Source: United States of America – Department of State (video statements)
Spokesperson Tammy Bruce leads the Department Press Briefing at the Department of State, on May 29, 2025.
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Under the leadership of the President and Secretary of State, the U.S. Department of State leads America’s foreign policy through diplomacy, advocacy, and assistance by advancing the interests of the American people, their safety and economic prosperity. On behalf of the American people we promote and demonstrate democratic values and advance a free, peaceful, and prosperous world.
The Secretary of State, appointed by the President with the advice and consent of the Senate, is the President’s chief foreign affairs adviser. The Secretary carries out the President’s foreign policies through the State Department, which includes the Foreign Service, Civil Service and U.S. Agency for International Development.
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Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
U.S. President Donald Trump attends an event celebrating the Greek Independence Day at the White House in Washington, D.C., the United States, on March 24, 2025. Trump on Monday said that he may “give a lot of countries breaks” on tariffs, as his April 2 deadline to impose “reciprocal tariffs” on U.S. trading partners draws closer. [Photo/Xinhua]
A U.S. federal court blocked on Wednesday President Donald Trump from imposing sweeping tariffs on imports under an emergency-powers law, according to U.S. media.
The ruling from a New York-based Court of International Trade came after a number of lawsuits arguing Trump has overstepped his authority on imposing across-the-board duties on imports.
Source: United States Senator for Virginia Tim Kaine
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine (both D-VA) joined 14 of their Senate colleagues in pressing the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) for answers regarding the firing of its constituent services liaisons—civil servants who work with congressional offices to assist constituents currently or previously serving in the federal government.
In their letter to OPM Acting Director Charles Ezell, the senators raise concern over the lack of information from OPM regarding significant changes to the congressional liaison office, including its possible closure, and highlight how these cuts will harm their ability to assist constituents who are federal workers and their families with human resources-related matters, such as obtaining earned retirement benefits, disability retirement benefits, and survivors benefits.
“We are writing to express serious concern regarding the recent termination of constituent services liaisons within the Office of Personnel Management’s Congressional, Legislative and Intergovernmental Affairs (CLIA) component, the possible closure of CLIA, and the implications these decisions have on the processing and resolution of current and future congressional inquiries on behalf of our constituents across the country. We understand OPM has informed Congressional offices of ‘significant changes’ to CLIA, however, the notice was insufficient as it lacked essential details about the methods, process, and timeline for these changes,” wrote the senators.
“As you know, CLIA plays a critical role in facilitating communication between OPM and the legislative branch, including responding to inquiries and ensuring that members of Congress can assist constituents experiencing difficulties with OPM-related matters,” they continued.
“It is essential for the public to have confidence that their elected representatives have oversight of federal agency operations and that inquiries on individual constituent matters to OPM will be treated as seriously and comprehensively as our constituents deserve,” the senators concluded.
In a recent Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee hearing, Kaine pressed Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. on how massive workforce cuts have negatively impacted constituents’ ability to get questions answered by federal agencies.
In addition to Warner and Kaine, the letter was signed by U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Angela Alsobrooks (D-MD), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Ben Ray Luján (D-NM), Edward Markey (D-MA), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Alex Padilla (D-CA), Gary Peters (D-MI), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Elissa Slotkin (D-MI), Tina Smith (D-MN), and Ron Wyden (D-OR).
A copy of the letter is available here and below.
Dear Mr. Ezell,
We are writing to express serious concern regarding the recent termination of constituent services liaisons within the Office of Personnel Management’s Congressional, Legislative and Intergovernmental Affairs (CLIA) component, the possible closure of CLIA, and the implications these decisions have on the processing and resolution of current and future congressional inquiries on behalf of our constituents across the country. We understand OPM has informed Congressional offices of “significant changes” to CLIA, however, the notice was insufficient as it lacked essential details about the methods, process, and timeline for these changes.
As you know, CLIA plays a critical role in facilitating communication between OPM and the legislative branch, including responding to inquiries and ensuring that members of Congress can assist constituents experiencing difficulties with OPM-related matters. Given this vital role, the termination of CLIA employees and reported closure of CLIA raises several important questions that demand clarification:
Are there plans to eliminate CLIA? If so, how does OPM intend to process current and future congressional inquiries?
There have been reports, including some from our staff members, that some congressional inquiries have been deleted or prematurely closed without resolution, and in some cases, without any communication to our offices whatsoever. Please confirm whether these reports are accurate, and if so, what steps are being taken to ensure that all inquiries are properly addressed and resolved.
How many congressional liaisons remain with CLIA? Will terminated CLIA employees be reassigned within OPM, or will their positions be eliminated?
Are CLIA employees who opt for deferred resignation deemed permanently ineligible for employment with the federal government?
We would appreciate your review and response by June 13, 2025. It is essential for the public to have confidence that their elected representatives have oversight of federal agency operations and that inquiries on individual constituent matters to OPM will be treated as seriously and comprehensively as our constituents deserve.
On June 3, South Koreans will head to the polls to choose the country’s new president. The election may draw to a close one of the most chaotic and contentious periods in the country’s post-1987 democratic era.
South Korea has been embroiled in a political crisis since December, when former President Yoon Suk Yeol disastrously declared martial law.
Yoon ordered security forces to block lawmakers from entering the National Assembly, leading to a dramatic late night confrontation. His unconstitutional decree was overturned after just six hours.
The fall-out was equally dramatic: Yoon was impeached and removed from office in a drawn-out process that was not finally resolved until April.
This period coincided with massive street demonstrations both opposing and supporting Yoon, a far-right assault on a courthouse and a physical stand-off between investigators and Yoon’s personal security team.
The country, meanwhile, has cycled through three short-lived caretaker leaders.
With weak economic growth and high costs of living, in addition to an equally challenging security environment, South Korea is in desperate need of bold and effective leadership.
Who are the candidates?
The Democratic Party’s Lee Jae-myung is the clear frontrunner to be the next president, after finishing a close second in the previous 2022 election.
Recent polling put the veteran left-leaning politician at around 49% support as the race entered the final week.
This is a double-digit lead over his main conservative opponent, Kim Moon-soo, polling at 35%. Another conservative candidate, Lee Jun-seok, is polling at 11%. Notably, for the first time since 2007, there are no female candidates standing to be president.
The high levels of support for Lee Jae-myung suggest a widespread desire among the public to repudiate Yoon’s martial law declaration.
Kim, the labour minister in Yoon’s administration, has apologised for December’s declaration. But his opponents have continued to question him about it.
Kim’s challenge has been to build a coalition of moderates and mainstream conservatives who firmly opposed the martial law declaration, while also winning support from those who believe far-right conspiracy theories around election fraud. Yoon, the former president, is continuing to promote these narratives.
Lee’s compelling background
Lee Jae-myung’s personal story has uplifting parallels with South Korea’s own history of economic and political development.
Lee was born into poverty; the exact date of his birth is not known. He worked in factories from a very young age and permanently injured his left arm in an industrial accident when he was still a child.
Lee went on to earn a scholarship to study law and, by the late 1980s, had established himself as a labour lawyer and activist.
This activist image was highlighted when he live-streamed himself dramatically scaling a fence to enter the National Assembly and vote down Yoon’s martial law declaration in December. He has previously compared himself to populist, progressive US Senator Bernie Sanders.
More recently, however, he has moderated his political rhetoric and policy platform to appeal to centrists and even some conservative voters.
This shift may also help shield Lee from the “red-baiting” claims left-leaning South Korean candidates typically face from conservative opponents that they are “communists”, “pro-China”, or “pro-North Korea”.
But Lee is also plagued by legal troubles, including corruption charges linked to a land development project. These charges, frequently highlighted by his opponents, risk derailing his administration if he wins the election.
What are the main issues?
Some international commentators have focused on how the next president will handle North Korea. South Koreans, however, are more interested in the candidates’ plans to fix the country’s troubled economy.
There has also been a vigorous debate over South Korea’s future energy policy. Kim favours expanding nuclear energy production to around 60% of the country’s energy mix. Lee has voiced safety concerns about nuclear power, arguing “the era of building more reactors should come to an end”.
Additionally, questions remain over potential constitutional reform to end South Korea’s so-called “imperial presidency” system, which has been blamed for centralising too much power in the hands of the president.
The system dates back to the rewriting of the constitution following mass protests in 1987. This established direct presidential elections and a single, five-year term.
Both Lee and Kim support changing this to a four-year, two-term presidential system, similar to the United States.
Big challenges lie ahead
On the international stage, the new leader will face an uphill battle negotiating with US President Donald Trump over his punitive tariffs. Trump imposed 25% tariffs on South Korean goods in April, but lowered them temporarily to 10% until early July.
Before his impeachment, Yoon was widely reported to be practising his golf skills to attempt to find common ground with Trump, much as former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe did.
The new leader will also face massive challenges bringing South Korean society together in the current climate. Political polarisation and the spread of disinformation worsened under Yoon’s presidency – and these trends will be hard to reverse.
Alexander M. Hynd does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
The Liberals, still reeling from their crushing 2025 election defeat and following with brief split in the Coalition, have a new frontbench and their eyes turning to the long road of rebuilding.
New leader Sussan Ley stresses the importance of the Liberals “meeting people where they are” and the party represents modern Australia.
But what that will actually look like for the party is still an open question. To talk about this uncertain future we’re joined by the newly-minted Shadow Assistant Minister for Education, Early Learning and Mental Health, Zoe McKenzie.
McKenzie was elected to the Melbourne electorate of Flinders in 2022. Her seat encompasses the Mornington Peninsula, mixing urban and rural areas. At the May election she held off a Climate 200-funded teal challenger.
On the Liberal Party’s commitment to net-zero by 2050 – which is likely to come up for debate this term – McKenzie says she thinks net-zero is “a given”.
It’s where the markets are heading. It’s our responsibility as a developed economy to contribute to the decarbonisation of the planet. I went to COP-27 a few years back, and you can see that the world’s markets, investment markets, research and development markets have all moved into preparing for a net-zero environment and Australia will be part of that. I do think, though, people are right to say, please don’t take away our manufacturing base.
I am confident that net zero is here to stay. But you cannot disconnect it from what it says about the energy market, energy security, and the future of Australian industry. We’ve got to keep this as an investment rich country.
On the party’s issues with the women’s vote, while McKenzie says the Liberals should look at “all options” she still has some concerns with the idea of quota’s,
I am reluctantly coming to the conclusion that we must look at all options. I am fearful for what happens if a woman is selected by the operation of a quota and whether she will feel she has deserved her place there and or whether it will be asserted that she only got there because of a quota.
Asked if Labor’s introduction of quotas is proof they can work, McKenzie says,
Labor sacrificed a generation of talented Labor men to get to 50-50.
That sacrificed generation coincided with our many years of successful leadership of this nation. They are now though, because of that decision and because of the sacrifice that was made, and because of the way they went about it, they are in the enviable position of attracting talented, capable women for election, routinely, for each and every seat.
The Liberal Party, it tends, by its very nature, to preference people who have been able to devote a significant amount of time, often while in your 20s or 30s, to both party and community events. […] It will favour men. It will favour women who don’t have their own biological children, or it will favour women who can afford high quality in-home help. So we are not getting the breadth of women we need presenting for pre-selection and we are going to have to think out of the box.
On the rise of the teals, McKenzie’s looks to global examples to explain why two-party systems are changing,
I’m not sure yet whether teal is here to stay but what I do know is that we have moved well beyond the paradigm when I was a kid, which is when it was a 40-40-20 voting bloc. We all fought over that 20 in the middle. It now looks like the 30-30-40 pattern is here to stay.
That’s a message for all of us, in fact, to do better. So I should say, though, this is not unique to Australia. The demise of the two-party system can be observed worldwide.
If you look at the United States, the Republicans and the Democrats remain, but some would say they remain in name only. They have both morphed significantly as political movements. The Labour and Tory parties in the UK have both evolved over time.
On the Liberal’s lack of appeal to younger Australians McKenzie highlights what went wrong and why the party must do better with those voters,
We hadn’t explained to them the basics of home ownership, let alone what a tax deduction on your interest payments on your first mortgage might look and feel like. If you’re 18, 19, 20, your first mortgage still feels 10 to 15 years away.
We didn’t do enough, I think, to talk about their lives, to understand their lives and their aspirations and how Liberal policy was going to make their life easier. We must do a better job of that […] because the average voter now is either Gen Z or a millennial, no longer Gen X, which is my generation, or boomers above.
Michelle Grattan does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Suzan DelBene (1st District of Washington)
DelBene Statement on Federal Court Striking Down Trump Tariffs
Bellevue, WA, May 28, 2025
“I’ve been clear since the start of this administration that the president’s unilateral sweeping tariffs on foreign goods that American families and manufacturers rely on are illegal. The federal court’s decision affirms this. We have already seen the broad economic damage caused by the president’s trade war. This is why the Framers gave Congress constitutional power over trade and tariffs. The court spoke decisively in defense of our democracy and against a president attempting to be king.
“Families, manufacturers, and farmers have faced price increases, supply chain shortages, and retaliation from foreign countries due to the president’s tariffs. Before Trump attempts to reformulate his tariffs under a different law, Congress must settle this issue once and for all by passing legislation to require the president to come to Congress before imposing sweeping tariffs.”
In January, DelBene introduced legislation that would make clear the president could not use IEEPA to impose sweeping tariffs.
Until now, the CDC has recommended that everyone ages 6 months and older get a yearly COVID-19 vaccine.Asiaselects via Getty Images
On May 27, 2025, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will no longer include the COVID-19 vaccine on the list of immunizations it recommends for healthy children and pregnant women.
In the video announcing the plan to remove the vaccine from the CDC’s recommended immunization schedule for healthy children and healthy pregnant women, Kennedy spoke alongside National Institutes of Health Director Jay Bhattacharya and FDA Commissioner Marty Makary. The trio cited a lack of evidence to support vaccinating healthy children. They did not explain the reason for the change to the vaccine schedule for pregnant people, who have previously been considered at high-risk for severe COVID-19.
Similarly, in the FDA announcement made a week prior, Makary and the agency’s head of vaccines, Vinay Prasad, said that public health trends now support limiting vaccines to people at high risk of serious illness instead of a universal COVID-19 vaccination strategy.
Was this a controversial decision or a clear consensus?
Many public health experts and professional health care associations have raised concerns about Kennedy’s latest announcement, saying it contradicts studies showing that COVID-19 vaccination benefits pregnant people and children. The American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology, considered the premier professional organization for that medical specialty, reinforced the importance of COVID-19 vaccination during pregnancy, especially to protect infants after birth. Likewise, the American Academy of Pediatrics pointed to the data on hospitalizations of children with COVID-19 during the 2024-to-2025 respiratory virus season as evidence for the importance of vaccination.
Kennedy’s announcement on children and pregnant women comes roughly a month ahead of a planned meeting of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, a panel of vaccine experts that offers guidance to the CDC on vaccine policy. The meeting was set to review guidance for the 2025-to-2026 COVID-19 vaccines. It’s not typical for the CDC to alter its recommendations without input from the committee.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has removed COVID-19 vaccines from the vaccine schedule for healthy children and pregnant people.
The advisory committee was expected to recommend a risk-based approach for the COVID-19 vaccine, but it was also expected to recommend allowing low-risk people to get annual COVID-19 vaccines if they want to. The CDC’s and FDA’s new policies on the vaccine will likely make it difficult for healthy people to get the vaccine.
What conditions count as risk factors?
The CDC lists several medical conditions and other factors that increase peoples’ risk for severe COVID-19. These conditions include cancer, diabetes, heart disease, obesity, chronic kidney disease and some lung conditions like COPD and asthma. Pregnancy is also on the list.
The article authored by Makary and Prasad describing the FDA’s new stance on the vaccine also contain a lengthy list of risk factors and notes that about 100 million to 200 million people will fall into this category and will thus be eligible to get the vaccine. Pregnancy is included. Reversing the recommendation for vaccinating healthy pregnant women thus contradicts the new framework described by the FDA.
Importantly, a 2024 analysis of 120 studies including a total of 168,444 pregnant women with COVID-19 infections did not find enough evidence to suggest the infections are a direct cause of early pregnancy loss. Nonetheless, the authors did state that COVID-19 vaccination remains a crucial preventive measure for pregnant women to reduce the overall risk of serious complications in pregnancy due to infection.
High-risk children age 6 months and older who have conditions that increase the risk of severe COVID-19 are still eligible for the vaccine. Existing vaccines already on the market will remain available, but it is unclear how long they will stay authorized and how the change in vaccine policy will affect childhood vaccination overall.
Will low-risk people be able to get a COVID-19 shot?
Not automatically. Kennedy’s announcement does not broadly address healthy adults, but under the new FDA framework, healthy adults who wish to receive the fall COVID-19 vaccine will likely face obstacles. Health care providers can administer vaccines “off-label”, but insurance coverage is widely based on FDA recommendations. The new, narrower FDA approval will likely reduce both access to COVID-19 vaccines for the general public and insurance coverage for COVID-19 vaccines.
Under the Affordable Care Act, Medicare, Medicaid and private insurance providers are required to fully cover the cost of any vaccine endorsed by the CDC. Kennedy’s announcement will likely limit insurance coverage for COVID-19 vaccination.
Overall, the move to focus on individual risks and benefits may overlook broader public health benefits. Communities with higher vaccination rates have fewer opportunities to spread the virus.
Libby Richards has received funding from the American Nurses Foundation, the National Institutes of Health, and the Indiana Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute.
Source: United States Senator for Connecticut – Chris Murphy
May 28, 2025
WASHINGTON–U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), a member of the U.S. Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, on Tuesday released the following statement on the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) Local 700 ratification of the contract with Pratt & Whitney.
“This hard-fought contract shows the power of unions. I was proud to join Pratt & Whitney workers on the picket line fighting for higher wages, better retirement benefits, and job security, and their efforts paid off. The bargaining committee and Pratt & Whitney leadership should be proud of their work to strike a deal and support manufacturing families in our state.”
Murphy joined striking workers in Middletown earlier this month.
Source: United States Senator for Texas John Cornyn
TYLER – U.S. Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) joined Sens. Roger Marshall, M.D. (R-KS), Mark Warner (D-VA), and 44 of his Senate colleagues in introducing the Improving Seniors’ Timely Access to Care Act, which would improve access to care for seniors enrolled in Medicare Advantage (MA) plans at no cost to American taxpayers. The legislation focuses on streamlining the often cumbersome and time-consuming prior authorization process, ultimately allowing healthcare providers to spend more time on patient care rather than administrative burdens.
“Doctors and health care providers are too often bogged down by unnecessary burdens, which can lead to delayed care and negative outcomes for patients,” said Sen. Cornyn. “By streamlining the prior authorization process under Medicare Advantage, this legislation would cut red tape, improve enrollee experiences, and ensure seniors receive the timely care they deserve.”
Additional cosponsors include U.S. Senators Maggie Hassan (D-NH), John Fetterman (D-PA), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Bill Cassidy (R-LA), Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), John Hickenlooper (D-CO), James Lankford (R-OK), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), Cynthia Lummis (R-WY), Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-MS), Tim Kaine (D-VA), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Mike Rounds (R-SD), Alex Padilla (D-CA), Bill Hagerty (R-TN), Andy Kim (D-NJ), John Boozman (R-AR), Dick Durbin (D-IL), Patty Murray (D-WA), Jerry Moran (R-KS), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Maria Cantwell (D-WA), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Thom Tillis (R-NC), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Tina Smith (D-MN), Peter Welch (D-VT), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Ted Budd (R-NC), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), Tim Sheehy (R-MT), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Pete Ricketts (R-NE), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), John Hoeven (R-ND), Rick Scott (R-FL), Mark Kelly (D-AZ), Jacky Rosen (D-NV), Martin Heinrich (D-NM), Deb Fischer (R-NE) and Chris Coons (D-DE).
Background:
Prior authorization is a tool used by health plans to reduce unnecessary care by requiring health care providers to get pre-approval for medical services. However, the current system often results in multiple faxes or phone calls by clinicians, which takes precious time away from delivering care. Prior authorization continues to be the number-one administrative burden identified by health care providers, and nearly three out of four Medicare Advantage enrollees are subject to unnecessary delays due to the practice.
The Improving Seniors’ Timely Access to Care Act would codify and enhance elements of the Advancing Interoperability and Improving Prior Authorization Processes (e-PA) rule that was finalized by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) on January 17, 2024.
Last Congress, the bill was supported by a super majority of members in the Senate (60) and a majority in the House (232), and was unanimously passed by the House in 2022. In 2018, the Office of the Inspector General at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) raised concerns after an audit revealed that Medicare Advantage plans ultimately approved 75% of requests that were originally denied. In 2022, the HHS Office of Inspector General released a report finding that MA plans incorrectly denied beneficiaries’ access to services even though they met Medicare coverage rules.
The Improving Seniors’ Timely Access to Care Act would:
Establish an electronic prior authorization process for Medicare Advantage plans, including a standardization for transactions and clinical attachments;
Increase transparency around Medicare Advantage prior authorization requirements and their use;
Clarify HHS’ authority to establish timeframes for e-prior authorization requests, including expedited determinations, real-time decisions for routinely approved items and services, and other prior authorization requests;
Expand beneficiary protections to improve enrollee experiences and outcomes;
Require HHS and other agencies to report to Congress on program integrity efforts and other ways to further improve the e-prior authorization process;
Source: United States Small Business Administration
SACRAMENTO, Calif. – The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) announced today the opening of a Business Recovery Center (BRC) in Cameron County to assist small businesses, private nonprofit (PNP) organizations, and residents who sustained economic losses and physical damage from severe storms and flooding occurring March 26-28.
Beginning Thursday, May 29, SBA customer service representatives will be on hand at the Business Recovery Center in Harlingen to answer questions and assist with the disaster loan application process. No appointment is necessary, walk-ins are welcome. Those who prefer to schedule an in-person appointment in advance can do so at appointment.sba.gov.
The center’s hours of operation are as follows:
CAMERON COUNTY Business Recovery Center Harlingen Chamber of Commerce 311 E. Tyler Ave. Harlingen, TX 78559
“SBA’s Business Recovery Centers have consistently proven their value to business owners following a disaster,” said Chris Stallings, associate administrator of the Office of Disaster Recovery and Resilience at the SBA. “Business owners can visit these centers to meet face-to-face with specialists who will guide them through the disaster loan application process and connect them with resources to support their recovery.”
Businesses and nonprofits are eligible to apply for business physical disaster loans and may borrow up to $2 million to repair or replace disaster-damaged or destroyed real estate, machinery and equipment, inventory, and other business assets.
Homeowners and renters are eligible to apply for home and personal property loans and may borrow up to $100,000 to replace or repair personal property, such as clothing, furniture, cars, and appliances. Homeowners may apply for up to $500,000 to replace or repair their primary residence.
Applicants may be eligible for a loan increase of up to 20% of their physical damages, as verified by the SBA, for mitigation purposes. Eligible mitigation improvements include insulating pipes, walls and attics, weather stripping doors and windows, and installing storm windows to help protect property and occupants from future disasters.
The SBA’s Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) program is available to small businesses, small agricultural cooperatives, nurseries, and private nonprofit organizations impacted by financial losses directly related to these disasters. The SBA is unable to provide disaster loans to agricultural producers, farmers, or ranchers, except for small aquaculture enterprises.
EIDLs are available for working capital needs caused by the disaster and are available even if the business or PNP did not suffer any physical damage. The loans may be used to pay fixed debts, payroll, accounts payable, and other bills not paid due to the disaster.
Interest rates are as low as 4% for small businesses, 3.62% for nonprofits, and 2.75% for homeowners and renters with terms up to 30 years. Interest does not begin to accrue, and payments are not due until 12 months from the date of the first loan disbursement. The SBA determines eligibility and sets loan amounts and terms based on each applicant’s financial condition.
To apply online, visit sba.gov/disaster. Applicants may also call SBA’s Customer Service Center at (800) 659-2955 or email disastercustomerservice@sba.gov for more information on SBA disaster assistance. For people who are deaf, hard of hearing, or have a speech disability, please dial 7-1-1 to access telecommunications relay services.
The deadline to return physical damage applications is July 21, 2025. The deadline to return economic injury applications is Feb. 23, 2026.
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About the U.S. Small Business Administration
The U.S. Small Business Administration helps power the American dream of business ownership. As the only go-to resource and voice for small businesses backed by the strength of the federal government, the SBA empowers entrepreneurs and small business owners with the resources and support they need to start, grow, expand their businesses, or recover from a declared disaster. It delivers services through an extensive network of SBA field offices and partnerships with public and private organizations. To learn more, visit www.sba.gov.
OAKLAND — California Attorney General Rob Bonta today issued a statement after a three-judge panel of the Court of International Trade granted a permanent injunction and found that the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) does not authorize President Trump’s tariffs in Oregon v. Trump, a lawsuit challenging the Trump Administration’s illegal tariffs brought by 12 attorneys general in the Court of International Trade. In April, California filed its own separate lawsuit challenging President Trump’s illegal tariffs under IEEPA in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California.
“The Trump Administration’s illegal tariffs harm businesses, consumers, and states across the nation and it is our responsibility as state leaders to advocate and defend our people against this chaos — this is exactly what California’s sister states have done with this case,” said Attorney General Bonta. “The Court of International Trade has agreed with our sister states and with California and permanently halted the President’s illegal tariffs — IEEPA does not authorize the Trump Administration to impose these tariffs. We are pleased with the court’s decision in this case and are proud to have supported our sister states’ arguments.”
This month, Attorney General Bonta and Governor Newsom filed an amicus brief in the Court of International Trade in Oregon v. Trump.
To learn more about California’s own lawsuit, please see here.
Source: United States Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.)
WASHINGTON, D.C. — As President Trump and Congressional Republicans work to make college unaffordable and unattainable for millions of working-class families, U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) joined Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP), Representative Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.-07), and eight Senate colleagues in introducing legislation to make public colleges and universities tuition free for 95 percent of students. The College for All Act would be the most transformative investment in higher education in 60 years and would substantially improve the lives of millions of students throughout the United States.
Nearly 4 million student borrowers live in California, owing an average of $38,168 and a total of $148.6 billion in student loan debt.
“As a first-generation college graduate from a low-income household, I know a good education is the foundation of the American dream, but I’ve seen firsthand the challenges of accessing and affording higher education,” said Senator Padilla. “We need bold, proactive solutions to make college more affordable — not the Trump Administration’s short-sighted plan to eradicate student financial aid and put higher education out of reach for millions of American families. The College for All Act would help millions of working families shoulder the financial burden of paying for their children’s college. When we invest in all students, we support our nation’s financial interests by ensuring that opportunity and economic prosperity are attainable for all, regardless of income.”
“In a highly competitive global economy where technology is changing the very nature of work and the jobs we perform, we need the best educated workforce in the world,” said Senator Sanders. “Our nation used to lead the world in the percentage of adults with a college degree. Today, we are in 11th place behind countries like Japan, South Korea, Canada, the United Kingdom and Switzerland. That is not a prescription for a strong American economy of the future. It is a prescription for failure. Instead of increasing the cost of college in order to give more tax breaks to billionaires, we have a better idea. We are going to make public colleges and universities tuition free so that working class students can succeed and are not burdened with a lifetime of debt.”
Making public colleges and universities tuition free is not a radical idea. In 1944, as World War II was coming to an end, the U.S. government made free higher education available to all those who served in the armed forces. That act not only improved the financial well-being of the Greatest Generation, but it also laid the groundwork for the greatest expansion of the American middle class in U.S. history. Moreover, over 50 years ago, many of America’s most prestigious public colleges and universities were also tuition free or virtually tuition free.
Since this legislation was first introduced 10 years ago, several colleges and universities in America have provided free tuition for working class and middle-class students, including every state college in New Mexico, the State University of New York, the University of Texas, the University of Wisconsin, and Arkansas State University.
Other wealthy countries like France, Germany, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, and Finland have made their public colleges and universities tuition free or virtually tuition free because they understand the value of investing in their young people.
The College for All Act would guarantee tuition-free community college for all students and allow students from single households earning up to $150,000 a year, and married households earning up to $300,000 a year, to attend college without fear of being saddled with student loan debt.
Specifically, the College for All Act would also:
Double the maximum Pell Grant award for students enrolled at public and private non-profit colleges;
Establish a $10 billion grant program to improve student outcomes and address equity gaps at underfunded public colleges and universities;
Triple federal TRIO program funding;
Double GEAR UP funding; and
Double mandatory funding for Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Tribal Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), and other Minority-Serving Institutions (MSIs).
In addition to Senator Padilla, the legislation is also cosponsored by Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Ed Markey (D-Mass.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), and Peter Welch (D-Vt.).
Senator Padilla has consistently advocated on behalf of students to make college more affordable and accessible. Last year, Padilla and Representative Norma J. Torres (D-Calif.-35) hosted local students and advocates to reintroduce the Basic Assistance for Students in College (BASIC) Act, bicameral legislation to help ensure college students can meet their basic needs while pursuing their education. He also introduced the Student Food Security Act of 2024, bicameral legislation to address food insecurity faced by college students nationwide. Padilla previously cosponsored the Pell Grant Preservation and Expansion Act, bicameral legislation that would nearly double the Pell Grant maximum award, index the maximum award for inflation, and expand the program to include Dreamers.
During the Biden Administration, Padilla led numerous letters urging the President to provide meaningful student debt cancellation, along with multiple letters urging former U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona to leverage his authority under the Higher Education Act to provide expanded student debt relief to working and middle-class borrowers.
A one-pager on the College for All Act is available here.
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that he had warned Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu against taking any actions that could threaten ongoing talks between the Trump administration and Iran over a new nuclear deal, according to multiple media outlets.
“Well, I’d like to be honest. Yes, I did,” Trump said when asked if he had warned Netanyahu against strikes on Iran in order not to disrupt talks U.S. officials say they are having with Tehran, The Hill reported.
“I just said I don’t think it’s appropriate. We’re having very good discussions with them, and I don’t think it’s appropriate right now,” Trump added.
Trump also told reporters that the situation “could change at any moment – could change with a phone call,” CNN reported.
“Right now, I think they want to make a deal. And if we can make a deal, I’d save a lot of lives,” said the report.
The fifth round of indirect talks between Iran and the United States concluded last week in Rome with “some but not conclusive progress,” said Omani Foreign Minister Sayyid Badr bin Hamad bin Hamood Albusaidi, the mediator in the talks.
The latest round of talks took place amid gaps between the two sides over Iran’s nuclear program. The ongoing tensions between the two nations have reportedly centered on uranium enrichment. The Trump administration has reiterated its demand for Iran to halt all uranium enrichment activities, but Tehran rejected the notion of “zero enrichment” and demanded the lifting of economic sanctions.
Netanyahu, wary of a diplomatic solution to curbing Iran’s nuclear program, continues to press for military action that would upend Trump’s push for a negotiated deal, The New York Times reported on Wednesday. The major newspaper in the United States noted that Israeli officials have told their American counterparts that Netanyahu could order a strike on Iran even if a successful diplomatic agreement is reached.
The New York Times reported in April that Israel had planned to strike Iranian nuclear sites as soon as this month but was waved off by Trump, who wanted to keep negotiating with Tehran.
LONGBOAT KEY, Fla., May 28, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Rumble (NASDAQ:RUM), the video-sharing platform and cloud services provider, today praised President Trump and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio for their announcement that they will restrict the visas of foreign officials or nationals who engage in the censorship of Americans. As a company, Rumble has experience in this area as it is currently suing Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes, alleging that Moraes violated the free speech protections of the First Amendment when he ordered the suspension of the U.S.-based Rumble accounts of a specific well-known, politically outspoken user.
“Freedom of expression is an innate human right, so it is great to see that President Trump has the United States leading the way once again,” said Rumble CEO Chris Pavlovski. “As Rumble has experienced, these enemies of free speech from around the world try to reach into America and supersede the First Amendment. Secretary of State Rubio has made clear that America will stand for freedom of speech around the world and that is tremendous news.”
“This move by the Trump administration is a landmark defense of American digital sovereignty and the First Amendment,” said Martin De Luca and Matthew L. Schwartz, attorneys at Boies Schiller Flexner LLP. “Foreign officials like Moraes have spent years issuing sealed censorship orders against U.S. companies, targeting American executives and users of these platforms, and attempting to criminalize protected speech on U.S. soil. We commend President Trump and Secretary Rubio for taking a decisive step to uphold the Constitution and protect digital sovereignty.”
ABOUT RUMBLE
Rumble is a high-growth video platform and cloud services provider that is creating an independent infrastructure. Rumble’s mission is to restore the internet to its roots by making it free and open once again. For more information, visit: corp.rumble.com.
When I despairingly contemplate the horrors and cruelty that Palestinians in Gaza are being subjected to, I sometimes try to put this in the context of where I live.
I live on the Kāpiti Coast in the lower North Island of Aotearoa New Zealand.
Geographically it is around the same size as Gaza. Both have coastlines running their full lengths. But, whereas the population of Gaza is a cramped two million, Kāpiti’s is a mere 56,000.
The Gaza Strip . . . 2 million people living in a cramped outdoor prison about the same size as Kāpiti. Map: politicalbytes.blog
I find it incomprehensible to visualise what it would be like if what is presently happening in Gaza occurred here.
The only similarities between them are coastlines and land mass. One is an outdoor prison while the other’s outdoors is peaceful.
New Zealand and Palestine state recognition Currently Palestine has observer status at the United Nations General Assembly. In May last year, the Assembly voted overwhelmingly in favour of Palestine being granted full membership of the United Nations.
To its credit, New Zealand was among 143 countries that supported the resolution. Nine, including the United States as the strongest backer of Israeli genocide outside Israel, voted against.
However, despite this massive majority, such is the undemocratic structure of the UN that it only requires US opposition in the Security Council to veto the democratic vote.
Notwithstanding New Zealand’s support for Palestine broadening its role in the General Assembly and its support for the two-state solution, the government does not officially recognise Palestine.
While its position on recognition is consistent with that of the genocide-supporting United States, it is inconsistent with the over 75 percent of UN member states who, in March 2025, recognised Palestine as a sovereign state (by 147 of the 193 member states).
NZ Prime Minister Christopher Luxon . . . his government should “correct this obscenity” of not recognising Palestinians’ right to have a sovereign nation. Image: RNZ/politicalbytes.blog/
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon’s government does have the opportunity to correct this obscenity as Palestine recognition will soon be voted on again by the General Assembly.
In this context it is helpful to put the Hamas-led attack on Israel in its full historical perspective and to consider the reasons justifying the Israeli genocide that followed.
7 October 2023 and genocide justification The origin of the horrific genocide of Palestinians in Gaza and the associated increased persecution, including killings, of Palestinians in the Israeli occupied West Bank (of the River Jordan) was not the attack by Hamas and several other militant Palestinian groups on 7 October 2023.
This attack was on a small Israeli town less than 2 km north of the border. An estimated 1,195 Israelis and visitors were killed.
The genocidal response of the Israeli government that followed this attack can only be justified by three factors:
The Judaism or ancient Jewishness of Palestine in Biblical times overrides the much larger Palestinian population in Mandate Palestine prior to formation of Israel in 1948;
The right of Israelis to self-determination overrides the right of Palestinians to self-determination; and
The value of Israeli lives overrides the value Palestinian lives.
The first factor is the key. The second and third factors are consequential. In order to better appreciate their context, it is first necessary to understand the Nakba.
Understanding the Nakba Rather than the October 2023 attack, the origin of the subsequent genocide goes back more than 70 years to the collective trauma of Palestinians caused by what they call the Nakba (the Disaster).
The foundation year of the Nakba was in 1948, but this was a central feature of the ethnic cleansing that was kicked off between 1947 and 1949.
During this period Zionist military forces attacked major Palestinian cities and destroyed some 530 villages. About 15,000 Palestinians were killed in a series of mass atrocities, including dozens of massacres.
The Nakba – the Palestinian collective trauma in 1948 that started ethnic cleansing by Zionist paramilitary forces. Image: David Robie/APR
During the Nakba in 1948, approximately half of Palestine’s predominantly Arab population, or around 750,000 people, were expelled from their homes or forced to flee. Initially this was through Zionist paramilitaries.
After the establishment of the State of Israel in May this repression was picked up by its military. Massacres, biological warfare (by poisoning village wells) and either complete destruction or depopulation of Palestinian-majority towns, villages, and urban neighbourhoods (which were then given Hebrew names) followed
By the end of the Nakba, 78 percent of the total land area of the former Mandatory Palestine was controlled by Israel.
Genocide to speed up ethnic cleansing Ethnic cleansing was unsuccessfully pursued, with the support of the United Kingdom and France, in the Suez Canal crisis of 1956. More successful was the Six Day War of 1967, which included the military and political occupation of the West Bank and Gaza.
Throughout this period ethnic cleansing was not characterised by genocide. That is, it was not the deliberate and systematic killing or persecution of a large number of people from a particular national or ethnic group with the aim of destroying them.
Israeli ethnic cleansing of Palestinians began in May 1948 and has accelerated to genocide in 2023. Image: politicalbytes.blog
In fact, the acceptance of a two-state solution (Israel and Palestine) under the ill-fated Oslo Accords in 1993 and 1995 put a temporary constraint on the expansion of ethnic cleansing.
Since its creation in 1948, Israel, along with South Africa the same year (until 1994), has been an apartheid state. I discussed this in an earlier Political Bytes post (15 March 2025), When apartheid met Zionism.
However, while sharing the racism, discrimination, brutal violence, repression and massacres inherent in apartheid, it was not characterised by genocide in South Africa; nor was it in Israel for most of its existence until the current escalation of ethnic cleansing in Gaza.
Following 7 October 2023, genocide has become the dominant tool in the ethnic cleansing tool kit. More recently this has included accelerating starvation and the bombing of tents of Gaza Palestinians.
The magnitude of this genocide is discussed further below.
The Biblical claim Zionism is a movement that sought to establish a Jewish nation in Palestine. It was established as a political organisation as late as 1897. It was only some time after this that Zionism became the most influential ideology among Jews generally.
Despite its prevalence, however, there are many Jews who oppose Zionism and play leading roles in the international protests against the genocide in Gaza.
Zionist ideology is based on a view of Palestine in the time of Jesus Christ. Image: politicalbytes.blog
Based on Zionist ideology, the justification for replacing Mandate Palestine with the state of Israel rests on a Biblical argument for the right of Jews to retake their “homeland”. This justification goes back to the time of that charismatic carpenter and prophet Jesus Christ.
The population of Palestine in Jesus’ day was about 500,000 to 600,000 (a little bigger than both greater Wellington and similar to that of Jerusalem today). About 18,000 of these residents were clergy, priests and Levites (a distinct male group within Jewish communities).
Jerusalem itself in biblical times, with a population of 55,000, was a diverse city and pilgrimage centre. It was also home to numerous Diaspora Jewish communities.
In fact, during the 7th century BC at least eight nations were settled within Palestine. In addition to Judaeans, they included Arameans, Samaritans, Phoenicians and Philistines.
A breakdown based on religious faiths (Jews, Christians and Muslims) provides a useful insight into how Palestine has evolved since the time of Jesus. Jews were the majority until the 4th century AD.
By the fifth century they had been supplanted by Christians and then from the 12th century to 1947 Muslims were the largest group. As earlier as the 12th century Arabic had become the dominant language. It should be noted that many Christians were Arabs.
Adding to this evolving diversity of ethnicity is the fact that during this time Palestine had been ruled by four empires — Roman, Persian, Ottoman and British.
Prior to 1948 the population of the region known as Mandate Palestine approximately corresponded to the combined Israel and Palestine today. Throughout its history it has varied in both size and ethnic composition.
The Ottoman census of 1878 provides an indicative demographic profile of its three districts that approximated what became Mandatory Palestine after the end of World War 1.
Group
Population
Percentage
Muslim citizens
403,795
86–87%
Christian citizens
43,659
9%
Jewish citizens
15,011
3%
Jewish (foreign-born)
Est. 5–10,000
1–2%
Total
Up to 472,465
100.0%
In 1882, the Ottoman Empire revealed that the estimated 24,000 Jews in Palestine represented just 0.3 percent of the world’s Jewish population.
The self-determination claim Based on religion the estimated population of Palestine in 1922 was 78 percent Muslim, 11 percent Jewish, and 10 percent Christian.
By 1945 this composition had changed to 58 percent Muslim, 33 percent Jewish and 8 percent Christian. The reason for this shift was the success of the Zionist campaigning for Jews to migrate to Palestine which was accelerated by the Jewish holocaust.
By 15 May 1948, the total population of the state of Israel was 805,900, of which 649,600 (80.6 percent) were Jews with Palestinians being 156,000 (19.4 percent). This turnaround was primarily due to the devastating impact of the Nakba.
Today Israel’s population is over 9.5 million of which over 77 percent are Jewish and more than 20 percent are Palestinian. The latter’s absolute growth is attributable to Israel’s subsequent geographic expansion, particularly in 1967, and a higher birth rate.
Palestine today (parts of West Bank under Israeli occupation). Map: politicalbytes.blog
The current population of the Palestinian Territories, including Gaza, is more than 5.5 million. Compare this with the following brief sample of much smaller self-determination countries — Slovenia (2.2 million), Timor-Leste (1.4 million), and Tonga (104,000).
The population size of the Palestinian Territories is more than half that of Israel. Closer to home it is a little higher than New Zealand.
The only reason why Palestinians continue to be denied the right to self-determination is the Zionist ideological claim linked to the biblical time of Jesus Christ and its consequential strategy of ethnic cleansing.
If it was not for the opposition of the United States, then this right would not have been denied. It has been this opposition that has enabled Israel’s strategy.
Comparative value of Palestinian lives The use of genocide as the latest means of achieving ethnic cleansing highlights how Palestinian lives are valued compared with Israeli lives.
While not of the same magnitude appropriated comparisons have been made with the horrific ethnic cleansing of Jews through the means of the holocaust by Nazi Germany during the Second World War. Per capita the scale of the magnitude gap is reduced considerably.
Since October 2023, according to the Gaza Health Ministry (and confirmed by the World Health Organisation) more than 54,000 Palestinians have been killed. Of those killed over 16,500 were children. Compare this with less than 2000 Israelis killed.
Further, at least 310 UNRWA (United Nations Relief and Works Agency) team members have been killed along with over 200 journalists and media workers. Add to this around 1400 healthcare workers including doctors and nurses.
What also can’t be forgotten is the increasing Israeli ethnic cleansing on the occupied West Bank. Around 950 Palestinians, including around 200 children, have also been killed during this same period.
Time for New Zealand to recognise Palestine The above discussion is in the context of the three justifications for supporting the ethnic cleansing of Palestinians strategy that goes back to 1948 and which, since October 2023, is being accelerated by genocide.
First, it requires the conviction that the theology of Judaism in Palestine in the biblical times following the birth of Jesus Christ trumps both the significantly changing demography from the 5th century at least to the mid-20th century and the numerical predominance of Arabs in Mandate Palestine;
Second, and consequentially, it requires the conviction that while Israelis are entitled to self-determination, Palestinians are not; and
Finally, it requires that Israeli lives are much more valuable than Palestinian lives. In fact, the latter have no value at all.
Unless the government, including Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters, shares these convictions (especially the “here and now” second and third) then it should do the right thing first by unequivocally saying so, and then by recognising the right of Palestine to be an independent state.
Ian Powell is a progressive health, labour market and political “no-frills” forensic commentator in New Zealand. A former senior doctors union leader for more than 30 years, he blogs at Second Opinion and Political Bytes, where this article was first published. Republished with the author’s permission.
This can happen when babies come early, when the mother-to-be is in denial, or when they simply don’t know they are pregnant. These out-of-hospital births can increase the risks for both mother and child.
While there haven’t been any New Zealand-specific studies, data from Norway and Ireland show infant mortality rates are two to three times higher for unplanned out-of-hospital births compared to those in medical facilities.
In 2024, Hato Hone St John, Aotearoa New Zealand’s largest ambulance service, responded to 2,745 obstetric emergencies. This accounted for 0.9% of all ambulance patients – similar to comparable countries such as Australia and the United States.
In our new research, we surveyed Hato Hone St John ambulance personnel to better understand their experiences attending unplanned out-of-hospital births. Although such events are rare, personnel must be prepared to provide care for mothers and newborns during any clinical shift.
The 147 responses we received highlighted the need for ongoing and targeted training for staff as they balance supporting the safe arrival of a newborn with patient and whānau-centered care.
Navigating the unknown
EMS personnel reported being dispatched for reports of abdominal or back pain in female patients, only to encounter an unanticipated imminent birth upon arrival.
In many of these cases, patients were unaware of their pregnancies and had received no prior antenatal care. This left EMS personnel to lead labour and birth care without crucial information about gestational age or potential complications. As one paramedic explained:
The call was for non-traumatic back pain. The patient had a cryptic pregnancy and was not aware she was pregnant until I informed her that she was in labour. I was the senior clinician in attendance, we were 25 minutes to a maternity unit that didn’t have surgical facilities and a [neonatal unit].
In some situations, EMS personnel attended teenage patients who were in denial of their pregnancies or fearful it would be discovered by their families.
Attending to the mother’s emotional needs, respecting her dignity and navigating family dynamics compounded existing challenges to providing care. Another paramedic explained:
Attended an 18-year-old that did not know or was in denial that she was pregnant. She had the baby on her own in the bathroom. The parents came home during the birth, and she was too scared to tell them and kept the baby quiet by nursing her. She called an ambulance from the bathroom and told them she didn’t want the parents to know.
Unplanned out-of-hospital birts can test the skills of ambulance staff. hedgehog94/Shutterstock
Practical challenges
Complex births, medical emergencies and limited specialised neonatal equipment required EMS to improvise in such cases. While some focused on skin-to-skin contact between mother and baby, others prepared makeshift blankets using things such as plastic clingfilm to keep their newborn patients warm. An intensive care paramedic said:
I needed to “chew” through the cord with the scissors provided, which was frustrating given the patient was under CPR. Also, I wanted to keep the patient warm as the house was cold and it was winter, so I used the Gladwrap in the ambulance. The roll I had was a new one and very difficult to start up as it shredded. I ended up using the patient’s industrial size wrap with a plastic blade attached.
The distance to a specialised newborn care facility, as well as rules around who could be transported and when, meant mothers and babies sometimes needed separate transport. This distressed mothers and added pressure to already stressful situations. One North Island-based paramedic explained:
The baby was flown to [a tertiary hospital] – great for the baby but very distressing for mum as she had to be transported by road.
Detailed accounts emerged of EMS providing labour and birth care in remote and poorer areas, such as homes with no electricity or heating, far away from hospital facilities and with no back up readily available. Another South Island-based paramedic said:
It was 2 degrees outside and the front door was open. The house was cold, and the mother was standing in the bathroom with the [newborn] lying on the cold floor. I called for backup as the mother had a severe postpartum haemorrhage, and the [newborn] required resuscitation. I was not sent assistance and had to manage the mother and [newborn] by myself during a 15-minute drive to the birth suite at hospital.
The stories shared by New Zealand ambulance personnel not only described their critical role in providing care during labour and birth, but also highlighted a gap in care for women not accessing routine antenatal and birth services.
Training and support needed
Studies from Norway, Australia, the US and the United Kingdom have previously highlighted the need for dedicated EMS training and equipment to support out-of-hospital births.
Change is happening in New Zealand. Recent updates to Hato Hone St John guidelines, resources and training, including education on cultural considerations related to birth, aim to prepare EMS personnel for these unpredictable and high-risk scenarios.
Ongoing training and education will be critical to support clinicians to confidently address birth emergencies while continuing to deliver patient and whānau-centered care.
Vinuli Withanarachchie works for Hato Hone St John.
Bridget Dicker is an employee of Hato Hone St John.
Sarah Maessen works for Hato Hone St John.
Verity Todd receives funding from the Heart Foundation NZ and Health Research Council NZ. She is affiliated with Hato Hone St John.
Source: United States Senator for North Carolina Thom Tillis
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Thom Tillis recently introduced the Care for Military Kids Act, legislation that ensures servicemembers can maintain critical health care coverage and medical services for their children, regardless of where their service takes them.
“Military families make immense sacrifices for our nation, and ensuring their children have consistent access to critical health care should never be a burden placed on them,” said Senator Tillis. “This bipartisan legislation will allow these families to maintain access to care, giving our servicemembers the peace of mind they deserve.”
Background:
The Care for Military Kids Act ensures servicemembers can maintain critical healthcare coverage and medical services for their children no matter where their service takes them. After moving to another state, current Medicaid regulations force military families to reapply for their children’s long-term care benefits through Medicaid since Tricare does not provide that benefit. The bill allows military families to remain on their home state’s Medicaid throughout their military career. The Care for Military Kids Act is endorsed by the National Guard Association of the United States (NGAUS), the National Military Families Organization, and Blue Star Families
Full text of the legislation is available HERE.
Source: United States of America – The White House (video statements)
NEC’s Kevin Hassett brought the calculators Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt brought the plain English
Inside the One Big Beautiful Bill: No Tax on Overtime Slashing Taxes on Social Security No Interest Tax on American Cars Universal 401(k) from Birth Build a Factory, Write It Off
United States President Donald Trump was “not happy” with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, this week.
For three consecutive nights, from Friday to Sunday, Russia launched about 900 drones and scores of missiles at Ukraine. At least 18 people were killed, including three children.
“We’re in the middle of talking and he’s shooting rockets into Kyiv and other cities,” Trump told reporters on Sunday, after Putin ordered the largest air assault on Ukraine’s civilians in its three-year war.
Following up on his remarks, Trump posted on social media that Putin had “gone absolutely CRAZY!”
Putin is not crazy. He is a tactician with a long-term goal: to make Russia a great power again and secure his place in the history books as the re-builder of Russia’s imperial might.
Trump announced after a phone call with Putin on May 19 that Russia and Ukraine would “immediately start negotiations” towards a ceasefire.
With his latest air campaign on Ukraine, however, Putin is threatening to destroy the goodwill he’s built up in Washington, where Trump has been consistently soft on Russia and tough on his allies.
So, what is Putin’s strategy? Why is he launching these massive air bombardments on Ukrainian civilians now?
Putin sees weakness in the West
One theory is these attacks are somehow preparations for a major offensive. That makes little sense.
Attacking military facilities, weapons depots or even frontline troops are useful preparations for an impending attack. Indiscriminate bombing of civilians, meanwhile, is a sign of either desperation or impatience.
The US also sent bombers to Japan in the final stages of the war because the American public became tired of seeing their sons, husbands, brothers and fathers die on Pacific islands they had never heard of. The war had dragged on forever by this point, and there seemed no end in sight.
Is Putin desperate or impatient? Likely the latter.
From the perspective of the Kremlin, Russia’s strategic situation is as good as it has been for years.
The US is trying to destroy itself through trade wars and boorish diplomacy. Trump clearly dislikes Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and hopes the war will somehow end if he just demands it.
Europe is continuing to back Ukraine. However, for the time being, it still needs US support because its entire security structure is built around NATO and US strength, both economic and military.
What Putin sees when he surveys the international scene is weakness. In his thinking, such weakness needs to be exploited – now is the time to hurt Ukraine as much as possible, and hope it will crack. Analysts call this a “cognitive warfare effort”.
Indiscriminate air war on civilians is the only means Putin currently has to pressure Ukraine. His army has been advancing, but painfully slowly. There is no breakthrough in sight, even once the spring muds dry and the summer fighting season starts in earnest.
Russia has gradually advanced in Ukraine throughout 2024, but with no perceivable change in the overall situation. Putin does not command precision weapons or super spies, which he could use to take out Ukraine’s leadership.
All he can do is rain death on women, children and the elderly from relatively cheap, unsophisticated weapons, such as drones. He now has these in large supply, thanks to ramping up military production at home.
Bombing campaigns do not end wars
A strategic air war on civilians seldom works, however.
Japan’s surrender in 1945 is an exception, but it is misleading in many ways. The Americans had flattened Japan’s cities for a while already, just not using their new atomic weapons. Japan had already lost the war and the real question was if there would be a bloody US invasion or surrender.
And as the US dropped its two nuclear bombs in August of that year, the Red Army joined the fight, racing across Manchuria to help occupy Japanese territories.
In Germany, the British-American bombings from 1942 onwards certainly had an effect on war production, as they killed workers and destroyed factories. But they did not incapacitate the German army and certainly did not break morale.
Instead, the bombings led to embitterment and a closing of ranks around the regime. German society fought to the last moment. It did so not just despite, but because of the air war. The German army was eventually defeated by the ground troops of the Red Army, who took Berlin in an incredibly bloody fight.
Other historical failures are even more spectacular. The US air force dropped 864,000 tons of bombs on North Vietnam during an air campaign of more than 300,000 sorties lasting from 1965 to late 1968. The North Vietnamese lost maybe 29,000 people (dead and wounded), more than half of them civilians. The Americans and their South Vietnamese allies still lost the war.
Putin’s air war will likely follow the historical pattern: it has further embittered the Ukrainians, who know very well that what comes from the east is not liberation.
Another summer of fighting lies ahead. Ukraine’s friends in the democratic world need to urgently redouble their efforts to support Ukraine. The misguided hopes that Putin would somehow “make a deal” lie under the rubble his drones leave behind in Ukraine’s cities.
Mark Edele receives funding from the Australian Research Council.
Source: United States Senator for Massachusetts Ed Markey
Senator Markey joined by local leaders, advocates in Chelsea
Boston (May 28, 2025) – Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), co-chair of the Senate Climate Change Task Force and a member of the Environment and Public Works Committee, today hosted a walking tour and press conference in Chelsea after the Trump administration announced the termination of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)’s Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) program, cancelling over $90 million in climate resilience funding for Massachusetts communities. The canceled funding includes $50 million awarded to the cities of Chelsea and Everett for their Island End River Coastal Flood Resilience Project. The project includes the construction of a storm surge barrier and storm surge control facility, as well as ecological restoration of the marshes in the Mystic River tributary. With cancelled funding, this multi-year effort to protect residents and businesses from flooding is now at risk.
“To rip away $50 million of federal funding from Chelsea and Everett is an act of climate injustice. The Trump administration’s reckless decision to terminate disaster resiliency funding not only harms communities on the frontline of the climate crisis but also has repercussions far beyond,” said Senator Markey. “This funding isn’t a budget line—it’s a lifeline for our constituents. Cancelling it will directly harm our constituents and our economy. It will cost us as we pay and pay and pay again to clean up and rebuild flood after flood that are only becoming more frequent and more severe. It is penny wise and billions of destruction and damage foolish. For months, the Trump administration has made it clear they do not care about our health, safety, or resiliency, and they do not care about the long-term, long-dreamed visions of our communities to build a future safe from climate change.”
Senator Markey was joined on the walking tour and at the press conference by Chelsea City Manager Fidel Maltez; State Senator Sal DiDomenico; State Representative Judith Garcia; Gladys Vega, Executive Director of La Colaborativa; and John Walkey, Director of Climate Justice & Waterfront Initiatives at GreenRoots.
Source: United States Senator for Arkansas Tom Cotton
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Caroline Tabler or Patrick McCann (202) 224-2353 May 28, 2025
Cotton, Boozman, and Westerman to Driscoll: Army Must Analyze Pine Bluff’s Potential to Address our Munitions Shortage
Washington, D.C. — Senators Tom Cotton (R-Arkansas), John Boozman (R-Arkansas), and Congressman Bruce Westerman (Arkansas-04) today sent a letter to Army Secretary Dan Driscoll, asking for the detailed plan for the future of Pine Bluff Arsenal as a critical element of the defense industrial base. The lawmakers also urged prompt delivery of a Congressionally-mandated report outlining a plan to address issues facing America’s domestic munitions production and supply chain chokepoints, as well as a course of action for the future of Pine Bluff Arsenal. This letter follows another sent earlier this month about the Army’s intent to downsize Pine Bluff Arsenal that is at odds with President Trump’s agenda of accelerating munitions manufacturing in America.
In part, the lawmakers wrote:
“We remain committed to ensuring, in line with President Trump’s directive to the department, that the military has the munitions it needs to fight and win decisively. Fortunately, Pine Bluff Arsenal can help the Army solve the munitions crisis, hence we’re not willing to allow its capabilities to wither on the vine.”
Full text of the letter may be found here and below.
The Honorable Dan P. Driscoll
Secretary of the Army
101 Army Pentagon
Washington, DC 20310-0101
Secretary Driscoll,
We write to establish next steps regarding the future of Pine Bluff Arsenal and to secure its crucial role in the defense industrial base. Please provide answers to the following inquiries no later than June 6, 2025.
As we discussed, we believe the Army’s organic industrial base has an irreplaceable role to play in addressing this nation’s munitions crisis. Our delegation has worked for years to persuade the Army to take steps to improve its arsenals, ammunition plants, and depots, including by re-orienting production at Pine Bluff Arsenal to address urgent military-munitions requirements.
To that end, we passed language in the FY2025 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) Joint Explanatory Statement that directed the Secretary of the Army to provide a plan to “establish secondary domestic production sources at existing arsenals, depots, and ammunition plants of the U.S. Army to address munition supply chain chokepoints” no later than June 1, 2025. We expect the Army to produce this report in accordance with the law and provide a thorough, well-considered set of plans that explains how it should use Pine Bluff Arsenal and the other facilities within the Army’s organic industrial base to meet urgent operational needs.
Furthermore, we are justifiably concerned that Army is attempting to circumvent the law by slowing operations at the arsenal before the FY26 NDAA and appropriations season, thus presenting Congress with a virtual fait accompli and limiting our ability to perform our constitutional oversight and budgetary responsibilities. Title 10 USC § 2687, base closures and realignments, specifies the Army may not close any military installation of more than 300 civilians or reduce its personnel by more than 50 percent without notifying Congress and presenting it with detailed strategic and economic evaluations of the impact of such a downsizing or closure. Title 10 USC § 4532, the Arsenal Act, requires the Secretary of the Army to procure supplies in government-owned factories or arsenals if possible “on an economical basis.” We expect, and insist, that the Army will comply with current statute when producing a path forward at Pine Bluff Arsenal.
Please note that we’re particularly interested to understand your cost assumptions regarding your compliance with the Arsenal Act. As we have explained on multiple occasions, we believe ample evidence indicates that Pine Bluff Arsenal is more economical than most commercial options. Thus, we want to assess what assumptions the Army is using to argue otherwise.
In addition to the required report, we now request the following additional information:
The Army’s planned actions over the next 30 to 90 days at Pine Bluff Arsenal, to include proposed or enacted changes to staffing and production schedules. If no changes to Pine Bluff operations or personnel will occur, please definitively state that.
The courses of actions the Army is developing for Pine Bluff Arsenal’s future, with at least the following information:
o How each course of action complies with both 10 USC § 2687 and 10 USC § 4532, to include detailed cost data analysis.
o At least one course of action explaining how the Army could use the arsenal to produce materials such as nitrocellulose, RDX, or TNT to address supply chain chokepoints.
o Detailed estimates of the costs that will be incurred if Army moves the white phosphorus ammunition mission away from Pine Bluff Arsenal, including the cost and time associated with acquiring the necessary environmental permits.
Current capability gaps within the Army where manufacturing placement in the Army organic industrial base is possible, i.e. s-UAS, battery technology, brushless motors, etc.
We remain committed to ensuring, in line with President Trump’s directive to the department, that the military has the munitions it needs to fight and win decisively. Fortunately, Pine Bluff Arsenal can help the Army solve the munitions crisis, hence we’re not willing to allow its capabilities to wither on the vine.
Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Jimmy Gomez (CA-34)
Los Angeles, CA — Today, Representative Jimmy Gomez (CA-34) hosted a roundtable with the Korean business community in LA to hear firsthand how Trump’s tariffs is disrupting trade, delaying shipments, and raising the cost of essential goods. He also shared his push to end Trump’s tariffs, prevent him from punishing allies, and put Congress back in charge of trade.
“Today I met with Korean American business owners in Koreatown who are being hit hard by Trump’s reckless tariffs — prices are up, shipments are delayed, and it’s getting harder to plan for tomorrow,” said Rep. Jimmy Gomez. “These aren’t just numbers on a spreadsheet, they’re family-run shops, local jobs, and people trying to build a future. I’m fighting to end Trump’s damaging tariffs and stop him from punishing our allies because our community needs trade policies that help them thrive, not ones that drive up costs for customers or threaten their businesses.”
During the discussion, Korean American businesses discussed how these tariffs and tax policies have driven up container fees and import duties, while causing uncertainty that makes it hard to grow or plan. Many also stressed the need for better workforce development support and a business environment that works for small businesses in LA.
Rep. Jimmy Gomez — a member of the House Ways and Means Committee, which oversees trade — has been holding the administration accountable in committee and led the Congressional Dads Caucus in calling out the harm to working families, and fighting to pass legislation to shut down Trump’s global tariffs. He recently visited the Port of LA to hear directly from port staff and highlight the real-world consequences of President Trump’s tariffs on imported goods — including a projected 35% drop in cargo volume next week.
UK Government launches newly digitised historic editions of world’s oldest English language daily newspaper
From today (Thursday 29 May) copies from three centuries of the historic Belfast title will become accessible to the public online for the first time
Secretary of State Hilary Benn views newly digitised historic editions of the News Letter during a visit to the British Library in London, accompanied by British Library Chief Executive Rebecca Lawrence and Richard Hall, DC Thomson Deputy Chair.
Belfast News Letter editions featuring key historical moments from the 18th-20th centuries now online, including the signing of the American Declaration of Independence.
Project delivers Safeguarding the Union command paper commitment.
People around the world can now access newly digitised historic editions of the world’s oldest English language daily newspaper still in circulation, thanks to a UK Government project to highlight Northern Ireland’s cultural heritage.
From today (Thursday 29 May) copies from three centuries of the historic Belfast title will become accessible to the public online for the first time, strengthening understanding of Northern Ireland’s newspaper heritage around the world and delivering on commitments made in the Safeguarding the Union command paper.
First published in September 1737, the News Letter will mark its 288th anniversary as the oldest continuously published English language daily paper this year. The Northern Ireland Office has worked in partnership with the British Library and Findmypast to expand the online collection of the historic publication on the British Newspaper Archive dating to the late 18th, early 19th and 20th centuries.
Announcing the launch, Secretary of State Hilary Benn visited the British Library in London to view the new additions to the online archive. The British Library provided originals of the News Letter in microfilm and newspaper format, which were digitised by the online platform Findmypast, which has spent nearly 15 years working on a separate collaborative project to digitise the British Library’s vast newspaper collection.
The Secretary of State, Hilary Benn, said:
It was wonderful to be able to view the newly digitised editions of the Belfast News Letter at the British Library in London using the online archive.
Bringing Northern Ireland’s newspaper heritage to a global audience will encourage research, exploration and appreciation of Northern Ireland’s rich political and cultural history.
This UK Government project has opened up a unique resource to readers and researchers in nations around the world with historic links to Northern Ireland, including the USA.
The archive is available online through the British Newspaper Archive and on Findmypast, and can be viewed freely at the British Library sites in London and Yorkshire, as well as at any library or by any private individual around the world with a subscription.
Lee Wilkinson, Managing Director of DCThomson History, which owns Findmypast and the British Newspaper Archive, said:
We’re delighted to bring these historic News Letter pages to the public, enabling more people to access this rich resource documenting Northern Ireland’s past at the click of a mouse.
Over the past 15 years, through our unique relationship with the British Library, we have been able to bring millions of these key historical records to communities across the globe, so that families and researchers alike can uncover and understand their heritage.
Rebecca Lawrence, Chief Executive of the British Library, said:
We are thrilled to make all known surviving copies of the News Letter accessible for the first time through the British Newspaper Archive, in partnership with Findmypast and the UK government. As the world’s oldest English language general daily newspaper still in circulation, the historic Belfast title offers insight into centuries of life, politics, and culture in Northern Ireland and beyond.
The British Library is custodian of one of the world’s largest news archives, with over 60 million newspaper issues dating back to the 1600s, alongside growing collections of broadcast and digital news. Digitising all known surviving copies of the News Letter and making them available online preserves a vital piece of heritage and opens up the archive to researchers around the world.
David Montgomery, founder, National World, said:
Digitising The News Letter is an important step in preserving the paper’s iconic history of covering news from Northern Ireland and across the world for three centuries. By making historic copies of the paper available, we can recognise its continuing role in delivering quality journalism on stories that matter to its community.
SEATTLE — Attorney General Nick Brown issued the following statement today after filing an appeal of a King County Superior Court’s ruling on Initiative-2066 to the Washington state Supreme Court:
“While I personally disagreed with I-2066, it was passed by Washington voters and is the law of the state. My job as Attorney General is to enforce and defend the laws of Washington and I will continue to vigorously do so in this case.”
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Washington’s Attorney General serves the people and the state of Washington. As the state’s largest law firm, the Attorney General’s Office provides legal representation to every state agency, board, and commission in Washington. Additionally, the Office serves the people directly by enforcing consumer protection, civil rights, and environmental protection laws. The Office also prosecutes elder abuse, Medicaid fraud, and handles sexually violent predator cases in 38 of Washington’s 39 counties. Visit www.atg.wa.govto learn more.
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Since debuting in February 2024, Samsung Electronics’ Bespoke AI Laundry Combo1 has sold more than 100,000 units in Korea and won 21 major awards,2 building a strong presence in the all-in-one washer-dryer market.
Designed to boost convenience and make smarter use of time and space, the Bespoke AI Laundry Combo is reshaping daily life. Samsung Newsroom took an inside look at how that transformation is taking place and why.
Wash and Dry in One Go — A Simpler Routine for Better Living
According to a Samsung survey3 of 206 buyers in Korea who purchased all-in-one washer-dryers released in 2024, respondents cited the following top reasons for their purchase — no laundry transfer needed (23%), saving space (21%), single installation for both washing and drying (12%), and one-step operation from wash to dry (11%).
As laundry becomes simpler and more convenient, how and when people do it is evolving. Compared to before purchasing all-in-one models, people are washing their clothes more frequently. Dual-income households, in particular, are increasingly doing their laundry on weeknights after work.
As washing and drying are completed in a single automated cycle, the Bespoke AI Laundry Combo allows users to simply load their clothes, press start and walk away. There’s no need to wait around or manually move wet clothes to a separate dryer. Furthermore, the Auto Open Door feature even opens the door automatically once drying is complete, releasing moisture quickly and enhancing hygiene and convenience.
Simple Setup, Smarter Use of Space and AI-Optimized Cycles
The Bespoke AI Laundry Combo also offers improved space efficiency and greater flexibility in installation. Unlike conventional setups that require separate space for both washer and dryer units, the all-in-one unit reduces spatial demand by around 40%,4 with no need to stack two machines or place them side-by-side. Its lower height also allows for extra shelving in laundry or utility rooms.
▲ The Bespoke AI Laundry Combo reduces spatial demand by around 40% compared to conventional washer and dryer setups.
In addition, the Bespoke AI Laundry Combo’s AI-powered features significantly boost efficiency. AI Wash & Dry5 automatically selects the best wash and dry settings based on weight, fabric type and soil level, removing the need for manual configuration.
In the survey, customers in Korea expressed high satisfaction6 with features like the Flex Auto Dispense System7 (91%) and AI Energy Mode8 (89%). The Flex Auto Dispense System adjusts the detergent amount to suit the load of laundry when detergent is pre-filled in the compartment, reducing maintenance hassle and preventing overuse or underuse of detergent, which is a common issue with conventional washing machines.
Energy efficiency has also improved, as the 2025 Bespoke AI Laundry Combo consumes 45% less electricity per kilogram than the minimum required for top-rated front-load washers in Korea.9 With AI Energy Mode, users can reduce energy consumption by up to 60% without compromising performance.10
Samsung continues to drive the popularization of all-in-one washer-dryers by introducing products with industry-leading drying capacity.11 The 2025 Bespoke AI Laundry Combo increases capacity by 3kg to a total of 18kg, while reducing drying time by 20 minutes to complete a full wash-and-dry cycle in as little as 79 minutes.12
“We are committed to introducing more products like the Bespoke AI Laundry Combo that bring meaningful changes to users’ daily lives,” said Jong-Hun Sung, Vice President and Head of Clothing Care R&D Group at Digital Appliances (DA) Business, Samsung Electronics. “With our innovative technology and focus on personalized user experiences, we aim to open a new chapter in home appliances.”
As laundry becomes an increasingly seamless experience, Samsung will continue to enable a smarter, more convenient way of living, one cycle at a time.
1 All information regarding the Bespoke AI Laundry Combo in this article is based on products launched in South Korea. Product specifications may vary by country and region of release. For accurate information, please refer to the official sales outlet or the manufacturer’s website in your country.
2 Recognitions include Winner of the iF Design Award (2024, 2025), Finalist of the IDEA Design Award (2024), Bronze for the Good Design Award by the Korea Institute of Design Promotion (2024), Winner of the Korea Innovation Frontier Award by the Korean Standards Association (2024), Honoree at the CES Innovation Awards (2024), Winner of the Ergonomic Design Award by the Ergonomics Society of Korea (2024), Korea Green Product of the Year by the Korea Green Purchasing Network (2024), Winner of the Jang Young-Shil Award by Korea’s Ministry of Science and ICT (2024), Winner of the Korea Electronics Show Innovation Award (2024), No.1 in INNO STAR and GREEN STAR by Korea Management Registrar Inc. (2024, 2025), No.1 in Home Appliance A/S in the KS-SQI and KSQI by the Korean Standards Association and Korea Management Association Consultants respectively (2024), No.1 in the Washer-Dryer Category in the KS-QEI by the Korean Standards Association (2024), Winner of the Korea Brand Hall of Fame by the Institute for Industrial Policy Studies (2025), Winner of the Canstar Blue Most Innovative Award in Australia (2025), and No.1 in the Washer-Dryer Category by Consumer Reports in the United States (2024, 2025).
3 Based on an online survey conducted on 206 buyers of all-in-one washer-dryers in Korea, including 154 who purchased Samsung’s Bespoke AI Laundry Combo. Participants included purchase decision-makers, primary users and buyers of models released in 2024.
4 When installing the Bespoke AI Washer (25kg) and Dryer (22kg) in a stacked configuration, the required height is 1,890mm. In a side-by-side configuration, the required width is 980mm. In comparison, the Bespoke AI Laundry Combo has a height of 1,110mm and width of 686mm.
5 Detects fabric type under AI Wash & Dry mode for loads up to 3kg. Detects soil level under the same mode for loads up to 9kg. Detects a total of five fabric types — normal, towels, delicates, denim and outdoor — and when multiple fabric types are mixed, identifies them as either “normal” or the type that most closely matches.
6 Research Methodology: Satisfaction levels for each of the 2024 Bespoke AI Laundry Combo’s 14 features were measured using a 7-point scale. The results reflect the proportion of respondents who selected the top two ratings: “Very satisfied” and “Satisfied.”
7 Based on a 5kg laundry load using the standard wash cycle, with the detergent amount set to “normal” and concentration set to “regular.” Results are based on internal testing and may vary depending on actual usage conditions. When filling the main and optional compartments with regular detergent, the auto-dispense system can operate for up to 13 weeks per refill under a usage rate of three cycles per week.
8 AI Energy Mode activates immediately when “Maximum Saving” is selected as the monthly usage target within the SmartThings Energy service. When “Progressive tier” or “Custom” settings are selected, operation time and energy savings may vary depending on the user-defined conditions. To manage energy use based on tiered electricity pricing, a separate smart meter may be required depending on the user environment. AI Energy Mode is available exclusively via SmartThings, which may have limitations depending on the supported environment and usage conditions.
9 Based on data for front-load (or electric) washing machines listed on the Korea Energy Agency website. The minimum standard for Grade 1 energy efficiency is 45.8 Wh/kg. The 2025 Bespoke AI Laundry Combo’s energy efficiency rate is 24.9 Wh/kg.
10 Conducted using 3kg of standardized test fabric in accordance with KS C IEC 60456, with the fabric type identified as “normal” and the water temperature set to 20°C. Power consumption was compared with AI Energy Mode (set to “Maximum Saving”) turned on and off. Test model: WD25DB8995BZ; Reference model: WD90F25***.
11 As of March 5, 2025, the 2025 Bespoke AI Laundry Combo’s 25kg washing capacity is the largest among household washing machines registered with the Korea Energy Agency. Its 18kg drying capacity is the largest among front-load models as of March 10, 2025.
12 Based on DOE standard test fabric composed of 50% cotton and 50% polyester, using the Quick Cycle. Actual results may vary depending on fabric type, moisture content, characteristics, and laundry load in real-world usage conditions.
Source: United States House of Representatives – Julia Brownley (D-CA)
Washington, DC – Today, Congresswoman Julia Brownley (CA-26) joined Congresswoman Nanette Diaz Barragán (CA-44) and every Democratic member of the California Congressional Delegation in sending a letter to President Donald Trump and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., urging them to safeguard federal funding for the Head Start program. The letter comes in response to alarming reports that the Trump Administration considered eliminating Head Start funding during recent federal budget discussions.
“From Los Angeles County to the Central Valley to rural tribal lands, Head Start provides comprehensive early learning, health, nutrition, and family support services to children who are disproportionately impacted by poverty and housing instability,” wrote the members. “These essential services support our state’s economy by allowing parents to work and go to school, while giving our future workforce the strong start that they need to be successful later in life.”
California is home to one of the largest populations of Head Start children in the nation. In Fiscal Year 2023 alone, Head Start and Early Head Start programs served more than 94,000 children across the state. These programs offer critical support to children by integrating early education with health, nutrition, and family services – providing targeted support to those experiencing poverty, housing insecurity, and systemic inequities.
“The elimination or reduction of Head Start funding would be catastrophic. In California, it would shut the doors of 1,835 Head Start and Early Head Start Centers and eliminate access to early education for tens of thousands of children – disproportionately children of color, English learners, children with disabilities, and those living in low-income and rural communities.”
Since its founding in 1965, Head Start has served over 40 million children and families nationwide. Decades of research confirm that the program improves school readiness, boosts long-term academic and employment outcomes, and helps break the cycle of poverty.
“Head Start is not optional – it is a national commitment that must be honored,” the members added. “We urge you to reject any future attempts to weaken or eliminate this program and to ensure its continued success for the children and families who rely on it every day.”
The letter was co-signed by each of the 45 Democratic members of the California Congressional Delegation: Senators Alex Padilla and Adam Schiff, and Representatives Pete Aguilar, Nancy Pelosi, Robert Garcia, Linda Sánchez, John Garamendi, Kevin Mullin, Mark Takano, Ted Lieu, Maxine Waters, Laura Friedman, J. Luis Correa, Ro Khanna, Mike Thompson, Norma Torres, Mark DeSaulnier, Juan Vargas, Gilbert Ray Cisneros, Jr., Judy Chu, Derek Tran, Raul Ruiz, Jared Huffman, Doris Matsui, Salud Carbajal, Brad Sherman, Ami Bera, Jimmy Panetta, Zoe Lofgren, Eric Swalwell, Lateefah Simon, Dave Min, Jimmy Gomez, Sydney Kamlager-Dove, Jim Costa, George Whitesides, Luz Rivas, Sara Jacobs, Scott Peters, Josh Harder, Adam Gray, Mike Levin, and Sam Liccardo.
The full letter can be found here and below:
President Trump and Secretary Kennedy:
We write today to express serious concern over reports that your Administration considered proposals to eliminate federal funding for the Department of Health and Human Services’ Head Start program in recent budget discussions. While we are relieved that the White House Office of Management and Budget’s Fiscal Year 2026 proposal did not include this cut, that such an action was even contemplated underscores the vulnerability of this vital program under your Administration. As members of the California Congressional Delegation, we urge you to safeguard this critical program, which plays an irreplaceable role in supporting California’s children and families, especially those facing economic hardship and systemic barriers.
California is home to one of the largest populations of Head Start children in the nation. In Fiscal Year 2023 alone, more than 94,000 children and pregnant women in California were served by Head Start and Early Head Start programs. These services are not just beneficial – they are essential. From Los Angeles County to the Central Valley to rural tribal lands, Head Start provides comprehensive early learning, health, nutrition, and family support services to children who are disproportionately impacted by poverty and housing instability. These essential services support our state’s economy by allowing parents to work and go to school, while giving our future workforce the strong start that they need to be successful later in life.
Since its founding in 1965, Head Start has supported more than 40 million children and their families nationwide – and millions in California alone. Research continues to confirm what educators and parents have long known: Head Start works. It boosts school readiness, improves long-term academic outcomes, increases high school graduation and employment rates, and helps break cycles of generational poverty.
The elimination or reduction of Head Start funding would be catastrophic. In California, it would shut the doors of 1,835 Head Start and Early Head Start Centers and eliminate access to early education for tens of thousands of children – disproportionately children of color, English learners, children with disabilities, and those living in low-income and rural communities. Thousands of parents would also lose their ability to go to work or school, and otherwise participate in the economy.
Head Start is not optional – it is a national commitment that must be honored. For these reasons, we urge you to reject any future attempts to weaken or eliminate this program and to ensure its continued success for the children and families who rely on it every day.
Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley (MA-07)
Ahead of Anniversary, PressleyIntroduced Suite of Billsto Transform Criminal Legal System, Improve Police Accountability
BOSTON – Today, Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley (MA-07) released the following statement marking the five-year anniversary of George Floyd’s murder. Last week, ahead of the anniversary, Congresswoman Pressley reintroduced the People’s Justice Guarantee (PJG), the Ending Qualified Immunity Act, and the Andrew Kearse Accountability for Denial of Medical Care Act – a suite of bills that collectively would help build a fair, equitable, and just legal system in America, and improve police accountability.
“George Floyd should be alive today. Like every Black man, he deserved to grow old, to laugh with his children, to love and be loved. But five years ago today, George Floyd was murdered in broad daylight by police—a harrowing reminder of the brutal, state-sanctioned violence that Black folks in America have endured for generations and that we continue to endure to this day.
“In the days and weeks that followed, America underwent a so-called ‘reckoning’ on racial injustice. People from every corner of this country mobilized, demanding justice, accountability, and transformative change. But five years later, meaningful policy change remains stalled in Congress, corporations are backing away from their commitments to racial equity, and a white supremacist once again occupies the White House—continuing his unprecedented assault on Black America, rolling back policies that promote diversity, equity, and inclusion, and advancing harmful executive actions to ‘unleash law enforcement’ and threaten Black lives. Without meaningful policy and budget change, the unjust status quo will persist, and we will continue to be robbed of innocent lives.
“This anniversary must be more than hashtags, performative statements, and remembrance—it must be a recommitment to dismantling the systems of oppression that enabled George Floyd’s murder and the killing of many, many others. That means continuing to advance policies like the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act and my People’s Justice Guarantee, Ending Qualified Immunity Act, and Andrew Kearse Act, which I was proud to re-introduce this past week. It means legislating to affirm housing, healthcare, food security, and education as the human rights that they are. It means centering compassion, accountability, and healing in our policymaking—not cruelty, criminalization, and incarceration.
“We’ll never have true justice for George Floyd. True justice would be George Floyd alive today, at home with his fiancée, children, and siblings. As we mark this somber anniversary, we owe it to George, his family, and everyone killed at the hands of law enforcement to continue governing like lives depend on it and building a more just America where everyone can thrive and live free from fear.”
In April 2021, Congresswoman Pressley authored an op-ed in USA Today in which she responded to reports that the guilty verdicts in the Derek Chauvin trial have reduced the appetite amongst lawmakers—in both parties—for action on police reform. In the op-ed, Rep. Pressley called for meaningful policy and budget change to dismantle every system that finances and perpetuates brutality, murder and state-sanctioned violence at home and abroad.
Congresswoman Pressley has introduced over a dozen pieces of precise legislation informed by the People’s Justice Guarantee to fundamentally redefine what justice looks like in America, including the Ending Qualified Immunity Act and Andrew Kearse Accountability for the Denial of Medical Care Act.
Congresswoman Pressley also led calls in Congress for President Biden to use his clemency authority to address mass incarceration and has applauded the President for granting clemency to thousands of people and commended him for commuting the death sentences of 37 individuals on federal death row.
In June 2023, Rep. Pressley and Rep. Rashida Tlaib (MI-12)unveiled the Housing for Formerly Incarcerated Reentry and Stable Tenancy (Housing FIRST) Act, bold legislation to help people who are formerly incarcerated and those with criminal histories access safe and stable housing.
In May 2023, Rep. Pressley reintroduced her Justice for Incarcerated Moms Act to improve maternal health care and support for pregnant individuals who are incarcerated. It was originally introduced in March 2020 and reintroduced in February 2021 as part of the Black Maternal Health Momnibus Package—a suite of 12 bills aimed at addressing the Black maternal health crisis.
In May 2023, Rep. Pressley and Rep. Grace Napolitano (CA-31), Co-Chair of the Mental Health Caucus, requested the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) to research post-traumatic prison disorder and share findings related to prevention and treatment for people returning from behind the wall.
In April 2023, Rep. Pressley and Senator Edward J. Markey (D-MA) re-introduced their Ending Qualified Immunity Act, legislation that would eliminate the unjust and court-invented doctrine of qualified immunity and restore the ability for people to obtain relief when state and local officials, including police officers, violate their legal and constitutionally secured rights. Rep. Pressley originally introduced the bill in June 2020 with Rep. Justin Amash (L-MI) and reintroduced it with Sen. Markey in March 2021.
On April 6, 2023, Rep. Pressley and Rep. Hank Johnson led 25 of their colleagues in the Congressional Black Caucus in calling on Pete Buttigieg, Secretary of the U.S. Department of Transportation to address racial disparities in traffic enforcement.
In April 2023, Rep. Pressley, in partnership with Reps. Bonnie Watson Coleman (NJ-12) and Ilhan Omar (MN-05), re-introduced the Ending PUSHOUT Act, their legislation to end the punitive pushout of girls of color from schools. It was originally introduced in December 2019 and reintroduced in March 2021.
In March 2023, Rep. Pressley, Congressman Jesús “Chuy” García (IL-04), Congressman Greg Casar (TX-35) and 27 Members of Congress, alongside more than 300 advocacy organizations and community leaders, reintroduced the New Way Forward Act, a landmark piece of legislation that addresses some of the most harmful provisions of immigration law that drive racist enforcement practices, expanded incarceration in immigration detention centers, and unjust deportations. It was originally introduced in December 2019 Reps. Chuy Garcia (IL-04), Pramila Jayapal (WA-07) and Karen Bass (CA-37) and was reintroduced in January 2021.
In March 2023, Rep. Pressley and her colleagues re-introduced the Facial Recognition and Biometric Technology Moratorium Act to stop federal entities’ use of facial recognition tools and prohibit federal support for state and local law enforcement entities that use biometric technology. They reintroduced the bill in June 2021.
In December 2022, the House passed Congresswoman Pressley’s amendment to strengthen maternal health care for people who are incarcerated.
In December 2021, Rep. Pressley unveiled the Fair and Independent Experts in Clemency (FIX Clemency) Act, historic legislation to transform our nation’s clemency system and address the mass incarceration crisis.
In March 2021, Rep. Pressley sent a letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland urging him to consider H. Res. 266, the People’s Justice Guarantee, as a framework for embedding justice in our criminal legal system and building integrity in the Department of Justice (DOJ).
In February 2021, October 2020, Congresswoman Pressley reintroduced the Mental Health Justice Act with Reps. Katie Porter (CA-45), Tony Cardenas (CA-29), and Mary Gay Scanlon (PA-05), to support the creation of mental health first responder units that would be deployed in lieu of law enforcement when 911 is called due to a mental health crisis. The lawmakers originally introduced the legislation in October 2020.
In January 2021, she reintroduced the Federal Death Penalty Prohibition Act of 2021 with Senator Richard Durbin (D-IL) to prohibit the use of the death penalty at the federal level, and require re-sentencing of those currently on death row. The lawmakers originally introduced the bill in July 2019.
In August 2020, she introduced the COVID-19 in Corrections Data Transparency Act with Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and others, requires federal, state, and local prisons and jails to collect and publicly report COVID-19 data. The legislation was reintroduced last month.
In July 2020, she introduced the Counseling Not Criminalization in Schools Act with Reps. Ilhan Omar (MN-05) and Senators Chris Murphy (D-CT) and Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), to prohibit federal funds to support the increased presence of police in K-12 schools and supports school districts that invests in counselors.
In June 2020, she introduced the Dismantle Mass Incarceration for Public Health Act with Reps. Tlaib (MI-13) and Barbara Lee (CA-13) to require decarceration to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 in prisons and jails.
In June 2020, she introduced the Andrew Kearse Accountability for Denial of Medical Care Act with Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) and Ed Markey (D-MA), to hold police officers criminally liable for denying care to those in medical distress.
In May 2020, she introduced a resolution with Reps. Ilhan Omar (MN-05), Karen Bass (CA-37) and Barbara Lee (CA-13) to condemn any and all acts of police brutality, racial profiling, and militarization and over-policing of Black and brown communities.
In July 2019, she introduced the No Biometric Barriers Housing Act with Reps. Yvette Clarke (NY-09) and Rashida Tlaib (MI-13) that would prohibit the use of biometric recognition technology in most public and assisted housing units funded by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), protecting tenants from biased surveillance technology.
In June 2019, in conjunction with Gun Violence Awareness Month and the 5th Annual National Gun Violence Awareness Day, she introduced a resolution to honor survivors of homicide victims by establishing National Survivors of Homicide Victims Awareness Month.
Source: United States Senator for Washington State Patty Murray
OPM encourages agencies to offer maximum salary to Trump political appointees, encouraging them to sidestep agency HR offices & standard vetting process
Lawmakers: “Padding the pockets of political operatives while firing food safety inspectors is nothing short of an egregious abuse of taxpayer dollars.”
Washington, D.C. — Today, Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Vice Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, and Senators Tim Kaine (D-VA), John Fetterman (D-PA), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Mark Warner (D-VA), Angela Alsobrooks (D-MD), Alex Padilla (D-CA), and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) sent a letter to the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) calling out its recent memo encouraging agencies to ignore the recommendations of agency HR offices and offer the maximum available salary of $195,200 to Schedule C political appointees.
As the Trump administration fires dedicated federal employees en masse across government, the senators demanded information about the Trump administration’s hiring of Schedule C political appointees, their salaries, the number of appointees making the maximum salary, justification for sidestepping HR recommendations and vetting processes, any guardrails implemented to prevent cronyism, and the costs to taxpayers.
“You issued a memo to the heads and acting heads of departments and agencies encouraging them to offer the maximum available salary to political appointees and sidestep the regular hiring process,” write the senators. “This memo, coupled with the Administration’s widespread layoffs of career government workers who have loyally served in the Executive Branch for Presidents of both political parties, makes clear your intention: fire dedicated public servants in droves, cut essential government services, and use taxpayer dollars to instead hire underqualified and overpaid political cronies.”
“While this Administration pushes out scores of public servants and guts entire agencies, often in defiance of Congress and federal law, your memo encourages agencies to help install loyalists who have not been properly vetted, in critically important positions—and to pay them at the highest possible rate. As dedicated career public servants are receiving notice that they have been fired, the Administration is offering higher pay for those hired under Schedule C,” they continue.
“Per your memo, agencies may consider setting initial salaries at up to $195,200, almost five times the median income for individuals in the U.S.,” write the lawmakers.
The lawmakers note that the OPM memo “demonstrates a desire for the expeditious hiring of underqualified and overpaid political elites. Schedule C hires are not career civil servants. They will not be answering phones at Social Security field offices or conducting food inspections or fighting wildfires.”
“Padding the pockets of political operatives while firing food safety inspectors is nothing short of an egregious abuse of taxpayer dollars and massively wasteful,” they state.
The full letter is available HERE and below:
Mr. Charles Ezell
Acting Director
Office of Personnel Management
1900 E Street N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20415
Dear Acting Director Ezell:
On April 10, 2025, you issued a memo to the heads and acting heads of departments and agencies encouraging them to offer the maximum available salary to political appointees and sidestep the regular hiring process. This memo, coupled with the Administration’s widespread layoffs of career government workers who have loyally served in the Executive Branch for Presidents of both political parties, makes clear your intention: fire dedicated public servants in droves, cut essential government services, and use taxpayer dollars to instead hire underqualified and overpaid political cronies.
Since President Trump took office, the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) has worked with Elon Musk and the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to facilitate the firings of tens of thousands of government employees under the guise of government efficiency. The American people have experienced only chaos as a result. The phone lines at Social Security are overwhelmed, food inspections are down, and as fire season begins, the Forest Service is planning to layoff wildland firefighters—to name just a few of the consequences of this administration’s arbitrary and thoughtless cuts. Put simply, OPM’s actions have sowed inefficiency and counter-productivity for the essential government services that our constituents depend on.
While this Administration pushes out scores of public servants and guts entire agencies, often in defiance of Congress and federal law, your memo encourages agencies to help install loyalists who have not been properly vetted, in critically important positions—and to pay them at the highest possible rate. As dedicated career public servants are receiving notice that they have been fired, the Administration is offering higher pay for those hired under Schedule C, a type of appointment for those serving in confidential or policy roles, including as confidential assistants, policy experts, special counsel, and schedulers. Per your memo, agencies may consider setting initial salaries at up to $195,200, almost five times the median income for individuals in the U.S. Further, your memo encourages agency heads to sidestep the standard hiring process and remove the objective additional reviewer of candidates. This would allow appointees to begin work in sensitive roles without any vetting, including for conflicts of interest or background checks, bypassing the basic guardrails that have been in place for decades. On its face, OPM’s April 10 memo demonstrates a desire for the expeditious hiring of underqualified and overpaid political elites.
Schedule C hires are not career civil servants. They will not be answering phones at Social Security field offices or conducting food inspections or fighting wildfires. They do not work for the American people; they work to advance the political agenda of the President. OPM’s April 10 memo makes clear the Trump Administration’s ultimate goal is to decimate the nonpolitical career civil service and use taxpayer dollars to enrich and reward political allies, all at the cost of the government services that people rely on.
Padding the pockets of political operatives while firing food safety inspectors is nothing short of an egregious abuse of taxpayer dollars and massively wasteful.
In order to ensure OPM works to actually promote efficiency and productivity in the government workforce, we request you provide the following information:
The salary information of all Schedule C appointees, and the current number of Schedule C appointees, broken down by agency. For those Schedule C appointees the administration has hired at a pay level of GS-15 or $195,200, please provide a brief job description for each.
The justification for revoking the authority of agency HR departments to set the terms for Schedule C appointment and additional information as to how agencies will set the terms for Schedule C appointment without HR involvement.
Any guidance or detail OPM has provided to agencies as to how to set the terms for a Schedule C appointment in order to avoid widespread corruption.
The agency-level cost of hiring the desired number of Schedule C appointees.
Any written information detailing the role of the Presidential Personnel Office (PPO) in hiring Schedule C appointees.
Thank you for your attention to this matter. We look forward receiving your responses no later than June 4, 2025.
Sincerely,
Source: United States Senator for Louisiana Bill Cassidy
U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA), for his monthly Local Spotlight, congratulated Louisiana native and LSU freshman John Foster on finishing strong in the American Idol finale. Each month, Cassidy highlights a local story that truly reflects Louisiana values of humility, respect, and resiliency.
Read his full May 2025 Local Spotlight below:
Mr. President, I want to congratulate John Foster, a Louisiana native and fellow LSU Tiger, on an impressive run on American Idol.John was the runner-up on this season of American Idol. And while it was not the outcome everyone in Louisiana was hoping for, he represented himself and Louisiana well on a national stage. John’s performances were excellent and inspiring. He was also practicing and performing as he is pursuing pre-med!John, well done on pursuing both your dream and your education. From all of us back home, keep singing. You are first place in Louisiana.
Background
Last month, Cassidy highlighted Mrs. Louise McClelland for her 105th birthday. Louise served her community for 35 years as a teacher and continues to inspire her community with her joy and adventurous spirit.
Source: United States Senator for Maine Susan Collins
Published: May 28, 2025
Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Susan Collins, Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, announced that 15 Public Housing Authorities (PHAs) in Maine have been awarded a total of $10,772,889 through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) Public Housing Capital Fund Formula Grant program to support the development, financing, and modernization of Public Housing properties.
“The dedicated staff at housing authorities throughout Maine work hard to connect seniors, individuals with disabilities, and low-income individuals and families to programs that help them improve their quality of life,” said Senator Collins. “With this funding, housing authorities across the state will continue the important work within their local communities to ensure that the needs of their residents are met.”
The grant funding is allocated as follows:
Portland Housing Authority – $3,413,858
Bangor Housing Authority – $2,052,361
Lewiston Housing Authority – $1,298,068
Waterville Housing Authority – $745,293
Presque Isle Housing Authority – $688,006
Auburn Housing Authority – $478,784
Brewer Housing Authority – $452,242
Bar Harbor Housing Authority – $383,748
Van Buren Housing Authority – $332,926
Fort Fairfield Housing Authority – $266,251
Old Town Housing Authority – $252,695
Ellsworth Housing Authority – $156,688
Southwest Harbor Housing Authority – $139,133
Tremont Housing Authority – $60,782
Mount Desert Housing Authority – $52,054
HUD’s Public Housing program ensures safe, decent, and affordable housing, and creates opportunities for residents’ self-sufficiency and economic independence.
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