Source: United States Senator Peter Welch (D-Vermont)
BURLINGTON, VT—Today the U.S. Supreme Court ruled to effectively deport more than 500,000 immigrants from Cuba, Nicaragua, Venezuela, and Haiti who fled war, political persecution, humanitarian crises, and failed economies to migrate lawfully to America through the humanitarian parole process. U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.) released the following statement:
“This decision by the Supreme Court is shameful and heartbreaking. More than 530,000 people who are making their lives in America, have families and careers in America, and are living in lawful status in America, will be forced to return to a country they fled,” said Senator Welch. “The Supreme Court and the Trump Administration are inflicting unconscionable hardship on these migrants, their families, their communities, and their workplaces by revoking legal status for no legitimate reason. It goes against everything America stands for as a country of refuge for immigrants.”
London, UK , May 30, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — KIS Finance has published a comprehensive article titled “The Trump Legacy: The Most Significant President,” offering a critical examination of the far-reaching effects of Donald Trump’s presidency on global economics, politics, and democratic institutions.
The article delves into the consequences of Trump’s aggressive trade policies, including the imposition of tariffs at levels not seen in nearly a century, which have sparked unprecedented trade wars and economic uncertainty worldwide. It highlights the resulting volatility in the U.S. dollar, a decline in foreign investment, and the erosion of trust in American financial markets.
Beyond economics, the piece explores the geopolitical shifts prompted by Trump’s foreign policy decisions, notably the retreat from traditional alliances and the inadvertent empowerment of rival nations like China. It also addresses concerns over democratic backsliding, citing instances of institutional undermining and the propagation of misinformation.
“The Trump Legacy” serves as a crucial resource for understanding the lasting implications of Trump’s leadership on the international stage. It underscores the importance of informed analysis in navigating the complexities of contemporary global affairs.
About KIS Finance
KIS Finance is a UK-based financial services company specialising in bridging loans and financial news analysis. Committed to providing insightful commentary on economic developments, KIS Finance aims to inform and guide readers through the evolving financial landscape.
Source: United States Senator Ben Ray Luján (D-New Mexico)
Washington, D.C. – Today, Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), along with Commerce Committee Ranking Member Maria Cantwell (D-WA), and Senator Ben Ray Luján (D-NM), sent the following letter to Commerce Secretary Lutnick and President Trump demanding that the Commerce Department immediately release the $42 billion allocated for the Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) Program.
Today, Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), along with Ranking Member of the Commerce Committee, Maria Cantwell (D-WA), and Ranking Member of the Senate Commerce Committee’s Subcommittee on Telecommunications and Media, Ben Ray Luján (D-NM), sent the following letter to Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and President Trump demanding the immediate release the $42 billion allocated for the Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) Program as part of the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. This program was designed to help our country on its path to creating universal access to high-speed internet – vital for remote work, education, job training and applications, telehealth, emergency services, and more. With the endless delays to get the crucial funding out the door and into American communities, 25 million people across our country risk going without access to the internet.
“States have spent years developing implementation plans under the BEAD program to reach every American with high-speed internet access. These plans reflect local needs, technical realities, and the bipartisan intent of Congress,” the Senators wrote. “States are ready to put shovels in the ground and have been waiting for months to get started connecting communities and building networks that will support the industries of tomorrow. Additional delays and onerous changes to the program at this stage threaten to further stall urgently needed deployment and leave communities behind.”
The Senators also noted that beyond everyday applications of high-speed internet, this money is also essential to ensuring that America is able to maintain its competitive edge over countries such as China. Al systems – including data centers, chip manufacturing facilities and more – require access to power and internet. Without proper broadband networks in place, communities will not be able to house these job-creating facilities. Our government must work to ensure that all areas in our country – especially rural ones – are able to contribute to America’s innovative edge and technological dominance. Without BEAD funding getting out the door, these rural communities risk falling either further behind.
States have spent months developing plans to break ground and build high-speed, scalable, and reliable networks everywhere. The Trump administration should not throttle this process or delay it just to give more money to the world’s richest man. The Senators urge the immediate and swift release of all BEAD program funding.
BEAD Grant Allocations By State
State
Amount
Texas
$3,312,616,455.45
California
$1,864,136,508.93
Missouri
$1,736,302,708.39
Michigan
$1,559,362,479.29
North Carolina
$1,532,999,481.15
Virginia
$1,481,489,572.87
Alabama
$1,401,221,901.77
Louisiana
$1,355,554,552.94
Georgia
$1,307,214,371.30
Washington
$1,227,742,066.30
West Virginia
$1,210,800,969.85
Mississippi
$1,203,561,563.05
Florida
$1,169,947,392.70
Pennsylvania
$1,161,778,272.41
Kentucky
$1,086,172,536.86
Wisconsin
$1,055,823,573.71
Illinois
$1,040,420,751.50
Arkansas
$1,024,303,993.86
Alaska
$1,017,139,672.42
Arizona
$993,112,231.37
Indiana
$868,109,929.79
Colorado
$826,522,650.41
Tennessee
$813,319,680.22
Oklahoma
$797,435,691.25
Ohio
$793,688,107.63
Oregon
$688,914,932.17
New Mexico
$675,372,311.86
New York
$664,618,251.49
Minnesota
$651,839,368.20
Montana
$628,973,798.59
Idaho
$583,256,249.88
South Carolina
$551,535,983.05
Kansas
$451,725,998.15
Nevada
$416,666,229.74
Iowa
$415,331,313.00
Nebraska
$405,281,070.41
Wyoming
$347,877,921.27
Puerto Rico
$334,614,151.70
Utah
$317,399,741.54
Maine
$271,977,723.07
Maryland
$267,738,400.71
New Jersey
$263,689,548.65
Vermont
$228,913,019.08
South Dakota
$207,227,523.92
New Hampshire
$196,560,278.97
Guam
$156,831,733.59
Hawaii
$149,484,493.57
Massachusetts
$147,422,464.39
Connecticut
$144,180,792.71
North Dakota
$130,162,815.12
Rhode Island
$108,718,820.75
Delaware
$107,748,384.66
District of Columbia
$100,694,786.93
Northern Mariana Islands
$80,796,709.02
American Samoa
$37,564,827.53
U.S. Virgin Islands
$27,103,240.86
The letter can be seen here and below.
Dear Sec. Lutnick and President Trump,
Congress created the Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) Program as part of the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act to finish the job of connecting everyone and building high-speed, scalable, and reliable networks everywhere. For six months, states have been waiting to break ground on scores of projects, held back only by the Commerce Department’s bureaucratic delays. If states are forced to redo or rework their plans, they will not only miss this year’s construction season but next year’s as well, delaying broadband deployment by years. That’s why we urge the Administration to move swiftly to approve state plans, and release the $42 billion allocated to the states by the BEAD Program.
Universal access to high-speed internet is essential for jobs, education, and telehealth—and also for the bandwidth-hungry innovation economy, from artificial intelligence and advanced robotics to smart manufacturing and semiconductor production. Further delay means 25 million Americans continue to wait for high-speed internet and the economic benefits it brings. It also means that we risk falling behind China, which is aggressively building out digital infrastructure to support its AI, advanced manufacturing, and semiconductor ambitions.
States have already developed plans to address these needs, and restarting or slowing down the process will only hold back progress. States must maintain the flexibility to choose the highest quality broadband options, rather than be forced by bureaucrats in Washington to funnel funds to Elon Musk’s Starlink, which lacks the scalability, reliability, and speed of fiber or other terrestrial broadband solutions.
High-speed, reliable, and scalable connectivity is essential for jobs, education, and telehealth. It’s also the backbone for the advanced industries of today and tomorrow. AI systems require massive volumes of data and low-latency networks to operate effectively. Data centers, smart warehouses, robotic assembly lines, and chip fabrication plants all depend on fast, stable, and scalable bandwidth. If we want these job-creating facilities built throughout the United States, including rural areas, we must ensure the infrastructure—including high-speed internet networks—is in place to support them. If we want AI developed and deployed in the United States, if we want to win the race for semiconductor dominance, if we want the next generation of manufacturing jobs to be created here, then we must act now—and we must build the high-speed, high-capacity networks those technologies demand.
States have spent years developing implementation plans under the BEAD program to reach every American with high-speed internet access. These plans reflect local needs, technical realities, and the bipartisan intent of Congress. States are ready to put shovels in the ground and have been waiting for months to get started connecting communities and building networks that will support the industries of tomorrow. Additional delays and onerous changes to the program at this stage threaten to further stall urgently needed deployment and leave communities behind.
We urge you to move forward with the submitted BEAD plans and deliver on the promise of the BEAD program without further delay. Every American and every community needs access to reliable, scalable, and high-speed internet if we are to remain the world’s innovation leader.
Source: United States of America – Department of State (video statements)
This week at State:
– Secretary Rubio announces new visa policies that put America first
– We recognize the sacrifice of our Nation’s fallen heroes on Memorial Day
– Ambassador Thomas Barrack is now Presiden Trump’s Special Envoy to Syria
– We warn U.S. citizens to not travel to Venezuela for any reason
———-
Under the leadership of the President and Secretary of State, the U.S. Department of State leads America’s foreign policy through diplomacy, advocacy, and assistance by advancing the interests of the American people, their safety and economic prosperity. On behalf of the American people we promote and demonstrate democratic values and advance a free, peaceful, and prosperous world.
The Secretary of State, appointed by the President with the advice and consent of the Senate, is the President’s chief foreign affairs adviser. The Secretary carries out the President’s foreign policies through the State Department, which includes the Foreign Service, Civil Service and U.S. Agency for International Development.
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Source: United States Senator for New Hampshire Maggie Hassan
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Maggie Hassan, a member of the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, and Jeanne Shaheen joined their colleagues in reintroducing the Strengthening Medicare and Reducing Taxpayer (SMART) Prices Act. This legislation would expand Medicare negotiation of drug prices to lower drug costs for consumers, reduce federal spending, and give the Department of Health and Human Services stronger tools to negotiate lower drug prices in Medicare Part B and Part D.
“In 2023, my colleagues and I took on Big Pharma and moved to help lower prescription drug costs by finally allowing Medicare to negotiate the price of medications. But rather than build upon this important work, the Trump Administration wants to add loopholes and exemptions that weaken this program and result in higher prices for patients,” said Senator Hassan. “This legislation rejects the Trump Administration’s handouts to Big Pharma and instead accelerates the drug price negotiation efforts that will help more people afford the medications that they need.”
“Granite Staters are having their budgets upended by the sky-high costs of the prescription drugs they need,” said Senator Shaheen. “I’m laser-focused on taking action to give families more breathing room in their household budgets and I’m proud of the progress we’ve made to lower prescription drug prices in recent years, but we have more work to do. The SMART Prices Act is common sense legislation that will expand our ability to take on Big Pharma and accelerate our work to bring health care costs down.”
According to preliminary estimates from a model by West Health and Verdant Research, if the SMART Prices Act was enacted in 2026, it would save 33 percent more by 2030 than current law. It would also allow Medicare to begin negotiations earlier and bring down the price of more expensive drugs.
This legislation builds on a provision that Senators Hassan and Shaheen worked with their colleagues to enact – passing into law in 2022 and beginning in 2023 – that has empowered Medicare to negotiate prescription drug prices for the first time, helping to lower the cost of prescription drugs for seniors in New Hampshire and across the country. The SMART Prices Act would extend this progress by more than doubling the number of prescription drugs Medicare must negotiate to a minimum of 50 per year, allowing the most costly prescription drugs and biologics to have negotiated prices five years after approval by the Food and Drug Administration, and by increasing the discount that Medicare is allowed to negotiate.
Senators Hassan and Shaheen are leading efforts in the Senate to lower health care costs and make essential medications more affordable. For instance, Senator Hassan recently reintroduced bipartisan legislation to streamline the approval process for generic drugs, which will help generics enter the market more quickly and lower prescription drug prices for patients. Senator Hassan also helped pass into law three bipartisan measures to increase access to generic and biosimilar medications, which are often cheaper than their brand name counterparts.
Source: United States Senator for Commonwealth of Virginia Mark R Warner
WASHINGTON – U.S. Sen. Mark R. Warner (D-VA), Vice Chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, joined by U.S. Sens. Ron Wyden (D-OR), a member of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) and Elissa Slotkin (D-MI), both members of the Senate Committee on Homeland Security & Governmental Affairs, wrote to Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem urging her to reestablish the Cyber Safety Review Board (CSRB) after the Trump administration dismissed members earlier this year.
The CSRB, established in 2022 under President Biden, convenes cybersecurity experts from across multiple government agencies and the private sector to investigate serious cybersecurity breaches and make recommendations for businesses, government agencies, and individuals to better protect themselves. In January of this year, the board was disbanded.
The senators wrote, “The CSRB played a vital role in U.S. national security carrying out post-incident reviews and providing information and making recommendations to improve public and private sector cyber security. Therefore, we urge you to swiftly reconstitute the Board with qualified leaders to shape our nation’s cyber response.”
In their letter, the senators highlighted the key work that CSRB has done to investigate some of the most serious cyber incidents our country has faced, including Salt Typhoon, a breach believed to be perpetrated by the People’s Republic of China (PRC) that compromised U.S. and global telecommunications infrastructure.
“Against the backdrop of repeated insistence by this Administration on the need to leverage private sector and external expertise in government, the decision to dismantle this successful collaboration between the federal government and the private sector is particularly confounding,” the senators continued. “The CSRB has spearheaded crucial fact-finding efforts following cyber incidents, and developed recommendations and reports reflecting lessons learned following some of the most serious cyber incidents of the past few years, such as the Microsoft Exchange Online intrusion, the SolarWinds hack, and most recently (until the CSRB’s dissolution) the Salt Typhoon campaign against U.S telecommunications infrastructure.”
The senators concluded, “As we have said before, inadequate cyber security practices put our economy, our national security and even lives at risk. The January dismissal of CSRB members, and continued uncertainty about the future role of the Board, has undermined cyber defense preparations for public and private entities across the United States. In this age of great innovation, we cannot afford to see our private or public systems compromised by malicious actors. You have had more than four months to reestablish this Board to conduct this critical work – DHS leadership and CISA must work together to immediately reinstate the Board as a crucial part of America’s cyber defense infrastructure.”
A copy of letter is available here and text is below.
Dear Secretary Noem:
We write to you today with regard to the need to act to reestablish the Cyber Safety Review Board (“CSRB” or “Board”). As members of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence or the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, we extremely concerned with ensuring that America’s intelligence community, law enforcement agencies, state and local governments, and businesses have access to the best tools and resources to prepare for, and protect themselves against, ongoing cyber threats facing our nation. The CSRB played a vital role in U.S. national security carrying out post-incident reviews and providing information and making recommendations to improve public and private sector cyber security. Therefore, we urge you to swiftly reconstitute the Board with qualified leaders to shape our nation’s cyber response.
As chartered, the CSRB is composed of 20 standing members, with additional members appointed on a case-by-case basis for the purpose of specific investigations. All members bring expertise from both the public and private sector, and are to be selected on the basis of significant professional and technical expertise and regardless of political affiliation. This structure serves to create a body with a deep well of cyber security capabilities and knowledge that can conduct thorough reviews of cyber incidents and provide trusted, fact-based recommendations on how businesses, individuals, and agencies across all layers of government can better protect themselves.
When building cyber security capabilities, the software and IT ecosystem benefits tremendously from transparent, accessible, and rigorous research and forensics. Against the backdrop of repeated insistence by this Administration on the need to leverage private sector and external expertise in government, the decision to dismantle this successful collaboration between the federal government and the private sector is particularly confounding.
The CSRB has spearheaded crucial fact-finding efforts following cyber incidents, and developed recommendations and reports reflecting lessons learned following some of the most serious cyber incidents of the past few years, such as the Microsoft Exchange Online intrusion, the SolarWinds hack, and most recently (until the CSRB’s dissolution) the Salt Typhoon campaign against U.S telecommunications infrastructure.
These comprehensive and incredibly fact-intensive investigations have provided invaluable transparency and lessons for the wider software and IT sectors. For instance, the CSRB’s review of the 2023 Microsoft cyber incident, recently cited by Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard when presenting the Annual Threat Assessment at the March 25, 2025 SSCI open hearing, identified several operational and strategic lapses that contributed to this intrusion, with recommendations around authentication, logging, and public communication around security incidents that benefited the entire ecosystem.
As we have noted, the CSRB had been actively investigating potentially the most expansive and impactful cyber security breach in U.S. history: the unprecedented compromises of U.S. and global telecommunications infrastructure by threat actors associated with the People’s Republic of China, widely referred to as “Salt Typhoon.” However, the CSRB’s investigation into the Salt Typhoon compromises of U.S. telecommunication firms, launched in 2024, was effectively terminated on January 20, 2025 and is depriving the public of a fuller accounting of the origin, scope, scale, and severity of these compromises. It is essential that the U.S. develop a complete and thorough understanding of the factors that contributed to the success of these intrusions – including clear root-cause analyses of each successful penetration – and present key recommendations for the telecommunications sector to better protect itself against similarly complex and large-scale compromises by future threat actors.
As we have said before, inadequate cyber security practices put our economy, our national security and even lives at risk. The January dismissal of CSRB members, and continued uncertainty about the future role of the Board, has undermined cyber defense preparations for public and private entities across the United States. In this age of great innovation, we cannot afford to see our private or public systems compromised by malicious actors. You have had more than four months to reestablish this Board to conduct this critical work – DHS leadership and CISA must work together to immediately reinstate the Board as a crucial part of America’s cyber defense infrastructure.
Thank you in advance for your prompt attention to this important issue. It is our hope that we can work together to continue developing a robust cyber security infrastructure that protects all Americans.
Sincerely,
Source: United States Senator Peter Welch (D-Vermont)
Welch on Trump’s Trade War: “From my perspective—and obviously the court’s perspective—he’s overreaching. He’s acting beyond the scope of authority that he has as the chief executive of our country.”
BURLINGTON, VT – U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.) joined CBC Radio One’s The Current to reflect on his recent trip to Ottawa, where he and a bipartisan Congressional Delegation discussed the trade war with Prime Minister Mark Carney and other Canadian leaders. In the interview, Senator Welch also reacted to the U.S. Court of International Trade’s ruling halting President Trump’s so-called ‘reciprocal’ global tariffs, and tariffs on Canada and Mexico.
Matt Galloway: “You have called Donald Trump’s tariffs on Canada, in your words, ‘really, really stupid.’ What did you make of this court ruling?”
Senator Welch: “Well, it’s welcome news. The reality is that in the United States, under our Constitution, a tariff is a tax, and the originating body has to be the Congress. The president has hijacked that authority, supposedly invoking emergency powers. I think that was bogus and that it has done a lot of damage. This court ruling says what I think is true: the president and executive, whether it’s Trump or anyone else, does not have the unilateral authority to arbitrarily and whimsically impose these tariffs without congressional approval.”
Galloway: “It’s interesting, this court has appointees from Ronald Reagan, Barack Obama, and Donald Trump. Do you think that the Trump Administration will abide by their decision?”
Welch: “Open question. As you said, when there is a court ruling the Trump Administration disagrees with, it accuses the judges of being unelected people who have no authority. Under our system of justice, and our constitutional order—the court—that is their job to make a determination as to whether a law or an action by the executive is within the bounds of the constitution. It’s ‘situation normal’ and ‘reaction normal’ from Trump. If he doesn’t like the decision, he says it’s bogus. He has disregarded many decisions, I think it’ll be tougher, on this one, for him to do so.”
■■■
Galloway: “As you said, this was a bipartisan group of Members that came to Ottawa, both Democrat and Republican. What is your sense as to how willing the parties are to work together when it comes to mending offenses?”
Welch: “Well, here’s the dilemma that we have—this is our problem: There’s widespread opposition to the tariffs, because—whether you voted for Trump, you voted for Harris—these tariffs are making your business running your business very, very difficult. But the reality, politically, for us right now is Trump continues to have a pretty iron grip on the Republicans in Congress. So, at a certain point, my Republican colleagues are going to have to decide whether they’re going to defer to the president or listen to the people they represent. Because whether you’re in a Republican state like North Dakota or…a Democratic state like Vermont, our businesses in both states, our hospitality industry, they’re being affected. And of course, Canada is a major trading partner for 34 states. It is for Vermont, but we’re one of 34 states. And this is something that is now integrated into the economies of 34 of our states, and really our country.
“These tariffs make absolutely no sense, and many of us are saying that. But Trump’s in charge, and from my perspective—and obviously the court’s perspective—he’s overreaching. He’s acting beyond the scope of authority that he has as the chief executive of our country.”
Listen to the episode here:
This week in Manchester, Senator Welch brought together Vermont businesses and manufacturers to hear directly how global tariffs and President Trump’s trade war are impacting them. The event was held at The Orvis Company. Read more about the event here.
Today, the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ), in consultation with the National Energy Dominance Council and relevant permitting agencies, issued a Permitting Technology Action Plan to modernize Federal environmental review and permitting processes for infrastructure projects involving roads, bridges, mines, factories, power plants and more.
The Permitting Technology Action Plan provides a government-wide strategy to optimize technology to effectively and efficiently evaluate environmental permits, allowing for seamless information exchange between agencies, simplified interactions for applicants, and greater transparency and predictability on environmental review and permitting schedules for sponsors and stakeholders.
The Permitting Technology Action Plan contains:
Minimum functional requirements for environmental review and permitting systems;
An initial National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and permitting data and technology standard;
A timeline and implementation roadmap for agencies; and
A governance structure for implementation.
This Permitting Technology Action Plan is a testament to the Trump Administration’s commitment to expediting and simplifying the environmental review and permitting process. It delivers on President Trump’s Memorandum, Updating Permitting Technology for the 21st Century, and follows the establishment of the Permitting Innovation Center. Working with the General Services Administration’s Technology Transformation Services, the CEQ-led Permitting Innovation Center will design and test prototype permitting technology systems in order to advise Federal agencies on the adoption of the best-in-class-tools.
“The Trump Administration is working tirelessly to implement innovation-driven environmental review and permitting reforms to eliminate needless delays that cripple the growth of the U.S. economy, replacing outdated technology with efficient, speedier solutions,” said Katherine Scarlett, Chief of Staff at the White House Council on Environmental Quality. “Through interagency coordination, this Administration has taken bold action to streamline the NEPA process and get America back to building infrastructure projects of all kinds.”
“Under President Trump’s leadership, we will ensure the Federal government is maximizing modern technologies to streamline permitting,” said Thomas Shedd, Technology Transformation Services Director at the General Services Administration. “Technology Transformation Services remains committed to supporting the execution of the Permitting Technology Action Plan by building the tools agencies can use to accelerate their environmental review and permitting processes – with results in weeks or months, not years.”
The solutions laid out in the Permitting Technology Action Plan will leverage technology to tackle longstanding problems identified in CEQ’s E-NEPA Report to Congress—including, reliance on outdated systems, fragmented data management, and disconnected digital tools—reinforcing this Administration’s unwavering dedication to deliver outstanding results at 21st century speeds.
“We need to drill more, map more, mine more, and build more — all while innovating faster than our global competitors,” said Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum.“The Permitting Technology Action Plan will channel our greatest asset, American innovation and technology, to overhaul our current permitting process and power our nation faster, better, cleaner, and more reliably than ever before. Embracing cutting-edge development and modernizing this outdated system will pave the way to American success.”
“With President Trump’s leadership, this administration is taking action to fix a broken system that’s slowing down critical energy projects across the country. Outdated permitting systems are creating costly delays at the exact moment we need to be expanding capacity, strengthening our energy security, and building the infrastructure that powers American industry and lowers costs for families,” said Secretary of Energy Chris Wright.“As Secretary of Energy and Vice Chair of the National Energy Dominance Council, I welcome this decisive action to modernize permitting technology, cut red tape, and align the full force of the federal government behind getting these essential projects approved and built—because energy dominance isn’t possible without the infrastructure to support it.”
“When President Trump says American farmers and ranchers have been the lifeblood of our economy for centuries, he means it. For too long, our producers have experienced delays and uncertainty as they navigate a complex permitting process that gets in the way of American innovation and stifles energy and timber production. This historic Memorandum will increase efficiency and transparency so farmers, foresters, and producers can get back to the work they do every day to feed, fuel, and clothe our nation,” said Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins.
“It takes too long to build in America,” said Secretary of Transportation Sean P. Duffy. “Ridiculous red tape and outdated regulations add cost and delays to projects. It has to stop. Thanks to President Trump’s leadership, we are slashing the bureaucracy and getting back to actually building things in America again. We are doing that by harnessing innovative technology to expedite the permitting process.”
“I applaud President Trump for his actions to streamline environmental reviews and permitting processes which will bolster American innovation and grow our economy. Pillar Three of my Powering the Great American Comeback Initiative is permitting reform, cooperative federalism, and cross-agency partnership and under President Trump’s leadership, EPA will leverage technology to maximize efficiency and maintain the quality of review while expediting permits for infrastructure projects. No longer will applicants face years-long, uncertain, and costly permitting processes. Instead, we will safeguard our environment and incentivize investment into our economy creating American jobs,” said Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency Lee Zeldin.
Luján Visits Las Cruces, Albuquerque, and Santa Fe; Holds Town Hall With Rep. Stansbury
New Mexico – U.S. Senator Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.) concluded a series of events across New Mexico this week, meeting with health care providers, seniors, families, and union members to highlight the impact of Republican efforts to cut Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, and SNAP.
This week, Senator Luján traveled from Las Cruces to Albuquerque to Santa Fe to speak directly with New Mexicans about what’s at stake and to reaffirm his commitment to protecting the essential programs that thousands of New Mexico families, children, seniors, and communities rely on
Candlelight Memorial Ceremony in Las Cruces
Senator Luján began the week on Monday by honoring fallen service members at the 12th Annual Candlelight Ceremony in Doña Ana County.
“On Memorial Day, we pause to remember the heroes who gave everything for our country. I was proud to stand with the community in Las Cruces to honor their service, their sacrifice, and their families,” said Senator Luján.
Roundtable on Republican Benefit Cuts in Las Cruces
At the Munson Senior Center on Tuesday, Senator Luján met with health care professionals, senior service providers, and AARP to discuss how Republican cuts would harm New Mexicans.
“We heard firsthand how Republican cuts would shut down clinics, rip away food and care, and leave families with nowhere to turn,” continued Senator Luján. “For seniors living on fixed incomes, for parents working to make ends meet, and for rural communities already facing barriers to care – these programs are lifelines. I will keep fighting in the Senate to stop these cuts and protect the dignity and well-being of every New Mexican.”
Town Hall with Representative Melanie Stansbury in Albuquerque
Tuesday evening, Senator Luján joined Rep. Melanie Stansbury for a town hall focused on threats to Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security, and SNAP.
“This Republican-led bill is a total rip-off for New Mexicans – all to line the pockets of people like President Trump and Elon Musk,” said Senator Ben Ray Luján. “The Republicans’ priorities couldn’t be more clear: tax handouts for billionaires and massive corporations, paid for by cutting health care, food assistance, and benefits for New Mexicans. We are not backing down.”
Health Care Roundtable at CHRISTUS St. Vincent in Santa Fe
Senator Luján met with health careleaders and providers to discuss the impact of federal budget cuts on care delivery, staffing, and rural access.
“Gutting Medicare and Medicaid would take health care away from those who need it most – especially in rural communities,” continued Senator Luján. “Providers are already stretched thin. These cuts would force closures, delay care, and put lives at risk. Our hospitals and health care workers need support, and I’ll keep fighting to make sure they get it.”
AFSCME and SNAP Labor Event in Santa Fe
Senator Luján concluded the tour with AFSCME union members, focusing on how GOP cuts to SNAP and public services would affect workers and families.
“AFSCME members keep our state running, and SNAP keeps families fed. These cuts are a direct attack on both,” said Senator Luján. “That’s why I’ve introduced legislation to strengthen the SNAP workforce because supporting workers means better service for families. I’ll always stand with New Mexico’s workers and the communities they serve.”
Throughout the statewide tour, Senator Luján underscored the devastating impact of the GOP budget proposal that slashes health and nutrition programs, raises costs for New Mexicans, and adds to the national debt – all to fund massive tax handouts for the wealthiest Americans and corporate interests.
CHNV was an unlawful scheme to unleash over 530,000 poorly vetted aliens into America
WASHINGTON – The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) secured a legal victory in its effort to terminate parole for more than 530,000 illegal aliens from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela (CHNV) who were released into the country by the Biden Administration. The U.S. Supreme Court issued a 7-2 order, staying a District Court’s order pending appeal with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit.
With this decision, DHS can once again start removing illegal aliens under the disastrous CHNV parole programs as the case progresses. This order comes after an activist judge ruled that DHS could not outright end the CHNV program.
DHS released the following statement on the Supreme Court’s decision to allow the Trump Administration to keep Americans safe:
Statement Attributable to Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin
“Today’s decision is a victory for the American people. The Biden Administration lied to America. They allowed more than half a million poorly vetted aliens from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela and their immediate family members to enter the United States through these disastrous parole programs; granted them opportunities to compete for American jobs and undercut American workers; forced career civil servants to promote the programs even when fraud was identified; and then blamed Republicans in Congress for the chaos that ensued and the crime that followed,”
“Ending the CHNV parole programs, as well as the paroles of those who exploited it, will be a necessary return to common-sense policies, a return to public safety, and a return to America First.”
“For the past several days in New York’s 10th Congressional District in Lower Manhattan, masked, plain-clothes Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers have been stationed in the lobby of the federal building that houses immigration court in order to arrest immigrants coming out of court so they can be deported on an expedited basis. These arrests are part of a coordinated effort within the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) where DHS lawyers move to dismiss deportation proceedings against these immigrants – most of whom do not speak English nor have legal representation — in order to place them in a different, “expedited” deportation proceeding.
“In effect, instead of targeting convicted criminals as the Trump Administration has repeatedly said, DHS is using these immigrants’ good faith efforts to appear in court and follow proper procedures to surprise them with an end-run around the law to tear them away from their families and communities via immediate detention and deportation.
“The immigrants attending their court hearings are doing exactly what the law asks of them: they are showing up, complying with the process, following our laws and going through the immigration system the right way, often asserting their legal right to seek asylum – which is a lawful pathway to enter this country. However, it appears DHS is exploiting a procedural technicality to fast-track deportations far away from the border where this authority is primarily used.
“Today, I confronted these masked ICE officers after they detained multiple immigrants in the lobby of the federal building that also contains my Manhattan District Office. These officers were carrying printed-out papers with immigrants’ names and faces, wearing masks, and attempting to intimidate reporters on site – all while avoiding questions I asked them as a duly-elected Member of Congress carrying out my oversight responsibilities as a member of the Homeland Security Committee.
“We are a nation of immigrants, founded by successive waves of people from across the world seeking the American dream and the promise it offers. These egregious, authoritarian tactics by the Trump administration stand in stark contrast to our values as a nation, founded upon the rule of law and due process for all.”
Congressman Goldman: “This is Gestapo-like behavior where plain-clothed officers, wearing masks, are terrorizing immigrants who are doing the right thing by going to court, following up on their immigration proceedings, and trying to come into this country lawfully, which is through asylum.”
Congressman Dan Goldman (NY-10) today held an emergency press conference after witnessing and confronting masked ICE agents detaining immigrants attending routine immigration court appearances in the lobby of his 290 Broadway Manhattan district office. The press conference followed Congressman Goldman attending an immigration court proceeding this morning at the Executive Office for Immigration Review New York – Broadway Immigration Court in Manhattan where ICE agents have been detaining both immigrants and observers, including a pastor from Queens.
VIDEO: The event is available to stream on Youtube and can be downloaded HERE
PHOTOS: Photos of the event can be found HERE
A rush transcript of the Congressman’s remarks is available below:
Dan Goldman: We’re standing in front of 290 Broadway, which is a federal building where my district office is and where immigration court is. Today, I had the opportunity to both observe immigration court and observe plainclothes officers wearing masks, arresting and detaining immigrants who were here to appear in front of a judge as part of their court case.
The Department of Homeland Security has implemented, over the last week, a coordinated effort to do an end run around our legal system in order to remove nonviolent, non-criminal immigrants trying to come into this country through a lawful pathway of immigration proceedings, and in many cases, asylum proceedings.
By recommending dismissal of their cases, the Department of Homeland Security is essentially taking jurisdiction away from the court, removing the asylum application from going forward, and then allowing the immigration agents to arrest these people and put them in a deportation proceeding under a different authority than the one that they just dismissed, which has fewer rights and applies in very few circumstances.
This is Gestapo like behavior where plain-clothed officers, wearing masks, are terrorizing immigrants who are doing the right thing by going to court, following up on their immigration proceedings, and trying to come into this country lawfully, which is through asylum.
I observed the courtroom today, where there was one proceeding where the Department of Homeland Security moved to dismiss the case judge granted dismissal. The gentleman left the courtroom and then was arrested.
As I was leaving the courtroom, there were about 15 other people there, and I asked if anyone spoke English. There wasn’t a single person who spoke English. There did not appear to be a single lawyer there representing them.
These are routine appearances. They’re updates. They’re administrative. There is no reason for anyone to have expected anything unusual to happen today. And yet they’re ripped away from their families, from their communities, even though they’re trying to do the right thing and pursue the American dream as so many of us and our ancestors have.
I was a federal prosecutor for ten years right there. I worked with the Department of Homeland Security. I worked with ICE agents. I worked with Homeland Security Investigations. I have never seen any plainclothes officer wearing a mask.
And, when I asked them, ‘Why are you wearing a mask?’ One person told me, ‘Because it’s cold.’ I asked him if he would testify to that under oath, and he walked away and wouldn’t respond to me.
Another person admitted that they were wearing masks so that they are not caught on video. And my question to them is: ‘if what you are doing is legitimate, is lawful, is totally aboveboard, why do you need to cover your face?’
Law enforcement officers do not cover their faces. And in fact, the Trump administration is cracking down on universities for allowing protesters to wear masks. So, apparently it is not okay to wear a mask if you are protesting the government, but it is okay if you are the government.
This is not America. This is not who we are. And if you are a violent criminal, if you’re a convicted criminal, then you should be deported. I 100% agree with that. But these people are doing it the right way. They’re not criminals. They’re not murderers. They’re not rapists. They’re trying to seek a better life. They’re trying to escape horrific conditions at home and come to this great democracy and pursue the American dream. This is not who we are.
This is not how our government should behave. And we will continue to demand answers from the Department of Homeland Security about what they are doing, why they are doing it, and why they are doing this end run around the legal process.
Veterans across the United States will gather on June 6, 2025, to protest the Trump administration’s cuts to the Department of Veterans Affairs, as well as the slashing of staff and programs throughout the government. Veteran-led protests will be held at the National Mall, 16 state capitol buildings and over 100 other venues across 43 states.
Veterans also depend on comprehensive, free, federally funded health care through VA clinics throughout the country. But that care is deteriorating due to cuts, rule changes and return-to-work policies that make it impossible for many VA workers to effectively provide care.
Looming cuts to the VA may cause an irreversible blow if the VA stops providing comprehensive care to veterans and, instead, pushes veterans into seeing doctors in private practice.
This is not the first time that veterans have engaged in mass mobilization. Veterans groups in the U.S. have successfully mobilized for centuries, crossing traditional political divisions such as race, class and gender. They are powerful messengers, and their actions in the past have helped secure back pay and pensions for veterans, a Social Security and welfare system for U.S. civilians, and foreign policy changes to end wars abroad.
I’m a scholar of law, social movements and veterans benefits. Here’s a brief history of veterans’ campaigns that illustrates how veterans developed their political clout and effectively advocated to protect themselves, and many others, from harmful federal policies.
Veterans are an important political constituency. On Nov. 7, 1932 – the day before Election Day – Franklin D. Roosevelt, the New York governor running for president, visited the veterans hospital at Castle Point, near Beacon, N.Y. Bettman/Getty Images
After the Revolutionary War ended in 1783, Gen. George Washington lobbied Congress to offer lifetime half-pay to officers who served until the end of the war. Given the federal government’s financial precariousness at the end of the war, this effort failed. Veterans were unable to successfully mobilize to advocate for the pensions, given their small numbers and internal divisions between more privileged officers and less privileged soldiers.
During the Civil War, Congress passed numerous laws designed to support veterans. The 1862 pension law allocated payouts in proportion to a soldier’s permanent bodily injury or disability caused by their service. The benefits were generous in comparison with prior allocations, and more veterans began applying for them.
Yet, by 1875 only 6.5% of veterans had signed up for pensions. Veterans began to organize to increase awareness about these benefits and to lobby for more.
The Grand Army of the Republic became a leading veterans organization that demanded better pension and disability benefits. At the end of the 1800s, earning veterans’ votes became a priority for aspiring politicians. The Grand Army of the Republic directly lobbied Congress to pass bills expanding veterans pensions, one of which Democratic President Grover Cleveland vetoed in 1887.
The organization then successfully mobilized its members to vote against Cleveland in the 1888 election, securing victory for presidential candidate William Henry Harrison and for Republicans in both houses of Congress. This secured the 1890 Arrears Act, which expanded veterans’ pensions and disability payments.
As more veterans returned in 1898 from fighting in the Spanish-American War, and with a huge influx of veterans 20 years later from World War I, veterans mobilized to streamline and expand pension and disability benefits.
In the 1920s, the two most prominent veterans organizations, the American Legion and Veterans of Foreign Wars, or VFW, formed a national legislative committee dedicated to lobbying for improved benefits. Each group boasted thousands of members whom they could call on to “barrage”– a veterans term – congressmen with letters. By 1929, even as the federal budget ballooned, veterans benefits still represented 20% of the total federal budget.
The 1924 “Bonus Act,” which Congress passed after overruling Calvin Coolidge’s presidential veto, offered WWI veterans a deferred “bonus” payment available in 1945. But veterans suffered immensely in the Great Depression, along with the rest of the country.
Veterans tried a new campaign tactic in 1932, creating the “Bonus Expeditionary Forces,” or “Bonus Army,” march on Washington, D.C., to demand their promised pay be delivered sooner.
Over the course of three months, from May through July 1932, 40,000 veterans set up encampments throughout the city. During their stay, they crowded congressional galleries and plazas during debates on the bill. When President Herbert Hoover called on the military to disband the encampments, he set himself up for electoral defeat later that year.
It took another four years for Congress to pass a law offering an immediate payout, but the veterans got their bonuses in 1936, not 1945.
Campaigning to prevent cuts
Building from public support bolstered by the Bonus Army march, veterans fought publicly to protect their benefits in the Great Depression.
A 1933 VFW encampment in Milwaukee attracted 10,000 veterans who openly decried Roosevelt’s economic policies. The event featured left-wing Louisiana populist Sen. Huey P. Long and former Marine turned anti-Wall Street populistSmedley Butler.
The U.S. entered World War II in December 1941. To avoid another spectacle, FDR began developing a compensation program for World War II veterans even before the war’s end. During debates about these expenditures, veterans activism helped ensure the generous educational, housing and vocational benefits from the so-called GI Bill developed by FDR, and the soldier vote helped secure FDR’s fourth-term election in 1944.
Scholars credit the GI Bill with creating a booming U.S. economy from the 1950s through the 1970s and creating the contemporary middle class, an economic and social group now shrinking and under threat.
Beyond benefits
Vietnam veterans hold a silent march down Pennsylvania Avenue past the White House on April 22, 1971, to protest the Vietnam War. Bettman/Getty Images
After World War II, veterans’ mobilization expanded from a focus on benefits to foreign policy.
Most famously, after its founding in 1967, Vietnam Veterans Against the War engaged in street theater and gathered testimonies about U.S. military abuses to condemn the U.S. government for violence against the Vietnamese.
Vietnam Veterans Against the War helped organized a four-day protest in 1971 in Washington, D.C., including camping on the National Mall. The organization continued to mobilize in more traditional ways, drafting congressional legislation for benefits and promoting investment in psychological support for Vietnam veterans.
Veterans have continued to protest wars, particularly the Iraq War, engaging in street protests and also through mainstream politics such as elections and television advertising.
Given their experiences, veterans today know what they are standing up for on June 6: their own freedom and prosperity, as well as the country’s and the world’s.
Jamie Rowen receives funding from National Science Foundation.
SACRAMENTO — In a callous moment during a townhall this morning, Republican U.S. Senator Joni Ernst shrugged off the devastating human toll of President Donald Trump’s proposed plan to fund tax breaks for the rich by gutting Medicaid and food assistance — saying, “Well, we all are going to die” when warned by her own constituents that slashing these programs would cost lives.
Unfortunately, she’s right about one thing: people will die if President Trump’s Big Ugly Bill becomes law. President Trump’s bill is an all-out assault on America’s safety net, targeting the most vulnerable communities in every state, including California.
Here are 6 catastrophic cuts in the bill that would do real damage to Californians:
❌ Eliminate coverage for up to 3.4 million Californians, largely among those covered under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) expansion
❌ Cut at least $22 billion in federal Medicaid funding by imposing burdensome job loss penalties on low-income adults
❌ Punish states like California that use state funding to cover undocumented residents for non-emergency benefits by slashing federal support by at least $4 billion annually
❌ Restrict vital funding mechanisms, such as provider taxes and certain other payments that support hospitals and providers across California, that would result in the loss of billions of dollars
❌ Shut down nonprofit providers like Planned Parenthood by cutting them off from Medicaid funding
❌ Cut federal funding for SNAP in California by at least $2.3 to $4.9 billion annually, with at least 250,000 recipients likely to lose this benefit
Governor Gavin Newsom recently spoke about the impacts of the Big Ugly Bill on the MeidasTouch Network: “No state, incidentally, has more to lose on that. 3.4 million Americans will lose support if that bill passes in its existent form in the United States Senate, here in California.”
Press releases, Recent news
Recent news
May 30, 2025
News What you need to know: With unprecedented speed, Governor Newsom is today announcing the availability of $800 million in competitive grant funding as part of Proposition 1 Bond Behavioral Health Continuum Infrastructure Program (BHCIP) Round 2 to develop a wide…
May 30, 2025
News What you need to know: CAL FIRE is awarding $72 million to projects across the state that help reduce catastrophic wildfire risk across California. Governor Newsom also announced 13 vegetation management projects spanning nearly 7,000 acres have already been…
May 29, 2025
News What you need to know: California is launching CalHeatScore – a groundbreaking tool to help protect vulnerable populations from dangerous heatwaves. The state’s new tool provides localized warnings and resources for extreme heat events. Governor Newsom is also…
Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal (7th District of Washington)
SEATTLE, WA – U.S. Representative Pramila Jayapal (WA-07), Ranking Member of the Immigration Integrity, Security, and Enforcement Subcommittee, issued the following statement in response to the Trump administration’s latest attempt to coerce states and localities to enforce their cruel immigration policies:
“This is just the latest unlawful attempt by the Trump administration to coerce states and localities like Washington state into enforcing its chaotic and harmful immigration policies that kidnap and disappear U.S. citizens, mistakenly deport people with lawful status, and attempt to trample due process rights for everyone. States and localities across this country should not let themselves be bullied.
“In 2019, I was proud to see my home state of Washington pass the Keep Washington Working Act with bipartisan support. It is a commonsense law to ensure that local police remain focused on public safety rather than enforcing federal immigration law.
“We know that when local police act as immigration agents, it destroys the trust police rely on to preserve public safety in communities and results in immigrants not reporting crime or feeling safe enough to help prosecute crime. Courts have ruled multiple times that states have the right to enact laws like the Keep Washington Working Act. This is just further unlawful overreach from an authoritarian administration.”
Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Randy Weber (14th District of Texas)
Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Rep. Randy Weber (TX-14) applauded Secretary of Energy Chris Wright’s announcement granting final authorization for liquefied natural gas (LNG) exports to non-free trade agreement (non-FTA) countries from Port Arthur LNG Phase II in Port Arthur, Texas.
“Our region is once again leading the way in American energy dominance,” said Rep. Weber. “Thanks to President Trump and Secretary Wright, the LNG export project in Port Arthur is finally moving forward, something the previous administration stalled and obstructed at every turn,” said Rep. Weber. “The Gulf of America is the beating heart of America’s LNG industry, and Southeast Texas is proud to fuel freedom around the world. Instead of leaving our allies dependent on hostile foreign regimes, we’re now exporting clean, reliable, American-made LNG. This is a huge win for energy security, American jobs, and our national interest.”
Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Paul Tonko (Capital Region New York)
ALBANY, NY — Congressman Paul D. Tonko released the following statement lambasting the Trump administration for forcing a nationwide pause in operations of the Job Corps. The decision, announced by the Department of Labor yesterday, will impact more than 25,000 students nationwide, including hundreds of Capital Region residents at the local Glenmont Job Corps Center.
“The decision to set a nationwide pause on the Job Corps program is as irrational as it is heartless. Job Corps offers essential training to help our new and future workforce learn, grow, and succeed in their chosen field of work.
“Helping young people develop the skills they need to pursue a path towards a good career is the exact opposite of “waste, fraud, and abuse.” With this erratic, thoughtless action, the Trump administration has kicked tens of thousands of students out of their homes and to the curb — including many in our Capital Region — and punished them for simply trying to better themselves.
“This pause not only harms young students — it harms our communities as well. In the Town of Bethlehem, Job Corps workers help the Highway Department build safe roads and keep streets clear of yard waste. Without assistance provided from Job Corps workers, the Town would likely have to cut back on essential services.
“I vehemently oppose this decision, and I will work with bipartisan partners in Congress to undo this pause and ensure that Job Corps can continue its essential mission.”
COLUMBUS, Ohio – A federal grand jury charged a Mexican national with federal immigration and drug crimes, as well as assaulting a federal officer.
Jose Adin Benjume-Gutierrez, 45, is charged in a three-count indictment that was filed this morning.
According to the indictment, on Feb. 3, Benjume-Gutierrez intentionally and forcibly assaulted a special agent of the federal government. Specifically, the defendant assaulted an agent with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).
It is further alleged that, in April, the defendant distributed cocaine.
Benjume-Gutierrez had been previously deported from the United States in 2011 and 2016.
If convicted as charged, the defendant faces up to 20 years in prison for distributing cocaine and assaulting a federal officer, and up to two years in prison for illegally reentering the United States.
Kelly A. Norris, Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; Jared Murphey, acting Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Detroit; and Robert Lynch, Field Office Director, ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) Detroit Field Office; and Franklin County Sheriff Dallas Baldwin announced the charges. Assistant United States Attorney Tyler J. Aagard is representing the United States in this case.
This case was investigated and prosecuted by the Southern District of Ohio Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) as part of Operation Take Back America. HSTFs, which were established by President Trump in Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion, are joint operations led by the Department of Justice and the Department of Homeland Security. Operation Take Back America is a nationwide federal initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
An indictment merely contains allegations, and defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.
Universities around the world are seeking to offer refuge for students impacted by U.S. President Donald Trump’s crackdown on academic institutions, targeting top talent and a slice of the billions of dollars in academic revenue in the United States.
Osaka University, one of the top ranked in Japan, is offering tuition fee waivers, research grants and help with travel arrangements for students and researchers at U.S. institutions who want to transfer.
Japan’s Kyoto University and Tokyo University are also considering similar schemes, while Hong Kong has instructed its universities to attract top talent from the United States. China’s Xi’an Jiaotong University has appealed for students at Harvard, singled out in Trump’s crackdown, promising “streamlined” admissions and “comprehensive” support.
Trump’s administration has enacted massive funding cuts for academic research, curbed visas for foreign students – especially those from China – and plans to hike taxes on elite schools.
Trump alleges top U.S. universities are cradles of anti-American movements. In a dramatic escalation, his administration last week revoked Harvard’s ability to enrol foreign students, a move later blocked by a federal judge.
Masaru Ishii, dean of the graduate school of medicine at Osaka University, described the impact on U.S. universities as “a loss for all of humanity”.
Japan aims to ramp up its number of foreign students to 400,000 over the next decade, from around 337,000 currently.
Jessica Turner, CEO of Quacquarelli Symonds, a London-based analytics firm that ranks universities globally, said other leading universities around the world were trying to attract students unsure of going to the United States.
Germany, France and Ireland are emerging as particularly attractive alternatives in Europe, she said, while in the Asia-Pacific, New Zealand, Singapore, Hong Kong, South Korea, Japan, and mainland China are rising in profile.
SWITCHING SCHOOLS
Chinese students have been particularly targeted in Trump’s crackdown, with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Wednesday pledging to “aggressively” crack down on their visas.
More than 275,000 Chinese students are enrolled in hundreds of U.S. colleges, providing a major source of revenue for the schools and a crucial pipeline of talent for U.S. technology companies.
International students – 54% of them from India and China – contributed more than $50 billion to the U.S. economy in 2023, according to the U.S. Department of Commerce.
Trump’s crackdown comes at a critical period in the international student application process, as many young people prepare to travel to the U.S. in August to find accommodation and settle in before term starts.
Dai, 25, a Chinese student based in Chengdu, had planned to head to the U.S. to complete her master’s but is now seriously considering taking up an offer in Britain instead.
“The various policies (by the U.S. government) were a slap in my face,” she said, requesting to be identified only by her surname for privacy reasons. “I’m thinking about my mental health and it’s possible that I indeed change schools.”
Students from Britain and the European Union are also now more hesitant to apply to U.S. universities, said Tom Moon, deputy head of consultancy at Oxbridge Applications, which helps students in their university applications.
He said many international students currently enrolled at U.S. universities were now contacting the consultancy to discuss transfer options to Canada, the UK and Europe.
According to a survey the consultancy ran earlier this week, 54% of its clients said they were now “less likely” to enrol at an American university than they were at the start of the year.
There has been an uptick in applications to British universities from prospective students in the U.S., said Universities UK, an organisation that promotes British institutions. It cautioned, however, that it was too early to say whether that translates into more students enrolling.
REPUTATIONAL EFFECTS
Ella Ricketts, an 18-year-old first year student at Harvard from Canada, said she receives a generous aid package paid for by the school’s donors and is concerned that she won’t be able to afford other options if forced to transfer.
“Around the time I was applying to schools, the only university across the Atlantic I considered was Oxford… However, I realised that I would not be able to afford the international tuition and there was no sufficient scholarship or financial aid available,” she said.
If Harvard’s ability to enrol foreign students is revoked, she would most likely apply to the University of Toronto, she said.
Analytics firm QS said overall visits to its ‘Study in America’ online guide have declined by 17.6% in the last year — with interest from India alone down over 50%.
“Measurable impacts on enrolment typically emerge within six to 18 months. Reputational effects, however, often linger far longer, particularly where visa uncertainty and shifting work rights play into perceptions of risk versus return,” said QS’ Turner.
That reputational risk, and the ensuing brain drain, could be even more damaging for U.S. institutions than the immediate economic hit from students leaving.
“If America turns these brilliant and talented students away, they will find other places to work and study,” said Caleb Thompson, a 20-year-old U.S. student at Harvard, who lives with eight international scholars.
Source: The Conversation – UK – By Dafydd Townley, Teaching Fellow in US politics and international security, University of Portsmouth
The American Revolution was a result of the tyranny experienced by colonists under the British monarchy. Many Americans had fled from Europe where they had been persecuted under the rule of powerful monarchs. The government produced by the revolution was designed to ensure no such tyranny could be reproduced in the newly formed United States.
The framers of the constitution created a checks-and-balances system of government to ensure that no single branch of the federal government (executive, judicial or legislative) could dominate the others. Each branch has powers to curtail or empower the others.
However, some Americans are concerned about a return of absolute rule due to the steps taken by Donald Trump’s second administration. This has sparked around 100 “no kings” protests all over the US, organised to coincide with Trump’s birthday on June 15.
Increasing presidential power
The second Trump administration has made a determined effort to strengthen presidential power and reduce oversight of the executive branch (the presidency). Achieving this could mean the president acting in an arbitrary manner similar to absolute monarchs of the past, free of congressional or judicial interference.
Trump’s “big beautiful bill”, which has been passed in the House of Representatives and now must go to the Senate, contains certain provisions that strengthen the role of the president and undermine the checks-and-balances system.
Previous presidents, such as Franklin D. Roosevelt during the New Deal era of the 1930s, had many of their executive orders cancelled by Supreme Court rulings. Over the last five months, the judiciary has ruled on the constitutionality of Trump’s executive actions, putting at least 180 on hold.
As a consequence, the president has continually questioned the validity of the courts to act. At last week’s West Point graduation ceremony, Trump claimed that last November’s election result “gives us the right to do what we wanna do to make our country great again”.
As Robert Reich, the former US secretary of labor, wrote recently, this “big beautiful bill” will remove the courts’ ability to hold executive officials in contempt and undermine any efforts to stop the administration. Supreme Court rulings could be ignored by the executive branch, and Congress would be unable to enforce its subpoenas and laws. “Trump will have crowned himself king,” Reich concluded.
Just like the judicial branch, the legislative branch (Congress) also has the ability to check the executive branch. Congress can override the presidential veto if both the House and Senate pass legislation with a two-thirds majority. And the executive branch (the president) cannot fund any initiatives without the budget being approved by Congress first.
But Trump and his supporters have minimised the impact that Congress can have on this particular bill by including all of the provisions within a budget reconciliation bill. This is a special legislative procedure that is designed to pass bills through Congress quickly.
Bills usually require 60 votes to bypass a filibuster – a tactic used by senators to delay voting on the bill by refusing to end the debate and speaking for exceptionally long times without a break.
But because this is a budget reconciliation, it only requires a majority – 51 votes – to pass the Senate. And because the Republicans have 53 seats in the Senate, Trump is confident the bill will pass without any Democratic interference.
The House narrowly passed the bill, despite some opposition from Republicans. And some Republican senators have also expressed concerns. But this is the latest move to centralise greater power within the presidency.
Trump makes the commencement speech at the West Point military academy.
Trump v the courts
Trump’s apparent belief that he is above the law has, in part, been supported by last year’s Supreme Court ruling which stated that former presidents had immunity from prosecution for official presidential acts. The Trump v United States decision decided such acts included command of the military, control of the executive branch, and execution of laws.
However, this week’s federal court ruling on the legality of Trump’s economic tariffs represents a setback to the administration’s efforts to strengthen presidential power. The Court of International Trade ruled that the White House’s use of emergency powers did not grant it the authority to impose tariffs on every country, and that the constitution states such power resides within Congress.
The Trump administration immediately said it would be appealing the decision. “It is not for unelected judges to decide how to properly address a national emergency,” Kush Desai, the White House deputy press secretary, said on the ruling, and that Trump would use “every lever of executive power” to “restore American greatness”.
All of which has led Trump to quote another authoritarian leader, Napoleon, on social media. His post – “He who saves his Country does not violate any Law” – was a clear rebuke to those who have tried to limit executive authority while he has been in office, and echoes that of former president Richard Nixon who, in an interview with David Frost about the Watergate scandal, argued that the constitution allowed the president to break the law.
This is an extension of the notion that Article II of the constitution has granted the president the authority to act without checks and balances when dealing with the executive branch. It is a theory much touted within Project 2025, believed to be the blueprint for the Trump presidency.
There are other historical comparisons that could be made of Trump’s authoritarian actions, such as the rule of Charles I of England (1625-49), who believed he could govern without consulting parliament except when he needed to raise taxes to conduct overseas campaigns. Ultimately, this led to a period of civil wars and the execution of the king for treason.
While none of these consequences are likely to be replicated, it is clear the US is currently in a constitutional crisis. The Supreme Court has a number of rulings to make on the judicial challenges to Trump’s executive authority. These will have generational consequences – but it is unclear in which way the court, where conservative judges have a 6-3 majority, will lean.
While Trump may not be seeking a crown for his head, he is certainly arguing that he has the right to control the executive branch in the way he sees fit, without any interference from Congress or the judiciary. This is not the separation of powers as prescribed by the framers of the US constitution, but more like the absolutism of medieval monarchs.
Dafydd Townley does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
Source: The Conversation – USA – By Ivis García, Associate Professor of Landscape Architecture and Urban Planning, Texas A&M University
Hurricane Harvey inundated the Cottage Grove neighborhood of Houston in 2018.Scott Olson/Getty Images
When powerful storms hit your city, which neighborhoods are most likely to flood? In many cities, they’re typically low-income areas. They may have poor drainage, or they lack protections such as seawalls.
New Orleans’ Lower Ninth Ward, where hundreds of people died when Hurricane Katrina broke a levee in 2005, and Houston’s Kashmere Gardens, flooded by Hurricane Harvey in 2017, are just two among many examples.
Hurricane Irma flooded Immokalee, Fla., in 2017. The community, home to many farmworkers, had infrastructure problems before the storm, and recovery was slow. AP Photo/Gerald Herbert
The new guidance required cities to both consider social vulnerability among neighborhoods in their disaster mitigation planning and involve socially vulnerable communities in those discussions in ways they hadn’t before.
However, as the U.S. heads into what forecasters predict will be an active 2025 hurricane season, that guidance has changed again. The Trump administration’s new FEMA Local Mitigation Planning Policy Guide 2025 talks about public involvement in planning but strips any mention of equity, income or social vulnerability. It mentions using “projections for the future” to plan but removes references to climate change.
In the past, local mitigation plans just focused on fixing roads or protecting property in general from storm damage, without recognizing that socially vulnerable groups, such as low-income or elderly populations, were more likely to be hardest hit and take much longer to recover.
Low-income neighborhoods in Puerto Rico have been slow to recover from 2017’s Hurricane Maria. Ivis Garcia
The FEMA 2023 guidance encouraged communities to consider both the highest risks and which neighborhoods would be least able to respond in a disaster and address their needs.
The equity requirement was designed to ensure that local plans didn’t just protect those with the most wealth or political influence but considered who needs the help most. That might mean providing information in multiple languages in emergency alerts or investing in flood prevention in neighborhoods with aging infrastructure like roads, bridges and flood barriers.
How New York City’s 2024 plan helped
New York City’s 2024 Hazard Mitigation Plan, for example, included a thorough social vulnerability assessment to identify neighborhoods with high percentages of people who were living in poverty or were older, disabled or weren’t fluent in English.
Knowing where disaster risk and social vulnerability overlapped allowed the city to boost investments in flood protection, emergency communication and cooling centers during summer heat in neighborhoods such as the South Bronx and East Harlem. These neighborhoods historically faced some of the greatest risks from disasters but saw little investment.
The NYC Mayor’s Office of Climate and Environmental Justice mapped the risk of storm surge flooding in the 2020s (purple) and 2080s (dark blue), and neighborhoods that fall under the city’s ‘disadvantaged communities’ criteria. A 1% risk means a 1% of chance of flooding in any given year, also referred to as a 100-year flood risk. NYC Mayor’s Office of Climate and Environmental Justice
Further, New York’s plan calls for expanding outreach and early warning systems in multiple languages and enhancing infrastructure in areas with high concentrations of Spanish speakers. These kinds of changes help ensure that vulnerable residents are more likely to be better protected when disaster strikes.
Why is FEMA dropping that emphasis now?
FEMA’s reasoning for the guidance change in 2025: make it quicker and easier to get plans approved and unlock federal funding for projects like flood barriers, storm shelters and buyouts in areas at high risk of damage.
It’s a pragmatic move, but one that raises big questions about whether residents who are least able to help themselves will be overlooked again when the next disaster strikes.
And FEMA isn’t alone — other agencies, like the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and its Community Development Block Grant – Disaster Recovery program, have made similar changes to their own disaster planning rules. Community Development Block Grant funds for disaster recovery are flexible and can be used for things like rebuilding homes and businesses, restoring infrastructure and helping local economies recover.
What this means for low-income areas
Some experts worry that the changes might mean low-income and other at-risk communities will be ignored again when cities develop their next five-year mitigation plans. Research from the Government Accountability Office shows that when something is required by law, it gets done. When it’s just a suggestion, it’s easy to skip, especially in places with fewer resources or less political will to help.
But the short-lived rules may have already helped in one important way: They made cities and states pay attention to social vulnerability, climate change and the needs of all their residents.
Many local leaders have learned the value of using data to understand where socially vulnerable residents face high disaster risks. And they have a model now for involving communities in decision-making. Even if those steps are no longer required, the hope is that these good habits will stick.
Where and how communities invest in disaster protection affects who stays safe and who faces higher risks from flooding, hurricanes and other disasters. When government policy shifts, it’s not just about paperwork – it’s about real people.
The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
Detroit and other former immigrant gateway metro areas such as Buffalo, New York; Cleveland, Ohio; Milwaukee, Wisconsin; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; and St. Louis, Missouri experienced significant immigration in the early 20th century. These population booms were followed by a period of decline in immigration numbers.
Now these cities are using branding strategies to construct inclusive identities designed to attract and retain immigrants. It may be surprising to think of a city branding itself, but local governments often work with private nonprofits to shape and manage their city’s image. They try to build a unique and desirable identity for the city, differentiate it from competitors, and attract new businesses, residents and tourists this way.
Here are three reasons why Detroit and other cities want to welcome immigrants:
1. Encouraging economic growth and attracting talent
Immigrants also fill labor needs, from high-tech fields such as engineering and research to manual labor sectors such as construction and food service.
This economic impact extends to tourism as well. The region’s marketing campaigns embracing diversity shape how visitors perceive the region. The Detroit Metro Convention & Visitors Bureau spotlights the unique experiences the city’s diverse neighborhoods offer to tourists.
2. Enhancing community and regional resilience
Regional resilience describes a region’s ability to withstand and adapt to challenges such as economic shocks and natural disasters. Cities like Detroit that are still trying to bounce back from deindustrialization know from experience how critical this is.
Immigration contributes to regional resilience, research shows. In addition to supporting local economies and strengthening the labor force, the arrival of immigrants in Detroit has helped offset native-born population decline, stabilizing the overall population and bolstering local tax bases.
According to U.S. Census Bureau estimates, the Detroit metro area’s native-born population decreased by 58,693 people during that 13-year period, while the foreign-born population increased by 109,154. The top five countries of origin for immigrants in the metro area are India, Iraq, Mexico, Yemen and Lebanon.
From 2023 to 2024, the metro area’s population gained 40,347 immigrants and lost 11,626 native born residents – resulting in a population gain of 28,721.
Efforts to welcome immigrants in Detroit and its surrounding communities contributed to this trend of immigrant population growth offsetting overall population decline.
3. Promoting social cohesion and enhanced civic engagement
Successful place brands are rooted in inclusion and a strong civil society. Detroit’s rich tapestry of cultures in areas such as Dearborn and Hamtramck creates a vibrant regional identity.
Organizations such as Global Detroit’s Welcoming Michigan actively support local grassroots efforts to build mutual respect and ensure that immigrants are able to participate fully in the social, civic and economic fabric of their hometowns.
Examples include Global Detroit’s Social Cohesion Initiative, Common Bond and Opportunity Neighborhoods. These initiatives help bring neighborhood residents of various backgrounds together to share their cultures, support each other’s small businesses and socialize. Such programs strengthen the region’s democratic foundations and enhance its appeal as a welcoming and inclusive place to live.
Forging a way forward
Detroit has found that welcoming immigrants and integrating them into the life of the city is one way to navigate the economic, political and cultural challenges it faces.
And it is not alone in embracing this strategy. Other cities practicing similar strategies include Baltimore; Boise, Idaho; Charlotte, North Carolina; Dallas; Dayton, Ohio; Louisville, Kentucky; New Orleans; Pittsburgh; Roanoke, Virginia; and Salt Lake City.
Although not all cities choose to pursue such strategies, in those that do, local leaders signal a region ready for a globalized future.
Paul N. McDaniel previously received funding from the National Geographic Society, served on the Content Advisory Board for the Welcoming Standard and on the Steering Committee for Welcoming America’s One Region Initiative, and is a member of the American Association of Geographers.
Darlene Xiomara Rodriguez was co-PI on funding received from the National Geographic Society and served on the national pilot program with Welcoming America One Region Initiative’s Steering Committee and Program Evaluation Team.
Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian – People’s Republic of China in Russian –
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
Moscow, May 30 (Xinhua) — A Russian delegation is heading to Istanbul and will be ready to continue talks with Ukrainian representatives on Monday morning, Russian presidential press secretary Dmitry Peskov announced at a briefing.
“Today I wanted to inform you that our delegation, the Russian delegation of negotiators, is leaving for Istanbul and will be ready on Monday morning to continue negotiations, for the second round of negotiations,” he said.
According to the press secretary, the drafts of the Russian and Ukrainian memorandums will not be published. “Of course, nothing will be made public. This cannot be made public,” D. Peskov noted. “Both draft memorandums, the Russian and Ukrainian, we hope, will be discussed at the second round of negotiations,” he added.
The security of navigation in the Black Sea, according to the Kremlin representative, will become an integral part of the conditions of the temporary truce. “A list of conditions is being developed, a list of conditions for a temporary truce will be agreed upon, and thus the security of navigation in the Black Sea will one way or another become an integral part of possible future understandings,” he noted.
The briefing also touched on the possibility of direct negotiations between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian and US Presidents Volodymyr Zelensky and Donald Trump. According to D. Peskov, this can only be discussed after the Russian and Ukrainian delegations have achieved results in the negotiations. “If such a result is achieved, and when it is achieved, then, of course, we can talk about contacts at the highest level,” he said. –0–
French President Emmanuel Macron said on Friday that division between the two superpowers, the United States and China, is the main risk currently confronting the world as he emphasized the need for building new coalitions between Paris and partners in the Indo-Pacific.
Macron is visiting the region as France and the European Union aim to strengthen their commercial ties in Asia to offset uncertainty over U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariff measures.
“I will be clear, France is a friend and an ally of the United States, and is a friend, and we do cooperate – even if sometimes we disagree and compete – with China,” said Macron, who was speaking at the Shangri-La Dialogue, Asia’s premier defence forum, alongside a two-day state visit to Singapore.
The French president said Asia and Europe have a common interest in preventing the disintegration of the global order.
“The time for non-alignment has undoubtedly passed, but the time for coalitions of action has come, and requires that countries capable of acting together give themselves every means to do so,” Macron said.
Macron is following leaders of China, Japan and other European countries in visiting the region in recent weeks, in a sign of south east Asia’s strategic importance amid uncertainties on global supply chains and trade.
Hurricane Harvey inundated the Cottage Grove neighborhood of Houston in 2018.Scott Olson/Getty Images
When powerful storms hit your city, which neighborhoods are most likely to flood? In many cities, they’re typically low-income areas. They may have poor drainage, or they lack protections such as seawalls.
New Orleans’ Lower Ninth Ward, where hundreds of people died when Hurricane Katrina broke a levee in 2005, and Houston’s Kashmere Gardens, flooded by Hurricane Harvey in 2017, are just two among many examples.
Hurricane Irma flooded Immokalee, Fla., in 2017. The community, home to many farmworkers, had infrastructure problems before the storm, and recovery was slow. AP Photo/Gerald Herbert
The new guidance required cities to both consider social vulnerability among neighborhoods in their disaster mitigation planning and involve socially vulnerable communities in those discussions in ways they hadn’t before.
However, as the U.S. heads into what forecasters predict will be an active 2025 hurricane season, that guidance has changed again. The Trump administration’s new FEMA Local Mitigation Planning Policy Guide 2025 talks about public involvement in planning but strips any mention of equity, income or social vulnerability. It mentions using “projections for the future” to plan but removes references to climate change.
In the past, local mitigation plans just focused on fixing roads or protecting property in general from storm damage, without recognizing that socially vulnerable groups, such as low-income or elderly populations, were more likely to be hardest hit and take much longer to recover.
Low-income neighborhoods in Puerto Rico have been slow to recover from 2017’s Hurricane Maria. Ivis Garcia
The FEMA 2023 guidance encouraged communities to consider both the highest risks and which neighborhoods would be least able to respond in a disaster and address their needs.
The equity requirement was designed to ensure that local plans didn’t just protect those with the most wealth or political influence but considered who needs the help most. That might mean providing information in multiple languages in emergency alerts or investing in flood prevention in neighborhoods with aging infrastructure like roads, bridges and flood barriers.
How New York City’s 2024 plan helped
New York City’s 2024 Hazard Mitigation Plan, for example, included a thorough social vulnerability assessment to identify neighborhoods with high percentages of people who were living in poverty or were older, disabled or weren’t fluent in English.
Knowing where disaster risk and social vulnerability overlapped allowed the city to boost investments in flood protection, emergency communication and cooling centers during summer heat in neighborhoods such as the South Bronx and East Harlem. These neighborhoods historically faced some of the greatest risks from disasters but saw little investment.
The NYC Mayor’s Office of Climate and Environmental Justice mapped the risk of storm surge flooding in the 2020s (purple) and 2080s (dark blue), and neighborhoods that fall under the city’s ‘disadvantaged communities’ criteria. A 1% risk means a 1% of chance of flooding in any given year, also referred to as a 100-year flood risk. NYC Mayor’s Office of Climate and Environmental Justice
Further, New York’s plan calls for expanding outreach and early warning systems in multiple languages and enhancing infrastructure in areas with high concentrations of Spanish speakers. These kinds of changes help ensure that vulnerable residents are more likely to be better protected when disaster strikes.
Why is FEMA dropping that emphasis now?
FEMA’s reasoning for the guidance change in 2025: make it quicker and easier to get plans approved and unlock federal funding for projects like flood barriers, storm shelters and buyouts in areas at high risk of damage.
It’s a pragmatic move, but one that raises big questions about whether residents who are least able to help themselves will be overlooked again when the next disaster strikes.
And FEMA isn’t alone — other agencies, like the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and its Community Development Block Grant – Disaster Recovery program, have made similar changes to their own disaster planning rules. Community Development Block Grant funds for disaster recovery are flexible and can be used for things like rebuilding homes and businesses, restoring infrastructure and helping local economies recover.
What this means for low-income areas
Some experts worry that the changes might mean low-income and other at-risk communities will be ignored again when cities develop their next five-year mitigation plans. Research from the Government Accountability Office shows that when something is required by law, it gets done. When it’s just a suggestion, it’s easy to skip, especially in places with fewer resources or less political will to help.
But the short-lived rules may have already helped in one important way: They made cities and states pay attention to social vulnerability, climate change and the needs of all their residents.
Many local leaders have learned the value of using data to understand where socially vulnerable residents face high disaster risks. And they have a model now for involving communities in decision-making. Even if those steps are no longer required, the hope is that these good habits will stick.
Where and how communities invest in disaster protection affects who stays safe and who faces higher risks from flooding, hurricanes and other disasters. When government policy shifts, it’s not just about paperwork – it’s about real people.
The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
Detroit and other former immigrant gateway metro areas such as Buffalo, New York; Cleveland, Ohio; Milwaukee, Wisconsin; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; and St. Louis, Missouri experienced significant immigration in the early 20th century. These population booms were followed by a period of decline in immigration numbers.
Now these cities are using branding strategies to construct inclusive identities designed to attract and retain immigrants. It may be surprising to think of a city branding itself, but local governments often work with private nonprofits to shape and manage their city’s image. They try to build a unique and desirable identity for the city, differentiate it from competitors, and attract new businesses, residents and tourists this way.
Here are three reasons why Detroit and other cities want to welcome immigrants:
1. Encouraging economic growth and attracting talent
Immigrants also fill labor needs, from high-tech fields such as engineering and research to manual labor sectors such as construction and food service.
This economic impact extends to tourism as well. The region’s marketing campaigns embracing diversity shape how visitors perceive the region. The Detroit Metro Convention & Visitors Bureau spotlights the unique experiences the city’s diverse neighborhoods offer to tourists.
2. Enhancing community and regional resilience
Regional resilience describes a region’s ability to withstand and adapt to challenges such as economic shocks and natural disasters. Cities like Detroit that are still trying to bounce back from deindustrialization know from experience how critical this is.
Immigration contributes to regional resilience, research shows. In addition to supporting local economies and strengthening the labor force, the arrival of immigrants in Detroit has helped offset native-born population decline, stabilizing the overall population and bolstering local tax bases.
According to U.S. Census Bureau estimates, the Detroit metro area’s native-born population decreased by 58,693 people during that 13-year period, while the foreign-born population increased by 109,154. The top five countries of origin for immigrants in the metro area are India, Iraq, Mexico, Yemen and Lebanon.
From 2023 to 2024, the metro area’s population gained 40,347 immigrants and lost 11,626 native born residents – resulting in a population gain of 28,721.
Efforts to welcome immigrants in Detroit and its surrounding communities contributed to this trend of immigrant population growth offsetting overall population decline.
3. Promoting social cohesion and enhanced civic engagement
Successful place brands are rooted in inclusion and a strong civil society. Detroit’s rich tapestry of cultures in areas such as Dearborn and Hamtramck creates a vibrant regional identity.
Organizations such as Global Detroit’s Welcoming Michigan actively support local grassroots efforts to build mutual respect and ensure that immigrants are able to participate fully in the social, civic and economic fabric of their hometowns.
Examples include Global Detroit’s Social Cohesion Initiative, Common Bond and Opportunity Neighborhoods. These initiatives help bring neighborhood residents of various backgrounds together to share their cultures, support each other’s small businesses and socialize. Such programs strengthen the region’s democratic foundations and enhance its appeal as a welcoming and inclusive place to live.
Forging a way forward
Detroit has found that welcoming immigrants and integrating them into the life of the city is one way to navigate the economic, political and cultural challenges it faces.
And it is not alone in embracing this strategy. Other cities practicing similar strategies include Baltimore; Boise, Idaho; Charlotte, North Carolina; Dallas; Dayton, Ohio; Louisville, Kentucky; New Orleans; Pittsburgh; Roanoke, Virginia; and Salt Lake City.
Although not all cities choose to pursue such strategies, in those that do, local leaders signal a region ready for a globalized future.
Paul N. McDaniel previously received funding from the National Geographic Society, served on the Content Advisory Board for the Welcoming Standard and on the Steering Committee for Welcoming America’s One Region Initiative, and is a member of the American Association of Geographers.
Darlene Xiomara Rodriguez was co-PI on funding received from the National Geographic Society and served on the national pilot program with Welcoming America One Region Initiative’s Steering Committee and Program Evaluation Team.
Headline: DHS Exposes Sanctuary Jurisdictions Defying Federal Immigration Law
lass=”text-align-center”>Sanctuary jurisdictions undermine the rule of law and endanger the lives of Americans and Law Enforcement WASHINGTON — Today, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) issued a comprehensive list of sanctuary jurisdictions including cities, counties, and states that are deliberately obstructing the enforcement of federal immigration laws and endangering American citizens
Sanctuary cities protect dangerous criminal illegal aliens from facing consequences and put law enforcement in grave danger
This action follows the signing of an Executive Order by President Donald J
Trump on April 28, 2025
The order directs the Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem and the Attorney General Pam Bondi to identify and publicly highlight jurisdictions that refuse to cooperate with federal immigration authorities
DHS is committed to exposing these lawless jurisdictions to the public and making them accountable for not respecting the rule of law
“These sanctuary city politicians are endangering Americans and our law enforcement in order to protect violent criminal illegal aliens,” said DHS Secretary Kristi Noem
“We are exposing these sanctuary politicians who harbor criminal illegal aliens and defy federal law
President Trump and I will always put the safety of the American people first
Sanctuary politicians are on notice: comply with federal law
” Each jurisdiction listed will receive formal notification of its non-compliance and all potential violations of federal criminal statutes
DHS demands that these jurisdictions immediately review and revise their policies to align with federal immigration laws and renew their obligation to protect American citizens, not dangerous illegal aliens
Headline: DHS Condemns Biden Administration Failures in the Wake of the Lahaina, Hawaii Fires
lass=”text-align-center”>Report reveals 1 in 6 survivors were forced to engage in sexual acts in exchange for basic necessities like food and housing WASHINGTON – A new report about the aftermath of the August 2023 Lahaina, Hawaii, fires reveals FEMA’s horrific neglect and mismanagement under the Biden Administration
According to the report, issued by Filipino Hawaiian advocacy group Tagnawa, conditions for survivors in the aftermath of the fire were both appalling and inhumane
1 in 6 survivors were forced to engage in sexual acts in exchange for basic necessities like food and housing and some women had to sleep in cars because they felt unsafe in FEMA-coordinated shelters
“1 in 6 survivors of the Lahaina Fires were forced to engage in sexual acts in exchange for basic necessities like food and housing
These women — our fellow American citizens — were so desperate for food that they had to resort to such extreme measures just to feed themselves in our own country
That’s unacceptable
That is unAmerican,” said DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin
“While American citizens from Hawaii to North Carolina suffered, Biden and Mayorkas used FEMA as a piggy bank, spending hundreds of millions of American taxpayer dollars to housing illegal aliens, including at the Roosevelt Hotel that served as a Tren de Aragua base of operations and was used to shelter Laken Riley’s killer
” This is yet another outrageous example of the gross mismanagement and poor treatment of Americans under the prior administration
This will never happen again under the leadership of President Trump and Secretary Noem
What you need to know: California is launching CalHeatScore – a groundbreaking tool to help protect vulnerable populations from dangerous heatwaves. The state’s new tool provides localized warnings and resources for extreme heat events. Governor Newsom is also announcing $32.4 million in funding to help 47 California communities protect people from dangerous heat events.
SACRAMENTO – With summer around the corner and temperatures expected to soar to record highs this weekend, California is taking new actions to protect communities from extreme heat – the number one cause of weather-related deaths in the state.
Governor Gavin Newsom today announced the launch of CalHeatScore, a cutting-edge tool to forecast and rank heat severity risks and connect Californians with available resources to stay safe during extreme heat events. With CalHeatScore, California becomes the first state in the nation – and one of the only jurisdictions in the world – to launch a heat-ranking system. Today’s announcement comes as the Trump Administration makes life-threatening cuts to the federal government’s weather monitoring apparatus.
CalHeatScore, developed by the California Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA), brings together ZIP-code level data to provide locally tailored guidance. The tool identifies groups most susceptible to extreme heat – such as older adults and children – and provides tips for staying safe, such as how to recognize signs of heat illness. The tool additionally integrates other important data sets, like locations for the nearest cooling centers.
Map above shows CalHeatScore extreme heat forecast for Friday, May 30. The darkest shades represent the highest heat score of 4 (scale of 0 to 4).
Governor Newsom additionally announced $32.4 million to support 47 California communities in lifesaving extreme heat mitigation efforts. The Extreme Heat and Community Resilience Program aims to support local, tribal, and regional efforts to combat dangerous heat exposure by building long-lasting infrastructure solutions and strengthening community resilience needed to withstand extreme heat events.
Extreme heat kills – and with the federal government cutting the very programs that help forecast it, California is taking aggressive action to protect residents from the impacts of extreme heat and build resilience in our most vulnerable communities.
With the first major heat of the summer expected this weekend, we’re connecting more Californians – particularly those that are most vulnerable to dangerous heat – to life-saving information, resources, and programs across the state.
Governor Gavin Newsom
In a hotter, drier world, connecting Californians with extreme weather information and resources has never been more important – especially as the federal government cuts critical programs providing pertinent information on weather.
First-in-the-nation heat-ranking tool
The new CalHeatScore tool will be leveraged across state government, providing early warning that allows resources to be mobilized with greater speed and precision to communities that need it. To ensure the new tool works for Californians, the state will continue gathering input from the public, which will be used to shape future updates.
“Every single preventable death is one too many,” said Yana Garcia, California’s Secretary for Environmental Protection. “This groundbreaking tool will help Californians plan and respond so they can stay safe when a heat wave is about to strike. And it will shore up the state’s all-in fight against the very real dangers that climate change keeps bringing to our doorstep.”
In 2021, the California Department of Insurance’s Climate Insurance Workgroup recommended California build a system to rank heat waves to better communicate the deadly risks to Californians and help communities prepare, similar to how tropical storms and hurricanes are described by “category” level.
As part of a broader climate package in 2022, Governor Newsom signed Assembly Bill 2238 by Assemblymember Luz Rivas to codify CDI’s recommendation by requiring the state to develop a statewide extreme heat ranking system.
“CalHeatScore is an important tool to prepare Californians for extreme heat,” said Nancy Ward, Director of the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES). “It helps increase our readiness for heat events and protect those at greatest risk.”
Chart above shows the range of CalHeatScore rankings.
Building on investments to protect Californians
The funding announced today builds on the Governor’s Extreme Heat Action Plan, which guides the state’s response to extreme heat events. Developed in partnership with more than 20 state agencies and informed by more than 1,000 individuals through listening sessions and public engagement, these grants respond directly to community needs and build on existing state programs.
Extreme heat solutions announced today combine physical infrastructure with nature-based solutions and in-home technology to create more resilient communities. In Los Angeles, the county will work with local organizations to provide safer spaces by planting tree canopies, installing water fountains, and hosting educational programming in parks across the county. In Northern California, North Coast Opportunities and the Middletown Rancheria of Pomo Indians of California, will partner to provide solar-powered air conditioning in the homes of vulnerable community members.
“California is taking aggressive action to protect residents from the impacts of extreme heat and build resilience in our most vulnerable communities,” said Samuel Assefa, Director of Governor’s Office of Land Use and Climate Innovation (LCI), the agency overseeing the funding. “With lives on the line each summer, the Extreme Heat and Community Resilience Program will provide critical infrastructure investments in heat vulnerable communities.”
Extreme heat is the leading cause of weather-related deaths in the state, claiming more lives annually than any other climate threat, including fires and floods. Last year, California communities experienced the hottest summer on record in 130 years. According to a report from the Department of Insurance, from 2013 to 2022, seven extreme heat events resulted in nearly 460 deaths, over 5,000 hospitalizations and about 344 adverse birth outcomes.
State research shows a correlation between heat and a range of negative health effects including death, lower birth weight, and increased emergency room visits and hospitalizations for conditions ranging from heart conditions to poor mental health. Extreme heat also takes an economic toll on the state, with an estimated $7.7 billion of lost wages, agricultural disruptions, and power outages.
Extreme heat calls for more water
During periods of extreme heat, access to water is more critical than ever to prevent illness and death. California is expected to lose 10% of its water supply due to hotter and drier conditions, threatening the water supply for millions of Californians. As part of the May Revision, the Governor advanced a groundbreaking proposal to fast-track and streamline one of California’s most important water management and climate adaptation projects, the Delta Conveyance Project, creating much-needed and long-overdue improvements to the State Water Project, which provides water for 27 million people and 750,00 acres of farmland. These vital improvements will help offset and recover these future climate-driven water losses, and yet, it has been plagued by delays and red tape.
Without action, the ability of the State Water Project to reliably deliver water to homes, farms and businesses will decline. The Governor calls on the legislature to quickly adopt these improvements to ensure that California is ready for a drier and hotter future, and its communities are safe and protected.
Press releases, Recent news
Recent news
May 29, 2025
News Sacramento, California – Governor Gavin Newsom today issued a proclamation declaring May 2025, as “Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month.”The text of the proclamation and a copy can be found below: PROCLAMATIONCalifornia is home to more than 6…
May 28, 2025
News SACRAMENTO – Governor Gavin Newsom today announced the following appointments:LaCandice Ochoa, of Sacramento, has been appointed Deputy Director of the Independent Living and Community Access Division at the Department of Rehabilitation. Ochoa has been Dean of…
May 28, 2025
News SACRAMENTO – Governor Gavin Newsom issued the following statement after a federal court ruled today that President Trump exceeded his use of emergency powers to enact broad-sweeping tariffs that hurt states, consumers, and businesses: “Like we said when we filed…
