to interpret.
It can be difficult to tell whether lower allergy rates are due to the pets themselves or other factors, such as location, lifestyle or a family history of allergies.
A review of results from 23 studies found children exposed to dogs early in life were significantly less likely to develop eczema.
Another 2025 study analysed genetic data from more than 270,000 people. It found a gene linked to eczema only increased risk of eczema in children who hadn’t been exposed to dogs.
This suggests early dog exposure may help protect children who are genetically more likely to develop eczema.
What about asthma?
When it comes to asthma, the story gets trickier.
One 2001 study followed more than 1,000 children in the United States from birth to age 13. It found those living with dogs indoors were less likely to develop frequent wheezing – a common asthma symptom – but only if they didn’t have a family history of asthma.
A Korean study from 2021 found those who had dogs during childhood were less likely to develop allergies. But they had a slightly higher risk of non-allergic wheeze — a type of breathing difficulty usually caused by airway irritation or infections (not allergens).
This suggests while growing up with a dog may protect against allergic conditions, such as asthma, it may increase the chance of certain non-allergic respiratory symptoms.
What about cats?
It’s challenging to tease apart the specific effects of cats versus dogs, since many early studies grouped all furry pets together.
But in studies that have looked at them separately, living with cats didn’t seem to reduce allergy risk.
One potential reason is cats and dogs carry very different microbes, which may influence how they shape the household environment.
If you’re already thinking about getting a dog, there’s decent evidence early exposure could reduce your child’s risk of eczema, and possibly other allergic conditions too.
It’s not a guarantee, but a potential bonus – alongside companionship, joy and never having to worry about what to do with leftovers.
And if a dog’s not on the cards, don’t worry. Spending time outdoors, encouraging messy play, and avoiding overuse of disinfectants can all help build a more resilient immune response.
Samantha Chan has served on advisory boards for CSL Behring. She is in receipt of funding from the Allergy and Immunology Foundation Australia and Walter & Eliza Hall Institute. She is affiliated with the Australasian Society of Clinical Immunology and Allergy, American Academy of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology and European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology. She is a physician for the Snow Centre for Immune Health, funded by the Snow Medical Research Foundation.
In the past five years, Jo Douglass has served on advisory boards, provided advice or undertaken presentations on behalf of Astra-Zeneca P/L, GSK, CSL, Stallergenes, Immunosis P/L , Novartis and Sanofi. She is in receipt of funding from the Medical Research Future Fund for studies in allergic asthma. She is a clinical co-director of the Snow Centre for Immune Health, funded by the Snow Medical Research Foundation.
Hundreds of years ago, it was common for married couples among the European upper classes to have separate bedrooms. Sleeping separately was a symbol of luxury and status historically reserved for royalty and the very wealthy.
Nowadays, it’s common for married couples and other couples in relationships to sleep in the same bed. But sometimes – for reasons from conflicting schedules to snoring to sleep talking – couples might choose to sleep separately in pursuit of a better night’s sleep.
This is known as “sleep divorce”. Though I prefer the term “sleep separation”, as this doesn’t have to be a permanent arrangement – but more on that later.
So why might couples choose to sleep separately? And what does the evidence say about the effects on sleep quality if you sleep alone versus with a partner?
Why do couples opt for a sleep separation?
Couples may choose to sleep apart if one partner’s sleep is disturbing the other’s, or both are disrupting one another. This can happen for a variety of reasons.
These include waking up frequently in the night, mismatched body clocks (for example, one person coming to bed later than the other), conflicting schedules (for example, shift workers), snoring, twitching legs or sleep talking.
Parents with babies and young children may choose to sleep separately to avoid both partners’ sleep being disturbed.
Those with conflicting preferences for sleeping environments, such as one partner liking a cool room with a fan and the other preferring warmth, may also decide to sleep apart.
What are the benefits of sleeping alone?
Many couples say they prefer to sleep – and sleep better – next to their partner.
But when scientists measure sleep objectively, such as via an electroencephalogram (EEG) to assess brain waves, the data actually shows poorer sleep quality when co-sleeping. So sleeping alone may, in fact, mean better quality and longer sleep.
Research also shows when one member of the couple has a sleep disorder, such as insomnia or sleep apnoea (where breathing is frequently interrupted during sleep), these people often inadvertently wake up their partnerwhen they wake in the night. So sleeping alone could be a good idea if your bed partner has a sleep disorder.
Finally, anyone who has struggled with their sleep will know anxiety around sleep is common. Many clients I have seen who experience insomnia report sleeping alone can alleviate some of their anxiety because at least they know they won’t disturb, or be disturbed by, their partner.
Are there any downsides to separate sleeping arrangements?
Some people dislike sleeping alone, reporting comfort, and feelings of safety and protection when sleeping alongside their partner – and loneliness when they don’t.
Sleeping separately also requires two rooms, or at least two beds. Many couples may not have these options available to them in their home.
Sleeping separately is often stigmatised, with some people seeing it as the death of a couple’s sex life. But while sleeping in separate beds may provide fewer opportunities for sex, this doesn’t necessarily mean the end of intimacy.
Sleeping apart could mean some couples actually have more sex. We know better sleep is linked to more positive feelings about relationships, so it’s possible the desire to be intimate could increase after a good night’s sleep in separate beds. Sleeping apart may even mean some couples have more energy to be intimate.
Nonetheless, if you choose to sleep separately from your partner, it’s important to have an open discussion and prioritise opportunities for connection and intimacy. One client I worked with referred to “visiting rights” where her partner came into her bed for a short period before sleep or in the morning.
Who should potentially consider a sleep separation?
You may wish to think about a “sleep separation” if you are disturbing each other’s sleep, have young children, or have different preferences in terms of temperature, light and noise, which are causing issues.
Ultimately, if sleeping in the same bed is leading to poor sleep then sleeping apart, if it’s possible, could help.
If you can’t sleep separately there may be other ways to reduce disturbance from a partner such as using an eye mask, white noise or earplugs.
If you decide to try a sleep separation, remember this can be a flexible arrangement or “re-set” and doesn’t have to be permanent, or every night. Some couples find sleeping separately during the working week but sharing a bed on the weekend works well for them.
Lastly, it’s important to talk to your GP about any persistent sleep problems, such as snoring, insomnia, or unusual behaviour during sleep (for example, shouting or walking around), as there may be an underlying sleep disorder which needs treating.
Alix Mellor works for the Monash University Healthy Sleep Clinic at the Turner Clinics as a provisional psychologist.
Imagine your friend hasn’t replied to a message in a few hours. Most people might think, “they are probably just busy”.
But someone with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) might spiral into a flood of thoughts like, “they must hate me!” or “I’ve ruined the friendship!”
These intense emotional reactions to real or imagined rejection are part of what’s called rejection sensitive dysphoria.
The term isn’t a formal diagnosis, but it’s gaining traction in both research and clinical work, especially among adults seeking to understand themselves better.
So, what is rejection sensitive dysphoria, how does it relate to ADHD, and how can we handle it with more compassion?
It’s more than just disliking criticism
Everyone feels hurt when they’re criticised or left out. But rejection sensitivity dysphoria isn’t just about “not liking” feedback. The word dysphoria refers to intense emotional distress.
People with rejection sensitivity dysphoria describe overwhelming reactions to perceived rejection, even if no one actually said or did anything cruel.
A passing comment such as “I thought you were going to do it this way” can trigger feelings of shame, embarrassment or self-doubt.
The emotional pain often feels immediate and consuming, leading some people to withdraw, over-apologise or lash out to protect themselves.
The ADHD brain and emotional hypersensitivity
ADHD is often associated with attention or impulsivity, but one major (and often overlooked) component is emotional dysregulation: difficulty managing and recovering from strong emotional responses.
This isn’t a character flaw; it’s a neurological difference. Brain imaging studies show people with ADHD tend to have differences in how their amygdala (the brain’s emotional alarm system) and prefrontal cortex (which regulates impulses and emotions) work together.
The amygdala is the brain’s emotional alarm system. The prefrontal cortex regulates emotions. chaiyo12/Shutterstock
The result? Emotional experiences hit harder and take longer to settle.
A 2018 study highlights this imbalance in emotional control circuits in people with ADHD, explaining why intense feelings can seem to “take over” before logical thinking kicks in.
What does the research say?
Recent research from 2024 reports a strong link between ADHD symptoms and rejection sensitivity. It found students with higher ADHD symptom levels also reported significantly more rejection sensitivity, including a heightened fear of being negatively evaluated or criticised.
Further evidence comes from a 2018 study which showed adolescents with ADHD symptoms were far more sensitive to peer feedback than their peers. Their brain activity revealed they were more emotionally reactive to both praise and criticism, suggesting they may perceive neutral social cues as emotionally charged.
This reflects what I see daily in my clinic. One 13-year-old boy I work with is creative, empathetic and full of potential, yet social anxiety tied to a deep fear of rejection often holds him back. He once told me, “if I say no, they won’t like me anymore”. That fear drives him to go along with things he later regrets, simply to keep the peace and avoid losing connection.
This constant social hypervigilance is mentally draining. Without support, it can spiral into shame, low confidence and ongoing mental health struggles.
Adults with ADHD aren’t immune either. A 2022 study explored how adults with ADHD experience criticism and found many linked it to persistent feelings of failure, low self-worth and emotional reactivity – even when the criticism was constructive or mild.
One client I support – a high-achieving professional diagnosed in her 50s – described learning about rejection sensitive dysphoria as “finding the missing piece of the puzzle”.
Despite consistently excelling in every role, she had long felt anxious about how she was perceived by colleagues. When she received a minor, formal complaint at work, she spiralled into intense self-doubt and shame.
Instead of brushing it off, she thought: “I’m too much”. This belief
had been silently reinforced for years by her emotional sensitivity to feedback.
What helps?
If you experience rejection sensitivity dysphoria, you’re not alone, and you’re not broken.
Here are some tools that may help:
name it. Saying to yourself, “This feels like rejection sensitivity,” can give you distance from the emotional flood
pause before reacting. Taking slow breaths, counting backwards, or stepping outside are simple grounding strategies that help calm the body’s stress response and restore balance to your nervous system. Research shows slowing your breath and grounding your senses can help shift your body out of fight-or-flight mode, supporting clearer thinking and emotional regulation
challenge the story. Ask yourself, “What else could be true?” or “How would I speak to a friend feeling this way?”
consider therapy. Working with a psychologist who understands ADHD and rejection sensitivity dysphoria can help untangle these reactions and develop healthy, self-compassionate responses. The Australian Psychological Society has a Find a Psychologist service: you can search by location, areas of expertise (such as anxiety, ADHD, trauma) and the type of therapy you’re interested in
start early with kids. Helping children with ADHD learn emotional language, boundary-setting and resilience can prevent rejection sensitivity from becoming overwhelming. For parents, resources such as Raising Children Network and books like The Whole-Brain Child by Daniel Siegel and Tina Payne Bryson offer practical ways to teach these skills at home
communicate gently. If you work or live with someone who has ADHD, try to give feedback clearly and kindly. Avoid sarcasm or vague phrasing. A little extra clarity can go a long way.
Rejection sensitivity dysphoria isn’t about being fragile or “weak”. It’s about how the ADHD brain processes emotional and social cues. With insight, tools and support, these experiences can become manageable.
Victoria Barclay-Timmis is a clinical psychologist and works in private practice.
Reunited twins Esther (left) and ShuangjieBarbara Demick
At the end of a long road trip through rural China in 2009, American journalist Barbara Demick had an encounter that would change the course of her life. In the previous days, she had interviewed several parents whose children had been forcibly removed from them by government officials. Demick suspected there may be a link between the missing children and China’s booming international adoption industry.
She had enough for her story, but some instinct compelled her to follow the next lead to remote Gaofeng Village, high in the mountains of Hunan Province.
Her driver could only take her so far. The dirt road ended at a stream, where she was met by local woman Zanhua Zeng and her daughter Shuangjie. They guided her across a makeshift bridge and into the village where “everything was in the process of falling down or going up”.
Zanhua Zeng and daughter Shuangjie, meeting Barbara Demick in a moment that would change all their lives. Barbara Demick
There, she learnt about two-year-old Fangfang, daughter of Zanhua and twin sister of Shuangjie, violently taken from her aunt’s care in 2002. Government officials had told the family they were in breach of China’s One Child Policy and were not allowed to keep the baby. They had no idea what had happened to their daughter and sister.
Zanhua’s parting words were: “Come back again and next time bring my daughter.”
Review: Daughters of the Bamboo Grove: From China to America, A True Story of Abduction, Adoption, and Separated Twins – Barbara Demick (Text)
Extraordinary consequences
At the time, Demick had no premonition of the significance the Zeng family and their story would play in her life – and those of many others. But in writing a front-page report for the Los Angeles Times about the links between China’s stolen children and international adoptions, including a small piece about the missing twin Fangfang, she started a chain of events with extraordinary consequences.
Fangfang (renamed Esther), in the referral photo supplied by the orphanage.
For Zanhua and Shuangjie, it would eventually lead to a reunion with Fangfang, accompanied by Demick, who helped organise it. She was to develop an enduring connection with the family – and with Fangfang’s adoptive American family, too.
Daughters of the Bamboo Grove does what the best stories do: humanises a big issue. In this case, China’s one child policy and the international adoption industry it created.
Demick’s book is a story of China, and of incomprehensible government control. But as told through this case of the separated twins, it’s also a story of family, identity, loss and resilience.
It’s personal and moving, but also thoroughly researched, strengthened with compelling and confronting statistics and anecdotes.
The twins’ meeting as young women was documented by Barbara Demick for the Los Angeles Times.
Demick outlines the population growth that led to the introduction of the One Child Policy in 1979 and the rise of the State Family Planning Commission, set up to enforce the law limiting most Chinese families to one child.
“Family Planning morphed into a monstrous organization that dwarfed the police and military in manpower,” she writes. “By the 1990s, it was estimated that eighty-three million Chinese worked at least part-time for Family Planning.” (By comparison, China’s combined armed forces were estimated to number roughly three million at the time.)
The organisation was “intrusive in the extreme”, with female workers having to report when they had their periods and, in some cases, show their blood-stained sanitary pads. After giving birth to their first child, women were forced to have an IUD or were sterilised.
People who violated the law received fines of two to six times their annual income. If violators were civil servants, they could lose their jobs. In rural areas, where people were less reliant on government jobs, the policy was implemented with “brute force”.
People were beaten. Sometimes their homes were demolished or set on fire. “If you violate the policy, your family will be destroyed,” read a sign on a wall not far from the Zeng’s home. Family Planning officials regularly checked even the most remote villages, sometimes tipped off by neighbours.
If a woman was discovered to be pregnant after having a child, she would be forced to undergo an abortion. The methods were “crude, often barbaric,” Demick writes. “Doctors would sometimes induce labor and then kill the baby with an injection of formaldehyde into the cranium before the feet emerged.”
Although Chinese people, particularly those from rural communities, often wanted to have bigger families, they had no power to fight the authorities. Those who tried to quietly subvert the system were ruthlessly punished.
These practices were so common, they were generally accepted. But when government officials started to take babies from families who had defied the policy, resistance grew. Other families started reporting cases like what had happened to Fangfang. Family Planning had forcibly removed children, refusing to provide any details about their whereabouts.
Officials miscalculated in 2005 when they dared to take a boy, Demick writes. He lived in a town, attended school and was not as poor as some of the other affected families. The school made a complaint, which was supported by a local politician. The boy was returned to his family after 29 days.
Hearing about this case emboldened other families to mobilise and fight back. These were among the first families Demick met when she travelled to cover the story of the missing children in 2009.
Child trafficking by ‘good Samaritans’
In the meantime, news was starting to emerge about the child trafficking of children through Chinese orphanages, with “good Samaritans” who “rescued” babies being paid increasingly large amounts of money. “The orphanages were competing with one another to procure babies,” Demick writes.
Chinese babies were in high demand for international adoption, and it had become a lucrative business. One Hunan orphanage director later told police they started a service to allow foreigners to adopt babies in 2001; they were charged a US$3,000 cash donation per baby. In some cases, the babies genuinely needed homes and families, Demick writes, but the payment was “in effect a bounty that incentivised a wave of kidnapping of female babies and toddlers”.
Shaoyang Social Welfare Institute, where Esther spent the last six months of her life in China. Barbara Demick
It gradually became clear that many of the children removed by Family Planning officials were among the wave of Chinese babies and toddlers adopted by families from other countries, all of whom paid significant fees to do so, as well as donating to the orphanages. It was later revealed that orphanages routinely fabricated information about how and where the babies had been reportedly left.
By the time Demick’s reports were published in 2009, nearly 100,000 babies had been sent out of China, more than half to the US. The worldwide number would reach 160,000 by 2024, when China ended its international adoption program.
Demick’s story about stolen babies, plus other reports from within China and elsewhere, stunned the international adoption community and parents of Chinese adoptees around the world. Until then, China was perceived to be the most ethical choice for international adoption. For adoptive parents who now feared their adopted children could be taken from them, the revelations were terrifying, Demick says.
Marsha and Esther (background) in their Texas kitchen. Barbara Demick
One of these parents was a Texan women named Marsha. She and her husband Al had adopted two Chinese girls: Victoria in 1999 and Esther in 2002. Through developing connections among families who had adopted from China, Demick came across Marsha – and realised Esther may be Fangfang: the missing twin.
She was correct. However, the story was far from resolved, which explains, in part, why Demick had plenty of material for her book.
Reporter as dogged detective
Daughters of the Bamboo Grove is a testament to dogged reporting. Demick’s skills as a researcher, interviewer – and effectively, a detective – imbue the book with substance and credibility.
She handles difficult subject matter sensitively, portraying the Zeng family in China and adoptive mother Marsha in the US with empathy. She acknowledges the challenges they faced and recognises their devotion to their children.
Her descriptions of the twin sisters, Shuangjie and Esther, are perceptive and gentle. Restraint is a powerful writing tool and Demick uses it here to great effect.
This is the moment where the twins first meet, outside the Zeng family home in China:
When everybody was out of the van, the two of them stood next to each other, side by side, facing the photographer. Nobody embraced. Nobody spoke. I imagined the twins as bride and groom in an arranged marriage, meeting for the first time, willing to pose for the photographer but not yet able to engage in conversation.
Twins Esther (left) and Shaungjie, separated most of their lives, meet for the first time since babyhood. Barbara Demick
Demick came to this story with the perspectives and limitations of an American journalist, but has gone to remarkable lengths to hear and convey the voices of Chinese people impacted by the One Child Policy.
At the same time, she challenges Western paternalistic ideas around adoption, questioning the view expressed by many she encounters that the Chinese children adopted by Westerners were lucky, guaranteed to have better lives elsewhere.
China’s One Child Policy was not formally abolished until 2015. In its 35 years, it did almost unimaginable damage, concludes Demick:
the policy shattered marriages, led to the deaths of countless children and suicides of parents, and left China with a population expected to continue declining into the next century. It was all encompassing, leaving almost everyone a victim or perpetrator or both.
For the hundreds of thousands of children sent out of China during this period, the legacy of One Child endures. As Demick writes, they are
citizens of their adopted countries but tethered by blood to another family and country they struggle to comprehend. Living in this in-between space between worlds.
In dedicating Daughters of the Bamboo Grove to Chinese adoptees around the world, Demick says she hopes in some small way it helps them to understand where they came from, and how they got to where they are today.
Kathryn Shine does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
Over the past five years, Yang Chenglan, a 39-year-old entrepreneur of Dong ethnicity living in southwest China’s mountainous region, has transformed her business from trading brocade cloth and traditional garments to curating immersive lifestyle experiences.
Back in 2016, after seven years away, Yang returned to her hometown with a mission to revive her community’s traditional hand-weaving practices. A native of Fengdeng Dong Village in Guizhou Province, she initially led a small team of weavers, embroiderers, and dyers to produce Dong brocade and traditional costumes. Before long, annual sales surpassed one million yuan (about 139,800 U.S. dollars).
“Nowadays, we welcome visitors to experience the craft themselves. They can stay in our village, work at our looms, and get a feel for our way of life,” Yang said.
To meet growing demand, she set up workshops for brocade weaving, dyeing, and costume-making. Prices for these hands-on courses range from just over 100 yuan to several hundred yuan, and the response has been overwhelmingly positive.
“Customers increasingly value hands-on experience,” Yang said. “They join our workshops, integrate into daily village life, and often purchase products before they leave.”
Yang’s success story is a microcosm of the broader shift from “selling products” to “selling lifestyles” in pursuit of greener spending habits. By championing green consumption and promoting low-carbon production and lifestyles, China is accelerating its green transformation while meeting people’s rising aspirations for a better life.
Traveling for events has become a popular “culture-sports-tourism” package in the country in recent years. Whether following a cycling race, attending an opera performance, sampling local customs, or exploring cultural relics, more and more urbanites are discovering China’s rural landscapes through fresh, green experiences.
In Guizhou Province, for example, a series of “village-branded” events such as the Village Super League (Cun Chao), Village Basketball Association (Cun BA), Village Song and Village Marathon have drawn strong tourist interest. Originating in Rongjiang County in 2023, the village football league attracted over 2.41 million visitors between Jan. 1 and May 5 this year, marking an 11.77 percent increase year on year.
“We chase the ‘Cun Chao’ not only for the football and local culture but also to immerse ourselves in local customs,” said Wu Qilin, a frequent visitor from Chengdu, southwest China’s Sichuan Province.
Data from the Ministry of Culture and Tourism show that in the first quarter of 2025, China’s rural tourism received 707 million visits, up 8.9 percent year on year.
Rural tourism has evolved from showcasing scenic landscapes to marketing local products, and has now progressed to offering immersive lifestyle experiences, said Yang Lu, deputy director of the Rongjiang County bureau of culture, sports, radio, television and tourism. “We expect visitors not only to enjoy the mountains and rivers but also to take home lasting memories and emotional connections.”
Beyond tourism, other industries are also embracing the green shift. In Guizhou, the heartland of sauce-flavor baijiu, a distilled spirit, local officials and entrepreneurs have urged a shift from merely “selling liquor” to “selling lifestyles” to better meet diverse consumer demands.
In Maotai Township, Zunyi City — the historic birthplace of China’s signature spirit — efforts are underway to develop showcase distilleries, gourmet streets and integrated liquor-tourism zones, all aimed at creating rich cultural and culinary experiences.
Distilleries in Maotai are transforming their approach by crafting immersive experiences that weave together the region’s landscapes, culture, cuisine, and renowned spirits, according to representatives from local distilleries.
This shift from simply selling liquor to promoting a holistic lifestyle not only revitalizes the industry but also supports the broader move toward sustainable, green consumption, they said. ■
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
Over the past five years, Yang Chenglan, a 39-year-old entrepreneur of Dong ethnicity living in southwest China’s mountainous region, has transformed her business from trading brocade cloth and traditional garments to curating immersive lifestyle experiences.
Back in 2016, after seven years away, Yang returned to her hometown with a mission to revive her community’s traditional hand-weaving practices. A native of Fengdeng Dong Village in Guizhou Province, she initially led a small team of weavers, embroiderers, and dyers to produce Dong brocade and traditional costumes. Before long, annual sales surpassed one million yuan (about 139,800 U.S. dollars).
“Nowadays, we welcome visitors to experience the craft themselves. They can stay in our village, work at our looms, and get a feel for our way of life,” Yang said.
To meet growing demand, she set up workshops for brocade weaving, dyeing, and costume-making. Prices for these hands-on courses range from just over 100 yuan to several hundred yuan, and the response has been overwhelmingly positive.
“Customers increasingly value hands-on experience,” Yang said. “They join our workshops, integrate into daily village life, and often purchase products before they leave.”
Yang’s success story is a microcosm of the broader shift from “selling products” to “selling lifestyles” in pursuit of greener spending habits. By championing green consumption and promoting low-carbon production and lifestyles, China is accelerating its green transformation while meeting people’s rising aspirations for a better life.
Traveling for events has become a popular “culture-sports-tourism” package in the country in recent years. Whether following a cycling race, attending an opera performance, sampling local customs, or exploring cultural relics, more and more urbanites are discovering China’s rural landscapes through fresh, green experiences.
In Guizhou Province, for example, a series of “village-branded” events such as the Village Super League (Cun Chao), Village Basketball Association (Cun BA), Village Song and Village Marathon have drawn strong tourist interest. Originating in Rongjiang County in 2023, the village football league attracted over 2.41 million visitors between Jan. 1 and May 5 this year, marking an 11.77 percent increase year on year.
“We chase the ‘Cun Chao’ not only for the football and local culture but also to immerse ourselves in local customs,” said Wu Qilin, a frequent visitor from Chengdu, southwest China’s Sichuan Province.
Data from the Ministry of Culture and Tourism show that in the first quarter of 2025, China’s rural tourism received 707 million visits, up 8.9 percent year on year.
Rural tourism has evolved from showcasing scenic landscapes to marketing local products, and has now progressed to offering immersive lifestyle experiences, said Yang Lu, deputy director of the Rongjiang County bureau of culture, sports, radio, television and tourism. “We expect visitors not only to enjoy the mountains and rivers but also to take home lasting memories and emotional connections.”
Beyond tourism, other industries are also embracing the green shift. In Guizhou, the heartland of sauce-flavor baijiu, a distilled spirit, local officials and entrepreneurs have urged a shift from merely “selling liquor” to “selling lifestyles” to better meet diverse consumer demands.
In Maotai Township, Zunyi City — the historic birthplace of China’s signature spirit — efforts are underway to develop showcase distilleries, gourmet streets and integrated liquor-tourism zones, all aimed at creating rich cultural and culinary experiences.
Distilleries in Maotai are transforming their approach by crafting immersive experiences that weave together the region’s landscapes, culture, cuisine, and renowned spirits, according to representatives from local distilleries.
This shift from simply selling liquor to promoting a holistic lifestyle not only revitalizes the industry but also supports the broader move toward sustainable, green consumption, they said. ■
Early planning work for the development of the Bendigo Regional Employment Precinct in Marong is underway to deliver much-needed industrial land for Greater Bendigo.
The Victorian Government has invested $6M to prepare a range of studies that will outline how the site can be developed and identify the most appropriate businesses and uses for the 155ha precinct located along the Wimmera and Calder Alternative Highways south of the Marong township.
It is intended a Planning Scheme Amendment will be released in August or September this year to rezone the site from the current Farming Zone to an industrial zone.
City of Greater Bendigo Chief Executive Officer Andrew Cooney said Greater Bendigo had less than 10 years’ supply of industrial land left.
“Greater Bendigo has a strong manufacturing industry. This project intends to secure jobs in the region and support local businesses that may want to grow and attract future businesses seeking large parcels of land ready for development,” Mr Cooney said.
“Much of the industrial land that is available now is small and the lot sizes are spread out, which is not ideal when it comes to supporting large-scale industry and separating this kind of development from residential living.
“We have partnered with Development Victoria, the Victorian Planning Authority, the Department of Transport and Planning, and Regional Development Victoria to complete a range of technical studies, including traffic and transport, flora and fauna, and Aboriginal cultural heritage. Coliban Water is also delivering a pipeline upgrade between Golden Square and Marong to deliver increased water pressure and water flow.
“A key focus of the studies is to identify the enabling infrastructure the site is going to need, for example power, sewer and roads, and the best development model that ultimately makes it affordable for tenants to move in.
“As the studies are completed, we will have a better understanding of the kind of costs involved so we can start having discussions with our State and Federal colleagues about how to realise our vision for this site.”
To guide the development of future industrial land, since 2020 the City has prepared three strategic documents that confirmed the demand for industrial land and where a future site would be best located.
The 2020 Greater Bendigo Industrial Land Development Strategy acknowledged Greater Bendigo was experiencing a significant industrial land shortfall and struggling to meet demand, while the 2020 Marong Township Structure Plan and 2024 revised Greater Bendigo Industrial Land Development Strategy identified a preferred 294ha site for development in Marong. In 2021, the City purchased 155ha within this preferred site.
Given the number of times this has happened already, it should come as little surprise that we’re now faced with yet another new subvariant of SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for COVID.
This new subvariant is known as XFG (nicknamed “Stratus”) and the World Health Organization (WHO) designated it a “variant under monitoring” in late June. XFG is a subvariant of Omicron, of which there are now more than 1,000.
A “variant under monitoring” signifies a variant or subvariant which needs prioritised attention and monitoring due to characteristics that may pose an additional threat compared to other circulating variants.
While recombination and other spontaneous changes happen often with SARS-CoV-2, it becomes a problem when it creates a subvariant that is changed in such a way that its properties cause more problems for us.
Most commonly this means the virus looks different enough that protection from past infection (and vaccination) doesn’t work so well, called immune evasion. This basically means the population becomes more susceptible and can lead to an increase in cases, and even a whole new wave of COVID infections across the world.
XFG has four key mutations in the spike protein, a protein on the surface of SARS-CoV-2 which allows it to attach to our cells. Some are believed to enhance evasion by certain antibodies.
The earliest XFG sample was collected on January 27.
As of June 22, there were 1,648 XFG sequences submitted to GISAID from 38 countries (GISAID is the global database used to track the prevalence of different variants around the world). This represents 22.7% of the globally available sequences at the time.
This was a significant rise from 7.4% four weeks prior and only just below the proportion of NB.1.8.1 at 24.9%. Given the now declining proportion of viral sequences of NB.1.8.1 overall, and the rapid rise of XFG, it would seem reasonable to expect XFG to become dominant very soon.
According to Australian data expert Mike Honey, the countries showing the highest rates of detection of XFG as of mid-June include India at more than 50%, followed by Spain at 42%, and the United Kingdom and United States, where the subvariant makes up more than 30% of cases.
In Australia as of June 29, NB.1.8.1 was the dominant subvariant, accounting for 48.6% of sequences. In the most recent report from Australia’s national genomic surveillance platform, there were 24 XFG sequences with 12 collected in the last 28 days meaning it currently comprises approximately 5% of sequences.
The big questions
When we talk about a new subvariant, people often ask questions including if it’s more severe or causes new or different symptoms compared to previous variants. But we’re still learning about XFG and we can’t answer these questions with certainty yet.
Some sources have reported XFG may be more likely to course “hoarseness” or a scratchy or raspy voice. But we need more information to know if this association is truly significant.
Notably, there’s no evidence to suggest XFG causes more severe illness compared to other variants in circulation or that it is necessarily any more transmissible.
Will vaccines still work against XFG?
Relatively frequent changes to the virus means we have continued to update the COVID vaccines. The most recent update, which targets the JN.1 subvariant, became available in Australia from late 2024. XFG is a descendant of the JN.1 subvariant.
Fortunately, based on the evidence available so far, currently approved COVID vaccines are expected to remain effective against XFG, particularly against symptomatic and severe disease.
Because of SARS-CoV-2’s continued evolution, the effect of this on our immune response, as well as the fact protection from COVID vaccines declines over time, COVID vaccines are offered regularly, and recommended for those at the highest risk.
One of the major challenges we face at present in Australia is low COVID vaccine uptake. While rates have increased somewhat recently, they remain relatively low, with only 32.3% of people aged 75 years and over having received a vaccine in the past six months. Vaccination rates in younger age groups are significantly lower.
Although the situation with XFG must continue to be monitored, at present the WHO has assessed the global risk posed by this subvariant as low. The advice for combating COVID remains unchanged, including vaccination as recommended and the early administration of antivirals for those who are eligible.
Measures to reduce the risk of transmission, particularly wearing masks in crowded indoor settings and focusing on air quality and ventilation, are worth remembering to protect against COVID and other viral infections.
Paul Griffin has been the principal investigator for clinical trials of 8 COVID-19 vaccines. He has previously participated in medical advisory boards for COVID-19 vaccines. Paul Griffin is a director and medical advisory board member of the immunisation coalition.
The “mushroom murder trial”, as it has popularly become known, has gripped Australia over the past 11 weeks. More than that, it’s prompted worldwide headlines, multiple daily podcasts, and even YouTube videos of self-proclaimed “body language experts” assessing defendant Erin Patterson’s every move.
There’s an ABC drama series in the works. Acclaimed Australian author Helen Garner has been in the courtroom.
But why did this tragedy, in which three people died and a fourth was lucky to survive, grip the public consciousness in way no other contemporary Australian case has?
On July 29 2023, in a sleepy town called Leongatha in the foothills of the Strzelecki Ranges in Victoria, a very normal woman called Erin Patterson made an ostensibly very normal lunch of beef Wellington.
She was cooking for her in-laws, Gail and Don Patterson, Gail’s sister Heather Wilkinson, and Heather’s husband Ian. Erin’s estranged husband, Simon Patterson, was also invited, but chose not to attend.
Simon and Erin had two children, a boy and a girl, who did not attend the lunch either.
Shortly after the lunch, all four guests were admitted to hospital with suspected gastroenteritis. Erin Patterson also presented to hospital, but refused to be admitted.
Within a few days, Gail, Don, and Heather all died as a result of what was later confirmed as poisoning with Amanita phalloides, better known as death cap mushrooms.
Ian survived, but he was lucky. He spent seven weeks in hospital and needed a liver transplant.
The questions became, how did the mushrooms get into the beef Wellington? Was this an awful accident or something more sinister?
Public obsession
These questions became the focus of very significant public and media attention.
Erin Patterson spoke to the media in the days after the incident. She presented as your typical, average woman of 50.
That is, in my opinion, where the obsession with this case began.
This case had the feel of a Shakespearean drama: multiple deaths within one family, death by poison, and a female protagonist.
The juxtaposition between the normality of a family lunch (and the sheer vanilla-ness of the accused) and the seriousness of the situation sent the media into overdrive.
Then there were the lies. Patterson lied about foraging for mushrooms, and about having cancer to encourage the guests to attend.
The location also played a huge part. Leongatha is known for its staggering natural beauty and thriving food and wine scene. It’s hardly a place where the world expected a mass murderer to live.
However, the perception that rural areas are utopias of safety and social cohesion, and cities are dark and dangerous places, is a myth.
One study by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare paints a different picture.
For serious assault cases that resulted in hospitalisation, for major cities the rates were 65 per 100,000 people. In rural areas, this rose to 1,244 people per 100,000. And for murder, in very remote areas the rate was five per 100,000 population, but fewer than one per 100,000 in urban areas.
Then there was Erin Patterson’s unusual behaviour. She disposed of the desiccator in which the mushrooms she had foraged were dehydrated. She used multiple phones, one of which underwent multiple factory resets on in the days following the lunch. One of these resets was done remotely after police seized her phone.
There are also the much-discussed plates. The court heard she prepared her meal on a different-coloured plate to those of her other guests so they were easily identifiable.
The public latched onto these details, each providing a new talking point around water coolers or spurring new Reddit threads dedicated to unpacking their significance.
The courtroom as a stage
Ultimately, after three months, Erin Patterson was charged with three counts of murder and one count of attempted murder. She pleaded not guilty.
The trial lasted 40 days. The prosecution alleged Patterson intentionally poisoned her guests, whereas the defence suggested it was all an awful, tragic accident.
The jury took six and a half days to deliberate. During that time, various media outlets did everything they could to keep the story on the front page.
Bizarre pieces began appearing online from credible sources such as the ABC, profiling people who had attended court. They included stories of people turning down work to attend the court daily, cases of friendships blossoming during the trial between regular attendees, and the outfit choices of locals turning up every day to watch the drama unfold.
There were also articles profiling local cafe owners and how they felt about being at the centre of the legal theatrics. The daily podcasts continued even when news from the courtroom didn’t.
The vibe felt more appropriate for a royal visit than a triple murder trial.
It seemed everyone in Australia was gripped by one event, united in a way few other things could manage. We all waited with bated breath to see what the 12 men and women of the jury would decide.
The end to this strange and unique criminal case came on Monday July 7.
The result? Guilty on all four counts. Erin Patterson is formally a mass murderer, though many in the court of public opinion had reached the same conviction months earlier.
Leongatha will always be known for being the setting of (arguably) the most infamous multiple murder case in Australian history. It will join Snowtown in South Australia (home of the “bodies in the barrell” murder case), Kendall in New South Wales (where William Tyrrell disappeared), and Claremont in Western Australia (the murder or disappearance of three women) as places forever linked to tragic crimes.
While the trial is over, there’s much more content still to come, the public’s appetite yet to be satiated.
But the final word should be saved for the Patterson and Wilkinson families. This is an awful tragedy, and there are no winners. Ian and Simon have lost loved ones. The Patterson children have lost grandparents and now have to come to terms with the fact their mother caused those deaths intentionally.
Amid the spectacle, it’s easy to lose sight of the humanity at the centre. As the media spotlight dims, may the families get the privacy and respect they deserve.
Xanthe Mallett does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
The Government’s responsible fiscal management has supported the Reserve Bank to keep the Official Cash Rate low, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says.
The Reserve Bank of New Zealand today announced it would keep the Official Cash Rate (OCR) at 3.25 per cent while continuing to foreshadow further reductions in the OCR.
“There has been a 2.25 percentage point reduction in the Official Cash Rate since August last year – easing the cost of borrowing and delivering much needed cost of living relief for many New Zealand households,” Nicola Willis says.
“While many Kiwis are already experiencing lower mortgage repayments off the back of previous OCR reductions, more will benefit when they re-fix their mortgage this year, meaning the positive effects of previous rate drops will continue to flow-through our economy over the coming months.
“Lower interest rates free-up household budgets for spending elsewhere and they ease the path for those wishing to enter the housing market. They also provide relief to interest-rate sensitive sectors of the economy, including building and construction, with lower interest rates often providing a kick-start for big new projects.
“Despite global uncertainty, the Government is continuing to drive New Zealand’s economic recovery forward. Our careful stewardship of the Government books and our ongoing efforts to reduce costly laws and regulations mean inflation and interest rates can stay lower than would otherwise be the case.
“Gone are the days of reckless economic management fueling the flames of inflation and interest rates – New Zealand now has steady hands at the wheel, and a Government that is determined to keep our economic fundamentals in good order.”
The Government’s responsible fiscal management has supported the Reserve Bank to keep the Official Cash Rate low, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says.
The Reserve Bank of New Zealand today announced it would keep the Official Cash Rate (OCR) at 3.25 per cent while continuing to foreshadow further reductions in the OCR.
“There has been a 2.25 percentage point reduction in the Official Cash Rate since August last year – easing the cost of borrowing and delivering much needed cost of living relief for many New Zealand households,” Nicola Willis says.
“While many Kiwis are already experiencing lower mortgage repayments off the back of previous OCR reductions, more will benefit when they re-fix their mortgage this year, meaning the positive effects of previous rate drops will continue to flow-through our economy over the coming months.
“Lower interest rates free-up household budgets for spending elsewhere and they ease the path for those wishing to enter the housing market. They also provide relief to interest-rate sensitive sectors of the economy, including building and construction, with lower interest rates often providing a kick-start for big new projects.
“Despite global uncertainty, the Government is continuing to drive New Zealand’s economic recovery forward. Our careful stewardship of the Government books and our ongoing efforts to reduce costly laws and regulations mean inflation and interest rates can stay lower than would otherwise be the case.
“Gone are the days of reckless economic management fueling the flames of inflation and interest rates – New Zealand now has steady hands at the wheel, and a Government that is determined to keep our economic fundamentals in good order.”
Source: Center for Diagnostics and Telemedicine of the Moscow Health Department (MHD)
Earlier, the Center for Diagnostics and Telemedicine of the Moscow Department of Health and RTU MIREA signed a landmark agreement to jointly develop and deliver specialized training programs in artificial intelligence applied to healthcare. This collaboration resulted in the creation of a unique, and at the time, the only joint educational program integrating scientific knowledge and practical expertise gained from the Moscow Experiment on computer vision implementation. The program combines the Center’s hands-on experience with the university’s foundational competencies in mathematics and computer science. Additionally, practitioners from Third Opinion Platform, a leading Russian AI healthcare developer, contributed to curriculum development and student training.
On June 10, 2025, the inaugural graduation ceremony was held for the first master’s students of the Intelligent Data Analysis program within the Computer Science and Computer Engineering faculty.
Graduates have already showcased impactful healthcare innovations, including an algorithm for early detection of liver tumors with 85% accuracy and complex medical decision support systems. These projects received recognition at the All-Russian Engineering Competition, where one student emerged as the winner and six others were laureates. These advancements are poised to significantly reduce the interval between oncological disease detection and surgical intervention.
Anton Vladzimirsky, Deputy Director of R&D at the Center for Diagnostics and Telemedicine of the Moscow Department of Health, emphasized:
“The integration of artificial intelligence into medical practice is becoming a reality through the training of highly qualified specialists. Our graduates possess a unique combination of skills that enable them to develop cutting-edge solutions for digital medicine and drive the advancement of intelligent healthcare technologies.”
Stanislav Kudzh, Rector of RTU MIREA, added:
“The achievements of the first graduates of the AI Data Analysis program demonstrate that deep interdisciplinary training is essential for the successful integration of AI into medical practice. These specialists have not only mastered advanced technologies but have also contributed practically to digital medicine’s development. They are set to become leaders in creating innovative solutions that will enhance healthcare quality and accelerate the adoption of intelligent technologies across Russia. This represents a significant milestone in the evolution of healthcare.”
About RTU MIREA
RTU MIREA (Russian Technological University) is a multidisciplinary state university educating over 30,000 students across various modalities. The university’s Institute of Artificial Intelligence offers 17 specialized programs and annually graduates hundreds of programmers and AI experts. With more than 250 educational programs spanning IT, radio electronics, chemistry, biotechnology, and robotics, RTU MIREA actively integrates industry practices from high-tech companies into its curriculum.
About the Center for Diagnostics and Telemedicine of the Moscow Health Department
The Center for Diagnostics and Telemedicine is a leading scientific and practical institution within the Moscow Health Department. It oversees the development of diagnostic services, drives digital transformation in healthcare, implements AI technologies in clinical practice, conducts research, and provides medical workforce training. Since 2013, the Center has produced over 800 scientific publications and registered more than 200 intellectual property results. Since 2020, it has been conducting an experiment deploying computer vision technologies, analyzing over 14 million medical images across 40+ clinical areas with high accuracy. By presidential directive, the Center operates MosMedAI, a digital platform offering AI-powered medical image processing and automated radiology analysis, currently adopted by 71 Russian regions.
About Third Opinion Platform
Third Opinion Platform is a Russian developer of AI-powered diagnostic support tools for radiology and laboratory medicine, including a proprietary smart video analytics system. Its algorithms detect over 100 pathological indicators, such as breast cancer, stroke, lung cancer, and aortic aneurysm. The platform is implemented across 58 Russian regions and in private clinics, including the European Medical Center (EMC). To date, its AI solutions have processed over 10 million clinical studies. The company’s flagship products are registered as Class III medical devices by Roszdravnadzor. Since 2020, Third Opinion Platform has partnered strategically with MEDSI Group, one of Russia’s largest private healthcare networks.
Tens of thousands of New Zealanders living with asthma are set to benefit from long-awaited changes that will make it easier to access essential, lifesaving treatment, marking a major step forward for asthma care in New Zealand.
Effective from August 1, people who use a 2-in-1 inhaler to manage their asthma will be able to collect a three-month supply in a single pharmacy visit, rather than returning monthly for repeats. This change is expected to benefit about 120,000 New Zealanders.
The move directly aligns with the New Zealand Adolescent and Adult Asthma Guidelines, which are developed and maintained by the Asthma and Respiratory Foundation NZ. The guidelines recommend the 2-in-1 inhaler as the frontline treatment for most adolescents and adults with asthma, used both as a preventer and a reliever.
Foundation Chief Executive Ms Letitia Harding says this decision will make a huge difference to the 1 in 8 Kiwis living with asthma.
“When someone is having an asthma attack, they need treatment immediately – there’s no time to get a prescription filled.
“Patients often need to keep their reliever inhaler in multiple places – at home, school, work, their car – so enhancing access to life-saving asthma medicine will undoubtedly reduce the morbidity of asthma in New Zealand.”
The change would make asthma management significantly easier, particularly for families facing transport barriers or juggling multiple repeat prescriptions, Ms Harding says.
“When you have to visit the pharmacy every month, it becomes a real burden.
“Allowing people to collect three months’ supply at once removes that hurdle and supports better treatment adherence.”
Foundation Medical Director Professor Bob Hancox says the move is a good example of evidence-based, patient-centred care.
“For the past five years, our guidelines have recommended 2-in-1 anti-inflammatory reliever inhalers for most adults and adolescents with asthma, as they are much better for preventing exacerbations than the traditional blue relievers.
“As well as benefiting patients, this decision will reduce the burden on the health system by preventing asthma exacerbations and hospital admissions.”
Pharmac is also proposing that medical centres be allowed to supply a number of inhalers directly under a Practitioners Supply Order (PSO), enabling healthcare practitioners to supply patients with inhalers for emergency treatment.
These changes come at a critical time. New Zealand continues to have some of the highest asthma rates in the developed world, with 1 in 8 people affected and 96 deaths each year (almost 2 people each week).
The total economic cost of asthma to New Zealand’s health system is estimated at $1.2 billion annually.
Source: Government of the Russian Federation – Government of the Russian Federation –
An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.
On July 8, the Day of Family, Love and Fidelity, the II All-Russian Wedding Festival “Russia. Connecting Hearts” started at the National Center “Russia”. As part of the opening of the festival, First Deputy Chief of Staff of the Presidential Executive Office of Russia Sergey Kiriyenko and Deputy Prime Minister Tatyana Golikova met with married couples in a cozy atmosphere over a cup of tea. The central topics of the conversation were love and family values. The participants discussed measures of state support for young and large families, the secrets of family longevity and raising children, and shared their impressions of the I and II All-Russian Wedding Festivals and proposed making this event an annual event.
In total, 12 different families gathered at one table – young and those who had already celebrated their golden wedding, those with many children and those who had only recently become parents. Welcoming the participants of the meeting, Tatyana Golikova emphasized that the All-Russian Wedding Festival had already become an established tradition.
“Last year, 220 couples from all over the country got married at the Russia exhibition and forum. Many young families already have children. It is very pleasing that Russia is returning to the traditions of large families. If ten years ago only 18% of our citizens expressed a desire to have many children, now it is already 39%. And every second person believes that the ideal family is one with many children. Today we will see another 200 families from 78 regions get married at the Russia National Center. You charge the atmosphere with a special spirit, and this spirit of love, reliability, and strength of bonds permeates all the events of the All-Russian Wedding Festival. I wish that the families that were born at the festival last year and those that will appear this year are strong, that they create a real rear, so that the men who are on the front lines today know that they are loved and waited for at home,” noted Tatyana Golikova.
In turn, Sergei Kiriyenko agreed that in Russia the family has a special meaning, and this is obvious at the state level.
“Last year, our President used the formula ‘Russia is a family of families’, and the more you think about it, the more it sticks. Indeed, the main value of Russia is each individual family. The stronger and happier each family individually, the happier Russia as a whole,” he said.
In the warm atmosphere of tea, couples who will register their marriage at the II All-Russian Wedding Festival shared their impressions of the festival and love stories. Semyon Slepchenko and Oksana Leonova from the Irkutsk Region met each other thanks to the “Movement of the First” – they both work in the regional office. For a long time, the young people were just colleagues, until one day, on New Year’s Eve, a warm conversation began that grew into love. Another New Year’s miracle happened to employees of the Stary Oskol District Children’s Hospital Sergei Ryndin and Natalia Ovsyannikova. Before the New Year, they were preparing a holiday for young patients and at some point realized that they were made for each other. Sergei and Natalia brought to the festival cards that were prepared for all the newlyweds by patients of the children’s hospital.
True patriotism laid the foundation for the creation of two families. Miroslav Skonin and Angelina Denisenko from the DPR, who are members of the Cossack reconnaissance brigade “Terek”, met and fell in love with each other in the combat zone. Kaliningraders Alexander Dyachenko and Valeria Kravchenko are ONF volunteers who help the families of SVO participants. Sevastopol residents Fyodor Bykovsky and Irina Nagibina serve the country, Fyodor is a hereditary military man, Irina is a civil servant.
The example of another couple proves that family is the basis for preserving the traditions of different peoples in a multinational state. Evgeny Fisikov and Olga Semenova, born and raised in Khakassia, honor national traditions, so at the wedding ceremony they will present Khakass culture and national costumes.
Sergey and Irina Shirokih from Kursk Oblast, who have lived together for 51 years, shared their secrets of family longevity with newlyweds. They have preserved their love and respect for each other’s interests.
Families that participated in the 1st All-Russian Wedding Festival are already having children. Elizabet and Timur Badmaev from the Republic of Buryatia are currently raising a six-month-old son, Amir. They suggested making the All-Russian Wedding Festival an annual event and starting a tradition – passing the family hearth “Heart of Russia” from couples of the previous festival to couples of the current one as a symbol of the continuity of traditions and a strong family union.
Other families with children also shared their experiences. The long-awaited son of Natalia and Konstantin Kaynov from the Moscow Region was born thanks to the social project “New Life”. Support measures help large families: parents of five children Dmitry and Ekaterina Bauer became participants in the corporate demographic program “Our Children”, which operates at the Kemerovo enterprise “Azot”. And Irina and Maxim Moiseenko from the Krasnoyarsk Region, representatives of a dynasty of teachers, winners of the All-Russian competition “Family of the Year – 2020”, are raising seven children in a creative atmosphere.
In order to raise children with dignity, it is necessary to preserve and support traditional values. This is what Fabrice and Isabelle Sorlin, who moved from France to Russia with their children 10 years ago, are sure of. This year, all family members became Russian citizens.
Fabrice Sorlin proposed to provide additional preferences to those owners who rent out their property to large families, in particular, land tax benefits. Tatyana Golikova noted that measures to support large families are the most important measures, and thanked for the proposal.
At the meeting, young couples expressed their proposals and initiatives to improve social and family policy. Alexander Dyachenko and Valeria Kravchenko proposed creating a project – a navigator in the world of patriotic education, so that students of universities and colleges would have the opportunity to quickly and easily choose the right direction. Sergey Kiriyenko approved the initiative and asked to provide documents with the concept of the project later. At the end of the meeting, Tatyana Golikova and Sergey Kiriyenko wished the families to carry love throughout their lives.
The II All-Russian Wedding Festival is being implemented with the support of the Presidential Fund for Cultural Initiatives and will be held at the National Center “Russia” from July 8 to 10, 2025. During these days, more than 200 couples from all regions of the country will register their marriages here. The program for newlyweds includes a yacht ride along the Moscow River, a festive procession surrounded by their guests along the picturesque embankment to the National Center “Russia”, a photo session, marriage registration in a solemn atmosphere and a ceremony of handing over the family hearth.
Along with the ceremonial events, a cultural and educational program has been prepared for the festival participants. Musical concerts are held for the newlyweds and their guests, where popular artists and musical groups perform. Among them are Nansi
Please note: This information is raw content obtained directly from the source of the information. It is an accurate report of what the source claims and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.
Source: Ministry of Economic Development (Russia) – Ministry of Economic Development (Russia) –
An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.
Deputy Minister of Economic Development of Russia Svyatoslav Sorokin took part in a meeting on the socio-economic development of the Siberian Federal District, which was held on July 8 in Omsk under the chairmanship of Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation Dmitry Patrushev. The event was attended by the Plenipotentiary Representative of the President of the Russian Federation in the Siberian Federal District Anatoly Seryshev, heads of regions, representatives of federal ministries and key industry companies.
“Our main goal is to create opportunities to accelerate the pace of economic growth in Siberian regions, and, of course, to improve the quality of life of people. First of all, we control the implementation of the government’s Strategy for the Development of the Federal District until 2035. About two trillion rubles have already been attracted to its activities, and more than 42 thousand jobs have been created,” said Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation Dmitry Patrushev during the meeting.
Svyatoslav Sorokin presented a report on amendments to the plan for implementing the Strategy for Socioeconomic Development of the Siberian Federal District. On behalf of the Government, the revised document was submitted on June 27. The updated plan includes individual development programs for the subjects, as well as new investment and infrastructure projects.
The proposed measures will increase the volume of investment in the district’s economy to 18 trillion rubles, as well as create over 195 thousand jobs. The plan is synchronized with the updated national projects and will be further specified within the framework of the implementation of the Strategy for Spatial Development of the Russian Federation until 2030. Special attention is paid to the development of key settlements: a list of 294 key settlements in the regions of Siberia has been approved.
During the meeting, an assessment was also given of the implementation of the so-called curatorship projects – these are priority regional initiatives, for the implementation of which the leadership of the Ministry of Economic Development is personally responsible. According to Svyatoslav Sorokin, these projects play a key role in the development of infrastructure, industry, tourism and other sectors. Thanks to these initiatives, over 21 thousand jobs have been created in the district and about 1.4 trillion rubles of extra-budgetary investments have been attracted.
The report paid special attention to the work on forming a list of priority investment projects in Siberia. On the instructions of the Government, the Ministry of Economic Development, together with other departments, selected 103 projects that have the greatest socio-economic effect on the development of the district’s subjects. The priority list included initiatives with an investment volume of over 3 billion rubles, as well as curatorship projects, industry clusters and initiatives in the field of rare earth metals, agreed upon with the Ministry of Industry and Trade of Russia.
Particular attention was paid to the implementation of the Spatial Development Strategy (SDS) in the Siberian Federal District. As Svyatoslav Sorokin emphasized, Siberia is in the focus of the federal agenda: by 2030, the target indicators are defined as stabilization of the population at a level no lower than 2023, an increase in the district’s share in housing commissioning to 15.4%, as well as an increase in the ratio of gross regional product per capita to 83.6% of the Russian average.
To achieve these indicators, the key priority of the SPR is the development of support settlements (SSC). The list approved by the Government Commission for Regional Development included 294 settlements in the territory of the Siberian Federal District.
“Development of key settlements is a key point of concentration of efforts in Siberia. We see that it is in these territories that the potential for economic growth, improvement of quality of life and increase of investment attractiveness is concentrated. It is important that all support measures are built with an orientation towards spatial logic of development – so that investments work for the comprehensive development of territories, and not pointwise, without taking into account connections and prospects,” emphasized Deputy Minister of Economic Development of Russia Svyatoslav Sorokin.
Also, within the framework of the implementation of the Spatial Development Strategy and in pursuance of the message of the President of the Russian Federation, the Ministry of Economic Development, together with the regions, is forming a list of cities for the development of master plans. This process is being carried out in the development of decisions of the strategic session of the Government and should be completed by January 2026.
Please note: This information is raw content obtained directly from the source of the information. It is an accurate report of what the source claims and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.
Source: Government of the Russian Federation – Government of the Russian Federation –
An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.
Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Chernyshenko, Minister of Education and Science Valery Falkov and Head of Rosmolodezh Grigory Gurov congratulated Russians on Family, Love and Fidelity Day and spoke about support measures for families in the educational sphere and youth policy.
“As our President Vladimir Putin said, family in Russia has been and remains the highest value. Today, there are almost 26 thousand student families in universities alone, 13 thousand of whom have children. The state will continue to support them within the framework of the national projects “Youth and Children” and “Family”. Universities are opening mother-and-child rooms, short-term stay groups for children, and universities are providing financial assistance to families. My family also began in my student years. And I want to wish young people not to be afraid to take responsibility, to value each other and to be successful in all areas,” said Dmitry Chernyshenko.
The support measures at universities also include the transfer of women who have given birth to a child during their studies and those studying with children from a fee-paying to a budget place, assistance in finding employment, free medical services for student families and vouchers to sanatoriums, the possibility of switching to an individual curriculum, information, psychological, legal support for young families, and others. Universities are opening spaces for students’ children – mother-and-child rooms and short-term stay groups for children. Today, 205 of them are already functioning in 151 universities.
“Family is a source of strength for each of us and the foundation of a full-fledged society. That is why supporting the family, including student families, and preserving traditional family values is the most important part of our country’s state policy,” said Minister of Education and Science Valery Falkov.
The All-Russian Forum of Young Student Families is being held for the first time at the Gzhel State University, with the participation of families of young teachers and student families. Within the framework of the forum, the student family of Russia – 2025 – the absolute winner of the All-Russian competition “Student Families of Russia” will be announced.
In addition, Rosmolodezh, the Movement of the First, and other organizations and institutions in the field of youth policy are actively working to strengthen traditional spiritual and moral values among the younger generation and increase the prestige of the family.
“Young people are often concerned about how to combine their studies and professional development with parenthood. Rosmolodezh pays special attention to this, including within the framework of the national project “Youth and Children”, a modern infrastructure for young families is being created. Thematic programs are held at federal and regional forums. Thus, in May of this year alone, about 243 thousand families attended our events across the country. It is symbolic that the thematic shift “Family” of our flagship forum “Territory of Meanings” is launched on Family, Love and Fidelity Day. This shift caused a real stir – we received more than 4 thousand applications from young families, and today 100 families from different regions of Russia met at the forum to discuss how to preserve traditional values and bring back into fashion the creation of large families,” said the head of Rosmolodezh Grigory Gurov.
On behalf of Russian President Vladimir Putin, Rosmolodezh is implementing the Region for the Young program. Over the past two years, thanks to the program, spaces for young families have been created in 156 youth centers in 66 regions of Russia. This year, another 104 youth centers are planned to be renovated, and 94 next year.
In addition, a wide range of projects and programs are presented in which entire families can participate. Thus, in 2023, the year-round youth educational historical and cultural center “Istoki” was opened in the city of Pechory in the Pskov region and Sevastopol – this is the first year-round center that can be visited by families with children. This year, trips are planned, including for the families of military personnel and volunteers of humanitarian missions. Together with their parents, children study the history of their native family, conduct research and get acquainted with the military feat of their ancestors during the Great Patriotic War as part of the all-Russian competition “Family Memory”. The winners go on patriotic tours to places of military or labor glory of a relative.
Registration is open for the second season of the presidential platform competition “Russia – the Land of Opportunities” “It’s in Our Family”, which was launched in 2023 by the President of Russia during the open lesson “Conversations about the Important”, dedicated to Knowledge Day.
The Rodnye-Lyubinye family community of the Movement of the First and Rosmolodezh already unites more than 215 thousand families across the country, participants of the Movement of the First, their parents, grandparents. One of the key tasks for 2025 is to expand the community and involve students and young families in the work. This year, the community will continue to implement traditional events: summer gatherings of the Rodnye-Lyubinye family community in the Smolensk region, the Rodnye-Lyubinye family art quarter at the Tavrida.Art festival, and the Rodnye-Lyubinye all-Russian family forum.
Special nomination
Please note: This information is raw content obtained directly from the source of the information. It is an accurate report of what the source claims and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.
Source: Government of the Russian Federation – Government of the Russian Federation –
An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.
Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak held the eleventh meeting of the subcommittee on increasing the stability of the financial sector and individual sectors of the economy, where the situation in the sphere of housing construction was discussed.
The event was attended by Deputy Prime Minister Marat Khusnullin, Minister of Economic Development Maxim Reshetnikov, Minister of Energy Sergei Tsivilev, representatives of other federal government bodies, investment banks, organizations in the housing construction and coal industry sectors, as well as the Moscow city authorities.
“This industry requires close attention. It is necessary to discuss the current situation, the progress of implementing decisions already made, as well as the advisability of taking additional support measures,” said Alexander Novak, opening the meeting.
Participants examined in detail the dynamics of launching new projects, housing sales, issuing mortgage loans, as well as the financial and economic state of systemically important organizations operating in the industry.
Following the discussion, the Deputy Prime Minister instructed the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Economic Development, together with the Ministry of Construction, to work out the measures presented at the meeting to ensure the sustainability of the construction industry.
The members of the subcommittee also supported the initiative to expand the boundaries of the Bachatsky coal mine in the Kemerovo Region. This will allow maintaining the current level of energy coal production at the deposit and supporting the metallurgy market, whose enterprises consume the mine’s output.
In addition, at the meeting, based on proposals from industry departments, targeted adjustments were made to the list of systemically important organizations of the Russian economy.
Please note: This information is raw content obtained directly from the source of the information. It is an accurate report of what the source claims and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.
Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Hakeem Jeffries (8th District of New York)
Today, Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries appeared on MSNBC’s The Beat with Ari Melber where he emphasized that the Republicans’ Big Ugly Bill will gut healthcare and nutritional assistance for millions of hardworking Americans in order to pay for tax breaks for billionaires.
ARI MELBER: The Democratic Minority Leader, Hakeem Jeffries, joins us now. Good evening, and thanks for joining us at this very busy time.
LEADER JEFFRIES: Good evening. Great to be with you.
ARI MELBER: Great to have you. I want to just begin, before we get to any of the Washington politics, with this tragedy down in, of course, Kerr County, Texas. Death toll is over 100. As of tonight, we have the latest reporting, which is 161 people are still missing, including a lot of individuals that, of course, have not been accounted for and the worst is feared in terms of what we’re hearing. What is your response to this ongoing, unfolding tragedy that’s affecting so many? You know, what else can the federal government do?
LEADER JEFFRIES: Our thoughts and prayers are certainly with all of the families who’ve been impacted by this terrible tragedy, and we’ll continue to stand with them and do everything that we can to try to be there for them as a federal government in terms of the recovery and the rebuilding that will necessarily have to take place. Right now, we’re also appreciative, of course, of the fact that we have first responders who are still engaged in a search and rescue effort to try to hopefully find folks who have not been currently located. I think there will also be a moment where, as a Congress, we need to aggressively ask some questions about what happened? Why did it happen? How do we prevent this type of tragedy from ever happening again? There’s real concern, Ari, with the fact that, you know, the National Weather Service has been decimated by the Trump administration. There’s real concern that Donald Trump and his Homeland Security Secretary have threatened to defund FEMA. And there’s real concern that the Texas State Government may not have necessarily done everything that they could have done in advance of the flooding to protect those communities.
ARI MELBER: Is this, since you mentioned, an area where you think that defunding at the state or federal level could have played a part in an avoidable level of tragedy?
LEADER JEFFRIES: That remains to be seen, but certainly we have to ask those questions, and we’re going to have to get those answers, and we’re prepared as Democrats to aggressively do just that.
ARI MELBER: Yeah. Understood. We showed you speaking on the floor there fighting the budget, I guess you and Cory Booker, I don’t know if you guys trade tips in the hallway about how you go that many hours. And I want to ask you about this, you know. We try to call it straight here and follow the facts, the evidence on all these issues here on this program. And it seems like on this one, Democrats have lost a lot of public skirmishes. It seems like Democrats won the messaging battle, but still didn’t have the votes. So I want to get your response to that, but I’ll put up on the screen the numbers here. Just top line—you have a lot more debt, kicking off over 11 million people from their current health coverage, going after popular programs like Medicaid and, overwhelmingly, as you know, as people learned about this bill, the more they learned, the more they didn’t like it. It’s overwhelmingly opposed. Before I get your answer, I just want to show again. Let’s get out of the coastal national news, let’s get out of the television news of coming out of these, you know, folks who might follow politics every day. We checked the polling. This was going underwater 18 points. And local coverage has actually echoed some of the facts Democrats have mentioned against the bill. Take a look.
VIDEO 1: It’s going to be a big, beautiful challenge for hospitals.
VIDEO 2: Rural hospitals could face a loss of medical care and services. Millions of Americans who have Medicaid face losing their healthcare coverage.
VIDEO 3: They’re anticipating about 500,000 people will be cut, will have their Medicaid benefits cut from the Big Ugly Bill.
VIDEO 4: There is no spinning this as if there’s a positive thing.
ARI MELBER: Did you get your message out effectively? And if so, what do you say to people who are frustrated that the bill still passed?
LEADER JEFFRIES: Well, the One Big Ugly Bill represents the largest cut to Medicaid in American history. Hospitals will close, nursing homes will shut down, community-based health clinics will be unable to operate and people are going to die in community after community after community, including in rural America. I think it certainly has been the case that we have successfully communicated across the country the implications of this One Big Ugly Bill. It hurts everyday Americans in order to reward billionaires. And we’re going to continue that effort in state after state after state, in congressional district after congressional district after congressional district. The American people should understandably be frustrated that they clearly have rejected this bill, did not want it to be passed, but Republicans in the House of Representatives have decided to once again be nothing more than a rubber stamp for Donald Trump’s extreme agenda. All we needed were two additional Republicans to join us, and we could have stopped this bill, that’s out of 220.
ARI MELBER: And what does it mean that Republicans said out loud they oppose the bill, or big parts of it, and still voted for it?
LEADER JEFFRIES: I spent a lot of time on the House floor, going through a lot of the letters that had been written by my Republican colleagues complaining about the Medicaid cuts, complaining about the cuts to the clean energy tax credits, complaining about the cuts to nutritional assistance and the fact that this bill rips food out of the mouths of children and then they turned around and bent the knee to Donald Trump, because that’s what they do. They don’t work for the American people at this particular point in time. They work for Donald Trump. They act like a wholly owned subsidiary of the Trump administration. It’s an embarrassment. And now that embarrassment will actually result in the American people being hurt in devastating ways.
ARI MELBER: We also track culture. As you know, sometimes the punchlines give you a sense of where the story is. Here is Jon Stewart.
JON STEWART (VIDEO): Holly s*** you what? You somehow managed to severely cut the safety net and expand the deficit. That’s impressive. That’s one of those. ‘Hey man, how did you gain all that weight?’ ‘Ozempic.’ That’s something that’s hard to do.
ARI MELBER: Does this tag the GOP as the fiscally irresponsible party? And where do we go from here? I mean, you’re a pretty young guy by the standards of Washington. Are we going to hear from them when they’re out of power again in however many years that a Democratic White House is growing the deficit? Does that even make sense given their record right now?
LEADER JEFFRIES:Republicans are complete phonies when it comes to be claiming to be the party of fiscal responsibility. All they have done, administration after administration after administration—they did this during the administration of George W Bush. They did it during Ronald Reagan’s administration. And now, of course, they’re doing it again during Donald Trump’s second administration—is explode the debt and the deficit. Why? In order to provide massive tax cuts for the wealthy, the well-off and the well-connected and subsidize the lifestyles of the rich and shameless. Now you’ve got a bill where they actually have combined hurting everyday Americans, largest cut to Medicaid in American history, largest cut to nutritional assistance in American history, hurting veterans, hurting seniors, hurting children and at the same time, exploding the debt and the deficit. We are going to tattoo this disgusting abomination of a bill to the foreheads of every single Republican who voted for it.
ARI MELBER: Hardball tattoo politics there. All right. I want to ask you about the ongoing abuses of power alleged by Donald Trump. We’ve seen National Guard there in the streets. Democrats have sued over that. We have Marines used on a small basis, but seems like a test case. We have then, related, in the courts, although it might not get as much dramatic attention, certainly not the visuals like you see here. But this report about Trump claiming sweeping powers to literally nullify laws just passed by Congress, supported by Republicans, by the way. Legal experts telling The Times that Trump is claiming this power to immunize private parties to commit otherwise illegal acts and blatantly defying the recent TikTok rule, whether people agree with it or not, and I think you all know there’s some controversy about that TikTok ban. Since when does the President just say, well, we’ll enforce it later, or maybe not at all. And what specifically does your party do about that?
LEADER JEFFRIES: Well, Donald Trump has launched an all-out assault on the American way of life, on the rule of law and democracy itself. And this is going to require, of course, a Congress that actually functions as a separate and co-equal branch of government. We will not get that from the modern-day Republican Party, although we are still looking for some folks, just a handful, to show Liz Cheney or John McCain levels of courage to push back against the extremism that is coming from the Trump administration. We haven’t seen it so far, and that’s shameful, but we’ll continue to press them to try to achieve it on behalf of the American people. You know, the courts will need to function as a backstop. And unfortunately, we’ve seen, increasingly, an unwillingness by this Supreme Court to actually push back against Donald Trump and some of his executive overreach. At the end of the day, it was said during the founding of the Republic that when the people fear the government, there is tyranny. But when the government fears the people, there is liberty.
ARI MELBER: Yeah, of course. Yeah.
LEADER JEFFRIES: And at the end of the day, it’s going to be the people rising up, pushing back against this extremism, showing it in community after community after community and then, ultimately, when it’s time to go to the polls, to send a clear message that America is better than this.
ARI MELBER: So, let me take exactly where your answer goes. Someone listening might say, wow, that sounds good. I hope Hakeem Jeffries is right, but what if he’s wrong? What if we’re actually past the point where we can just count on free and fair elections when, as you know, and to be fair—you’ve spoken out about this, of course—the person in the office, he won lawfully, he won the Electoral College in what we know to be a free and fair election. But previously, when he lost, he tried to subvert that. We had a convicted sedition. He then freed the sedition convicts, as everybody knows. And so, there’s great concern about not a repeat of 2020, but a more effective version of it. And you’ve heard this concern. It’s not just random, sort of, activist or the most extreme sort of people worrying about it. James Carville, a longtime, sort of, centrist Democratic figure, said this about rigging the midterms.
JAMES CARVILLE(VIDEO): Actually, your concerns are legitimate. I would never tell anybody that’s worried that no, don’t you worry about that. He’s been trying to do anything that he can possibly to try to extricate himself from what is almost certain to be a humiliating loss in October, November of 2026. So, people should be worried, they should be vigilant, they should watch this.
ARI MELBER: Is this a legitimate concern? And if so, what are you doing about it?
LEADER JEFFRIES:We have to be incredibly vigilant to make sure that there are free and fair elections. I think we have to look at what’s in front of us. And this year, of course, there are off-year elections in New Jersey and in Virginia. We’ve got to make sure that the Democratic nominee, Mikie Sherrill, wins in New Jersey, the Democratic nominee, Abigail Spanberger, wins in Virginia. They’re both tremendous public servants, have served this country in a variety of different ways, including in the Congress. And then, of course, be prepared as it relates to the midterm elections. Now, the good news is—to the extent that there’s a silver lining in our electoral system—is that we don’t have a national election system. It’s state by state by state. And in many of the states where there will be competitive gubernatorial elections, and certainly in the overwhelming majority of the states where the House will be decided, there are Democratic Governors, Democratic Attorney Generals and Democratic Secretaries of State. I’d be far more concerned, honestly, Ari, if we were looking at a situation where the fate of the House would be determined in states where Republicans are in charge.
ARI MELBER: So, you’re saying—to be clear, because it’s a patchwork—you’re saying you’ve studied this, and if there are Republicans trying to play games, they’re not actually overseeing the races that you think would control the House outcome?
LEADER JEFFRIES: That’s absolutely correct. There are seats in New York, seats in New Jersey, seats in Michigan, seats in California, seats in Wisconsin, seats in Pennsylvania, seats in Arizona that, you know, by way of example, that are going to determine in large measure who controls the House in the aftermath of the midterm election. Every single one of those states have Democratic Governors, there are Democratic Attorney Generals, Democratic Secretaries of State. And so, that’s kind of the landscape that we find ourselves in. And I’ve got trust in those leaders to make sure that there are actual free and fair elections.
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
MG cars produced by Shanghai Automotive Industry Corp (SAIC) are parked next to the car carrier Anji Ansheng to be shipped in east China’s Shanghai on May 15, 2025. [Photo/Xinhua]
China’s passenger car sector recorded a double-digit growth in retail sales in June as the country’s policies to boost consumption continued to take effect, the China Passenger Car Association (CPCA) said on Tuesday.
Last month, retail sales of passenger cars in China grew by 18.1 percent year on year to exceed 2.08 million units, data from the CPCA shows.
The association attributed the strong increase to the impact of the national consumer goods trade-in program.
The country reaffirmed its support for the program last month, ensuring continued funding to sustain the government subsidy payment throughout 2025. The program, a key part of the country’s broader strategy to stimulate domestic consumption, encourages consumers to replace outdated products — such as home appliances and vehicles — with newer, more efficient models.
Last month, China produced 1.2 million new energy passenger vehicles, with retail sales exceeding 1.11 million units, representing year-on-year increases of 28.3 percent and 29.7 percent, respectively.
In the first six months of the year, retail sales of passenger cars exceeded 10.9 million units, increasing 10.8 percent year on year, according to the CPCA data.
Samsung Electronics today announced a global partnership with Warner Bros. and DC Studios to celebrate the latest “Superman” film with a series of fan activations, Superman-themed video content and limited-edition digital artworks from DC Comics via Samsung Art Store.
“Samsung is committed to creating a richer and more meaningful entertainment experience,” said Hun Lee, Executive Vice President of the Visual Display Business at Samsung Electronics. “Through collaborations with leading creative studios and artists, we continue to help people engage more deeply with the stories and character they love, whether in the theater or at home.”
“Superman,” the first film in DC Studios’ new cinematic universe, written, directed and produced by James Gunn, hits theaters worldwide starting July 9. To mark the release, Samsung is launching a global campaign with the tagline “It’s not just big. It’s super big,” spotlighting a range of campaign video content celebrating the original Super Hero and bringing the excitement of the film to audiences across digital platforms, retail locations and public spaces.
In London, the campaign will come to life through a series of Daily Planet-themed newsstand kiosks, appearing at high-traffic locations such as The Shard and Kings Cross Station.
Fans can also pick up limited-edition Superman-themed items, receive exclusive gifts and take part in a global social media challenge by sharing their event photos or videos for a chance to win super prizes, including a 98” Samsung TV.
Interactive activations will appear at major malls across Asia — including Malaysia, Vietnam and Korea — where fans can explore Superman-themed photo booths, immersive pop-up displays and hands-on product experiences.
Additionally, Samsung Art Store, the leading digital art platform on Samsung Art TVs, is featuring a limited-time 10-piece Superman digital art collection from DC Comics free to users from July 1 through August 31. Available on The Frame as well as 2025 QLED and Neo QLED models,1 the collection brings Superman’s heroic legacy into the home and gives fans a whole new way to enjoy Superman-inspired art.
Samsung’s Super Big TV lineup includes 98” 100” 115” Class options across Neo QLED and Crystal UHD models.2 With expansive screens, stunning picture quality and AI-powered enhancements that deliver smoother images and deeper contrast, Samsung aims to deliver a grander home entertainment experience.
For more information, visit www.samsung.com.
About Superman
DC Studios presents a Troll Court Entertainment/The Safran Company Production, A James Gunn Film, Superman, which will be in theaters and IMAX® July 9 2025, distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures.
1 Samsung Art TV includes MICRO LED, The Frame, The Frame Pro, Neo QLED 8K, Neo QLED and QLED models starting from Q7F and above.
2 Product availability vary by region.
Pharmac is making changes to improve access to some asthma inhalers and long-acting contraceptives from 1 August 2025.
“We’re making it easier for people to get the medicines they need, when and where they need them,” says Pharmac’s Acting Director Pharmaceuticals, Adrienne Martin. “These changes will help over 140,000 New Zealanders in the first year alone.”
From 1 August 2025, people using some strengths of budesonide with eformoterol inhalers will be able to receive three-months supply all at once, reducing the need for multiple pharmacy visits.
Some budesonide with eformoterol inhalers will also be available on a Practitioners Supply Order (PSO). This means doctors and nurses will be able to keep it in their clinic for emergency use, teaching and demonstrations. They will also be able to give it to people if accessing a pharmacy isn’t practical.
“These changes mean people can keep inhalers where they need them most – at home, work, or school – and learn how to use them correctly with support from their health care provider.
“People have told us these changes will make a real difference,” says Martin. “That they support better asthma management and align with updated clinical guidelines.”
Pharmac is also changing how IUDs and contraceptive implants are supplied. From Friday 1 August 2025, Mirena and Jaydess IUDs will be available on a Practitioners Supply Order (PSO), allowing doctors and nurses to provide them directly during appointments.
Pharmac is also increasing the number of Jadelle contraceptive implants available on PSO, reducing the number of stock orders clinics need to make, helping to save time – especially those with high patient volumes.
“These changes will improve access for over 21,000 people in the first year and align IUD access with other long-acting contraceptives,” says Martin. “People have told us that it will remove barriers, reduce delays, and allow for timelier and efficient care.”
Pharmac is improving access to some asthma inhalers and long-acting contraceptives for New Zealanders. These changes are the final decisions from last year’s funding increase.
For some asthma inhalers, Pharmac is making it easier for people to get the treatment they need by allowing three-months supply of some budesonide with eformoterol inhalers to be dispensed all at once. Some strengths of budesonide with eformoterol inhalers will be added to the Practitioners Supply Order (PSO) meaning people starting treatment or needing urgent care will also be able to receive an inhaler directly from their doctor or nurse.
For long-acting contraceptives, Pharmac is changing how intra-uterine devices (IUDs) and contraceptive implants are supplied. Mirena and Jaydess IUDs will be available on a Practitioners Supply Order (PSO), meaning they can be provided directly during appointments. Pharmac is also increasing the number of Jadelle implants available on PSO. This will reduce the number of stock orders clinics need to make, saving time – especially for high-volume providers.
Asthma is a very common and sometimes severe chronic lung disease characterised by inflammation, subsequent narrowing of the airways and reversible airway obstruction. The defining features of asthma include a history of respiratory symptoms such as wheezing, shortness of breath, chest tightness, and coughing that vary over time and in intensity, and variable expiratory airflow limitation.
Budesonide with eformoterol is one of a range of inhalers currently funded for the treatment of asthma.
Budesonide is a type of inhaled corticosteroid (ICS) and eformoterol is a type of long-acting beta adrenoceptor agonist (LABA). Combining these treatments in an inhaler has become the recommended maintenance and reliever treatment for a considerable number of people with asthma, as per the NZ Adolescent and Adult asthma Guidelines [PDF](external link).
Since the publication of the guidelines, the use of budesonide with eformoterol has increased substantially, with people shifting off salbutamol (a short-acting beta2 agonist, or SABA) only or inhaled corticosteroid plus salbutamol therapies (ICS/SABA).
The currently funded brands of budesonide with eformoterol combination inhalers are Symbicort Turbuhaler, DuoResp Spiromax (dry powder inhalers) and Vannair (metered dose inhaler).
We are only making changes to the 100/6 and 200/6 budesonide/eformoterol inhalers because these strengths are used in AIR and SMART therapies.
Pharmac is making changes to improve access to some asthma inhalers and long-acting contraceptives from 1 August 2025.
“We’re making it easier for people to get the medicines they need, when and where they need them,” says Pharmac’s Acting Director Pharmaceuticals, Adrienne Martin. “These changes will help over 140,000 New Zealanders in the first year alone.”
From 1 August 2025, people using some strengths of budesonide with eformoterol inhalers will be able to receive three-months supply all at once, reducing the need for multiple pharmacy visits.
Some budesonide with eformoterol inhalers will also be available on a Practitioners Supply Order (PSO). This means doctors and nurses will be able to keep it in their clinic for emergency use, teaching and demonstrations. They will also be able to give it to people if accessing a pharmacy isn’t practical.
“These changes mean people can keep inhalers where they need them most – at home, work, or school – and learn how to use them correctly with support from their health care provider.
“People have told us these changes will make a real difference,” says Martin. “That they support better asthma management and align with updated clinical guidelines.”
Pharmac is also changing how IUDs and contraceptive implants are supplied. From Friday 1 August 2025, Mirena and Jaydess IUDs will be available on a Practitioners Supply Order (PSO), allowing doctors and nurses to provide them directly during appointments.
Pharmac is also increasing the number of Jadelle contraceptive implants available on PSO, reducing the number of stock orders clinics need to make, helping to save time – especially those with high patient volumes.
“These changes will improve access for over 21,000 people in the first year and align IUD access with other long-acting contraceptives,” says Martin. “People have told us that it will remove barriers, reduce delays, and allow for timelier and efficient care.”
Pharmac is improving access to some asthma inhalers and long-acting contraceptives for New Zealanders. These changes are the final decisions from last year’s funding increase.
For some asthma inhalers, Pharmac is making it easier for people to get the treatment they need by allowing three-months supply of some budesonide with eformoterol inhalers to be dispensed all at once. Some strengths of budesonide with eformoterol inhalers will be added to the Practitioners Supply Order (PSO) meaning people starting treatment or needing urgent care will also be able to receive an inhaler directly from their doctor or nurse.
For long-acting contraceptives, Pharmac is changing how intra-uterine devices (IUDs) and contraceptive implants are supplied. Mirena and Jaydess IUDs will be available on a Practitioners Supply Order (PSO), meaning they can be provided directly during appointments. Pharmac is also increasing the number of Jadelle implants available on PSO. This will reduce the number of stock orders clinics need to make, saving time – especially for high-volume providers.
Asthma is a very common and sometimes severe chronic lung disease characterised by inflammation, subsequent narrowing of the airways and reversible airway obstruction. The defining features of asthma include a history of respiratory symptoms such as wheezing, shortness of breath, chest tightness, and coughing that vary over time and in intensity, and variable expiratory airflow limitation.
Budesonide with eformoterol is one of a range of inhalers currently funded for the treatment of asthma.
Budesonide is a type of inhaled corticosteroid (ICS) and eformoterol is a type of long-acting beta adrenoceptor agonist (LABA). Combining these treatments in an inhaler has become the recommended maintenance and reliever treatment for a considerable number of people with asthma, as per the NZ Adolescent and Adult asthma Guidelines [PDF](external link).
Since the publication of the guidelines, the use of budesonide with eformoterol has increased substantially, with people shifting off salbutamol (a short-acting beta2 agonist, or SABA) only or inhaled corticosteroid plus salbutamol therapies (ICS/SABA).
The currently funded brands of budesonide with eformoterol combination inhalers are Symbicort Turbuhaler, DuoResp Spiromax (dry powder inhalers) and Vannair (metered dose inhaler).
We are only making changes to the 100/6 and 200/6 budesonide/eformoterol inhalers because these strengths are used in AIR and SMART therapies.
The Government has activated an Enhanced Task Force Green (ETFG) in response to flooding in the Tasman and Marlborough districts. “Enhanced Task Force Green funding builds on the Government’s commitment to support those impacted by this event,” Minister for Social Development and Employment Louise Upston says. “The recent flooding has been a significant and adverse event damaging farms, homes, roads and bridges. “The ETFG programme puts job seekers to work where they will be of most help to the farmers and growers cleaning up their properties. This may include clearing debris, clearing fence lines and repairing buildings and waterways. “It also provides support to enable public assets such as community halls and gardens, playgrounds and public spaces to be returned to the same condition they were prior to the event. “Across the affected areas, damage assessments are being carried out. The Ministry of Social Development will work with agencies to make sure Enhanced Task Force Green assistance is provided as soon as possible to farmers and growers in need of this support. “We know these are resilient communities which are pulling together to help each other. ETFG is designed to support those efforts and to lend a hand.” Farmers and growers can self-register for clean-up help by contacting the Rural Support Trust on 0800 787 254. Local job seekers available to help with the clean-up effort can register their interest by emailing totsemploymentteam@msd.govt.nz or contacting Work and Income on 0800 559 009.
The Government has activated an Enhanced Task Force Green (ETFG) in response to flooding in the Tasman and Marlborough districts. “Enhanced Task Force Green funding builds on the Government’s commitment to support those impacted by this event,” Minister for Social Development and Employment Louise Upston says. “The recent flooding has been a significant and adverse event damaging farms, homes, roads and bridges. “The ETFG programme puts job seekers to work where they will be of most help to the farmers and growers cleaning up their properties. This may include clearing debris, clearing fence lines and repairing buildings and waterways. “It also provides support to enable public assets such as community halls and gardens, playgrounds and public spaces to be returned to the same condition they were prior to the event. “Across the affected areas, damage assessments are being carried out. The Ministry of Social Development will work with agencies to make sure Enhanced Task Force Green assistance is provided as soon as possible to farmers and growers in need of this support. “We know these are resilient communities which are pulling together to help each other. ETFG is designed to support those efforts and to lend a hand.” Farmers and growers can self-register for clean-up help by contacting the Rural Support Trust on 0800 787 254. Local job seekers available to help with the clean-up effort can register their interest by emailing totsemploymentteam@msd.govt.nz or contacting Work and Income on 0800 559 009.
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
HOHHOT, July 8 — China has made significant progress in reversing grassland degradation over the past five years, with degraded grasslands shrinking by an average of 50 million mu (approximately 3.33 million hectares) annually, officials announced Tuesday at a national conservation conference in north China’s Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region.
The country has maintained stable grassland vegetation coverage exceeding 50 percent while significantly reducing degraded areas. Strict legal enforcement has addressed nearly 30,000 violations nationwide since 2021.
Targeted measures successfully controlled overgrazing in key regions like Inner Mongolia, achieving balanced grassland-livestock capacity. Annual fresh grass production now surpasses 600 million tonnes nationwide.
Grass seed supply shortages have been largely resolved. Support policies now benefit over 16 million farming households, according to the conference, which noted that future initiatives will prioritize artificial grassland development, sustainable grazing management, and stricter protection policies to strengthen ecological security.
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
Japan secured a 6-1 victory over Hong Kong, China in the 2025 EAFF E-1 Football Championship, also known as the East Asian Cup on Tuesday.
Sun Ming Him (front) of China’s Hong Kong competes during the men’s match between China’s Hong Kong and Japan at the EAFF (East Asian Football Federation) E-1 Football Championship 2025 Final at Yongin Mireu Stadium in Yongin, South Korea, July 8, 2025. (Photo by Jun Hyosang/Xinhua)
The reigning champion opened the scoring just four minutes into the match when forward Ryo Germain found the net with a scissor kick volley. He scored four goals within 26 minutes, completing an impressive four-goal haul.
In the 20th minute, Sho Inagaki added to Japan’s tally with a powerful long-range strike. Hong Kong, China pulled one back in the 59th minute when Matt Orr headed home, marking the team’s return to scoring at the East Asian Cup after 22 years.
In stoppage time, Sota Nakamura scored Japan’s sixth to complete the rout.
The 2025 East Asian Cup is slated from July 7 to 16 in Suwon and Yongin of South Korea’s Gyeonggi Province, featuring four men’s teams: China, Japan, South Korea, and Hong Kong, China. Hong Kong, China will face host South Korea in their next match on Friday.
Source: United States Senator for Idaho James E Risch
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Jim Risch (R-Idaho), Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), and Bill Hagerty (R-Tenn.) led their colleagues in introducing the Equal Representation Act.
The legislation would ensure that only legal citizens are counted in determining Congressional districts and Electoral College map that determine presidential elections. Counting illegal immigrants toward voter apportionment dilutes the rights of Americans and creates a perverse incentive for open borders to boost the relative political power of states that court non-citizens.
“Democrats are undermining the rights of U.S. citizens by encouraging illegal immigrants to enter our country and skew congressional redistricting for political gain,” said Risch. “The Equal Representation Act requires that the Census Bureau include a citizenship question ensuring American values and voices take priority.”
“Only U.S. citizens should be included in Census Bureau counts to apportion congressional and Electoral College representation,” said Crapo. “This vital reform would prevent states like California and New York from padding their population totals with those here illegally to tip the scales and boost their political power in Washington, D.C.”
“It is unconscionable that illegal immigrants and non-citizens are counted toward congressional district apportionment and our electoral map for the presidency, which also heavily skews the seat count in the U.S. House of Representatives,” said Hagerty. “While people continue to flee Democrat-run cities, desperate Democrats have back-filled the mass exodus with illegal immigrants so that they do not lose their seats in Congress or their electoral votes, hence artificially boosting their political power and in turn diluting the power of other Americans’ votes. I’m pleased to lead my colleagues in reintroducing this legislation that would require a citizenship question on the census and will ensure that only citizens are counted in congressional redistricting.”
The Equal Representation Act is cosponsored by U.S. Senators Katie Britt (R-Ala.), Ted Budd (R-N.C.), Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.), Steve Daines (R-Mont.), John Hoeven (R-N.D.), Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), Jim Justice (R-W.Va.), James Lankford (R-Okla.), Mike Lee (R-Utah), Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.), Roger Marshall (R-Kansas), Pete Ricketts (R-Neb.), Eric Schmitt (R-Mo.), Rick Scott (R-Fla.), Tim Sheehy (R-Mont.), and Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.).
The Equal Representation Act would:
Require the Census Bureau to include a citizenship question in future censuses to provide a greater understanding of the U.S. population and delineate citizens and non-citizens for apportionment purposes;
Prohibit the counting of non-citizens for congressional district and Electoral College apportionment; and
Require the Census Bureau to publicly report on certain demographic data.
Year-on-year increase in new listings gives renters more choice of healthy homes.
The latest data from realestate.co.nz shows average rental prices are on the decline in the majority of regions across New Zealand. The national average rental price was $636 in June this year, down 2.7% from $653 in June 2024.
Renters in the capital had the greatest respite: Wellington’s average rental price dropped by a hefty 10.9% to $625 per week compared to $701 per week at the same time last year. Those renting property in Hawke’s Bay also experienced a greater than average drop in rental prices, down 6.6% from $677 in June 2024 to $632 this year.
Vanessa Williams, spokesperson for realestate.co.nz, says declining rental prices in a tough economic climate is welcome news for renters. “We know that any reduced cost, no matter how big or small, does make a difference for many household budgets.
Southern surge: average weekly rental prices increase in three key regions There’s no such respite for renters in the south. West Coast’s average weekly rental price of $433 is 9.1% higher than the same time last year ($396). The average weekly rental price in Otago has also increased, from $571 in June 2024 to $616 in June 2025, a year-on-year increase of 8.0%.
Southland’s average weekly rent of $489 in June was the region’s highest on record, 6.1% more than June 2024 ($461). It’s a continuing trend for the Southland property market, which also set an all-time asking price high for the second month in a row in the June 2025 New Zealand Property Market (ref. https://news.realestate.co.nz/blog/new-zealand-property-market-2025-june )
Williams says Southland’s performance has been an intriguing one to follow. “The region is certainly bucking the trend, for both home buyers and renters. It will be interesting to see what Southland’s property market does over the coming months as we move into spring.”
Lift in listings: tenants continue to be able to take their pick The positive news continues for renters, with 15.3% more new listings coming onto the market than a year ago. Gisborne, Hawke’s Bay, and Wellington are the top three regions with the greatest year-on-year increase in new listings, reporting 96.0%, 84.9% and 82.2% respectively.
Wellington’s 82.2% increase saw the number of new listings rise from 276 in June 2024 to 503 in June 2025; Waikato also saw a significant increase, rising from 479 in June 2024 to 647 in June 2025.
“Greater choice in the market is also keeping prices honest,” says Williams. “And, with the Healthy Homes deadline having now passed, renters should be assured that a new listing should also be Healthy-Homes compliant.”
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Dedicated only to property, our mission is to empower people with a property search tool they can use to find the life they want to live. With residential, lifestyle, rural and commercial property listings, realestate.co.nz is the place to start for those looking to buy or sell property.
Glossary of terms:
The average weekly rental rate is an indication of current market sentiment. It is calculated by taking the asking rental rate of every residential property listed during that month and dividing it by the total number of rental properties. The average is a truncated mean.
New listings are a record of all the new residential dwellings listed for rent on realestate.co.nz for the relevant calendar month. Listings on the site include rental properties listed by Property Managers and private landlords and provide a representative view of the New Zealand rental property market.
Stock is the total number of residential dwellings that are for rent on realestate.co.nz on the penultimate day of the month.
