Source: United States Senator for Kansas Roger Marshall
Washington – U.S. Senator Roger Marshall, M.D. (R-Kansas) today joined President Donald Trump, Department of Health and Human Services Secretary (HHS) Robert F. Kennedy Jr., and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Brooke Rollins, and other Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) leaders at the White House today for a roundtable event to discuss the MAHA Commission Report.
You may click HERE or on the image above to watch the full event.
See the full transcript below from the White House event.
President Trump: “I have to say we have the greatest farmers in the world, and we love our farmers, and we want to pay respect to our farmers, and we always will. And we won the farmers by a lot in the election, in all, every election, all three elections, and we won by a lot. And I will never forget that, and they are foremost in our thought and representing, I think, the farmers better than just about anybody can do is Senator Roger Marshall, could you say a couple of words, Roger, please…”
Senator Marshall: “Mr. President, we’re not tired of winning yet. Congratulations. What a week you’ve had overseas, one win after another, One Big, Beautiful Bill across the House floor this morning. You’re the best closer in the game, and this is one of the greatest days of my life, professionally speaking, as well.”
“And I just want to acknowledge my MAHA mom out here as well, that my wife, Laina, was a MAHA nurse and a MAHA mom and a MAHA grandma. Now, Laina, will you please stand up as well?”
“Mr. President, you know, I spent 25 years delivering babies. Most every day. We saw a huge epidemic of diabetes of pregnancy, and this has exploded in so many different directions. Now we have an epidemic of mental health, in our youth, obesity rates, 20, 30% of our children on prescription drugs. 60, 70% of adults on a prescription drug. We can do better than this, and it does start with the farmer. It starts with soil health. And I just want you to know that our farmers are so committed to this as well, and so many of them are already doing great things. They’re making the soil healthier. They’re using less pesticides. They’re doing all the right things. It’s going to take a little bit more effort and time to get everybody with those practices, but the American farmer and rancher were the original environmentalists, the original conservationists, and they’ll be right here working beside us, and we appreciate your support of them as well.”
To watch the full remarks, click here.
Source: United States Senator for Kansas Roger Marshall
Washington – U.S. Senator Roger Marshall, M.D. (R-Kansas) joined The Charlie Kirk Show today to discuss the status of President Donald Trump’s ‘One Big, Beautiful Bill’, why State and Local Tax (SALT) deductions need to be re-evaluated, and the contents of the newly released Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) Commission report.
Click HERE or above to watch Senator Marshall’s full interview with Charlie Kirk
Highlights from the interview include:
On what the Senate can do for the ‘One, Big Beautiful Bill’:
Senator Marshall: “President Trump is the best closer in the country. Mike Johnson gave us the best bill that he could get passed over there. Think of the Senate as like a saucer and think of the House as a hot cup of coffee, and it’s spilling over. The job of the Senate is to take that bill and make it better.
“I think for us over here, what I’m looking at is, where can we save some more taxpayers dollars? Where are the opportunities to cut some spending? What do we do with those SALT taxes? So, I think that’s the big thrust over here. How can we make this bill better? How can we deliver on President Trump’s promises, no tax on tips, overtime, Social Security, and make the Trump tax cuts permanent?”
On SALT:
Senator Marshall: “In these big blue states, they have high taxes, and they’re able to deduct that from their federal taxes… What the House has done will still cost American taxpayers $300 billion over the next 10 years. They’re going to let people from these blue states write off up to $30,000 of their taxes, which will decrease revenue to the state.
“It is that simple to the tune of $300 billion over 10 years. So, what else could we do with that $300 billion? We could deliver the president’s Golden Dome, that would be one simple thing, and more. We would take that money and make Medicaid and Medicare even better. There’s just better ways to spend that money. We can use it to secure the border, to help our military out, to give our troops more wages…”
On the president’s ‘One, Big Beautiful Bill’:
Senator Marshall: “What we did with Social Security since, by the law, we cannot touch Social Security, but what we did is we’re giving seniors a $4,000 tax credit, in addition… We increased the Child Tax Credit. Republicans doubled the tax credit in 2017 with this bill, and now we increased it another $500. So we increased the tax deduction for having children to $2,500 as well, so that would be another answer. A little second amendment, we’ve slipped in there. There’s some rules and regulations around what I would call a silencer, a muffler on guns, that type of thing. So, there are a whole lot of low-hanging fruit in here.”
“The Golden Dome is in here, President Trump’s Golden Dome, the first down payment on some type of satellite system to help intercept nuclear warheads, that type of thing. Huge pay raises for our troops, for the border patrol officers, and funding to help get those illegal aliens out of this country. We have 400,000 violent criminal aliens in this country… Charlie, it may cost $100,000 per person to escort them out of this country. Thank you. Joe Biden.”
“And we’ll take care of that for four years. We don’t have to go back to the Democrats every year and say, hey, we want money for the border. We want money for the military. We have significant money in here to take care of the military for the most part, for four years, and the president’s border security and the removal of illegal aliens.”
On the MAHA Commission report:
Senator Marshall: “Look, I think number one when I think about Make America Healthy Again is 60% of Americans have a chronic disease of some sort, most of it is nutritionally related or related to toxins. So, I expect this MAHA report to talk about the importance of soil health and the nutrient quality that we’re feeding to, especially our children… I’m especially concerned about the children getting them off on the right foot as well. The toxins that they’re being exposed to are probably in these ultra-processed foods.”
“70% of the calories Americans consume are an ultra-processed food. I think that they’ll address that… Gold standard science. I really, as a doctor, can’t sit there and say, what type of oil is best to cook supper in tonight? Is it soybean oil? Is it tallow? What is it? So, we need gold-standard research, not influenced by commercial operations. Look, 50-60% of Americans are on a prescription drug right now, and I think we want to look into what that’s all about.”
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
The U.S. Donald Trump administration on Thursday revoked Harvard University’s certification under the Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP), effectively barring the institution from enrolling new international students.
U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem announced the decision. “Let this serve as a warning to all universities and academic institutions across the country,” Noem said in a statement. “Enrolling international students is a privilege — not a right — and that privilege has been revoked due to Harvard’s repeated failure to comply with federal law.”
DHS said that in addition to barring enrollment of future international students, “existing foreign students must transfer to lose their legal status.”
In response, Harvard issued a statement calling the administration’s action unlawful and harmful.
“We are fully committed to maintaining Harvard’s ability to host our international students and scholars, who hail from more than 140 countries and enrich the University — and this nation — immeasurably,” the statement said. “We are working quickly to provide guidance and support to members of our community. This retaliatory action threatens serious harm to the Harvard community and our country, and undermines Harvard’s academic and research mission.”
The administration in April froze 2.2 billion U.S. dollars in federal grants to Harvard, after the university rejected demands that it eliminate diversity, equity, and inclusion programs, and evaluate international students for ideological concerns.
As of the fall 2023 semester, international students made up over 27 percent of Harvard’s student body, according to university data.
Source: United States Senator for Alabama Tommy Tuberville
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) joined U.S. Senator Jim Banks (R-IN) in introducing the No Loan Forgiveness for Terrorists Act. This bill prohibits students from receiving credit for Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) while working at organizations that engage in illegal activities. The legislation works to codify an Executive Order from President Trump that would end taxpayer-funded student loan forgiveness for students that participate in illegal, anti-American behavior.
“Hard-working Americans should not be footing the bill for radical students who support and embolden blatant terrorism. No one should be rewarded for wreaking havoc on college campuses. The President has ended taxpayer-funded loan forgiveness, and it is Congress’ job to make his Executive Order permanent. I look forward to working with my colleagues to move this legislation along and stop funding college for terrorists,” said Sen. Tuberville.
“Taxpayers shouldn’t be forced to pay student loans for radicals who aid terrorists, mutilate children, or promote illegal immigration. This bill codifies President Trump’s order to stop subsidizing anti-American extremism,” said Sen. Banks.
Read full text of the bill here.
BACKGROUND:
Sen. Tuberville currently serves as the Chairman of the HELP Subcommittee on Education and the American Family, where he has frequently spoken out against the antisemitism, riots, and lawlessness we are seeing on college campuses. He has expressed that people have the right to free speech in this country, but they do not have the right to riot or commit crimes. If these students – or paid activists in some cases – are breaking the law, they should go to jail.
The No Loan Forgiveness for Terrorists Act would:
Preventing students from receiving credit through the PSLF program while working at organizations that engage in the following activities:
Aiding or abetting violations of federal immigration laws
Materially supporting terrorism
Materially supporting the castration or mutilation of children
Aiding and abetting illegal discrimination
Violating State tort laws, including against trespassing and disorderly conduct
Last year, Sen. Tuberville also cosponsored the No Bailouts for Campus Criminals Act which would prevent pro-Hamas protestors convicted of a crime from having their student loans forgiven.
Senator Tommy Tuberville represents Alabama in the United States Senate and is a member of the Senate Armed Services, Agriculture, Veterans’ Affairs, HELP and Aging Committees.
Source: United States Senator for Massachusetts Ed Markey
Bill Text (PDF)
Washington (May 22, 2025) – Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), a member of the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, today introduced the Public Service Worker Protection Act, legislation that would extend federal health and safety protections to public sector workers nationwide. The legislation is cosponsored by Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), and Senators Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Tammy Baldwin (D-Wisc.), and Adam Schiff (D-Calif.). Representatives Chris Deluzio (PA-17) and Brian Fitzpatrick (PA-01) introduced companion legislation in the House earlier this month.
Specifically, the Public Service Worker Protection Act would amend the Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) Act of 1970 to extend worker health and safety protections to public sector workers who are currently excluded. Nearly half of states and territories do not extend comparable health and safety protections to public sector workers.
“For too long, public sector workers across the country have been left vulnerable to unsafe working conditions,” said Senator Markey. “The Public Service Worker Protection Act would give public sector workers who tirelessly serve our communities the protections they deserve and ensure they are not taken for granted while the Trump administration continues to attack them and their rights.”
The legislation is endorsed by the American Federation of State County and Municipal workers (AFSCME), American Federation of Labor & Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO), Communications Workers of America (CWA), American Federation of Teachers (AFT), and United Steelworkers (USW).
“For far too long, public sector workers have endured serious, job-related health and safety threats every single day on the job, simply because they do not have the basic, common-sense protections their counterparts in the private sector have under OSHA,” saidAFSCME Council 93 Executive Director Mark Bernard. “Many workers have come to accept these dangers as part of the job. Thankfully, we have leaders in Washington like Senator Markey who refuse to stand idly by and let this injustice continue. We are very grateful for Senator Markey’s support and look forward to what should be strong bi-partisan support for his legislation.”
“At MassCOSH, we believe that no worker should have to choose between their safety and their livelihood,” said Tatiana Begault, Executive Director of the Massachusetts Coalition for Occupational Safety & Health (MassCOSH). “The Public Service Worker Protection Act represents a long-overdue recognition that all workers deserve equal protection under the law. We commend Senator Markey for his leadership and urge swift passage of this critical legislation.
“Every worker deserves a safe workplace, whether they’re in public service or work in the private sector,” said American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) President Lee Saunders. “But nearly 8 million public service workers still aren’t guaranteed basic safety protections on the job. In 23 states, frontline workers like EMS responders, road crews, and corrections officers are excluded from OSHA coverage — even though public service workers report injuries at a rate 81% higher than those in the private sector. It’s time to fix that. On behalf of the 1.4 million public service workers of AFSCME, we thank Senator Markey for sponsoring the Public Service Worker Protection Act, which would finally extend OSHA protections to public service workers nationwide. And we urge Congress to pass this legislation without delay, because protecting our communities starts with protecting the workers who keep America running.”
“Millions of public sector workers across 23 states are currently excluded from the Occupational Safety and Health Act, including thousands of USW members who serve as crossing guards, probationary officers, city workers and much more. Last month, we celebrated Workers Memorial Day where we recommitted ourselves to advancing workplace health and safety, we applaud Senator Markey for introducing the Public Sector Worker Protection Act to close this loophole and protect public sector workers,” said David McCall, President of United Steelworkers (USW) International.
“More than 50 years after the introduction of the Occupational Safety and Health Act, too many of the workers who keep our cities and towns running are at risk of injury, illness, and even death on the job,” said Liz Shuler, President of the AFL-CIO. “The Public Service Worker Protection Act will ensure that these workers will finally have the full protections they are entitled to under federal law. This bill is an important step forward in our fight to make sure every worker comes home from work safe. We urge Congress to pass it without delay.”
“The fight for workplace safety is foundational to why the labor movement exists and core to the AFT,” said Randi Weingarten, President of the American Federation of Teachers (AFT). “No worker should fear for their safety on the job. We are proud to stand with Senator Markey as he introduces the Public Service Worker Protection Act. Far too many public employees are not covered by a state OSHA plan. This legislation would change that and be a meaningful step towards safer workplaces. Congress should take it up without delay.”
“Public service workers have dedicated their lives to improving our communities, often putting their communities’ needs ahead of their own. Relying on individual states to implement their own health and safety plans is simply not enough. These workers deserve federal protections now. CWA proudly supports the Public Service Worker Protection Act, which extends OSHA protections to the public sector workers who keep our cities and states running. We commend Senator Markey for his leadership on this vital issue and call for the swift passage of this important legislation,” said Dan Mauer, Director of Government Affairs, Communications Workers of America (CWA).
Source: United States Senator for Massachusetts Ed Markey
Senator Markey joined by Democratic Leader Schumer, Ranking Member Wyden, and climate advocates
Washington (May 22, 2025) – Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), co-chair of the Senate Climate Change Task Force, Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), and Senator Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Ranking Member of the Senate Finance Committee, joined by climate advocacy groups, today hosted a press conference to blast Republicans’ all-out assault on efforts to combat the climate crisis, including unprecedented actions to revoke the California Clean Air Act waivers and repeal clean energy tax credits included in the Inflation Reduction Act.
“The Trump administration has made one thing painfully clear: They are putting Oil Above All—above the law, above the economy, and above the health and wallets of working families. The repeal of the Clean Air Act waivers is yet another historic example of the lawlessness of today’s Republican party; no rule, no norm, no standard is safe if it stands between them and what their Big Oil donors want. They’re breaking precedent, breaking Senate process, and breaking public trust. As a result, we will see more asthma. More heart disease. More early deaths. More cancer. That will be the Trump and Republican legacy,” said Senator Markey. “By repealing clean energy and environmental protection funding from the Inflation Reduction Act, Republicans are attacking clean air and clean energy with their tax bill. Republicans are seeking to destroy the tools and programs which are creating hundreds of thousands of jobs, easing costs for working families, and addressing air pollution in our communities. These attacks are dangerous and have far-reaching consequences for all.”
“When it comes to clean energy and the Republican agenda, I don’t believe we’ve seen this kind of economic self-sabotage in modern American times. Republicans are raising Americans’ electrical bills, destroying thousands of good-paying jobs, and sacrificing our energy security all to pay for handouts to big corporations and ultra-wealthy Trump donors. Back in the campaign, Trump told a room full of oil and gas executives that he’d let them control the agenda if they helped put him back in the White House, and clearly, he’s delivering on that horribly corrupt promise,” said Ranking Member Wyden.
“Congressional Republicans led a Big Oil-backed effort to circumvent their own rules in order to block California, and other states, from having stronger clean air standards for cars and trucks. This should not be a political or partisan issue, it’s about states’ ability to set standards – like the original tailpipe pollution limits set by Ronald Reagan – that deliver cleaner air for their citizens, said League of Conservation Voters’ Vice President of Federal Policy Matthew Davis. “At the same time, House Republicans have just passed their billionaire tax scam, the most anti-environmental bill in our nation’s history that will drive up families’ energy costs by hundreds of dollars per year. Right now, the Senate must stand up against the anti-environmental billionaire tax scam to protect our clean air and water, and cost-saving, jobs-creating clean energy.”
“Today Congress has decided to fundamentally deny states their rights to reduce pollution and protect public health. In environmental justice communities, people of color and lower income face the greatest rates of asthma and cancer. This action enables a continued unjust assault on overburdened communities choking on diesel fumes. A clean transportation sector benefits us all and we will continue to fight for one that’s healthier, cheaper, and accessible to everyone,” said Yosef Robele, Federal Policy Manager, WE ACT for Environmental Justice.
Source: United States Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.)
Padilla, Stansbury Announce Bicameral Resolution to Join UN Convention on Biological Diversity
WASHINGTON, D.C. — As the world marks the International Day for Biological Diversity, U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) and Representative Melanie Stansbury (D-N.M.-01) announced that they will introduce a resolution calling on the U.S. Senate to ratify the United Nations (UN) Convention on Biological Diversity and bring the United States into the Convention as a formal party.
The UN Convention on Biological Diversity is an international legal instrument that encourages actions by signatories to protect habitats and natural resources that sustain biodiversity. The United States is the only UN member state that has not ratified the treaty despite already legally complying with the obligations under the Convention.
The climate crisis, habitat destruction, and other human-related causes have been linked to a 73 percent decline in the average size of monitored wildlife populations from 1970-2020, while 30 percent of mammals worldwide are at risk of extinction. A total of nearly 1 million species are threatened with extinction.
“The United States is home to a rich array of plants, animals, and ecosystems — but climate change, habitat destruction, and relentless attacks by the Trump Administration are putting our biodiversity at risk,” said Senator Padilla. “America cannot afford to stand on the sidelines while a million species are in danger of extinction. That’s why this International Day for Biological Diversity, we’re pushing the Senate to ratify the United Nations Convention on Biodiversity to give our country a voice and a vote to address this crisis.”
“The Trump Administration has abandoned the United States’ world leadership on the international stage, especially in biodiversity conservation efforts, threatening to roll back decades of progress,” said Representative Stansbury. “It’s well past time we formalize our global commitment by ratifying the UN Convention on Biological Diversity and recognizing that we are all interconnected on this planet. I’m proud to co-lead this resolution to ensure the United States has a more active seat at the table—one that honors and integrates Indigenous knowledge, fosters global cooperation, and helps preserve the incredible ecosystems that sustain human life.”
Despite being one of the top contributors in international conservation funding and biological diversity expertise, the United States is currently limited to being an observer during the deliberations and decision-making processes of the Convention on Biological Diversity. While the treaty was signed in 1993, the United States has never formally ratified it, which has limited the nation’s ability to fully participate in protecting global biodiversity. It has been ratified by 196 nations — everyone but Vatican City, Andorra, South Sudan, Somalia, and the United States.
Source: United States Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.)
Padilla, Schiff, Murray, Cantwell Call Out Trump’s Outrageous, Partisan Decision to Slash Flood Protection Funding for Blue States
Army Corps work plan zeroes out hundreds of millions of dollars for key California and Washington waterway construction projects, among others — steering hundreds of millions to red states
WATCH: Padilla, Schiff blast the gutting of critical California water infrastructure funding
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senators Alex Padilla and Adam Schiff (both D-Calif.), members of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, joined the Washington state Senate delegation for a press conference calling out President Trump’s outrageous, overtly political decision to zero out critical funding for Army Corps of Engineers construction projects in blue states like California and Washington while steering hundreds of millions more to red states.
Senators Padilla, Schiff, Patty Murray (D-Wash.), and Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) criticized the Army Corps’ plan released late last week that announced their intention to zero out all Army Corps construction funding for California ($126 million), as well as cut $500 million for the Howard Hanson Dam in Washington state. This funding was included in the Corps’ Fiscal Year (FY) 2025 budget request, in the Senate’s bipartisan draft FY 2025 funding bill, and even in House Republicans’ draft FY 2025 funding bill. But the Trump Administration — using the new discretion afforded by the yearlong continuing resolution House Republicans drafted that was signed into law — ignored the draft bills and instead apportioned funding on a brazenly political basis.
The four California flood control projects losing Army Corps funding include the American River Common Features Levee Improvement Project, the Pajaro River Flood Risk Management Project, the Lower San Joaquin River Project, and the West Sacramento Project. These projects will protect some of the most at-risk areas in the nation, including Sacramento County, which the Corps considers the most at-risk region for catastrophic flooding in the United States.
“When anyone takes the oath of office, even Donald Trump as President of the United States, you become the president for all Americans — not just for red states or for blue states, but for every state and every community equally,” said Senator Padilla. “Yet, since the minute Donald Trump returned to office, he’s set out to politicize the office he holds, now trying to take hundreds of millions of dollars in flood prevention funding away from the states that happened to not vote for him and redirect them to projects in states that supported his election. It’s absolutely wrong. In California, that means cutting every last dollar of funding that was allocated for certain flood control projects. For a president so obsessed with fighting waste, fraud, and abuse, I know where he can find it. He just has to look in the mirror. Communities up and down California — including farmers and farm workers in the Central Valley and Pajaro — will now be at a higher risk of flooding because Donald Trump’s playing politics with federal funding.”
“Natural disasters don’t discriminate based on whether a state is red or blue, and the administration and Congress shouldn’t either when it comes to protecting communities from natural disasters. This puts us on a very dangerous path, a path where anything can be on the chopping block for a partisan reason. Today, it’s funding for these projects. Tomorrow, it could be another form of funding meant to save lives. There will be a domino effect of threats aimed at blue states. When you’re elected to be president of the United States. You’re not a half president. You’re not president for only half of the country, not if you do the job right. These baseless attacks threaten millions of people from both parties whose lives are endangered by floods,” said Senator Schiff.
Overall, the Army Corps’ plans would steer roughly $258 million more in construction funding to red states while ripping away roughly $437 million in construction funding for blue states, relative to the Corps’ FY 2025 request, which was fully funded in the draft FY 2025 bills that were produced on a bipartisan basis in the Senate and by Republicans in the House. These requests have historically been fully funded. Trump’s work plan steers two thirds of all Army Corps construction funding to red states while the budget request and House and Senate bills would have split that funding evenly to red and blue states.
Padilla and Schiff voted against the continuing resolution earlier this year, which cut the Army Corps’ construction account by 44 percent.
Senator Padilla has fought tirelessly for California communities devastated by atmospheric river flooding. Last spring, he urged the Biden Administration to prioritize sustained federal investment in the Pajaro River Flood Risk Management Project to protect disadvantaged communities along the central coast of California. In 2023, he met with families, small business owners, and farmers in Watsonville and Pajaro impacted by extreme storms after he and Representative Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.-18) successfully led the California Congressional delegation in urging the Biden Administration to approve a Major Disaster Declaration.
Additionally, Padilla successfully pushed for the inclusion of a study on the impact of extreme weather on Army Corps dams and levees in the Water Resources Development Act of 2024.
Video of Senator Padilla’s full remarks is available here, and Senator Schiff’s full remarks can be viewed here.
Source: United States Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.)
Padilla Statement on House Republicans’ Passage of Billionaire-First Reconciliation Bill
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), a member of the Senate Budget Committee, issued the following statement after House Republicans passed their billionaire-first budget reconciliation bill that will gut critical programs and devastate families in California and across the country:
“After scheduling votes in the middle of the night all week, House Republicans voted to cut Medicaid, nutrition assistance, and other vital programs millions of Californians rely on. They will stop at nothing to jam through Trump’s billionaire-first agenda all so that they can fund their tax cuts for the wealthy while racking up our national debt. For them, it’s billionaires over hardworking families and fiscal responsibility — it’s that simple.”
Senator Padilla spoke on the Senate floor against the Republican budget resolution, and voted against advancing it in the Senate in both February and April.
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Gemma King, ARC DECRA Fellow in Screen Studies, Senior Lecturer in French Studies, Australian National University
Archival footage shows Tim Rarus, Greg Hlibok, Bridgetta Bourne-Firl and Jerry Covell, in Apple TV+ Deaf President Now! Apple TV+
In March 1988, students of the world’s only Deaf university started a revolution that made national news. Now, the first film to document this historic uprising is screening on Apple TV+.
By 1988, Washington DC’s Gallaudet University had been educating Deaf students in American Sign Language (ASL) for 124 years. But it had never had a Deaf president.
For the first time, two Deaf candidates were in the running for the top job. One was Gallaudet’s own Irving King Jordan. The second was Harvey Corson of the American School for the Deaf.
The third was Elisabeth Zinser, a hearing woman from the University of North Carolina Greensboro. She had no experience of Deaf community or knowledge of ASL.
As the hearing board of trustees met to choose a new leader, the student body waited with bated breath. Self-determination in higher education – by the Deaf, for the Deaf – was finally a possibility. But once again the board chose a hearing person, Zinser.
When chair Jane Spilman was questioned about the choice, she replied, “Deaf people are not ready to function in a hearing world.”
Incensed, Gallaudet students barricaded the campus, gave impassioned media interviews and took to marching. First they marched around the university – Zinser effigies burning – and then all the way to the Capitol.
The Deaf President Now protest became national news, leading to the resignations of Zinser and Spilman, and the appointment of Jordan as president. It also helped propel the Disability Rights Movement, contributed to the 1990 Americans with Disabilities Act and inspired Deaf Pride movements around the world.
Jane Bassett Spilman and Elisabeth Zinser resigned as a result of the Deaf President Now movement. Apple TV+
Timely, vital and imperfect
The 2025 documentary Deaf President Now! opens with footage of a political act: not from the 1988 protests, but from the present day, as the movement’s original student leaders – Bridgetta Bourne, Jerry Covell, Greg Hlibok and Tim Rarus – advise on their interview setups.
One alerts the crew they can’t see the interpreter. Another explains how much signing space they need in the frame. A third asks, joking but incisive, “What’s the microphone for?”
These aren’t throwaway moments; they show how inclusion and authenticity are only possible when Deaf people are in control of their own stories.
The film excels in exposing the paternalistic attitude and tightly-held hearing power that has long shaped Deaf education.
The film’s most powerful moments are when it contrasts the board’s dismissive rhetoric against the eloquent, impassioned arguments of the Deaf student body. Through intimate interviews and carefully curated archival footage, the documentary dismantles prevailing presumption that Deaf individuals need hearing oversight to succeed.
At the same time, the film embodies a paradox that mirrors its subject matter, as it is co-directed by hearing filmmaker Davis Guggenheim and Deaf director Nyle DiMarco.
DiMarco has been active in the screen industry for more than a decade, in acting roles and as a producer on Netflix hits Deaf U (2020) and Audible (2021). Though his involvement represents progress, Guggenheim’s raises an uncomfortable question: when will Deaf filmmakers fully own their narratives and be entrusted to lead projects?
Nyle DiMarco and Davis Guggenheim co-directed the documentary, with interviews from several of the movement’s leading figures. Apple TV+
The collaboration reflects how stories celebrating Deaf empowerment often require hearing endorsement to reach a mainstream audience. The film’s distribution on Apple TV+ offers unprecedented visibility, but comes through channels controlled by hearing decision-makers.
This production context reminds us true representation extends beyond what appears onscreen, to who controls the storytelling process — a revolution unfinished in Deaf cinema.
Using film for Deaf empowerment
The industry may remain exclusive, but the camera itself can be a tool for Deaf power. Throughout history, Deaf individuals have harnessed film as a means of resistance.
The extensive archival footage in Deaf President Now! shows how, by 1988, film was already being used by the Deaf community as a form of advocacy. Through the blending of this footage with present-day interviews in ASL, we witness Deaf individuals taking ownership of their history and recounting it in their authentic language form.
The documentary also mirrors how media attention was integral to spreading the protest’s message back in 1988. This culminated in a national broadcast of a live debate between Zinser and Greg Hlibok, the then student body president.
To understand the film’s profound importance for the Deaf community, we must recognise how sign languages have historically been undocumented in their true form, with speech and writing considered superior modes of communication.
Deaf culture, language and community are powerful forces of resistance that have continually defied mainstream oppression.
Trump: a step back for the movement
While the film was long overdue, its arrival now is eerily relevant. Trump’s push for conservative policies – part of what he calls “Project 2025” – seeks to dismantle programs and funding that serve minority students, including disability groups.
Many of the protections in the Americans with Disabilities Act are under threat as a result, including fundamental rights to sign language and interpreting access in higher education and beyond.
According to the New York Times, hundreds of terms including “accessibility”, “disability”, “minority” and “inequality” are being limited or outright removed from official government materials. In some cases, grant proposals and contracts have been automatically flagged for including “woke” terminology.
The spirit of the Deaf President Now! resistance has never been more vital.
But if Deaf history has taught us anything, it’s that the Deaf community forges a deep sense of pride and connection in the face of such pressures. And films like Deaf President Now! show us how integral film is to this resistance.
Gemma King receives funding from the Australian Research Council.
Samuel Martin and Sofya Gollan do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
For the past 75 years, America’s nuclear umbrella has been the keystone that has kept East Asia’s great‑power rivalries from turning atomic.
President Donald Trump’s second‑term “strategic reset” now threatens to crack that arch.
By pressuring allies to shoulder more of the defence burden, hinting that US forces might walk if the cheques do not clear and flirting with a return to nuclear testing, Washington is signalling that its once‑ironclad nuclear guarantee is, at best, negotiable.
In Seoul, Tokyo and even Taipei, a once-unthinkable idea — building nuclear weapons — has begun to look disturbingly pragmatic.
Nuclear umbrella starting to fray
Extended deterrence is the promise the United States will use its own nuclear weapons, if necessary, to repel an attack on an ally.
The logic is brutally simple: if North Korea contemplates a strike on South Korea, it must fear an American retaliatory strike, as well.
The pledge allows allies to forgo their own bombs, curbing nuclear proliferation while reinforcing US influence.
The idea dates to Dwight D. Eisenhower’s “New Look” military strategy, which relied on the threat of “massive retaliation” against the Soviet Union to defend Europe and Asia at a discount: fewer troops, more warheads.
John F. Kennedy replaced that hair‑trigger doctrine with a “flexible response” defence strategy. This widened the spectrum of options to respond to potential Soviet attacks, but kept the nuclear backstop in place.
By the 1990s, the umbrella seemed almost ornamental. Russia’s nuclear arsenal had rusted, China was keeping to a “minimal deterrent” strategy (maintaining a small stockpile of weapons), and US supremacy looked overwhelming.
In 2020, then-President Barack Obama’s Nuclear Posture Review reaffirmed the umbrella guarantee, though Obama had voiced aspirations for the long‑term abolition of nuclear weapons.
Barack Obama’s 2009 speech advocating nuclear disarmament in Prague.
The Biden administration then embraced a new term – “integrated deterrence”, which fused cyber, space and economic tools with nuclear forces to deter potential foes.
In recent years, however, North Korea’s sprint towards intercontinental ballistic missiles and the modernisation and expansion of China’s nuclear arsenal began testing the faith of US allies.
Trump has now turbo‑charged those doubts. He has mused that his “strategic reset” ties protection to payment. If NATO’s Article 5 (which obliges members to come to each other’s defence) is “conditional” on US allies paying their fair share, why would Asia be different?
Reports the White House has weighed a resumption of underground nuclear tests – and, under the Biden administration, even a more extensive arsenal – have rattled non‑proliferation diplomats.
A Politico analysis bluntly warns that sustaining global “extended deterrence” in two parts of the world (Europe and Asia) may be beyond Trump’s patience — or pocketbook.
A regional nuclear arms race
Allies are taking note. Last month, an Institute for Strategic Studies survey found officials in Europe and Asia openly questioning whether an American president would risk San Francisco to save Seoul.
In South Korea, public backing for a bomb now tops 70%.
Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party is, for the first time since 1945, considering a “nuclear sharing” arrangement with the US. Some former defence officials have even called for a debate on nuclear weapons themselves.
Taiwan’s legislators — long muzzled on the subject — whisper about a “porcupine” deterrent based on asymmetrical warfare and a modest nuclear capability.
If one domino tips, several could follow. A South Korean nuclear weapon program would almost certainly spur Japan to act. That, in turn, would harden China’s strategic outlook, inviting a regional arms race and shredding the fragile Nuclear Non‑Proliferation Treaty.
The respected international relations journal Foreign Policy has already dubbed Trump’s approach “a nuclear Pandora’s box.”
The danger is not just about more warheads, but also the shorter decision times to use them.
Three or four nuclear actors crammed into the world’s busiest sea lanes — with hypersonic missiles and AI‑driven, early‑warning systems — create hair‑trigger instability. One misread radar blip over the East China Sea could end in catastrophe.
What does this mean for Australia?
Australia, too, has long relied on the US umbrella without demanding an explicit nuclear clause in the ANZUS treaty.
The AUKUS submarine pact with the US and UK deepens technological knowledge sharing, but does not deliver an Australian bomb. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese insists the deal is about “deterrence, not offence,” yet the debate over funding nuclear-powered submarines exposes how tightly Australian strategy is lashed to American political will.
A regional cascade of nuclear proliferation would confront Australia with agonising choices. Should it cling to the shrinking US umbrella, invest in a missile defence shield, or contemplate its own nuclear deterrent? Any such move towards its own weapon would collide with decades of proud non‑proliferation diplomacy and risk alienating Southeast Asian neighbours.
More likely, Canberra will double down on alliance management — lobbying Washington to clarify its commitments, urging Seoul and Tokyo to stay the non‑nuclear course, and expanding regional defence exercises that make American resolve visible.
In a neighbourhood bristling with new warheads, middle powers that remain non‑nuclear will need thicker conventional shields and sharper diplomatic tools.
This means hardening Australia’s northern bases against a potential attack, accelerating its long‑range strike programs, and funding diplomatic initiatives that keep the Non-Proliferation Treaty alive.
The Trump administration’s transactional posture risks broadcasting a deficit of will precisely when East Asian security hangs in the balance. If Washington allows confidence in extended deterrence to erode, history will not stand still; it will split the atom again, this time in Seoul, Tokyo or beyond.
Australia has every incentive to prod its great power ally back toward strategic steadiness. The alternative is a region where the umbrellas proliferate — and, sooner or later, fail.
Ian Langford is affiliated with the University of New South Wales.
WASHINGTON — U.S. Secretary of Energy Chris Wright today announced the designation of coal used in the production of steel as a critical material under the Energy Act of 2020, in accordance withPresident Trump’s Executive Order “Reinvigorating America’s Beautiful Clean Coal Industry.” This action affirms the Administration’s commitment to American energy dominance, manufacturing resurgence, and strengthening America’s energy and industrial security.
A Department of Energy analysis concluded that metallurgical coal, a key input for steel production, meets the statutory definition of a critical material. A robust steel industry is fundamental to U.S. manufacturing, infrastructure development, and economic resilience. Steel is essential to energy technologies, transportation, and defense systems, as the materials that enable steel production (including metallurgical coal and anthracite) are vital to American interests.
“Metallurgical coal is more than a fuel—it is a cornerstone of our industrial base,” said Secretary Wright. “By designating metallurgical coal as a critical material, we are ensuring that American steel, generated by American coal, remains the backbone of our manufacturing sector.”
Why Coal Qualifies as a Critical Material:
Metallurgical coal possesses unique properties necessary for producing coke, the fuel and reactant required for steel production using the blast furnace–basic oxygen furnace method.
Anthracite coal, concentrated in the Appalachian region, plays a key role in the electric arc furnace method, which accounts for approximately 70% of domestic steel production.
The U.S. coal industry provides reliable, domestically sourced metallurgical and anthracite coal essential to supporting both steelmaking processes.
There are over 150 metallurgical coal mines in the United States that employ tens of thousands of Americans.
Shared infrastructure and workforce supporting both thermal and metallurgical coal production are under strain from declining investment and operational capacity. Without intervention, this erosion will jeopardize domestic steel dominance.
The designation underscores the multiple threats facing the U.S. steel sector, including foreign anti-competitive practices, unreliable supply chains, and underinvestment in critical upstream materials. In accordance with the President’s proclamation on adjusting steel imports, this determination supports strategic supply chain development and reindustrialization efforts.
The designation of coal for steelmaking as a critical material is inclusive of its supply chain vulnerability and its indispensable role in the energy sector. Steel is a foundational component of U.S. energy infrastructure, from our pipelines to transmission towers, linked to national energy security.
Learn more about critical materials and view the Federal Register Notice, here.
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
What U.S. President Donald Trump told European leaders after his two-hour phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin has triggered controversy.
Three days after the high-stake talks for Trump, The Wall Street Journal reported Thursday, citing senior European officials familiar with the conversation, that Trump told European leaders that Putin “isn’t ready to end the Ukraine war because he thinks he is winning.”
The White House denied this account immediately. Karoline Leavitt, the White House press secretary, said that Trump “did say he believes Putin is winning the war, but he never said ‘Putin isn’t ready to end the war’.”
During the call, Trump said several times that “he believes Putin wants peace and wants the war to be over,” Leavitt noted.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov also dismissed the WSJ report, saying Russia was only aware of what was said during the phone call between the two leaders on Monday.
“Look, we know what Trump told Putin. We don’t know what Trump told the Europeans after that phone call. We know the official statement by President Trump,” Peskov said.
According to Trump, the afterward call’s participants included Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
The controversy came as European officials accused Trump of handing Putin a win after their phone call since he suggested abandoning being a mediator in ending the war and refused to impose fresh sanctions on Russia.
“Several European officials said the message they took from the call was that they should not expect the United States to join them any time soon in piling additional financial pressure onto Mr. Putin,” The New York Times said in a analysis published Thursday.
“The disagreement between the Americans and the Europeans over support for Ukraine will likely come to a head over two nearly back-to-back summits: the Group of 7 in Canada in mid-June and the NATO summit a week later in The Hague,” the report added.
Source: United States of America – The White House (video statements)
Make America Healthy Again
“This is a milestone. Never in American history has the federal government taken a position on public health like this. And because of President Trump’s leadership, it’s not just one cabinet secretary, it’s the entire government…” –Sec. Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
With the return of Donald Trump to the White House, the United States has signalled a return to aggressive tariff policies, upending economic forecasts around the world.
This leaves central banks with a tricky dilemma: how to respond when inflation and global growth are being shaped by political decisions rather than economic fundamentals?
Tariffs lift import prices and disrupt trade, which could lead to higher inflation. But they can also dampen consumer demand and undermine business confidence, which would slow economic growth.
This leaves central banks balancing two opposing forces – do they raise interest rates to control inflation, or cut interest rates to support growth?
Three big shocks in a row
This week, Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) Governor Michele Bullock addressed this challenge in a press conference after cutting interest rates for the second time this year.
She described the current period as one of “shifting and unusual uncertainty”.
Central banks, she noted, have faced three major shocks in succession: the global financial crisis, the COVID pandemic, and now the fallout from Trump’s trade policies.
Each, she said, is different – this latest one being political in nature and harder to categorise. Bullock stressed the difficulty of judging whether such shocks are supply-driven or demand-driven, or both, and emphasised the need to prepare for a range of outcomes.
So, the Reserve Bank took the unusual step of outlining three alternative global scenarios – trade war, trade peace, and a central baseline. Each one has distinct implications for Australian monetary policy.
It’s a clear example of how central banks can remain flexible and forward-looking in a world where the next shock may look nothing like the last.
Looking at three global scenarios
1. Trade war (escalation)
In this scenario laid out in the Reserve Bank’s quarterly statement on monetary policy, the US imposes sweeping new tariffs. That prompts retaliation and a slowdown in global trade. Supply chains are hit and business confidence falls.
Australia would feel the consequences quickly: weaker export demand, rising import prices, and a difficult mix of slower growth and temporary inflation. Here, the Reserve Bank would likely look past short-term price increases and focus on deteriorating demand. A rate cut would become more likely, despite inflation being above target in the short run.
2. Trade peace (de-escalation)
If the US backs away from new tariffs and tensions ease, global confidence improves and trade stabilises. Australia benefits from stronger global demand, a rebound in commodity exports and rising investment.
In this setting, inflation rises gradually due to higher activity – not import price shocks. The Reserve Bank might hold rates steady, or even consider hiking rates if inflation pressures build. But this scenario also carries risk: if the recovery is faster than expected, interest rates may be left low for too long.
3. Baseline scenario
In the bank’s central case, trade tensions persist but do not escalate. Global growth slows moderately and firms adjust to ongoing strain in supply chains.
Australia sees subdued but stable economic growth. Inflation remains within the 2-3% target band in the near term, and the Reserve Bank would stay open to either raising or lowering interest rates, depending on how risks evolve.
Other central banks face similar choices
Australia’s central bank is not alone in navigating these challenges.
At the Bank of England, the decision to cut rates in May showed a divided Monetary Policy Committee. While the majority supported a 0.25% cut, two members – including trade expert Swati Dhingra – called for a larger 0.5% move to better support growth. The split highlights the difficulty of gauging how aggressively to respond in an uncertain environment.
In the US, Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell has warned of the risks posed by Trump’s new tariffs. Speaking in April, Powell said the impact could be “larger than expected”, threatening both growth and inflation.
With trade policy largely out of the Fed’s hands, he noted, the central bank must still monitor developments on tariffs closely because of their potential to disrupt both employment and prices.
The road ahead
The re-emergence of US tariffs adds to the complexity facing central banks. As Bullock noted, this is not just another economic shock – it’s a politically driven one, which is harder to model and forecast.
The Reserve Bank’s response offers a practical framework: map out potential scenarios, weigh their implications and stand ready to move. In an uncertain world, monetary policy must be based not just on data, but on judgement, flexibility and contingency planning.
Stella Huangfu 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: United States Senator for Connecticut – Chris Murphy
May 22, 2025
[embedded content]
WASHINGTON—U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) on Thursday led a press conference with U.S. Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) and U.S. Representative Sam Liccardo (D-Calif.), Public Citizen, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW), and End Citizens United to call out the blatant corruption behind President Trump’s meme coin dinner — a secretive, high-dollar event where anonymous crypto investors are buying direct access to Trump. The Members demanded full transparency: who’s attending, how much they paid, and what kind of influence they’re expecting in return for the millions of dollars they put in Trump’s meme coin. With no press, no disclosure, and crypto wallets tied to foreign actors, this dinner isn’t just unethical — it’s a national security risk. It’s pay-to-play politics on steroids, and Trump is cashing in. The dinner is scheduled for tonight at Trump National Golf Club in Sterling, Virginia.
“We’re here today to call on the President and the people who serve him to do something really simple: release the names of the people who are going to be there,” said Murphy. “Even if you release the names, it’s still corrupt. But at least let us see who’s going to be there. At least let the American people know who has bought access to the President. Release the names. If there’s nothing wrong, if you think that this is all above board, then what are you hiding?”
“Americans sent us to Congress to unrig the economy — not to help the President turn the White House into a crypto cash machine with private dinners for his top meme coin buyers or legislation that supercharges his stablecoin profits,” said Banking Committee Ranking Member Warren. “The GENIUS Act should be written to prohibit the president and his family from profiting—period.”
“President Trump has put a ‘for sale’ sign on the White House lawn with his cryptocurrency schemes,” said Merkley. “Congress needs to act fast to stop the massive corruption and national security threat that is Trump selling access and influence to the highest bidders. My End Crypto Corruption Act not only cracks down on this corruption but also prevents other federal officials, like Members of Congress, from betraying our ‘We The People’ government.”
“Donald Trump is selling access. He is selling out America, he is selling it to a foreign power, and he is putting our national security at risk. Trump is becoming beholden to foreign powers—the Emirates that provided $2 billion to World Liberty Financial, the Qataris that have provided him with a plane, and the unknown foreign actors that have invested in his meme coin operation. It’s not just about corruption—it is about corruption that endangers our national security by putting the president in a compromised position in relation to foreign powers,” said Blumenthal. “My hope is that the Trump Administration will give us the list of individuals attending tonight’s dinner as the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigation has asked them to provide.”
“I was not invited to dine with Donald Trump today. I’m not disappointed. But you know who should be disappointed? The 746,000 people (probably many of them Americans) who bought small amounts of that Trump coin – maybe some of them bought a little bit more – who didn’t get invited. When I introduced the MEME Act in the House it was because, to borrow from Richard Nixon, those 764,000 Americans needed to know that their president was a crook. And hopefully, we’re going to find some Republicans who have the courage and the spine to say this is corruption regardless of which party is committing it,” said Liccardo.
“America should not be for sale. With tonight’s prize dinner, our President is using his private golf course to cater to some of the world’s richest people, instead of working on behalf of working families and our country. He claims to be ‘America first,’ but really, he’s ‘Donald Trump first.’ Between his outrageous meme coin grift, his Tesla car show on the White House lawn, the jumbo jet gift from Qatar and his numerous candlelit dinners for tech bros and foreign billionaires, this President is the definition of corruption and personal profit over regular people,” said Lisa Gilbert, co-president of Public Citizen.
“The President’s corrupt dinner is yet another alarming example of foreign interests opening their wallets to him. By turning the American presidency into a money-making venture, Trump is inviting an unprecedented level of corruption—and putting our national security at risk. End Citizens United proudly stands with Senator Murphy and the other lawmakers who spoke out today to demand transparency and accountability,” said Justin Unga, Vice President of Public Affairs, End Citizens United.
Earlier this month, Murphy introduced the Modern Emoluments and Malfeasance Enforcement (MEME) Act, legislation to prevent corrupt federal officials from using their position to profit off digital assets such as meme coins. Rep. Liccardo introduced companion legislation in the U.S. House of Representatives.
Source: United States Senator for Alaska Dan Sullivan
05.22.25
WASHINGTON—U.S. Senator Sullivan (R-Alaska), a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC), highlighted the need for President Trump’s planned “Golden Dome” missile defense system, and the critical role Alaska will play, in an interview with Greta Van Susteren last night on Newsmax. Sen. Sullivan, the leader on missile defense in Congress since coming to the Senate in 2015, attended an announcement this week at the White House on the Trump administration’s vision of a layered, integrated missile defense system to protect the United States from the intensifying threats and growing arsenals of China and Russia. Sullivan and Sen. Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.) will soon be introducing the GOLDEN DOME Act, which will complement the administration’s effort, including the President’s executive order on missile defense, signed on January 27, 2025. Additionally, the House-passed budget reconciliation bill includes a $25 billion down-payment for the Golden Dome system.
“The threats in terms of what the Golden Dome is going to focus on, they’ve increased,” said Sen. Sullivan. “It used to be just intercontinental ballistic missiles that we were worried about. Now it’s hypersonics that China has done a pretty darn good job at. Now it’s cruise missiles. To be honest, right now, Greta, without this Golden Dome, we don’t have any defenses on hypersonics. We don’t have any defenses on cruise missiles. I think it’s the responsible thing to do when you see new threats developing—we have those new threats—to take action against them. That’s what the President is doing. That’s what we’re doing here in the Congress.”
[embedded content]
Below is a full transcript of Sen. Sullivan’s interview on Newsmax.
VAN SUSTEREN: Okay. Talk about a really dumb business decision. No, not ours, but Russia’s. Russia sold Alaska to the United States for $7.2 million. That won’t even buy you a house in Hollywood. The sale was a while ago. It was back in 1867. But, still, it was so smart of the United States and so dumb of Russia to sell it. It’s not just an acre too they sold us. Alaska is the size of 19 other United States combined, twice the size of Texas. And get this: Alaska has only 740,000 residents. That is what Seattle, Washington has—just one city has here in the United States. Why am I mentioning this? Because President Trump has his eyes on Alaska. Alaska is going to play a big role in Trump’s Golden Dome for America plan.
PRESIDENT TRUMP: Alaska is involved and Alaska is a big part of it because the location is sort of perfect. I think it’s your first line of defense in certain instances.
VAN SUSTEREN: Speaking of Alaska’s geographic location, I should note, though, that at its closest point to Russia, Alaska from Russia is less than three miles. The United States’ Adak naval base is about 800 miles. Alaska’s U.S. Senator, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, Dan Sullivan, joins me. Good evening, sir, and why do we need the Golden Dome?
SULLIVAN: Well, good evening, Greta. I was in the Oval Office yesterday with the President when he was talking about the Golden Dome and talking about Alaska’s key role in that. It’s a great vision of President Trump. By the way, it’s continued leadership by President Trump. He was working on big missile defense during his first term. Of course, Joe Biden didn’t do anything in this area. Now, during his second term, President Trump has laid out this vision of a Golden Dome that can protect all of America through layered defenses, starting, of course, with Alaska—our ground-based missile interceptors that are based there already, our radar systems based throughout our state, including in the Aleutian Islands. This vision, which the Congress fully supports, is going to move forward into space. It’s going to have space-based sensors, space-based interceptors, and an open architecture that brings in data and new software to bring it all together. It’s a great vision. We had a big day in the Oval Office. Alaska is going to play a big role. But I will tell you, President Trump’s leadership is driving this, and it’s something that no other country can do, and we’re going to do it.
VAN SUSTEREN: All right. Well it’s got a huge price tag. The President said $150 billion. I read it’s $850 billion over ten years. But this is Washington, where we play with a lot of numbers. But China sees this as an offensive military action by us, not defensive. Is it offensive or defensive?
SULLIVAN: It’s defensive, right? If you listen to President Trump yesterday, he said exactly what this is. It builds on the vision that Ronald Reagan put forward during his term. It’s just that, during the Reagan administration, we didn’t have the technology to do this. Now we do have the technology to do this, and that’s why it’s so important that we should. But it’s also very defensive. The reason China and Russia are so upset about this is, it’s the reason the Soviet Union was upset about what Ronald Reagan was trying to do in the 1980s—because they can’t do this. This is going to make Americans safer. When you have the ability to do that, and the President’s focused on it, I think that’s what a smart commander in chief does.
VAN SUSTEREN: Is the technology profoundly different than the Iron Dome in Israel, which detects by radar a missile coming in and then shoots up and gets the missile. Is this technology different?
SULLIVAN: It’s different in that it’s obviously much bigger. It covers a much greater area. That’s one area that I’ve worked on in the Senate is the cooperation between the United States and Israel with regard to the Iron Dome. The U.S. played an important role in the technology and the research that went into Israel’s Iron Dome. The Israelis came actually, Greta, to Alaska and tested elements of the Iron Dome on Kodiak Island a couple of years ago. But this is much bigger. I will tell you, the big difference is, it’s not just the ground-based missile interceptors that we have in places like Alaska that can take out intercontinental ballistic missiles. It’s the space layer. That’s really different. That’s important. The space layer in the Golden Dome is going to be not only detecting missiles and detecting threats, but intercepting them, shooting them down from space. That’s something different. That’s a much more significant technology, but we have the capacity to do it. That’s what is exciting. We need to do it.
VAN SUSTEREN: All right. Obviously, I want to protect the United States. I want to be safe myself. But the other thing, too, is, I don’t want to rattle the cage of China. Then we get in basically into an arms race, for lack of better terms, with Russia and China over this. The thing that bothers me more than that—I’m less worried about missiles coming in than I am of gain of function viruses, because that is—you can sneak it in on the next United Airlines or American Airlines flight in from overseas and you can take out an entire population. So while we’re spending all these billions of dollars that—I worry about China and their labs or anybody else.
SULLIVAN: The bio threats that we have are very real. So I would agree with you on that. But we’re a great nation, and we can focus on different threats at different times. But there’s no doubt that the threat of bioterrorism is something we’ve got to focus on. But the threats in terms of what the Golden Dome is going to focus on, they’ve increased. What do I mean by that? It used to be just intercontinental ballistic missiles that we were worried about. Now it’s hypersonics that China has done a pretty darn good job at. Now it’s cruise missiles. To be honest, right now, Greta, without this Golden Dome, we don’t have any defenses on hypersonics. We don’t have any defenses on cruise missiles. I think it’s the responsible thing to do when you see new threats developing—we have those new threats—to take action against them. That’s what the president is doing. That’s what we’re doing here in the Congress. We already have in the budget reconciliation a down payment on the Golden Dome for about $25 billion in the bill we’re working on right now. I am working on legislation that we’re introducing soon with Senator Cramer that we briefed the President on—the Golden Dome legislation—to make sure this is embedded in the law. We’re going to be introducing that soon. So you have the Congress backing this initiative, and leadership by the President to address new threats. They’re out there. I think that’s what responsible leaders do, and that’s what the President is doing.
VAN SUSTEREN: Senator, thank you very much. I hope you come back next time. Let’s talk about how people come up with these numbers of how the cost is—who’s putting the price tags on this. We’ll talk about that next time. Senator Dan Sullivan from the great state of Alaska. Thank you, sir.
ER Report: Here is a summary of significant articles published on EveningReport.nz on May 23, 2025.
Half the remaining habitat of Australia’s most at-risk species is outside protected areas Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Ward, Lecturer, School of Environment and Science, Griffith University Land clearing for agriculture poses a real threat to many species. Rich Carey/Shutterstock More and more Australian species are being listed as critically endangered – the final stage before extinction in the wild. Hundreds of species of
How should central banks respond to US tariffs? The RBA provides some clues Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Stella Huangfu, Associate professor, University of Sydney Lightspring/Shutterstock With the return of Donald Trump to the White House, the United States has signalled a return to aggressive tariff policies, upending economic forecasts around the world. This leaves central banks with a tricky dilemma: how to respond when
Air New Zealand to resume Auckland-Nouméa flights from November By Patrick Decloitre, RNZ Pacific correspondent French Pacific desk Air New Zealand has announced it plans to resume its Auckland-Nouméa flights from November, almost one and a half years after deadly civil unrest broke out in the French Pacific territory. “Air New Zealand is resuming its Auckland-Nouméa service starting 1 November 2025. Initially, flights will
Budget 2025: Pacific Ministry faces major cuts, yet new initiatives aim for development By ‘Alakihihifo Vailala of PMN News Funding for New Zealand’s Ministry for Pacific Peoples (MPP) is set to be reduced by almost $36 million in Budget 2025. This follows a cut of nearly $26 million in the 2024 budget. As part of these budgetary savings, the Tauola Business Fund will be closed. But, $6.3 million
Air New Zealand to resume Auckland-Nouméa flights from November By Patrick Decloitre, RNZ Pacific correspondent French Pacific desk Air New Zealand has announced it plans to resume its Auckland-Nouméa flights from November, almost one and a half years after deadly civil unrest broke out in the French Pacific territory. “Air New Zealand is resuming its Auckland-Nouméa service starting 1 November 2025. Initially, flights will
Budget 2025: Pacific Ministry faces major cuts, yet new initiatives aim for development By ‘Alakihihifo Vailala of PMN News Funding for New Zealand’s Ministry for Pacific Peoples (MPP) is set to be reduced by almost $36 million in Budget 2025. This follows a cut of nearly $26 million in the 2024 budget. As part of these budgetary savings, the Tauola Business Fund will be closed. But, $6.3 million
Why Donald Trump has put Asia on the precipice of a nuclear arms race Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ian Langford, Executive Director, Security & Defence PLuS and Professor, UNSW Sydney For the past 75 years, America’s nuclear umbrella has been the keystone that has kept East Asia’s great‑power rivalries from turning atomic. President Donald Trump’s second‑term “strategic reset” now threatens to crack that arch. By
Corroboree 2000, 25 years on: the march for Indigenous reconciliation has left a complicated legacy Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Heidi Norman, Professor of Aboriginal political history, Faculty of Arts, Design and Architecture, Convenor: Indigenous Land & Justice Research Group, UNSW Sydney First Nations people please be advised this article speaks of racially discriminating moments in history, including the distress and death of First Nations people. On
KiwiSaver at a crossroads: budget another missed opportunity to fix NZ’s underperforming retirement scheme Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Aaron Gilbert, Professor of Finance, Auckland University of Technology Lynn Grieveson/Getty Images When KiwiSaver was introduced in 2007 it was built on a stark reality: New Zealand Super alone will not be enough for most people to retire with dignity. As the population ages and the cost
Deaf President Now! traces the powerful uprising that led to Deaf rights in the US – now again under threat Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Gemma King, ARC DECRA Fellow in Screen Studies, Senior Lecturer in French Studies, Australian National University Archival footage shows Tim Rarus, Greg Hlibok, Bridgetta Bourne-Firl and Jerry Covell, in Apple TV+ Deaf President Now! Apple TV+ In March 1988, students of the world’s only Deaf university started
Head knocks and ultra-violence: viral games Run It Straight and Power Slap put sports safety back centuries Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Christopher Yorke, Lecturer in sport management, Western Sydney University runitstraight24/instagram.com, The Conversation, CC BY Created in Australia, “Run It Straight” is a new, ultra-violent combat sport. Across a 20×4 metre grassed “battlefield,” players charge at full speed toward one another. Alternating between carrying the ball (ball runner)
NZ Budget 2025: funding growth at the expense of pay equity for women could cost National in the long run Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jennifer Curtin, Professor of Politics and Policy, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau Pay equity protest outside parliament on budget day, May 22 2025. Getty Images In 1936, when the National Party was created through a merger of the United and Reform parties, there was a recognition
Australian roads are getting deadlier – pedestrians and males are among those at greater risk Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Milad Haghani, Associate Professor & Principal Fellow in Urban Risk & Resilience, The University of Melbourne At least ten people died in fatal crashes earlier this month in a single 48-hour period on Victorian roads. It was the latest tragic demonstration of the mounting road trauma in
There is a growing number of ‘super-sized’ schools. Does the number of students matter? Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Emma Rowe, Associate Professor in Education, Deakin University LBeddoe/Shutterstock Earlier this week, The Sydney Morning Herald reported one of Sydney’s top public high schools had more than 2,000 students for the first time, thanks to the booming population in the area. This follows similar reports of other
From peasant fodder to posh fare: how snails and oysters became luxury foods Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Garritt C. Van Dyk, Senior Lecturer in History, University of Waikato An Oyster cellar in Leith John Burnet, 1819; National Galleries of Scotland, Photo: Antonia Reeve Oysters and escargot are recognised as luxury foods around the world – but they were once valued by the lower classes
Govt should defuse NZ’s social timebomb – but won’t We have been handed a long and protracted recession with few signs of growth and prosperity. Budget 2025 signals more of the same, writes Susan St John. ANALYSIS: By Susan St John With the coalition government’s second Budget being unveiled, we should question where New Zealand is heading. The 2024 Budget laid out the strategy.
Punitive criminal libel charge against Samoan journalist draws flurry of criticism Pacific Media Watch A punitive defamation charge filed against one of Samoa’s most experienced and trusted journalists last week has sparked a flurry of criticism over abuse of power and misuse of a law that has long been heavily criticised as outdated. Talamua Online senior journalist Lagi Keresoma, who is also president of the Journalists
Grattan on Friday: if Ley and Littleproud find a way to cohabit, it will be a tense household Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra Remember that cliche about the Nationals tail wagging the Liberal dog? That tail wagged very vigorously this week, and smashed a lot of crockery, as it sought to bring Liberal leader Sussan Ley to heel. In a gesture of overreach,
Legal academic says Samoa’s criminal libel law should go after charge By Don Wiseman, RNZ Pacific senior journalist An Auckland University law academic says Samoa’s criminal libel law under which a prominent journalist has been charged should be repealed. Lagi Keresoma, the first female president of the Journalists Association of Samoa (JAWS) and editor of Talamua Online, was charged under the Crimes Act 2013 on Sunday
Source: United States Senator for Washington State Patty Murray
Work plan released by Army Corps zeroes out hundreds of millions of dollars for key WA, CA waterway construction projects, among others—steering hundreds of millions to red states
***WATCH: WA, CA Senators hold press conference calling out Trump’s decision***
Washington, D.C. — Today, the Senate delegations from Washington state and California joined together to call out President Trump’s outrageous, nakedly-political decision to zero out critical funding for Army Corps of Engineers construction projects in blue states like Washington and California while steering hundreds of millions more to red states.
U.S. Senators Patty Murray (D-WA), Vice Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, Maria Cantwell (D-WA), Alex Padilla (D-CA), and Adam Schiff (D-CA) blasted the Trump administration’s plans, released late last week, detailing how the Army Corps intends to zero out all Army Corps construction funding for the state of California, as well as $500 million for the Howard Hanson Dam in Washington state. California was set to receive well over $100 million in funding for projects, and the Howard Hanson Dam in Washington state was set to receive $500 million—in the Corps’ fiscal year 2025 budget request, in the Senate’s bipartisan draft fiscal year 2025 funding bill, and even in House Republicans’ draft fiscal year 2025 funding bill. But the Trump administration—using the new discretion afforded by the yearlong CR House Republicans drafted that was signed into law—ignored the draft bills and instead apportioned funding on a nakedly political basis.
On Tuesday, a top Army Corps official testifying before the House failed to provide any justification for the decision and noted that the ultimate decision rested with Trump’s Office of Management and Budget (OMB), headed by Russ Vought.
“We are here for a simple reason: Trump is robbing our states in broad daylight, and we are not going to be quiet about this,” said Senator Murray. “Last year, we worked across the aisle to hammer out a bipartisan understanding about what projects needed Army Corps construction funding. But President Trump is ripping up the roadmap we all agreed on—even House Republicans— and turning the Army Corps construction fund into his personal political slush fund. I don’t know how you get more obviously partisan than cutting California, the most populous state in the country, out of Army Corps construction funding entirely, and I just don’t know how you get more blatantly corrupt than zeroing out half a billion dollars for Washington state and completely shafting major work at the Howard Hanson Dam—work to address dam safety, water supply issues, and more.”
“The Ports of Seattle and Tacoma received $45.4 million less in this budget,” said Senator Cantwell. “This is a huge problem for the next five years. We want to stabilize our ports. We want the Army Corps to do their investment on important waterway issues. We want to grow economic opportunity at an age when the Pacific economy is continuing to grow. We want to be on the doorstep of that access and to be efficient about delivering it, not giving those jobs away to Canada and Mexico.”
“When anyone takes the oath of office, even Donald Trump as President of the United States, you become the president for all Americans — not just for red states or for blue states, but for every state and every community equally,” said Senator Padilla. “Yet, since the minute Donald Trump returned to office, he’s set out to politicize the office he holds, now trying to take hundreds of millions of dollars in flood prevention funding away from the states that happened to not vote for him and redirect them to projects in states that supported his election. It’s absolutely wrong. In California, that means cutting every last dollar of funding that was allocated for certain flood control projects. For a president so obsessed with fighting waste, fraud, and abuse, I know where he can find it. He just has to look in the mirror. Communities up and down California — including farmers and farm workers in the Central Valley and Pajaro — will now be at a higher risk of flooding because Donald Trump’s playing politics with federal funding.”
“Natural disasters don’t discriminate based on whether a state is red or blue, and the administration and Congress shouldn’t either when it comes to protecting communities from natural disasters. This puts us on a very dangerous path, a path where anything can be on the chopping block for a partisan reason,” said Senator Schiff. “Today, it’s funding for these projects. Tomorrow, it could be another form of funding meant to save lives. There will be a domino effect of threats aimed at blue states. When you’re elected to be president of the United States, you’re not a half president. You’re not president for only half of the country, not if you do the job right. These baseless attacks threaten millions of people from both parties whose lives are endangered by floods.”
Overall, the Army Corps’ plan would steer roughly $258 million dollars more in construction funding to red states while ripping away roughly $437 million dollars in construction funding for blue states, relative to the fiscal year 2025 request—which, historically, has been fully funded and was fully funded in the draft fiscal year 2025 bills produced on a bipartisan basis in the Senate and by House Republicans in the House. Trump’s work plan steers two-thirds of all Army Corps construction funding to red states while the budget request and House and Senate bills would have split that funding roughly evenly to red and blue states.
Supporting the Howard Hanson Dam has been a longtime priority for Senator Murray, and she has pressed the Army Corps to prioritize funding for the Dam for years. Under the last administration, Senator Murray was able to secure critical funding boosts for Howard Hanson Dam, including $220 million in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and $50 million to begin construction of a new facility in the funding bills for fiscal year 2024 that Murray wrote as then-Chair of the Appropriations Committee. Back in 2010, Murray secured $44 million in badly needed emergency funds for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to repair the Howard Hanson Dam. In the draft fiscal year 2025 appropriations bill she cleared unanimously out of Committee last year, Senator Murray secured $500 million for the dam, which would support fish passage and address dam safety and water supply issues for cities like Tacoma and Covington. $500 million was also included in the House’s draft fiscal year 2025 appropriations bill. The funding is needed to execute a construction option on the contract for the project, which would have allowed construction to begin in 2026 as scheduled.
Congress typically provides specific, detailed instructions in its annual appropriations bills on how the Army Corps (and so many other agencies) must spend funding provided by Congress. Annual appropriations bills note exactly what Army Corps projects must be funded and at what levels. But instead of working with Democrats to pass full-year appropriations bills that deliver for communities across America, Republicans in Congress put forth a yearlong continuing resolution (CR) that failed to include hundreds of specific directives on how funding must be spent. For months, Senator Murray warned of the dangers of passing Republicans’ slush fund CR, noting, for example, that it would allow the administration to zero out funding for Army Corps projects.
Senator Murray’s remarks, as delivered, are below:
“We are here for a simple reason: Trump is robbing our states in broad daylight, and we are not going to be quiet about this.
“We are not going to stop fighting for our communities, and we are going to make every single person understand what is happening—and what it means for our states, for our communities, and for this democracy.
“Last year, we worked across the aisle to hammer out a bipartisan understanding about what projects needed Army Corps construction funding. And ‘we’—isn’t just the four of us here. It includes our Republican counterparts and even our House colleagues.
“But President Trump is ripping up the roadmap we all agreed on—even the House Republicans—and turning the Army Corps construction funds into his personal political slush fund.
“To give you a sense of how blatantly political this is, consider the fact that the Corps’ budget request last year, the bipartisan Senate bill my committee passed unanimously, and the House bill—yes the Republican House bill—all split this funding just about evenly—every one of them split it just about 50-50 between red and blue states.
“Now compare that to Trump’s partisan takeover. This thing is totally lopsided—roughly two-thirds goes to red states and one-third for blue states.
“This is not how it should work—an out-of-control Republican president punishing blue states and rewarding his friends instead.
“I don’t know how you get more obviously partisan than cutting California, the most populous state in the country, out of Army Corps construction funding entirely. Trump slashed over $100 million for projects that reduce flooding for crying out loud! I mean who is pro-flooding?
“And I just don’t know how you get more blatantly corrupt than zeroing out half a billion dollars for Washington state and completely shifting major work at the Howard Hanson Dam—work to address dam safety, water supply issues, and more.
“This is a project years in the making, and it is being slashed at the stroke of one careless pen, at the will of one corrupt President alone.
“So why does President Trump think our constituents don’t need a safe water supply?
“Why does President Trump think our constituents don’t need to be protected from floods?
“It’s clear he simply doesn’t care.
“But it’s actually worse than what I just laid out—because Trump is not just taking hundreds of millions of dollars from blue states for projects that we all agreed on. He is actually shoveling this money to projects that were not funded by either bill in either chambers—and that is nakedly political.
“Suddenly, projects in or near his allies’ districts are funded.
“So we need answers. And more than that, we need accountability.
“Yesterday, a top Army Corps official testified before the House, and let me tell you: she had absolutely no acceptable—or even half-convincing—justification for these decisions.
“In fact, she very explicitly stated that OMB—not the experts at the Corps—called the final shots.
“That should raise everyone’s eyebrows—Russ Vought calling the shots for your constituents.
“So we’re here to call this out—and we are going to fight tooth and nail to make this right, and make these critical projects whole.
“I will tell you right now: I will not let defunding Howard Hanson Dam stand in any future bipartisan spending bill.
“And, I will continue warning my colleagues about passing another partisan CR, which gave this administration that power to pick winners and losers like this in the first place.
“I warned about exactly this before I voted against the CR—I warned that Trump could, and would, abuse the discretion in a slush fund
CR to rob our communities. And now, here we are.
“So every single member needs to pay close attention to what is happening here—and needs to speak out.
“Because it may not be your state today but what happens when your governor disagrees with the President? What happens when you vote against him and your state loses out on funding?
“Take my word—you don’t want to find out. We have to put a stop to this, and push back now.”
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
U.S. stocks finished little changed on Thursday, as investors digested the House of Representatives’s narrow passage of U.S. President Donald Trump’s sweeping tax legislation and its potential impact on the nation’s growing debt.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell by 1.35 points, or 0.00 percent, to 41,859.09. The S&P 500 sank 2.60 points, or 0.04 percent, to 5,842.01. The Nasdaq Composite Index increased by 53.09 points, or 0.28 percent, to 18,925.74.
Eight of the 11 primary S&P 500 sectors ended in red, with utilities and health leading the laggards by losing 1.41 percent and 0.76 percent, respectively. Meanwhile, consumer discretionary and communication services led the gainers by going up 0.56 percent and 0.32 percent, respectively.
The bill — referred to by Trump as a “big, beautiful bill” — is projected by the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office to add approximately 3.8 trillion U.S. dollars to the current 36.2 trillion dollars of national debt over the next ten years if enacted.
“It seems pretty clear that, in its present form, the legislation is certainly not going to improve the budget deficit and could make it substantially worse,” said Steve Sosnick, chief market analyst at Interactive Brokers.
Bond markets, which have been in sharp focus following Moody’s recent U.S. credit downgrade, saw some relief. After several days of climbing, longer-term U.S. Treasury yields retreated slightly. The 30-year yield slipped just below 5.1 percent, pulling back from levels last seen during the financial crisis, while the 10-year benchmark yield dropped to around 4.55 percent.
Federal Reserve Governor Christopher Waller suggested in an interview with Fox Business that rate cuts could be considered if Trump’s tariff policies end up being less severe than feared. “If we can get the tariffs down close to the 10 percent and then that’s all sealed, done and delivered somewhere by July, then we’re in good shape for the second half of the year, and then we’re in a good position to kind of move with rate cuts through the second half of the year,” Waller said.
On the economic front, U.S. output rebounded in May as businesses adjusted to the recent tariff rollback. According to S&P Global, the flash composite Purchasing Managers’ Index — which measures activity across both the manufacturing and services sectors — rose to 52.1 in May, up from 50.6 in April, indicating a modest expansion.
However, labor market data pointed to some softness. The weekly jobless claims report showed that 1.9 million Americans were continuing to receive unemployment benefits. The four-week moving average of continuing claims hit its highest level since November 2021, suggesting increased strain in the job market.
Market expectations, based on data from LSEG, now reflect the likelihood of at least two 25-basis-point interest rate cuts by the end of the year, as investors continue to monitor economic momentum and fiscal developments. Enditem
Source: United States Senator for Texas John Cornyn
WASHINGTON – Today on Newsmax’s American Agenda, U.S. Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) discussed last night’s horrific murder of two staffers working for Israel’s embassy in D.C. that prompted Sen. Cornyn to call on the Department of Justice to investigate the details surrounding the suspect and the radical groups he was associated with. Excerpts of Sen. Cornyn’s remarks are below, and video can be found here.
“Antisemitism is on the rise and needs to be condemned.”
“Violence has no place in this country.”
“There’s been a course correction since the election of President Trump.”
“A lot of the woke programs and policies of universities across this country were a big surprise to a lot of people – the blatant antisemitism in particular, the targeting of Jewish students. This is unacceptable.”
“We have a new sheriff in town. We have a new Attorney General, a new FBI Director that can aggressively do investigations and prosecute individuals who violate the rights of our Jewish citizens, and I think that will go a long way to correcting the direction that we have been on for the last four years.”
U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration revoked Harvard University’s ability to enroll international students on Thursday, and is forcing current foreign students to transfer to other schools or lose their legal status, while also threatening to expand the crackdown to other colleges.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem ordered the department to terminate Harvard University’s Student and Exchange Visitor Program certification effective for the 2025-2026 school year, the department said in a statement.
Noem accused the university of “fostering violence, antisemitism, and coordinating with the Chinese Communist Party.”
Harvard said the move by the Trump administration – which affects thousands of students – was illegal and amounted to retaliation.
The decision marked a significant escalation of the Trump administration’s campaign against the elite Ivy League university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, which has emerged as one of Trump’s most prominent institutional targets. The move came after Harvard refused to provide information that Noem demanded about some foreign student visa holders at Harvard, the department said.
Harvard enrolled nearly 6,800 international students in the 2024-2025 school year, amounting to 27% of its total enrollment, according to university statistics.
In 2022, Chinese nationals were the biggest group of foreign students at 1,016, university figures showed. After that were students from Canada, India, South Korea, Britain, Germany, Australia, Singapore and Japan.
The Chinese Embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
“It is a privilege, not a right, for universities to enroll foreign students and benefit from their higher tuition payments to help pad their multibillion-dollar endowments,” Noem said in a statement.
In a letter to the university, Noem gave Harvard “the opportunity” to regain its certification by turning over within 72 hours a raft of records about foreign students, including any video or audio of their protest activity in the past five years.
Harvard called the government’s action “unlawful” and said it was “fully committed” to educating foreign students.
“This retaliatory action threatens serious harm to the Harvard community and our country, and undermines Harvard’s academic and research mission,” the university said in a statement.
Congressional Democrats denounced the revocation, with U.S. Representative Jaime Raskin calling it an “intolerable attack on Harvard’s independence and academic freedom” and saying it was government retaliation for Harvard’s previous resistance to Trump.
Trump has already frozen some $3 billion in federal grants to Harvard in recent weeks, leading the university to sue to restore the funding.
In a separate lawsuit related to Trump’s efforts to terminate the legal status of hundreds of foreign students across the U.S., a federal judge ruled on Thursday that the administration could not end their status without following proper regulatory procedures. It was not immediately clear how that ruling would affect the action against Harvard.
During an interview with Fox News’ “The Story with Martha MacCallum,” Noem was asked if she was considering similar moves at other universities, including Columbia University in New York.
“Absolutely, we are,” Noem said. “This should be a warning to every other university to get your act together.”
TRUMP TARGETS UNIVERSITIES
Trump, a Republican, took office in January pledging a wide-ranging immigration crackdown. His administration has tried to revoke student visas and green cards of foreign students who participated in pro-Palestinian protests.
He has undertaken an extraordinary effort to revamp private colleges and schools across the U.S., claiming they foster anti-American, Marxist and “radical left” ideologies. He has criticized Harvard for hiring prominent Democrats for teaching or leadership positions.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services said on Monday that it was terminating a further $60 million in federal grants to Harvard because it failed to address antisemitic harassment and ethnic discrimination.
In a legal complaint filed earlier this month, Harvard said it was committed to combating antisemitism and had taken steps to ensure its campus is safe and welcoming to Jewish and Israeli students.
Aaron Reichlin-Melnick, a senior fellow with the American Immigration Council, a pro-immigration advocacy group, said the action against Harvard’s student visa program “needlessly punishes thousands of innocent students.”
“None of them have done anything wrong, they’re just collateral damage to Trump,” he said on the social media site Bluesky.
Joint Operation Involving Federal and Local Law Enforcement Results In More Than 450 Arrests of Illegal Immigrants and Suspected Drug Criminals Across Arkansas
LITTLE ROCK—The largest collaborative police effort to enforce federal immigration laws in Arkansas’s history resulted in the arrest of 219 illegal immigrants over the past three weeks. Jonathan D. Ross, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas, and Clay Fowlkes, United States Attorney for the Western District of Arkansas, announced the culmination of “Operation Enforce and Remove,” an arrest operation across the state that involved all federal law enforcement agencies operating in Arkansas, as well the Arkansas State Police and all 19 Arkansas Judicial Drug Task Forces, who coordinated and organized the overall operation. In addition to assisting with immigration enforcement, these task forces also arrested 253 individuals suspected of committing drug crimes and seized nearly 15,000 pounds of illegal drugs worth millions of dollars and 43 guns.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents collaborated with the Federal Bureau Investigation (FBI), Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), and the U.S. Marshals Service, as well as the Drug Task Forces and Arkansas State Police, to arrest 219 illegal immigrants during the three weeks of this enforcement operation, which began February 5. In total, since January 21, when President Donald Trump issued executive orders designed to prioritize the enforcement of immigration laws, 375 illegal immigrants have been arrested in Arkansas.
“On January 21, the Department of Justice issued a memo to all Department components, to include all U.S. Attorney’s Offices, the DEA, FBI, ATF, and U.S. Marshals, instructing each agency to partner with the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to focus our resources and attention to immigration-related investigations and prosecutions at the federal, state, and local level,” U.S. Attorney Ross said.
“The memo outlined policy changes in response to the President’s day one Executive Orders and provided guidance critical to the Department’s mission to combat three of the most serious threats facing the American people: First, cartels and other transnational criminal organizations which have created unsafe borders and huge flows of illegal immigration in violation of U.S. law. Second, brutal and intolerable violent crime by members of these organizations and illegal aliens. Third, the fentanyl crisis and opioid epidemic that are poisoning our communities and have inflicted an unprecedented toll of addiction, suffering, and death.
“Because the Justice Department must and will work to eradicate these threats, the U.S. Attorney’s Offices in Arkansas along with each of our federal law enforcement partners will continue to prioritize working with ICE to aggressively enforce the immigration and drug-and-violent crime laws enacted by Congress. When these efforts are combined with our partnerships with our outstanding state and local law enforcement officials, we are confident that this first operation will lead to additional successful operations in the days ahead.”
“Our commitment to safeguarding communities in western Arkansas remains steadfast as we implement increased immigration enforcement efforts,” U.S. Attorney Fowlkes said. “We are dedicated to upholding the law and ensuring public safety while maintaining the highest standards of law enforcement and prosecution. Through collaboration with our federal law enforcement partners, we will address the challenges of illegal immigration and protect our communities from criminals who seek to illegally enter the United States and subject our communities to their criminal activities and associated violence.”
In preparation for “Operation Enforce and Remove,” ICE, working with other federal and local partners, developed intelligence related to the locations of known illegal immigrants. The individuals these agents sought to arrest and remove had previous encounters with law enforcement, and therefore had known addresses in various databases. Some offenders were previously convicted of crimes, while others had some type of prior contact with law enforcement. All were in the country illegally and will be deported. Of the 219 arrests of illegal immigrants during the enforcement operation, 127 individuals were processed through the ICE Enforcement and Removal office in Little Rock, 57 were processed through the Fayetteville office, 23 through the Fort Smith office, and 17 individuals through the Texarkana office.
The illegal immigrants located in Arkansas came from 23 different countries. The crimes some of these individuals were previously convicted of include: battery, aggravated assault, robbery, drug possession and distribution, domestic violence, sexual assault, illegal firearm possession, running an illegal casino, forgery, hit-and-run, indecent exposure, and sexual assault against a minor.
“We will continue to use every tool and resource available to identify, locate and apprehend those criminal aliens that threaten public safety,” said Larry Adams, ICE Assistant Field Office Director. “Our enforcement efforts are unwavering and our dedication to protecting our communities remains stronger than ever.”
At the same time that ICE was engaged in immigration operations, Drug Task Force officers were conducting numerous drug investigations that involved highway interdiction, controlled purchases of narcotics, the execution of search warrants, and other methods aimed at arresting individuals known to be involved in drug trafficking. In addition to the 253 drug-related arrests and 43 guns seized, officers across the state seized the following drugs: 225 pounds of methamphetamine, 65 pounds of cocaine, 14,542 pounds of marijuana, and 2,681 fentanyl pills and 90 grams of fentanyl powder. The street value of these drugs, broken down to a user level, is potentially hundreds of millions of dollars. These individuals will be prosecuted at either the state or federal level, depending on the particular case.
The 472 arrests announced today are the culmination of the first, but not last, collaborative federal and state law enforcement effort designed to carry out the Department of Justice’s mission, and help keep all Arkansans safe.
# # #
Additional information about the office of the
United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas, is available online at
The FBI and our partners disrupted a Chinese botnet and freed thousands of impacted devices from its clutches, Director Christopher Wray announced September 18.
The botnet, which was operated by a Chinese government-sponsored hacker group known as Flax Typhoon, targeted internet-connected devices such as storage devices, cameras, and video recorders to compromise victims’ systems and steal their confidential data, Director Wray said during a keynote at the 2024 Aspen Cyber Summit in Washington, D.C.
“Ultimately, as part of this operation, we were able to identify thousands of infected devices, and, then, with court authorization, issued commands to remove the malware from them, prying them from China’s grip,” Wray said.
Approximately half of the devices under the botnet’s control were based in the United States, he noted. The hacker group’s targets included organizations in the public and private sectors, as well as academia and the media, he added. Wray also revealed the hacker group’s true identity to be an information security company known as the Integrity Technology Group. “But their chairman has publicly admitted that for years his company has collected intelligence and performed reconnaissance for Chinese government security agencies,” Wray added.
Wray called the cyber disruption a success but cautioned that the effort was “just one round in a much longer fight.”
“The Chinese government is going to continue to target your organizations and our critical infrastructure—either by their own hand or concealed through their proxies,” Wray said. “And we’ll continue to work with our partners to identify their malicious activity, disrupt their hacking campaigns, and bring them to light.”
Saving victims time and money
During his remarks, Wray also underscored the Bureau’s dedication to working with victims of cyber intrusions, whether they’re individuals or organizations. According to Wray, reporting ransomware attacks to the FBI can potentially help us:
Recover ransomed data
Negotiate-down ransoms demanded by cybercriminals—or spare victims from having to pay ransoms at all
Help impacted organizations resume their normal operations in a speedy manner
“I’m extremely proud to report that, in just the past two years, the FBI has handed out nearly 1,000 decryptors, and we’ve saved victims around the world something like $800 million in ransom payments,” Wray said.
Decryptors—also known as decryption keys—function like passwords to unlock data that ransomware criminals hold captive. But, Wray explained, some of those keys require information about the victim to work.
So it’s paramount that organizations contact the FBI if they fall victim to ransomware attacks. Otherwise, he cautioned, the Bureau “might not be able to make that match—and we might not be able to save you that ransom payment.”
Wray also discussed how information sharing between the Bureau and our public and private sector partners can help the FBI combat ongoing cyberattacks and lessen the impact of future cyber incidents.
As an example, he pointed to a recent interagency effort to alert the private sector that a pro-Russian hacktivist group was targeting “operational technology networks.”
“They had set their sights across our critical infrastructure—from dams and wastewater systems to the energy, food, and agriculture sectors,” Wray explained.
But, he said, the FBI’s joint advisory about the cyber threat allowed private sector organizations to fix the vulnerability these bad actors were using to infiltrate networks, thereby protecting the companies and the American public, alike.
“So, if there’s only one thing you take away from my time here today, I hope it’s this: The FBI needs and wants to work with you,” Wray said. “Let us save you money, save you time, and save you from future attacks so that you can keep your organization’s focus where it should be: on your operations, and—together—we can help keep our nation safe.”
West Palm Beach investigation updates
During his remarks, Wray also addressed the Bureau’s investigation into the September 15 assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump.
“For the second time in just over two months, we’ve witnessed what appears to be an attempt to attack our democracy and our democratic process,” he said. “I’m relieved that former President Trump is safe, and I want the American people to know the men and women of the FBI are working tirelessly to get to the bottom of what happened.”
Wray acknowledged that the ongoing nature of the investigation limited how much the Bureau could say about the matter.
“What I can say is that we have dedicated the full force of the FBI to this investigation, and that runs the gamut from criminal to national security resources, from tactical support to Evidence Response Teams, from forensic scientists to operational technology personnel,” he said.“Together, we’re working around the clock to investigate this.”
Britain signed a deal on Thursday to cede sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius, after a London judge overturned a last-minute injunction and cleared the way for an agreement the government says is vital to protect the nation’s security.
The multibillion-dollar deal will allow Britain to retain control of the strategically important U.S.-UK air base on Diego Garcia, the largest island of the archipelago in the Indian Ocean, under a 99-year lease.
India has welcomed the signing of the treaty between the United Kingdom and the Republic of Mauritius on the return of Mauritian sovereignty over the Chagos Archipelago, including the strategic island of Diego Garcia.
“India has consistently supported Mauritius’s legitimate claim over the Chagos Archipelago. This is in keeping with our principled position on decolonization, respect for sovereignty, and the territorial integrity of nations,” said the Ministry of External Affairs in a statement.
“As a steadfast and longstanding partner of Mauritius, India remains committed to working closely with Mauritius and other like-minded countries to strengthen maritime security and regional stability,” the MEA added.
The signing went ahead after a carefully choreographed ceremony was postponed when lawyers representing a British national born in the Chagos Islands were granted an interim injunction at the High Court in the early hours of Thursday.
Judge Martin Chamberlain then lifted that injunction following a hearing, saying Britain’s interests would be “substantially prejudiced” if the injunction were to continue.
The government, which has been criticised by opposition parties for pursuing a deal they say is overly costly and would play into the hands of China, has long said the agreement is essential to secure the future of Diego Garcia.
“The strategic location of this base is of the utmost significance to Britain, from deploying aircraft to defeat terrorists in Iraq and Afghanistan to anticipating threats in the Red Sea and the Indo-Pacific,” Prime Minister Keir Starmer told a news conference.
“By agreeing to this deal now, on our terms, we’re securing strong protections, including from malign influence, that will allow the base to operate well into the next century.”
The signing ends months of wrangling over the deal, the details of which were first announced in October, after the then-Mauritian leader Pravind Jugnauth was replaced by Prime Minister Navin Ramgoolam, who raised concerns about it.
It was further delayed after the inauguration of U.S. President Donald Trump in January, with London wanting to give the new administration time to examine the details of the plan. In February, Trump indicated his backing for the deal.
Ramgoolam welcomed the deal, saying it had been a long fight to get to this point.
“With this agreement, we are completing the total process of decolonization,” Ramgoolam said in a televised broadcast, speaking in the local Creole language.
“It’s total recognition of our sovereignty on the Chagos, including Diego Garcia.”
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio also welcomed the deal saying it “secures the long-term, stable, and effective operation of the joint U.S.-UK military facility at Diego Garcia”.
LATEST LEGAL CHALLENGE
The injunction was the latest legal challenge to the deal in the last two decades brought by members of the wider Chagossian diaspora, many of whom ended up in Britain after being forcibly removed from the archipelago more than 50 years ago.
It was granted following action by Bertrice Pompe, a British national who was born in Diego Garcia and has criticised the deal for excluding Chagossians.
James Eadie, the government’s lawyer, said the delay was damaging to British interests and “there is jeopardy to our international relations … (including with) our most important security and intelligence partner, the U.S.”
It is one less headache for Starmer, who is under fire from his own governing Labour Party for implementing welfare cuts to try to better balance Britain’s books.
But Starmer’s political opponents were again critical of the accord, arguing it was both costly and by ceding sovereignty, China could further deepen its ties with Mauritius, benefiting Beijing’s influence in the Indian Ocean.
“Labour’s Chagos Surrender Deal is bad for our defence and security interests, bad for British taxpayers and bad for British Chagossians,” Conservative Party foreign affairs spokeswoman Priti Patel said on X.
The financial component of the deal includes 3 billion pounds to be paid by Britain to Mauritius over the 99-year term of the agreement, with an option for a 50-year extension and Britain maintaining the right of first refusal thereafter.
The base’s capabilities are extensive and strategically crucial. Recent operations launched from Diego Garcia include bombing strikes on Houthi targets in Yemen in 2024-2025, humanitarian aid deployments to Gaza and, further back, attacks on Taliban and al-Qaeda targets in Afghanistan in 2001.
Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Hakeem Jeffries (8th District of New York)
Washington, DC – Today, Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries spoke on the House Floor in opposition to the dangerous GOP Tax Scam passed by House Republicans to strip healthcare and nutritional assistance from the American people in order to enact massive tax breaks for billionaires.
JEFFRIES: Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong opposition to this reckless, regressive and reprehensible GOP Tax Scam. This is One Big Ugly Bill that House Republicans are trying to jam down the throats of the American people under the cover of darkness. This legislation will not make life better for the American people. The GOP Tax Scam represents an assault on the economy, an assault on healthcare, an assault on nutritional assistance, an assault on tax fairness and an assault on fiscal responsibility. There are more than 100 other reasons to vote against this One Big Ugly Bill that can be found by reading this more than 1000-page document. Those reasons are too numerous to mention, but this legislation also undermines reproductive freedom, undermines the progress that we have made in combating the climate crisis, undermines gun safety, undermines the rule of law and the independence of the federal judiciary. It even undermines the ability of hardworking and law-abiding immigrant families to provide remittances to their loved ones who may just happen to live abroad. There are more than 100 different reasons to vote against the GOP Tax Scam. And in the days and the weeks and the months to come, all of those reasons will be exposed for the American people, in each and every one of your districts.
But this bill represents a failed promise. Last year, Donald Trump and House Republicans spent all of their time talking about their promise to lower the high cost of living in the United States of America. In fact, Donald Trump and Republicans promised that costs would go down on day one. We’re now more than 120 days past the inauguration. Costs aren’t going down. They’re going up. Inflation is out of control. Insurance rates remain stubbornly high. Our Moody’s rating, our credit rating has been downgraded. And you’ve got people losing confidence in this economy. Republicans are crashing this economy in real time and driving us toward a recession. But beyond that, costs are actually going up. The trade war that Donald Trump has recklessly launched—his tariff scheme—will raise the cost of goods and groceries and gas for everyday Americans, the Americans that you claimed you were going to help, but the Americans that you are clearly hurting. You’ve destabilized the business environment. Small businesses are at risk of closing. Farmers—small family farmers are in distress. Businesses can’t invest. People are not hiring. You are actively crashing the economy, driving America toward a recession. You promised to lower costs on day one. Costs aren’t going down. They are going up.
Now, as House Democrats, we believe that we have to build an affordable economy for hardworking American taxpayers. We’re committed to lowering housing costs and grocery costs and insurance costs and child care costs and utility costs. America, the wealthiest country in the history of the world—there are far too many people living paycheck to paycheck, struggling to make ends meet. Here in this country, no American should find themselves in that situation. And you promised that you would do something about it. But things are not getting better. They’re getting worse. We could have partnered together to try to find a bipartisan path toward building an affordable economy for hardworking American taxpayers, but you chose to go it alone, to try to drive your extreme right-wing policies down the throats of the American people. And that’s what this One Big Ugly Bill represents.
Not simply a broken promise, as it relates to your failures on the economy. And despite the gentleman from Louisiana trying to articulate all of the so-called successes that have taken place, we know that this presidency has already been a failure, filled with crisis and chaos, cruelty and corruption. And the American people know it, which is why Donald Trump, at the 100-day mark, was the most unpopular President in American history. The American people understand it’s unfolding right before their eyes, no matter what kind of MAGA spin you try to put on the situation. And things are going to get worse. Why? Because of this Big Ugly Bill. Not simply an assault on the economy, a broken promise, it’s an assault on the healthcare of the American people. You see, as Democrats, we believe, in this country, healthcare is not simply a privilege, healthcare is a right. And from Medicare to Medicaid to the passage of the Affordable Care Act and subsequently enhancing it, we’ve begun to move America to a place where every single person in this land can have access to the healthcare that they need to live a life of dignity and respect.
At this moment in America, we have the lowest rate of uninsured people in our nation’s history. But this GOP Tax Scam will reverse that, with this assault on healthcare, the largest cut to Medicaid in American history. And here’s what it will mean for the American people. Children will get hurt. Women will get hurt. Older Americans who rely on Medicaid for nursing home care and for home care will get hurt. People with disabilities who rely on Medicaid to survive will get hurt. Hospitals in your districts will close. Nursing homes will shut down. And people will die. That’s not hype. That’s not hyperbole. That’s not a hypothetical. The people that you all represent have been writing to us to make that clear. Thousands of people who’ve written to us—everyday Americans—have made that clear. And let me just present a few of those stories into the record.
I have Type 1 diabetes and was diagnosed when I was seven years old. I’ve had jobs with private insurance in the past, but I lost my job during the pandemic. With child care becoming a major challenge, it made more sense for me to stay home with the kids, but that also meant losing my health benefits. Right now, we’re all on Medicaid. It’s crucial for me to stay alive and healthy. I need insulin and supplies to manage my diabetes every single day. Without it, I could die. That’s Shauna, who lives in Arizona’s Sixth Congressional District.
My youngest son has leukemia. He was a self-employed handyman, and therefore, he didn’t have sufficient insurance. When the cancer became more debilitating, he could no longer work. He has undergone radiation, stem cell transplant and then more radiation. He is still fighting the cancer. And without Medicaid and the fine physicians, he would surely die. That’s Greg, who lives in the Eighth Congressional District of Colorado.
As a cancer survivor with chronic illnesses, I rely heavily on Medicaid and food stamps to get by. Without these essential programs, people like me would suffer. I’m currently taking expensive medication to stay in remission, but my condition and the side effects of my treatment make it impossible for me to work. Unfortunately, my work history also disqualifies me from receiving Social Security benefits. I’m not alone in my dependence on these Medicaid and food stamps benefits. Children, elders and many others who are sick or struggling, also rely on them to survive. I urge you to do the right thing for the people you represent. Without food stamps and Medicaid, the consequences would be painful and even deadly. That’s Julisa, who had a message for her Representative in Pennsylvania’s Eighth Congressional District. But we’re here to say, as House Democrats, to Shauna, to Greg and to Julisa, that if your representatives won’t fight for you, we will. We will. We will. If they won’t fight for you, we will fight for you, for your healthcare, for your decency, for your well-being, for your grace and for your dignity.
Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Dina Titus (1st District of Nevada)
Rep. Dina Titus Statement on House Passage of Budget Bill Harming Nevadans
Congresswoman Dina Titus today released the following statement after the House voted to approve the budget reconciliation bill:
“Passage of the disastrous Republican budget bill threatens every Nevadan. Sixty-four thousand Nevadans will go without health insurance because tax credits for the Affordable Care Act will be allowed to expire. Households able to keep their coverage will see their premiums double, paying an extra $3,690 per year. In my congressional district alone, 19,000 adults and children will be immediately kicked off their Medicaid coverage, and 33,000 people will lose some or all of their SNAP benefits. And while billionaires will get tax breaks of $762 per day, average Nevadans making $50,000 per year or less will get less than $1 per day. While House Republicans march in lockstep with Donald Trump, Nevadans are being left behind – poorer, sicker, and hungrier.”
The US Structural Heart Occlusion (SHO) market posted a notable 39% year-over-year revenue increase in Q1 2025, amid heightened trade policy uncertainty following President Donald Trump’s re-election and the swift introduction of new tariff measures in early 2025, according to GlobalData, a leading data and analytics company.
Trump’s new tariff regime includes a 10% global baseline and a “reciprocal” tariff framework that has unsettled global trade norms. With broad tariffs on strategic sectors and a 90-day pause on some reciprocal tariffs, businesses and healthcare providers are facing a shifting economic landscape.
According to data from GlobalData’s panel of medical facilities, March 2025 revenue growth in the SHO market grew over 50% compared to March 2024, signaling a late-quarter surge in demand.
Thomas Fleming, Medical Analyst at GlobalData, comments: “The surge in growth may be less about increased patient demand and more about precautionary stockpiling. Hospitals appear to be accelerating procurement of high-value medical devices—such as those used for structural heart occlusion—in anticipation of rising costs and supply disruptions. This response reflects growing concerns about the sustainability of supply chains and the potential financial impact of extended tariff enforcement.”
Fleming continues: “Historically, the US has held a leadership role in the global SHO market, driven by high incidence rates of structural heart conditions and robust innovation in cardiac care. However, the current environment marks a sharp contrast with previous expectations of stable, predictable growth. With global supply chains in flux and trade negotiations still unsettled, market stakeholders are left navigating increased risk.”
Fleming concludes: “While Q1’s growth may appear encouraging at first glance, it underscores the reactive measures health systems are taking in an uncertain policy environment. The long-term effects of these tariffs on device pricing, research investments, and patient outcomes remain to be seen, leaving the sector in a state of cautious watchfulness.”
Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Mike Ezell (Mississippi 4th District)
Today, U.S. Representative Mike Ezell (MS-04) issued the following statement after the House passed the One Big Beautiful Bill, a sweeping legislative package that delivers key wins for the American people and reinforces President Donald J. Trump’s America First agenda.
“Today marks a pivotal moment for our country. With the passage of the One Big Beautiful Bill, we are delivering on the promises made to the American people and advancing President Trump’s bold America First agenda,” Ezell said.“This bill makes the 2017 Trump tax cuts permanent, preventing the average taxpayer from seeing a 22% tax hike, strengthens our borders, revitalizes American industry, and restores the values that made our nation great. I was proud to support this legislation, and I will continue fighting every day to put our citizens first and ensure our government works for the people — not the other way around.”
The One Big Beautiful Bill includes provisions aimed at securing the southern border, promoting domestic energy independence, cutting bureaucratic red tape, and protecting American jobs.
Rep. Ezell has been a consistent supporter of pro-growth, pro-security policies and remains committed to standing with President Trump to deliver meaningful results for Mississippi’s Fourth District and the nation.
Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Mark Alford (Missouri 4th District)
Alford Applauds House Passage of Republicans’ One Big, Beautiful Bill
Washington, May 22, 2025
Today, Congressman Mark Alford (MO-04) released the following statement after House Republicans passed the One Big, Beautiful Bill:
Watch Congressman Alford’s remarks on the House floor in support of the legislation here or by clicking the image above.
“Under President Trump’s leadership, Republicans are one step closer to enacting the generational change demanded by the American people,”said Congressman Alford.“The One Big, Beautiful Bill will reset the direction of our great nation on behalf of hardworking Americans—not bureaucrats, special interests, or illegal immigrants. Republicans are taking bold action because the moment demands it. This bill is a win for the Fourth District, Missouri, and all of America. It’s a shame every single House Democrat voted for the largest tax increase in American history, open borders, and an uncertain financial future for Medicaid.”
Background:
Republicans’ One Big, Beautiful Bill:
Stops the largest tax increase in American history, while ending taxes on tips and overtime and providing relief for seniors—allowing hardworking Missourians to keep more of their hard-earned money.
Strengthens Medicaid for those who need it most by eliminating waste, fraud, and abuse, removing more than a million illegal immigrants from the program, and ensuring able bodied adults with no dependents are pursuing work.
Permanently securing our southern border with funding for wall construction, new border agents, and additional security measures.
Strengthens and restores the integrity of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) to ensure it is a temporary life vest for the needy—not a lifestyle.
Modernizes air traffic control, making our skies safer and air travel more efficient.
Boosts defense funding to ensure the U.S. military remains the most lethal on earth.
