Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is seen before a European Council summit in Brussels, Belgium, June 27, 2024. [Photo/Xinhua]
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Saturday that Kiev has proposed to hold a new round of peace talks with Moscow next week.
Rustem Umerov, who headed the Ukrainian delegation in the previous two talks in Istanbul, had sent the Russian side the offer to hold the meeting next week, Zelensky said in his evening address to the nation.
“The momentum of the negotiations must be stepped up,” Zelensky said. “Everything should be done to achieve a ceasefire.”
Umerov, the former defense minister, was just appointed by the Ukrainian president as secretary of the National Security and Defense Council on Friday.
Russia on Tuesday rejected U.S. President Donald Trump’s 50-day ultimatum to agree to a Ukraine ceasefire, dismissing the threat of “severe tariffs” as unacceptable.
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov emphasized that Moscow favors a diplomatic resolution to the Ukraine conflict and is ready to negotiate.
ER Report: Here is a summary of significant articles published on EveningReport.nz on July 20, 2025.
Liberals easily win most seats at Tasmanian election, but Labor may form government Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adrian Beaumont, Election Analyst (Psephologist) at The Conversation; and Honorary Associate, School of Mathematics and Statistics, The University of Melbourne With 63% of enrolled voters counted in today’s Tasmanian state election, The Poll Bludger is projecting that the final results will give the Liberals 39.7% of the
Palestine solidarity rally greeted by Rainbow Warrior Gaza protest Asia Pacific Report Palestinian supporters and protesters against the 21 months of Israeli genocide in Gaza marched after a rally in downtown Auckland today across the Viaduct to the Greenpeace environmental flagship Rainbow Warrior — and met a display of solidarity. Several people on board the campaign ship, which has been holding open days over
ICE deportation action lands Marshallese, Micronesians in Guantánamo ‘terror’ base By Giff Johnson, editor, Marshall Islands Journal/RNZ Pacific correspondent United States immigration and deportation enforcement continues to ramp up, impacting on Marshallese and Micronesians in new and unprecedented ways. The Trump administration’s directive to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to arrest and deport massive numbers of potentially illegal aliens, including those with convictions from decades
New York City, NY, July 19, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) —RI Mining, a global leader in cloud mining, today announced the launch of its free cloud mining contracts, strategically introduced as the U.S. Congress passes the GENIUS Act—the nation’s first comprehensive federal framework for stablecoins, setting n’ew standards for trust and fairness in the crypto space.
️ The GENIUS Act: A New Era for Trust in Crypto
On July 18, 2025, the GENIUS Act was signed into law by President Trump. The Act requires 1:1 physical reserves of US stablecoins, regular and transparent disclosure of reserves, and mandatory annual audits, bringing bank-level security and compliance to the digital asset industry [RI Mining]
More importantly, the GENIUS Act signals a societal shift—building a more trustworthy financial system where opportunity is open to everyone, not just a select few.
RI Mining: Turning Regulation into Opportunity
Inspired by this momentum, RI Mining’s free cloud mining contracts are designed to put the power of crypto mining in every investor’s hands:
No entry barriers: Instantly start mining Bitcoin, Ethereum, or Dogecoin without upfront costs or complex hardware.
Flexible terms: Choose daily, monthly, or annual contracts to fit any strategy.
AI-optimized performance: Intelligent algorithms maximize yields using real-time market and energy data.
Sustainable by design: Green energy partnerships support an eco-friendly mining operation.
Full transparency: Real-time dashboards and audit-ready contracts keep every payout clear and accountable.
Closing the Equity Gap: Mining for All
Mining for all is no longer an ideal but a reality with RI Mining. Through its free contract, the platform opens up BTC and DOGE mining to everyone—regardless of background or experience. By eliminating complex requirements and hidden terms, RI Mining not only broadens participation but also drives forward the mission of bridging economic divides in the crypto space.
Activate and Earn: Once the contract is active, receive daily rewards directly to your balance—withdraw anytime or let your earnings compound.
✅ Why Now? Opportunity and Trust Align
Market Driver
RI Mining Advantage
Regulatory Trust: Clear policy
Contracts backed by regulation, ensuring peace of mind
Fair Access: Open participation
Free, intelligent entry—opportunity for everyone
Market Growth: Crypto diversity
Multicoin, AI-optimized options for every investor
Sustainability: Green leadership
Renewable energy for a positive long-term impact
Join a More Trustworthy, Inclusive Crypto Future
With the GENIUS Act ushering in a new standard of trust, RI Mining’s “free + smart + sustainable” cloud mining lets everyone become part of the digital asset revolution—regardless of background or experience.
Disclaimer:This press release is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial or investment advice. Cryptocurrency mining involves inherent risks, including market volatility and potential financial loss. Investors are advised to perform thorough due diligence and consult professional advisors prior to participating.
San Francisco, California , July 19, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — As the GENIUS Act was officially signed by US President Donald Trump and established a federal stablecoin regulatory framework, compliant cloud mining service provider Ripplecoin Mining announced the launch of a new AI cloud mining app, which supports users to participate in free cloud mining with mainstream crypto assets such as XRP, BTC, and ETH, and obtain stable cryptocurrency income settled daily.
Follow the policy dividend and build a compliant mining channel
On July 18, US President Trump signed the GENIUS Act, which formally established the federal framework for the issuance and supervision of stablecoins backed by the US dollar, and clearly authorized the Federal Reserve to supervise qualified issuers. The bill is hailed as a “turning point” in US crypto policy, which not only boosts market confidence, but also provides policy guarantees for the legal value-added channels of crypto assets. Alex Chen, COO of Ripplecoin Mining, said: “We firmly believe that clear supervision is the basis for promoting the healthy development of the industry. The free cloud mining app launched by Ripplecoin Mining is designed around the three core elements of compliance, stability, and decentralized financial growth, and empowers a new generation of investors with AI computing power.”
Product highlights: AI-driven, zero threshold, daily income
Ripplecoin Mining’s newly released mobile cloud mining app has three core advantages: AI intelligent scheduling, zero threshold for operation, and stable daily income. Users can easily participate in the “mining” process of cryptocurrency without purchasing expensive mining machines or mastering complex technologies. The specific functions are as follows: AI intelligent scheduling system: The platform automatically matches the optimal computing power resources according to the global computing power market situation to achieve efficient and low-energy distributed mining;
One-click registration is mining:Click here to quickly register. New users only need to register via email to get a free computing power trial worth $15
Daily settlement is automatically credited: Regardless of the length of the contract selected by the user, the system automatically settles the income every day and supports withdrawal at any time, truly realizing “holding coins and increasing value”. The following contract explains the potential income you can get
Contract Price
Contract Duration
Daily Earnings
Total Revenue
$100
2Days
$5
$100 + $10
$500
5Days
$6
$500 + $30
$1,200
8Days
$16
$1,300 + $130
$3,000
12Days
$43
$3,000 + $518
$8,200
22Days
$125
$8,100 + $2,742
$23,500
30Days
$409
$23,500 + $12,267
The platform has a built-in AI intelligent scheduling system that automatically matches user orders to global green mining farm computing resources. The entire process does not require any hardware equipment, power configuration or technical threshold, truly realizing “plug and play in the cloud”. This product design concept aims to break the mining threshold, allowing ordinary users and professional miners to enjoy the same income opportunities, and promote the wider implementation of blockchain income mechanisms.
XRP hits a new all-time high, mining replaces short-term volatile investment strategy
At the same time as the GENIUS Act was implemented, the price of XRP broke through the historical high of $3.55 on July 17, setting a new stage high since 2018. With Ripple resolving the long-standing regulatory dispute with the SEC and expanding the layout of the US dollar stablecoin RLUSD, the market’s confidence in XRP and its practicality has greatly increased. Investors are more interested in holding and appreciating strategies. ChainProof data shows that in the first two weeks of July alone, the proportion of XRP holders who choose to use cloud mining services increased by 31%, showing that investors are shifting from short-term volatility games to stable income allocation.
Future planning: Multi-currency combination mining and Web3 ecological interconnection
Ripplecoin Mining revealed that the future version of the platform will launch the “multi-currency combination mining” function, allowing users to uniformly configure mining plans for assets such as XRP, BTC and ETH to further diversify risks and improve income stability. At the same time, the platform is testing access to multiple Web3 wallets and DeFi protocols to create a more open digital asset value-added network.
About Ripplecoin Mining
Ripplecoin Mining was established in 2017 and registered in the UK. It is a compliant and green AI cloud mining platform. The company focuses on providing global users with safe, efficient and low-threshold digital currency mining services. It currently supports a variety of mainstream currencies including XRP, BTC, ETH, and DOGE, and serves users in more than 50 countries and regions including Europe, America, Asia-Pacific, etc.
Disclaimer: The content of this press release does not constitute any form of investment advice, trading advice or financial commitment. There are risks in the cryptocurrency market. Cloud mining participants need to carefully evaluate the potential results based on their actual situation. It is recommended to consult a professional financial advisor in advance.
Houston, Texas, July 19, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — The U.S. House of Representatives passed Trump’s GENIUS Act, marking that the global financial landscape is quietly reshaping, and the price of XRP has strongly broken through the $3.6 mark, setting a record high.
The digital financial storm has swept the world, and cryptocurrency has become a national strategic asset. As the market continues to heat up, investors are eager to seek a stable, efficient, and low-threshold way to participate. Cloud mining is an innovative choice that conforms to this trend. With its convenience and sustainability, it is quickly becoming a new favorite in bull market investment.
As an industry-leading cloud mining platform, Siton Mining is standing at the forefront of this trend, providing safe, flexible and transparent crypto asset mining services to users around the world. Whether you are a novice or a veteran player, you can easily participate and share the growth dividends of the digital economy.
Six core advantages of Siton Mining platform 1 Zero threshold to participate, easy to start Register and get 10-100 random rewards. Everyone can participate without purchasing mining machines or mastering complex technologies. Register and start mining.
2 Real-time income, transparent settlement Automatic daily settlement, clear and traceable income, open and transparent platform data, ensuring user trust.
3 Security and compliance, worry-free assets Adopting bank-level security standards, supporting dual identity authentication, cold wallet storage, and multiple risk control mechanisms, it fully guarantees the security of user assets.
4 Flexible support for multiple currencies USDT-TRC20, BTC, XRP, ETH, USDC, USDT-ERC20, BCH, DOGE, SOL, LTC, etc., to meet diverse investment strategies.
5 High-performance computing power, stable and efficient Relying on green mines and advanced hardware deployed in many places around the world, it provides continuous, efficient and stable computing power output.
6 Energy saving, environmental protection, sustainable development The mine uses clean energy and is committed to creating a green cloud mining ecosystem to respond to the global low-carbon call.
Data speaks: Investment contract measured income display
MiningEquipment
Contract Amount
Net income
Total net profit
Zcash Miner
$100
$8
$108（$100 + $8）
ETC Miner
$500
$30
$530（$500 + $30）
IceRiver AE2
$1,200
$140.40
$1,340.40
Bitcoin Miner
$3,000
$538.20
$3,538.20
iPollo V2
$7,000
$1,839.60
$8,839.60
VOLCMINER D1 Pro
$10,000
$3,657.00
$13,657.00
You may ask: “Can you really make money?” The following is Siton Mining’s official income model (partial display):
How to join Siton Mining? Just 3 steps to start your cloud mining journey: 1 Visit the official website SitonMining.com 2 Register an account using your email address and quickly open an account 3 After successful registration, the system will automatically give you a random reward of $10–$100 You can also receive a $0.6 USD sign-in reward for daily login, continuous mining and continuous income!
About Siton Mining Siton Mining is an innovative leader in the global cryptocurrency mining field. In the past decade, the company has continued to increase its investment in technology research and development, combining advanced AI intelligent technology with clean energy solutions to create an efficient, energy-saving and safe cloud mining ecosystem. At present, the platform has provided stable and reliable cloud mining services to more than 9 million users in more than 150 countries and regions around the world, helping every user to easily participate in the crypto economy and share the benefits of technology.
Looking to the future: Innovation and opportunity dance together Early innovators have taken the lead in joining this movement to redefine value, reconstruct the income system, and expand the boundaries of global opportunities. Today, the future of finance is no longer exclusive to a few elites, it is fully open to every individual who embraces technology and dares to innovate. In this new era of decentralization, opportunities belong to the brave, and the future belongs to the pioneers.
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adrian Beaumont, Election Analyst (Psephologist) at The Conversation; and Honorary Associate, School of Mathematics and Statistics, The University of Melbourne
With 63% of enrolled voters counted in today’s Tasmanian state election, The Poll Bludger is projecting that the final results will give the Liberals 39.7% of the statewide vote (up 3.0% since the March 2024 election), Labor just 25.7% (down 3.1%), the Greens 14.1% (up 0.2%), the Shooters 3.2% (up 0.9%), the Nationals 1.7% and independents 15.4%.
Tasmania uses the proportional Hare-Clark system for its lower house elections. As described previously, the five seats Tasmania has at federal elections each return seven members for a total of 35 MPs. A quota for election is one-eighth of the vote, or 12.5%.
The main Poll Bludger page gives projected quotas for each electorate for the Liberals, Labor and the Greens. The Liberals have just under four quotas in Braddon, over three in Bass and Lyons and over two in Clark and Franklin, suggesting 14 definite seats with more possible.
Labor is just above or just below two quotas in all five seats, and should win ten seats. The Greens have 1.8 quotas in Clark, over one in each of Franklin, Bass and Lyons and 0.6 in Braddon, so they should win at least five seats.
Of the independents, environmental campaigner Craig Garland has 0.8 quotas in Braddon and will be re-elected. Left-wing independent Kristie Johnston has 1.3 quotas in Clark, and will also be re-elected. In Franklin, both former Labor leader David O’Byrne and Teal Peter George (0.9 and 1.3 quotas respectively) have been elected.
In Lyons, the Shooters candidate, with 0.6 quotas, is well positioned to win the final seat. In Bass, it appears more complex, but the final seat is likely to go to either the Liberals or the Shooters. None of the three former Jacqui Lambie Network MPs who won seats at the March 2024 election have been re-elected.
Overall, the right-wing parties (Liberals and Shooters) are likely to win 16 of the 35 seats, but Labor, the Greens and left-wing independents are likely to win 19 seats. So even though the Liberals will win the most seats, Labor may be able to cobble together a government, but only if they cooperate with the Greens.
This overall result assumes a 4–3 right split in Bass, Braddon and Lyons, but a 5–2 left split in both Clark and Franklin. In Franklin, the Liberals would be unlucky not to win three with 2.7 quotas, but Labor has 1.8 quotas and preferences from George should assist Labor.
Many pre-poll votes have not yet been counted, and postals won’t be counted until next week. Postals are likely to assist the Liberals. The postal effect should be accounted for by The Poll Bludger’s projections.
YouGov poll badly understated Liberals
A late YouGov poll, conducted July 7–18 from a sample of 931, gave the Liberals 31% of the statewide vote (steady since June), Labor 30% (down four), the Greens 16% (up three), the Nationals 2%, the Shooters 1% and independents 20% (up two).
A two-party vote is not applicable in Tasmania’s proportional system, but this poll gave Labor a 55–45 lead over the Liberals. Labor leader Dean Winter also led Liberal incumbent Jeremy Rockliff as better premier by 55–45. Rockliff was at -19 net approval and Winter at -13.
The only other public Tasmanian polls were conducted by DemosAU. The final DemosAU poll, which I covered on Tuesday, gave the Liberals 34.9%, Labor 24.7%, the Greens 15.6%, the Nationals 2.7%, the Shooters 1.8% and independents 20.3%.
The results show the Liberals headed for about a 14-point vote share win over Labor, so YouGov badly understated them.
Federal Bradfield legal challenge
Last Monday the Liberals challenged Teal Nicolette Boele’s 26-vote win in Bradfield at the May 3 federal election to the High Court, acting as the Court of Disputed Returns. Boele will be seated until the court resolves the case.
The court can either confirm Boele’s win, void the election for this seat and order a byelection in Bradfield, or overturn the result and declare the Liberal candidate elected.
After the official declaration of the election on June 12, the 40-day period for legal challenges to the results expires on Tuesday. Tuesday will also be the first sitting of federal parliament since the election, though it could have sat at any time after June 12.
The Bradfield challenge will delay a Labor vs Liberal two-party count in that seat until the challenge is resolved. It’s likely the Australian Electoral Commission’s (AEC) current estimate in Bradfield is understating Labor, and therefore Labor is being very slightly understated nationally.
DemosAU polls on democracy in Australia and Queensland federal
DemosAU has emailed me a poll on democracy and voting systems in Australia. This poll was conducted in two waves in May and June from a total sample of 1,713.
By 69–12, respondents thought Australian democracy is something to be proud of, and by 71–19 they did not think Australia needs a PM like Donald Trump. By 67–15, respondents trusted the AEC. By 53–23, they did not want the number of MPs increased.
Asked for preferred voting system in the House of Representatives, 36% selected compulsory preferential voting (CPV), 27% first past the post (FPTP), 25% optional preferential voting (OPV) and 12% proportional representation (PR).
Head to head, CPV and OPV both beat FPTP by 53–47, while CPV beat OPV by 54–46. All single-member systems were much preferred to PR.
I previously covered the Queensland state DemosAU poll. In the federal Queensland poll, Labor led by 53–47 (50.6–49.4 to the Coalition at the election). Primary votes were 35% Labor, 31% Coalition, 13% One Nation, 12% Greens and 9% for all Others.
Adrian Beaumont 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.
QAnon supporters wait for Donald Trump to speak at a campaign rally at Atlantic Aviation on September 22, 2020, in Moon Township, Pennsylvania.eff Swensen/Getty Images
In early 2025, a federal court unsealed portions of the court documents. While names of some of the alleged clients and victims were released, many were redacted or withheld.
Epstein’s arrest and death became a central focus for QAnon followers, who saw them as proof of a hidden global elite engaged in child trafficking and protected by powerful institutions. The release – or withholding – of the Epstein files is often cited within QAnon movement circles as evidence of a broader cover-up by the so-called “deep state.”
Some followers of the MAGA – Make America Great Again – movement and the Republican Party believe in the false claim that the United States is secretly controlled by a cabal of elites who are pedophiles, sex traffickers and satanists.
Over time, what started as a baseless conspiracy on obscure platforms has migrated into the mainstream. It has influenced rhetoric and policy debates, and even reshaped the American political landscape. The foundational belief of many of the QAnon followers is that Trump is a heroic figure fighting the elite pedophile ring.
Trump’s attempts at downplaying or obstructing the very disclosures they believe would validate their worldview has led to confusion. To some, the delay in the release of the files feels like a betrayal, or even the possibility of his wrongdoing. Others are trying to reinterpret Trump’s actions through increasingly baseless conspiracy logic.
Trump has publicly dismissed demands for the full release of the Epstein Files as a “hoax.” He has also made false claims. On July 15, 2025, Trump said: “And I would say that, you know, these files were made up by Comey. They were made up by Obama.”
As a scholar who studies extremism, I know that the movement views Trump as a mythological figure and it interprets Trump’s actions to fit this overarching narrative – an elasticity which makes the movement both durable and dangerous.
From Pizzagate to QAnon
The QAnon movement began with the Pizzagate conspiracy theory in 2016, which falsely claimed that high-ranking Democrats were operating a child sex trafficking ring out of a Washington, D.C., pizzeria. The baseless theory gained enough online momentum that a man armed with an assault rifle stormed the restaurant, seeking to “free the children.”
In 2017, an anonymous figure called “Q” began posting cryptic messages on message boards like 4chan and 8kun. The baseless accusations of a global network of elites involved in controlling global institutions, including governments, businesses, and the media, as well as operating a child trafficking and ritual abuse, were central to the QAnon movement’s narrative.
Supporters of President Donald Trump with messages referring to the QAnon conspiracy theory at a campaign rally at Las Vegas Convention Center on February 21, 2020. Mario Tama/Getty Images
The movement has recruited followers through language like “Save the Children,” to mobilize around issues of child trafficking.
The QAnon movement recruits new followers through appeals to stop child trafficking. Hollie Adams/Getty Images
QAnon followers perceived Trump as a messianic figure working to expose this cabal in a climactic reckoning known as “The Storm” – a moment when mass arrests would finally bring justice.
They claimed that this moment would eventually bring about a “Great Awakening,” a reference to the religious revivalist movements of the 18th and 19th centuries. In this context the phrase described the supposed political and spiritual enlightenment that would follow “The Storm” – a moment of mass realization when people would “wake up” to the truth about the “deep state.”
In 2019, the FBI identified QAnon as a domestic terrorism threat, and major social media platforms began banning related content, but by then, QAnon had bled into mainstream conservative politics. Q-endorsing candidates, such as Marjorie Taylor Greene, ran for and won elected office a year later.
Trump and QAnon
During Trump’s first administration – from 2017 to 2021 – the QAnon movement flourished. The posts from Q claimed to reveal insider knowledge of a secret war being waged by the president, often in coordination with the military, against the powerful elite.
Trump’s rhetoric, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic and the 2020 election, gave new life to QAnon narratives. When he questioned the integrity of the electoral process, QAnon followers interpreted it as confirmation of the deep state’s meddling.
However, after Trump’s loss to Joe Biden in the 2020 presidential race, QAnon followers revised their original prophecy to maintain belief in “The Storm” and “The Great Awakening.” Some claimed the defeat was part of a larger secret plan, with Biden’s presidency serving as a cover for exposing the deep state. Some believed Trump remained the true president behind the scenes, while others reframed the awakening as a spiritual rather than political event.
At various campaign rallies in 2022 and after Trump used the movement’s symbolism. On Truth Social, his social media platform, he retweeted Q-affiliated accounts, and praised QAnon supporters as “people who love our country.” That same year he reposted an image of himself wearing a Q lapel pin overlaid with the words “The Storm is Coming.”
After the 2020 elections
Trump’s departure from the White House in January 2021 created an existential crisis for the QAnon movement. Predictions that he would declare martial law or arrest Joe Biden and other Democrats on Inauguration Day failed to materialize. Q’s posts also stopped, leaving many followers adrift.
Some abandoned the theory. Others rationalized the failed predictions or embraced new conspiracy narratives, such as the belief that Trump was still secretly in charge or that the military would soon act to reinstate him.
Estimating the number of QAnon believers is difficult because many individuals do not openly identify with the movement, and those who do often hold a range of loosely connected or partial beliefs rather than adhering to a consistent or uniform ideology. Not everyone who shares a Q meme or echoes a Q talking point identifies as being part of the movement.
That said, surveys by groups like the 2024 Public Religion Research Institute and the Associated Press have found that 15–20% of Americans believe in some of QAnon’s core claims, such as the existence of a secret group of Satan-worshipping elites controlling the government.
This does not mean all these people are hardcore QAnon adherents, but it does show how far the narrative, or parts of it, has seeped into mainstream thinking.
Epstein as evidence of ‘the cabal’
The Trump administration’s failure to disclose the information in Epstein files has fueled internal confusion, disillusionment and even radicalization within the movement.
For some QAnon believers, this failure was a turning point: if Trump – once seen as the hero in the conspiracy narrative – would not or could not reveal the truth, then the “deep state” must be more entrenched than imagined.
At the same time, frustrations have grown within MAGA and the QAnon movement’s spaces. Some see it as a failure to fulfill one of his most important promises: exposing elite pedophiles. Others believe the delay is strategic, another example of “the plan” requiring more patience.
The QAnon movement continues to evolve, even as its central figure hedges and hesitates, showing how potent myths can be in times of uncertainty. In my view, understanding why this belief continues to gain traction is essential for understanding the current state of American democracy.
Art Jipson does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
As the United States has designated The Resistance Front (TRF), a proxy of the Pakistan-based LeT, as a global terrorist organisation, the move has been welcomed by former diplomat and senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor. The Thiruvananthapuram MP expressed hope on Saturday that the decision would increase international pressure on Pakistan to act against terror outfits operating from its soil.
This follows US President Donald Trump’s strong call for justice in response to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack that claimed the lives of 26 people.
In a post on X, Shashi Tharoor said, “I welcome the US @StateDept’s designation of TheResistanceFront, the Lashkar proxy that claimed credit for #Pahalgam, as a terrorist organisation, adding pressure on Pakistan to curb its activities & bring it to heel.”
In another post, Tharoor shared his insights from recent meetings in Washington.
“In my private conversations in Washington, when I asked people bluntly why the US was still allowing Pakistan to get away with providing a safe haven to terrorist organisations, I was pointed to Pakistan’s alleged cooperation with the US on counter-terror operations, notably the recent surrender of the individual allegedly responsible for the Abbey Gate bombing that had killed 23 US Marines at Kabul Airport,” the Congress MP stated.
Highlighting the need for consistent global action, Tharoor added, “Our scepticism about the quality and sincerity of Pakistani actions against terrorism reflects our own experience with those terror agencies that are directed against us, rather than those that the US deems hostile, such as ISIS–Khorasan. This is a step towards bridging the gap in perceptions between the US and us on this. It will help in our efforts to list TRF at the @UN as well.”
The TRF had claimed responsibility for the Pahalgam attack, the deadliest terrorist strike on Indian civilians since the 2008 Mumbai attacks. Following the incident, US President Trump had personally called Prime Minister Narendra Modi to offer condolences and express unwavering US support in bringing the perpetrators to justice.
On Thursday, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio formally announced the inclusion of TRF in the list of designated Foreign Terrorist Organisations (FTOs) and Specially Designated Global Terrorists (SDGTs).
“This action demonstrates the Trump Administration’s commitment to protecting our national security interests, countering terrorism, and enforcing President Trump’s call for justice for the Pahalgam attack,” Rubio had said.
External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar had raised the issue during recent meetings with Rubio and at the Quad foreign ministers’ meeting in Washington, underscoring India’s call for coordinated global action against terror proxies like TRF.
Meanwhile, an all-party parliamentary delegation led by Shashi Tharoor visited Washington last month to brief US lawmakers and officials about the role of TRF and Pakistan’s continued support for terror infrastructure. The designation is being hailed as a milestone in India-US counter-terror cooperation and a major step forward in holding state sponsors of terrorism accountable.
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro (L, front) leaves the headquarters of Criminal Police of Brazil where he was fitted with an electronic anklet for monitoring, in Brasilia, Brazil, on July 18, 2025. A justice of Brazil’s Supreme Federal Court on Friday decided to impose strict legal restrictions on former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro and his son Eduardo Bolsonaro for coercion, obstruction of justice, and attack on national sovereignty.(Xinhua/Lucio Tavora)
A justice of Brazil’s Supreme Federal Court on Friday decided to impose strict legal restrictions on former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro and his son Eduardo Bolsonaro for coercion, obstruction of justice, and attack on national sovereignty.
Justice Alexandre de Moraes said the measures include nightly house arrest on weekdays, full-time house arrest on weekends and holidays, wearing an electronic ankle monitor, and a ban on contacting foreign diplomats or visiting embassies and consulates, the supreme court said in a press release.
According to the release, the former president and his son had lobbied in the United States to solicit sanctions against Brazilian officials.
The justice stated that Brazil’s sovereignty will never be negotiated, reaffirming the supreme court’s determination to defend democratic and constitutional principles.
The decision follows U.S. President Donald Trump’s announcement of 50 percent tariffs on Brazilian exports effective Aug. 1. Trump linked the hefty tariffs to the ongoing legal proceedings against Bolsonaro.
Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro reacts during a special session at the Brazilian Senate in Brasilia, Brazil, July 17, 2025. A justice of Brazil’s Supreme Federal Court on Friday decided to impose strict legal restrictions on former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro and his son Eduardo Bolsonaro for coercion, obstruction of justice, and attack on national sovereignty.(Xinhua/Lucio Tavora)
Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro (C) leaves the headquarters of Criminal Police of Brazil where he was fitted with an electronic anklet for monitoring, in Brasilia, Brazil, on July 18, 2025. A justice of Brazil’s Supreme Federal Court on Friday decided to impose strict legal restrictions on former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro and his son Eduardo Bolsonaro for coercion, obstruction of justice, and attack on national sovereignty.(Xinhua/Lucio Tavora)
United States immigration and deportation enforcement continues to ramp up, impacting on Marshallese and Micronesians in new and unprecedented ways.
The Trump administration’s directive to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to arrest and deport massive numbers of potentially illegal aliens, including those with convictions from decades past, is seeing Marshallese and Micronesians swept up by ICE.
The latest unprecedented development is Marshallese and Micronesians being removed from the United States to the offshore detention facility at the US Navy base in Guantánamo Bay — a facility set up to jail terrorists suspected of involvement in the 9/11 airplane attacks in the US in 2001.
Marshall Islands Ambassador to the US Charles Paul this week confirmed a media report that one Marshallese was currently incarcerated at Guantánamo, which is also known as “GTMO”.
The same report from nationnews.com said 72 detainees from 26 countries had been sent to GTMO last week, including from the Marshall Islands and the Federated States of Micronesia.
A statement issued by the US Department of Homeland Security, which oversees ICE operations, concerning detention of foreigners with criminal records at GTMO said Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem was using “every tool available to get criminal illegal aliens off our streets and out of our country.”
But the action was criticised by a Marshallese advocate for citizens from the Compact countries in the US.
‘Legal, ethical concerns’ “As a Compact of Free Association (COFA) advocate and ordinary indigenous citizen of the Marshallese Islands, I strongly condemn the detention of COFA migrants — including citizens from the Republic of the Marshall Islands — at the US Naval Base in Guantánamo Bay,” Benson Gideon said in a social media post this week.
“This action raises urgent legal, constitutional, and ethical concerns that must be addressed without delay.”
Since seeing the news about detention of a Marshallese in this US facility used to hold suspected terrorists, Ambassador Paul said he had “been in touch with ICE to repatriate one Marshallese being detained.”
Paul said he was “awaiting all the documents pertaining to the criminal charges, but we were informed that the individual has several felony and misdemeanor convictions. We are working closely with ICE to expedite this process.”
Gideon said bluntly the detention of the Marshallese was a breach of Compact treaty obligations.
“The COFA agreement guarantees fair treatment. Military detention undermines this commitment,” he said.
Gideon listed the strong Marshallese links with the US — service in high numbers in the US military, hosting of the Kwajalein missile range, US military control of Marshall Islands ocean and air space — as examples of Marshallese contributions to the US.
‘Treated as criminals’ “Despite these sacrifices, our people are being treated as criminals and confined in a facility historically associated with terrorism suspects,” he said.
“I call on the US Embassy in Majuro to publicly address this injustice and work with federal agencies to ensure COFA Marshallese residents are treated with dignity and fairness.
“If we are good enough to host your missile ranges, fight in your military, and support your defence strategy, then we are good enough to be protected — not punished. Let justice, transparency, and respect prevail.”
There were 72 immigration detainees at Guantánamo Bay, 58 of them classified as high-risk and 14 in the low-risk category, reported nationnews.com.
The report added that the criminal records of the detainees include convictions for homicide; sexual offences, including against children; child pornography; assault with a weapon; kidnapping; drug smuggling; and robbery.
Civil rights advocates have called the detention of immigration detainees at Guantanamo Bay punitive and unlawful, arguing in an active lawsuit that federal law does not allow the government to hold those awaiting deportation outside of US territory.
In other US immigration and deportation developments:
The delivery last month by US military aircraft of 18 Marshallese deported from the US and escorted by armed ICE agents is another example of the ramped-up deportation focus of the Trump administration. Since the early 2000s more than 300 Marshall Islanders have been deported from the US. Prior to the Trump administration, past deportations were managed by US Marshals escorting deportees individually on commercial flights.
According to Marshall Islands authorities, there have not been any deportations since the June 10 military flight to Majuro, suggesting that group deportations may be the way the Trump administration handles further deportations.
Individual travellers flying into Honolulu whose passports note place of birth as Kiribati are reportedly now being refused entry. This reportedly happened to a Marshallese passport holder late last month who had previously travel
led in and out of the US without issue.
Most Marshallese passport holders enjoy visa-free travel to the US, though there are different levels of access to the US based on if citizenship was gained through naturalisation or a passport sales programme in the 1980s and 1990s.
US Ambassador to the Marshall Islands Laura Stone said, however, that “the visa-free travel rules have not changed.”
She said she could not speak to any individual traveller’s situation without adequate information to evaluate the situation.
She pointed out that citizenship “acquired through naturalisation, marriage, investment, adoption” have different rules. Stone urged all travellers to examine the rules carefully and determine their eligibility for visa-free travel.
“If they have a question, we would be happy to answer their enquiry at ConsMajuro@state.gov,” she added.
This article is republished under a community partnership agreement with RNZ.
United States immigration and deportation enforcement continues to ramp up, impacting on Marshallese and Micronesians in new and unprecedented ways.
The Trump administration’s directive to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to arrest and deport massive numbers of potentially illegal aliens, including those with convictions from decades past, is seeing Marshallese and Micronesians swept up by ICE.
The latest unprecedented development is Marshallese and Micronesians being removed from the United States to the offshore detention facility at the US Navy base in Guantánamo Bay — a facility set up to jail terrorists suspected of involvement in the 9/11 airplane attacks in the US in 2001.
Marshall Islands Ambassador to the US Charles Paul this week confirmed a media report that one Marshallese was currently incarcerated at Guantánamo, which is also known as “GTMO”.
The same report from nationnews.com said 72 detainees from 26 countries had been sent to GTMO last week, including from the Marshall Islands and the Federated States of Micronesia.
A statement issued by the US Department of Homeland Security, which oversees ICE operations, concerning detention of foreigners with criminal records at GTMO said Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem was using “every tool available to get criminal illegal aliens off our streets and out of our country.”
But the action was criticised by a Marshallese advocate for citizens from the Compact countries in the US.
‘Legal, ethical concerns’ “As a Compact of Free Association (COFA) advocate and ordinary indigenous citizen of the Marshallese Islands, I strongly condemn the detention of COFA migrants — including citizens from the Republic of the Marshall Islands — at the US Naval Base in Guantánamo Bay,” Benson Gideon said in a social media post this week.
“This action raises urgent legal, constitutional, and ethical concerns that must be addressed without delay.”
Since seeing the news about detention of a Marshallese in this US facility used to hold suspected terrorists, Ambassador Paul said he had “been in touch with ICE to repatriate one Marshallese being detained.”
Paul said he was “awaiting all the documents pertaining to the criminal charges, but we were informed that the individual has several felony and misdemeanor convictions. We are working closely with ICE to expedite this process.”
Gideon said bluntly the detention of the Marshallese was a breach of Compact treaty obligations.
“The COFA agreement guarantees fair treatment. Military detention undermines this commitment,” he said.
Gideon listed the strong Marshallese links with the US — service in high numbers in the US military, hosting of the Kwajalein missile range, US military control of Marshall Islands ocean and air space — as examples of Marshallese contributions to the US.
‘Treated as criminals’ “Despite these sacrifices, our people are being treated as criminals and confined in a facility historically associated with terrorism suspects,” he said.
“I call on the US Embassy in Majuro to publicly address this injustice and work with federal agencies to ensure COFA Marshallese residents are treated with dignity and fairness.
“If we are good enough to host your missile ranges, fight in your military, and support your defence strategy, then we are good enough to be protected — not punished. Let justice, transparency, and respect prevail.”
There were 72 immigration detainees at Guantánamo Bay, 58 of them classified as high-risk and 14 in the low-risk category, reported nationnews.com.
The report added that the criminal records of the detainees include convictions for homicide; sexual offences, including against children; child pornography; assault with a weapon; kidnapping; drug smuggling; and robbery.
Civil rights advocates have called the detention of immigration detainees at Guantanamo Bay punitive and unlawful, arguing in an active lawsuit that federal law does not allow the government to hold those awaiting deportation outside of US territory.
In other US immigration and deportation developments:
The delivery last month by US military aircraft of 18 Marshallese deported from the US and escorted by armed ICE agents is another example of the ramped-up deportation focus of the Trump administration. Since the early 2000s more than 300 Marshall Islanders have been deported from the US. Prior to the Trump administration, past deportations were managed by US Marshals escorting deportees individually on commercial flights.
According to Marshall Islands authorities, there have not been any deportations since the June 10 military flight to Majuro, suggesting that group deportations may be the way the Trump administration handles further deportations.
Individual travellers flying into Honolulu whose passports note place of birth as Kiribati are reportedly now being refused entry. This reportedly happened to a Marshallese passport holder late last month who had previously travel
led in and out of the US without issue.
Most Marshallese passport holders enjoy visa-free travel to the US, though there are different levels of access to the US based on if citizenship was gained through naturalisation or a passport sales programme in the 1980s and 1990s.
US Ambassador to the Marshall Islands Laura Stone said, however, that “the visa-free travel rules have not changed.”
She said she could not speak to any individual traveller’s situation without adequate information to evaluate the situation.
She pointed out that citizenship “acquired through naturalisation, marriage, investment, adoption” have different rules. Stone urged all travellers to examine the rules carefully and determine their eligibility for visa-free travel.
“If they have a question, we would be happy to answer their enquiry at ConsMajuro@state.gov,” she added.
This article is republished under a community partnership agreement with RNZ.
Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian – People’s Republic of China in Russian –
An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
WASHINGTON, July 19 (Xinhua) — U.S. President Donald Trump filed a defamation lawsuit against several news companies on Friday, according to court records.
The lawsuit was filed in a Miami, Florida, court against two Wall Street Journal reporters, as well as news companies Dow Jones, News Corp and media mogul Rupert Murdoch.
The reason for this step was an article in the Wall Street Journal describing a congratulatory letter, allegedly from D. Trump to financier Jeffrey Epstein. It was sent in 2003 for the birthday of J. Epstein, who was accused of sexual exploitation of minors. The letter contained a drawing that allegedly had a sexual connotation.
D. Trump denied the article and said the congratulatory message was fake. He warned on social media that he planned to sue.
“Mr. Murdoch said he would take care of this, but apparently he had no authority to do so… Instead, they publish a false, malicious, defamatory story anyway. President Trump will soon sue the Wall Street Journal, News Corp, and Mr. Murdoch,” Trump wrote earlier on Truth Social. -0-
Please note: This information is raw content obtained directly from the source of the information. It is an accurate report of what the source claims and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.
Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian – People’s Republic of China in Russian –
An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
MEXICO CITY, July 18 (Xinhua) — Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum on Friday strongly opposed the construction of a new section of wall on the border with the United States in New Mexico, calling it a unilateral move by Washington.
At a daily press conference, she stressed that Mexico is in no way involved in the project and does not provide funding.
“They are building it themselves. We do not support the wall. We have secured the border through cooperation and coordination, not through walls,” said K. Sheinbaum.
According to her, the decision to build the wall belongs exclusively to US President Donald Trump. Mexico gives preference to cooperation based on development and respect for Mexicans living in the US, the head of state noted.
The Trump administration this week began a new phase of construction on an additional border fence between Santa Teresa, New Mexico, and Ciudad Juarez in northern Mexico. The project includes 6 miles of 30-foot-tall steel posts installed behind an older 18-foot-tall fence. –0–
Please note: This information is raw content obtained directly from the source of the information. It is an accurate report of what the source claims and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.
Source: United States Senator for Maine Susan Collins
Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Susan Collins, Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, released the following statement after the U.S. Department of Education announced it will officially release critical Fiscal Year 2025 funding to support 21st Century Community Learning Centers, which provide afterschool and summer learning opportunities for students. This announcement comes in response to a letter sent this week by Senator Collins and some of her Republican colleagues to Russell Vought, Director of the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB), advocating for the release of anticipated education formula funding. Senator Collins also personally spoke to Education Secretary Linda McMahon to advocate for the release of this frozen funding yesterday.
“21st Century Community Learning Centers support low-income families and rural communities with after-school programs and summer education that enable students to thrive and parents to continue working. This funding was appropriated by Congress and is relied on by many in our state. I am so glad my colleagues and I were able to work together to effectively urge the Administration to get these funds released. There is more funding that still needs to be disbursed, and I will continue to work to ensure it is delivered swiftly so educators can prepare for the upcoming academic year with certainty and Maine students and families have the resources they need to succeed,”said Senator Collins.
Specifically, the letter, led by Senator Capito (R-WV) and Senator Collins, requests that the Administration faithfully implement the Fiscal Year (FY) 2025 Full-Year Continuing Resolution Act, which Congress passed and President Trump signed into law earlier this year. The letter was also signed by Senators John Boozman (R-AR), Katie Britt (R-AL), Deb Fischer (R-NE), John Hoeven (R-ND), Jim Justice (R-WV), Mitch McConnell (R-KY), Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), and Mike Rounds (R-SD). The complete text of the letter can be read here.
As a member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee and a founding member of the Senate Afterschool Caucus, Senator Collins has been a strong supporter of 21st Century Community Learning Centers.
Last week, Senator Collins also announced that the Department of Education awarded a total of $4,981,867 in TRIO Student Support Services grants to 11 Maine colleges and universities after her questioning of Secretary McMahon on the proposed elimination of TRIO programs during an Appropriations hearing.
Source: United States Senator for Massachusetts Ed Markey
Letter Text (PDF)
Washington (July 18, 2025) – Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), member of the Commitee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, today wrote to Paramount Global Chair Shari Redstone, demanding answers on the circumstances surrounding the cancellation of “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert,” specifically requesting whether anyone in the Trump administration asked for the show to be cancelled.
In the letter, Senator Markey wrote, “Last night, Stephen Colbert announced that CBS will end ‘The Late Show with Stephen Colbert’ next spring. Although CBS, a Paramount subsidiary, has cited financial reasons — including a projected $40 million loss for the show this year — for this decision, the timing has raised public questions. Just days earlier, Colbert sharply criticized Paramount’s $16 million settlement of a lawsuit brought by President Donald Trump — a settlement many view as an attempt to facilitate government approval of the company’s proposed merger with Skydance Global. Given the importance of protecting editorial independence from political influence, and the public interest stakes in the pending merger, I am seeking additional information to understand the full context surrounding this programming decision.”
Senator Markeycontinued, “If Paramount is unhappy with Colbert’s monologue — including its political tone or position — the company has every right to respond with personnel and other operational decisions. And it, of course, has every right to make programming decisions for financial reasons. But Paramount should not be making editorial decisions or compromising its editorial independence at the behest of or under pressure from the government, including in the context of securing FCC merger approval. If the Trump administration is using its regulatory authority to influence or otherwise pressure your company’s editorial decisions, the public deserves to know.”
Senator Markey requested answers by July 25, 2025,to the followingquestions:
Has any official in the Trump administration, including the President or an official at the FCC, contacted your company about Colbert’s monologue on Monday night?
If so, did they request Paramount or CBS take any action in response to Colbert’s monologue, including the cancellation of “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert”? If so, please identify those conversations and the requested actions.
Senator Markey has aggressively pushed back on the Trump administration’s efforts to attack news organizations and intimidate the media. In May 2025, as Paramount was reportedly pushing for the settlement to help facilitate approval of its merger, Senators Markey and Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.) wrote to Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Brendan Carr requesting that the FCC hold a full Committee vote on the Paramount-Skydance merger. After Paramount announced its settlement with Trump, Senators Markey and Luján wrote to FCC Commissioner Olivia Trusty, urging the FCC to hold a full Commission vote on the pending merger. In March 2025, Senators Markey and Luján, along with Senator Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.), introduced the Broadcast Freedom and Independence Act, legislation that would prohibit the FCC from revoking broadcast licenses or taking action against broadcasters based on the viewpoints they broadcast. In February 2025, Senators Markey and Luján, along with Senator Gary Peters (D-Mich.), wrote to Chairman Carr and then-Commissioner Nathan Simington regarding the FCC’s recent, politically motivated actions against broadcasters and public media.
ER Report: Here is a summary of significant articles published on EveningReport.nz on July 19, 2025.
Systematic bias: how Western media reproduces the Israeli narrative COMMENTARY: By Refaat Ibrahim “If words shape our consciousness, then the media holds the keys to minds.” This sentence is not merely a metaphor, but a reality we live daily in the coverage of the Israeli aggression on Gaza, where the crimes of the occupation are turned into “acts of violence”, the siege targeting civilians
From ‘Stone Age’ treasury boss to National Party Senator: John Stone 1929-2025 Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By John Hawkins, Head, Canberra School of Government, University of Canberra AUSPIC John Owen Stone AO was a legendary leader of the Commonwealth Treasury. He was secretary (departmental head) from January 1979 to September 1984 but was an intellectual driving force before then as deputy secretary from 1971
Mark Latham’s portrait may come off federal caucus wall Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra The Labor caucus tolerates having the odd “rat” among the photos of ALP leaders on the party room wall, but Mark Latham may have now pushed it too far. After the latest bizarre scandal surrounding the one-time federal Labor leader,
Connie Francis was the voice of a generation and the soundtrack of post-war America Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Leigh Carriage, Senior Lecturer in Music, Southern Cross University Hulton Archive/Getty Images Connie Francis dominated the music charts in the late 1950s and early 1960s with hits like Stupid Cupid, Pretty Little Baby and Don’t Break the Heart That Loves You. The pop star, author and actor
Trump has ‘chronic venous insufficiency’. Is it dangerous? Can it be treated? Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Theresa Larkin, Associate Professor of Medical Sciences, University of Wollongong Anna Moneymaker/Staff/Getty US President Donald Trump has been diagnosed with “chronic venous insufficiency” after experiencing some mild swelling in his lower legs. According to a letter the White House published from the president’s doctor, the condition is
Source: United States Senator for Illinois Dick Durbin
July 18, 2025
Durbin files official oversight requests with Bondi, Patel, Bongino, as MAGA world continues imploding over the Epstein cover up and breaking reporting by the Wall Street Journal describes Trump sending a lewd letter to Epstein
CHICAGO – U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, pressed Attorney General Pam Bondi, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Director Kash Patel, and Deputy FBI Director Dan Bongino on apparent discrepancies regarding the handling of the Epstein files and findings from a July 7 Department of Justice (DOJ) memorandum and instructions reportedly received by FBI personnel to identify records mentioning President Trump.
In letters to Bondi, Patel, and Bongino, Durbin began by highlighting contradictions between its first finding revealing no “incriminating client list” and Bondi’s public statements, writing: “The first finding directly contradicts public statements Attorney General Bondi has repeatedly made. On February 21, 17 days after her confirmation as Attorney General, Attorney General Bondi was asked directly by Fox News’ America Reports host John Roberts: ‘DOJ may be releasing the list of Jeffrey Epstein’s clients; will that really happen?’ She responded: ‘It’s sitting on my desk right now to review.’ On February 27, Attorney General Bondi released binders of documents related to Epstein to conservative influencers and commentators, but despite the major media event the White House staged around this release, these files were largely already publicly available. After intense blowback from this incident, Attorney General Bondi then appeared on another FOX News show, Life Liberty Levin, and claimed that a ‘whistleblower’ told her that ‘New York SDNY [was] sitting on thousands of pages of documents’; that ‘we will get everything’; that she was ‘assured’ there was more; and that the country would eventually see ‘the full Epstein files.’ She also claimed that the ‘FBI withheld all of those documents’ and you were providing a detailed report as an explanation for the FBI’s actions with respect to those materials.”
Durbin then invoked breaking reporting that Trump sent a bawdy letter to Epstein, writing: “Notably, in 2002, Mr. Trump said of Mr. Epstein, ‘I’ve known Jeff for 15 years. Terrific guy, He’s a lot of fun to be with. It is even said that he likes beautiful women as much as I do, and many of them are on the younger side.’ Just yesterday, it was reported that the Department previously reviewed a ‘leather-bound album’ comprised of dozens of letters from Mr. Epstein’s friends in celebration of his 50th birthday in 2003. The letters were collected by Mr. Epstein’s partner Ghislaine Maxwell and included one from President Trump that allegedly ‘contains several lines of typewritten text framed by the outline of a naked woman, which appears to be hand-drawn with a heavy marker … and the future president’s signature is a squiggly ‘Donald’ below her waist.’”
Durbin continued: “Despite tens of thousands of personnel hours reviewing and re-reviewing these Epstein-related records over the course of two weeks in March, it took DOJ more than three additional months to officially find there is ‘no incriminating ‘client list,’’ and the memorandum with this finding includes no mention of the whistleblower or additional documents, the existence of which Attorney General Bondi publicly claimed on February 27.”
Durbin then discussed public scrutiny over the memorandum’s second finding that Jeffrey Epstein committed suicide, writing: “The second finding in the July 7 memorandum does not contradict any official statement from DOJ and accords with the DOJ Inspector General’s investigation into the Bureau of Prisons’ custody of Jeffrey Epstein. However, public skepticism of the government’s transparency in this matter has been needlessly increased due to the release of surveillance video from outside of Jeffrey Epstein’s cell in the hours leading up to his death, which the July 7 memorandum described as ‘full raw’ footage; in fact, the footage was likely modified, according to the metadata embedded in the video.”
To Director Patel, Durbin wrote: “According to information my office received, the FBI was pressured to put approximately 1,000 personnel in its Information Management Division (IMD) … on 24-hour shifts to review approximately 100,000 Epstein-related records in order to produce more documents that could then be released on an arbitrarily short deadline. This effort, which reportedly took place from March 14 through the end of March, was haphazardly supplemented by hundreds of FBI New York Field Office personnel, many of whom lacked the expertise to identify statutorily-protected information regarding child victims and child witnesses or properly handle FOIA requests. My office was told that these personnel were instructed to ‘flag’ any records in which President Trump was mentioned.”
To Deputy Director Bongino, Durbin wrote: “Prior to becoming FBI Deputy Director, you spent years as a private citizen making claims about the Jeffrey Epstein case. For example, you stated: ‘That Jeffrey Epstein story is a big deal. Please do not let that story go. Keep your eye on it.’ On July 11, far-right activist Laura Loomer claimed that you and FBI Director Patel ‘[were] livid with [Attorney General Bondi] over her DOJ Memo and the lack of transparency from her office regarding the Jeffrey Epstein files.’ Subsequent public reporting indicates this apparent dispute came to a head at a meeting between White House, DOJ, and FBI officials that you and Director Patel attended, leading to claims that you may resign from your position over these issues. You have made no public statements since these reports have come out, but reports have emerged that the dispute may have been related to Attorney General Bondi accusing you of leaking to NewsNation a story critical of her for allegedly preventing the FBI from releasing more Epstein-related records.”
Durbin concluded with requests for information to be produced by August 1, 2025, citing “the serious questions about the veracity of Attorney General Bondi’s public statements regarding the Epstein-related records in DOJ’s possession and the effect those questions are having on the public’s ability to trust DOJ’s July 7 finding that there is ‘no incriminating “client list.”’”
For a PDF of the letter to Attorney General Bondi, clickhere.
For a PDF of the letter to Director Patel, clickhere.
For a PDF of the letter to Deputy Director Bongino, clickhere.
Source: United States Senator for Illinois Dick Durbin
July 18, 2025
Staff site visits provide new, incriminating insight into the cruelty of the illegal Trump mass deportation agenda, including overcrowding, inhumane conditions, no access to medical care, and difficulty accessing legal counsel
CHICAGO – Today, U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, revealed devastating insights into U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention facilities, following staff site visits to two Florida immigration detention facilities in June. The visits to Krome North Service Processing Center and Federal Detention Center (FDC) Miami provide new, incriminating insight into the cruelty of the illegal Trump mass deportation agenda, including overcrowding, inhumane conditions, no access to medical care, and difficulty accessing legal counsel.
On the exclusive site visits, Durbin released the following statement:
“My staff’s visits to the ICE detention facilities reaffirm what we’ve already known: The cruelty and inhumanity of the Trump Administration’s illegal mass deportation scheme knows no bounds.
“Immigration detention is at a crisis point as the Administration ramps up enforcement and doubles down on lengthy detention of people without criminal backgrounds. People are being disappeared, and the Trump Administration is barring lawful congressional oversight. These actions don’t make our country safer, and the Trump mass deportation system is designed to punish immigrants who pose no threat.
“I will keep doing everything I can do bring these abuses to light.”
Key observations from the site visits include:
The Trump Administration’s mass deportation agenda is resulting in dangerous levels of overcrowding and deteriorating conditions at facilities like Krome.
ICE was ill-prepared to address overcrowding caused by the large influx of detainees and has resorted to using large tents to house individuals.
The Trump Administration’s ill-conceived mass deportation plan has resulted in the use of BOP facilities in which the conditions force detainees to live in de facto solitary confinement.
Immigrants at Krome struggle to receive adequate health care because staff fail to take their medical concerns seriously.
Immigrants at FDC Miami face obstacles accessing basic services and are forced to endure unsanitary conditions.
Bureaucratic red tape makes it nearly impossible for immigrants to access adequate mental health care at Krome.
Immigrants have limited opportunities to report complaints of abuse or neglect.
Fear and chaos are key tools of Trump’s mass deportation agenda, with detained immigrants dreading transfer to remote detention facilities far from their families and lacking information about their cases.
Immigrants detained at FDC Miami are denied information on the status of their cases and have difficulty placing calls to legal counsel and family members.
For a PDF copy of the devastating insights into the detention facilities, click here.
In May, Durbin released insights from visits to two facilities in Louisiana and escalated congressional oversight of the Trump Administration’s aggressive expansion of immigration detention, which has created a major financial boon for private prison companies.
Earlier this year, Durbin released a revealing investigative report on inadequate care in Customs and Border Protection (CBP) facilities and pressed for further investigation into deficient medical care in CBP detention facilities after whistleblower reports alleged systemic failures by DHS to ensure proper oversight of its medical care contractor.
Durbin continues to actively investigate care in ICE detention facilities, which he initiated with letters to ICE and GAO. A June 2024 report from the American Civil Liberties Union, Physicians for Human Rights, and American Oversight found that 95 percent of documented deaths in ICE custody between 2017-2021 were likely preventable.
This oversight work was prompted by the death of Anadith Danay Reyes Álvarez, an eight-year-old Panamanian girl, at a CBP detention facility in Harlingen, Texas, on May 17, 2023.
Source: United States Senator Pete Ricketts (Nebraska)
July 18, 2025
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Pete Ricketts (R-NE) released the following statement after President Trump signed the GENIUS Act into law.
“The GENIUS Act is revolutionary for stablecoins. It protects consumers while promoting innovation and opportunity,”said Ricketts. “It prioritizes national security and advances the U.S. dollar. Nebraska’s a major innovator in the stablecoin space and my amendment will give priority to states like ours when becoming certified. I am very happy that President Trump has signed this legislation into law. I look forward to working with Chairman Tim Scott, Senator Cynthia Lummis, and Senator Bill Hagerty on a digital asset market structure bill next.”
As Governor of Nebraska, Senator Ricketts signed Nebraska’s Financial Innovation Act into law, making Nebraska the second state in the country to establish a state-level regulatory system for digital assets.
Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Byron Donalds (R-FL)
Donalds Votes To Pass First Round Of DOGE Cuts: Defunds USAID, NPR, And PBS
Washington, July 18, 2025
WASHINGTON – Last night, Congressman Byron Donalds (R-FL) voted to pass H.Res. 590 – the first round of DOGE cuts. This critical legislation passed the U.S. House of Representatives with a party-line vote of 216-213 and will head to President Trump’s desk to be signed-into law.
H.Res. 590 slashes $9 billion in waste, fraud, and abuse from federal spending and specifically defunds politicized federal agencies such as the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), National Public Radio (NPR), and the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS). Congressman Donalds released the following statement:
“For years, our federal agencies were weaponized by rogue, unelected bureaucrats in order to serve the political interests of leftist ideologues. This waste, fraud, and abuse stretches deep into our federal government and has been exposed to the world through USAID’s farcical expenditures and the egregious politicization of reporting at federally-funded news outlets. Our hard-earned taxpayer dollars never should have been funding this disgraceful conduct and I look forward codifying additional rounds of DOGE cuts in the future.”
Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Byron Donalds (R-FL)
Donalds Votes To Create Digital Asset Framework For America And Block CBDC Tyranny
Washington, July 18, 2025
WASHINGTON – Yesterday, Congressman Byron Donalds (R-FL) voted to pass a landmark financial services package that blocks the formation of Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) in America and creates a clear framework for the growing proliferation of digital assets.
The legislative package included three bills: (1) H.R. 3633 – “The CLARITY ACT,” (2) S. 1582 – “The GENIUS Act,” (3) H.R. 1919 – “The Anti-CBDC Surveillance Act.” While H.R. 3633 and H.R. 1919 advanced to the U.S. Senate for consideration, this afternoon, S. 1582 was signed into law by President Trump. Congressman Donalds released the following statement:
“Central Bank Digital Currency would give unelected bureaucrats in our federal government absolute control over your money. This is wrong, this is a dangerous threat to freedom, this is un-American, and immediate action had to be taken. I am proud to have joined my colleagues in voting to block this globalist tyranny from infiltrating our nation and ensure there’s a clear framework for the proliferation of digital assets in America.”
Background on H.R. 3633 – “The CLARITY Act”:
Passed the U.S. House of Representatives with a vote of 294-134.
The CLARITY Act, sponsored by House Committee on Financial Services Chairman French Hill (AR-02) and House Committee on Agriculture Chairman G.T. Thompson (PA-15) was introduced on May 29, 2025. The bill advanced out of both Committees with bipartisan support on June 10, 2025. The CLARITY Act establishes clear, functional requirements for digital asset market participants, prioritizing consumer protection while fostering innovation. By providing strong safeguards and long-overdue regulatory certainty, this legislation advances U.S. innovation and reinforces U.S. leadership in the global financial system.
Read the full text of the legislation HERE.
See Congress.gov bill profile HERE.
Background on S. 1582 – “The GENIUS Act”:
Passed the U.S. House of Representatives with a vote of 308-122.
Signed-into law by President Trump on July 18, 2025.
The GENIUS Act, introduced by Senator Bill Hagerty (R-TN), provides a clear regulatory framework for the issuance of payment stablecoins, a payment product that is currently offered in the United States with little, if any, federal oversight. The GENIUS Act prioritizes consumer protection, fosters innovation, and strengthens the U.S. dollar’s reserve currency status. The GENIUS Act passed the U.S. Senate by a bipartisan vote of 68-30 on June 17, 2025.
Read the full text of the legislation HERE.
See Congress.gov bill profile HERE.
Background on H.R. 1919 – “The Anti-CBDC Surveillance Act”:
Passed the U.S. House of Representatives with a vote of 219-210.
The Anti-CBDC Surveillance State Act, sponsored by House Majority Whip Tom Emmer (MN-06), prohibits unelected bureaucrats in Washington, D.C. from issuing a Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) that undermines Americans’ right to financial privacy. Unlike decentralized digital assets, CBDCs are digital forms of sovereign currency issued and controlled by government, with transactions occurring on a government-managed ledger. In short, a CBDC is government-controlled, programmable money that, if not designed to mimic cash, could provide the federal government with detailed transaction data on individual users and the ability to program the CBDC to suppress politically unpopular activities.
Read the full text of the legislation HERE.
See Congress.gov bill profile HERE.
Watch House passage of H.R. 3633, S. 1582, and H.R. 1919 HERE.
Source: United States Senator for Texas John Cornyn
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) today lauded the rollout of more than $280 million in emergency assistance deliveries for South Texas farmers and ranchers impacted by the water shortage as part of a grant program U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins, Sen. Cornyn, and others secured for the region late last year:
“The delivery of $280 million in drought assistance to South Texas will provide much-needed relief to farmers and ranchers in the Valley who have suffered from Mexico’s repeated refusal to provide the water it owes under the Water Treaty,” said Sen. Cornyn. “I was proud to work alongside Secretary Rollins and lead several of my colleagues from Texas in the mission to secure this funding, and I look forward to continuing to partner with the Trump administration and state leaders to provide every resource necessary for our agriculture community.”
Background:
Sen. Cornyn has led the charge in Congress to boost Texas’ water supply and ensure Mexico fulfills its treaty obligations to provide annual deliveries of water to South Texas farmers and ranchers. In addition to successfully securing more than $280 million in emergency assistance for Rio Grande Valley farmers and producers affected by the water shortage, he led a request earlier this year to U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio asking for renewed efforts to push Mexico to comply with the 1944 Water Treaty while also securing Secretary Rubio’s commitment to hold Mexico accountable for delays.
Last year, Sens. Cornyn and Cruz raised alarms after a Rio Grande sugarcane mill closed due to acute water shortages, cosponsored a resolution supporting diplomacy, and sent a letter to then-U.S. Secretary of State Blinken urging the Department to engage on Mexico’s violation of the intent of the treaty. Senator Cornyn also led a letter to the Chairmen and Ranking Members of the House and Senate Appropriations Subcommittees on State and Foreign Operations urging them to withhold designated funds from Mexico until they enter into an agreement with the U.S. to balance the deficit of the water deliveries, which the House Appropriations Committee included in their funding bill.
Under the Treaty Relating to the Utilization of Waters of the Colorado and Tijuana Rivers and of the Rio Grande, Mexico is obligated to deliver an average of 350,000-acre feet of water annually over a five-year cycle as its contribution to the Rio Grande’s water supply. However, Mexico has consistently delayed fulfilling its water obligation until the end of the five-year cycle, which hinders South Texas farmers’ ability to plan for and grow crops as well as ranchers’ ability to provide water to livestock. The current cycle ends in October and so far, Mexico has paid less than 700,000 acre-feet of water — less than half of what it owes, according to IBWC data.
Source: United States Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn)
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) and U.S. Representative Mark Harris (R-N.C.) introduced the National Education Association Charter Repeal Act to revoke the congressional charter of the nation’s largest teachers’ union and the only labor union with a federal charter:
“Time and again, teachers’ unions have shown they’ll put their political agenda ahead of students’ needs,” said Senator Blackburn. “The National Education Association has made it crystal clear it’s a partisan organization, and it shouldn’t be rewarded with a federal charter that platforms woke gender ideology, antisemitism, and left-wing propaganda. Our students deserve better.”
“Congress established the NEA in 1906 to support America’s teachers and strengthen our schools, but it has abandoned that mission in favor of a radical agenda,” said Representative Harris. “From branding President Trump a fascist to embracing divisive gender ideology and walking away from efforts to fight antisemitism, the NEA has become nothing more than a partisan advocacy group. Since the NEA is clearly not prioritizing students, parents or even teachers, it’s time to remove Congress’ seal of approval from this rogue organization.”
BACKGROUND
Last week, the National Education Association (NEA) voted to fight against President “Trump’s embrace of fascism,” promote LGBTQ events in public schools, and sever all ties with the Anti-Defamation League. These latest examples of NEA’s blatant political bias, along with its recent promotion of hatred and antisemitism, are a clear departure from the organization’s intended purpose.
The NEA has a long list of egregious violations of public trust:
In the 2024 election cycle, 98 percent of NEA political donations went to Democrats.
In 2023, the NEA partnered with the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN), who collaborated with the Target Corporation to promote an obscene, radical agenda in their stores.
In July 2021, the NEA adopted measures to support critical race theory.
The NEA stood in the way of reopening schools in 2020 and 2021 by threatening strikes and influencing CDC guidance process to make it harder for schools to reopen.
THE NATIONAL EDUCATION ASSOCIATION CHARTER REPEAL ACT
The National Education Association Charter Repeal Act would:
Eliminate the congressional authorization of the NEA; and
Formally remove Congress’ “seal of approval” and the suggestion that the government is responsible for the NEA’s operations.
Click here for bill text.
ENDORSEMENTS
The National Education Association Charter Repeal Act is endorsed by Moms for Liberty, Heritage Action, Young America’s Foundation, American Principles Project, and the National Right to Work.
“It’s incredibly sad that the nation’s largest teachers union has put woke politics before America’s children. The NEA’s embrace of radical left policies and antisemitism combined with their rejection of parental rights has forced moms and dads across America to condemn this organization. Moms For Liberty is incredibly thankful for Congressman Mark Harris, and his bold stand to remove the NEAs congressional charter. While other members just talk, Mark stepped up and took action,” said Tina Descovich, CEO of Moms for Liberty.
Source: United States Senator for Idaho Mike Crapo
Washington, D.C.–The One Big Beautiful Bill Act delivers targeted relief to America’s small businesses, making their tax deduction permanent, repealing onerous IRS reporting regulations and enabling workers to benefit from businesses’ success.
“Freeing small businesses from onerous reporting requirements and providing them certainty through a permanent small business deduction allows them to expand and invest,” said Finance Committee Chairman Mike Crapo (R-Idaho). “That means more jobs and higher wages in our local communities, on top of new provisions that allow taxpayers to keep more of their hard-earned paychecks.”
Key wins:
Permanent small business deduction, enabling job creation and spurring local economic activity.
No tax on tips for millions of tipped workers.
No tax on overtime for millions of America’s hourly workers.
Repeals the Democrats’ onerous IRS reporting requirements on gig workers.
Increases the 1099-MISC threshold, reducing the paperwork burden for small businesses and workers.
What they are saying:
“H.R. 1 extends the pro-growth policies from the TCJA and builds on their success, expanding key incentives from the 2017 law while introducing new provisions that further support manufacturing investment in the United States.” – National Association of Manufacturers
“Making the small business deduction permanent is NFIB’s number one legislative priority and the most important thing Congress can do to help small businesses and their workers.” – National Federation of Independent Businesses
“The ‘One Big, Beautiful Bill,’ now on its way to President Donald J. Trump for his signature, includes tax policies that will strengthen the restaurant and foodservice industry, enabling restaurant owners and operators across the country to create jobs, invest in their business and provide certainty for their local economies.” – National Restaurant Association
Source: United States Senator for Commonwealth of Virginia Mark R Warner
WASHINGTON – Senate Select Committee on Intelligence Vice Chairman Mark R. Warner (D-VA) issued the following statement on DNI Gabbard’s unfounded claims of a coup:
“It seems DNI Gabbard is unaware that the years-long Russia investigation carried out by the Senate Intelligence Committee reaffirmed that ‘the Russian government directed extensive activity against U.S. election infrastructure’ ahead of the 2016 election, andthat it ‘used social media to conduct an information warfare campaign’ in order to benefit Donald Trump. This conclusion was supported on a unanimous basis by every single Democrat and Republican on the committee.
“It is sadly not surprising that DNI Gabbard, who promised to depoliticize the intelligence community, is once again weaponizing her position to amplify the president’s election conspiracy theories. It is appalling to hear DNI Gabbard accuse her own IC workforce of committing a ‘treasonous conspiracy’ when she was unwilling to label Edward Snowden a traitor.”
Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal (7th District of Washington)
SEATTLE, W.A. — U.S. Representative Pramila Jayapal, Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Immigration, Integrity, Security, and Enforcement, issued the following statement regarding the reported deal between the United States, El Salvador, and Venezuela:
“I am grateful that United States citizens held by the oppressive Maduro regime are finally able to come home and be reunited with their loved ones. Many of these Americans had been unjustly detained for years.
“At the same time, I am outraged that President Trump and his administration continue to lie to the American people. For months, the Trump administration had been telling U.S. courts. They claimed that the individuals he had shipped off to El Salvador with no due process were under the complete control of the El Salvadoran government, and the administration had no ability to bring them back to the United States for their fair day in court. Today’s announcement shows that it was false.
“I am also devastated for the many Venezuelans who came to the U.S., who never committed a crime, and many of whom were fleeing persecution from the Maduro regime, are now being sent back into the hands of their persecutors. These individuals, like Andry Hernandez Romero, were never able to present their asylum claim and were sent out of this country in violation of our constitution and our laws.
“We will hold this administration accountable for its continued lawlessness.”
Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley (MA-07)
Massachusetts Families Fear Worsening Hunger Crisis Amid Trump’s Cuts to SNAP in Big, Ugly Bill
Photos (DropBox)
EAST BOSTON – Today, Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley (MA-07) and Congressman James P. McGovern (MA-02) convened a listening session in East Boston with Project Bread, the leading statewide food security organization in Massachusetts, to highlight the devastating impacts that Trump’s Big, Ugly Bill will have on Massachusetts families who rely on federal food assistance.
“No one in Massachusetts – no child, student, parent, or senior – should go hungry.,” said Rep. Ayanna Pressley. “Trump and Republicans’ Big, Ugly Bill is a shameful betrayal of our shared humanity and will make communities in the Massachusetts 7th and across the country hungrier, poorer, and sicker. SNAP is a lifeline, especially for families facing other insecurities, and for Black, brown, and LGBTQ+ households that face the highest rates of food insecurity. Listening to families directly impacted by this crisis is essential as we chart a path forward, and I’m grateful to fight alongside Rep. McGovern, Project Bread, state and local leaders, and critical food assistance, nutrition, and farming advocates to ensure food justice for all.”
“Federal nutrition assistance programs put food on the table for families across Massachusetts. Today, we heard directly from some of those families about how the Trump’s Big Ugly Bill and DOGE cuts will make families more hungry and less healthy. Forty-two million people – the vast majority of which are working people, kids, seniors, and people with disabilities – will see their SNAP benefits cut and families with teenagers, older adults, veterans, former foster youth, and homeless people could lose their benefits altogether,” said Rep. James P. McGovern, Ranking Member of the House Rules Committee and a senior member of the House Agriculture Committee. “Kids will have less nutritious food at school and families utilizing food pantries will have less access to fruits and vegetables. I can’t think of anything more cruel than taking food away from hungry families all to fund tax breaks for billionaires.”
“Project Bread hears from over 25,000 families every year just how critical food assistance programs are. People experiencing hunger share how they are working hard to provide for their families, navigating work challenges, health crises, family concerns, and much more, and it is important that we listen and uplift the real stories of food insecurity in Massachusetts,” said Erin McAleer, President and CEO of Project Bread. “We invest in building connections with those directly experiencing hunger because that lived expertise is central to how we develop and implement sustainable community solutions. Hunger is a policy choice. In Massachusetts, we are lucky to have powerful congressional and community leaders ready to listen, learn, and lead in the fight to ensure everyone can put food on the table.”
Congresswoman Pressley, Congressman McGovern, and Project Bread discussed the stories of people with lived experience in the Massachusetts 7th, as well as partners and advocates, including Ricardo Henry, Community Leader of Neighborhood Food Action Collaborative; Sandra Nijjar, Founder of East Boston Community Soup Kitchen; Carlos Morales, Food Access Manager of La Colaborativa; Michelle Doyle, Meals Program Director of Prospect Hill Academy Charter School; Alexandra Mello, Project Bread Council of Experts; Janin Otero, Project Bread Council of Experts, and others. Also joining them were state and local officials, including State Representative Adrian Madaro, State Senator Lydia Edwards, State Senator Sal DiDomenico, Councilor Gabriela Coletta Zapata; Jeffrey McCue, Commissioner of the Massachusetts Department of Transitional Assistance; Julianne Stelmaszyk, Director of the Division of Food Security at the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources; Allison Bovell-Ammon, Assistant Undersecretary for Children and Family Services at the MA Executive Office of Health and Human Services; and Aliza Wasserman, Director of the City of Boston Mayor’s Office of Food Justice.
Photo from the listening session are available here.
Throughout her time in Congress, Rep. Pressley has been a champion for food security and justice and ensuring families have the essential food assistance they deserve. She has been an outspoken critic of the Big, Ugly Bill since its inception and Republicans’ harmful cuts to SNAP and other government service programs.
Rep. Pressley joined colleagues at a press conference imploring the House to reject the cruel and harmful legislation.
Rep. Pressley joined the Congressional Black Caucus and over 100 colleagues in stalling a vote on the Big, Ugly Bill.
Rep. Pressley issued a statement condemning the Senate’s passage of the Big, Ugly Bill and vowing to continue fighting it using every tool available.
Rep. Pressley rallied with advocates from Caring Across Generations, Care Can’t Wait, and partner organizations to protest Trump’s and Republicans’ Big Ugly Bill that proposes disastrous cuts to Medicaid, SNAP, and other essential programs and would leave communities sicker, poorer, and more vulnerable.
Ahead of the House’s vote on the bill, Rep. Pressley delivered an impassioned speech on the House floor in which she made a direct appeal to her Republican colleagues to oppose this cruel and harmful bill.
Rep. Pressley delivered a floor speech in which she slammed the bill’s proposed Medicaid cuts, which would decimate reproductive healthcare in America and worsen maternal health outcomes.
Rep. Pressley co-hosted a press conference with Color of Change to oppose the Republicans’ cruel and harmful budget reconciliation package, which would gut critical programs like Medicaid and SNAP.
In the House Oversight Committee’s markup of the Republican reconciliation bill, Rep. Pressley demanded Republicans answer to the families who would go hungry by way of this reconciliation bill – and she was met with silence.
In an impassioned speech on the House floor, Rep. Pressley slammed Republicans’ cruel and callous budget resolution that would slash Medicaid, SNAP, and other critical government services to pay for trillions of dollars in tax giveaways for Donald Trump’s billionaire donors.
Source: United States Senator Jacky Rosen (D-NV)
WASHINGTON, DC – Today, U.S. Senator Jacky Rosen (D-NV) released a statement following reports that the Trump Administration is withholding $140 million to combat the fentanyl crisis, jeopardizing critical funding for programs aimed at saving lives and reducing opioid overdoses across 49 states, including Nevada. The Overdose Data to Action Program through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention provides funding for the Southern Nevada Health District and the Nevada Department of Health and Human Services to help fight drug overdoses.
“It’s incomprehensible that the Trump Administration is withholding critical federal funding to fight the fentanyl crisis in Nevada and all across the nation. This is a dangerous move that puts lives and communities at risk,” said Senator Rosen. “Instead of fighting the fentanyl epidemic, Donald Trump is undermining public health efforts and abandoning the very people who are working on the front lines to stop overdoses. I call on the Trump Administration to release these funds immediately.”
Senator Rosen has consistently worked across party lines to fight the fentanyl crisis and combat fentanyl trafficking into the U.S. Senator Rosen introduced the Stop Smuggling Illicit Synthetic Drugs on U.S. Transportation Networks Act to establish a national strategy and deploy detection technologies at ports of entry to intercept fentanyl coming across the border. Her bipartisan FEND Off Fentanyl Act, which sanctions international fentanyl trafficking networks—including Mexican cartels and chemical suppliers in China—was signed into law last year. Senator Rosen has also helped introduce the bipartisan END FENTANYL Act, which mandates that U.S. Customs and Border Protection update its drug interdiction policies every three years to stay ahead of evolving smuggling tactics.
Source: United States Senator Jacky Rosen (D-NV)
WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senator Jacky Rosen (D-NV) introduced a resolution in the Senate opposing the Trump Administration’s funding cuts and freezes to critical programs all while Republicans push to give more tax cuts to the ultra-wealthy. These cuts have affected programs like Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid, making it harder for Nevadans to access much-needed services. The cuts have also dismantled federal agencies and resulted in the firing of experienced federal staff, causing immediate and widespread harm to communities in Nevada and across the United States.
“Donald Trump’s reckless funding freeze and cuts to programs that American families rely on have dire consequences,” said Senator Rosen. “These wrongheaded actions are hurting Nevadans who rely on Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, the VA, and so many other critical programs. I’ll keep pushing back on Donald Trump’s efforts to harm our communities.”
The full text of the resolution can be found HERE.
Senator Rosen has repeatedly pushed back against President Trump’s federal funding freeze, hiring freeze, and terminations in Nevada. She demanded answers from the Acting Social Security Administration Commissioner on the planned relocation of a Social Security office in Las Vegas. She also voted against Trump’s reconciliation bill that cut both food assistance and medical care, and his rescissions bill that cut public broadcasting. This week, she demanded that the Trump administration release $7 billion in K-12 education funding.
Source: United States Senator Jacky Rosen (D-NV)
WASHINGTON, DC – Yesterday, U.S. Senator Jacky Rosen (D-NV) introduced the Extreme Heat Emergency Act. The bill would explicitly authorize extreme heat as eligible for a Major Disaster Declaration by the President under the Stafford Act, which recognizes fires, floods, explosions, hurricanes, tornadoes, and earthquakes as eligible disasters. This would help communities like those in Nevada access federal resources and funding to respond to these disasters and prepare for future extreme heat waves. On Monday, Las Vegas had the hottest day recorded so far this year, and the death toll of heat-related deaths has already risen to 29 people in Southern Nevada.
CBS News: The June heat dome broke records. Lawmakers are now trying to classify extreme heat as a disaster
There have been 27 major disaster declarations issued by President Trump so far in 2025. The disasters range in size and scope, from the L.A. wildfires to Midwest tornadoes and the Texas flooding as well as several winter storms. Many of them have resulted in fatalities and billions of dollars in damage to property and businesses, but one major deadly weather event that occurred in June hasn’t been declared: an extreme heat wave.
But there’s no disaster declaration for the event listed on the FEMA website.
That’s because extreme heat is not considered a “disaster” that is eligible for federal funding, according to the Stafford Act, which is the guiding law that outlines when and how the president can declare disasters and direct the Federal Emergency Management Agency to provide assistance to state and local governments.
Now, three Democratic lawmakers are attempting to change that. Senators Jacky Rosen of Nevada and Ruben Gallego of Arizona, along with Congresswoman Sylvia Garcia of Texas, have proposed legislation to classify extreme heat as a disaster, which would allow federal funding to flow into areas where hotter temperatures cause significant physical and economic distress.
Las Vegas Review-Journal: Nevada senator wants federal funding for extreme heat emergencies
Sen. Jacky Rosen introduced legislation today to designate extreme heat as a major disaster, which would allow communities to receive federal aid during heat-related emergencies.
The Extreme Heat Emergency Act, co-sponsored by Rosen, Sen. Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz. and Rep. Sylvia Garcia, D-Texas, would help Nevada and other states respond to extreme heat events and prevent future disasters, according to a Wednesday press release.
“Last year, more than 500 people died in one single county in Nevada from heat-related illnesses,” Rosen wrote in the press release. “Current federal policy ignores the physical and health risks that such extremely high temperatures have on our communities, which is why I’m introducing a bill to change that.”
The release cites heat-related deaths and critical infrastructure damage as severe effects of extreme temperature. Extreme heat is the leading cause of weather-related death in the U.S., according to the release.
KOH Reno: Nevada Sen. Moves to Declare Extreme Heat a ‘Major Disaster’
Nevada Senator Jacky Rosen is introducing legislation to declare extreme heat a major disaster.
If passed and signed into law, the Extreme Heat Emergency Act would add extreme temperatures to a list of disasters eligible to receive federal aid.
Currently, the president has the authority to declare disasters for fires, floods, hurricanes and other natural catastrophes.
Twenty-nine Clark County residents have died from heat-related illnesses this summer. Last year, the county saw more than 500 heat-related deaths.
KLAS Las Vegas: After Las Vegas’ hottest summer ever, Rosen seeks to classify extreme heat as major disaster
Anchor: “A Nevada Senator wants more federal money available during extreme heat. Democrat Jacky Rosen [is] introducing a bill to have extreme heat listed as a major federal disaster. She cited the hundreds of fatalities in Clark County, where heat is listed as a related cause. That bill would unlock disaster funding available for things like hurricanes and tornadoes.”
KSNV Las Vegas: Nevada’s Rosen joins push to add extreme heat to major disaster declarations
Anchor: “Speaking of the extreme heat, Nevada Senator Jacky Rosen is pushing to add that to the list of natural disasters that are eligible for federal aid, joined by representatives from Arizona and Texas. The bill would allow communities experiencing heat waves access to federal resources and funding. Last year, there were more than 500 heat-related deaths in Clark County alone. Senator Rosen argues current federal policy ignores the dangers and health risks posed by heat, adding that classifying heat as a major disaster will help the community respond and prepare for future heat events.”
KOLO Reno: Rosen helps introduce bill to declare extreme heat a major disaster
Anchor: “Senator Jacky Rosen is helping to introduce a bill focused on the dangers of heat and getting federal funding to prepare for extreme heat events. The Extreme Heat Emergency Act would explicitly authorize extreme heat as being eligible for a “major disaster declaration” by the president under the Stafford Act. Rosen says the bill would help communities across our state access federal resources and money to prepare for future heat waves.”
KTVN Reno: Lawmakers push for federal disaster declaration on extreme heat
Anchor: “Nevada Senator Jacky Rosen and Arizona Senator Ruben Gallego introduced the Extreme Heat Emergency Act to add extreme heat to the list of disasters eligible for a major disaster declaration under the Stafford Act. This designation would allow local governments to request federal aid similar to what is available for hurricanes, floods, and wildfires.”
