Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Betty McCollum (DFL-Minn)
SAINT PAUL, Minn. — Congresswoman Betty McCollum (DFL-Minn.) reintroduced the Mississippi River Restoration and Resilience Initiative (MRRRI) Act(H.R. 2977) on Tuesday, aiming to establish a non-regulatory initiative to coordinate restoration and resilience opportunities along the Mississippi River corridor. MRRRI is modeled on the highly successful Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI). Upon reintroducing the legislation for the 119th Congress, Congresswoman McCollum issued the following statement:
“I grew up along the Mississippi River in South St. Paul, where I learned to cherish this world-class waterway,” said Congresswoman McCollum. “The river was a vital channel for commerce then, and it still is today. But back then, nobody cared for the Mississippi – and the quality of the water suffered, as did the ecosystem that relies on it. Thanks to those who stepped up to protect it, the Mississippi River remains a working river for the wildlife, families, recreationists, and businesses that depend on it.
“Earth Day is the ideal time to assess the great progress we’ve made, but at the same time, understand the growing risks. From the northernmost headwaters in Lake Itasca to the Middle Mississippi where it meets the Ohio River, and all the way down to the Mississippi Delta, the health of this great river continues to be at risk.Just days ago, the Mississippi River was named ‘America’s Most Endangered River’ by conservation organization American Rivers.
“Flooding and other extreme weather events, pollution, and runoff threaten the river and surrounding communities. The health of the river is critical not just for the sake of the natural beauty, wildlife, and climate change-fighting capabilities of these resources, but for our economy and so our communities can thrive as well. That’s why I’m proud to introduce the Mississippi River Restoration and Resilience Act. Future generations are counting on us. We must act with urgency.”
The Mississippi River Restoration and Resilience Initiative would:
Improve community resilience to climate change and reduce flood risk by restoring floodplains, riverine wetlands, delta and coastal wetlands, and backwaters
Improve drinking water quality in the Mississippi River and Gulf of Mexico by reducing polluted runoff
Protect and restore wildlife habitat throughout the river corridor
Prevent the spread of aquatic invasive species in the river system
Background:
McCollum first introduced the MRRRI Act in the U.S. House of Representatives in the 117th Congress.
The Mississippi River Restoration and Resilience Initiative (MRRRI) would invest in building resilience to increased flooding and storms, improving water quality, restoring wildlife habitat, and stopping the spread of aquatic invasive species. MRRRI would also improve coordination at the federal level around the challenges of protecting and improving the Mississippi River and make additional federal investments all along the Mississippi River Corridor. The initiative would fund community-driven projects,guided by an action plan that is shaped by state, tribal, and local government partners with the input of stakeholders working together to improve the health of America’s River and the communities that rely on it.
The changes to the bill for the 119th Congress are:
Adding reference to the Hypoxia Task Force as a consulting entity and making clear that MRRRI is not to supplant the functions of the Hypoxia Task Force;
Removal of the findings section
Changing the wording of eligible activity (xi) to emphasize building capacity within communities to undertake MRRRI projects
Removal of funding set-asides and related definitions
Changing the number of Mississippi River Science Centers to 3 (A National, Upper, & Lower center).
Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Betty McCollum (DFL-Minn)
SAINT PAUL, Minn. — Congresswoman Betty McCollum, Ranking Member of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense, issued the following statement after news reports of another improper Signal group chat involving Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth:
“Starting with the moment Pete Hegseth was nominated to lead the Department of Defense, my fellow Democrats and I have warned the American people that Mr. Hegseth was grossly unqualified to serve as Secretary of Defense,” said Congresswoman McCollum. “Now in office, it has become clear that not only is Secretary Hegseth completely incompetent, but his actions are jeopardizing the national security of the United States.
“Secretary Hegseth has demonstrated a clear pattern of repeatedly mishandling classified information. In March, he disclosed detailed information in a Signal chat about impending U.S. military operations in Yemen which was clearly classified. Now it has come to light that Secretary Hegseth initiated his own Signal chat on his personal phone where he shared classified information on U.S. military operations with personnel not authorized to access that information. This included the Secretary’s family. This type of conduct by a Secretary of Defense is completely unprecedented, unbecoming of the office, and dangerous. If anyone else in the military did what Secretary Hegseth did, they would be fired immediately, could be dishonorably discharged, and certainly would lose their security clearance.
“Republicans in Congress are failing to do their job to hold oversight hearings into the Secretary’s conduct and the conduct of President Trump’s national security team. They must do so immediately – our national security is at risk.
“The time has come for Secretary Hegseth to resign.”
Source: US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Note: The expiration time in the watch graphic is amended if the watch is replaced, cancelled or extended.Note: Click for Watch Status Reports. SEL6
URGENT – IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED Tornado Watch Number 176 NWS Storm Prediction Center Norman OK 445 PM CDT Sat Apr 26 2025
The NWS Storm Prediction Center has issued a
* Tornado Watch for portions of Southwest Arkansas Southeast Oklahoma Far Northeast Texas
* Effective this Saturday afternoon and evening from 445 PM until 1000 PM CDT.
* Primary threats include… A couple tornadoes possible Isolated damaging wind gusts to 70 mph possible Isolated large hail events to 1.5 inches in diameter possible
SUMMARY…Environment will remain sufficiently favorable for some supercell storms through at least early evening across the region, which includes some tornado potential.
The tornado watch area is approximately along and 55 statute miles north and south of a line from 40 miles south southwest of Mcalester OK to 40 miles south of Hot Springs AR. For a complete depiction of the watch see the associated watch outline update (WOUS64 KWNS WOU6).
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS…
REMEMBER…A Tornado Watch means conditions are favorable for tornadoes and severe thunderstorms in and close to the watch area. Persons in these areas should be on the lookout for threatening weather conditions and listen for later statements and possible warnings.
&&
OTHER WATCH INFORMATION…CONTINUE…WW 175…
AVIATION…Tornadoes and a few severe thunderstorms with hail surface and aloft to 1.5 inches. Extreme turbulence and surface wind gusts to 60 knots. A few cumulonimbi with maximum tops to 450. Mean storm motion vector 24025.
…Guyer
SEL6
URGENT – IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED Tornado Watch Number 176 NWS Storm Prediction Center Norman OK 445 PM CDT Sat Apr 26 2025
The NWS Storm Prediction Center has issued a
* Tornado Watch for portions of Southwest Arkansas Southeast Oklahoma Far Northeast Texas
* Effective this Saturday afternoon and evening from 445 PM until 1000 PM CDT.
* Primary threats include… A couple tornadoes possible Isolated damaging wind gusts to 70 mph possible Isolated large hail events to 1.5 inches in diameter possible
SUMMARY…Environment will remain sufficiently favorable for some supercell storms through at least early evening across the region, which includes some tornado potential.
The tornado watch area is approximately along and 55 statute miles north and south of a line from 40 miles south southwest of Mcalester OK to 40 miles south of Hot Springs AR. For a complete depiction of the watch see the associated watch outline update (WOUS64 KWNS WOU6).
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS…
REMEMBER…A Tornado Watch means conditions are favorable for tornadoes and severe thunderstorms in and close to the watch area. Persons in these areas should be on the lookout for threatening weather conditions and listen for later statements and possible warnings.
&&
OTHER WATCH INFORMATION…CONTINUE…WW 175…
AVIATION…Tornadoes and a few severe thunderstorms with hail surface and aloft to 1.5 inches. Extreme turbulence and surface wind gusts to 60 knots. A few cumulonimbi with maximum tops to 450. Mean storm motion vector 24025.
…Guyer
Note: The Aviation Watch (SAW) product is an approximation to the watch area. The actual watch is depicted by the shaded areas. SAW6 WW 176 TORNADO AR OK TX 262145Z – 270300Z AXIS..55 STATUTE MILES NORTH AND SOUTH OF LINE.. 40SSW MLC/MCALESTER OK/ – 40S HOT/HOT SPRINGS AR/ ..AVIATION COORDS.. 50NM N/S /33SSW MLC – 42NNW ELD/ HAIL SURFACE AND ALOFT..1.5 INCHES. WIND GUSTS..60 KNOTS. MAX TOPS TO 450. MEAN STORM MOTION VECTOR 24025.
LAT…LON 35149605 34689310 33099310 33559605
THIS IS AN APPROXIMATION TO THE WATCH AREA. FOR A COMPLETE DEPICTION OF THE WATCH SEE WOUS64 KWNS FOR WOU6.
Watch 176 Status Report Message has not been issued yet.
Note: Click for Complete Product Text.Tornadoes
Probability of 2 or more tornadoes
Mod (30%)
Probability of 1 or more strong (EF2-EF5) tornadoes
Low (10%)
Wind
Probability of 10 or more severe wind events
Low (20%)
Probability of 1 or more wind events > 65 knots
Low ( 2 inches
Low (10%)
Combined Severe Hail/Wind
Probability of 6 or more combined severe hail/wind events
Mod (60%)
For each watch, probabilities for particular events inside the watch (listed above in each table) are determined by the issuing forecaster. The “Low” category contains probability values ranging from less than 2% to 20% (EF2-EF5 tornadoes), less than 5% to 20% (all other probabilities), “Moderate” from 30% to 60%, and “High” from 70% to greater than 95%. High values are bolded and lighter in color to provide awareness of an increased threat for a particular event.
Source: US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
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Apr 26, 2025 1930 UTC Day 3 Severe Thunderstorm Outlook
Updated: Sat Apr 26 19:39:51 UTC 2025 (Print Version | | )
Probabilistic to Categorical Outlook Conversion Table
Forecast Discussion
SPC AC 261939
Day 3 Convective Outlook NWS Storm Prediction Center Norman OK 0239 PM CDT Sat Apr 26 2025
Valid 281200Z – 291200Z
…THERE IS A MODERATE RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS IN CENTRAL AND EASTERN IA/SOUTHEAST MN/WESTERN WI…
…SUMMARY… An outbreak of severe weather remains likely across portions of the Upper Midwest, centered on Monday afternoon and evening. Very large hail, strong tornadoes, and damaging winds are expected.
…Synopsis… Multiple shortwave impulses embedded within a broader positive-tilt upper trough will eject into/across the North-Central States during the period. Primary surface cyclone, over central/eastern SD Monday morning, will remain nearly steady-state as it tracks east-northeast across the Upper Great Lakes.
…Upper Midwest… Elevated convection should be ongoing at 12Z Monday, centered on ND arcing southeast across the Upper MS Valley. Isolated severe hail may accompany this morning activity as it progresses eastward along the leading edge of a stout EML. Regenerative elevated storm development should persist northeast of the surface cyclone track across the Red River Valley through northern MN, likely limiting the northward advancement of the surface warm front during the day. Guidance differs markedly with the degree of northward destabilization into northern MN, lowering confidence in the degree of severe threat here.
South of early-period storms/cloud coverage, pronounced destabilization will occur beneath the initially stout EML amid strong low-level moist advection. Cooling mid-level temperatures during the afternoon will be favorably timed with peak heating to support thunderstorms across southern MN into northern IA. Greater coverage is expected with northern extent which may yield more linear organization, compared to more discrete/isolated coverage trailing southward. A mix of all hazards is anticipated with an increasing severe threat into the early/mid evening as the low-level jet strengthens across the Upper MS Valley to Upper Great Lakes. The southern portion of this will be the more favored corridor for open warm sector discrete supercells capable of producing strong tornadoes. By late evening, linear clusters will likely overtake much of the discrete convection as the cold front advances rapidly east-southeast. Damaging wind gusts and embedded tornadoes will remain possible through the late evening and perhaps into the overnight hours.
…KS/MO to west TX… A strongly unstable/sheared warm sector will exist along/east of the dryline. Forcing for ascent should be much weaker than farther north with only weak mid-level height falls along the dryline. Most probable storm signals are after the nocturnal low-level jet increases during the evening in the southern Great Plains. This could support isolated supercells into Monday night.
..Grams.. 04/26/2025
CLICK TO GET WUUS03 PTSDY3 PRODUCT
NOTE: THE NEXT DAY 3 OUTLOOK IS SCHEDULED BY 0730Z
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Source: US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
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Apr 26, 2025 1730 UTC Day 2 Convective Outlook
Updated: Sat Apr 26 17:18:06 UTC 2025 (Print Version | | )
Probabilistic to Categorical Outlook Conversion Table
Forecast Discussion
SPC AC 261718
Day 2 Convective Outlook NWS Storm Prediction Center Norman OK 1218 PM CDT Sat Apr 26 2025
Valid 271200Z – 281200Z
…THERE IS A SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS IN PARTS OF THE NORTHERN/CENTRAL GREAT PLAINS…
…SUMMARY… Isolated to scattered severe thunderstorms are possible on Sunday evening into early morning Monday across parts of the northern and central Great Plains. Large hail should be the predominant hazard.
…Synopsis… A strong upper-level jetlet will eject through the basal portion of a broad trough over the West. This should overspread the southern Rockies into the central High Plains by Sunday night. Primary surface cyclone will diurnally deepen over the central High Plains, with a secondary low downstream of the Bighorn Mountains. The primary low will advance northeast into the central SD vicinity by 12Z Monday. A north/south-oriented lee trough/dryline will extend through the southern High Plains.
…Northern Great Plains to NE… Large-scale ascent will be focused across this region, especially Sunday evening/night as mid-level height falls/upper-level diffluence increase ahead of the approaching trough/jet streak. Two corridors of initial storm development are apparent by early evening, centered on the NE Panhandle and southeast MT, just ahead of the aforementioned surface lows. Rich low-level moisture will likely remain displaced to the southeast of both regions, but adequate moisture should be present for a few supercells with low-level southeasterlies beneath strengthening southwesterly mid/upper winds. The breadth of the uncapped warm-moist sector will be confined though and convection will likely become predominately elevated Sunday night. However, increasing convective coverage is anticipated within the exit region of a strong low-level jet nosing into the Mid-MO Valley. Large hail should be the overarching threat, with a mixed wind/hail threat possibly evolving amid signals of a linear cluster into western/central SD.
…KS to west TX… A very conditional severe threat will extend along the dryline. A plume of large buoyancy coincident with a supercell wind profile will exist from northwest TX into western KS. Forcing for ascent, outside of a weakly retreating dryline circulation, is nebulous. Thunderstorm probabilities appear to be around 10 percent or less, outside of the TX Big Bend during the late afternoon and evening.
..Grams.. 04/26/2025
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NOTE: THE NEXT DAY 2 OUTLOOK IS SCHEDULED BY 0600Z
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Source: US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
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Apr 26, 2025 2000 UTC Day 1 Convective Outlook
Updated: Sat Apr 26 19:46:00 UTC 2025 (Print Version | | )
Probabilistic to Categorical Outlook Conversion Table
Forecast Discussion
SPC AC 261946
Day 1 Convective Outlook NWS Storm Prediction Center Norman OK 0246 PM CDT Sat Apr 26 2025
Valid 262000Z – 271200Z
…THERE IS A SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS FOR EASTERN NEW MEXICO AND THE PERMIAN BASIN AND PARTS OF THE TEXARKANA REGION…
…SUMMARY… Scattered severe thunderstorms are possible over eastern New Mexico into parts of west Texas this afternoon through the evening. A threat for very large hail and possibly a couple of tornadoes are the primary risks. Scattered damaging gusts are possible this afternoon for parts of the Red River Valley.
…20z Update… The previous forecast largely remains on track with the only notable change being an eastward shift/expansion of 15% wind probabilities (Slight risk) across portions of southeast OK, northeast TX, and into far southwest AR. As of 19 UTC, regional radar mosaics show deepening thunderstorms along a residual outflow boundary/effective warm front ahead of a decaying MCS. Along this boundary, temperatures have warmed into the low 80s with upper 60s/low 70s dewpoints, resulting in MLCAPE exceeding 2000 J/kg. A recent ACARS sounding from DFW sampled 30-35 knot mid-level flow over the region, which should be sufficient for some storm organization/longevity with an attendant threat for all hazards. Storm interactions should favor clustering through late afternoon and may support a focused corridor of wind damage/gust potential downstream of the developing storms. See the previous discussion below and MCDs #568 and #569 for additional details.
..Moore.. 04/26/2025
.PREV DISCUSSION… /ISSUED 1143 AM CDT Sat Apr 26 2025/
…NM into the Southern Plains and ArkLaTex… Visible satellite-radar composite shows a front/outflow pushing south across South Plains and Caprock over portions of west TX and westward into parts of eastern NM. This boundary will likely stall later this afternoon while moist upslope flow is maintained from the Permian Basin northwestward into southeast/eastern NM. Surface observations show a reservoir of lower to mid 60s dewpoints over southeast NM and west TX south of the boundary. Moderately strong west-southwesterly mid to high-level flow will extend east from the base of a West Coast trough into the southern Great Plains today.
Strong heating over eastern NM will aid in moderate destabilization (1000-2500 J/kg MLCAPE) from parts of northeast NM southward into the Eastern Plains/Permian Basin where buoyancy will be greatest. Models shows gradual erosion of convective inhibition later this afternoon with isolated to scattered storms developing in the vicinity of the dryline/composite front. Steep 700-500 mb lapse rates sampled on the 12z Midland, TX raob atop a deep/moist boundary layer will support supercell development in conjunction with a veering and gradually strengthening wind profile. Large to very large hail will be possible with a few of these stronger storms. A tornado risk may develop during the late afternoon/early evening. Some of this activity may grow upscale into a small cluster this evening posing a hail/wind threat is moves east-southeast into parts of west TX.
Farther east, an MCS will continue east across OK this afternoon. Moist low levels in the vicinity of the Red River may enable a re-invigoration of storms this afternoon. Damaging gusts appear to be the primary risk with these storms.
…Northeast/Mid Atlantic/Carolinas… A shortwave trough will continue moving through southern Ontario and the adjacent Lower Great Lakes. A cold front will progress eastward, moving through the northern Mid-Atlantic by this evening and the remainder of the Mid-Atlantic States by tonight. A relatively moist airmass is already in place ahead of this front, and thunderstorm development appears likely along the front as it moves eastward throughout the period. Highest coverage is anticipated from the Hudson Valley/NYC vicinity southward across the Delmarva to the Chesapeake Bay.
Gradually strengthening midlevel flow and deep-layer shear could support a few stronger cells/clusters during the afternoon and evening. Diurnal heating will be tempered by cloud cover, limiting the overall buoyancy and updraft magnitude. Even so, some locally damaging wind and small to near-severe hail could accompany the strongest storms. Best overlap between the buoyancy and shear is expected from NJ into the Delmarva vicinity from 18Z to 21Z.
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Source: US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
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Apr 26, 2025 1630 UTC Day 1 Convective Outlook
Updated: Sat Apr 26 16:43:07 UTC 2025 (Print Version | | )
Probabilistic to Categorical Outlook Conversion Table
Forecast Discussion
SPC AC 261643
Day 1 Convective Outlook NWS Storm Prediction Center Norman OK 1143 AM CDT Sat Apr 26 2025
Valid 261630Z – 271200Z
…THERE IS A SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS FOR EASTERN NEW MEXICO AND THE PERMIAN BASIN…
…SUMMARY… Scattered severe thunderstorms are possible over eastern New Mexico into parts of west Texas this afternoon through the evening. A threat for very large hail and possibly a couple of tornadoes are the primary risks. Scattered damaging gusts are possible this afternoon for parts of the Red River Valley.
…NM into the Southern Plains and ArkLaTex… Visible satellite-radar composite shows a front/outflow pushing south across South Plains and Caprock over portions of west TX and westward into parts of eastern NM. This boundary will likely stall later this afternoon while moist upslope flow is maintained from the Permian Basin northwestward into southeast/eastern NM. Surface observations show a reservoir of lower to mid 60s dewpoints over southeast NM and west TX south of the boundary. Moderately strong west-southwesterly mid to high-level flow will extend east from the base of a West Coast trough into the southern Great Plains today.
Strong heating over eastern NM will aid in moderate destabilization (1000-2500 J/kg MLCAPE) from parts of northeast NM southward into the Eastern Plains/Permian Basin where buoyancy will be greatest. Models shows gradual erosion of convective inhibition later this afternoon with isolated to scattered storms developing in the vicinity of the dryline/composite front. Steep 700-500 mb lapse rates sampled on the 12z Midland, TX raob atop a deep/moist boundary layer will support supercell development in conjunction with a veering and gradually strengthening wind profile. Large to very large hail will be possible with a few of these stronger storms. A tornado risk may develop during the late afternoon/early evening. Some of this activity may grow upscale into a small cluster this evening posing a hail/wind threat is moves east-southeast into parts of west TX.
Farther east, an MCS will continue east across OK this afternoon. Moist low levels in the vicinity of the Red River may enable a re-invigoration of storms this afternoon. Damaging gusts appear to be the primary risk with these storms.
…Northeast/Mid Atlantic/Carolinas… A shortwave trough will continue moving through southern Ontario and the adjacent Lower Great Lakes. A cold front will progress eastward, moving through the northern Mid-Atlantic by this evening and the remainder of the Mid-Atlantic States by tonight. A relatively moist airmass is already in place ahead of this front, and thunderstorm development appears likely along the front as it moves eastward throughout the period. Highest coverage is anticipated from the Hudson Valley/NYC vicinity southward across the Delmarva to the Chesapeake Bay.
Gradually strengthening midlevel flow and deep-layer shear could support a few stronger cells/clusters during the afternoon and evening. Diurnal heating will be tempered by cloud cover, limiting the overall buoyancy and updraft magnitude. Even so, some locally damaging wind and small to near-severe hail could accompany the strongest storms. Best overlap between the buoyancy and shear is expected from NJ into the Delmarva vicinity from 18Z to 21Z.
..Smith/Wendt.. 04/26/2025
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Source: US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Mesoscale Discussion 569
Mesoscale Discussion 0569 NWS Storm Prediction Center Norman OK 0228 PM CDT Sat Apr 26 2025
Areas affected…Portions of eastern New Mexico into the Trans-Pecos
Concerning…Severe potential…Watch possible
Valid 261928Z – 262130Z
Probability of Watch Issuance…60 percent
SUMMARY…Large to very-large hail and perhaps a tornado or two are possible with supercells near an outflow boundary this afternoon/evening. A watch may eventually be needed. Convective trends will be monitored.
DISCUSSION…With continuing convection within Oklahoma and western North Texas, outflow has continued to push west/southwestward into eastern New Mexico and through the South Plains. While a few towering cumulus have been observed along this outflow boundary during the afternoon, residence time within the zone of ascent has been too short to promote deep convection. Farther to the west, southeasterly winds have pushed mid/upper 50s F dewpoints into the southern Rockies. Convection has been slowly deepening per day cloud phase imagery. The most likely scenario is for a few storms to develop within the next 2-3 hours and propagate east-southeastward as the outflow boundary pushes up against the terrain.
With 1000-2000 J/kg MLCAPE near and just behind the outflow boundary (where it has remained cloud free) and 30-40 kts of effective shear across the boundary, supercells would likely be the dominant storm mode. Steep mid-level lapse rates sampled in this mornings observed soundings in the region suggest large to very-large hail would be possible along with isolated severe gusts. The tornado threat is somewhat less certain given what will at least initially be weak low-level winds. However, backed surface winds along/near the outflow boundary will provide greater SRH for storms that favorably interact with it. There will be a modest increase in the low-level jet this evening, but, given the more stable conditions with eastward extent, the spatial window for greater tornado potential appears limited/conditional. Convective trends will continue to be monitored. A watch may eventually be needed, but timing remains uncertain.
Source: US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Note: The expiration time in the watch graphic is amended if the watch is replaced, cancelled or extended.Note: Click for Watch Status Reports. SEL5
URGENT – IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED Tornado Watch Number 175 NWS Storm Prediction Center Norman OK 250 PM MDT Sat Apr 26 2025
The NWS Storm Prediction Center has issued a
* Tornado Watch for portions of Eastern New Mexico West Texas
* Effective this Saturday afternoon and evening from 250 PM until 900 PM MDT.
* Primary threats include… A couple tornadoes possible Scattered large hail and isolated very large hail events to 3 inches in diameter likely Isolated damaging wind gusts to 70 mph possible
SUMMARY…Isolated to widely scattered severe thunderstorms are forecast to develop this afternoon into the evening. Supercells capable of large to very large hail and possibly a couple of tornadoes will be the primary hazards.
The tornado watch area is approximately along and 60 statute miles east and west of a line from 50 miles northwest of Tucumcari NM to 45 miles south southwest of Hobbs NM. For a complete depiction of the watch see the associated watch outline update (WOUS64 KWNS WOU5).
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS…
REMEMBER…A Tornado Watch means conditions are favorable for tornadoes and severe thunderstorms in and close to the watch area. Persons in these areas should be on the lookout for threatening weather conditions and listen for later statements and possible warnings.
&&
AVIATION…Tornadoes and a few severe thunderstorms with hail surface and aloft to 3 inches. Extreme turbulence and surface wind gusts to 60 knots. A few cumulonimbi with maximum tops to 450. Mean storm motion vector 27020.
…Smith
Note: The Aviation Watch (SAW) product is an approximation to the watch area. The actual watch is depicted by the shaded areas. SAW5 WW 175 TORNADO NM TX 262050Z – 270300Z AXIS..60 STATUTE MILES EAST AND WEST OF LINE.. 50NW TCC/TUCUMCARI NM/ – 45SSW HOB/HOBBS NM/ ..AVIATION COORDS.. 50NM E/W /43NW TCC – 19NW INK/ HAIL SURFACE AND ALOFT..3 INCHES. WIND GUSTS..60 KNOTS. MAX TOPS TO 450. MEAN STORM MOTION VECTOR 27020.
LAT…LON 35680316 32070249 32070454 35680530
THIS IS AN APPROXIMATION TO THE WATCH AREA. FOR A COMPLETE DEPICTION OF THE WATCH SEE WOUS64 KWNS FOR WOU5.
Watch 175 Status Report Message has not been issued yet.
Note: Click for Complete Product Text.Tornadoes
Probability of 2 or more tornadoes
Mod (30%)
Probability of 1 or more strong (EF2-EF5) tornadoes
Low (20%)
Wind
Probability of 10 or more severe wind events
Mod (30%)
Probability of 1 or more wind events > 65 knots
Low (20%)
Hail
Probability of 10 or more severe hail events
Mod (60%)
Probability of 1 or more hailstones > 2 inches
Mod (60%)
Combined Severe Hail/Wind
Probability of 6 or more combined severe hail/wind events
High (80%)
For each watch, probabilities for particular events inside the watch (listed above in each table) are determined by the issuing forecaster. The “Low” category contains probability values ranging from less than 2% to 20% (EF2-EF5 tornadoes), less than 5% to 20% (all other probabilities), “Moderate” from 30% to 60%, and “High” from 70% to greater than 95%. High values are bolded and lighter in color to provide awareness of an increased threat for a particular event.
Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Doris Matsui (D-CA)
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today on Arbor Day, Congresswoman Doris Matsui (D-CA) and Congressmen Emanuel Cleaver (D-MO) and Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA) reintroduced the TREES Act, a bill that will help homeowners lower energy costs, increase tree canopy in underserved communities, and help mitigate the effects of climate change through residential tree planting.
The TREES Act would create a cost-share grant program at the Department of Energy to provide $50 million in funding to plant a minimum of 300,000 trees annually in residential neighborhoods through 2028. The program seeks to prioritize low wealth communities as well as areas with low tree canopy and heat islands.
“Urban forests are critical to addressing climate change and air pollution,” said Congresswoman Matsui. “Sacramento is the City of Trees—and through the proactive efforts of local organizations and partners we are working hard to build out a more equitable urban tree canopy across our city. The benefits at the local level are clear: we can lower energy costs, reduce temperatures on our streets, improve air quality, reduce stormwater runoff, and beautify our neighborhoods—all leading to healthier and more climate resilient communities. The TREES Act incentivizes successful programs like ours and scales them to the national level. By creating a competitive federal tree-planting grant program, we can empower communities to improve access to green space and clean air, reduce consumer costs, and help fight climate change.”
“Kansas Citians know all too well that extreme heat waves are becoming increasingly frequent, costly, and dangerous to communities in the urban core due to the heat island effect exacerbating the historic rise in temperatures we’re seeing around the globe,” said Congressman Cleaver. “By providing states and municipalities the resources necessary to expand tree canopy in cities, we can not only boost the beautification and restoration of places like Kansas City, but we can also lower energy costs and temperatures to the benefit of local residents. That’s precisely what the TREES Act will do, and why I’m proud to introduce this bipartisan legislation with Congresswoman Matsui.”
“The TREES Act brings together environmental stewardship and economic relief—lowering energy costs while making our communities cleaner, healthier, and more vibrant,” said Congressman Fitzpatrick. “This is about investing in where we live—expanding green spaces, improving air quality, and creating lasting value for families in Bucks County, Montgomery County, and beyond. It’s a smart, bipartisan solution that delivers where it matters most: at the roots of our neighborhoods.”
“We support the TREES Act and all it does to benefit communities across the country,” said SMUD CEO & General Manager Paul Lau. “Today we celebrate our trees and our continued partnership with the Sacramento Tree Foundation which has planted more than 630,000 trees in our local neighborhoods. This urban canopy helps to cool our cities and homes, and clean our air through carbon sequestration. The value they add is immeasurable. The TREEs Act will continue to foster our ability to create cleaner, healthier and more sustainable communities for everyone. Thank you for this continued effort.”
“Trees help to create livable and loveable communities,” said Jessica Sanders, Executive Director of the Sacramento Tree Foundation. “We applaud the TREES Act for recognizing that we need action now to create a collaborative community focused on making our communities healthier and more resilient. The TREES Act will allow our children to grow up in tree lined communities with healthy air and healthy neighborhoods.”
“This bill isn’t just about planting trees—it’s about improving lives,” said Joel Pannell, American Forests Vice President of Urban Forests Policy. “The bipartisan TREES Act delivers local benefits that communities will feel for generations—from cleaner air to lower utility bills—proving that smart, shared solutions can still bring people together. We thank Rep. Matsui, Rep. Fitzpatrick and Rep. Cleaver for introducing this critical and timely legislation.”
Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Doris Matsui (D-CA)
WASHINGTON, D.C – Today, Congresswoman Doris Matsui (CA-07), Co-Chair of the bipartisan National Service Caucus, led 149 lawmakers in sending a letter to President Donald Trump defending AmeriCorps and NCCC AmeriCorps members and calling on him to reverse cuts to the program made last week by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
The letter was also led by U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-DE), Co-Chair of the bipartisan National Service Caucus, U.S. SenatorMartin Heinrich (D-NM), Vice Chair of the bipartisan National Service Caucus, U.S. Senator Chuck Schumer (D-NY), and Congresswoman Alma Adams (NC-12), Ranking Member of the Education and Workforce Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Development.
The Trump Administration placed a majority of AmeriCorps employees on leave last week as part of DOGE’s broader spending cuts. Programs such as AmeriCorps and AmeriCorps Seniors deploy more than 200,000 Americans annually to carry out results-driven projects at over 35,000 locations across the country. Working in partnership with thousands of non-profit, faith-based, and community organizations, these dedicated volunteers and workers help promote employment opportunities, strengthen the workforce, and support those in need.
“We are deeply concerned these actions will prevent the agency from continuing to deliver critical services, which include supporting veterans, fighting wildfires, tutoring in schools, combatting the fentanyl epidemic, and much more,” the lawmakers wrote.
The lawmakers highlighted the program’s benefits to society, to AmeriCorps members, and to the federal government—pointing to a non-partisan study showing that there are an estimated $17 in benefits returned for every taxpayer dollar spent. Additionally, the recently passed Full-Year Continuing Appropriations and Extensions Act of 2025 maintains AmeriCorps funding at its Fiscal Year 2024 level and serves as a continuing resolution to extend federal government funding through the end of Fiscal Year 2025. The lawmakers emphasized that the administration is expected to implement the law in a manner consistent with the funding levels enacted in Fiscal Year 2024. Failure to do so would be a violation of the law.
“If not reversed, these recent actions will both stop current programs and prevent timely and efficient execution of the agency’s Fiscal Year 2025 appropriations, delaying or even halting the recruitment and deployment of new AmeriCorps members around the country,” the lawmakers continued.
AmeriCorps programs serve communities nationwide, including in California, where roughly 7,000 AmeriCorps members provide intensive service at AmeriCorps programs in over 1,000 locations, including schools, non-profits, public agencies, and community centers across the state. If the Trump Administration’s actions aren’t reversed, these critical services could come to a halt.
“We are deeply concerned that this is the goal: to eliminate AmeriCorps, in direct conflict with recently enacted appropriations. However, even delays will disrupt programs Americans rely on for their health, education, and safety. We urge you to reverse these actions and instead work with Congress on bipartisan improvements to AmeriCorps so that more Americans have the opportunity to serve their communities,” the lawmakers concluded.
You can read the full text of the letter hereand below.
Dear President Trump:
We write to express our strong support for AmeriCorps and urge you to reverse both the recall of all NCCC AmeriCorps members and the recently implemented drastic reductions in force across the AmeriCorps agency. We are deeply concerned these actions will prevent the agency from continuing to deliver critical services, which include supporting veterans, fighting wildfires, tutoring in schools, combatting the fentanyl epidemic, and much more.
For more than thirty years, AmeriCorps has been our nation’s leading provider of grants that support and promote national service and volunteerism. Through programs like AmeriCorps and AmeriCorps Seniors, more than 200,000 Americans participate in results-driven service projects at more than 35,000 locations across the country each year. Working hand in hand with thousands of nonprofit, faith-based, and community organizations, these dedicated Americans recruit and manage millions of additional volunteers as they work to promote employment opportunities, prepare a better-trained workforce, and provide essential services to veterans, children, and seniors. AmeriCorps’ track record of delivering for Americans has earned broad and longstanding support from business leaders, mayors, and governors of both parties.
AmeriCorps is a public-private partnership that leverages approximately $1 billion in matched resources from the private sector, foundations, and local agencies to support organizations across the country working in creative ways to tackle our most persistent and costly challenges. While it is important the agency continues to make measurable progress toward an improved audit performance, federal investments in AmeriCorps already deliver returns for the American people. A 2020 study found that for every one dollar that Congress appropriates to AmeriCorps and AmeriCorps Seniors programs, they return over $17 in benefits to society, program members, and the government. Further, the AmeriCorps programs are a smart investment in our country’s future. AmeriCorps service allows members to gain marketable job skills in high-demand fields and pursue higher education, preparing more Americans to succeed in the workforce.
We have seen firsthand the critical impact these programs have across the states we represent. We urge the administration to continue implementing the statutory requirements of the national service laws:
Domestic Volunteer Service Act of 1973, Public Law 93-113.
National and Community Service Act of 1990, Public Law 101-610.
National and Community Service Trust Act of 1993, Public Law 103-82.
Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act of 2009, Public Law 111-13.
Additionally, Congress recently passed the Full-Year Continuing Appropriations and Extensions Act of 2025, which maintained funding for AmeriCorps at its Fiscal Year 2024 level. We expect that the administration will implement this law in a manner consistent with the allocations enacted in Fiscal Year 2024. However, we have grave concerns that significant reductions in force will prevent AmeriCorps from being able to effectively and efficiently award appropriated funding to programs operating in communities across the country.
We are deeply concerned by reports that a majority of AmeriCorps staff have been placed on administrative leave and that more than 750 NCCC members have already been recalled from their field assignments. Many of these volunteers were working in disaster response roles, including building homes for individuals who lost theirs in the wake of Hurricanes Helene and Milton. If not reversed, these recent actions will both stop current programs and prevent timely and efficient execution of the agency’s fiscal year 2025 appropriations, delaying or even halting the recruitment and deployment of new AmeriCorps members around the country. We are deeply concerned that is the goal: to eliminate AmeriCorps, in direct conflict with recently enacted appropriations. However, even delays will disrupt programs Americans rely on for their health, education, and safety. We urge you to reverse these actions and instead work with Congress on bipartisan improvements to AmeriCorps so that more Americans have the opportunity to serve their communities.
Activists for Palestine paid homage to Pope Francis in Aotearoa New Zealand today for his humility, care for marginalised in the world, and his courageous solidarity with the besieged people of Gaza at a street theatre rally just hours before his funeral in Rome.
He was remembered and thanked for his daily calls of concern to Gaza and his final public blessing last Sunday — the day before he died — calling for a ceasefire in Israel’s genocidal war on the Palestinian enclave.
Several speakers thanked the late Pope for his humanitarian concerns and spiritual leadership at the vigil in Auckland’s “Palestinian Corner” in Te Komititanga Square, beside the Britomart transport hub, as other rallies were held across New Zealand over the weekend.
“Last November, Pope Francis said that what is happening in Gaza was not a war. It was cruelty,” said Catholic deacon Chris Sullivan. “Because Israel is always claiming it is a war. But it isn’t a war, it’s just cruelty.”
During the last 18 months of his life, Pope Francis had a daily ritual — he called Gaza’s only Catholic church to see how people were coping with the “cruel” onslaught.
Deacon Sullivan said the people of the church in Gaza “have been attacked by Israeli rockets, Israeli shells, and Israeli snipers, and a number of people have been killed as a result of that.”
In his Easter message before dying, Pope Francis said: “I appeal to the warring parties: call a ceasefire, release the hostages and come to the aid of a starving people that aspires to a future of peace.”
‘We lost the best man’ Also speaking at today’s rally, Dr Abdallah Gouda said: “We lost the best man. He was talking about Palestine and he was working to stop this genocide.
“Pope Francis; as a Palestinian, as a Palestinian from Gaza, and as a Moslem, thank you Pope Francis. Thank you. And we will never, never forget you.
“As we will always talk about you, the man who called every night to talk to the Palestinians, and he asked, ‘what do you eat’. And he talked to leaders around the world to stop this genocide.”
Pope Francis called Gaza’s Catholic parish every night. Video: AJ+
In Rome, the coffin of Pope Francis made its way through the city from the Vatican after the funeral to reach Santa Maria Maggiore basilica for a private burial ceremony.
It arrived at the basilica after an imposing funeral ceremony at St Peter’s Square.
The Vatican said that more than 250,000 people attended the open-air service that was held under clear blue skies
Dozens of foreign dignitaries, including heads of state, were also in attendance.
Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re eulogised Pope Francis as a pontiff who knew how to communicate to the “least among us” and urged people to build bridges and not walls.
In Auckland at the “guerrilla theatre” event, several highly publicised examples of recent human rights violations and war crimes in Gaza were recreated in several skits with “actors” taking part from the crowd.
Palestinian Dr Faiez Idais role played the kidnapping of courageous Kamal Adwan Hospital medical director Dr Hussam Abu Safiya by the Israeli military last December and his detention and torture in captivity since.
Palestinian Dr Faiez Idais (hooded) during his role play for courageous Kamal Adwan Hospital medical director Dr Hussam Abu Safiya held prisoner by Israeli forces since December 2024. Image: APR
Khalil was seized by ICE agents from his university apartment without a warrant and abducted to a remote immigration prison in Louisiana but the courts have blocked his deportation in a high profile case.
He is one of at least 300 students who have been captured ICE agents for criticising Israel and its genocide.
A one-and-a-half-year-old child holds a “peace for all children” in Gaza placard at today’s rally. Image: APR
The skits included a condemnation of the US corporation Starbucks, the world’s leading coffee roaster and retailer, with mock blood being kicked over fake bodies on the plaza.
The backlash against the brand has caused heavy losses and 100 outlets in Malaysia have been forced to shut down.
Singers and musicians Hone Fowler, who was also MC, Brenda Liddiard and Mark Laurent — including their dedicated “Make Peace Today” inspired by Jesus’ “Blessed are the peacemakers” — also lifted the spirits of the crowd.
Protesters call for an end to the genocide in Palestine, both in Gaza and the West Bank. Image: APR
The President of the Council of Ministers, Giorgia Meloni, met with the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, at Palazzo Chigi today.
During the meeting, the leaders reaffirmed their support for President Trump’s efforts to reach a just and lasting peace, able to guarantee a future of security, sovereignty and freedom for Ukraine.
Also on behalf of the Government, President Meloni expressed her condolences for the victims of the recent Russian attacks, reiterating the firm condemnation of such acts and stressing the urgency of an immediate and unconditional ceasefire, as well as the need for a concrete commitment from Moscow to initiate a peace process. President Meloni welcomed Ukraine’s full readiness for an immediate ceasefire. A concrete demonstration also from Russia of its willingness to pursue peace is now awaited.
This Monday marks 80 years since Italian dictator Benito Mussolini was killed in an Italian village towards the end of the Second World War in 1945. The following day, his body was publicly desecrated in Milan.
Given the scale of Adolf Hitler’s atrocities, our image of fascism today has largely been shaped by Nazism. Yet, Mussolini preceded Hitler. Il Duce, as Mussolini was known, was Hitler’s inspiration.
Today, as commentators, bloggers and scholars are debating whether the governments of US President Donald Trump, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban and Russian President Vladimir Putin are “fascist”, we can learn from Il Duce’s career about how democracies fail and dictators consolidate autocratic rule.
The early years
The term “fascist” itself originated around the time of Mussolini’s founding in 1914 of the Fasci d’Azione Rivoluzionaria, a militaristic group promoting Italy’s entry into the First World War.
Mussolini had been raised in a leftist family. Before WWI, he edited and wrote for socialist newspapers. Yet, from early on, the young rebel was also attracted to radically anti-democratic thinkers like Friedrich Nietzsche, George Sorel, and Wilfred Pareto.
When WWI broke out, Mussolini broke from the socialists, who opposed Italy’s involvement in the conflict. Like Hitler, he fought in the war. Mussolini considered his front-line experience as formative for his future ideas around fascism. His war experience led him to imagine making Italy great again – an imperial power worthy of the heritage of ancient Rome.
In March 1919, Mussolini formed the Fasci Italiani di Combattimento in Milan. This group brought together a motley collection of war veterans, primarily interested in fighting the socialists and communists. They were organised in squadristi (squads), which would become known for their black shirts and violence – they forced many of their targets to drink castor oil.
The political success of Mussolini’s fascist ideals, however, was neither instant nor inevitable. In the 1919 Italian elections, Mussolini received so few votes, communists held a mock funeral march outside his house to celebrate his political death.
The rise to power and the march on Rome
Fascism became a part of national political life in 1920-21, following waves of industrial and agricultural strikes and worker occupations of land and factories.
As a result, rural and industrial elites turned to the fascist squadristi to break strikes and combat workers’ organisations. Fascist squads also overturned the results of democratic elections in Bologna and Cremona, preventing left-wing candidates from assuming office.
The following October, fascists occupied the towns of Bolzano and Trento. The liberals, socialists and Italian monarchy were indecisive in the face of these provocations, allowing Mussolini to seize the moment. Mustering the fascist squads, he ordered the famous “march on Rome” in late October 2022 to demand he be appointed prime minister.
All the evidence suggests if the government had intervened, the march on Rome would have disbanded. It was a bold piece of political theatre. Nevertheless, fearing civil war — and the communists more than the black shirts — King Victor Emmanuel III caved in without a shot being fired.
Mussolini was made leader of a new government on October 31, 1922.
The consolidation of dictatorship
Like Hitler in 1933, Mussolini’s rule started as the head of a coalition government including non-fascist parties. Yet, with the repressive powers of the state now at his disposal, Mussolini exploited the division among his rivals and gradually consolidated power.
In 1923, the communist party was targeted with mass arrests and the fascist squads were brought under official state control as a paramilitary force. Mussolini began to use state powers to surveil all non-fascist political parties.
In the 1924 general election, with fascist militia menacingly manning the polls, Il Duce won 65% of the vote.
Then, in June, socialist leader Giacomo Matteotti was kidnapped and murdered by black shirts. When investigations pointed to Mussolini’s responsibility, he at first denied any knowledge of the killing. Months later, however, Mussolini proudly admitted responsibility for the deed, celebrating the fascists’ brutality. He faced no legal or political consequences.
The last nail in the coffin of Italy’s enfeebled democracy came in late 1926. Following an assassination attempt in which Mussolini’s nose was grazed (he wore a bandage for a time afterwards), Mussolini definitively banned all political opposition.
The “lesser evil”
Following his death in April 1945, Mussolini’s dictatorship was often portrayed as “dictatorship-lite”, a “lesser evil” compared to Nazism or Stalinist Russia. This narrative, bolstered by German crimes against Italians in the last months of the war, has understandably been embraced by many Italians.
Mussolini also pursued an imperialist dream by invading Ethiopia. Defying international conventions, Il Duce’s troops used chemical weapons and summary executions to quell acts of resistance. Over 700,000 Ethiopians are estimated by scholars to have been killed by the invaders, with around 35,000 forced into internment camps.
Italian Ca-111 bombers over Ethiopia in the 1930s. Getty Images/Wikimedia Commons
Mussolini’s fascists ran over 30 concentration camps from 1926–45, almost all of them offshore. Some 50–70,000 Libyans alone died in camps set up under Italy’s brutal colonial regime from 1929–34. Many more died through executions, starvation and ethnic cleansing.
Slovenian prisoner of the Italian Rab concentration camp. Archives, Museum of Modern History, Ljubljana/Wikimedia Commons
From late 1943, Italian fascists also participated in the rounding up of over 7,000 Italian Jews to transfer to Auschwitz. Almost all of them were murdered.
Following the war, even with Il Duce dead, few perpetrators faced justice for these atrocities.
Lessons for democracies after 80 years
The infamy of the crimes associated with the word “fascism” has meant that few people today claim the label – even those attracted to the same kinds of authoritarian, ethnonationalist politics.
Mussolini, even more than Hitler, can seem a bombastic fool, with his uniform, theatrical gestures, stylised hyper-masculinity and patented steely jaw.
Yet, one of the lessons of Mussolini’s career is that such political adventurists are only as strong as the democratic opposition allows. To fail to take them seriously is to enable their success.
Mussolini pushed his luck time and again between 1920 and 1926. As the wonderful recent teleseries of his ascent, Mussolini, Figlio del Seculo shows, time and again, the opposition failed to concertedly oppose the fascists’ attacks on democratic norms and institutions. Then it was too late.
Democracies mostly fall over time, by a thousand cuts and shifts of the goalposts of what is considered “normal”. Fascism, moreover, depends in no small measure on shameless political deception, including the readiness to conceal its own most radical intentions.
Fascist “strongmen” like Mussolini accumulate power thanks to people’s inabilities to believe that the barbarisation of political life – including open violence against opponents – could happen in their societies.
And there is a final, unsettling lesson of Mussolini’s career. Il Duce was a skilled propagandist who portrayed himself as leading a popular revolt to restore respectable values. He was able to win widespread popular support, including among the elites, even as he destroyed Italian democracy.
Yet, if the monarchy, military, other political parties and the church had attempted a principled, united opposition to fascism early enough, most of Mussolini’s crimes would likely have been avoided.
Matthew Sharpe has in the past (2013-17) received funding from the ARC to study religion and politics in the contemporary world.
Headline: Governor Josh Stein Extends State of Emergency for Western North Carolina Wildfires
Governor Josh Stein Extends State of Emergency for Western North Carolina Wildfires lsaito
Raleigh, NC
Governor Josh Stein has extended the State of Emergency for the western North Carolina wildfires in 34 counties. The State of Emergency extension will last for a period of 30 days.
“I appreciate all of the first responders, emergency managers, state forest rangers, and state and local officials working hard to protect North Carolinians from wildfires,” said Governor Josh Stein. “I am extending this State of Emergency to ensure the State Emergency Response Team has every resource available to continue to respond to wildfires to protect people and property.”
“I remain incredibly proud of our state’s local emergency managers and public safety personnel, and they have done a tremendous job with managing these wildfires since March” said North Carolina Emergency Management Director Will Ray. “From issuing evacuation orders, to opening shelters for those displaced, to working closely with state and federal forest service personnel to support the response, they remain a critical part of public safety here in North Carolina.”
“The spring wildfire season is off to a very busy start, which has kept the N.C. Forest Service, first responders and emergency management staff on their toes. Already in March and April, we have responded to 2,348 wildfire incidents involving over 23,000 acres,” said Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler. “I appreciate the Governor extending the State of Emergency and making resources available, especially with the elevated risk of wildfires in Western NC. I also urge people to use extreme caution when doing any burning.”
As many communities continue to see dry conditions and the recurrence of wildfire activity, the State Emergency Response Team continues to maintain regular communication with the North Carolina Forest Service and with county emergency management offices to ensure that first responders, state forest firefighters, and state forest rangers have the tools needed to keep people safe.
Since March, the State Emergency Response Team has been assisting counties with resource and personnel needs. North Carolina Emergency Management remains in close coordination with counties and has worked with the North Carolina Office of State Fire Marshal and the North Carolina Forest Service to deploy firefighters, logistical supplies, and equipment to communities needing assistance. Additionally, the State Emergency Operations Center’s 24-Hour Watch Center has assisted counties with issuing evacuation orders through the Wireless Emergency Alert Network and through the Integrated Public Alert and Warning System to inform residents that are potentially in the path of a wildfire.
The State of Emergency includes the following counties: Alexander, Alleghany, Ashe, Avery, Buncombe, Burke, Cabarrus, Caldwell, Catawba, Cherokee, Clay, Cleveland, Gaston, Graham, Haywood, Henderson, Iredell, Jackson, Lincoln, Macon, Madison, McDowell, Mecklenburg, Mitchell, Polk, Rowan, Rutherford, Stanly, Swain, Transylvania, Union, Watauga, Wilkes, Yancey, as well as the tribal lands of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians.
Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Mike Quigley (IL-05)
Chicago, Ill. – Today, U.S. Representative Mike Quigley (IL-05)released the following statement regarding the announcement that U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (IL) will not seek re-election:
“After serving the people of Illinois for over 40 years in Congress, my colleague Senator Dick Durbin has shared that he plans to retire at the end of his term.
“From securing federal funds to extend Chicago’s Red Line and bolster anti-flooding infrastructure, to supporting full LGBTQ+ equality, Senator Durbin has been an essential partner in solving problems right here at home. As the Senate Democratic whip for two decades, Durbin has also mobilized my Democratic colleagues to vote for transformative legislation, including the Affordable Care Act, First Step Act, and the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. In recent years, I have also been honored to work with Senator Durbin in advocating for Ukraine in the war against Russian aggression.
“Senator Durbin’s decision to retire embodies the essence of public service—doing what is best even when it is difficult. I will miss his partnership and advocacy in the Senate, but I look forward to seeing him thrive in this next chapter.”
0:14 These horses help prevent wildfires —The region of Galicia has always been prone to wildfires. It’s also home to ‘las bestas’. Europe’s largest herd of wild horses. These animals are deeply embedded in the local culture. The bestas also play a crucial role in curbing Galicia’s wildfires.
2:31 How meditation can benefit workers — David Ko is the CEO of Calm, an app for meditation, sleep and stress management. It has been downloaded more than 175 million times worldwide. Meditation sounds like a big, weighty concept, Ko says but it doesn’t need to be.
6:21 Argentina’s ‘wild-to-wild’ jaguar release — Mini is a 2-year-old jaguar born in the wild and the first ever to be ‘translocated’ or moved for conservation purposes. Mini was captured in late 2024 and she’s just been released in El Impenetrable National Park where rewilding experts hope to boost jaguar numbers and bridge the gap between scattered groups.
7:53 The origin of microfinance — In 1974 Muhammad Yunus was an economics lecturer at Chittagong University. Yunus set out to help those affected by poverty and famine. Today, the bank he founded provides micro-loans to 10.7 million people from more than 2,500 branches across Bangladesh.
The World Economic Forum is the International Organization for Public-Private Cooperation. The Forum engages the foremost political, business, cultural and other leaders of society to shape global, regional and industry agendas. We believe that progress happens by bringing together people from all walks of life who have the drive and the influence to make positive change.
ZURICH, April 26, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — The clock is ticking louder than ever. With only 48 hours remaining, the XploraDEX $XPL Presale and token distribution are approaching their dramatic finale. Time is running out for investors to secure their place in one of the XRP Ledger’s most groundbreaking DeFi launches.
XploraDEX has captured the XRP community’s imagination by delivering the first AI-powered decentralized exchange on XRPL. It’s not just another DEX—it’s a full-blown smart trading revolution. And now, the chance to enter early, at presale pricing, is about to vanish forever.
The last 48 hours are historically the most explosive in any major presale. Volume spikes. Allocations disappear. Newcomers flood in. And this is exactly what’s happening with XploraDEX.
Social media is ablaze. Whale wallets are still stacking. Telegram and X are flooded with new user onboarding. On-chain activity shows a race against time to grab the last available $XPL tokens.
Once the 2-day window closes:
$XPL will be listed at a higher valuation.
Early staking and governance rewards will begin.
AI-powered trading infrastructure will start onboarding.
If you’ve been watching from the sidelines, this is it. No second presale. No extension. No reset. Those who move now will be early participants in XRPL’s most advanced DeFi evolution.
Disclaimer: This press release is provided by the XploraDEX. The statements, views, and opinions expressed in this content are solely those of the content provider and do not necessarily reflect the views of this media platform or its publisher. We do not endorse, verify, or guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of any information presented. We do not guarantee any claims, statements, or promises made in this article. This content is for informational purposes only and should not be considered financial, investment, or trading advice.
Investing in crypto and mining-related opportunities involves significant risks, including the potential loss of capital. It is possible to lose all your capital. These products may not be suitable for everyone, and you should ensure that you understand the risks involved. Seek independent advice if necessary. Speculate only with funds that you can afford to lose. Readers are strongly encouraged to conduct their own research and consult with a qualified financial advisor before making any investment decisions. However, due to the inherently speculative nature of the blockchain sector—including cryptocurrency, NFTs, and mining—complete accuracy cannot always be guaranteed. Neither the media platform nor the publisher shall be held responsible for any fraudulent activities, misrepresentations, or financial losses arising from the content of this press release. In the event of any legal claims or charges against this article, we accept no liability or responsibility.
Globenewswire does not endorse any content on this page.
Legal Disclaimer: This media platform provides the content of this article on an “as-is” basis, without any warranties or representations of any kind, express or implied. We assume no responsibility for any inaccuracies, errors, or omissions. We do not assume any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information presented herein. Any concerns, complaints, or copyright issues related to this article should be directed to the content provider mentioned above.
SYDNEY, April 26, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — The momentum behind XenDex is nothing short of electric. As the first all-in-one decentralized exchange (DEX) on the XRP Ledger offering AI-powered copy trading, non-custodial lending and borrowing, and cross-chain functionality, XenDex has quickly captured the attention of crypto investors worldwide.
In barely 24 hours, XenDex’s $XDX presale has surpassed expectations, selling through its allocation at a pace no one anticipated. At the same time, thousands of new members have flooded into XenDex’s community channels, marking a massive early victory for what many now call XRP’s most important DeFi project to date.
Truly, the rate of participation and the presale demand far exceeds expectations.
The $XDX presale is moving fast, fueled by high-net-worth whales and everyday XRP holders who recognize the massive opportunity ahead.
Presale Details:
Exchange Rate: 1 XRP = 10 XDX
Minimum Buy: 150 XRP (1,500 XDX)
Soft Cap: 30,000 XRP
With a limited supply still available, time is running out for investors who want to buy $XDX at its lowest offering price before listings and broader market exposure drive demand even higher.
Investors are rallying behind XenDex not just because of the features, but because of the trusted, secure, and user-first approach baked into every layer of the platform.
XenDex Community Is Booming, and So Is the Presale Demand
Thousands of XRP investors have already joined the XenDex community on Telegram and Twitter, locking in their $XDX tokens and preparing for what could be one of the most significant DeFi expansions ever built on XRPL.
The window to secure $XDX at presale pricing is closing rapidly, and the next stage of XenDex’s evolution is just around the corner.
Whether you’re a whale or a first-time XRP investor, the opportunity to be part of XenDex’s foundation is happening right now, and the next price surge could come sooner than you think.
Disclaimer: This is a paid post provided by XenDex.The statements, views, and opinions expressed in this content are solely those of the content provider and do not necessarily reflect the views of this media platform or its publisher. We do not endorse, verify, or guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of any information presented.We do not guarantee any claims, statements, or promises made in this article.This content is for informational purposes only and should not be considered financial, investment, or trading advice.Investing in crypto and mining-related opportunities involves significant risks, including the potential loss of capital.It is possible to lose all your capital. These products may not be suitable for everyone, and you should ensure that you understand the risks involved. Seek independent advice if necessary. Speculate only with funds that you can afford to lose.Readers are strongly encouraged to conduct their own research and consult with a qualified financial advisor before making any investment decisions. However, due to the inherently speculative nature of the blockchain sector—including cryptocurrency, NFTs, and mining—complete accuracy cannot always be guaranteed.Neither the media platform nor the publisher shall be held responsible for any fraudulent activities, misrepresentations, or financial losses arising from the content of this press release.In the event of any legal claims or charges against this article, we accept no liability or responsibility.Globenewswire does not endorse any content on this page.
Legal Disclaimer: This media platform provides the content of this article on an “as-is” basis, without any warranties or representations of any kind, express or implied. We assume no responsibility for any inaccuracies, errors, or omissions. We do not assume any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information presented herein. Any concerns, complaints, or copyright issues related to this article should be directed to the content provider mentioned above.
Trans people just want to live their lives like anybody else.
More in Equality
Commenting on the Equality and Human Rights Commission’s interim update on the practical implications of the UK Supreme Court judgment, Scottish Greens Co-Leader Patrick Harvie MSP said:
“This guidance is harsh, authoritarian and cruel. It is the polar opposite of what an equality and human rights body should be doing, and it’s deeply troubling to see the rights of some of the most marginalised people in our society being rolled back so easily.
“This guidance raises far more questions than answers, for trans people, for anyone who doesn’t fit with widespread gender norms, and for people who run businesses, social groups and workplaces.
“But the people most immediately frightened about how they can go about their lives today will be trans people and their loved ones, who have already endured an onslaught of prejudice.
“Trans people just want to be able to live their lives like anybody else, without the fear of prejudice, discrimination or violence.
“The EHRC appears to be going even further than the Supreme Court judgement did and is introducing new uncertainties rather than providing clarity.
“We must not allow the UK government or anyone else to take a wrecking ball to longstanding rights or to remove all protections from a community that is already under fire.
“The demonisation of trans people by politicians and large parts of the media echoes the homophobic rhetoric we heard in the 1980s and ‘90s.
“It is a very worrying time and a lot of people are scared. But I want to remind everyone that the forces of prejudice were defeated before, and they can be defeated again.
“The Scottish Greens will continue to stand up for trans and non-binary people’s rights today, tomorrow and always.”
Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments
Press release
UK Gulf visit to enhance regional security and boost UK growth
The Foreign Secretary visits Oman and Qatar to commit to expand cooperation with Gulf countries on trade, defence, and security.
Visit to Oman and Qatar will commit to expand cooperation with Gulf countries on trade, defence, and security
Foreign Secretary to use visit to underscore need for de-escalation and security within region including countering the threat posed by Iran
Builds on mission to kickstart the economy and protect national security as part of Government’s Plan for Change
The UK is set to strengthen ties with key partners in the Gulf as the Foreign Secretary travels to Oman and Qatar to unlock new opportunities and push the need for greater security and stability in the region.
The Foreign Secretary’s first visit to Oman is an opportunity to celebrate 225 years of government to government relations, discuss how best to consolidate our shared efforts for green, sustainable growth and our cooperation on regional security challenges.
The Foreign Secretary will also discuss the recent US – Iran talks held in Oman. Alongside international partners we are clear that Iran must never develop a nuclear weapon which threatens international peace and security. We remain committed to seeking a negotiated solution to the issue and will use all diplomatic levers to make this happen.
He will discuss UK-Omani joint work on wider regional security, including the Israel-Gaza conflict and Houthi threats to international shipping in the Red Sea, a vital trade route for UK exports to the rest of the world with over a $1 trillion worth of global goods passing through each year.
In Qatar, the Foreign Secretary will build on the Government’s commitment to boosting the economy by overseeing the UK-Qatar Strategic Dialogue, a key forum which has assisted in fuelling previous investment into the UK in priority growth sectors including energy, real-estate and defence. This partnership builds on the success of the existing multi-billion pound Strategic Investment Partnership, helping to deliver on the Government’s growth mission and supporting Qatar’s own economic ambitions.
Foreign Secretary, David Lammy said:
The UK’s relationship with the Gulf continues to go from strength to strength. Our partnerships are unlocking huge investment opportunities in the UK and creating jobs in the industries of the future which is at the very heart of our Plan for Change.
But boosting growth is reliant on building stability. It’s vital we engage closely with partners like Qatar and Oman to strengthen security in the region, this includes countering Iran’s malign activity in the region and bringing the war in Gaza to end.
The Foreign Secretary will also discuss progress on the Free Trade Agreement with the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), which could increase bilateral trade by up to 16%, adding an extra £8.6 billion a year to trade between the UK and GCC countries in the long run, as well as supporting job creation across Britain.
As the impact of the devastating conflict in Gaza continues to be felt across the region, the Foreign Secretary will use his visit to highlight that more bloodshed is in no-one’s interest, and the need for all parties in the conflict to return to a ceasefire. In meetings with counterparts, he will stress the need to build lasting peace in the region which is vital for security and prosperity in the Gulf and at home in the UK.
The visit to Qatar will also be an opportunity to further cooperation on defence and security matters. This includes discussing the close partnership between the RAF and Qatar Amiri Joint Squadron which helps train the next generation of pilots who will patrol the skies and maintain UK security interests in the Middle East.
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ER Report: Here is a summary of significant articles published on EveningReport.nz on April 26, 2025.
80 years after Benito Mussolini’s death, what can democracies today learn from his fascist rise? Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Matthew Sharpe, Associate Professor in Philosophy, Australian Catholic University Hitler and Mussolini in Munich, Germany, June 18, 1940. Everett Collection/Shutterstock This Monday marks 80 years since Italian dictator Benito Mussolini was killed in an Italian village towards the end of the Second World War in 1945. The
Samoan nun tells of ‘like a blur’ awesome meeting with Pope Francis By Susana Suisuiki, RNZ Pacific presenter The doors of St Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican have now been closed and the coffin sealed, ahead of preparations for tonight’s funeral of Pope Francis. The Vatican says a quarter of a million people have paid respects to Pope Francis in the last three days. Sister Susana Vaifale
Israel’s endgame for tormented Gaza is political and physical erasure COMMENTARY: By Nour Odeh There was faint hope that efforts to achieve a ceasefire deal in Gaza would succeed. That hope is now all but gone, offering 2.1 million tormented and starved Palestinians dismal prospects for the days and weeks ahead. Last Saturday, the Israeli Prime Minister once again affirmed he had no intention to
Trump signs ‘deeply dangerous’ order to fast-track deep sea mining An ocean conservation non-profit has condemned the United States President’s latest executive order aimed at boosting the deep sea mining industry. President Donald Trump issued the “Unleashing America’s offshore critical minerals and resources” order on Thursday, directing the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to allow deep sea mining. The order states: “It is the
Election Diary: Dutton tops list of most distrusted, amid deepening voter cynicism about political leaders Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra In this election, voters are more distrustful than ever of politicians, and the political heroes of 2022 have fallen from grace, swept from favour by independent players. A Roy Morgan survey has found, for the first time, that Australians are
Pacific editor welcomes US court ruling in favour of Radio Free Asia By Koroi Hawkins, RNZ Pacific editor The former head of BenarNews’ Pacific bureau says a United States court ruling this week ordering the US Agency for Global Media (USAGM) to release congressionally approved funding to Radio Free Asia and its subsidiaries “makes us very happy”. However, Stefan Armbruster, who has played a key role in
Source: United States Senator for Connecticut – Chris Murphy
WASHINGTON—U.S. Senators Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), a member of the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP), and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) joined 40 of their Senate colleagues in sending a letter to U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) Robert F. Kennedy Jr. demanding answers on the administration’s actions undermining Head Start. The senators emphasized HHS’s legal obligation to administer the program and called on Kennedy to immediately release Head Start funding. They also urged HHS to reverse both the mass firing of Head Start staff and the gutting of offices that help ensure high-quality services are available for thousands of children and families across the country.
“We write to express our strong opposition to the actions you have taken to directly attack and undermine the federal Head Start program,” the senators wrote. “Since day one, this Administration has taken unacceptable actions to withhold and delay funding, fire Head Start staff, and gut high-quality services for children. Already this year, this Administration has withheld almost $1 billion in federal grant funding from Head Start programs, a 37 percent decrease compared to the amount of funding awarded during the same period last year. It is abundantly clear that these actions are part of a broader effort to ultimately eliminate the program altogether, as the Administration reportedly plans to do in its fiscal year 2026 budget proposal.”
The senators highlighted Head Start’s vital role in supporting kids and families: “Head Start provides early childhood education and comprehensive health and social services to nearly 800,000 young children every year in communities across this country, and employs about 250,000 dedicated staff. Head Start is a critical source of child care for working families, particularly in rural and Tribal communities, where Head Start programs are often the only option for high-quality child care services. Head Start programs ensure children receive appropriate health and dental care, nutrition support, and referrals to other critical services for parents, such as job training, adult education, nutrition services, and housing support.”
The senators condemned the Administration’s assault on the program, detailing office closures and funds that were frozen for Head Start grants across the country: “Since the very start of this Administration, Head Start programs have been under attack. At one point, the National Head Start Association reported 37 programs serving nearly 15,000 children across the country could not access their federal funding. Head Start programs operate with thin margins and on short-term budgets from HHS, and without any communication from the Administration about the status of funding, programs were forced to temporarily close or to lay off staff.”
“On April 1st, you abruptly closed five of the ten regional offices that help local grantees administer Head Start programs in 22 states,” they continued. “This left hundreds of programs without dedicated points of contact to address mission critical issues like approving grant renewals and modifications, investigating child health and safety incidents, and providing training and technical assistance to ensure high-quality services for children. While some grantees were assigned a new program specialist, we understand many have not been receiving responses to their inquiries. This is on top of the estimated 97 Office of Head Start central office staff that were terminated due to their probationary status and the recent reduction in force. You promised ‘radical transparency’ as Secretary, yet it is unclear how these actions will improve Head Start programs, and you and your staff refuse to respond to basic inquiries and requests for information.”
The senators concluded: “The Administration has a legal and moral obligation to disburse Head Start funds to programs and to uphold the program’s promise to provide high-quality early education services to low income children and families across this country. There is no justifiable reason for the delay in funding we have seen over the last two months, and you have refused to offer any kind of explanation. […] “[W]e urge you to immediately reinstate fired staff across all Offices of Head Start, and cease all actions to delay the awarding and disbursement of funding to Head Start programs across this country.”
U.S. Senators Patty Murray (D-Wash.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), Jack Reed (D-R.I.), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), Andy Kim (D-N.J.), Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-Del.), Peter Welch (D-Vt.), Gary Peters (D-Mich.), Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.), Tina Smith (D-Minn.), John Fetterman (D-Pa.), Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), Chris Coons (D-Del.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.), Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.), Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Ed Markey (D-Mass.), Angus King (I-Maine), Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), Angela Alsobrooks (D-Md.) and Mark Warner (D-Va.) also signed the letter.
Full text of the letter is available HERE and below:
Dear Secretary Kennedy:
We write to express our strong opposition to the actions you have taken to directly attack and undermine the federal Head Start program. Since day one, this Administration has taken unacceptable actions to withhold and delay funding, fire Head Start staff, and gut high-quality services for children. Already this year, this Administration has withheld almost $1 billion in federal grant funding from Head Start programs, a 37 percent decrease compared to the amount of funding awarded during the same period last year. It is abundantly clear that these actions are part of a broader effort to ultimately eliminate the program altogether, as the Administration reportedly plans to do in its fiscal year 2026 budget proposal.
Head Start provides early childhood education and comprehensive health and social services to nearly 800,000 young children every year in communities across this country, and employs about 250,000 dedicated staff. Head Start is a critical source of child care for working families, particularly in rural and Tribal communities, where Head Start programs are often the only option for high-quality child care services. Head Start programs ensure children receive appropriate health and dental care, nutrition support, and referrals to other critical services for parents, such as job training, adult education, nutrition services, and housing support.
You even acknowledged the value of Head Start following a recent visit to a Virginia Head Start center, where you said, “I had a very inspiring tour. I saw a devoted staff and a lot of happy children. They are getting the kind of education and socialization they need, and they are also getting a couple of meals a day.”
However, as a result of your actions to withhold and delay funding and undermine the administration of this vital program, Head Start centers are in serious jeopardy and have already had their day to day operations impacted. Programs are increasingly worried that they will not be able to make payroll, pay rent, and remain open to serve the hundreds of thousands of children and families who depend on their services in communities across the nation.
Since the very start of this Administration, Head Start programs have been under attack. On January 27th, 2025, the Office of Management and Budget issued a memo (M-25-13) that suddenly froze the disbursement of grant funding for federal programs and services government-wide, including Head Start. Despite the Administration’s clarification that Head Start programs would not be the target of the funding freeze, many Head Start programs across the country were unable to draw down their grant funds through the Payment Management System (PMS) for weeks. At one point, the National Head Start Association reported 37 programs serving nearly 15,000 children across the country could not access their federal funding. Head Start programs operate with thin margins and on short-term budgets from HHS, and without any communication from the Administration about the status of funding, programs were forced to temporarily close or to lay off staff. In Wisconsin, the National Centers for Learning Excellence, which serves more than 200 children and their families, shut down for a week and laid off staff due to the funding freeze.
On April 1st, you abruptly closed five of the ten regional offices that help local grantees administer Head Start programs in 22 states. This left hundreds of programs without dedicated points of contact to address mission critical issues like approving grant renewals and modifications, investigating child health and safety incidents, and providing training and technical assistance to ensure high-quality services for children. While some grantees were assigned a new program specialist, we understand many have not been receiving responses to their inquiries. This is on top of the estimated 97 Office of Head Start central office staff that were terminated due to their probationary status and the recent reduction in force. You promised “radical transparency” as Secretary, yet it is unclear how these actions will improve Head Start programs, and you and your staff refuse to respond to basic inquiries and requests for information.
On March 14th, 2025, the Office of Head Start (OHS) notified all Head Start programs that “the use of federal funding for any training and technical assistance or other program expenditures that promote or take part in diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives” will not be approved and that any questions should be directed to regional offices. Programs have not received any guidance for what would be considered “DEI” but this policy is potentially in direct conflict with statutory and regulatory program requirements, such as providing culturally and linguistically appropriate instructional services for English learners. Many programs cannot direct questions to regional staff, as half of regional offices were abruptly closed, and as unprecedented actions are being taken to delay and withhold funding, Head Start programs have been intentionally left with little to no guidance.
Head Start programs are now arbitrarily required to provide justifications for each draw down of funds that is necessary to operate their programs, despite already receiving a federal grant award for these purposes. As of April 14th, Head Start programs have reportedly received correspondence from an email address “defendthespend@hhs.gov” requiring programs to submit a “specific description of why the funds are necessary and why they are aligned to the award” before programs can have funding disbursed. It has been reported that political appointees must sign off on every draw down of funds. This creates an illusion of improving oversight but only serves to add unnecessary red tape by requiring the manual sign off on hundreds of thousands of individual actions annually across the Department based on two to three sentence justifications. Already some grantees have reported delays in receiving funds, and have reported that furloughs or closures are imminent if funds are not released. For an administration that purports to value local autonomy and efficiency in federally funded programs, your actions have achieved the exact opposite.
Finally, Head Start grantees are still waiting on payments and grant renewals from the Office of Head Start, including programs whose grants end on April 30th, 2025. These notices should have gone out by now, yet we are concerned to hear programs report they have received little to no correspondence regarding their grant renewals. Additionally, because we started fiscal year 2025 under a short-term continuing resolution, as is usual, some grantees have only received partial funding for the first few months of the year. But with a full year funding bill in place, these grantees should have received full funding by now, yet some are reporting that they have not received the full amount of their grants and will run out of funds this month or next. On Wednesday, April 16th, the delays in Head Start funding led to the closure of Head Start centers serving more than 400 children in Sunnyside, Washington.
The Administration has a legal and moral obligation to disburse Head Start funds to programs and to uphold the program’s promise to provide high-quality early education services to low income children and families across this country. The fiscal year 2025 appropriations act provided $12.3 billion for Head Start, the same as the fiscal year 2024 level. The Head Start Act includes an explicit formula for how appropriated funds should be allocated. There is no justifiable reason for the delay in funding we have seen over the last two months, and you have refused to offer any kind of explanation. However, this week leaked fiscal year 2026 budget documents indicated the Office of Management and Budget was directing the Department, consistent with the Administration’s proposal to eliminate Head Start in fiscal year 2026, to “ensure to the extent allowable FY2025 funds are available to close out the program.” If this explains any of the delay in awarding fiscal year 2025 funding, we want to be clear, no funds were provided in fiscal year 2025 to “close out the program,” and it would be wholly unacceptable and likely illegal if the Department tries to carry out this directive.
Finally, the leaked budget documents provided a justification, albeit brief, for eliminating Head Start in fiscal year 2026 that makes this Administration’s priorities clear and puts the Department’s actions over the last several months in context. The Administration argues that eliminating Head Start, “is consistent with the Administration’s goals of returning education to the States and increasing parental choice.” It is shocking to see an argument that eliminating a program that provides comprehensive early childhood care and education to 800,000 children and their families would increase parental choice. It is particularly concerning to see that argument in the context of the significant delay in awarding fiscal year 2025 appropriated funds and what that indicates about the intent behind the Department’s actions. We believe it is obvious that eliminating Head Start would be detrimental to hundreds of thousands of children and families. Similarly, we believe it is obvious that delaying funding like we have seen over the last two months, forcing Head Start programs to close, and leaving families to scramble to find quality, affordable alternatives puts the education and well-being of some of the most vulnerable young children in America at risk. In our view, that is unacceptable.
Therefore, we urge you to immediately reinstate fired staff across all Offices of Head Start, and cease all actions to delay the awarding and disbursement of funding to Head Start programs across this country.
Please provide us with a written response to the questions below no later than 10 days from receipt:
1. Will you reinstate the staff who administer Head Start programs and reopen the closed regional offices responsible for overseeing Head Start programs in 22 states?
a) When is HHS going to share information on the reorganization plan for the consolidation of the regional offices?
b) Please provide the contact information for each program specialist designated to the 22 states who lost their regional office.
c) Who is responsible for ensuring there are no delays or lapses in funding, nor any disruptions to Head Start program operations now that these states do not have a regional office?
2. How many employees at the Offices of Head Start have been terminated, including the five regional offices and the central office?
a) Which officials at HHS were involved in the staffing reduction decisions for OHS and what planning, if any, was undertaken prior to these reductions? Please describe the events that unfolded and name each office that was involved in the decision. Further, please name the official(s) who approved the staffing reductions.
3. Can you confirm that the Administration will distribute all Head Start funds appropriated by Congress to Head Start programs in FY 25, as required by the Head Start Act?
4. Please provide a list of all grantees with 5-year Head Start grant renewals that start between now and the end of the fiscal year: May 1st, June 1st, July 1st, August 1st, and September 1st.
a) Will any funding be delayed for grantees that are due to receive their annual funding on May 1st or beyond?
5. Why are funding awards delayed for grantees that received partial awards during the first continuing resolution for FY25?
a) When can HHS guarantee that all funds will be awarded for partially funded Head Start programs?
6. What is the “Tier 2” department for review that is delaying drawn down for Head Start programs in the Payment Management System?
a) When should programs expect to receive their funds?
b) Please provide all communication that went to Head Start grantees on the new review process.
7. What guidance and clarifications have been provided to Head Start grantees on DEI expenditures?
a) How is HHS evaluating Head Start programs’ expenditures and grant awards for DEI?
b) What justifications are being used to prohibit DEI?
This Monday marks 80 years since Italian dictator Benito Mussolini was killed in an Italian village towards the end of the Second World War in 1945. The following day, his body was publicly desecrated in Milan.
Given the scale of Adolf Hitler’s atrocities, our image of fascism today has largely been shaped by Nazism. Yet, Mussolini preceded Hitler. Il Duce, as Mussolini was known, was Hitler’s inspiration.
Today, as commentators, bloggers and scholars are debating whether the governments of US President Donald Trump, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban and Russian President Vladimir Putin are “fascist”, we can learn from Il Duce’s career about how democracies fail and dictators consolidate autocratic rule.
The early years
The term “fascist” itself originated around the time of Mussolini’s founding in 1914 of the Fasci d’Azione Rivoluzionaria, a militaristic group promoting Italy’s entry into the First World War.
Mussolini had been raised in a leftist family. Before WWI, he edited and wrote for socialist newspapers. Yet, from early on, the young rebel was also attracted to radically anti-democratic thinkers like Friedrich Nietzsche, George Sorel, and Wilfred Pareto.
When WWI broke out, Mussolini broke from the socialists, who opposed Italy’s involvement in the conflict. Like Hitler, he fought in the war. Mussolini considered his front-line experience as formative for his future ideas around fascism. His war experience led him to imagine making Italy great again – an imperial power worthy of the heritage of ancient Rome.
In March 1919, Mussolini formed the Fasci Italiani di Combattimento in Milan. This group brought together a motley collection of war veterans, primarily interested in fighting the socialists and communists. They were organised in squadristi (squads), which would become known for their black shirts and violence – they forced many of their targets to drink castor oil.
The political success of Mussolini’s fascist ideals, however, was neither instant nor inevitable. In the 1919 Italian elections, Mussolini received so few votes, communists held a mock funeral march outside his house to celebrate his political death.
The rise to power and the march on Rome
Fascism became a part of national political life in 1920-21, following waves of industrial and agricultural strikes and worker occupations of land and factories.
As a result, rural and industrial elites turned to the fascist squadristi to break strikes and combat workers’ organisations. Fascist squads also overturned the results of democratic elections in Bologna and Cremona, preventing left-wing candidates from assuming office.
The following October, fascists occupied the towns of Bolzano and Trento. The liberals, socialists and Italian monarchy were indecisive in the face of these provocations, allowing Mussolini to seize the moment. Mustering the fascist squads, he ordered the famous “march on Rome” in late October 2022 to demand he be appointed prime minister.
All the evidence suggests if the government had intervened, the march on Rome would have disbanded. It was a bold piece of political theatre. Nevertheless, fearing civil war — and the communists more than the black shirts — King Victor Emmanuel III caved in without a shot being fired.
Mussolini was made leader of a new government on October 31, 1922.
The consolidation of dictatorship
Like Hitler in 1933, Mussolini’s rule started as the head of a coalition government including non-fascist parties. Yet, with the repressive powers of the state now at his disposal, Mussolini exploited the division among his rivals and gradually consolidated power.
In 1923, the communist party was targeted with mass arrests and the fascist squads were brought under official state control as a paramilitary force. Mussolini began to use state powers to surveil all non-fascist political parties.
In the 1924 general election, with fascist militia menacingly manning the polls, Il Duce won 65% of the vote.
Then, in June, socialist leader Giacomo Matteotti was kidnapped and murdered by black shirts. When investigations pointed to Mussolini’s responsibility, he at first denied any knowledge of the killing. Months later, however, Mussolini proudly admitted responsibility for the deed, celebrating the fascists’ brutality. He faced no legal or political consequences.
The last nail in the coffin of Italy’s enfeebled democracy came in late 1926. Following an assassination attempt in which Mussolini’s nose was grazed (he wore a bandage for a time afterwards), Mussolini definitively banned all political opposition.
The “lesser evil”
Following his death in April 1945, Mussolini’s dictatorship was often portrayed as “dictatorship-lite”, a “lesser evil” compared to Nazism or Stalinist Russia. This narrative, bolstered by German crimes against Italians in the last months of the war, has understandably been embraced by many Italians.
Mussolini also pursued an imperialist dream by invading Ethiopia. Defying international conventions, Il Duce’s troops used chemical weapons and summary executions to quell acts of resistance. Over 700,000 Ethiopians are estimated by scholars to have been killed by the invaders, with around 35,000 forced into internment camps.
Italian Ca-111 bombers over Ethiopia in the 1930s. Getty Images/Wikimedia Commons
Mussolini’s fascists ran over 30 concentration camps from 1926–45, almost all of them offshore. Some 50–70,000 Libyans alone died in camps set up under Italy’s brutal colonial regime from 1929–34. Many more died through executions, starvation and ethnic cleansing.
Slovenian prisoner of the Italian Rab concentration camp. Archives, Museum of Modern History, Ljubljana/Wikimedia Commons
From late 1943, Italian fascists also participated in the rounding up of over 7,000 Italian Jews to transfer to Auschwitz. Almost all of them were murdered.
Following the war, even with Il Duce dead, few perpetrators faced justice for these atrocities.
Lessons for democracies after 80 years
The infamy of the crimes associated with the word “fascism” has meant that few people today claim the label – even those attracted to the same kinds of authoritarian, ethnonationalist politics.
Mussolini, even more than Hitler, can seem a bombastic fool, with his uniform, theatrical gestures, stylised hyper-masculinity and patented steely jaw.
Yet, one of the lessons of Mussolini’s career is that such political adventurists are only as strong as the democratic opposition allows. To fail to take them seriously is to enable their success.
Mussolini pushed his luck time and again between 1920 and 1926. As the wonderful recent teleseries of his ascent, Mussolini, Figlio del Seculo shows, time and again, the opposition failed to concertedly oppose the fascists’ attacks on democratic norms and institutions. Then it was too late.
Democracies mostly fall over time, by a thousand cuts and shifts of the goalposts of what is considered “normal”. Fascism, moreover, depends in no small measure on shameless political deception, including the readiness to conceal its own most radical intentions.
Fascist “strongmen” like Mussolini accumulate power thanks to people’s inabilities to believe that the barbarisation of political life – including open violence against opponents – could happen in their societies.
And there is a final, unsettling lesson of Mussolini’s career. Il Duce was a skilled propagandist who portrayed himself as leading a popular revolt to restore respectable values. He was able to win widespread popular support, including among the elites, even as he destroyed Italian democracy.
Yet, if the monarchy, military, other political parties and the church had attempted a principled, united opposition to fascism early enough, most of Mussolini’s crimes would likely have been avoided.
Matthew Sharpe has in the past (2013-17) received funding from the ARC to study religion and politics in the contemporary world.
Source: United States Senator for New Hampshire Jeanne Shaheen
(Washington, DC) – U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) joined 41 of her colleagues in sending a letter to Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. calling out the Trump administration’s direct attacks on Head Start and demanding the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) immediately release Head Start funding and reverse the mass firing of Head Start staff and gutting of the offices that help ensure high-quality services are available for thousands of children and families across the country. The letter to RFK Jr. follows Shaheen’s visit to Community Action Partnership Hillsborough and Rockingham Counties’ (CAPHR) Opportunity Center in Manchester where she highlighted the importance of Head Start to Granite State working families.
The Senators wrote, in part: “We write to express our strong opposition to the actions you have taken to directly attack and undermine the federal Head Start program. Since day one, this Administration has taken unacceptable actions to withhold and delay funding, fire Head Start staff, and gut high-quality services for children. Already this year, this Administration has withheld almost $1 billion in federal grant funding from Head Start programs, a 37 percent decrease compared to the amount of funding awarded during the same period last year. It is abundantly clear that these actions are part of a broader effort to ultimately eliminate the program altogether, as the Administration reportedly plans to do in its fiscal year 2026 budget proposal.”
They continued: “Head Start provides early childhood education and comprehensive health and social services to nearly 800,000 young children every year in communities across this country, and employs about 250,000 dedicated staff. Head Start is a critical source of child care for working families, particularly in rural and Tribal communities, where Head Start programs are often the only option for high-quality child care services. Head Start programs ensure children receive appropriate health and dental care, nutrition support, and referrals to other critical services for parents, such as job training, adult education, nutrition services, and housing support.”
They concluded: “We believe it is obvious that eliminating Head Start would be detrimental to hundreds of thousands of children and families. Similarly, we believe it is obvious that delaying funding like we have seen over the last two months, forcing Head Start programs to close, and leaving families to scramble to find quality, affordable alternatives puts the education and well-being of some of the most vulnerable young children in America at risk. In our view, that is unacceptable. Therefore, we urge you to immediately reinstate fired staff across all Offices of Head Start, and cease all actions to delay the awarding and disbursement of funding to Head Start programs across this country.”
The full text of the letter can be found here.
Senator Shaheen has been a leader in advocating for more affordable and accessible child care. This week, she also visited the YMCA of Greater Nashua’s Merrimack Branch to discuss New Hampshire’s child care crisis and provider shortage. Shaheen recently introduced the Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit Enhancement Act that would permanently expand the Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit (CDCTC). In March, Shaheen introduced the Child Care Availability and Affordability Act and the Child Care Workforce Act—bipartisan, bicameral legislation that together form a bold proposal to make child care more affordable and accessible by strengthening existing tax credits to lower child care costs and increase the supply of child care providers. The bill includes language from Shaheen’s Right Start Child Care and Education Act legislation. She also joined the introduction of the Building Child Care for a Better Future Act, which would increase federal investments in child care. She has also joined in the introduction of the bipartisan Child Care Workforce and Facilities Act to address the national shortage of affordable, quality child care, especially in rural communities.
ALBANY, NEW YORK – Richawn McClain, age 26, of Troy, New York, was sentenced today to 137 months in prison for possessing fentanyl and cocaine with the intent to distribute and possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. United States Attorney John A. Sarcone III and Special Agent in Charge Frank A. Tarentino III of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), New York Division, made the announcement.
McClain previously admitted to possessing a handgun that had been modified to make it into a machinegun to protect the 900 fentanyl pills, 32 grams of cocaine, and $22,770 in drug proceeds that he possessed. United States District Judge Mae A. D’Agostino also imposed 4 years of post-imprisonment supervised release including a special condition to avoid contact with the Young Gunnerz and 380 gangs, in which McClain held leadership roles. McClain also agreed to forfeit the firearm and drug money.
The DEA investigated the case, which Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan S. Reiner prosecuted.
The Office of Health Standards Compliance (OHSC) has expressed concern regarding repeated fire outbreaks at the Tembisa Provincial Tertiary Hospital, in Gauteng.
This is after the second fire hit Tembisa Hospital at the main outpatient department on Wednesday. The smoke spread to the Eye Clinic and the nearby pharmacy, impacting areas that had initially been cleared from Saturday’s fire.
This included the surgical outpatient department, medical outpatient department, family medicine, and the administration block, which were intended to serve as alternative accident and emergency service areas.
According to the OHSC, which is responsible for monitoring and ensuring the health and safety of healthcare service users, these incidents pose a potential risk to the safety of both patients and staff.
“These incidents have raised significant alarms about safety protocols and emergency preparedness, highlighting the urgent need for a comprehensive assessment of the facility to ensure the safety of patients, visitors, staff and other occupants of the Tembisa Provincial Tertiary Hospital premises,” a statement issued by the OHSC said.
The office said all health establishments must prioritise the safety and security of patients, especially during emergencies.
“Health establishments must ensure that the systems comply with health regulations and foster a safe environment for everyone in their care.”
The OHSC said it would dispatch a team of inspectors to conduct a risk-based inspection as a fact-finding action to establish the circumstances surrounding the two fire incidents.
“Risk-based inspections are specifically triggered and conducted on an ad hoc basis in response to identified risks at health facilities.
“Considering that the winter season is already on, this inspection will enable the OHSC to establish possible root causes and to make informed recommendations that are aimed at mitigating the risk of fire incidents at health facilities.”
The OHSC urges all healthcare facilities and providers to regularly review their safety protocols and emergency response plans to avoid similar occurrences and ensure that the integrity of the healthcare system and the protection of the users of health services are maintained.
On Wednesday, the Deputy Minister of Health, Dr Joe Phaahla, reassured the public that services will continue despite a second fire incident at the main outpatient department at the Tembisa Hospital. – SAnews.gov.za
A total of 10 sluice gates are now in operation at the Vaal Dam, after authorities opened four more on Friday, to manage rising water levels.
This comes after water levels risen rapidly overnight in the Vaal Dam due to heavy inflows on the upper catchments, as a result of the continuous above-normal rainfall on already saturated catchments.
In a statement, the department announced that an additional four sluice gates were opened gradually on Friday from 9am until 1pm.
“This will bring the total number of gates open at the dam to 10. The dam is currently sitting at 118.48% with an inflow of 2448.24 cubic metres per second (m3/s) into the dam.
“At Bloemhof Dam, water outflows are also being increased incrementally at different times from 2000 m3/s to 2200 m3/s at 9am; 2400 m3/s at 11am; 2600 m3/s at 1pm; and 2800 m3/s by 3pm. The dam level is currently sitting at 110.27% as of this morning,” the department said.
These adjustments are necessary to manage the continuous rising inflows and safe operation of the Vaal and Bloemhof Dams. With more inflows anticipated into the dams, especially the downstream Bloemhof Dam, the department warned outflows may potentially be increased later in the afternoon, or on Saturday.
“At Grootdraai Dam, the already opened gate has been increased to 2.5 metres (m) due to the higher inflows of 967.47 m³/s. The storage level is at 110.08%. The gate will be increased to 3 m at 9am, and a second gate will be opened at 11am to 1.0 m.
“In the Orange River, the Gariep and the Vandekloof Dams are currently sitting at 108.25% and 106.09% respectively and overspilling. The controlled and uncontrolled water releases at all these dams will lead to overtopping of riverbanks downstream of the Orange and the Vaal Rivers, resulting in flooding of settlements that are in the lower-lying areas within the 1 in 100-year floodline,” the department said.
People living within the floodline downstream of the Vaal and Bloemhof Dams, and have had to evacuate, have been urged to continue to avoid the flooded areas, as the river catchment remains oversaturated. – SAnews.gov.za
