Whenever Chen Yun misses her father, she gazes at a photo from his 94th birthday celebration in the hospice ward of Jiangsu Province Hospital in east China. In the picture, her father, wearing a birthday hat, smiles as he enjoys longevity noodles, surrounded by dishes like ribs and tofu, and a birthday cake. In April 2024, Chen’s father was urgently hospitalized due to cancer-related pleural effusion. He was struggling to breathe and unable to lie down. The hospice team, including geriatrics, oncology and nutrition specialists, swiftly intervened with a thoracic puncture to drain the pleural effusion, restoring his ability to rest and sleep. They adjusted his chemotherapy dosage to suit his age and tolerance, focusing on symptom control and comfort rather than eliminating cancer cells. Paired with pain relief, this strategy stabilized his condition and eased the breathing difficulties. In hospital, nurses monitored his condition daily, offering comfort and guidance whenever he felt fearful or anxious, thus improving the health of the patient both emotionally and physically. He regained strength and began walking around the ward, while his appetite returned. After nine months, Chen’s father passed away peacefully in the ward. “We thought he had only days left after the diagnosis, but the hospice team gave us another precious nine months,” Chen said. “My father passed away painlessly in his sleep, leaving us with no regrets.” Hospice care, which provides comprehensive support for the terminally ill and elderly, aims to manage pain, improve quality of life, and ensure a decent, peaceful passing through multidisciplinary care. Driven by rising quality of life and education levels, more patients and families in China are seeking hospice services, with decisions by patients to forgo treatment being respected when their quality of life can no longer be guaranteed, according to Duan Yu, director of the geriatric medicine department at the hospital. To bolster its hospice care team, the hospital has gathered over 300 medical professionals from geriatrics, oncology, pain management and other fields to form an interdisciplinary clinical team. They also promote hospice care concepts across the hospital through consultations and referrals. Beyond clinical duties, Duan and her colleagues are committed to educating medical students on hospice care, thereby disseminating hospice concepts and knowledge to future medical workers. Yet, China’s aging society still faces a significant gap in terms of hospice care access, with less than 7 percent of patients having received such services by late 2023, noted Wang Yan, president of Xiamen Cardiovascular Hospital Xiamen University in east China. Since 2019, Jiangsu Province Hospital has partnered with more than 20 hospitals and community health centers to establish a two-way referral system, linking hospitals with communities and families. Through training, community medical teams can provide basic symptom control, such as pain relief, sedation and bronchodilation, as well as care services like feeding and cleaning. If patients opt for community or home care, doctors can refer them for transfer to nearby qualified facilities. A cancer patient, diagnosed at the provincial hospital, wished to spend his final days at home. The hospital collaborated with a community facility to develop a follow-up plan for the patient, including regular check-ups and medication adjustments. With a pain-relief pump in place, the patient returned home, celebrated his birthday with family, and later passed away peacefully. Since 2017, China’s National Health Commission has launched hospice care pilot programs in 185 cities and districts. Many local governments are prioritizing hospice infrastructure. The city of Nanning, south China’s Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, aims to have at least one hospice area per county or development zone by 2025, while Beijing plans to provide 1,800 hospice beds by the end of this year. The Third People’s Hospital of Zhenjiang in Jiangsu Province is set to open a new building with about 140 hospice beds this year. This beige structure will feature a brick walkway leading to a serene garden and lake with ducks swimming in it. Ge Chunhua, head nurse of this hospital’s hospice department, looks forward to the opening of the new building, because patients there will be able to immerse themselves in natural surroundings to gain comfort. “Patients often feel lonely and helpless at life’s end. Even a simple touch or conversation can bring them strength,” said Ge. “My job is really meaningful, as it can support patients through their final passage in peace and dignity.”
As China marks Qingming (Tomb Sweeping) Festival on Friday, a day for honoring one’s ancestors, new digital tools and eco-friendly practices are reshaping how millions observe the ancient tradition.
A person pays tribute to martyrs at a martyrs’ cemetery in Jurong, east China’s Jiangsu Province, April 3, 2025. People across the country attended various activities to pay tribute to martyrs ahead of the Qingming Festival, which falls on April 4 this year. (Photo by Zhong Xueman/Xinhua) An hour’s drive to the north of downtown Beijing lies the town of Shisanling, which gets its name from 13 imperial mausoleums of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). Today, its green valleys are home to public cemeteries where common people are buried. For the convenience of those who could not come to site to pay tribute to their ancestors, authorities of the town have launched a “cloud memorial” mini-program on the social media platform WeChat, enabling them to offer online tributes. Users can upload photos and videos of their loved ones, create personalized digital memorial albums, and even generate AI-powered avatars to preserve memories of their ancestors. “As Qingming arrives once again, I present this bunch of virtual flowers to you. Though free from any sweet scent, they carry with them my grief and longing,” read one message posted on the mini-program. Chinese people hold a deep and enduring reverence for ancestral traditions. In 2008, the government designated Qingming Festival as a public holiday — a decision that carried both cultural and practical significance. As waves of urbanization drew millions away from their hometowns to study or work, the holiday provided not only a moment to honor ancestors at family grave sites, but also an opportunity to return home and reunite with loved ones. However, not everyone can make the long journey home. At Shisanling, an innovative solution has been offered. The digital memorial program also supports “digital tombstones” – virtual profiles tied to physical graves via unique QR codes – providing convenient access to memorial services. More than 100,000 people have used the platform, with over 20,000 digital tombstones created. Many mourners have expressed their appreciation for the service, as they can now commemorate their ancestors without the need to undertake arduous journeys, said one cemetery worker. While the centuries-old Qingming custom of burning joss paper persists in China, an eco-conscious movement is reshaping ancestral remembrance. The Fushouyuan cemetery in Yinchuan, capital city of northwest China’s Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, offers water-soluble stationery for mourners to write messages to the departed, reducing the environmental impact of such rituals. Funerals are of great importance in China, and the extravagance of one’s funeral and tomb was once used to judge the filial piety of one’s descendants. However, the concept of green burials, aiming at curbing extravagance and advocating eco-friendly burials, is gaining in popularity. Fushouyuan conducted a ceremony to bury six biodegradable urns beneath ceremonial lawns ahead of this year’s Qingming. Since 2010, over 6,300 deceased individuals across Ningxia have opted for various forms of green burials. Shenyang, the capital city of Liaoning, China’s northernmost coastal province, will cover the cost of up to 5,300 sea burials this year. Municipal authorities will also extend monetary incentives for tree pod burials, lawn interments and floral burials, offering more options for eco-friendly funerary solutions. “From incense smoke rising at grave sites to digital offerings in cloud memorials, China’s ancestral rites are embracing the advancement of society and technology,” said Qi Xin, a researcher with the Liaoning Academy of Social Sciences. “While the expressions of remembrance vary, what never fades is that timeless human thread — cherishing the memories of our loved ones.”
CMA believes remedies offer in Safran / Collins may address competition concerns
CMA considers that undertakings offered by aerospace equipment manufacturer Safran could resolve competition concerns relating to its acquisition of part of aerospace business Collins.
istock
The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) is considering Safran’s offer of undertakings, which includes the sale of substantially all of Safran’s business in the design and production of Trimmable Horizontal Stabilizer Actuator (THSA) systems, to remedy the competition concerns it identified during its Phase 1 investigation.
Having provisionally found that these undertakings could address the CMA’s concerns, the CMA will now proceed to considering them in more detail, including seeking third party feedback, and if satisfied, will clear the deal.
THSA is a vital component in commercial aircraft design and allows for movement of the horizontal tail of an aircraft. The tail helps to maintain stability, reduce drag, and keep the aircraft airborne. Whilst aircraft components like THSA are made around the world, Collins maintains a manufacturing presence in the north of the UK.
Both businesses conceded at an early stage in the CMA’s investigation that the deal raises competition concerns and informed the CMA they would submit undertakings to address these concerns. Since then, the CMA has had constructive, early engagement with the businesses on possible remedies.
The CMA is concerned the deal – if allowed to proceed without remedies – could increase the cost of THSA components or lower innovation and lead to fewer options available for aircraft manufacturers to choose from. This could, in turn, lead to less innovative products or increased prices for aircraft customers such as airlines and logistics companies should these manufacturers pass the increased costs onto them.
Naomi Burgoyne, Senior Director for Mergers at the CMA, said:
From an early stage in our investigation we have engaged with the companies on the proposals they have put forward to resolve competition concerns related to THSA systems used on aircraft.
THSA systems are an important part of an aircraft’s design. A competitive supply chain ensures those looking to purchase aircraft – be they airlines or logistics firms – have the best options available at the best prices. We’ll need to consider feedback on these undertakings, but our preliminary view is these may resolve our concerns.
Safran is a company headquartered in Paris, France, and active in the design, manufacture and sale of aerospace equipment. Collins is a US manufacturer of actuation systems in the aerospace industry and maintains a presence in the north of the UK.
The CMA considers that there are reasonable grounds for believing that the undertakings offered by the companies, or a modified version of them, might be accepted by the CMA and is considering the offer. Formal acceptance of the undertakings would result in the CMA clearing the deal under the Enterprise Act 2002.
Safran will retain a small THSA business that is commercially and operationally separate from the primary THSA business to be divested.
For media enquiries, please contact the CMA press office on 0203 738 6460 or press@cma.gov.uk
Luxembourg – 4 April 2025 – Subsea 7 S.A. (Oslo Børs: SUBC, ADR: SUBCY) announced today the award of a sizeable1 contract by Shell Offshore Inc. for the Sparta deepwater development in the US.
The project involves the transportation and installation of a floating production system (FPS) at Garden Banks block 959, which is located off the southeastern coast of Louisiana at water depths of up to 1,635 metres.
Project management and engineering activities will begin immediately at Subsea7’s office in Houston, Texas, with offshore operations expected to start in 2027.
Craig Broussard, Senior Vice President for Subsea7 Gulf of Mexico, said, “We are proud to continue our collaboration with Shell in the US, building on past projects, including the recent Vito development. We look forward to playing a key role in the successful delivery of the Sparta project.”
Subsea7 defines a sizeable contract as being between $50 million and $150 million.
******************************************************************************* Subsea7 is a global leader in the delivery of offshore projects and services for the evolving energy industry, creating sustainable value by being the industry’s partner and employer of choice in delivering the efficient offshore solutions the world needs.
Subsea7 is listed on the Oslo Børs (SUBC), ISIN LU0075646355, LEI 222100AIF0CBCY80AH62.
Contact for investment community enquiries: Katherine Tonks Investor Relations Director Tel +44 20 8210 5568 ir@subsea7.com
Contact for media enquiries: Ashley Shearer Communications Manager Tel +1 713 300 6792 ashley.shearer@subsea7.com
Forward-Looking Statements: This document may contain ‘forward-looking statements’ (within the meaning of the safe harbour provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995). These statements relate to our current expectations, beliefs, intentions, assumptions or strategies regarding the future and are subject to known and unknown risks that could cause actual results, performance or events to differ materially from those expressed or implied in these statements. Forward-looking statements may be identified by the use of words such as ‘anticipate’, ‘believe’, ‘estimate’, ‘expect’, ‘future’, ‘goal’, ‘intend’, ‘likely’ ‘may’, ‘plan’, ‘project’, ‘seek’, ‘should’, ‘strategy’ ‘will’, and similar expressions. The principal risks which could affect future operations of the Group are described in the ‘Risk Management’ section of the Group’s Annual Report and Consolidated Financial Statements. Factors that may cause actual and future results and trends to differ materially from our forward-looking statements include (but are not limited to): (i) our ability to deliver fixed price projects in accordance with client expectations and within the parameters of our bids, and to avoid cost overruns; (ii) our ability to collect receivables, negotiate variation orders and collect the related revenue; (iii) our ability to recover costs on significant projects; (iv) capital expenditure by oil and gas companies, which is affected by fluctuations in the price of, and demand for, crude oil and natural gas; (v) unanticipated delays or cancellation of projects included in our backlog; (vi) competition and price fluctuations in the markets and businesses in which we operate; (vii) the loss of, or deterioration in our relationship with, any significant clients; (viii) the outcome of legal proceedings or governmental inquiries; (ix) uncertainties inherent in operating internationally, including economic, political and social instability, boycotts or embargoes, labour unrest, changes in foreign governmental regulations, corruption and currency fluctuations; (x) the effects of a pandemic or epidemic or a natural disaster; (xi) liability to third parties for the failure of our joint venture partners to fulfil their obligations; (xii) changes in, or our failure to comply with, applicable laws and regulations (including regulatory measures addressing climate change); (xiii) operating hazards, including spills, environmental damage, personal or property damage and business interruptions caused by adverse weather; (xiv) equipment or mechanical failures, which could increase costs, impair revenue and result in penalties for failure to meet project completion requirements; (xv) the timely delivery of vessels on order and the timely completion of ship conversion programmes; (xvi) our ability to keep pace with technological changes and the impact of potential information technology, cyber security or data security breaches; (xvii) global availability at scale and commercially viability of suitable alternative vessel fuels; and (xviii) the effectiveness of our disclosure controls and procedures and internal control over financial reporting. Many of these factors are beyond our ability to control or predict. Given these uncertainties, you should not place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements. Each forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date of this document. We undertake no obligation to update publicly or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.
This stock exchange release was published by Katherine Tonks, Investor Relations, Subsea7, on 4 April 2025 at 08:00 CET.
The shareholders of JLT Mobile Computers AB (publ) are hereby invited to the Annual General Meeting on Wednesday, May 7, 2025, at 4:00 pm at PM & Vänner Hotel, Västergatan 10 in Växjö, Sweden.
RIGHT TO PARTICIPATE
The right to participate in the meeting is granted to those who are registered as shareholders in the share register maintained by Euroclear Sweden AB as of Monday, April 28, 2025, and who have notified their intention to participate no later than Wednesday, April 30, 2025.
Shareholders who have their shares registered in the name of a nominee, through a bank or other nominee, must re-register the shares in their own name to have the right to participate in the meeting. Such re-registration (so-called voting rights registration), which may be temporary, must be completed by Monday, April 28, 2025, which means that shareholders wishing such re-registration must notify the nominee well in advance of this date. Voting rights registrations completed no later than April 30, 2025, will be considered in the preparation of the share register.
The company has a total of 28,712,000 shares and votes. The company holds no own shares.
NOTIFICATION OF PARTICIPATION
Notification can be made in writing to JLT Mobile Computers AB (publ), Isbjörnsvägen 3, 352 45 Växjö (mark the envelope “Annual General Meeting”), via email to rebecka.johansson@jltmobile.com, or by phone at 0470-53 03 00 (weekdays 9:00–16:00). The notification should include the name, personal ID number or organization number, number of shares, daytime phone number, and, if applicable, the number of assistants (maximum two) intended to accompany the shareholder at the meeting. If a shareholder intends to be represented by a proxy, the power of attorney and other authorization documents should be attached to the notification. Proxy forms are available on the company’s website, www.jltmobile.com/investor-relations, and can also be ordered from the company at the above address.
PROPOSED AGENDA
Opening of the meeting
Election of chairman of the meeting
Preparation and approval of the voting list
Approval of the agenda for the meeting
Election of one or two adjusters
Determination of whether the meeting has been duly convened
Presentation of the annual report and auditor’s report as well as the consolidated financial statements and consolidated auditor’s report
Resolutions on: a) Adoption of the income statement and balance sheet as well as the consolidated income statement and consolidated balance sheet b) Appropriation of the company’s profit according to the adopted balance sheet c) Discharge from liability for the board members and the CEO
Determination of the number of board members and deputy board members as well as auditors and deputy auditors
Determination of fees for the board and the auditor
Election of the board and auditor
Proposal for resolution on the nomination committee
The board’s proposal for resolution on authorization to issue shares
Closing of the meeting
DIVIDEND (ITEM 8b)
The board proposes that no dividend be paid for the financial year 2024 and that the company’s profit be carried forward.
BOARD OF DIRECTORS AND AUDITOR ETC. (ITEMS 2, 9-11)
The company’s nomination committee, consisting of Emil Hjalmarsson (AB Grenspecialisten), chairman, Jan Olofsson (own holding), and Wilhelm Gruvberg (Alcur Fonder), proposes:
that Ola Blomberg be elected chairman of the meeting,
that the board consists of six members without deputies,
that the company has one auditor without deputies,
that the board’s remuneration be set at a total of SEK 700,000, of which SEK 200,000 to the chairman of the board and SEK 100,000 each to the other members,
that the auditor’s fee be paid according to an approved invoice,
that the board members Ola Blomberg, Jan Sjöwall, Jessica Svenmar, Per Ädelroth, and Karl Hill be re-elected and that Tommy Svensson be newly elected as a board member for the period until the end of the next annual general meeting,
that Ola Blomberg be re-elected as chairman of the board, and
that Luminor Revision AB be elected as the company’s auditor for the period until the end of the next annual general meeting, with Tommy Jonasson intended to be the principal auditor.
Information about the board member proposed for new election
Tommy Svensson has extensive experience in board work and corporate management through strategic work, corporate governance, and leadership in both international and national environments. Tommy Svensson has solid business and financial knowledge through his background as CFO for companies in both private equity and public environments. Tommy is currently the CEO of TSS Consult & Invest AB and holds a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and Auditing.
Tommy Svensson’s previous experience includes roles such as CFO for Johbeco AB, Hemtex AB, KappAhl AB, Vårdapoteket i Norden AB, Jetshop AB, among others. Additionally, he has acted as an advisor to several companies and in acquisitions and mergers in the Nordic market. Tommy Svensson has completed board training and has held several board assignments over the past 20 years.
Tommy Svensson holds 1,516,000 shares in the company.
NOMINATION COMMITTEE (ITEM 12) The company’s major shareholders propose that the company have a nomination committee consisting of three members, with one member appointed by each of the three largest shareholders in the company. The chairman of the nomination committee shall, unless the members agree otherwise, be the member appointed by the largest shareholder. The nomination committee shall have the opportunity to co-opt the chairman of the company’s board.
The nomination committee shall, ahead of the Annual General Meeting 2026, be constituted based on shareholder statistics as of the last banking day in September 2025 and other shareholder information available to the company at that time. The chairman of the company’s board shall convene an inaugural meeting for the nomination committee when shareholder statistics are available. If, during the nomination committee’s mandate period, one or more of the shareholders who appointed members to the nomination committee no longer belong to the three largest shareholders, the members appointed by these shareholders shall resign, and new shareholders in order of size shall be offered the opportunity to appoint members, however, only three shareholders in order of size need to be consulted.
Unless special reasons exist, no changes shall be made to the composition of the nomination committee if only marginal changes in voting rights have occurred or if the change occurs later than three months before the Annual General Meeting.
The majority of the nomination committee members shall be independent in relation to the company and the company management. The CEO or other person from the company management shall not be a member of the nomination committee. At least one of the nomination committee members shall be independent in relation to the largest shareholder or group of shareholders acting in concert regarding the company’s management. Board members shall not constitute a majority of the nomination committee members. If more than one board member is included in the nomination committee, at most one of them may be dependent in relation to the company’s major shareholders.
No remuneration shall be paid to the nomination committee members. If necessary, the company shall cover reasonable costs for external consultants deemed necessary by the nomination committee to fulfill its assignment.
The composition of the nomination committee shall be announced through a separate press release as soon as the nomination committee is appointed and no later than six months before the Annual General Meeting. The information shall also be available on the company’s website, where it shall also be stated how shareholders can submit proposals to the nomination committee. The nomination committee shall prepare proposals on the following matters to be presented to the Annual General Meeting 2025 for resolution:
proposal for chairman of the meeting;
proposal for the board;
proposal for chairman of the board;
proposal for remuneration and other compensation for board assignments to each of the board members and compensation for committee work;
proposal for auditor;
proposal for remuneration to the company’s auditor; and
proposal for instructions for the nomination committee ahead of the Annual General Meeting 2027.
AUTHORIZATION TO ISSUE SHARES (ITEM 13)
The board proposes that the board be authorized, until the next Annual General Meeting, on one or more occasions, to decide on the issuance of up to 2,871,200 shares, which corresponds to 10 percent of the number of shares in the company as of the date of the Annual General Meeting. The board shall have the right to decide on deviations from the shareholders’ preferential rights and provisions regarding non-cash issues, set-off issues, or other conditions. The issue price for the new shares shall be determined based on the market price of the share at the respective issue occasion.
The purpose of the authorization and the reason for the possible deviation from the shareholders’ preferential rights is to enable the company to appropriately raise capital for financing its operations and for carrying out corporate acquisitions. The CEO is authorized to make formal adjustments to the decision that may be necessary in connection with its registration.
DOCUMENTATION ETC.
The annual report and other decision-making materials are available at the company and on the company’s website, www.jltmobile.com, no later than three weeks before the meeting and will be sent to shareholders who request it and provide their postal address.
Shareholders are reminded of their right to request information according to Chapter 7, Section 32 of the Swedish Companies Act.
For information on how your personal data is processed, see Euroclear’s Privacy Policy. Privacy-notice-bolagsstammor-engelska.pdf If you have any questions regarding our processing of personal data, you can contact us via email at info@jltmobile.com
The company’s organization number is 556239-4071 and headquarter is based in Växjö, Sweden.
Växjö April 2025 The board directors of JLT Mobile computers AB (publ)
Jewish students at Columbia University chained themselves to a campus gate across from the graduate School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA) this week, braving rain and cold to demand the school release information related to the targeting and ICE arrest of Mahmoud Khalil, a former SIPA student.
Democracy Now! was at the protest and spoke to Jewish and Palestinian students calling on the school to reveal the extent of its involvement in Khalil’s arrest.
Transcript:
AMY GOODMAN: This is Democracy Now!, The War and Peace Report. I’m Amy Goodman.
Here in New York City, Jewish students chained themselves to gates at Columbia University on Wednesday in support of Mahmoud Khalil, the former Columbia student protest leader now in an ICE jail in Louisiana.
On March 8, federal agents detained Khalil at his university-owned apartment building, even though he is a legal permanent resident of the United States. They revoked his green card.
I went up to Columbia yesterday and spoke to some of the students at the protest.
PROTESTERS: Release Mahmoud Khalil now! We want justice! You say, “How?” We want justice! You say, “How?” Release Mahmoud Khalil now!
CARLY: Hi. My name is Carly. I’m a Columbia SIPA graduate student, second year. And I’m chained to this gate today as a Jewish student and friend of Mahmoud Khalil’s, demanding answers on how his name got to DHS [Department of Homeland Security] and which trustee specifically handed over that information.
We believe that there is a high chance that our new president, Claire Shipman, handed over that information. And we, as Jewish students, demand transparency in that process.
Protesting Jewish students chain themselves to Columbia gates. Video: Democracy Now!
AMY GOODMAN: What makes you think that the new president, Shipman, gave over his [Khalil’s] information?
CARLY: There was a Forward article with that leak. And there has not been transparency from the Columbia administration to Jewish students, when they claim that they are doing all of this to protect Jewish students.
We would like to be consulted in that process, instead of being spoken for. You know, as Jewish students and to the Jewish people at large, being political pawns in a game is not a new occurrence, and that’s something that we very much are here to say, “Hey, you cannot weaponise antisemitism to harm our friends and peers.”
AMY GOODMAN: And talk about being chained. Are you willing to risk arrest or suspension or expulsion from Columbia?
CARLY: Yeah, I mean, just for speaking out for Palestine on Columbia’s campus, you know that you’re risking arrest and expulsion. That is the precedent they have set, and that is something that we all know at this point.
We are now in a situation where, for many of us, our good friend is in ICE detention. And as Jewish students, we feel we need to do more.
AMY GOODMAN: How did you know Mahmoud Khalil? You said you’re at SIPA. What are you studying there?
CARLY: Yeah, so, I’m a human rights student, and we were classmates. We were classmates and friends. And it’s been a deeply troubling few weeks. And, you know, everyone at SIPA, the students at SIPA, we really are just hoping for his safe return.
For me as a graduate in May, I truly hope we get to walk together at graduation.
AMY GOODMAN: Did he hear that you were out here? And did he send you a message?
CARLY: Yes. So, it has gotten back to Mahmoud that Jewish students are out here chained to the gate, and he did send a message that I read earlier that expressed his gratitude.
AMY GOODMAN: Can you tell me what he said?
CARLY: Yes, I can pull up the message. I don’t want to misquote him. OK.
“The news of students chaining themselves to the Columbia gates has reached Mahmoud in the detention center in Louisiana, where he’s currently being held. He knows what’s happening. He was very emotional when he heard about it, and he wanted to thank you all and let you know he sees you.”
SARAH BORUS: My name is Sarah Borus. I am a senior at Barnard College.
AMY GOODMAN: Why a Jewish action right now?
SARAH BORUS: So, the government, when they abducted Mahmoud, they literally put — Donald Trump put out a post that said, “Shalom, Mahmoud.”
They are saying that this is in the name of Jewish safety. But there is a reason that it is four white Jews that were on that fence or that were on that gate, and that’s because we are not the ones that are being targeted by the government.
It is Muslim students, Arab students, Palestinian students, immigrant students that are being targeted.
AMY GOODMAN: How do you respond to those who say the protests here are antisemitic?
SARAH BORUS: I have been involved in these protests for my last two years here. The community of Jewish students that I have found is one of the most wonderful in my life. To call these protests antisemitic, honestly, degrades the Jewish religion by making it about a nation-state instead of the actual religion itself.
SHEA: My name is Shea. I’m a junior at Columbia College. I am here for the same reason.
AMY GOODMAN: You’re wearing a keffiyeh and a yarmulke.
SHEA: Yes. That’s standard for me.
AMY GOODMAN: Are you willing to be expelled?
SHEA: If the university decides that that is what should happen to me for doing this, then that is on them. I would love to not be expelled, but I think that my peers would also have loved to not be expelled.
I think Mahmoud would love to not be in detention right now. This is — I obviously worked very hard to get here. So did Mahmoud. So did everyone else who has been facing consequences.
And, like, while I obviously would prefer to, you know, not get expelled, this is bigger than me. This is about something much more important. And it ultimately is in the hands of the university. If they want to expel me for standing up for my friend, for other students, then that is their choice.
PROTESTERS: ICE off our campus now! ICE off our campus now! We want justice! You say, “How?” We want justice! You say, “How?” Answer our demands now! Answer our demands now!
MARYAM ALWAN: My name is Maryam Alwan. I’m a senior at Columbia. I’m also Palestinian, and I’m friends with Mahmoud. I’m here in solidarity with my Jewish friends, who are in solidarity with all Palestinian students and Palestinians facing genocide in Gaza.
We are all here today because we miss our friend, and it’s inconceivable to us that the board of trustees are reported to have handed his name over to the federal government, and the fact that these board of trustees have now taken over the university.
Just yesterday, the University Senate at Columbia released an over 300-page report called the Sundial Report, which reveals that the board of trustees has completely endangered both Palestinian and anti-Zionist Jewish students in the name of quashing dissent and cracking down on protests like never before, eroding shared governance, academic freedom.
And so this has been a long-standing process over 1.5 years to get us to the point where we are today, where people are getting kidnapped from their own campuses. And we can’t just sit by and let the federal government do whatever they want to our own university without standing up against it.
So, whatever we can do.
AMY GOODMAN: And what does it mean to you that it’s Jewish students who have chained themselves to the gates?
MARYAM ALWAN: It means a lot to me, especially because of all of the rhetoric that surrounds these protests saying that we’re violent or threatening, when, from day one, I was part of Students for Justice in Palestine when it was suspended, and we were working alongside Jewish Voice for Peace from day one.
The media just completely twisted the narrative. So, the fact that my Jewish friends are still to this day fighting, no matter what the personal cost is to them — I’ve seen the way that the university has delegitimised their Jewish identity, put them through trials, saying that they’re antisemitic, when they are proud Jews, and they’ve taught me so much about Judaism.
So it just means a lot to see, like, the solidarity between us even almost two years later now.
AHARON DARDIK: My name’s Aharon Dardik. I’m a junior here at Columbia. And we’re here to protest the trustees putting students in danger and not taking accountability.
AMY GOODMAN: Why the chains on your wrists?
AHARON DARDIK: We, as Jewish students, chained ourselves earlier today to a gate on campus, and we said that we weren’t going to leave until the university named who it was among the trustees who collaborated with the fascist Trump administration to detain our classmate, Mahmoud Khalil, and try and deport him.
AMY GOODMAN: Where are you originally from?
AHARON DARDIK: I’m originally from California, but my family moved to Israel-Palestine.
AMY GOODMAN: And being from Israel-Palestine, your thoughts on what’s happening there?
AHARON DARDIK: There’s never a justification for killing innocent civilians and for war crimes and genocide that’s being committed now. And I know many, many other people there who are leftist Israeli activists who are doing their best to end the occupation, to end the war and the genocide and to end Israeli apartheid.
But they need more support from the international community, which currently sees supporting Israel as synonymous with supporting the fascist Israeli government that’s perpetrating this genocide, that’s continuing the occupation.
AMY GOODMAN: Voices from a protest on Wednesday when Jewish students at Columbia University chained themselves to university gates in support of Mahmoud Khalil, the former Columbia student protest leader now detained by ICE in a Louisiana jail.
Students continued their action into the early hours of yesterday morning through the rain, even after Columbia security and New York police arrived on the scene to cut the chains and forcibly remove protesters.
Special thanks to Laura Bustillos.
Republished from Democracy Now! under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States Licence.
Source: Novosibirsk State University – Novosibirsk State University –
The tenth conference of the Digital Industry of Industrial Russia (CIPR) will be held on June 3-6, 2025 – the main business event on the digital economy and technologies in Russia.
All events within the framework of the 10th anniversary of the conference will be held in Nizhny Novgorod on the territory of the Nizhny Novgorod Fair and the youth center “Vysota”. The halls of the Main Fair House will also be used for the business program sessions. The exhibition with Russian IT solutions will be located in mirror pavilions, and a separate pavilion will be built for international participants; negotiations are underway on the participation of foreign companies from China, India, and the Middle East. A large-scale festival for participants and city residents will unfold on the street territory of the Nizhny Novgorod Fair.
Since 2016, the topic of digital development has been on the periphery of the state and business agenda. At that time, interest in the digitalization of Russian industrial organizations was just emerging, and a platform was needed to unite representatives of government agencies, industry and IT – this is how the conference “Digital Industry of Industrial Russia” was born. Over 10 years, CIPR has grown from an industry project to an international event. The conference is attended by guests and market leaders from all regions of Russia and the countries of the EAEU, SCO and BRICS.
Since 2022, the CIPR has been hosting a large technology festival, CIPR Tech Week, for young people, the DECIPRALAND art exhibition with the participation of digital artists from all over the world, cyber championships and phygital games that combine real and virtual competitions, and on the last day of the event, the CIPR exhibition opens its doors to guests and residents of the city.
Today, CIPR is the main event on the digital economy in Russia, where strategically important government decisions are made, initiatives for the development of the IT industry are discussed, and ways to achieve the country’s technological sovereignty in systemically important areas of the economy are determined.
CIPR promotes the formation of a global digital business environment and opens up broad opportunities for finding partners in the Russian and foreign high-tech markets. Traditionally, CIPR hosts international agreements, investment deals, and an exhibition of digital solutions and high-tech equipment for key industries, where companies demonstrate innovations in AI, cloud technologies, cybersecurity, smart city technologies, etc. The conference also promotes export support for Russian technological solutions.
— For 10 years, CIPR has been creating a platform for effective dialogue between regulators and key market experts, and has also united the best intellectual IT resources of the country under its leadership. Now we have a responsible task – not only to present the anniversary conference as a reflection and systematization of valuable long-term experience in the digital environment, but also to form a vector for further development of the industry taking into account strategic initiatives and adaptation to changed scenarios of the global economic landscape, including ensuring dialogue with partner countries in the international market, — noted Olga Piven, director of the conference.
Employees Research Center in the Field of Artificial Intelligence of NSU will take part in the upcoming conference. They also took part in the conference last year. The center has existed since 2023. The main goal of the Center is to develop and prepare for implementation a set of “smart city” technologies using artificial intelligence that would improve the quality of life of citizens and the efficiency of urban economy.
The event is held with the support of the Government of the Russian Federation, the Ministry of Digital Development, Communications and Mass Media of the Russian Federation and the Government of the Nizhny Novgorod Region.
Please note: This information is raw content directly from the source of the information. It is exactly what the source states and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.
Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba said Friday that tariffs imposed on Japanese goods by the U.S. administration are a “national crisis.”
Speaking in a parliamentary session, Ishiba said the slap of a 24-percent levy on Japanese imports “can be called a national crisis and the government is doing its best with all parties.”
On Thursday, Ishiba told reporters that U.S. President Donald Trump’s announcement to impose the “reciprocal tariffs” is extremely regrettable and disappointing despite calls from Tokyo at various levels not to take the unilateral measure.
The prime minister argued that his export-oriented country has been the world’s largest investor in the U.S. since 2019, noting Japanese carmakers have made direct investments worth about 418 million U.S. dollars and created 2.3 million jobs in the United States.
Ishiba said that U.S. tariff hikes will have a significant impact not only on bilateral economic relations, but also on the global economy and the multilateral trade system.
He said he is seriously concerned about whether the tariff plan is consistent with World Trade Organization rules and the Japan-U.S. trade agreement.
Ishiba signaled that the government will closely examine how domestic industries will be impacted and provide full-fledged assistance measures.
U.S. President Donald Trump’s announcement of new reciprocal tariffs on imports from all trading partners has drawn backlash from countries around the world, with countermeasures already pledged by some.
The universal tariffs imposed by the United States — a 10-percent “minimum baseline tariff” to be imposed on all imports — will take effect on April 5, and the “individualized reciprocal higher tariff” on the countries and regions with which the United States “has the largest trade deficits” will take effect on April 9, according to a White House document.
“Resentment Day”
On social media platform X, Czech Minister of Industry and Trade Lukas Vlcek called Trump’s new tariffs a “mistake.” Also, Manfred Weber, the leader of the European People’s Party and a member of the European Parliament, called April 2 — the new tariff announcement day dubbed by Trump as “liberation day” for the United States — as “resentment day.”
“Donald Trump’s tariffs don’t defend fair trade: They attack it out of fear and hurt both sides of the Atlantic,” he said.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Wednesday expressed deep regret over the U.S. move in a statement, calling it “a major blow to the world economy,” and warned against a devastating impact. “The global economy will massively suffer,” she said. “Uncertainty will spiral and trigger the rise of further protectionism. The consequences will be dire for millions of people around the globe.”
Spanish Economy Minister Carlos Cuerpo on Thursday said the United States’ new tariffs are “unfair and unjustified” in an interview with radio station RNE, adding that the Spanish government will take action to protect companies and consumers from the effects of the tariffs.
Speaking to local media on Thursday morning, British Business and Trade Secretary Jonathan Reynolds said he is “disappointed” by the additional tariffs imposed on Britain, noting the 10-percent tariff is not a “fair reflection of how we currently trade.”
In Asia, Japan’s Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi on Thursday expressed “serious concern” about the U.S. decision to impose reciprocal tariffs, saying the new tariffs could have a “big negative impact” on the global economy and the multilateral trade system.
South Korean Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, who is serving as acting president following the impeachment of President Yoon Suk-yeol, told an emergency meeting on economic security in Seoul: “As the global tariff war is coming to a reality, the government should pour out all of its capabilities to overcome a trade crisis.”
The German Institute for Economic Research in a statement issued on Wednesday ahead of Trump’s new tariffs announcement warned that the United States has made a significant departure from multilateralism in its trade policy. The introduction of new, extensive tariffs poses a serious threat to global supply chains.
Grave concerns among businesses
Business leaders in Britain voiced concerns on Wednesday that the new tariffs on their exports, even at 10 percent, could weigh heavily on British industries. Rain Newton-Smith, chief executive of the Confederation of British Industry (CBI), said: “There are no winners in a trade war. Today’s announcements are deeply troubling for businesses and will have significant ramifications around the world.”
The Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) believed small exporters in the country would be hard hit, as 59 percent of them trade with the United States. “Tariffs will cause untold damage to small businesses trying to trade their way into profit,” said Tina McKenzie, the FSB’s policy chair.
The Manufacturers Association of Israel (MAI) said in a statement Thursday that the United States imposing a 17-percent tariff on imports from Israel is worrying. “The decision of the U.S. President to apply the tariff policy to Israel could harm Israel’s economic stability, deter foreign investment in the economy, and weaken the competitiveness of Israeli companies in the U.S. market,” it said in a statement.
On Tuesday, Israel announced the lifting of all tariffs imposed on imports from the United States, but the move failed to avert the new tariffs imposed by the United States.
Countermeasures pledged
In Paris, French government spokesperson Sophie Primas said on Thursday the European Union (EU) is ready for a trade war, with retaliatory tariffs to be imposed on all goods and service products from the United States by the end of April.
The initial levies in retaliation to the U.S. tariffs on EU steel and aluminum products would be put in place around mid-April, and the tariffs targeting all American imports are expected to be ready probably by the end of April, she said when speaking to the broadcaster RTL on Wednesday.
In response to the U.S. tariffs, Britain’s Prime Minister Keir Starmer told business leaders gathering at 10 Downing Street on Thursday morning that the close ally of the United States is “prepared.” “Decisions we take in the coming days and weeks will be guided only by our national interest. In the interest of our economy,” Starmer said.
On Wednesday before Trump’s announcement of the new tariffs, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni reiterated her call for negotiations to avoid a trade war with the United States, while signaling a shift away from her previous opposition to European retaliatory tariffs.
“We must work in every way to avert a trade war,” she said during a cultural event. “But this obviously does not rule out considering appropriate responses to defend our industries if necessary.”
In Brazil, the National Congress passed legislation allowing the South American country to impose reciprocal trade and environmental measures in response to foreign restrictions, on Wednesday just hours after Trump’s announcement of the sweeping tariffs.
Source: United States Senator for Massachusetts Ed Markey
Washington (April 3, 2024) – Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) released the following statement today on the Joint Resolutions of Disapproval of Arms Sales.
“Ever since Hamas’s heinous October 7 terrorist attacks on Israel, I have remained focused on bringing the hostages home and securing long-term peace and security for Israel. I supported the January ceasefire between Israel and Hamas as the best way to reunite the hostages with their families and provide humanitarian aid to Gaza. I remain steadfastly committed to Israel’s right to exist and defend itself, but the U.S. strategy of transferring to the Netanyahu government certain offensive weapons is not working. Israeli leaders such as former Minister of Defense General Yoav Gallant and former Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar both believe the release of the hostages should be the highest priority and have criticized Netanyahu’s handling of the war as an obstacle to the goal.
“Throughout my career, I have always voted in support of the defense aid that Israel needs in the face of enemies committed to its destruction, including last April when I voted for a $14 billion defense aid package. Today, I voted to support the two Joint Resolutions of Disapproval because the Joint Direct Attack Munitions (JDAMs) and large-scale bomb go beyond what is needed for Israel’s current defense and could be used to further decimate Gaza. These 2,000 and 500 pound-bombs have caused untold civilian harm and destruction and do not bring us closer to the ceasefire we need to get the hostages out and get humanitarian aid in. Both Israel and Hamas must immediately return to the mutually agreed upon ceasefire plan. This war must come to an end, so that we can return the hostages to their families and begin to put Israel and Palestine on a path towards lasting peace.”
If your child is struggling with certain everyday activities – such as playing with other kids, getting dressed or paying attention – you might want to get them assessed to see if they need additional support.
Currently, the way a child is assessed is often fragmented and time-consuming for families. If there’s a concern, you might be talking to your child’s school, have a referral to see a speech pathologist and be on a wait-list to see a psychiatrist.
We’ve developed a framework – in collaboration with 23 other community and professional organisations – to help make this approach more consistent for all Australian children aged 0–12 years.
The framework focuses on a child’s functional strengths (what they can do day-to-day) as well as their challenges and aspirations, to work out what support they might need.
This is useful for all children and it means support can start sooner, whether or not a child has a diagnosis now or might have one in the future.
Working out what support is needed
All children have support needs. But when these needs go beyond what might be expected for their age, or that the people around them can manage, they may need additional help.
Take communication, for example.
Parents use strategies to help their children learn to talk, such as by encouraging them and showing them how to do it.
But for about 3.2% of children, communication difficulties substantially impact their ability to participate in everyday activities. An older child who is struggling to talk will find it harder to play and make friends with other children at childcare.
Understanding each child’s need as well as their day-to-day functioning is the first step to getting appropriate support.
However, there are two main problems with how assessments are currently done.
The first problem is inconsistency. Doctors, teachers, childcare workers and allied health practitioners (such as physiotherapists or psychologists) all work hard to understand each child’s strengths and needs. But they tend to do assessments differently.
This is not surprising – they are focusing on different things.
But this means information can be sometimes duplicated or missed, making it harder to join the dots.
For example, let’s say a child with intellectual disability and minimal spoken language is avoiding eating most foods.
A psychologist may look at the child’s behaviour, a speech pathologist at their swallowing, and a doctor at their nutrition. But unless they work together, it may take longer to understand the underlying issue – in this case, that the child has strong sensory sensitivities.
Without a consistent approach, it is difficult to form a holistic picture of a child’s strengths and support needs across settings, let alone come up with a good plan for support.
Focusing on diagnosis, not function
The second problem is assessment often focuses too much on diagnosis and not enough on support.
Yet even children with the same diagnosis can have significantly different needs.
For example, among three autistic children, one may need 24-hour supervision and support to be safe.
The second may face challenges with a specific activity such as communicating at school, and benefit from targeted support from a speech pathologist.
The third child may not need any additional support at this point in time, beyond what is provided for all children.
Support needs also differ based on a range of personal and environmental factors, such as other health conditions, the quality of supports already in place (such as ramps for a wheelchair), or assistive technology (including mobility and communication aids).
What does the new framework recommend?
The framework focuses on what children can actually do and what they need help with, rather than a diagnosis.
It encourages each professional doing an assessment – whether an educator or health professional – to consider the child’s existing context, including what supports they already have, their strengths and challenges. And it should consider their aspirations (what is most important to them and their hopes for the future).
The framework recognises a child’s strengths and needs can change as they grow, and recommends follow-up assessments when there is a change, rather than following a set schedule.
We developed this framework by reviewing the evidence, looking at how assessments work in other countries, consulting widely with the disability community and yarning with Aboriginal parents and health professionals.
It outlines an approach that can be used consistently whenever a child is assessed across health, education, disability and community services.
What needs to happen next?
The framework is already available and is beginning to be used in practice.
But to make the approach consistent, we need to also provide training for professionals who assess children’s strengths and needs, and a tool to gather and share the information consistently across different settings.
We’re currently working on these. They will be ready by the end of the year, along with recommendations to government for supporting their roll-out across health, education, disability and community services.
If you’re a parent, you don’t need to wait for a diagnosis to start seeking support for your child. You can talk to a professional you trust, such as your family doctor or child’s teacher about your concerns.
David Trembath receives funding from the Autism Cooperative Research Centre (Autism CRC), the Commonwealth Government, and the Stan Perron Charitable Foundation. The research featured in this article was commissioned by the Autism Cooperative Research Centre with support from a federal government Department of Social Services Information, Linkages, and Capacity-Building grant.
Rachelle Wicks receives funding from the Autism Cooperative Research Centre, the Commonwealth Government, and the Stan Perron Charitable Foundation. She also receives a small quarterly honorarium as Chair of the Autism Queensland Advisory Committee.
Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Sharice Davids (KS-3)
KANSAS CITY, KS — Today, Representative Sharice Davids convened a roundtable discussion with five federal workers recently laid off due to the Trump administration’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) initiatives, led by Elon Musk. The event shed light on the personal and community impacts of the substantial federal workforce reductions currently underway. Davids distributed her Job Seekers Guide, which provides valuable resources for finding new employment and support during periods of unemployment.
“The mass layoffs pushed by the current administration and DOGE are not just uprooting the lives of dedicated federal workers — they are putting at risk the essential services our communities rely on every day,” said Davids. “In Kansas, where federal jobs are a vital part of our economy, these cuts threaten not only public trust but public safety. While I support efforts to make government more efficient, this reckless approach will have far-reaching consequences. I am committed to standing up against these harmful cuts, holding those responsible accountable, and ensuring that these workers and the services they provide are protected.”
The roundtable featured a diverse group of federal workers impacted by the recent DOGE job cuts. Participants included:
Jasper Hudgins-Bradley, Overland Park, KS: Former Internal Revenue Service (IRS) contact representative, helping people navigate IRS issues, who was laid off after less than a month of service.
Selina Bur, Kansas City, MO: Former Transportation Specialist with the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) Office of the Secretary, facilitating infrastructure projects and helping federal funds reach American communities.
Scott Curtis, Overland Park, KS: Former Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Region 7 Chief of Staff, initially laid off, then told it was a mistake and asked to return — yet has not received any rehiring details.
Donny Newsom, Leawood, KS: Navy veteran and former Senior Project Manager at National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), overseeing national laboratories and ensuring they met operational needs.
Garth Stocking, Kansas City, MO: Technical expert at the Social Security Administration (SSA) and American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) union leader, who, while not personally laid off, provided insight into the broader impacts of looming cuts within the Social Security workforce.
Kansas City, a major hub for federal employment, is experiencing widespread impacts from these layoffs. The federal government is the metro’s largest employer, with approximately30,000 federal workers — accounting for about 3 percent of the region’s total workforce. These cuts are already affecting Kansas City families, local economies, and the critical services federal employees provide to the public. Specific agencies affected include:
IRS: About 1,000 layoffshave already taken place at Kansas City locations, with more expected.
Department of Veterans Affairs (VA): Under DOGE directives, the VA announced plans to lay off up to 83,000 employeesnationwide by the end of 2025.
Davids previously demanded answers from the VA following the abrupt termination of employees, including service-disabled veterans, military spouses, and medical researchers.
Federal Aviation Administration (FAA): Aviation safety professionals at regional FAA offices are among those impacted, with the FAA union president saying they were let go “without assessment.”
Davids previously warnedthat the Administration’s FAA firings “undermine aviation safety,” just weeks after the fatal midair collision of AA5342, which took off from Wichita, Kansas.
SSA: The administration is planning to cut at least 7,000 employees, a cut of more than 12 percent. The acting SSA commissioner saidDOGE officials are “outsiders who are unfamiliar with nuances of SSA programs.”
U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA): In February, the National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility (NBAF) in Manhattan, Kansas, laid off at least a dozenadministrative employees. Some were later rehired to assist with the avian influenza response.
NOAA: Local weather professionals are also seeing cuts, which could impact forecasting and emergency preparedness.
And others.
WATCH: Davids spoke last week on the consequences of mass federal worker layoffs
“I am just one of so many federal employees in Kansas and around the country who have been fired with disregard for our livelihood or the essential services we provide to the American people,” said Scott Curtis, former FEMA employee. “After 32 years in the U.S. Navy, I chose federal service to continue helping others, but like many probationary employees, I was among the first to go — not because of performance, but because of reckless policy. This is not just about jobs; it’s about losing dedicated public servants who quietly support millions of Americans in ways they may never realize. The irony is that if the goal was true efficiency, we should be keeping these new, innovative workers — not cutting them first.”
“Many current and former government employees are now vulnerable to the actions of President Trump, his appointee Elon Musk, and others in positions of power, and we find ourselves in crisis,” said Jasper Hudgins-Bradley, former IRS employee.“It is both encouraging and reassuring to have elected officials like Representative Sharice Davids listening to our concerns and amplifying our voices, supporting us from above as we work to address these issues on the ground. Public servants are often easy targets, but the President has demonstrated over the course of his terms that he will remove anyone who stands in his way. What has happened to us could happen to anyone who does not push back.”
“The termination of my position at U.S. DOT, carried out by the Trump Administration, not only violates the laws of the United States, but was done recklessly, without regard for my performance or what the impact would be to the communities I served across the country,” said Selina Bur, former DOT employee. “The ripple effects of these unlawful mass terminations will be far-reaching.”
“I served my country for 22 years in the Navy and continued that service at NOAA, ensuring scientists had the facilities they need to support critical research — including weather forecasting that helps Kansas farmers and communities plan for storms,” said Donny Newsom, former NOAA employee. “But after just 15 months, I was abruptly terminated along with 200 others, not for poor performance, but because we were easy targets in the new administration’s push to gut the federal workforce. These mass firings don’t just hurt public servants — they create chaos, weaken our national security, and cost taxpayers. Thank you, Sharice, for standing up against these reckless cuts and fighting for Kansans.”
“DOGE and the whole Trump administration has been an avalanche of woe for federal workers and a mounting disaster for our country,” said Garth Stocking, former SAA employee. “Mine is a household of two federal workers and a trans teen — you bet we are angry, frightened and in constant turmoil about the prospects of years of these vicious, thoughtless policies. Beyond my personal situation, the community needs to be absolutely clear about how this dismantling of the civil service will harm them in so many ways. They are burning it all down only to deliver more money to the rich. Sharice Davids has proven herself a hero to federal workers, because she is with us, talking to us at every step — really standing up, and we appreciate it.”
Davids has always prioritized what’s best for Kansans, working across the aisle when it leads to real benefits — like collaboratingwith the new EPA director to lower gas prices. But she won’t hesitate to push back against extreme policies that hurt Kansas families. She condemnedPresident Trump’s new tariffs, warning they “could raise costs for hardworking folks and put even more pressure on our agricultural sector.” She also fought against threats to Medicaid — critical for 61,000 people in Kansas’ Third District — after House Republicans pushed a partisan budget that slashed health care to give billionaires tax breaks.
Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Sharice Davids (KS-3)
Last week, Representative Sharice Davids held a conversationwith recently terminated federal workers to discuss the devastating impact of the Trump Administration’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) initiatives, led by Elon Musk. The discussion highlighted the personal and community consequences of these sweeping job cuts, which are hitting Kansas City especially hard.
Davids also shared her Job Seekers Guide to help affected workers navigate unemployment and find new opportunities. Participants included former employees from key agencies like the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT), and more, many of whom were abruptly laid off despite good performance.
With Kansas City serving as a major federal employment hub, these cuts are already disrupting families, local economies, and critical public services. Davids acknowledged the federal government can work more efficiently, but has repeatedlypushed back on these cuts, warning of risks to aviation safety, veterans’ services, and Social Security operations. As more layoffs loom, she continues to advocate for Kansas workers and the essential services they provide.
Davids’ efforts to push back on DOGE’s reckless terminations made headlines across Kansas:
Kansas City Star: Fired federal workers in Kansas City raise alarm: ‘Chaos costs the American taxpayer’
“Rep. Sharice Davids, a Democrat representing Kansas’ 3rd Congressional District, convened a roundtable of terminated federal workers on Friday. The event, opened to news media, underscored the local effects of President Donald Trump’s lightning-fast push to cut the federal workforce.
[…]
At a union hall in Kansas City, Kansas, a small sliver of former federal employees shared their stories. They hailed from different agencies and work backgrounds, but all cast the firings as a short-sighted and haphazard effort that will place public services at risk. The roundtable also included a current Social Security Administration employee, who spoke about concerns within the agency over looming job cuts.
[…]
At 6:45 p.m. on Feb. 14, [Selina] Zapata Bur received an email saying she was fired. She was told her email access would be cut off 15 minutes later. DOT also sent her a termination letter but tried to recall the message because of typos and missing links before sending a new version an hour later. ‘So that tells you the attention to detail they’re giving,’ Zapata Bur said.
[…]
Davids, a fourth-term congresswoman whose district spans southern Wyandotte County, all of Johnson County and stretches into rural areas southwest of the Kansas City metro, consistently emphasizes her willingness to work with Republicans and kicked off the event by noting that the federal government can be made more efficient. But she has grown increasingly vocal in criticizing the Trump administration over the DOGE effort.
‘I can tell you the idea of vilifying and demeaning our federal civil service is reprehensible to me,’ Davids said. ‘Because just right here we’ve got folks who make sure, like with Social Security, make sure that people are getting the benefits that they’re entitled to because folks have been paying into this system for a long time.’
[…]
The one current employee in the group, Garth Stocking of the Social Security Administration, previewed the harms he and his co-workers fear are coming if the agency moves forward with a plan to eliminate 7,000 jobs nationally.
[…]
SSA currently operates 68 field offices across the four-state Kansas City region that employ 943 workers, in addition to nearly 1,000 at a service center based in Kansas City. The agency plans to consolidate the Kansas City region into a new Mid-West/West region.
What that means for what kind of presence SSA will have in Kansas City – and Kansas and Missouri more broadly – is unknown. ‘It’s not too hard to connect the dots from closing a field office to lack of services,’ Stocking said Friday.”
KMBC: Former federal workers share concerns about job cuts at roundtable with Kansas congresswoman
“A handful of former federal workers gathered at a local union hall in Merriam on Friday with U.S. Rep. Sharice Davids, D-Kan., to share concerns about federal workforce reductions. Davids heard their concerns about federal job reductions under the Trump administration.
Donny Newsom, a Navy veteran recently let go from a construction supervisor role for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, shared his concerns with the cuts and losing his job. “I think I owe it to the American people to, to at least push back a little bit and push back for the folks that can’t, that don’t have the capability to push back,” Newsom said.
The number of people losing federal jobs in the Kansas City area is still not fully known.
‘I think it’s going to be extremely difficult to undo what’s happening right now, because the service and stability is what drew people to the federal government,’ said Scott Curtis, whose job status has remained in limbo as chief of staff for the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
Davids shared her thoughts about the trimming federal workforce so rapidly.
‘Our communities are already expressing just how irresponsible this is,’ she said. ‘At the same time that I feel anger and heartbreak for the people who have been impacted by this.’”
The Olathe Reporter: Former federal workers detail confusion, chaos following mass layoffs
“Hosted in the LiUNA Local 1290 Union Hall in Kansas City, Kansas, Davids asked four former employees and one current social security employee to detail their experiences with recent layoffs by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). Each person had a unique story, with consistent themes of miscommunication and confusion throughout. Details related to their individual firings are their own accounts.
Prior to hearing those stories, Davids, a Democrat, prefaced the conversation by saying she likely has never met someone who thought the federal government ran efficiently, but in her opinion mass layoffs are not the way to improve its effectiveness.
‘These terminations are not the way to get there … both because of the impact on our individual federal civil servants, and the community services to keep us safe,’ Davids said.
[…]
‘Elon Musk and the so-called Department of Government Efficiency have taken a very reckless and thoughtless approach to firing people who are literally public servants,’ Davids said. ‘It has cut against the idea that they’re working for a more efficient government. These are services and folks who are mission-driven, who keep our community safe, who keep us healthy, who make sure we have roads and bridges.’
[…]
Those who received layoff emails or letters in the group noted inconsistent reasoning for their firings — some were told their continued employment ‘was not in the best interest of the American people,’ while others were told it was performance-based despite never receiving a poor performance report.
‘I wasn’t even there long enough to be evaluated for anything,’ Hudgins-Bradley said. ‘I barely had access to the systems to do the job, so ‘Based on poor performance’? What poor performance, what have you got?’
Outside of the unusually handled layoffs, the speakers discussed Project 2025, a document written in 2023 in anticipation of President Donald Trump’s reelection, detailing policies and actions the president should take in his second term in office… It details the weakening of federal programs, among other rightwing agendas, through the use of Trump’s powers as president. Vought has said in the past he wants federal workers to be “traumatically affected” and to not want to work as they are ‘increasingly viewed as the villains.’
‘I think the thing that disturbs me the most is the use of language and vilification of civil servants,’ Newsom said of the Trump Administration’s handling of the layoffs. ‘Who does that? What sort of mentality? … Where are we at as a country at this point? What sort of sick, twisted person says things like that, but then has a whole backing that’s following them up?’”
Topeka Capital-Journal: ‘We made a horrible mistake’: Fired federal employees from Kansas share stories
“U.S. Rep. Sharice Davids, D-Kansas, hosted a town hall with fired federal workers from Kansas at a union office, where they shared how they were terminated from their jobs.
The employees… described a chaotic scene at their offices as it maneuvered through mass terminations of probationary employees that have served less than a one- or two-year term, an email asking them to describe five things they did in the past week and the unfulfilled promise of benefits offered to people who agreed to resign.
[…]
Scott Curtis, a Navy veteran who was fired as a probationary employee, said he agreed to the deferred resignation program but then was fired as a probationary employee before the agency tried to rehire him.
‘I got a call from FEMA saying: ‘Oh, sorry, we made a horrible mistake. You shouldn’t have been fired. We’re rescinding your termination and you’re going to go on the deferred resignation program.’ Now I’m still not getting paid,’ Curtis said.
[…]
Davids called the approach to the terminations ‘thoughtless’ and not a real solution to inefficient government.
‘One of the things that I work on, and my team works on, is trying to figure out ways to make the federal government work better, more efficiently and effectively,’ she said. ‘These terminations are not the way to get there, from my perspective, both because of the impact that it has on our individual federal civil servants like you guys, and the community services to keep us safe, to keep us healthy.’
Davids said she’s trying to find ways to conduct oversight on the Trump administration with the help of Republican colleagues, which would be necessary with the GOP holding four more seats in the House than Democrats.
‘I am trying to figure out ways to work with my Republican colleagues, because it is the nature of being in the Legislature that we are supposed to be providing oversight on this administration and the things that they’re doing,’ Davids said. ‘We only need four or five of them to help us push back.’”
Fox4:
“Kansas Democratic Congresswoman Sharice Davids, who represents Wyandotte and Johnson Counties, hosted a roundtable with federal workers who’ve recently been laid off. The group includes employees from both sides of the state line who once worked for the Department of Transportation, FEMA, NOAA, and IRS. 1,000 workers in the metro have already bene let go, with more expected down the line. The VA has announced plans to cut more than 80,000 jobs by the end of the year.
‘But I definitely was terminated as a new probationary employee despite bringing well over three decades of experience in the federal government along,’ [said Scott Curtis].
‘It takes $10,000 just to get someone sitting there ready for training and I think my class was 150 people. So, even if just 50 of those were internal and already had everything, you’re still looking at a good amount of money that’s basically being thrown away because I didn’t even make it through training,’ [said Jasper Hudgins-Bradley]”
People watch live broadcast of the ruling on the impeachment against President Yoon Suk-yeol by South Korea’s constitutional court in Seoul, South Korea, April 4, 2025. South Korea’s constitutional court upheld a motion by the National Assembly to impeach President Yoon Suk-yeol over his short-lived martial law imposition, live TV broadcast showed Friday. (Xinhua/Yao Qilin)
South Korea’s constitutional court upheld a motion by the National Assembly to impeach President Yoon Suk-yeol over his short-lived martial law imposition, a live TV broadcast showed Friday.
Moon Hyung-bae, acting chief of the court, read a ruling on Yoon’s impeachment, saying it was a unanimous decision of eight justices.
The acting chief said Yoon broke his duty of protecting the constitution as he damaged the constitutional institutions, such as the parliament, and violated the basic rights of people by mobilizing the military and the police.
Moon stressed that the benefit of protecting the constitution through Yoon’s dismissal will overwhelmingly exceed the national loss from his dismissal.
Yoon declared an emergency martial law on the night of Dec. 3 last year, but it was revoked by the opposition-led National Assembly hours later.
Throughout the midnight hours of the botched martial law attempt, military helicopters landed at the National Assembly, and hundreds of armed special forces troops broke into the parliamentary building.
By law, the ruling comes into force immediately after the reading and a snap presidential election is required to be held within 60 days. The election is expected to fall in late May or early June.
The conservative leader officially lost all presidential power, becoming the country’s second sitting president to be forcibly removed from power following former conservative President Park Geun-hye’s ouster through impeachment in 2017.
Yoon also became the third president to be impeached by the National Assembly in the country’s constitutional history. Late liberal President Roh Moo-hyun was reinstated in the presidency after impeachment by the National Assembly in 2004.
Since the passage of Yoon’s impeachment motion on Dec. 14 last year, a total of 11 hearings have been held in the constitutional court until Feb. 25.
It took 111 days before the constitutional court’s final verdict, compared to 92 days for Park’s impeachment and 64 days for Roh’s impeachment.
Yoon was apprehended in the presidential office on Jan. 15 and was indicted under detention on Jan. 26 as a suspected ringleader of insurrection, becoming the country’s first sitting president to be arrested and prosecuted.
If convicted of being the insurrection ringleader, Yoon could face the death penalty or life imprisonment.
He was released on March 8 as the prosecution decided not to appeal against a court’s release approval.
China on Thursday rejected Japan’s so-called concerns over China’s joint exercises around the Taiwan Island, saying Japan’s words and actions blatantly violate the one-China principle.
The drills conducted by the Chinese People’s Liberation Army Eastern Theater Command are aimed at warning and containing “Taiwan independence” separatist forces, and it is a legitimate and necessary action to defend China’s national sovereignty and uphold national unity, foreign ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said at a press briefing.
“Japan has no right to point fingers at this, still less interfere with it,” he said in response to media reports that the Japanese side had expressed its concerns to China through diplomatic channels over the drills.
Guo said the Chinese side expressed strong dissatisfaction and firm opposition and had lodged serious protests with the Japanese side.
Taiwan is an inalienable part of China’s territory. The Taiwan question is at the core of China’s core interests, and bears on the political foundation of China-Japan relations and basic trust between the two countries.
The spokesperson pointed out that Japan committed innumerable crimes during its colonial rule over Taiwan of 50 years, and bears serious historical responsibilities to the Chinese people. “It should act all the more prudently.”
This year marks the 80th anniversary of the victory in the Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-fascist War.
“We urge Japan to deeply reflect on history, uphold the principles in the four political documents between China and Japan and honor its solemn commitments on the Taiwan question, immediately stop interfering in China’s internal affairs, and abide by the one-China principle with concrete actions,” Guo said.
New vehicles are on display at a Ford dealership in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, on April 3, 2025. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney announced on Thursday Canada will be responding by matching the U.S. approach with 25 percent tariffs on all vehicles imported from the United States that are not compliant with the Canada-U.S.-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA). (Photo by Liang Sen/Xinhua)
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney announced on Thursday Canada will be responding by matching the U.S. approach with 25 percent tariffs on all vehicles imported from the United States that are not compliant with the Canada-U.S.-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA).
The prime minister said his government will also impose the tariff on non-Canadian content of any CUSMA-compliant vehicles from the U.S., adding that Mexico won’t be impacted.
Carney said that the global economy “is fundamentally different today than it was yesterday.”
“Yesterday’s actions by the U.S. administration, while not specifically targeting Canada, will rupture the global economy and adversely impact global economic growth,” he said.
“Our old relationship of steadily deepening integration with the United States is over. The 80-year period when the United States embraced the mantle of global economic leadership is over,” said Carney.
Carney also said his government has gone to the World Trade Organization to argue the tariffs violate international trade law.
Canada was spared from the 10 percent baseline tariffs, but a 25 per cent U.S. tariff on imported autos went into effect at midnight.
As summer fades into autumn, most Australian states and territories will set their clocks back an hour as daylight saving time ends and standard time resumes.
About one-third of the world also adjust their clocks seasonally, moving forward in spring and back in autumn (remember: spring forward; fall back).
In spring, losing an hour of sleep can leave us feeling tired, groggy and out-of-sync, making it hard to shake off that lingering sleepiness in the following days.
Although getting an extra hour of sleep in autumn might sound great, it’s not entirely positive either, as biannual time shifts – whether you’re gaining or losing an hour – can disrupt our biological clock.
This is why sleep experts and scientists who study the body clock (chronobiologists) often oppose the biannual clock changes. They argue we should eliminate daylight saving time and stick to standard time year-round.
So why do we have daylight saving time in the first place? And why is it contentious?
What’s daylight saving time for?
Daylight saving time was first introduced during World War I as a wartime measure to conserve fuel.
However, modern research shows that daylight saving time does not meaningfully reduce overall energy use. It can even increase it: while Australians use less power for lighting during daylight saving time, we use more for air conditioning during hot weather.
These days, daylight saving is debated mainly for its potential economic and social benefits, such as extended evening daylight for recreation, shopping and traffic safety, as well as for its health implications.
What happens in our body?
Humans have a longstanding, evolutionary-conserved biological or circadian clock.
To keep everything running smoothly, the biological clock depends on natural daylight. Exposure at the right time is particularly important for sleep. Morning sunlight helps wake you up, while evening light signals your body to stay awake, meaning you stay up later and get up later in the morning.
When we adjust the time on our clocks by one hour, we shift our social schedules, such as work or school times and social activities, and the timing of light exposure. When we switch our clocks back to standard time, most people experience sunrise and sunset earlier relative to their biological clock.
Conversely, under daylight saving time, morning light is delayed, so we encounter sunlight later in relation to our internal clock. This “circadian misalignment” can throw our biological clock out of sync, adversely affecting bodily functions.
This is especially problematic for people who already experience a persistent circadian misalignment (social jetlag), such as shift workers and those who prefer to stay up late in the evening and wake up later in the morning (night owls).
How the ‘spring forward’ can affect your health
Most research on biannual clock changes has historically focused on the spring switch, the transition from standard time to daylight saving.
It’s also associated with a higher risk of cardiovascular and mental health problems, with studies reporting a 4–29% increase in heart attacks and a 6% increase in mental health crises and substance misuse. These are attributed to the acute disruptions in sleep and the body clock.
On standard time, mornings are bright and evenings are dark. But with daylight saving time, sunlight comes later, so you might stay up later and still need to wake up at the same time due to social obligations.
When that pattern persists, it can cause longer-term circadian misalignment. This “social jetlag” has been associated with poorer cognitive performance and mental health.
How the ‘fall back’ can affect your health
The autumn transition from daylight saving time back to standard time is often perceived as beneficial because of the extra hour of sleep gained.
However, some research shows the autumn transition from daylight saving time back to standard time can disrupt wellbeing too. It is linked with increased restlessness during the night that compromises sleep.
It has also been linked to a rise in depressive episodes in Denmark, up to ten weeks after the transition to standard time. This may be due to the sudden start of earlier sunsets, which signals the start of a long period of short days.
The EU’s proposal to end biannual clock changes was approved in principle and awaits final agreement by all members states.
The US Senate has passed the Sunshine Protection Act, which now needs additional approval to become law.
From a circadian health perspective, permanent standard time aligns better with our biological clocks than permanent daylight saving time.
But people do not have to sacrifice their lifestyle preferences to live in tune with their biological clocks. Daylight saving time doesn’t provide more sunlight, it only shifts the timing.
So simple lifestyle adaptions, such as flexible work hours, can let people start working earlier in summer months and enjoy longer evenings even without changing the clock twice a year.
Meltem Weger has received funding from the German Academic Scholarship Foundation (PhD fellowship; 2010-2012) and from the European Commission (Marie Curie Curie Postdoctoral fellowships; 2014-2016, 2017-2019).
Benjamin Weger receives funding from the National Health and Medical Research Council
and the Alzheimer’s Association.
Source: United States Senator for New Mexico Martin Heinrich
WASHINGTON — U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), a member of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, released the following statement after voting to block the transfers of 2,000-pound bombs, warheads, Joint Direct Attack Munitions (JDAMS), and Small Diameter bombs to Israel.
“We need to prioritize de-escalating this conflict now. To finally end the bloodshed and achieve lasting peace for Israelis and Palestinians, the path forward requires the immediate return of a ceasefire, release of hostages and reinstatement of humanitarian aid, and an end to Hamas’ rule in Gaza.
“While Israel undoubtedly has the right to defend itself, it must follow U.S. and international humanitarian law. Right now, Israel is acting in direct violation of the requirements mandated under the Foreign Assistance Act and the Arms Export Control Act.
“As an ally, we must send Israel’s government a strong message that now is the time to de-escalate this conflict. I encourage, in the strongest possible terms, all involved in the ongoing negotiations to take this seriously before more lives are lost.”
Source: United States Senator for Iowa Chuck Grassley
WASHINGTON – Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), a senior member and former chairman of the tax-writing Senate Finance Committee, accepted the National Foreign Trade Council Foundation’s (NFTC) International Tax Award for his decades-long commitment to pro-growth tax policies.
“I’m honored to be recognized for my work to grow our nation’s economy through international tax reform,” Grassley said. “During my time as chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, and still today as a senior member of the committee, I’ve approached tax writing as a way to bolster American businesses, increase wages and reinvest foreign earnings. I look forward to continuing my work to advance America-first tax policies, first and foremost by extending the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act.”
“During Senator Grassley’s long career in the Senate, he has always been a champion of tax policies that drive economic growth,” said Anne Gordon, NFTC Vice President for International Tax Policy. “As Chairman of Senate Finance, he led efforts to simplify the tax code, reducing the Foreign Tax Credit baskets and creating a look-thru provision for U.S. subsidiaries, efforts which help streamline compliance and mitigate double taxation.”
Grassley played a leading role in the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act and spearheaded the American Jobs Creation Act to simplify Foreign Tax Credits and increase American businesses’ competitiveness overseas.
Photos and a transcript of Grassley’s remarks upon accepting the award follow.
Download photos HERE.
Prepared Remarks by Senator Chuck Grassley of Iowa “National Foreign Trade Council Foundation’s International Tax Award” Wednesday, April 2, 2025
It’s good to join you this evening. I’m honored to accept this award from a group of innovators and entrepreneurs who take risks everyday to grow our economy and prosperity for hard-working Americans.
Around this time of year, a five-letter word in the English language strikes a chord among all Americans. And that word is TAXES.
One reason President Trump won re-election was his promise to renew the 2017 tax cuts. So, you’d think getting a bill to his desk to prevent the largest tax increase in U.S. history would be a no-brainer.
Unfortunately, this town is famous for gumming up the works, especially when it comes to taxes.
As a former chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, this isn’t my first tax rodeo.
Two decades ago, I worked with my friend Senator Baucus to enact the American Jobs Creation Act, which included the most significant reforms to our international tax rules in decades. We hammered out provisions to simplify Foreign Tax Credits and increase the competitiveness of American businesses overseas.
Corporate inversions were a hot topic at the time and gaining prevalence. Provisions were added to stem the tide. However, I always saw corporate inversions as a symptom of our outdated and uncompetitive corporate tax structure. What we needed was comprehensive tax reform.
That finally came with the enactment of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act.
Our corporate tax rate, which had become the highest in the developed world, was lowered to bring it in-line with that of our major trading partners. Moreover, our international tax system was modernized to unlock offshore earnings and allow trillions to be brought back and invested here at home.
And you know how many corporate inversions we’ve seen since enactment of these reforms?
Zero!
So, as Congress buckles down to renew the Trump tax cuts, let’s learn from history. Increasing corporate taxes reduces our international competitiveness, incentivizes profit-shifting and stretches the tax gap.
During his first week back in office, I’m glad President Trump put out a fire the Biden administration started by surrendering U.S. taxing rights to global interests. You can be sure I’m working against discriminatory and unfair taxes on U.S. businesses and American workers.
Now Congress must get to work and renew the 2017 tax cuts. Failure is not an option.
Thank you.
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Source: United States Senator for Hawaii Brian Schatz
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i), a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, released the following statement on S.J.Res.33 and S.J.Res.26.
“I have always supported Israel’s right to defend itself from serious and enduring threats in the region, and support American security assistance for that purpose, and will continue to do so. While I was encouraged by the ceasefire earlier this year, its breakdown and the Netanyahu government’s devastating actions in Gaza warrant questions around the timing of a sale of large-scale bombs and the current conduct of the war.
“I am voting against these transfers of 2,000-pound and 500-pound bombs because the Netanyahu government’s current use of weapons like these has resulted in extraordinary levels of civilian harm, death, and destruction in Gaza, while doing nothing to advance the cause of a renewed ceasefire, release of the remaining hostages, and enduring security for the people of Israel. We have seen the Netanyahu government use U.S.-backed resources in ways that are problematic and against our values as a nation – that includes continuing to order population transfers against international law, preventing life-saving humanitarian aid from reaching those in need, and the ongoing bombardment of civilian targets.
“Israelis and Palestinians deserve to co-exist as neighbors peacefully and safely, and we must do everything we can to work towards a ceasefire, the release of all remaining hostages, and a pathway to an enduring peace.”
Source: United States Senator for Idaho Mike Crapo
Analysis shows pro-growth agenda fuels 3 percent GDP growth, $4 trillion in revenue
Washington, D.C.–U.S. Senator Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, issued the following statement on an analysis from the Council of Economic Advisors (CEA) projecting that making the Trump Tax Cuts permanent—combined with other Trump Administration pro-growth policies—will yield an average growth of at least 3 percent per year over the next 10 years, resulting in more than $4 trillion of additional revenue during that period.
“Certainty and stability in our tax code are critical for economic growth and activity,” said Crapo. “This analysis correctly recognizes the full economic impact of permanently extending the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA), implementing commonsense regulatory reform and reducing wasteful government spending. President Trump’s pro-growth agenda will raise trillions of dollars in revenue, increasing prosperity and opportunity across all segments of the economy.”
Key numbers from the CEA analysis (TCJA extension combined with other pro-growth policies):
3.0 percent – annual real GDP growth rates over the next 10 years.
$4.1 trillion – additional revenue over the next 10 years relative to CBO projects that assume TCJA expires.
3.3 to 3.8 percent – boost in short-run real GDP.
2.6 to 3.2 percent – increase in long-run real GDP.
$2,100 to $3,300 – annual real wage increase per worker.
$4,000 to $5,000 – increase in median-income household take-home pay.
4 million – full-time equivalent jobs saved.
$100 billion – investment in distressed communities.
READ: CEA: The Economic Impact Of Extending Expiring Provisions Of The Tax Cuts And Jobs Act
READ: FY 2025 Budget Resolution will Deliver Permanent Tax Relief, Spur Economic Growth and Restore Fiscal Order
A woman stands behind Xiang embroidery works during a culture and tourism promotional event for China’s Hunan Province, in London, Britain, on April 3, 2025. (Xinhua/Li Ying)
Central China’s Hunan Province, known for the towering natural pillars in Zhangjiajie that inspired the movie Avatar, showcased its rich cultural and tourism resources in London on Thursday.
Dozens of government officials and tourism industry representatives from China and Britain attended the promotional event, which aimed to explore potential partnerships in the fields of culture and tourism.
“Tourism is a powerful way to build people-to-people and cultural connections between our two nations,” said Rachael Farrington, head of tourism (government) affairs at VisitBritain, the national tourism agency. She said she was “thrilled” by the prospect of the two countries “working further together” and strengthening ties through “a shared love of travel and culture.”
The event spotlighted the province’s deep-rooted history, stunning landscapes, and signature cuisine – all of which have made lasting impressions on international visitors, including Ben Hardy from Bristol.
Hardy said he “was blown away” by his trip to Hunan in 2019, during which he made friends and experienced China’s high-speed rail, traditional tea-making, Chinese calligraphy, among others.
Hunan governor Mao Weiming emphasized the province’s unique fusion of ancient heritage and vibrant modern culture. He invited attendees to visit Hunan, underscoring the importance of deepening cooperation and exploring fresh opportunities in the tourism market.
Cultural performances by artists from both China and Britain added a dynamic touch to the event, featuring traditional Chinese instruments such as the Changde string alongside the Western cello.
Norfolk Island sees its United States tariff as an acknowledgment of independence from Australia.
Norfolk Island, despite being an Australian territory, has been included on Trump’s tariff list.
The territory has been given a 29 percent tariff, despite Australia getting only 10 percent.
It is home to just over 2000 people, sitting between New Zealand and Australia in the South Pacific
The islands’ Chamber of Commerce said the decision by the US “raises critical questions about Norfolk Island’s international recognition as an independent sovereign nation” and Norfolk Island not being part of Australia.
“The classification of Norfolk Island as distinct from Australia in this tariff decision reinforces what the Norfolk Island community has long asserted: Norfolk Island is not an extension of Australia.”
Norfolk Island previously had a significant level of autonomy from Australia, but was absorbed directly into the country’s local government system in 2015.
Norfolk Islanders angered The move angered many Norfolk Island people and inspired a number of campaigns, including appeals to the United Nations and the International Court of Justice, by groups wishing to re-establish a measure of their autonomy, or to sue for independence.
The Chamber of Commerce has taken the tariff as a chance to reemphasis the islands’ call for independence, including, “restoration of economic rights” and exclusive access to its exclusive economic zone.
The statement said Norfolk Island is a “sovereign nation [and] must have the ability to engage directly with international trade partners rather than through Australian officials who do not represent Norfolk Island’s interests”.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese told reporters yesterday: “Norfolk Island has got a 29 percent tariff. I’m not quite sure that Norfolk Island, with respect to it, is a trade competitor with the giant economy of the United States.”
“But that just shows and exemplifies the fact that nowhere on Earth is safe from this.”
The base tariff of 10 percent is also included for Tokelau, a non-self-governing territory of New Zealand, with a population of only about 1500 people living on the atoll islands.
US President Donald Trump’s global tariffs . . . “raises critical questions about Norfolk Island’s international recognition as an independent sovereign nation.” Image: Getty/The Conversation
US ‘don’t really understand’, says PANG Pacific Network on Globalisation (PANG) deputy coordinator Adam Wolfenden said he did not understand why Norfolk Island and Tokelau were added to the tariff list.
“I think this reflects the approach that’s been taken, which seems very rushed and very divorced from a common sense approach,” Wolfenden said.
“The inclusion of these territories, to me, is indicative that they don’t really understand what they’re doing.”
WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senator Jacky Rosen (D-NV) joined Senate colleagues in a letter urging President Donald Trump to rescind his March 27 executive order to end collective bargaining agreements between public employee unions and dozens of federal agencies. In their letter, the Senators blasted the move as a “gross overreach” of presidential authority, asserting that the executive order is a clear attempt to gut the federal merit-based civil service and implement a system of political cronyism. They stressed that the order poses a grave threat to the ability of over 1 million federal workers to carry out their missions and deliver important services for the American people – and thus should be rescinded immediately.
“This order is an insult to the hardworking public servants who go to work on behalf of the American people,” wrote the Senators. “There is no evidence that the long-standing collective bargaining agreements at these agencies have jeopardized our nation’s security in any way; to the contrary, the protection collective bargaining has provided for employees allows them to conduct their work on behalf of the American people—including blowing the whistle on fraud or abuse—without political interference.”
“This Administration clearly does not have even a basic understanding of the legally binding nature of federal collective bargaining agreements and is actively trying to bend the law to undermine protections for federal civil servants,” they continued. “We urge you to immediately rescind this illegal executive order so that our dedicated public servants can continue to work on behalf of the American public without fear for their job or political retribution.”
The letter is endorsed by the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO), American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), National Treasury Employees Union (NTEU), International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers (IFPTE), and Service Employees International Union (SEIU).
As a former union member herself, Senator Rosen has been a strong advocate for Nevada’s workers. Last month, she helped reintroduce the PRO Act, comprehensive labor legislation to protect the rights of workers to stand together and bargain for fair wages, better benefits, and safer workplaces. Last year, Senator Rosen helped introduce the Public Service Freedom to Negotiate Act to federally guarantee the right of law enforcement officials and other public employees to organize and collectively bargain. Last Congress, she co-sponsored the FAMILY Act, which would provide all workers with twelve weeks of paid parental, medical, and caregiving leave. Senator Rosen has also helped introduce legislation to gradually raise the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour.
Source: United States Senator for Tennessee Bill Hagerty
The Biden Administration failed to protect U.S. diplomats, stop China from financing Iran’s terror regime
WASHINGTON—United States Senator Bill Hagerty (R-TN), a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and former U.S. Ambassador to Japan, today received a commitment from former Senator David Perdue (R-GA), nominee to be U.S. Ambassador to China, to hold the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) accountable for unfair treatment of U.S. diplomats, and work to stop the CCP from financing Iran’s terror regime and its proxies.
“When I served as U.S. Ambassador to Japan, one of my top priorities was taking care of my staff and their families,” Hagerty said.
“If I think about what happened during Covid [in China], they put some of our [diplomatic] staff in containers, held them in isolation in moldy hotel rooms,” Hagerty continued. “They took stool samples from them, blood tests for them. I just think it’s totally egregious what took place.”
“If you receive reports of harassment or abuse, will you immediately report those not only to the Trump Administration, but to this committee, so that we can act upon it?” Hagerty asked.
“Absolutely,” Perdue confirmed.
Hagerty also questioned nominee Perdue about preventing the CCP from funding Iran’s terror regime, which the Biden Administration failed to do. “As I’ve discussed many times in this committee, the Biden Administration’s non-enforcement of sanctions against Iran has provided that regime with over $100 billion that they have used, therefore, to go out into the Middle East and foment terror and insecurity,” Hagerty said. “President Trump intends to actually enforce sanctions against Iran, and last month, his Administration announced sanctions against the Chinese teapot oil refinery. That refinery was buying and refining hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth of Iranian crude oil.”
“Some of this oil was even imported to China by ships linked to the Iranian-backed Houthi regime, the same terrorists that are attacking U.S. personnel, commercial vessels, and certainly our ally Israel,” Hagerty added. “This is yet another example of how Biden’s non-enforcement of sanctions funded the very problems we are spending billions to address right now.”
“Do you commit to conveying to the Chinese government, in the strongest possible terms, that the United States will not tolerate Chinese activities that finance Iran and its terrorist proxy groups, especially those terrorist groups that attacked the United States and its allies?” Hagerty asked.
Source: United States Senator for Michigan Gary Peters
DETROIT, MI – U.S. Senator Gary Peters (MI) joined the Detroit Economic Club to discuss Michigan’s leadership in national security, advanced manufacturing, and innovation. In a fireside chat with the Detroit News’ Nolan Finley, Peters discussed the impact of recently imposed tariffs on Michigan businesses and suppliers as well as the future of Michigan’s auto industry. Peters also highlighted his work on the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee to support the safe, responsible adoption of artificial intelligence (AI), strengthen U.S. cybersecurity, improve drone and counter-drone authorities, and expand Michigan’s role in Northern Border security.
Below are key highlights from Peters’ remarks:
Peters on impact of uncertainty surrounding scope of Trump Administration’s tariffs: “What we’ve seen with this Administration is things can change on a dime, pretty quickly, and that is also a part of the problem. If you’re trying to help an industry, to grow an industry… having some certainty is really important. Chaos is not good for business.”
Peters on Michigan’s leadership in advanced manufacturing: “You cannot have a manufacturing sector in this country if you don’t have a strong and vibrant auto sector. Autos drive so much of manufacturing, no matter what you make.”
Peters on expanding Michigan’s role in border security efforts, including by establishing the Northern Border Mission Center at Selfridge Air National Guard Base: “I want to make sure we’re coordinated…I was able to write legislation, pass it, and fund it, and it’s going to open on Selfridge Air National Guard Base… And that will coordinate all the operations across the Northern Border. It will happen here in Michigan… and that will help make sure we keep Selfridge as a viable military base for years to come.”
To watch Peters’ full remarks at the Detroit Economic Club, click here.
The Detroit Economic Club (DEC) was formed in 1934 as a non-partisan, non-profit organization that promotes discussion and debate of important business, government, and social issues.
Peters was recently rated the most effective U.S. Senator for the third time in a row by the nonpartisan Center for Effective Lawmaking, which released its biannual effectiveness ratings for the 118th Congress (2023-2024). Peters was also rated the most effective Senator by the Center in the 116th (2019-2020) and 117th (2021-2022) Congresses. In the 118th Congress, Peters earned the highest effectiveness score for a U.S. Senator ever recorded in the fifty years since the Center for Effective Lawmaking began tracking this data. He also becomes the first Senator in more than four decades to be named most effective three times in a row. Peters achieved this recognition by authoring 15 standalone bills that were passed and signed into law. He also authored 10 additional bills that were passed into law as part of larger legislative packages.
>Today, the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) is announcing the release of the Trump Administration’s Drug Policy Priorities, a comprehensive and coordinated blueprint to reduce the devastating impact of illicit drugs on American society. The Statement lays out the urgent, first-year steps that must be taken to address the scourge of illicit drug use that continues plaguing our nation and taking American lives. The implementation of these priorities will complement President Trump’s tireless efforts to stop Foreign Terrorist Organizations, cartels, and drug traffickers from harming Americans, and will help build a safer, healthier future for America.
In the next year, the White House will work across the government to implement the following six priorities:
Reduce the Number of Overdose Fatalities, with a Focus on Fentanyl
Secure the Global Supply Chain Against Drug Trafficking
Stop the Flow of Drugs Across our Borders and into Our Communities
Prevent Drug Use Before It Starts
Provide Treatment That Leads to Long-Term Recovery
Innovate in Research and Data to Support Drug Control Strategies
“Terrorists, cartels, and other drug traffickers are taking hundreds of thousands of American lives by poisoning them for profit,” said Jon Rice, the ONDCP Senior Official Performing the Duties of the Director. “To meet the urgent need of this moment, the Trump Administration is launching an unprecedented whole-of-government effort to stop these drugs from entering our communities and hold drug traffickers accountable. The priorities in this framework outline the first steps to kick cartels out of our country, free Americans from the deadly grip of addiction, and guide America back to health and safety.”
To achieve our vision of a safer, healthier future for Americans, we will disrupt the supply chain from tooth to tail. We will continue to take decisive action and exploit all existing authorities, both punitive and economic, to eliminate the production and distribution networks that allow these drugs to reach the United States. We will develop bold policy choices, employ innovative and sophisticated technology, and create a skilled, recovery-ready workforce to combat this crisis and ensure the safety of all Americans. Domestically, we must acknowledge the complexity of substance use disorder and addiction. The statistics surrounding drug use and overdose deaths mandate a comprehensive approach that emphasizes drug use prevention and increases access to recovery and overdose prevention and reversal services. Recognizing that a sustainable solution requires coordination across all levels of government, we will collaborate with law enforcement, first responders, healthcare providers, community-based organizations, and individuals to ensure the health and well-being of all Americans.
The staggering loss of life caused by illicit drugs underscores the severity of the challenge, but the Trump Administration has already taken critical steps to confront this crisis through a series of Executive Orders that secure our borders, combat foreign terrorist organizations and drug trafficking organizations, and demand reform by source countries from which illicit drugs and precursor chemicals flow into the United States. Critically, the Trump Administration will identify and hold accountable those responsible for exacerbating the flow of drugs within our borders.
While these Policy Priorities outline the broad areas of effort for the first year, the President’s drug control policy will evolve to keep pace with the changing landscape of illicit drug trafficking and ensure that our borders, communities, and schools are secure from the destructive influence of illicit drugs.
To read the Trump Administration’s Drug Policy Priorities, click here.
What happens to bombs after they land? Some explode. Some don’t, leaving behind a deadly legacy of war, but now the remnants of conflict and devastation are being turned into wearable messages of peace.
“The purpose was to transform the negative energy of destruction into the positive energy of creation,” said Ukrainian designer Stanislav Drokin, who turns shrapnel into fine jewellery from his whimsical, functional home studio in war-torn Kharkiv.
As the world marks the International Day for Mine Awareness, observed annually on 4 April, ongoing demining initiatives are painstakingly removing and safely disposing unexploded weapons left behind on battlefields while artists like Mr. Drokin are crafting some of these fragments of war into one-of-a-kind jewellery, ornaments and sculptures.
For designers, there is plenty of material to work with.
From trenches to trinkets
Today, tens of millions of these deadly weapons remain scattered in former battle zones across the world long after the conflicts have ended.
Laos and Ukraine have among the world’s highest concentrations of unexploded ordnance. In Laos alone, only one per cent of the estimated 80 million now banned cluster bombs dropped during the Viet Nam War more than half a century ago have been safely deactivated and removed.
Unexploded ordnance continues to kill people around the world despite the history of mine action showing hard-won progress, according to UNMAS, the UN agency that runs demining operations, from Gaza to Ukraine.
In Ukraine, Mr. Drokin’s loft is both his workshop and home, where the renowned artist and university lecturer tells the story of war using shrapnel fragments brought to him by friends, colleagues, volunteers and military personnel following Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022.
“At the very beginning of the war, my creative workshop became a temporary warehouse for volunteers of the Kharkiv military hospital,” Mr. Drokin said.
Wondering how he could help Ukrainians when his frontline city is under constant artillery shelling, Mr. Drokin started working on the first of several collections in early May 2022.
Since then, he launched the Forget-me-not sculpture project, shaped from shell fragments and stylised titanium flowers, one of which sold for more than $14,000 at Sotheby’s in Geneva, all of which went to Lviv-based Superhumans, a centre serving adults and children maimed as a result of the war.
Next came the Revival collection, which unfolded after Mr. Drokin was contacted by Elizabeth Suda, founder of Article 22, a New York startup that sells pieces made of bomb remnants and supports demining in the territories contaminated by the tools of war.
“Pieces from the collection are symbols aimed at preserving information about tragedies, destruction and grief that wars bring in the memory of mankind,” Mr. Drokin said.
Designer Stanislav Drokin is interviewed by a local news team in Kharkiv, Ukraine.
‘Every piece tells a story’
At the Pen and Brush Gallery in New York’s trendy Flatiron neighbourhood, bracelets made from cluster bombs jangle on the arms of Kendall Silwonuk, who is setting up a pop-up shop with an array of Mr. Dorkin’s necklaces and other Article 22 items.
“Every piece tells a story,” Ms. Silwonuk said.
Holding up a heavy wooden block that Laotian artisans use to make bracelets, she explained the process. Artisans collect aluminium bomb casings from demining operations, melt them down and pour the liquified substance into heavy wood block molds. Once cooled, out pops a bracelet.
She said Article 22 supports initiatives to help communities to rebuild their lives, including through the US-based Legacy of War Foundation, founded by photojournalist Giles Duley, a triple amputee following injuries caused by an improvised explosive device in Afghanistan in 2011 and the first UN Global Advocate for persons with disabilities in conflict and peacebuilding situations.
UN News
Kendall Silwonuk at an Article 22 pop-up shop in New York with an array of jewellery made of remnants of war.
‘Conscious commerce’
In Laos, Article 22’s Ms. Suda met with artisans crafting spoons out of cluster bomb remnants in the early 2000s and was determined to bring their skills and story to a wider audience.
She said the company’s name comes from the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, in which Article 22 states that “everyone, as a member of society, has the right to social security and is entitled to realisation, through national effort and international cooperation and in accordance with the organization and resources of each State, of the economic, social and cultural rights indispensable for his dignity and the free development of his personality.”
“This is a humanitarian issue that the public can be involved in by being first aware by supporting organizations that work to clear unexploded bombs from the land and by supporting any organization or business that is doing this work through a conscious commerce,” she said.
For the Laotian artisans working with Article 22, the collaboration has meant more income and cleared minefields now used to grow rice.
UNDP Lao PDR/Tock Soulasen Phomm
A local rice farmer in Laos.
Blending chaos with harmony
Back in Kharkiv, Mr. Drokin is now sketching new designs using precious coloured stones and diamonds to “combine them with fragments created by the crazy energy of the explosion” for his growing audience. That includes presidents, volunteers, journalists, mayors, doctors, philanthropists and military heroes, with some pieces gracing private collections, from the National Museum of the History of Ukraine to the East Wing of the White House in Washington.
“I love to combine harmony and chaos, use the emotions of colour and its combinations and emphasise the images and forms created by man and nature,” he said. “As a lecturer, I want to pass on knowledge and accumulated experience to students to bring a sense of responsibility, harmony and peace to the younger generation.”
Does he have a favourite piece?
“It will be the last piece I create after the war, when the long-awaited and just peace comes, people stop dying and the contaminated land of Ukraine is cleared of unexploded mines, missiles and shells,” Mr. Drokin said.
While some artisans in Laos and Ukraine continue to ply a brisk trade, the trend of salvaging and recycling remnants of war into wearable art is emerging around the world.
UN Photo/Martine Perret
Deminers in Bunia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Here are just a few:
In Colombia, even before the decades-old war ended, jewellery designers produced collections crafted from bullet casings, with some continuing to this day
In Cambodia, remnants of half-century-old brass bombshells are being salvaged by an association and incorporated into jewellery to promote peace
In the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), retrieved bullet casings and AK47 machine gun are being integrated into wristwatches and wedding bands
In Israel and Palestine, some of the tens of thousands of fallen bombs and rockets are now mezuzahs, statues, necklaces and charms
Space Minister Judith Collins will travel to the United States next week to attend the 40th Space Symposium. “I’m looking forward to returning to the Space Symposium to continue championing New Zealand as the place to do space-related business,” Ms Collins says. “The Symposium draws companies and government representatives from around the world, and it’s an excellent opportunity to show that we’re open for business. “I’ll be promoting New Zealand’s rapidly growing place in the space and advanced aviation sectors. “Last year we conducted the third highest number of launches in the world. This is an achievement we want to build on as we seek to grow the economy and ease the cost of living for New Zealanders.” Ms Collins will deliver a speech about New Zealand’s space and advanced aviation sectors, sign a Memorandum of Cooperation between New Zealand and the State of Colorado, host a reception to showcase New Zealand’s space sector, and undertake a range of meetings across her space portfolio. “I’m looking forward to meeting Colorado Governor Jared Polis again, and following through on an agreement we discussed when we last met. This Memorandum of Cooperation will deepen our relationship and offer opportunities for our aerospace, tech, science and geothermal sectors.” Ms Collins is away from April 8-12.
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen on Wednesday emphasized that Greenland should not be taken over by the United States, amid growing geopolitical attention on the Arctic region.
Speaking during her visit to Greenland, Frederiksen said the primary purpose of her trip is to discuss the foreign and security policy situation and how Denmark and Greenland can jointly respond to what she called “a very difficult task.”
“The USA must not take over Greenland. Greenland belongs to the Greenlanders,” she said, adding that a unified message would be delivered in the coming days.
Frederiksen made the remarks alongside outgoing Greenlandic Prime Minister Mute Egede and incoming leader Jens-Frederik Nielsen, amid the leadership transition in Greenland’s autonomous government.
The Danish prime minister also stressed the importance of unity between Greenland, Denmark, and Europe in the face of external pressure. “We need to stand together in this very difficult time Greenland is facing. And when Greenland is in a difficult situation, the Kingdom of Denmark and Europe are also in a difficult situation,” she said.
“It is clear that, with the pressure coming from the Americans on Greenland in terms of sovereignty, borders, and the future, we must stand together,” the prime minister added.
Frederiksen’s visit, which runs from April 2 to 4, comes shortly after U.S. Vice President JD Vance and an American delegation, on last Friday, visited Pituffik Space Base in northwest Greenland — formerly known as Thule Base — where Vance criticized Denmark for not doing enough for security in the Arctic or for the well-being of the Greenlandic people.
Just hours ahead of the visit by Vance, Greenland announced the formation of a new autonomous government. Four political parties, representing 23 of the 31 seats in Greenland’s parliament, signed a coalition agreement to establish the new government. Jens-Frederik Nielsen, chairman of the Demokraatit (Democratic Party), will serve as prime minister.
Greenland, once a Danish colony, became an integral part of the Kingdom of Denmark in 1953. It was granted home rule in 1979, expanding its autonomy, though Denmark retains control over foreign affairs and defense.