Source: Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe – OSCE
Headline: OSCE Mission to BiH condemns all forms of violence
SARAJEVO, 15 March 2025 — The OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina (Mission) condemns all forms of violence, including those targeting political actors, journalists and other citizens.
Violence, in any of its forms, must never be used or tolerated as a tool of political expression.
Such acts undermine the principles of democracy and threaten the security of individuals and of communities as a whole.
Attacks that the citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina have witnessed in the last days, such as the one against Nebojša Vukanović, the RS opposition leader or targeting of Goran Dakić, journalist of Oslobođenje, highlight a dangerous trend. We support authorities’ swift and thorough action to investigate these incidents, ensuring justice and accountability for those responsible.
The Mission calls on all leaders, including in Republika Srpska, to refrain from dangerous rhetoric that could jeopardise personal safety of citizens and create insecurity in their communities.
Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments
Press release
PM remarks on call with the Coalition of the Willing: 15 March 2025
The Prime Minister held a call with international leaders in the Coalition of the Willing this morning.
Good morning colleagues.
Can I just start by thanking you all for making time for this important meeting this morning.
We’ve got a lot to discuss because since we last met in person in London just under two weeks ago a lot has happened, particularly in the last week.
So it’s very important we catch up to move forward.
I think what this week has shown, particularly the developments and progress on Tuesday, is that President Zelenskyy, who is with us this morning, has shown once again, that Ukraine is the party of peace because he has agreed to and committed to a 30-day unconditional ceasefire.
Now what we see, and this is the centrepiece for our discussions today, is that Putin is the one trying to delay.
And in a sense, and you all know this, if Putin is serious about peace, it’s very simple: he has to stop his barbaric attacks on Ukraine and agree to a ceasefire.
And the world is watching.
And my feeling is that sooner or later Putin is going to have to come to the table and engage in serious discussions.
But, and this is a big but, for us this morning in our meeting, we can’t sit back and simply wait for that to happen.
We have to keep pushing ahead, pushing forward and preparing for peace.
And a peace that will be secure and that will last, and I think that means strengthening Ukraine so they can defend themselves, and strengthening obviously in terms of military capability, in terms of funding and in terms of the provision of further support from all of us to Ukraine.
Secondly, being prepared to defend any deal ourselves through a Coalition of the Willing. We’ve begun that process this morning and we can take it forward.
Thirdly, and very importantly given the developments of the past few days, to keep the pressure on Putin to come to the table and I think that collectively we’ve got a number of ways that we can do that.
And so it’s those three areas we’ll focus on in this meeting: strengthening Ukraine, being prepared to defend any deal ourselves through a Coalition of the Willing, and keeping that pressure on Russia at this crucial time.
The UK Court of Appeal recently ruled on an appeal brought by 16 environmental activists serving prison sentences for planning or participating in a series of disruptive non-violent protests.
The cases include the five-year term being served by Roger Hallam, co-founder of Extinction Rebellion and Just Stop Oil, and the terms of two years and 20 months handed down to Phoebe Plummer and Anna Holland respectively, for throwing soup over Van Gogh’s Sunflowers while the painting was on display at the National Gallery in London.
Some news reports emphasised the reduction of sentences for some of the defendants (Hallam’s term was reduced to four years, for example), but the court’s decision upheld most of the sentences. There were only minor sentence reductions where the court found the initial sentences to be “manifestly excessive”, while the appeals of ten activists were dismissed outright.
In Holland and Plummer’s case, the court rejected original trial judge Christopher Hehir’s insistence that throwing soup over a painting was violent (equivalent to assaulting a person, Hehir had argued). Yet the court still upheld the lengthy prison sentences Hehir handed down, maintaining that the soup action was “disproportionate or extreme”.
The defendants’ motives for such disproportionate actions – to raise awareness about climate change and pressure the UK government to issue no new licences for the exploration and production of fossil fuels – were not considered relevant by either Hehir or the Court of Appeal.
Does this amount to a fair and appropriate hearing? In an article published in the Oxford Journal of Legal Studies, we suggest that the cases of non-violent disruptive protesters should be governed by what we call “the integrity principle”. This would spur a radical rethink of how the courts approach the trials of such protesters.
Integrity in protest trials
The trials of protesters are different from most criminal trials. Just as legal philosopher Anthony Duff once argued, we consider that the purpose of all criminal trials is to “call the defendant to account”. Duff tells us that we can be held responsible as citizens, to the community, for our moral wrongs. A criminal trial is not just about deciding “did they do it”, but also about communicating what, as a society, is considered right and wrong. For that to happen, a trial must engage defendants in a discussion as to why they did what they did.
It is here where the trials of non-violent protesters should be different from “ordinary” criminal trials. There are two reasons. First, unlike in most criminal trials, defendants prosecuted for staging disruptive protest rarely dispute the facts of what they did. Instead, they seek to explain why they did it.
Second, they do so because their action is not intended for personal gain, but to improve the life of the community. Political philosophy tends to maintain that disobedient and disruptive actions can be morally justified if they are motivated by an attempt to uphold the fundamental rights of, or avoid harms caused to, others, or highlight injustices and the failures of political processes.
In other words, these activists are seeking to act as citizens, and give a public account of their action as justified and proportionate. In Duff’s reasoning, this sort of accountability must be central to a criminal trial. But this depends on the defendants’ ability to explain their motives to a jury, in ways that are consistent with their beliefs and values. In short, the trial should allow defendants to demonstrate to the jury they had acted with integrity.
If the trial is a site of moral communication that engages the sense of right and wrong of the community – and, like Duff, we argue it should be – then protest defendants should be able to offer a legally relevant account of their actions, and the jury should be able to decide whether they accept this account.
Yet, as we have previously written, the law in England and Wales has been reframed over the past five years to reduce the defences that activists are able to rely upon. What protest defendants can say in court is inconsistently policed by judges. But in all cases, even where defendants can explain their motivations, they cannot now do so as part of a legal defence. Instead, they must rely on juries deciding (in rare cases) with their conscience rather than legal direction. This breaches the integrity principle, because juries are not able to decide, in law, whether they accept the account of action that might otherwise be put to them by the defence.
If the jury does decide to convict, we argue that the integrity principle must also apply to sentencing. Where they are found guilty, it is illogical that activists should be expected to express remorse for their actions. This would be to disavow their motives, moral consistency and public accountability. Rather than remorse, their the integrity of their intentions and the honesty of their explanation of them should be regarded as a mitigating factor.
Integrity and democracy
Disruptive protest directs our attention to the failure of the democratic process to properly address pressing social problems. For the courts to punish those who attempt to highlight this failure only exacerbates it. Crucially, it denies both the moral purpose of criminal law and the social function of juries. Yet this is exactly what is happening right now in British courts.
We can see in the Court of Appeal’s judgment how the courts are failing to follow the integrity principle. Not only did the court sideline the motivations of the defendants, holding that the harm caused was too serious to take them into account, but it also acted to endorse more severe and deterrent sentences.
If we reorganise the trials of activists to place their integrity at the heart of the process, enabling them to give a legally meaningful account of their action, the law would finally recognise that disruptive protest is not an irritant outside of the democratic process, but is integral to it.
Don’t have time to read about climate change as much as you’d like?
Graeme Hayes receives funding from the British Academy/Leverhulme Trust for the project ‘Justifying Protest in the Courts: Voice, Democracy, and the Law’
Steven Cammiss receives funding from the British Academy/Leverhulme Trust.
Acting Minister for Climate Action Dr Alasdair Allan has asked for urgent actions to increase the pace of progress on replacing Radio Teleswitch Service (RTS) meters ahead of the service switching off in June.
RTS meters are out of date and energy suppliers are being encouraged by Ofgem to replace old meters with smart meters. If meters are not replaced before the service is switched off, it could mean disruption to heating and hot water supplies, and possibly higher bills for households and businesses still using the technology.
In response to Ofgem’s consultation on an introduction of new licence conditions to the RTS, Dr Allan reiterated the Scottish Government’s repeated calls for further action to be taken to protect energy consumers as the industry works to replace thousands of meters across the country.
Ofgem’s data from suppliers shows that between October 2024 and January 2025 around 18,700 RTS meters were replaced in Scotland. As of January 2025, there were still 146,302 RTS consumers in Scotland who need to have their meters replaced. Support for RTS energy meters ends on June 30 2025.
Acting Climate Action Minister Alasdair Allan said:
“Protecting consumers is the Scottish Government’s highest priority. The approach taken so far has been insufficient, and consumers cannot be blamed for the failure of the energy industry to properly plan for and respond to the RTS switch-off.
“People who rely on the RTS will experience considerable detriment unless meters are replaced by the switch-off date – particularly in rural and island communities.
“There is a real and pressing need for suppliers to be made to explain what their workforce plan is to get engineers to premises. Consideration should also be given to additional enforcement action to reduce no-show instances and to ensure that every household is fitted with a fully functioning meter before the deadline.
“Due to the cost of living crisis, it is also unacceptable to expect consumers to pay for expensive re-wiring as a consequence of the RTS switch-off – they should not be confronted with any additional anxieties. The creation of a fund to support consumers in this position is critical.
“While devolved governments do not hold the levers, the Scottish Government will work with Ofgem, the UK Government and industry to raise awareness of the RTS switch-off.”
Background
Energy infrastructure and regulation is the responsibility of the UK Government.
NEW YORK, March 14, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Value Line, Inc., (NASDAQ: VALU) reported strong financial results:
During the nine months ended January 31, 2025, the Company’s net income of $16,735,000, or $1.78 per share, was 17.6% above net income of $14,232,000, or $1.51 per share, for the nine months ended January 31, 2024.
During the nine months ended January 31, 2025, Value Line’s income of $13,781,000 from its non-voting revenues interest in Eulav Asset Management (“EAM”) and non-voting profits interest in EAM increased $4,440,000 or 47.5% above the prior fiscal year.
For the nine months ended January 31, 2025, the Company’s total investment gains of $3,557,000 increased $1,872,000, or 111.1% above the prior fiscal year.
Retained earnings at January 31, 2025, were $112,508,000, an increase of 7.9% compared to retained earnings at April 30, 2024.
Shareholders’ equity reached $98,950,000 at January 31, 2025, an increase of 9.0% from the shareholders’ equity of $90,793,000 as of April 30, 2024.
The Company’s quarterly report on Form 10-Q has been filed with the SEC and is available on the Company’s website at www.valueline.com/About/corporate_filings.aspx. Shareholders may receive a printed copy, free of charge upon request to the Company at the address above, Attn: Corporate Secretary.
Value Line, Inc. is a leading New York based provider of investment research. The Value Line Investment Survey is one of the most widely used sources of independent equity investment research. Value Line also publishes a range of proprietary investment research in both print and digital formats including research in the areas of Mutual Funds, ETFs and Options. Value Line’s acclaimed research also enables the Company to provide specialized products such as Value Line Select, The Value Line Special Situations Service, Value Line Select ETFs, Value Line Select: Dividend Income & Growth, The New Value Line ETFs Service, The Value Line M&A Service, Information You Should Know Wealth Newsletter, The Value Line Climate Change Investing Service and certain Value Line copyrights, distributed under agreements including certain proprietary ranking system information and other proprietary information used in third party products. Value Line’s products are available to individual investors by mail, at www.valueline.com or by calling 1-800-VALUELINE or 1-800-825-8354, while institutional-level services for professional investors, advisers, corporate, academic, and municipal libraries are offered at www.ValueLinePro.com, www.ValueLineLibrary.com and by calling 1-800-531-1425.
Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Information
In this report, “Value Line,” “we,” “us,” “our” refers to Value Line, Inc. and “the Company” refers to Value Line and its subsidiaries unless the context otherwise requires.
This report contains statements that are predictive in nature, depend upon or refer to future events or conditions (including certain projections and business trends) accompanied by such phrases as “believe”, “estimate”, “expect”, “anticipate”, “will”, “intend” and other similar or negative expressions, that are “forward-looking statements” as defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, as amended. Actual results for Value Line, Inc. (“Value Line” or “the Company”) may differ materially from those projected as a result of certain risks and uncertainties, including but not limited to the following:
maintaining revenue from subscriptions for the Company’s digital and print published products;
changes in investment trends and economic conditions, including global financial issues;
changes in Federal Reserve policies affecting interest rates and liquidity along with resulting effects on equity markets;
stability of the banking system, including the success of U.S. government policies and actions in regard to banks with liquidity or capital issues, along with the associated impact on equity markets;
continuation of orderly markets for equities and corporate and governmental debt securities;
problems protecting intellectual property rights in Company methods and trademarks;
protecting confidential information including customer confidential or personal information that we may possess;
dependence on non-voting revenues and non-voting profits interests in EULAV Asset Management, a Delaware statutory trust (“EAM” or “EAM Trust”), which serves as the investment advisor to the Value Line Funds and engages in related distribution, marketing and administrative services;
fluctuations in EAM’s and third party copyright assets under management due to broadly based changes in the values of equity and debt securities, market sector variations, redemptions by investors and other factors;
possible changes in the valuation of EAM’s intangible assets from time to time;
possible changes in future revenues or collection of receivables from significant customers;
dependence on key executive and specialist personnel;
risks associated with the outsourcing of certain functions, technical facilities, and operations, including in some instances outside the U.S.;
risks of potential tariffs and other restrictions affecting the cost and availability of materials, equipment, and other necessary inputs to the Company’s operations;
competition in the fields of publishing, copyright and investment management, along with associated effects on the level and structure of prices and fees, and the mix of services delivered;
the impact of government regulation on the Company’s and EAM’s businesses;
federal and/or state legislative changes that might affect Value Line’s business;
the availability of free or low cost investment information through discount brokers or generally over the internet;
the economic and other impacts of global political and military conflicts;
continued availability of generally dependable energy supplies and transportation facilities in the geographic areas in which the company and certain suppliers operate;
terrorist attacks, cyber attacks and natural disasters;
the need for changes in our business plans because of unexpected events that occur;
widespread illnesses which may drastically affect markets, employment, and other economic conditions, and may have additional unpredictable impacts on employees, suppliers, customers, and operations;
changes in prices and availability of materials and other inputs and services, such as freight and postage, required by the Company;
other risks and uncertainties, including but not limited to the risks described in Part I, Item 1A, “Risk Factors” of the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended April 30, 2024 and in Part II, Item 1A of the Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the period ended January 31, 2025; and other risks and uncertainties arising from time to time.
These factors are not necessarily all of the important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed in any of our forward-looking statements. Other unknown or unpredictable factors which may involve external factors over which we may have no control could also have material adverse effects on future results. Likewise, changes we make in our plans, objectives, strategies, or intentions, which may occur at any time in our discretion, could also have material favorable or adverse effects on our future results. Except as otherwise required to be disclosed in periodic reports required to be filed by public companies with the SEC pursuant to the SEC’s rules, we have no duty to update these statements, and we undertake no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. In light of these risks and uncertainties, current plans, anticipated actions, and future financial conditions and results may differ from those expressed in any forward-looking information contained herein.
Contact: Howard A. Brecher Value Line, Inc. 212-907-1500
VIENNA, Va., March 14, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Castellum, Inc. (the “Company” or “Castellum”) (NYSE-American: CTM), a cybersecurity, electronic warfare, and software services company focused on the federal government, today announced that it intends to offer and sell shares of its common stock and warrants exercisable into shares of the Company’s common stock, in a public offering. All of the shares of common stock are being offered by Castellum. Castellum initially intends to use the net proceeds of the offering for working capital and general corporate purposes. Consummation of the offering is subject to market and other conditions, and there can be no assurance as to whether or when the offering may be completed, or as to the actual size or terms of the offering.
Maxim Group LLC is acting as the sole placement agent for the offering on a reasonable best-efforts basis.
A shelf registration statement on Form S-3 (File No. 333-284205) relating to the securities being offered was previously filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) and became effective on January 24, 2025. The shares may be offered only by means of a prospectus. A preliminary prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus relating to and describing the terms of the public offering are being filed with the SEC and will be available on the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov. When available, copies of the preliminary prospectus supplement and accompanying prospectus relating to the public offering may also be obtained by contacting Maxim Group LLC, at 300 Park Avenue, 16th Floor, New York, NY 10022, Attention: Prospectus Department, or by telephone at (212) 895-3745 or by email at syndicate@maximgrp.com. Before you invest, you should read the preliminary prospectus supplement and accompanying prospectus, together with the information incorporated by reference therein, for more complete information about the Company and the proposed offering. The final terms of the offering will be disclosed in a final prospectus supplement to be filed with the SEC.
This press release does not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy these securities, nor shall there be any sale of these securities in any state or other jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to the registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such state or other jurisdiction.
About Castellum, Inc.
Castellum, Inc. (NYSE-American: CTM) is a defense-oriented technology company that is executing strategic acquisitions in the cybersecurity, MBSE, and information warfare areas – http://castellumus.com/.
Forward-Looking Statements:
This release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. All forward-looking statements are inherently uncertain, based on current expectations and assumptions concerning future events or future performance of the company. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which are only predictions and speak only as of the date hereof. Words such as “will,” “would,” “believe,” and “expects,” and similar language or phrasing are indicative of forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are subject to risks, uncertainties, and other factors, many of which are outside of the Company’s control, that could cause actual results to differ (sometimes materially) from the results expressed or implied in the forward-looking statements, including, among others: the Company’s ability to close the described equity offering ; its ability to effectively integrate and grow its acquired companies; its ability to identify additional acquisition targets and close additional acquisitions; the impact on the Company’s revenue due to a delay in the U.S. Congress approving a federal budget; and the Company’s ability to maintain the listing of its common stock on the NYSE American LLC. In evaluating such statements, prospective investors should review carefully various risks and uncertainties identified in Item 1A. “Risk Factors” section of the Company’s recently filed Form 10-Q, Item 1A. “Risk Factors” in the Company’s most recent Form 10-K, and other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission which can be viewed at www.sec.gov. These risks and uncertainties, or not closing the described potential debt financing in this press release, could cause the Company’s actual results to differ materially from those indicated in the forward-looking statements. Except to the extent required by law, we undertake no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, a change in events, conditions, circumstances or assumptions underlying such statements, or otherwise.
Contact:
Glen Ives President and Chief Executive Officer Phone: (703) 752-6157 Contact:Info@castellumus.com
ANCHORAGE, Alaska and RENTON, Wash., March 14, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Global Federal Credit Union (“Global”) and First Financial Northwest, Inc. (the “Company”) (NASDAQ GS: FFNW), the holding company for First Financial Northwest Bank (the “Bank”), jointly announced today they have set the expected closing date for Global’s acquisition of substantially all of the assets and assumption of substantially all of the liabilities (including deposit liabilities) of the Bank (the “Asset Sale”), on the terms and subject to the conditions of the Purchase and Assumption Agreement, dated as of January 10, 2024, by and among the Company, the Bank and Global (the “Agreement”). The Asset Sale is expected to be completed on April 11, 2025, subject to the satisfaction or waiver of the remaining closing conditions set forth in the Agreement.
Following the Asset Sale, the Company will take all necessary action to wind up its affairs, distribute its remaining net assets, including the remaining net cash proceeds from the purchase price paid by Global in the asset sale, to the shareholders of the Company, and dissolve under applicable Washington law. The cash consideration to Company shareholders is expected to be paid out in multiple distributions. An initial distribution to Company shareholders is expected to occur as soon as practicable after the completion of the transaction.
Global will operate the locations of the Bank as a separately branded division of Global until the system and brand integration is completed later in 2025.
About Global Federal Credit Union
Global Federal Credit Union is a not-for-profit, member-owned financial cooperative with the mission of enriching lives through world-class financial services. Global was founded in 1948 at the Alaska Air Depot, and now serves more than 750,000 members online and more than 70 branches across Washington, Alaska, Idaho, California, Arizona, as well as branches on three U.S. military installations in Italy. Learn more at globalcu.org.
About First Financial Northwest
First Financial Northwest, Inc. is the parent company of First Financial Northwest Bank, an FDIC-insured Washington State-chartered commercial bank headquartered in Renton, Washington, serving the Puget Sound Region through 15 full-service banking offices. Visit ffnwb.com and click on the “Investor Relations” link at the bottom of the page for more information.
Forward-looking statements: When used in this press release and in other documents filed with or furnished to the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”), in press releases or other public shareholder communications, or in oral statements made with the approval of an authorized executive officer, the words or phrases “believe,” “will,” “will likely result,” “are expected to,” “will continue,” “is anticipated,” “estimate,” “project,” “plans,” or similar expressions are intended to identify “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements are not historical facts but instead represent management’s current expectations and forecasts regarding future events many of which are inherently uncertain and outside of our control. Forward-looking statements include statements with respect to our beliefs, plans, objectives, goals, expectations, assumptions and statements about, among other things, our pending transaction with Global whereby Global, pursuant to the Agreement, will acquire substantially all of the assets and assume substantially all of the liabilities of the Bank, expectations of the business environment in which we operate, projections of future performance or financial items, perceived opportunities in the market, potential future credit experience, and statements regarding our mission and vision. These forward-looking statements are based on current management expectations and may, therefore, involve risks and uncertainties. Actual results may differ, possibly materially from those currently expected or projected in these forward-looking statements made by, or on behalf of, us and could negatively affect our operating and stock performance. Factors that could cause our actual results to differ materially from those described in the forward-looking statements, include, but are not limited to, the following: the occurrence of any event, change or other circumstances that could give rise to the right of one or all of the parties to terminate the Agreement; delays in completing the transactions contemplated by the Agreement; the failure to satisfy any of the conditions to the Global transaction on a timely basis or at all; delays or other circumstances arising from the dissolution of the Bank and the Company following completion of the Agreement; diversion of management’s attention from ongoing business operations and opportunities during the pending Global transaction; potential adverse reactions or changes to business or employee relationships, including those resulting from the announcement of the Global transaction; adverse impacts to economic conditions in our local market areas, other markets where the Company has lending relationships, or other aspects of the Company’s business operations or financial markets, including, without limitation, as a result of employment levels, labor shortages and the effects of inflation, a recession or slowed economic growth; changes in the interest rate environment, including increases or decreases in the Federal Reserve benchmark rate and duration at which such interest rate levels are maintained, which could adversely affect our revenues and expenses, the value of assets and obligations, and the availability and cost of capital and liquidity; the impact of inflation and the current and future monetary policies of the Federal Reserve in response thereto; the effects of any federal government shutdown; increased competitive pressures, including repricing and competitors’ pricing initiatives, and their impact on our market position, loan and deposit products; legislative and regulatory changes; the impact of bank failures or adverse developments at other banks and related negative press about the banking industry in general on investor and depositor sentiment; disruptions, security breaches, or other adverse events, failures or interruptions in, or attacks on, our information technology systems or on the third-party vendors who perform several of our critical processing functions; effects of critical accounting policies and judgments, including the use of estimates in determining the fair value of certain of our assets, which estimates may prove to be incorrect and result in significant declines in valuation; the potential imposition of new tariffs or changes to existing trade policies that could affect economic activity or specific industry sectors; the effects of climate change, severe weather events, natural disasters, pandemics, epidemics and other public health crises, acts of war or terrorism, civil unrest and other external events on our business; and other factors described in the Company’s latest Annual Report on Form 10-K and Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and other reports filed with or furnished to the SEC – that are available on our website at www.ffnwb.com and on the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov.
Any of the forward-looking statements that we make in this press release and in the other public statements are based upon management’s beliefs and assumptions at the time they are made and may turn out to be wrong because of the inaccurate assumptions we might make, because of the factors illustrated above or because of other factors that we cannot foresee. Therefore, these factors should be considered in evaluating the forward-looking statements, and undue reliance should not be placed on such statements. We do not undertake and specifically disclaim any obligation to revise any forward-looking statements to reflect the occurrence of anticipated or unanticipated events or circumstances after the date of such statements.
Global Credit Union Media Contact Tim Woolston Senior Vice President, Marketing 907-317-9454 t.woolston@globalcu.org
First Financial Northwest, Inc. Investor Contacts Joseph W. Kiley III President and Chief Executive Officer Rich Jacobson Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer 425-255-4400
Delaware Judge Orders Ionic Digital to Immediately Provide Stockholder List
Despite Ionic’s Continued Misrepresentations, Delaware Court Finds that Plaintiffs are Not “Surrogates” or “Shills” for Figure Markets and GXD Labs
SAN FRANCISCO, Calif., March 14, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — As a result of nearly six months of persistence, three determined stockholders of Ionic Digital Inc. (“Ionic Digital” or the “Company”), Tony Vejseli, Chris Villinger, and Brett Perry (collectively, the “Concerned Stockholders”) today announced that they have successfully obtained a Court order directing Ionic digital to provide a copy of the Company’s list of stockholders for the purposes of soliciting votes for their nominees in the ongoing proxy contest ahead of the Company’s first annual meeting of stockholders (the “Annual Meeting”).
Yesterday afternoon, Delaware Vice Chancellor Bonnie David ruled in favor of the Concerned Stockholders, ordering the Company to immediately provide a list of the Company’s stockholders and other necessary contact information to the Concerned Stockholders’ proxy solicitor, Saratoga Proxy Consulting LLC. This is an important victory for all Ionic stockholders and is the first step towards ensuring a free and fair election for the open seats on the Company’s Board of Directors (the “Board”) at the Annual Meeting. The Concerned Stockholders’ proxy solicitor will now be able to contact all Ionic stockholders directly to solicit their votes in favor of their highly-qualified nominees.
It is disappointing, but not surprising, that Ionic Digital continues to misrepresent basic facts to its stockholders. Despite Ionic Digital’s continued insistence that the Concerned Stockholders are merely being used by Figure Markets Holdings, Inc. and GXD Labs, LLC to advance their own economic interests, the Delaware Court of Chancery (the “Delaware Court”) in fact found:
“[T]hat the plaintiffs are not simply ‘proxies,’ ‘surrogates,’ or ‘shills’ for Figure Markets and GXD;”
“[T]hat each of the plaintiffs here seeks the stock list materials because he sincerely wants to run a proxy contest to improve governance at the company. Each of the plaintiffs has credible reasons for that purpose. The stockholders want greater transparency and liquidity for their shares, which have not traded for over a year; and numerous changes to Ionic’s directors, officers, and auditor raise questions about the company’s governance and strategic direction;”
“Ionic suggests that Vejseli does not truly seek to represent the interests of Ionic stockholders, and instead has ‘lent his name’ to the demand… But it is clear to me, both from Vejseli’s testimony and the larger record, that that is not the case;” and
“I find that the plaintiffs’ stated purposes aresincere, their own, and therefore proper.” (emphases added)
The Company’s recent press release also conveniently ignores the fact that Figure Markets and GXD Labs already agreed in the fall of 2024 that they would not receive or have access to any stocklist materials shared with the requesting stockholders. Discussions on the stockholder list NDA only broke down due to Ionic Digital’s unreasonable insistence on the inclusion of a no “Outside Funds Provision” in the NDA – i.e., a provision barring financial support from third parties for the proxy contest and related legal efforts. The Delaware Court did not find the no Outside Funds Provision to be reasonable or appropriate, stating instead “I see no basis to impose the onerous Outside Funds Provision that Ionic seeks.” (emphasis added). Instead, the Company forced the Concerned Stockholders to commence litigation in the Delaware Court in order to compel it to comply with Delaware law, when these matters could have been resolved months ago.
Stockholders are invited to read the full transcript of the telephonic ruling here.
While this is an important victory for Ionic Digital stockholders, the fight for a free and fair election at the Annual Meeting – where stockholders will have a real choice in who represents them on the Board – is not over. Certain of the Concerned Stockholders have filed a class action Complaint in the Delaware Court of Chancery contesting the reduction of the size of the Board, alleging that the Board breached its fiduciary duties by improperly shrinking its size in an attempt to entrench the incumbent directors and block stockholders from having a chance to effect real change at the Company. There also remains a debate around the appropriate quorum for the Annual Meeting. The Company has further challenged the validity of the Concerned Stockholders’ nominations, which the Concerned Stockholders believe were improperly rejected by the Board. The Concerned Stockholders will continue to fight to defend their nominations. These issues will be heard by the Delaware Court at a trial scheduled to be held on May 8th. Because of the importance of deciding these issues ahead of the Annual Meeting, we asked the Delaware Court to require, and the Company conceded, that the Annual Meeting will not be held until after a ruling is rendered in the Class Action litigation.
The Concerned Stockholders will continue to post informational updates on their website and encourage their fellow stockholders to vote for their TWO nominees on the GOLD proxy card at www.ionicvote.com today!
The Concerned Stockholders are committed to a free and fair election, where all Ionic Digital stockholders have a real choice in who represents them in the boardroom.
This is the chance for Ionic stockholders to finally have their voices heard!
About the Nominating Stockholders’ Nominees
Oliver Wiener is a Founder and Managing Partner of Kensington Merchant Partners, an investment management and corporate development advisory business focused on Financials, Fintech, Insurance, Insuretech, and Blockchain verticals, and has over 20 years of financial and investment experience, with a focus on the technology, blockchain, and fintech industries. Mr. Wiener currently serves on the board of directors of Chain Bridge I, a publicly-traded SPAC, and The National Security Group, Inc., an insurance holding company. Mr. Wiener is a founding team member of investment bank BTIG.
Michael Abbate currently serves as an advisor to Figure Markets Holdings, Inc. (“Figure Markets”) and is a seasoned investor in the bitcoin mining, AI data center, and energy infrastructure industries. As a former Managing Partner of NovaWulf Digital Management, LP, Mr. Abbate led the stalking horse bid in the Celsius Network LLC bankruptcy and is intimately familiar with Ionic Digital’s assets and the Company’s current business structure. In addition, Mr. Abbate has over 20 years of experience in complex corporate restructuring as a Partner of investment firm King Street Capital Management.
Contact Information
Saratoga Proxy Consulting LLC John Ferguson / Ann Marie Mellone (888) 368-0379 (212) 257-1311 info@saratogaproxy.com
The UK must close the loopholes in the sanctions placed on Russia.
More in External Affairs
The UK Government must take action to end the operations of a Glasgow-based company key to Russia’s gas exports says Scottish Green MSP Ross Greer.
Writing to the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, Jonathan Reynolds MP, Greer accused unethical businesses of exploiting loopholes in the sanctions placed on Russia and supporting their brutal invasion of Ukraine.
Raising the example of Seapeak Maritime Ltd, based in Glasgow and London, Greer noted that the company operates seven oil tankers which export Russian liquified natural gas from Siberia to Europe.
Mr Greer said:
“It’s been three years since Russia launched a full scale invasion of Ukraine, and over a decade since they seized Crimea. Their brutal and illegal war has left hundreds of thousands dead or wounded and forced many more to flee for safety.
“Scotland has taken a firm position in solidarity with the people of Ukraine, but Seapeak operating from an office in Glasgow shames and undermines our efforts.
“The Russian war machine is dependent in no small part on the profits made by their gas exports. I’m glad the UK Government has sanctioned many individuals and companies who have aided the Kremlin, but for some reason Seapeak remains untouched. They’ve made a fortune from shipping gas out of Russia, throwing a lifeline to Putin’s war economy as a result.
“It’s time for Seapeak’s operations here to be shut down and their ships sanctioned. Ukraine desperately needs our help if it is to survive the Russian onslaught and Trump’s betrayal. The least we do is stop companies based here from enabling Putin’s regime.”
The Green MSP has worked with Ukrainian NGO Razom We Stand since the full-scale invasion began and it was through their efforts that Seapeak’s activities were uncovered.
Speaking on behalf of Razom We Stand, founder and executive director of the organisation, Svitlana Romanko says:
“Three years into Russia’s full-scale invasion in Ukraine, we are disheartened to see that the UK and Scottish governments still allow Glasgow-based Seapeak to bring Russian gas to Europe and profit from this ongoing gas trade.
“Let’s be brutally honest – the fossil fuel industry choosing blood money over basic human decency comes as no surprise to anyone. Every tanker of Russian gas that sets sail spits in the face of both morality and global security. They’re just counting their cash while Ukraine burns.
“With Seapeak’s vessels openly trading Russian LNG on the spot market, without constraints, both the UK and Scottish governments’ continued inaction is nothing short of complicity. There’s no grey area here – this is brazen war profiteering happening in Glasgow, right inside Britain itself.
“Each day the British and Scottish governments hesitate to curtail this home-based trade only serves to strengthen Putin’s ability to wage his war against Ukraine and Europe.
“This Arctic gas that Seapeak transports, represents a double catastrophe; funding Russian aggression in Ukraine and unleashing enormous carbon emissions making a mockery of our climate commitments.
“And it’s not only about Ukraine. The Kremlin’s continued efforts to expand its gas export infrastructure in the Arctic leads to environmental devastation and massive carbon emissions, directly undermining the urgently needed response to the climate crisis.”
Letter to Secretary of State for Business and Trade
Jonathan Reynolds MP Secretary of State for Business and Trade By Email
7th March 2025
Ending indirect support for Russia via LNG exports
Dear Jonathan,
As I’m sure you are aware, Russia’s brutal and illegal war against Ukraine is dependent to a significant extent on the economic returns generated by the export of fossil fuels. Three years into this war governments and businesses across the world, including our own, have adopted a wide range of measures to ensure that they are not complicit in Putin’s horrific crimes through engagement with the Russian energy industry. These measures remain incomplete however, and loopholes are being exploited by businesses who have no objection to supporting the Russian war economy.
Last year my office was made aware of the case of Seapeak Maritime Ltd, operating out of Glasgow and London. Seapeak is involved with Yamal LNG, Russia’s largest LNG plant, as well as private joint stock company Novatek, their largest LNG exporter and second-largest gas producer.
Seven LNG tankers, the Yakov Gakkel, Eduard Toll, Nikolay Yevgenov, Vladimir Voronin, Georgiy Ushakov, Rudolf Samoylovich and Seapeak Yamal appear to have been travelling from the Yamal LNG port at Sabetta in Siberia to different European destinations. The Sabetta port is a joint venture of Novatek and the Russian state. All seven of these ships are managed and operated by Seapeak Maritime Ltd and Seapeak Maritime Glasgow Ltd.
Last year I worked with the Ukrainian NGO Razom We Stand and with Sky News to break this story. To my knowledge, Seapeak’s activities since then have not changed and they continue to play a key role in Russian LNG exports by operating roughly one third of all the tankers used for this work. I commend your expansion of sanctions against Russia’s so-called ‘shadow fleet’ and would urge you to take similar action against Seapeak and its fleet immediately.
I would be happy to provide your officials with further information compiled by my office and Razom We Stand, if that would be of use.
MAJURO, MARSHALL ISLANDS, Tuesday 11 March 2025 — Greenpeace flagship vessel the Rainbow Warrior was welcomed back to the Marshall Islands today, marking the start of a six-week mission around the Pacific nation to elevate calls for nuclear and climate justice; and support independent scientific research into the impacts of decades-long nuclear weapons testing by the US government.[1]
Escorted by traditional canoes, and welcomed by Marshallese singing and dancing, the arrival of the Rainbow Warrior marks a significant moment in the shared history of Greenpeace and the Marshall Islands — 40 years since Greenpeace crew evacuated over 300 people from the Rongelap atoll to Mejatto island, after toxic nuclear fallout from the Castle Bravo test rendered their ancestral lands uninhabitable.[2]
The ship was given a blessing by the Council of Iroij, the traditional chiefs of the Islands; with speeches from Senator Hilton Kendall (Rongelap atoll); Honorable Boaz Lamdik on behalf of the Mayor of Majuro; Farrend Zackious, Vice Chairman Council of Iroij; and keynote address from Minister Bremity Lakjohn, Minister Assistant to the President.
Shiva Gounden, Head of Pacific at Greenpeace Australia Pacific, said:
“We’re extremely grateful and humbled to be welcomed back by the Marshallese government and community with such kindness and generosity of spirit. Over the coming weeks, we’ll travel around this beautiful country, bearing witness to the impacts of nuclear weapons testing and the climate crisis, and listening to the lived experiences of Marshallese communities fighting for justice.
“For decades, Marshallese communities have been sacrificing their lands, health, and cultures for the greed of those seeking profits and power. But at the same time, the Marshallese people have been some of the loudest voices calling for justice, accountability, and ambitious solutions to some of the greatest issues facing the world. Greenpeace is proud to stand alongside the Marshallese people in their demands for nuclear justice and reparations, and the fight against colonial exploitation which continues to this day. Justice – Jimwe im Maron.”
Over the six-week mission, the Rainbow Warrior will travel to Mejatto, Enewetak, Bikini, Rongelap, and Wotje, undertaking much-needed independent radiation research, and reaffirming its solidarity with the Marshallese people — now facing further harm and displacement from the climate crisis, and the emerging threat of deep sea mining in the Pacific.
Jobod Silk, a climate activist from Jo-Jikum, a youth organisation responding to climate change, said:
“Marshallese culture has endured many hardships over the generations. Colonial powers have each left their mark on our livelihoods – introducing foreign diseases, influencing our language with unfamiliar syllables, and inducing mass displacement “for the good of mankind”. Yet, our people continue to show resilience. Liok tut bok: as the roots of the Pandanus bury deep into the soil, so must we be firm in our love for our culture.
“Today’s generation now battles a new threat. Once our provider, the ocean now knocks at our doors, and once again, displacement is imminent. Our crusade for nuclear justice intertwines with our fight against the tides. We were forced to be refugees, and we refuse to be labeled as such again. As the sea rises, so do the youth. The return of the Rainbow Warrior instills hope for the youth in their quest to secure a safe future.”
Dr Rianne Teule, Senior Radiation Protection Advisor at Greenpeace International, said:
“It is an honour and a privilege to be able to support the Marshallese government and people in conducting independent scientific research to investigate, measure, and document the long term effects of US nuclear testing across the country.
“As a result of the US government’s actions, the Marshallese people have suffered the direct and ongoing effects of nuclear fallout, including on their health, cultures, and lands. We hope that our research will support legal proceedings currently underway and the Marshall Islands government’s ongoing calls for reparations.”
The Rainbow Warrior’s arrival to the Marshall Islands on March 11 also marks the 14th anniversary of the Fukushima nuclear plant disaster. Whilst some residents have returned, there are many areas that remain too contaminated for people to safely live.[3]
ENDS
Photo and video of the welcome ceremony will be uploaded in the Greenpeace Media Library as the events progress.
Notes:
[1] Between 1946 to 1958, the US government detonated 67 nuclear weapons on Bikini and Enewetak Atolls in the Marshall Islands. In 1954, the US launched its largest test, Castle Bravo, which impacted the people on Rongelap and rendered the island uninhabitable.
Source: United States Senator for Iowa Chuck Grassley
WASHINGTON – Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), a senior member and former chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, laid out his health care priorities during a hearing to consider Dr. Mehmet Oz’s nomination to be Administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). Oz committed to supporting Grassley’s efforts to lower prescription drug costs, strengthen rural health care, help kids with exceptional medical needs, preserve transitional health plans and improve the agency’s responsiveness to Congress.
Video and excerpts from Grassley follow.
[embedded content]
PBMs:
“I’ve been working to hold pharmacy benefit managers accountable to lower prescription drug costs. I expect you to work with us to hold these powerful drug middlemen accountable and support rural pharmacies.”
Rural Health Care:
“I expect you to protect and support access to rural health care. To help achieve this, I believe CMS could take the following actions right away:
Fill the open spots in the Rural Community Hospital demonstration program,
Distribute the new physician residency slots to rural hospitals as the law requires, and
Ensure the Rural Emergency Hospital Program is working for rural communities.”
Kids with Exceptional Needs:
“I expect you to take action to improve care and reduce red tape for kids with complex medical needs. This includes working with states so they can establish health homes for these kids, as my bipartisan ACE Kids law enabled.”
Transitional Health Plans:
“Since 2013, CMS under Presidents Obama, Trump and Biden have issued non-enforcement memos to allow transitional health plans to be maintained. About 35,000 Iowa farmers and small business owners have maintained health insurance coverage with these plans for over a decade. This is health insurance that was purchased after Obamacare became law, but before it was implemented. I expect you to keep access to these health plans.”
Waste, Fraud and Abuse:
“Improper payments in our major health care programs have averaged $122 billion annually over the past five years. I’m the author of major and more recent updates to the federal government’s most powerful tool in fighting fraud, the False Claims Act.
“Since the enactment of these reforms, the federal government has recovered more than $78 billion lost to fraud. It has saved billions more by deterring would-be fraudsters. CMS with the Justice Department must aggressively go after waste, fraud, and abuse and empower whistleblowers.”
Congressional Oversight:
“Oversight allows us to hold bureaucrats accountable to the rule of law, and it helps keep faith with taxpayers. I expect CMS to provide timely and complete responses to congressional oversight.”
Source: United States Senator for Iowa Chuck Grassley
WASHINGTON – In a letter to Attorney General Pam Bondi and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Director Kash Patel, Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations Chairman Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) made public legally protected whistleblower disclosures showing the FBI, as part of its Arctic Frost investigation, acquired the government cell phones of President Donald Trump and former Vice President Mike Pence, among other government officials. FBI agents used taxpayer dollars to crisscross the country and conduct dozens of interviews in support of the political probe.
The unclassified FBI records convey the alarming scope and speed of the FBI’s 2022 investigation of President Trump, which they dubbed “Operation Arctic Frost.” The investigation – launched by anti-Trump FBI agent Timothy Thibault in a breach of FBI protocol – formed the basis of Special Counsel Jack Smith’s elector case against Trump. Upon opening the investigation, Thibault vowed it would be “prioritized over all others in the Branch” and commented that “it frankly took too long for us to open this [investigation].”
“Sunshine is the best disinfectant,” the chairmen wrote to Bondi and Patel. “The American people deserve to know the complete extent of the corruption within the DOJ and FBI that led to the investigation into President Trump. We are making this information public for purposes of public accountability and to provide specific examples of past behavior at your institutions that must not be repeated. Quite simply, the public has a right to know what happened in Arctic Frost and, based on what we’ve exposed to date, the American public deserves better from its law enforcement agencies. It is important that every individual at your agencies maintains the highest level of professionalism, and does not allow political bias to motivate or guide their investigative work.”
Within weeks of opening Arctic Frost on April 13, 2022, FBI agents began taking aggressive action to build out their case. The following is a summary of some Arctic Frost investigatory updates, based on unclassified internal FBI records:
Update 1 (April 22-25, 2022):
FBI begins scheduling over a dozen interviews in coordination with 13 FBI field offices.
DOJ and FBI begin the process of acquiring Trump and Pence’s government phones, which were in the Biden White House’s possession.
Update 2 (May 2-3, 2022):
FBI begins analyzing communications between Trump team members and Republican electors.
FBI meets with Justice Department (DOJ) officials to discuss possible search warrants for the Trump and Pence cell phones.
Update 3 (May 10, 2022):
FBI attempts to contact individuals in states throughout the country to schedule interviews.
Update 4 (May 13-17, 2022):
FBI obtains Trump and Pence’s government phones and enters them into evidence for the case.
FBI interviews the first Trump administration’s Deputy White House Counsel.
Additional interviews are planned with Trump administration officials, including employees from the Offices of the President and Vice President, DOJ and former Director of National Intelligence Director John Ratcliffe.
DOJ and FBI begin discussing the possibility of merging the DOJ Office of Inspector General (OIG) investigation, which included former Acting Assistant Attorney General (AAG) for the Civil Division, Jeffrey Clark, with the FBI’s Arctic Frost investigation.
DOJ OIG makes plans to seek search warrants for phones associated with former AAG Jeffrey Clark, John Eastman, Mark Meadows and Ken Klukowski.
Update 5 (May 21-24, 2022):
FBI makes the decision to add former AAG Jeffrey Clark to the Arctic Frost investigation.
FBI drafts a search warrant for the Trump and Pence cell phones in its possession.
Plans continue for additional interviews with former Trump administration officials.
Update 6 (May 27, 2022):
FBI plans to conduct approximately 50 interviews, coupled with subpoenas, across at least seven states during the week of June 20, 2022. Interviews are set to take place with those who “signed and/or mailed the certificates in each state, as well as the Trump Campaign’s Directors of Election Day Operations for the relevant states, and certain GOP officials who are believed to have facilitated the scheme by communicating with individuals associated with the Trump campaign and the ‘fraudulent’ or ‘alternate’ electors.”
The DOJ OIG investigation that includes Jeffrey Clark is formally merged with the FBI Arctic Frost investigation, providing FBI access to phones and email accounts from a variety of DOJ officials, including former Attorney General Bill Barr.
Resources and Staffing
Over the course of just four days in June 2022, the FBI Arctic Frost team spent approximately $16,000 in taxpayer-funded travel to “conduct more than 40 interviews, serve subpoenas and execute several cellular device search warrants.”
Source: United States Senator for Hawaii Brian Schatz
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) issued the following statement on voting to avert a government shutdown.
“My job is to protect people in Hawai‘i. Today’s vote on the continuing resolution was a difficult and close call, but ultimately, I made the determination that a flawed bill was better than no bill at all. A shutdown would enable Donald Trump and Elon Musk to unilaterally determine that the vast majority of federal workers are not essential. And given the number of federal workers in Hawai‘i, mass furloughs would be deeply painful for people across the state.
“I understand people’s frustration – I share it. But Trump and the Republicans, who control both chambers of Congress, presented us with a bad choice and a worse choice. Both would produce terrible outcomes, but a shutdown would be more devastating for everyone.
“We’re in a fight for democracy itself. We can’t let disagreements about strategy and tactics divide us. We need to focus our energy on the real villain here: Donald Trump.”
Source: United States Senator for Delaware Christopher Coons
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.) issued the following statement after voting against cloture on the Republican continuing resolution:
“Today, we went to the Senate floor needing to choose between two awful options. We could move forward on a disastrous funding bill that enables Elon Musk’s and President Trump’s ongoing teardown of the government and cuts billions of dollars from defense spending, or we could shut down the government, furloughing hundreds of thousands of federal employees who are already concerned about their job security, and potentially even the courts that are currently the sole check on their power.
“This was a false choice. There was always a third option: letting the appropriators do their jobs, finish the nearly completed FY25 spending process, and give the American people a bipartisan solution that would allow them to feel confidence in their government. This is the option that we should have taken, and the option that I have spent weeks pushing for. Republican leadership refused to entertain this idea.
“Given the two choices before us this afternoon, I voted to block the Republican funding bill that enables Musk’s and Trump’s piecemeal government shutdown. Some of my Democratic colleagues chose differently, and I respect their decision. Blame doesn’t lie with Democrats who were forced to choose between two terrible outcomes. It belongs to Trump and his allies in Congress who rammed through a partisan, hardline spending bill so they can move on to their priority of cutting Medicaid to pass more tax cuts for billionaires, and my Republican colleagues who would rather consign themselves to irrelevance than protect their constitutional appropriations responsibility from executive overreach.
“Our nation deserves better than flawed processes that lead to terrible outcomes like we’re seeing today. We need to empower appropriators, work together in a bipartisan way to negotiate our spending bills, and complete the FY26 appropriations process smoothly and swiftly.”
Senator Coons is the Ranking Member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense.
Source: United States Senator for Arkansas Tom Cotton
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Caroline Tabler or Patrick McCann (202) 224-2353 March 14, 2025
Arkansas Delegation to European Commission: Fix Unworkable Deforestation Rules
Washington, D.C. — Senators Tom Cotton (R-Arkansas), John Boozman (R-Arkansas), and Congressmen Rick Crawford (Arkansas-01), French Hill (Arkansas-02), Steve Womack (Arkansas-03), and Bruce Westerman (Arkansas-04) today sent a letter to the European Union raising major concerns with the proposed European Union Deforestation Regulation (EUDR). This impractical regulation will impose an unfair and unnecessary burden on American businesses while failing to effectively combat deforestation.
In part, the lawmakers wrote:
“This regulation is unworkable for the forest products industry in the United States and would jeopardize more than $3.5 billion worth of paper and wood products shipping into the EU market for essential products like timber or pulp for baby diapers.”
Full text of the letter may be found here and below.
March 14, 2025
Valdis Dombrovskis, European Commissioner for Economy and Productivity
Jessica Roswall, European Commissioner for Environment
Marcos Sefcovic, Commissioner for Trade and Economic Security
Dear Commissioners,
We write to you today to share our significant concerns with the European Union deforestation-free supply chains regulation (Regulation (EU) No 2023/1115) and to share our perspective on the impact this will have on the more than 900,000 forest products workers throughout the United States and the over 23,000 men and women in Arkansas who are employed by this industry. This regulation is unworkable for the forest products industry in the United States and would jeopardize more than $3.5 billion worth of paper and wood products shipping into the EU market for essential products like timber or pulp for baby diapers.
The U.S. Forest products industry is a strong proponent of international efforts to suppress deforestation and forest degradation. As such, the United States has excellent ratings in this regard and no evidence of deforestation. Unfortunately, as written, this regulation presents severe compliance challenges that constitute technical barriers to trade for the U.S. Forest products industry. The United States is not a source of the EU’s deforestation concerns and the burden this regulation puts on U.S. pulp, paper, and packaging manufacturers will not achieve the EU’s stated policy goal. Furthermore, the U.S. is widely recognized for its sustainable forestry practices, with negligible deforestation risk, as confirmed by the EU Observatory on deforestation and forest degradation.
The unprecedented and over-prescriptive reporting requirements of the regulation are a one-size-fits-all approach that does not recognize commodity-specific challenges or country differences. The U.S. Forest products sector operates with deep visibility into their supply chains, with clear management rules and strict controls of forestry practices. These practices and performance measures not only deliver the intended goals of EUDR but go beyond the narrow objectives of regulation.
We are asking you and the European Commission to work with the United States to ensure the United States is recognized as the lowest possible risk for deforestation and to ensure the geolocation traceability requirements in place are proportional to the level of risk for a particular country. These obligations should be simplified, more proportional and with greater distinction among the risk categories. The geospatial coordinate mapping requirement for every individual plot of land should be removed for supply chains that have already achieved deforestation risk status as low risk, negligible, or insignificant. Secondary materials should be exempt from geolocation because traceability is virtually impossible. Unless these key problems are addressed, I am extremely concerned that the EU may lose their trading relationship with the U.S. Forest products industry, which they rely upon every day.
We also believe the EUDR fits within President Trump’s “America First Trade Policy” executive order that was signed on January 20th, 2025, and requires key members of his cabinet to identify examples around the world where the United States is being disadvantaged by policies in place from governments that could be considered a technical barrier to trade and submit reports to President Trump by April 1st, 2025. Already, key members of the President’s cabinet, like Mr. Howard Lutnick, the Secretary of Commerce, have identified the EUDR as a potential technical barrier to trade and it will be more important than ever that you and your team address the concerns we have identified here.
Source: United States Senator for Idaho Mike Crapo
Washington, D.C.—At a U.S. Senate Finance Committee hearing to consider the nomination of Dr. Mehmet Oz to be Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Administrator, Chairman Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) highlighted Dr. Oz’s wealth of firsthand experience as an accomplished physician and his clear vision for creating a healthier nation. Crapo and Dr. Oz discussed how he would address the nation’s chronic disease epidemic, as well as how he might approach reforming payment programs to improve efficiency.
Crapo concluded the hearing with, “There is no doubt you are qualified to serve as the next Administrator of [CMS], and I look forward to voting in favor of your nomination and am urging all of my colleagues to do the same.”
View Crapo’s opening statementhere, and line of questioninghereor above.
On addressing the chronic disease epidemic
Crapo:As an accomplished physician, you have firsthand experience with not only the bureaucratic nature of federal government payment programs, but also the impact of the chronic disease epidemic on patients from all walks of life. I’d be curious if you would expand on your vision for CMS, and how you would integrate nutrition and lifestyle-based interventions into our health care system?
Dr. Oz:One of the points that I mentioned at the end of my opening comment was that if we gave people, in their hands, tools and resources that are useful, not information, but tactics and support teams that could work with them to improve their wellbeing, many would take advantage of it.
One tactic that I believe will work quite effectively is that we can get real-time information from physicians and other health providers taking care of patients, and using that real-time information give feedback to people who are worried about their wellbeing. That’s when they’re more likely to use that advice. That tool would allow them to both call an expert if they needed that resource. We provide them tools to do that. We’d reimburse some of the healthy lifestyles that would be generated by these interactions, and we’d make them an active participant in their wellbeing. I think that dramatically changes the power dynamic. It makes the American people feel like they actually can be the world-experts on their wellbeing.
On payment program reforms
Crapo:I very strongly agree with your focus on lifestyle-based interventions that can actually help people help themselves to get healthier. I’m also interested in how you might reform our payment programs to become more efficient to save both patient lives and taxpayer dollars.
Dr. Oz:We spend about 12 percent of the CMS budget on bureaucratic processes and the administration of the program, and most of that money is taken by middlemen in ways that I don’t think need to be true in the long term. I believe we have the power right now, with technology that didn’t exist even three or four years ago, to automate a lot of these processes, and preauthorization is a good example.
Source: United States Senator for Massachusetts – Elizabeth Warren
March 14, 2025
Dr. Oz: “My goal is to improve the health care of the American people…[cutting Medicare Advantage fraud] sounds like a more rational way to do that [than cutting funding for Medicaid].”
The Medicare Payment Advisory Committee projects that CMS overpaid private insurers in MA by $83 billion in 2024 alone.
Video of Exchange (YouTube)
Washington, D.C. – At a hearing of the Senate Finance Committee, U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) pressed Dr. Mehmet Oz, President Trump’s nominee for Administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), on taxpayer fraud committed by private, for-profit insurers in the Medicare Advantage program.
The Medicare Payment Advisory Committee (MedPAC) projects that CMS will overpay private insurers in MA by $83 billion in 2024 alone, largely due to upcoding and favorable selection tactics by the insurers.
An investigation led by the Health and Human Services Inspector General (HHS OIG) revealed that private insurers in MA raked in about $4.2 billion in extra CMS payments in 2022 for diagnoses from home visits the companies initiated, even though they led to no treatment. The Wall Street Journal also found that between 2018 and 2021, private insurers in MA raked in $50 billion from CMS for diagnoses that led to no treatment.
Dr. Oz previously called the Traditional Medicare program “highly dysfunctional” and argued that private Medicaid Advantage insurers offer cheaper and more accessible coverage. He outlined a “Medicare Advantage for All” plan, which would move all non-Medicaid eligible Americans into MA. During this time, Dr. Oz held over $500,000 in stock with the largest private insurer in Massachusetts, UnitedHealth.
When questioned if he would rather cut waste, fraud, and abuse in Medicare Advantage, or cut funding for Medicaid during his confirmation hearing, Dr. Oz agreed that “the former sounds like a more rational way to do that.” Last month, Republicans in the House passed a spending bill with $88 billion in annual cuts to Medicaid.
Senator Warren has led strong oversight on Dr. Oz through his confirmation process and, ahead of his confirmation hearing, sent 176 questions demanding answers to his plan to eliminate traditional Medicare, his serious conflicts of interest, his dangerous anti-abortion views, and more.
Transcript:Hearing to examine the nomination of Mehmet Oz, of Pennsylvania, to be Administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Senate Finance Committee March 14, 2025
Senator Elizabeth Warren: Thank you, Mr. Chairman. So, Dr. Oz, if confirmed, you would oversee Medicare coverage for more than 66 million Americans. Nearly half have traditional Medicare, where the federal government provides health care coverage directly. The other half are on Medicare Advantage, where the federal government pays a private for-profit insurer to administer the health benefits instead. And surprise, surprise, the privatized Medicare costs a whole lot more.
So, let’s talk about the top trick that Medicare Advantage insurers use to gouge taxpayers up coding. I understand Senator Cassidy started on this this morning, and I just want to dig a little deeper in Medicare Advantage. Taxpayers give insurers a set amount per patient. The more diagnoses, or the more codes, the patient has, the higher the payment. Now, in theory, this covers higher costs for sicker patients, but insurance companies get the money for the codes, not actually for the services they do or don’t deliver.
Medicare Advantage insurers have figured out that if they can add a bunch of fake diagnoses that they don’t actually have to spend money treating, they can really boost their profits. One example, last year, the Wall Street Journal identified 66,000 Medicare Advantage patients diagnosed with diabetic cataracts who had already gotten cataract surgery. Now that is, as you know, anatomically impossible.
So, Dr. Oz, insurers pocketed an extra $178 million in taxpayer money last year thanks to just this one fake diagnosis. Does that sound like Medicare fraud to you?
Dr. Mehmet Oz: Senator Warren, I appreciate you spending time with me in your office. The answer is yes, anatomically impossible.
And I’ll give you one more example, okay, which is sending someone to your home, which you brought up in the office. If you’re going to say it, I won’t say it, but you pointed out something that’s very real, which is if you send someone to, someone to, if an insurance company sends someone to your home, there’s probably a reason for it. And so if they’re doing ultrasounds to look for minor atherosclerotic plaques, which is not really something that needs to be treated and most Americans have, it’s primarily done to upcode you. Which has two problems. One, it’s cheating, because you’re able to charge more for those patients. But then people who truly have limb-threatening peripheral vascular disease, who have that box checked in their care, those companies—insurance companies—don’t get paid more, those doctors don’t get reimbursed more for doing what is ethically correct. So it doesn’t just help the scoundrels who are stealing from the vulnerable, it’s actually hurting the people trying to take care of those vulnerable populations.
Senator Warren: In fact, let’s talk about how bad that upcoding is that comes from the home visits. HHS Inspector General found that in 2022 alone, United Health used these home visits to add about $2.3 billion worth of diagnoses, diagnoses that led to absolutely no treatment.
And I take it, you think that sounds like fraud, as well?
Dr. Oz: We are, I think, as an agency aware of this. I haven’t been in there yet, but if confirmed, this will be one of the topics that is relatively enjoyable to go after, because I think we have bipartisan support.
Senator Warren: I love hearing this. So, upcoding is a scandal, and overall, we know that Medicare Advantage overpayments cost at least $83 billion in a single year. So, $83 billion—remember that number. Last month, Republicans in the House passed a budget framework that sets up $88 billion in annual cuts to health care, Medicaid funding for seniors in nursing homes, and for people with disabilities who have a home health aide, and more.
Dr. Oz, I have a simple question: If you had the choice, would you rather cut waste, fraud and abuse by a Fortune 50 health insurance company in Medicare Advantage or cut funding for Medicaid, which covers half of all seniors in nursing homes and one in three of America’s children?
Dr. Oz: My goal is to improve the health care of the American people, and as you create the argument, the former sounds like a more rational way to do that.
Senator Warren: I appreciate that. You know, I am happy to work with Republicans to go after waste, fraud and abuse, but let’s cut out waste, fraud and abuse where it actually occurs, like upcoding in Medicare Advantage. Republicans cutting health care for seniors and for babies and for people with disabilities, while the waste and the fraud just roll right along for a multibillion-dollar insurance company is sickening, and I will fight that every step of the way. Thank you, Dr. Oz.
Source: United States Senator Peter Welch (D-Vermont)
Welch garners pledge from Oz to address excessive pricing from insurance companies
WASHINGTON, D.C. – During a Senate Finance Committee hearing today, U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.) questioned Dr. Mehmet Oz, President Trump’s nominee to be the Administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), a federal agency within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) that provides health care to over 100 million Americans. Senator Welch pressed Dr. Oz about how the Trump Administration plans to eliminate rip-offs for patients and tackle excessive pricing in private equity and Medicare Advantage to help lower prescription drug prices.
“The big concern I have about our health care system is it costs too much. It’s a real disgrace that we spend the most and get the least. So, many other countries—with all the problems they may have with their health care system—citizens are not anxious about whether they can afford the care that they need. Here, that’s not the case. And one of the big problems is that private equity, pharmaceutical pricing power, device manufacture pricing power, consolidation in the industry—all of this has made the cost of health care brutal. It’s brutal on taxpayers, it’s brutal on employers…we just can’t afford this,” said Senator Welch.
“My expectation is you’d be able to come in in six months, let’s say, and report on whether there is progress on all of these things: Squeezing out the rip-off in private equity, squeezing out the rip-off in Medicare Advantage, and having lower drug prices.”
Watch the exchange between Senator Welch and Mehmet Oz, President Trump’s pick for Administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services:
Read excerpts of Senator Welch’s questioning below:
Sen. Welch: I believe a major responsibility that you would have in your job would be to fight the excessive charging…In his first term, President Trump said he favored a reference price for drugs. So, you know, we’re paying three, four, five times for the same drug that they buy in Canada or in Europe. Would you support reference pricing so that we don’t get ripped off compared to everybody else, even though we do the research?
Dr. Oz: President Trump has been very clear that he wants me to reduce drug prices, not just for the government payees, but also for beneficiaries. International reference pricing is a way of doing that.
Sen. Welch: Here’s what I think we all need: We have got to get a fair price. And it’s not a fair price when we’re paying six or seven times what they’re paying for the same thing in France, or in Canada, or wherever else, okay? So, I’m just going to stop here but say that is absolutely top of mind. President Trump has indicated a concern about this, and I hope you follow through.
Second, Medicare Advantage—it sounds good, but it’s an incredible rip-off in some cases…It’s going to be your job to crack down on that. Are you going have any tolerance for that kind of rip-off from our insurance companies?
Dr. Oz: No. I think you have identified a place where a system which was, in theory, a good one—Medicare Advantage is a community health-focused effort…
Sen. Welch: I understand that. I don’t mean to interrupt, but I just want to stay on this. We cannot afford to have the health care system be taken over for private profit when it doesn’t provide good service at an affordable price for our citizens. Do you agree with that?
Dr. Oz: I agree, and I think that the upcoding in Medicare Advantage programs has become the best example of this out there and it is something that is addressable. And I pledge, if confirmed, I will go after it.
Source: United States Senator Peter Welch (D-Vermont)
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.) today voted against congressional Republicans’ Continuing Resolution (CR), which would give the Trump Administration authority to strip funding without oversight by Congress and cut billions from previously bipartisan programs and initiatives. Senator Welch released the following expanded statement on the CR:
“Instead of funding the government, this bill makes drastic cuts to critical programs Vermonters rely on and gives unprecedented power to President Trump and Elon Musk to continue their reckless, illegal rampage. I could not vote for a bill that makes radical cuts—totaling billions of dollars—to funding for law enforcement, infrastructure re-development, disaster response and mitigation, cancer research, and more. I could not vote for a bill that gives a blank check to President Trump to inflict more punitive tariffs on American businesses, farmers, and families. I could not vote for a bill that allows Trump and Musk to cut federal funding at their whim and defund programs entirely without congressional approval or oversight,” said Senator Welch.
“It’s wrong for congressional Republicans to jeopardize Vermonters’ health, safety, and financial wellbeing so they can play games with the budget process. Republicans walked away from bipartisan negotiations on a budget because President Trump told them to. They are, yet again, ceding Congress’s constitutional authority to Donald Trump and hurting Americans in the process,” concluded Welch.
The Republicans’ CR makes drastic cuts to funding, and would result in fewer jobs, higher prices, and more chaos:
The bill cuts more than $247 million from the Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) Program, which funds community safety and policing grants to local, state, and tribal governments.
The bill cuts congressionally directed medical research programs at the Department of Defense by more than half, totaling $859 million.
The bill gives an $8 million blank check to the Trump Administration to use for mass deportations.
The bill underfunds rental assistance by $500 million, which could result in fewer housing vouchers for Vermonters who need safe, affordable housing.
The bill only provides an additional $2.2 billion for FEMA’s disaster recovery, at a time when FEMA is estimated to require an additional $17 billion, in addition to the current funding levels, to respond to future natural disasters.
The bill will cut $1.4 billion in funding for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, eliminating all funds from Bipartisan Infrastructure Law which Congress passed in 2021. This could put flood recovery projects supported by the Army Corps in Vermont at risk.
The bill will cut the budget of the Federal Public Defender program, which would prevent them from filling vacant positions and require delayed payments to private panel attorneys.
The bill will cut $280 million from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), opening a pathway for Secretary Kennedy to remove spending from:
Infectious diseases
Alzheimer’s
Lyme Disease
The Rural Residency Planning and Development Program
Maternal Health Innovation Program
Nurse Faculty Loan Repayment Program
Cancer Prevention Programs
Medication assisted treatment programs
First Responders grants
Child Abuse Prevention Program
Runaway and Homeless Youth Program; and
Elder Abuse Prevention and Adult Protective Services
The bill will cut $1.2 billion from the Department of Veterans Affairs, military construction and related agencies, and potentially strip funding from health care efforts including:
Homelessness prevention programs
Rural health
Suicide prevention
The bill will cut more than $1 billion from Washington D.C.’s budget, impacting education, law enforcement, housing and more.
Senator Welch announced he would vote against the bill on Wednesday.
Source: United States Senator Reverend Raphael Warnock – Georgia
Senator Reverend Warnock Unveils Legislative Package to Address Housing Affordability and Availability Crisis
The transformative housing package addresses rising rental costs and downpayment fees, private equity’s domination of Atlanta’s housing market, and the overall lack of available housing units
This week, Senator Reverend Warnock introduced the Downpayment Toward Equity Act, the Rent Relief Act, and the Stop Predatory Investing Act
Senator Reverend Warnock also introduced the American Housing and Economic Mobility Act, legislation that would build nearly three million new housing units
During aWednesday Senate Banking Hearing, Senator Reverend Warnock highlighted his newly introduced housing legislation and how Georgians and Americans would benefit from the legislative package
Senator Reverend Warnock, a longtime advocate of affordable housing, has tirelessly fought to broaden the path to homeownership for hardworking Americans
Senator Reverend Warnock during the hearing: “These are important bills that address the affordability issue and the accessibility issue around housing”
Watch Senator Reverend Warnock at Wednesday’s Senate Banking Committee hearingHERE
Washington, D.C. – This week, U.S. Senator Reverend Raphael Warnock (D-GA) introduced a comprehensive legislative package of housing bills to address the ongoing housing affordability and availability crisis in the United States.
The Downpayment Toward Equity Act, the Rent Relief Act, the Stop Predatory Investing Act, and the American Housing and Economic Mobility Act, which Senator Warnock co-led with Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), are a direct response to what Senator Warnock has heard from constituents about their inability to afford a home, and a solution to the housing crisis that millions more Americans are facing across the country.
“We have a housing affordability and availability crisis in this country and I’m especially concerned about young Americans and their ability to pay rent or buy their first home,” said Senator Reverend Warnock during a Senate Banking Committee hearing. “Last year, we actually saw the largest increase in rental costs in a decade, while the share of first-time homebuyers reached an all-time low. Tough pickings whether you’re a renter, or looking to buy. Georgia has the lowest homeownership rate in the entire Southeast.”
The bills introduced in the package address each of the largest hurdles for most young people trying to buy their first home.
The Rent Relief Act would provide much needed relief to low- and middle-class Americans by subsidizing a percentage of their rents that exceed cost burden thresholds (more than 30% of their income). It would address the rising rental costs seen around the country, allowing people to save more income that could be put toward realizing the dream of homeownership.
The Downpayment Toward Equity Act would provide funds toward downpayment and other financial assistance for first-generation homebuyers to purchase their first home, helping alleviate what is considered the chief obstacle for young people in trying to buy their first home.
“Ms. Willis, what are the consequences of high rental costs and lack of affordable housing on upward mobility on the broader economy?” Senator Warnock asked Renee M. Willis, who was an expert witness for Wednesday’s Banking Committee hearing.
“I think on an individual level when people with low incomes can’t afford housing, they’re forced to make impossible trade-offs. So, we’re talking about trade-offs between paying rent and buying groceries, or medications, or investing in their children’s education,” responded Renee M. Willis, Interim President & CEO of National Low Income Housing Coalition. “But more broadly, I’d say that researchers have found housing constraints have lowered GDP growth.”
“For first-time home buyers, what do they cite most often as the biggest barriers?” Senator Warnock asked.
“Two words. Downpayment costs,” responded Willis.
The Stop Predatory Investing Act, previously led by another champion of housing, Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH), would remove tax advantages enjoyed by private equity investors to disincentivize ownership of more than 50 single-family rental properties.
These bills together, coupled with Senators Warnock and Warren’s American Housing and Economic Mobility Act, which would invest in building nearly three million new housing units, would address some of the most longstanding issues in the American housing market today.
“These are important bills that address the affordability issue and the accessibility issue around housing,” said Senator Warnock at the hearing.
During the hearing, Senator Warnock also questioned Dr. Edward Glaeser, a Professor of Economics at Harvard University, about the impact of the housing crisis on the American GDP.
“Are you concerned about what you are seeing in the economic data about young Americans and homeownership?” Senator Warnock asked.
“Senator, I certainly am,” said Dr. Edward Glaeser. “[One of my concerns] is a transfer of housing wealth, from the young to the old.
“Massive transfers of wealth, and the inability to pass wealth from one generation to the next, it’s moving in the wrong direction, which has implications for all of us regardless of our generation,” continued Senator Warnock.
Since coming to the Senate, Senator Warnock has worked to increase affordable housing and illuminate a path to homeownership, a cornerstone of the American Dream. As one of twelve brothers and sisters growing up in public housing in Savannah, Senator Warnock deeply understands the importance of having a place to call home and homeownership. In the past few years, Senator Warnock voted for government funding legislation that increased America’s housing supply, strengthened housing affordability, and addressed the homelessness crisis, including by: increasing the supply of affordable housing nationwide with funding to build 10,000 new rental and homebuyer units; extending funding for the Yes In My Backyard (“YIMBY”) grant program to support efforts to increase our nation’s housing supply and lower housing costs through state and local zoning changes; and delivering $275 million in new funding for Homeless Assistance Grants to help address homelessness in communities across the country and providing new resources to better connect people experiencing homelessness with health care services. Senator Warnock has also secured nearly $80 million in housing investments to provide affordable housing options for Georgians at all income levels and repair hazardous housing conditions in low-income housing units.
“The predatory practices of institutional investors who buy out single-family homes is a rapidly developing issue in affordable housing policy, and one that must be addressed head-on to protect the rights of tenants and help preserve the nation’s supply of affordable housing,” said NLIHC Interim President and CEO Renee Willis. “I applaud Senator Warnock for his leadership in introducing the ‘Stop Predatory Investing Act’, which will help ensure investors do not buy up available properties only to raise rents and displace tenants.”
In addition to Senator Warnock, the Downpayment Toward Equity Act is cosponsored by Senators Alex Padilla (D-CA), Tim Kaine (D-VA), Mark Warner (D-VA), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), and Cory Booker (D-NJ), the American Housing and Economic Mobility Act is cosponsored by Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Ed Markey (D-MA), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Peter Welch (D-VT), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), and Andy Kim (D-NJ), the Stop Predatory Investing Act is co-led by Senators Tina Smith (D-MN), Ron Wyden (D-OR), and Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) and cosponsored by Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Ruben Gallego (D-AZ), Jack Reed (D-RI), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Peter Welch (D-VT), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), and Cory Booker (D-NJ).
Watch video of Senator Reverend Warnock’s questioning at Wednesday’s Senate Banking Committee hearingHERE.
Read the legislative package summaryHERE.
Bill text for the Downpayment Toward Equity Act can be foundHERE.
Bill text for the Stop Predatory Investing Act can be foundHERE.
Bill text for the Rent Relief Act can be foundHERE.
Bill text for the American Housing Economic Mobility Act can be foundHERE.
Source: United States Senator Reverend Raphael Warnock – Georgia
WATCH: Senator Reverend Warnock Puts Dr. Oz on Record Supporting Medicaid Access for Georgians Caught in Health Care Gap During Nomination Hearing to Oversee Medicare and Medicaid
At Friday’s Senate Finance committee hearing, Senator Reverend Warnock questioned Dr. Oz, President Trump’s nominee to run the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS)
Senator Reverend Warnock put Dr. Oz on record as supporting Medicaid access for Georgians caught in the health care gap as the state readies to apply for an extension
The state’s renewal application comes at a moment when the Trump Administration and Hill Republicans are threatening major slashes in funding for health care programs that largely support low-income families and children
Senator Reverend Warnock: “You’ll never get any pushback from me about the value of a work ethic and the purpose that work provides, which is why I think people ought to have health care so they can get back to work. Very often they can’t get back to work in Georgia because they can’t get the health care”
Watch Senator Reverend Warnock at Friday’s CMS nominee hearing HERE
Washington, D.C. – Today, during a Senate Finance committee hearing on the nomination of Dr. Mehmet Oz to lead the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), U.S. Senator Reverend Raphael Warnock (D-GA) put Dr. Oz on the record as supporting Medicaid access for Georgians caught in the health care gap. As CMS Administrator, Dr. Oz will be responsible for approving the Georgia Pathways waiver, which is due to be extended.
“You’ll never get any pushback from me about the value of a work ethic and the purpose that work provides, which is why I think people ought to have health care so they can get back to work. Very often they can’t get back to work in Georgia because they can’t get the health care,” said Senator Reverend Warnock.“Let me give you an example. There is a woman in Dalton, Georgia that I got to know a while ago, her name is Heather Payne. […] She was among those folks who were in the gap. She couldn’t afford private insurance, but she wasn’t poor enough to get conventional Medicaid. So her health challenges and the unpredictable nature of her work as a traveling nurse made it impossible for her to meet George’s onerous work verification requirements to get Medicaid. She found out she had had a series of strokes. She had to save the money to see a neurologist, and then she found out she’d had a series of strokes. Took a long time to be able to afford to go and now she’s in the gap, and she can’t meet Georgia’s onerous work requirements. Do you think Heather Payne, a traveling nurse who spent her career providing health care to others, do you think she deserves Medicaid or not?”
Dr. Oz replied, “Yes.”
“I agree with you. And since we agree, I think that the Medicaid waiver that you will be responsible for reviewing, in fact, I know it, it says that Heather does not deserve Medicaid,” said Senator Reverend Warnock.
The state has already started the process of applying for an extension and comes at a moment when the Trump Administration and Hill Republicans are threatening major slashes in funding for health care programs that largely support low-income families and children.
“Georgia’s Pathways to coverage is a roadblock to care. They’ve gotten, I don’t know, 6,000 people, I think the last time I checked. And we got over 500,000 people in the gap. So I’m gonna give you a softball if you are confirmed, will you work with me and will you keep Amanda and Heather in mind as you consider whether or not to renew Georgia’s waiver–which I think is filled with unnecessary and onerous work requirements, paperwork, filling out paperwork every single month–will you keep these two people in mind?”Senator Reverend Warnock asked.
“Heather and Amanda should be in all of our minds and many others like them. I look forward to working with you,”Dr. Oz replied.
If confirmed, Oz would take over the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), which provides health coverage to more than 100 million people through Medicare, Medicaid, the Children’s Health Insurance Program, and the Health Insurance Marketplace, and manages a budget of $1.5 trillion.About a quarter of all federal spending runs through CMS, and Oz would take over the institution at a moment when Washington Republicans are threatening major slashes in funding for health care.
Watch the Senator’s full remarks HERE.
See below a transcript of key exchanges between Senator Warnock and CMS nominee Mehmet Oz (remarks have been lightly edited for clarity):
Senator Reverend Warnock (SRW): “My home state of Georgia is not only one of only ten states in the country that has still not expanded Medicaid, it also has the dubious distinction of being the only state in the country where the limited number of families who do qualify for Medicaid are required to regularly complete bureaucratic paperwork to prove they’re still working the minimum number of hours to get health care. State officials call it ‘Georgia Pathways to Coverage’. I call it ‘Georgia Pathways to Nowhere.’ The program is allowed under the state’s Medicaid waiver, which is up for renewal this year. And if confirmed as head of CMS, you would be responsible for approving or denying the state’s application to renew these onerous paperwork requirements. Dr. Oz, I’m not going to ask you to prejudge the state’s renewal application; that wouldn’t be fair, you need to see it. But since you’d oversee Medicaid if confirmed, yes or no, do you believe families should have to complete government paperwork every single month to prove they are working just to get health care when they’re sick?”
Mehmet Oz (MO): “I am in favor of work requirements.”
SRW: “Do you think a family should have to fill out paperwork every month just to get health care?”
MO: “I don’t think you need to use paperwork to prove work requirements, and I don’t think that should be used as an obstacle, disingenuous effort to block people from getting on Medicaid. However, I believe we would both probably agree that there’s value in work, and it doesn’t have to be going to a job. It could be getting an education, it should be showing that you want to contribute to society. You could volunteer at Ebenezer Baptist Church, where I did a show with you once, that would, for me, fulfill the requirement.”
SRW: “You’ll never get any pushback from me about the value of a work ethic and the purpose that work provides, which is why I think people ought to have health care so they can get back to work. Very often they can’t get back to work in Georgia because they can’t get the health care. Let me give you an example. There is a woman in Dalton, Georgia that I got to know a while ago, her name is Heather Payne. She’s a traveling nurse. And you know, as a traveling nurse, some jobs were better than others. Sometimes she had health care, sometimes she didn’t. She was among those folks who were in the gap. She couldn’t afford private insurance, but she wasn’t poor enough to get conventional Medicaid. So her health challenges and the unpredictable nature of her work as a traveling nurse made it impossible for her to meet George’s onerous work verification requirements to get Medicaid. She found out she had had a series of strokes. She had to save the money to see a neurologist, and then she found out she’d had a series of strokes. Took a long time to be able to afford to go and now she’s in the gap, and she can’t meet Georgia’s onerous work requirements. Do you think Heather Payne, a traveling nurse who spent her career providing health care to others, do you think she deserves Medicaid or not?”
MO: “Yes.”
SRW: “Thank you. I agree with you. And since we agree, I think that the Medicaid waiver that you will be responsible for reviewing, in fact, I know it, it says that Heather does not deserve Medicaid.”
[…]
SRW: “Let me tell you about another Georgian. Amanda left her two jobs in New York and moved to Warner Robins to become a full-time caregiver for her 84-year-old father, Thomas. Taking care of her father has become a full-time responsibility for Amanda. He’s 84 years old. She’s taking care of him, which means he is not in a nursing home. She’s taken on that responsibility. But with all of this, she does not have time to hold a full-time job that meets the state’s strict work requirements, and she has no income to cover her own health costs should she get sick. Dr. Oz, do you think Amanda deserves Medicaid?”
MO: “From what you are describing, yes. These are the opportunities we have to make the system better. If we both agree that people should be trying to get off Medicaid, if they can, we should be able to create a system where we can track that, because there’s the twin paradox, which I think we touched on in the office. Two brothers are at home, one’s working every day, flipping burgers, making minimum wage. Maybe he’s cobbling together 16, $17,000, puts them right above the poverty level. And the other brother doesn’t bother working because he’ll have the exact same coverage if he doesn’t work. We want to make both of them want to move up the ladder, like every small businessman. What’s their goal? To become a big businessman.”
SRW: “You and I have the basis for meaningful conversation. Georgia’s Pathways to coverage is a roadblock to care. They’ve gotten, I don’t know, 6,000 people, I think the last time I checked. And we got over 500,000 people in the gap. So I’m gonna give you a softball if you are confirmed, will you work with me and will you keep Amanda and Heather in mind as you consider whether or not to renew Georgia’s waiver–which I think is filled with unnecessary and onerous work requirements, paperwork, filling out paperwork every single month–will you keep these two people in mind?”
MO: “Heather and Amanda should be in all of our minds and many others like them. I look forward to working with you.”
Source: United States Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.)
WATCH: Senator Padilla on his vote against partisan funding bill
WASHINGTON D.C. — Today, U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) issued the following statement ahead of his vote against cloture and final passage of Republicans’ partisan bill to fund the government through September:
“Republicans are trying to jam through a strictly partisan bill that would cut critical services that so many families rely on, while empowering Donald Trump and Elon Musk in their efforts to keep dismantling the federal government. To make matters worse, this measure completely leaves out disaster aid that’s so necessary for Southern California to rebuild after the fires. For me, that’s an absolute non-starter.
“I’m going to be a ‘no’ vote, both on cloture and on final passage of this bill, which is nothing but a Republican power grab. I’ll continue to stand up for California and fight against this Trump-Musk billionaire agenda.”
You can watch Senator Padilla speaking out against the bill here.
Footage of his remarks can be downloaded here.
Earlier this week, Senator Padilla blasted the continuing resolution when it narrowly passed the House of Representatives, emphasizing that it did not include the disaster relief funding California needs. Padilla has fought relentlessly to secure and protect Southern Californians’ access to desperately needed disaster relief aid. In the immediate aftermath of the Los Angeles fires, Padilla and Senator Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) led 47 bipartisan members of the California Congressional delegation in successfully urging President Biden to grant Governor Gavin Newsom’s request for a major disaster declaration to expedite timely relief to Los Angeles County residents impacted by these disasters. Last week, Padilla, Schiff, and Representatives Ken Calvert (R-Calif.-41) and Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.-18) led the entire bipartisan California Congressional delegation in urging Senior Congressional leadership to provide additional disaster relief funding and resources to help Los Angeles County communities rebuild.
Source: United States Senator Pete Ricketts (Nebraska)
March 14, 2025
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Pete Ricketts (R-NE) issued the following statement after voting for a Continuing Resolution to fund the federal government through the end of the Fiscal Year.
“This Continuing Resolution prevents a costly government shutdown. It enables President Trump and DOGE to continue identifying wasteful spending. It also gives Congress time to return to a more regular appropriations process.”
Amidst the changing global landscape, European Council President António Costa has emphasised the importance of the strategic partnership between South Africa and European Union (EU).
Addressing the opening of the 8th South Africa-European Union (SA-EU) Summit, Costa said the EU and South Africa are not just partners but are strategic allies, bound by shared values of democracy, human rights, rule of law and multilateralism.
“The world has changed profoundly in these past seven years. Pandemics, conflicts here in Africa, in the Middle East, and in Europe. Multilateral commitments are being tested, and the rules-based international order faces growing challenges.
“Protectionism, economic coercion, and other threats undermine stability, while new technologies disrupt the political system and global power dynamics. In this world of uncertainty, our partnership matters more than ever.
“Let us use this summit to deepen our cooperation, reinforce our commitments, and chart a course for an even stronger partnership. A partnership that not only benefits our nations but contributes to global stability and prosperity – for our citizens, for our nations, and for our shared future,” Costa said on Thursday.
President Cyril Ramaphosa co-chaired the summit with Costa, and the President of the European Commission, Dr. Ursula von der Leyen, at Tuynhuys, in Cape Town.
Costa said the European Union does not see the future through the lens of division between blocks, between the North and South.
“Instead, we see an interconnected world, where our fates are linked, and where joint action is not an option but a necessity. Our partnership delivers real benefits to our citizens, our economies, and the world.
“We are united in our commitment to peace, security, and sustainable development. We stand together to help uphold the United Nations Charter, advance the sustainable development goals, and drive towards global action on climate change, poverty reduction, and economic reform.
“We appreciate South Africa’s leadership, both regionally and globally. You can count on the European Union’s full support as you take on the G20 Presidency and as we prepare together for the next European Union-African Union summit, later this year,” Costa said.
With this year being the 25th anniversary of EU-African Union cooperation, Costa said this is a milestone that underscores the strength of engagement, and the vast potential ahead.
“Despite many complex challenges, this is not a time for despair. It is a time for opportunity. An opportunity to build, to strengthen, and to expand our bilateral and multilateral cooperation. To shape a world that is fairer, more sustainable, and more secure,” he said.
In his address, President Ramaphosa said South Africa intends to hold further constructive discussions on a new investment package by the EU, to South Africa.
“Through this we aim to consolidate cooperation in areas such as science and technology, education and skills development, climate action, peace and security, health and critical minerals,” the President said. –SAnews.gov.za
Over 24 000 job opportunities are expected to help tackle the unemployment challenge in the North West province.
This was revealed during a roundtable discussion involving North West Premier Lazarus Kagiso Mokgosi, Deputy Minister of Employment and Labour Judith Nemadzinga-Tshabalala, as well as representatives from organised labour, business, and civil society.
The initiative, which involves collaborative work between the North West Provincial Government and the Department of Employment and Labour, will be implemented through a Labour Activation Plan (LAP).
The LAP initiative, funded by the Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF), aims to enhance employability, enable entrepreneurship, and preserve jobs through skills training, enterprise development, and other intervention measures.
“This initiative has been in the pipeline for some time, and I am happy that it is coming to fruition. This is one of the policy announcements I made during the State of the Province Address [SOPA] to help find solutions to high levels of unemployment in the province,” Mokgosi said on Thursday.
In the SOPA delivered last month, the Premier reaffirmed the government’s commitment to creating job opportunities through public employment programs, such as expanded public works, community health workers, community works, and labour activation programmes.
At the roundtable, Deputy Minister Nemadzinga-Tshabalala said the roll-out of the programme is in full swing in various provinces and that the North West is the latest beneficiary.
“Young people will be trained in various fields such as engineering, agriculture and artisanal work in preparation for the job market and consequently placed in various industries,” Nemadzinga-Tshabalala added. – SAnews.gov.za
Strengthening collaboration between government and private sector is crucial for driving economic growth and creating sustainable employment, said the Department of Employment and Labour.
This as the department in collaboration with the North West Provincial Government, organised labour, business, and social partners, convened a round table to address key labour challenges and strategies for economic growth.
Thursday’s session focused on identifying obstacles hindering economic expansion and job creation, with stakeholders highlighting government red tape as a major impediment to progress.
Participants emphasised the importance of strengthening advocacy for existing government and private sector programmes to drive sustainable employment.
In response to concerns raised by some attendees, Deputy Minister of Employment and Labour, Judith Nemadzinga-Tshabalala, stated that to tackle the unemployment crisis, the department through its Public Employment Services (PES) Division has been working to facilitate job creation in collaboration with government, business, labour, and civil society.
She highlighted Career and Jobs Fairs as a key initiative in addressing unemployment, providing a vital platform for job seekers to connect with potential employers.
“These Jobs Fairs serves as a bridge between job seekers and potential employers, ensuring that unemployed individuals, particularly the youth will gain direct access to job opportunities, training programmes and skills development initiatives.
“The Jobs Fairs play a crucial role in empowering unemployed work seekers by offering a structured and supportive environment where they can explore various career paths, receive guidance on employability, and interact with industry professionals,” Nemadzinga-Tshabalala said.
North West Premier Lazarus Mokgosi reiterated the province’s commitment to youth empowerment, aligning with the seventh administration’s priority agenda.
“Youth empowerment remains an apex priority of the 7th administration and in my acceptance speech last year as well as the Province’s 2025 Policy Statement, I highlighted a litany of intervention measures to address this scourge.
“However, addressing a problem of this magnitude needs all of us to work together as government, the private sector, labour, business, civil society, Dikgosi and all other stakeholders to respond to this challenge,” the Premier said.
Thursday’s session is expected to be followed by a handover of the Labour Activation Programme (LAP) contracts by the Minister of Employment and Labour, Nomakhosazana Meth at the Rustenburg Civic Centre on Friday, 14 March 2025.
The handover will run simultaneously with a Jobs/Career Fair where jobseekers and unemployed graduates will receive career counselling and apply for available opportunities on the Employment Services South Africa (ESSA) portal, among other services that will be rendered.
ESSA is an online recruitment service of the Department of Employment and Labour, available to all South African citizens. – SAnews.gov.za
The Iranian Government has continued to ramp up efforts to restrict the rights of civilians including young children as part of a concerted effort to crush dissent, investigators mandated by the UN Human Rights Council said on Friday.
In their latest and final report, the Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on Iran alleged ongoing serious rights violations by the Iranian authorities stemming from massive protests after the death in police custody of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in September 2022.
Ms. Amini, from the Iranian Kurdish community, had been arrested by the country’s “morality police” for allegedly not complying with rules on how the hijab should be worn.
Allegations of crimes against humanity
“In repressing the 2022 nationwide protests, State authorities in Iran committed gross human rights violations, some of which the Mission found to have amounted to crimes against humanity,” said Sara Hossain, Chair of the Fact-Finding Mission.
“We heard many harrowing accounts of harsh physical and psychological torture and a wide range of serious fair trial and due process violations committed against children, including some as young as seven years old.”
Since April 2024, the State has increased criminal prosecution against women who defy the mandatory hijabthrough the adoption of the so-called “Noor plan.”
“Women human rights defenders and activists have continued to face criminal sanctions, including fines, lengthy prison sentences, and in some cases the death penalty for peaceful activities in support of human rights,” the Independent Mission asserted.
Speaking in Geneva on the sidelines of the Human Rights Council, Ms. Hossain noted that Iran’s ethnic and religious minorities “had been specially targeted in the context of the protests”, with “some of the most egregious violations…carried out in peak protest towns in minority-populated regions”.
Testimonies gathered inside and outside Iran for the report which has been shared with the Iranian Government pointed to men, women and children being held “in some cases at gunpoint” with “nooses put around their necks in a form of psychological torture”.
Online surveillance
The Mission – which comprises senior human rights experts acting in an independent capacity – noted that these measures “come despite pre-election assurances” by President Masoud Pezeshkian to ease the strict enforcement of mandatory hijab laws.
This enforcement increasingly relies on technology, surveillance and even State-sponsored “vigilantism”, the investigators stated.
“Surveillance online was a critical tool for State repression. Instagram accounts, for instance, were shut down and SIM cards confiscated, in particular of human rights defenders, including women human rights defenders,” explained the Independent Mission’s Shaheen Sardar Ali.
Vigilantes and intrusive apps
Ms. Ali pointed to the use of the “Nazer” mobile application “which is a particular app that the Government has instituted, where after vetting, sort of normal citizens can also complain – file a complaint – against someone who’s just passed by and hasn’t got the mandatory hijab. So, this technology that’s being used for surveillance is really very far-reaching and highly intrusive.”
According to the Fact-Finding Mission, 10 men have been executed in the context of the 2022 protests and at least 11 men and three women remain at risk of being executed, amid “serious concerns over the adherence to the right to a fair trial, including the use of torture-tainted confessions, and due process violations”.
The Mission’s report will be presented to Member States at the Human Rights Council next Tuesday.
Independent Mission
The Independent Mission was established by the Human Rights Council in November 2022, with a mandate to “thoroughly and independently investigate alleged human rights violations” in Iran related to the protests that began in September that year, especially with respect to women and children.
It was also tasked by the Council to establish the facts and circumstances surrounding the alleged violations, as well as to collect, consolidate and analyse evidence of such violations and preserve evidence, including in view of cooperation in any legal proceedings.
“This is part of a wider scourge of intolerance, extremist ideologies, and attacks against religious groups and vulnerable populations,” he said, adding that when one group is attacked, “the rights and freedoms of all are at risk”.
He urged everyone around the world to reject and eradicate bigotry, and to speak out against xenophobia and discrimination. He also called on governments to foster social cohesion and protect religious freedom, and for online platforms to curb hate speech and harassment.
“On this International Day to Combat Islamophobia, let us work together to uphold equality, human rights and dignity, and build inclusive societies where everyone, regardless of their faith, can live in peace and harmony.”
General Assembly commemoration
Meanwhile on Friday, UN Member States gathered in the General Assembly to call attention to the worrying rise in anti-Muslim sentiment.
The world body established the International Day in 2022, unanimously adopting through a resolution in which it also called for strengthened international efforts to promote a culture of tolerance and peace at all levels, based on respect for human rights and for the diversity of religions and beliefs.
It also “strongly deplored” all acts of violence against persons on the basis of their religion or belief and attacks against places of worship.
“We cannot accept the misuse of Islam for malicious intentions,” Mr. Yang stated, condemning the narrative of violence associated with the religion.
“Islamophobia is not an isolated issue,” he continued. “Rather, it is connected to xenophobia, intolerance, racism, sexism and the rampant spread of hate speech.”
Stop unjust portrayal of women
He also emphasised that combatting Islamophobia required a broader commitment to tolerance, particularly regarding the portrayal of Muslim women.
“Muslim women, in particular, face added hostility, due to deeply unjust portrayals of them as oppressed by their religion,” he remarked.
He underscored the need for inclusive policies that celebrate diversity and ensure equal rights for all.
“We must all stand up against all forms of hatred and discrimination,” he said, stressing the need for governments to create environments that foster peaceful dialogue and respect among all religious and cultural communities.
Source: United Nations General Assembly and Security Council
The Security Council today condemned the widespread violence perpetrated in Syria’s Latakia and Tartus provinces since 6 March — including mass killings of civilians among the Alawite community — calling on the interim authorities to protect all Syrians without distinction.
Unanimously adopting a presidential statement (to be issued as document S/PRST/2025/4), the 15-nation organ also condemned attacks targeting civilian infrastructure. It called on all parties to immediately cease all violence and inflammatory activities and ensure the protection of all civilian populations and infrastructure, as well as humanitarian operations. Further, all parties and States must ensure full, safe and unhindered humanitarian access to those affected and the humane treatment of all persons. The Council also urged a rapid increase of humanitarian support across Syria.
Recalling resolution 2254 (2015), the Council called on all States to respect Syria’s sovereignty, independence, unity and territorial integrity and refrain from any action or interference that may further destabilize the country. It further urged Syria to take decisive measures to address the threat posed by foreign terrorist fighters, underscoring its obligations under relevant Council resolutions related to counter-terrorism.
Underlining the urgency of inclusive, transparent justice and reconciliation in Syria, the Council called for swift, transparent, independent, impartial and comprehensive investigations to ensure accountability and bring all perpetrators of violence against civilians to justice. Accordingly, it took note of the Syrian interim authorities’ announcement of the establishment of an independent committee to investigate such violence and identify those responsible. The Council also noted such authorities’ decision to establish a committee for civil peace.
The Council further called for an inclusive political process led and owned by Syrians, facilitated by the UN and based on the principles outlined in resolution 2254 (2015). This includes safeguarding the rights of all Syrians — regardless of ethnicity or religion — meeting their legitimate aspirations and enabling them to peacefully, independently and democratically determine their futures.
Fresh fighting in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has displaced tens of thousands of families, with children particularly at risk, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) warned on Friday.
Over 850,000 civilians have been displaced in South Kivu province, nearly half of them children, according to the agency.
Many are living in precarious conditions, sheltering in schools, churches or in the open, lacking clean water and sanitation, healthcare and education.
Grave violations against children have also sharply risen, including sexual violence, killings, maiming and their recruitment by armed groups.
“We are facing an unprecedented protection crisis. Children are being targeted. They are being killed, recruited, torn from their families and exposed to horrific sexual and physical violence,” said Jean François Basse, UNICEF’s acting head in the DRC.
The fighting has also disrupted vital services and humanitarian operations, with the closure of Kavumu Airport near the provincial capital Bukavu and banks delaying critical aid operations.
The region is also witnessing an uptick in cholera, measles and mpox outbreaks.
UNICEF is working to re-open schools and support health centres, urging all parties to respect international law and ensure unhindered aid access.
“We call on all parties to the conflict to immediately cease hostilities, protect children, respect international humanitarian law and guarantee rapid, safe and unhindered humanitarian access,” said Mr. Basse.
New risks loom for global trade, warns UN body
While global trade started 2025 on stable ground, challenges are mounting, according to the UN trade and development body, UNCTAD.
In its latest Global Trade Update, which covers data through early March, the UN body reported record growth in 2024, with international trade expanding to $33 trillion, but looking to 2025, new risks loom, including trade imbalances, evolving policies and geopolitical tensions.
The trade gap between developing and advanced economies is widening. While Asia and Latin America remain key trade drivers, growth has slowed in advanced economies, UNCTAD said.
It added that nearshoring and friendshoring – business strategies where companies relocate their operations to a country geographically closer to their main market to reduce costs – reversed in 2024.
UNCTAD noted that some governments are expanding tariffs, subsidies and industrial policies, reshaping trade flows.
“The United States, EU and others are increasingly tying trade measures to economic security and climate goals while China is using stimulus policies to maintain export momentum,” it added.
UNCTAD underscored the need for global cooperation and balanced policies in the face of growing trade uncertainty.
“The challenge in 2025 is to prevent global fragmentation – where nations form isolated trade blocs – while managing policy shifts without undermining long-term growth. The actions taken now by governments and businesses will shape trade resilience for years to come,” it said.
A container ship at the Mombasa Port in Kenya, a key transit for trade in the region.
Voter registration starts in Central African Republic
Meanwhile, the second and third phases of voter registrations are underway in the Central African Republic (CAR), supported by the UN peacekeeping mission there, MINUSCA.
The campaign will cover nine of the country’s 20 prefectures and overseas centres.
“Our peacekeeping mission has actively contributed to the launch of the operations by providing logistical support, including the deployment of equipment by plane from Bangui to the regions as well as several hundred electoral agents,” UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric told reporters at the regular news briefing in New York.
Peacekeepers are also helping secure the process by deploying to tense areas to enable all Central Africans to have access to registration centres, he added.
Mission personnel also escorted road convoys carrying registration kits as well as electoral staff. They are also working in collaboration with UN Women to increase the number of women on the voter list by facilitating the issuance of identity documents.
The voter registration exercise precedes local, legislative and presidential elections scheduled for later this year and in 2026.
The local elections – to be held for the first time in nearly 40 years – are a key component of the Central African Peace Agreement and offer a unique opportunity for enhanced governance at the local level, Mr. Dujarric said.
UN Security Council condemns Pakistan train attack
UN Security Council members condemned Tuesday’s terrorist attack on the Jaffar Express passenger train, which was travelling from Quetta to Peshawar in Pakistan.
The armed group Balochistan Liberation Army attacked the train near the city of Sibi in Balochistan province and subsequently took its passengers hostages.
The standoff ended on Wednesday, with Pakistani security forces conducting an operation and killing the attackers. According to media reports, 21 hostages and four members of the security forces were also killed.
In a press statement, members of the Security Council “reaffirmed that terrorism in all its forms and manifestations constitutes one of the most serious threats to international peace and security”.
They underlined the need to hold perpetrators, organisers, financiers and sponsors of such acts of terrorism accountable and urged all States, in accordance with their obligations under international law and relevant Security Council resolutions, to cooperate actively with the Government of Pakistan in this regard.
“The members of the Security Council reiterated that any acts of terrorism are criminal and unjustifiable, regardless of their motivation, wherever, whenever and by whomsoever committed,” the statement added.