Source: United States Senator for Kansas Roger Marshall
Washington – U.S. Senator Roger Marshall, M.D. (R-Kansas) released the following video previewing President Donald Trump’s joint address to Congress tonight.
Senator Marshall anticipates President Trump sharing the remarkable accomplishments his Administration has achieved within his first few months serving in the White House.
You may click HERE to watch Senator Marshall’s video.
To download the video, you may click HERE.
Transcript of Senator Marshall’s remarks:
“Hi everybody, Senator Roger Marshall here. Big buzz in Washington, DC tonight. At 8 p.m. Kansas time, President Trump will be giving his address to a joint session of Congress.”
“I expect President Trump to describe promises made, promises kept in his America First agenda. I think President Trump will highlight what he’s already accomplished, that he’s actually secured the border.”
“As you may know, illegal crossings are down some 94%, and then President Trump will outline what we’re going to do in the future to continue to secure that border and get fentanyl out of our cities, as well as get rid of all the criminals that have come across the borders illegally.”
“Then I expect President Trump to talk a little bit about the economy, about jobs and inflation and how we’re going to get interest rates down, and he’s going to talk about doing this through balancing a federal budget, by setting American energy free and rolling back regulations.”
“I expect President Trump to maybe spend a moment or two talking about DOGE, how he’s trying to make our government more efficient to get rid of fraud, waste, and abuse. And then lastly, maybe he’ll talk a little bit about making America healthy again, what we can do through nutrition, and decreasing the toxins we’re exposed to to make all Americans healthy.”
“And then maybe… we’ll get some discussion about agriculture – that we’re going to put the ‘Farm’ back in the Farm Bill.”
“So, looking forward to tonight again, 8 p.m. Kansas time, President Trump from Capitol Hill.”
Source: United States Senator for Delaware Christopher Coons
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Chris Coons (D-Del.) and John Cornyn (R-Texas) today introduced the Taiwan Assurance Implementation Act to require the U.S. Department of State to review and update its policy guidance regarding Taiwan no less than every five years and deliver a report to Congress within 90 days in light of the rapidly changing geopolitical landscape and threats of an invasion by China:
“Our commitment to Taiwan must be backed by an approach that evolves with the changing realities in the Indo-Pacific,” said Senator Coons. “The Taiwan Assurance Implementation Act recognizes the importance of United States-Taiwan relations, supports our shared values, and reinforces stability in this critical region, consistent with our longstanding one China policy.”
“The threat China poses to the stability of the Indo-Pacific, including our friend and ally Taiwan, is ever-evolving, and our diplomatic guidance must be able to keep up,” said Senator Cornyn. “This legislation would help reinstate a strong Taiwan strategy at the State Department at a time when we need it most.”
President Donald J. Trump knows American energy is the cornerstone of the American advantage — and that having efficient, reliable, and affordable energy is the key to American security.
President Trump declared a National Energy Emergency to unlock America’s full energy potential and bring down costs for American families.
The U.S. is now the largest net exporter of natural gas in the world.
President Trump established the National Energy Dominance Council to maximize use of America’s extensive energy resources.
President Trump rescinded every one of the Biden Administration’s job-killing, pro-China, anti-American energy regulations.
President Trump terminated the job-killing “Green New Scam.”
President Trump withdrew from the disastrous Paris Climate Agreement, which unfairly ripped off our country.
President Trump paused federal permitting for massive wind farms, which degrade our natural landscapes and fail to serve American consumers.
President Trump reversed bureaucratic regulations that impeded Alaska’s ability to develop its vast natural resources.
President Trump re-opened 625 million acres for offshore drilling, which Biden banned in his waning days, in order to “drill, baby, drill.”
President Trump scrapped an Obama-era rule on greenhouse gases.
President Trump ended the Liquefied Natural Gas pause and approved the first LNG project since the Biden Administration banned them last year.
President Donald J. Trump took office on a promise to lower costs for the American people — and the actions he has taken are already paying off while the work continues to turn back the economic plague unleashed by the Biden Administration.
President Trump put into action a comprehensive plan to lower egg prices.
President Trump directed the heads of all executive departments and agencies to “deliver emergency price relief … to the American people and increase the prosperity of the American worker.”
President Trump established the National Energy Dominance Council to maximize use of the U.S.’ extensive energy resources — thereby enabling lower energy prices.
Crude oil prices have fallen over 5% since President Trump took office.
The Trump Administration postponed burdensome Biden-era efficiency standard rules for the following appliances, saving American consumers large sums:
Central air conditioners: Biden rules were slated to make air conditioners $1,100 more expensive.
Gas water heaters: Biden rules were slated to make water heaters $2,800 more expensive.
Gas stoves: Biden rules were slated to make stoves $3,250 more expensive.
Clothes washers and dryers: Biden rules were slated to make washers $200 more expensive.
Light bulbs: Biden rules were slated to make light bulbs $140 more expensive.
The Trump Administration is requiring agencies to identify at least ten existing rules or regulations to be repealed for every one new rule or regulation they promulgate — putting the country on track to severely reduce costs for everyday Americans.
In 2023, the total cost of federal regulations was a record-breaking $2.1 trillion, or $15,788 per U.S. household, according to one analysis — while another found the cost of federal regulations was even greater at $3.079 trillion in 2022.
President Trump directed the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to root out bureaucratic waste — and within weeks, it has already saved taxpayers billions of dollars.
The Trump Administration eliminated the overbearing Biden-era electric vehicle mandate by resetting Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards.
NBER economist Mark R. Jacobsen estimates that “a one-mpg increase in CAFE standards costs consumers of all income levels approximately 0.5% of their income in the first year of the increase. By the 10th year following the increase, however, this cost becomes regressive, as the increase drives up the price of used cars. A one-mpg increase in CAFE standards costs consumers earning less than $25,000 per year 1.12% of their income, but only costs consumers earning more than $75,000 per year 0.41% of their income.”
President Donald J. Trump immediately undertook a bold, necessary effort to downsize the federal government by ending the waste, fraud, and abuse that has permeated virtually all aspects of the bureaucracy — making sure government works for the taxpayers who fund it.
President Trump established the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to maximize government productivity and ensure the best use of taxpayer funds — which has already achieved billions of dollars in savings for taxpayers.
President Trump commenced his plan to downsize the federal bureaucracy and eliminate waste, bloat, and insularity.
President Trump ordered federal workers to return to the office five days a week.
President Trump ordered federal agencies hire no more than one employee for every four employees who leave.
President Trump ended the wasteful Federal Executive Institute, which had become a training ground for bureaucrats.
President Trump ordered the termination of all federal Fake News media contracts.
President Trump is reigning in agencies overtaken by unelected bureaucrats.
President Trump stopped the waste, fraud, and abuse within USAID — ensuring taxpayers are no longer on the hook for funding the pet projects of entrenched bureaucrats, such as sex changes in Guatemala.
President Trump ordered the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau — the brainchild of Elizabeth Warren, which funneled cash to left-wing advocacy groups — to halt operations.
The Environmental Protection Agency canceled tens of millions of dollars in contracts to left-wing advocacy groups, announced an investigation into a scheme by Biden EPA staffers to shield billions of dollars from oversight and accountability, and put 168 “environmental justice” employees on leave.
President Trump reversed the massive over-expansion of the IRS that took place during the Biden Administration.
President Trump ordered a review of funding for all non-governmental organizations so taxpayers are no longer funding those that undermine America’s interests.
The review identified 15,000 grants worth $60 billion for potential elimination.
The Department of State issued a “pause” on existing foreign aid grants to ensure accountability and efficiency.
President Trump shut down the wasteful Biden-era “Climate Corps” program.
President Trump lifted last-minute collective bargaining agreements issued by the Biden Administration, which sought to impede reform.
President Donald J. Trump has launched the largest criminal illegal immigrant deportation operation in American history — and despite resistance from Democrat politicians in so-called “sanctuary cities,” illegal immigrant killers, rapists, and drug dealers have been taken off the streets in droves as the heroes of law enforcement are once again empowered to do their jobs.
Here is just a tiny sample of the cold-blooded criminals arrested under President Trump:
A Portuguese national convicted of sexual exploitation of a minor—child pornography, apprehended in Philadelphia.
A Guatemalan national charged with armed home invasion, kidnapping, intimidation, and assault with a dangerous weapon, apprehended in Rhode Island.
A Haitian national charged with three murders, apprehended in North Carolina.
A Salvadoran national and MS-13 gang member convicted of aggravated assault with bodily injury and DWI, apprehended in Houston.
A Guatemalan national charged with multiple counts of child rape, apprehended in Massachusetts.
A Brazilian national and confirmed gang member convicted of assault and battery, apprehended in Boston.
A Honduran national convicted of criminal sexual conduct with a minor, apprehended in Minnesota.
A Salvadoran national convicted of sodomy/anal intercourse with a child less than 13 years of age, apprehended in Washington.
An Ecuadorian national convicted of rape, arrested in Buffalo.
A Guatemalan national charged with multiple counts of child rape, apprehended in Massachusetts.
A Dominican Republican national convicted of sexual conduct against a child, apprehended in Buffalo.
A Mexican national convicted of sexual exploitation of a child, apprehended in San Francisco.
A Turkish national who is a known or suspected terrorist, apprehended in New York City.
A Mexican national convicted of drug trafficking, apprehended in Texas.
A Venezuelan national and known member of the brutal Tren de Aragua gang, arrested in San Antonio.
A Salvadoran national and high-ranking leader of the brutal MS-13 gang charged with firearm possession, extortion and terrorist affiliation, arrested in Maryland.
A Venezuelan national and known Tren de Aragua gang member — connected to a deadly shooting in Aurora, Colorado — charged with being a fugitive from justice in possession of a firearm, arrested in New York City.
President Donald J. Trump is standing up for American workers, strengthening American industries, and making clear to the world that America will no longer be ripped off — a push that has already delivered historic results.
President Trump is leveling the playing field for American workers.
President Trump restored a 25% tariff on steel imports and elevated the tariff to 25% on aluminum imports to protect these critical American industries from unfair foreign competition.
President Trump unveiled a plan for fair and reciprocal trade, making clear to the world that the United States will no longer tolerate being ripped off — a plan met with praise across the board.
American Iron and Steel Institute: “American steel producers know well the negative impact of foreign unfair trade practices, including subsidies, currency manipulation and other unfair and discriminatory policies and practices, on domestic industries and their workers.”
Renewable Fuels Association: “For almost a decade now, we have spent precious time and resources fighting back against an unfair and unjustified tariff regime imposed by Brazil’s government on U.S. ethanol imports … We thank President Trump for taking this action and hope this reciprocal tariff will help encourage a return to free and fair ethanol trade relationship with Brazil.”
President Trump is securing historic investments as companies seek to make their products in America instead of paying tariffs.
Nissan CEO Makoto Uchida said President Trump’s tariffs could push the car manufacturer to move its production from Mexico to the U.S.
Honda is expected to produce its next-generation Civic hybrid model in Indiana.
After a meeting with President Trump, Stellantis announced it will reopen its assembly plant in Belvidere, Illinois — putting 1,500 employees back to work — and build its next-generation Dodge Durango in Detroit, Michigan. The company also announced new investments in their Toledo, Ohio, and Kokomo, Indiana, facilities.
In total, President Trump has secured nearly $2 trillion in new U.S. investments.
TSMC announced an unprecedented $100 billion investment in U.S.-based semiconductor chip manufacturing.
Apple announced a historic $500 billion investment that will create 20,000 new U.S.-based jobs.
President Trump announced the largest artificial intelligence infrastructure project in history, securing $500 billion in planned private sector investment — with major CEOs agreeing it would not have been possible without President Trump’s leadership.
President Trump secured a $20 billion investment by DAMAC Properties to build new U.S.-based data centers.
Wisconsin-based Clarios, a leader in low-voltage energy storage, announced a $6 billion plan to expand its U.S.-based manufacturing.
Eli Lilly and Company announced a $27 billion investment in its U.S.-based manufacturing.
Saudi Arabia declared its intention to invest $600 billion in the United States over the next four years.
Taiwan pledged to boost its investment in the United States.
Electronics giants Samsung and LG “are considering moving their plants in Mexico to the U.S.” now that President Trump is back in office.
China has set its deficit-to-GDP ratio for this year at around 4 percent, an increase of one percentage point over last year, according to a government work report submitted Wednesday to the national legislature for deliberation.
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
BEIJING, March 5 — China’s new government debt will total 11.86 trillion yuan (about 1.66 trillion U.S. dollars) in 2025, an increase of 2.9 trillion yuan over last year, enabling a notably higher level of fiscal spending, according to a government work report submitted Wednesday to the national legislature for deliberation.
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
BEIJING, March 5 — China will deepen comprehensive reforms for investment and financing in the capital market, and encourage the entry of long- and medium-term capital into the market, according to a government work report submitted Wednesday to the national legislature for deliberation.
China will also strengthen strategic resource reserves and market stabilization mechanisms, said the report.
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
BEIJING, March 5 — China opposes unilateralism and protectionism in all forms, and will uphold international fairness and justice, according to a government work report submitted Wednesday to the national legislature for deliberation.
The country will stay committed to an independent foreign policy of peace and to the path of peaceful development, said the report.
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
BEIJING, March 5 — China will introduce city-specific policies on adjusting or reducing property transaction restrictions to make continued efforts to stem the downturn and restore stability in the real estate market, according to a government work report submitted Wednesday to the national legislature for deliberation.
Tropical Cyclone Alfred is strengthening as it bears down on the coast of southern Queensland and northern New South Wales, prompting fears it may become a destructive category 3 cyclone before it makes landfall.
As of Wednesday, the cyclone was a category 2 and had begun moving west towards land. It is forecast to maintain intensity on Thursday and cross the coast early on Friday morning, probably between Maroochydore and Coolangatta.
According to the Bureau of Meteorology, the possibility of the system reaching a low-end category 3 was a low risk but “cannot be ruled out”.
The bureau has issued warnings from Double Island Point in Queensland to Grafton in NSW. The area includes Brisbane, the Gold Coast, the Sunshine Coast, Byron Bay and Ballina.
Brisbane Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner says modelling shows 20,000 properties in Brisbane could be affected by storm surge or flooding.
The intensifying cyclone is a major concern, and makes Cyclone Alfred an unusual phenomenon. Cyclones typically lose strength as they approach the coast – especially this far south. It means Alfred may cause extensive damage, including to inland areas. We can expect it to last well into Friday before petering out and heading south on Saturday.
What to expect in the next few days
From Wednesday afternoon and into Thursday, the bureau forecasts gales, with damaging wind gusts to 120km an hour, along the coast from southeast Queensland to northeast NSW.
From Thursday afternoon, destructive wind gusts of up to 155km an hour may develop around the coast and islands as Alfred’s “destructive core” approaches and crosses the coast, the bureau says.
If Alfred crosses the coast on Friday morning during high tide, it may cause a dangerous storm surge along the coast, especially in waterfront suburbs near and south of the cyclone’s centre. This may inundate low-lying areas, such as canal communities of the Gold Coast.
In Brisbane, peak storm surges are expected from Thursday onwards. Some 20,000 properties have been warned of impacts ranging from minor inundation in yards to significant flooding inside homes. Areas most at risk include Nudgee Beach, Brighton, Windsor, Ashgrove, Morningside and Rocklea.
Damaging surf may also cause serious erosion at open beaches between Sandy Cape and Grafton, and further south into NSW.
From Thursday, residents in southeastern Queensland and northeastern NSW have been told to expect heavy to intense rain. It may lead to life-threatening flash flooding – again, near and south of the cyclone centre.
Northern NSW has already been hit by devastating flooding in recent years, most recently in February 2022. Many of its settlements, including Lismore, are along or close to major river courses. Residents are understandably anxious about what the next few days may bring.
The bureau released the below map on Wednesday morning. It shows the bureau’s best estimate of the cyclone’s future movement and intensity.
The grey zone indicates the range of tracks the cyclone centre may follow. The bureau says winds will almost certainly extend to regions outside the rings on this map.
Cyclone Alfred tracking map released by the Bureau of Meteorology on Wednesday morning shows it circling of the coast of southeast Queensland. BoM
Why is Alfred so fired up?
Cyclone Alfred has been meandering off Queensland’s coast for almost two weeks. Unusually, it has maintained its cyclonic structure and intensity much further south than is typical.
Over the past two days, unique atmospheric and oceanic conditions have allowed Cyclone Alfred to intensify.
It moved towards an area of warmer coastal water (around 27°C), which caused it to strengthen. It also moved into an area of reduced “vertical wind shear” – a variation in wind speed running at right angles to prevailing winds, which often acts to weaken a cyclone.
Image showing high sea surface temperatures which are fuelling the cyclone. BoM
Usually, cyclones in this part of Australian waters may brush the coast, but are soon pulled south or east by an upper trough of cold air and then flicked away into the cooler waters of the Tasman Sea – to an area known as the “cyclone graveyard”.
The current situation is unusual because that upper trough is absent. At the same time, a high pressure system in the Tasman Sea is steering the cyclone towards the coast.
The big question now is whether Alfred reaches category 3 – that is, very destructive winds of 165–224km per hour.
Should the cyclone’s forward motion towards the coast slow, it raises the chances of becoming a category 3 storm. That’s because it would spend more time passing over the warm area of coastal water.
Category 3 winds are likely to cause significant structural damage to some buildings. Brisbane is, to some extent, sheltered from the winds by offshore islands. Other areas, such as the Gold Coast, do not have such protections.
How long will the cyclone last?
As I write, gales are starting to rake the coast – including where I live, on the Sunshine Coast. Conditions will continue to deteriorate this afternoon and into tonight.
The cyclone will bring gale-force winds to a large area of coastline – from Double Island Point in the north to potentially as far south as Coffs Harbour.
By Thursday afternoon, conditions on land and just offshore will be pretty rough. If the cyclone keeps travelling at a constant speed, it will cross the coast in the early hours of Friday morning.
This is less than ideal. It will be dark and people can’t see what’s going on. But there is much affected communities can do to prepare, as outlined here.
For cyclone preparedness and safety advice, go to Get Ready Queensland. For emergency assistance call the State Emergency Service (SES) in NSW or Queensland on 132 500.
A Bureau of Meteorology update on Cyclone Alfred dated March 5.
Steve Turton has previously received funding from the federal government.
An aerial drone photo taken on Jan. 8, 2024 shows robotic arms processing parts for new energy vehicles at a private company in Changxing Economic and Technological Development Zone, Huzhou City, east China’s Zhejiang Province. [Photo/Xinhua] China targets an economic growth rate of around 5 percent in 2025, according to a government work report submitted Wednesday to the national legislature for deliberation. The report also outlines an array of other key development goals for this year, including a surveyed urban unemployment rate of around 5.5 percent, over 12 million new urban jobs, and an around 2 percent increase in the consumer price index. The country achieved economic growth of 5 percent in 2024 as an impactful policy package, along with other pro-growth measures, helped fuel strong economic momentum. On a global scale, an around 5 percent growth rate places China among the world’s fastest-growing major economies, with the economic increment equating to the annual output of a mid-sized nation. Huang Qunhui, a national political advisor from the Institute of Economics of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, described this year’s economic growth target as scientifically grounded and realistic. “In the face of a challenging global environment, the proactive and resilient goal suggests that China is braving uncertainties with a clear, determined approach to growth,” he said. As 2025 marks the final year of China’s 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-2025) period and is also crucial to crafting the next five-year blueprint, observers believe that the government policies will not only drive sustained growth this year but also lay the groundwork for the country’s modernization drive in the long run. Fostering high-quality development is a key focus on this year’s government agenda, with priorities ranging from stimulating domestic demand to developing new quality productive forces. “We will take a people-centered approach and place a stronger economic policy focus on improving living standards and boosting consumer spending,” the report said. Domestic demand will be made the main engine and anchor of economic growth, the report said. Ultra-long special treasury bonds totaling 300 billion yuan will be issued to support consumer goods trade-in programs. New quality productive forces will be nurtured in light of local conditions, according to the report. China aims to foster emerging and future industries, such as quantum technology and the low-altitude economy, accelerate the upgrading of traditional industries, and combine digital technologies including AI with manufacturing and market strengths.
China on Wednesday announced a 7.2-percent increase in its 2025 national defense budget. The planned defense expenditure of the country will be 1.784665 trillion yuan (about 249 billion U.S. dollars) this year, according to a draft budget report submitted to the national legislature for deliberation.
An employee removes U.S. alcohol products from a shelf at a Liquor Control Board of Ontario store in Oakville, Ontario, Canada, on March 4, 2025. [Photo/Xinhua]
The Canadian federal government on Tuesday announced a detailed tariff package after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau vowed that Canada will not back down from a fight against the trade war initiated by U.S. President Donald Trump.
According to a news release issued by the Finance Ministry, the first phase of Canada’s response includes tariffs on 30 billion Canadian dollars (about 21 billion U.S. dollars) in goods imported from the United States, effective as of 12:01 a.m., March 4. The list includes products such as orange juice, peanut butter, wine, spirits, beer, coffee, appliances, apparel, footwear, motorcycles, cosmetics, and certain pulp and paper products.
The additional countermeasures on 125 billion Canadian dollars (about 89 billion U.S. dollars) in imports from the United States would be from a list of goods open for a 21-day comment period which includes products such as electric vehicles, fruits and vegetables, beef, pork, dairy, electronics, steel, aluminum, trucks, and buses, the release said.
The government is also taking steps to mitigate the impact of these countermeasures on Canadian workers and businesses by establishing a remission process to consider requests for exceptional relief from the tariffs, the release said.
All options remain on the table as the government considers additional measures, including non-tariff options, the release said.
Trudeau said during his speech to the nation earlier in the day that Canada will also be challenging the U.S. illegal actions by filing dispute resolution claims at the World Trade Organization and through the Canada-U.S.- Mexico Agreement, or the free trade mechanism in North America that was renegotiated by Trump in his last term.
The counter tariffs will remain in place until the U.S. tariffs are withdrawn and not a moment sooner, said Trudeau.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen speaks during a press conference after a European Council summit in Brussels, Belgium, Dec. 19, 2024. [Photo/Xinhua]
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Tuesday unveiled an 800-billion-euro (844.6-billion-U.S. dollars) plan to significantly increase defence spending across the bloc.
She said that in response to escalating security threats across the European Union (EU), Europe had entered “an era of rearmament.”
In a letter written to EU leaders ahead of Thursday’s European Council, von der Leyen unveiled the “ReArm Europe” plan and emphasised the urgency of strengthening Europe’s defence capabilities, citing mounting geopolitical tensions, particularly in light of Russia-Ukraine military conflict and concerns over the future of U.S. support for the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).
“Europe is ready to massively boost its defence spending. Both to respond to the short-term urgency to act and to support Ukraine but also to address the long-term need to take on much more responsibility for our own European security,” she said.
“The question is no longer whether Europe’s security is threatened in a very real way,” von der Leyen said. “The real question in front of us is whether Europe is prepared to act as decisively as the situation dictates.”
According to a statement published by the European Commission, the “ReArm Europe” plan is a comprehensive set of proposals aimed at unlocking financial resources to support national defence investments both in the short term and over the next decade.
The initiative consists of five key measures designed to strengthen Europe’s defence capabilities and bolster military support for Ukraine.
A core component of the plan involves adjusting EU fiscal rules to allow member states to ramp up defence spending without triggering budgetary penalties.
Von der Leyen announced that the European Commission will propose activating the national escape clause of the Stability and Growth Pact, enabling governments to expand their military budgets without breaching EU deficit limits.
“If Member States were to increase their defence spending by 1.5 percent of GDP on average, this could create fiscal space of close to 650 billion euros over four years,” she said.
Another key element of the plan is the creation of a 150-billion-euro loan program to help EU countries jointly invest in critical military assets. The initiative aims to enhance collective procurement efforts, reduce costs, and improve interoperability across European armed forces.
“We are talking about pan-European capability domains: air and missile defence, artillery systems, missiles and ammunition, drones and anti-drone systems, as well as cyber defence and military mobility,” von der Leyen said.
Joint procurement efforts under this scheme would not only reinforce EU security but also allow member states to provide Ukraine with additional military aid, she said.
Von der Leyen also proposed leveraging the EU budget to support defence-related investments. She announced member states would be given additional incentives to use cohesion policy programmes to boost military spending.
The final two pillars of the ReArm Europe plan focus on attracting private sector investment in defence through specific initiatives and through increased involvement from the European Investment Bank.
“We will continue working closely with our partners in NATO,” von der Leyen said. “This is Europe’s moment, and we are ready to step up.” (1 euro = 1.06 U.S. dollar)
WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senator Jacky Rosen (D-NV) joined her Senate colleagues in sending a letter calling on President Donald Trump to cease his attack on our nation’s heroes and immediately reinstate all veterans who have been illegally fired in his Administration’s mass terminations of federal employees, with their full back pay and benefits. Veterans make up 30% of the federal workforce, with 640,000 veterans working in federal agencies. The Trump Administration’s mass terminations have already led to the unprecedented firing of an estimated 6,000 veterans.
“Federal civil service has long been a preferred path for military-affiliated populations, allowing them to continue serving our country while offering competitive wages, benefits, and much-needed stability,” wrote the Senators. “At DoD, where you have announced the imminent firing of 5,400 employees, with plans to cut anywhere from 35,000 to 56,000 in the near future – the percentage of veterans is nearly 50 percent. And at VA, where veterans are able to do work directly impacting their fellow veterans, the percentage of veteran employees is nearly 30 percent. Each and every day, these veterans perform duties vital to the American people, our national security and our way of life.”
“Your Administration’s actions are damaging the economic security and morale of our military and veteran families, the federal government’s ability to recruit and retain high-quality talent, and ultimately, our national security,” they continued. “We demand that you cease your attacks on our nation’s heroes, who have already given so much in defense of our country, and immediately reinstate those who have been illegally fired with their full back pay and benefits.”
The full letter can be found HERE.
Senator Rosen has been a champion for Nevada’s servicemembers and their families. In a previous letter, she demanded the VA provide answers regarding mass employee terminations. She also urged the VA to take immediate action to secure veterans’ personal information provided by VA or other agencies to Elon Musk and the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
Source: United States Senator for Tennessee Bill Hagerty
“If our friends in Mexico are watching this hearing, they will understand that it is not in their interest if they are looking to renew their free trade agreement with the United States, to have a United States Senator asking a nominee for Deputy Secretary of State about this terrible problem,” said Ambassador Christopher Landau, former U.S. Ambassador to Mexico and nominee to be Deputy Secretary of State. “The headline should be about great investment opportunities in all of our countries in North America.”
WASHINGTON—United States Senator Bill Hagerty (R-TN), a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and former U.S. Ambassador to Japan, today obtained a commitment from Ambassador Christopher Landau, nominee to be Deputy Secretary of State and former U.S. Ambassador to Mexico, that the State Department would strongly support American firms facing foreign expropriation threats in the Western Hemisphere and around the world. Examples of such American firms include Vulcan Materials Company in Mexico and Honduras Próspera in Honduras.
“You and I have talked specifically about the expropriation of Vulcan Materials,” Hagerty said. “Their quarries, their deep water port, their properties in Mexico. Those aggregates that they mine… are deeply critical to the infrastructure that we actually put in place in places like Florida, Louisiana, because there’s not an aggregate source…What the Mexican government has done is come in and taken this property from Vulcan materials, an Alabama company, an American company—and they have a mine in Quintana Roo—they’ve got this deep water port on the Yucatan Peninsula, and my fear is that that deep water port is going to be for sale to the highest bidder if the Mexican government gets it hand on it. And I can tell you who that highest bidder will be: it will be the CCP [Chinese Communist Party]. Think about having a [CCP-controlled] deep water port that close…to the United States of America.”
“Could I get your perspective on how U.S. companies abroad, who are facing this type of illegitimate activity, whether it be in Mexico, Colombia, Honduras, how will you expect us to approach this?” Hagerty asked.
“When I served as ambassador, my number one job was to protect American interests in Mexico, where I was serving as ambassador.” said Ambassador Landau. “If an American company is being threatened or harassed by the local government, it seems to me all our ambassadors have to understand that that is not a favor they are doing the company by standing up for their interests. That is their job as the representatives of our country. We want to support Americans, whether they be businesses or individuals. I am, as you are, extremely concerned about the actions of the Mexican government with respect to the Vulcan Materials plant and the aggregate.”
“I can certainly commit to you that on day one, if I am confirmed, I will call the Mexican government to address that problem and express our very strong concerns about what has happened to that American investment in Mexico,” Landau continued. “And I can also say that I would hope that if our friends in Mexico are watching this hearing, they will understand that it is not in their interest if they are looking to renew their free trade agreement with the United States, to have a United States Senator asking a nominee for Deputy Secretary of State about this terrible problem. The headline should be about great investment opportunities in all of our countries in North America. So, it makes me sad for a lot of the Mexicans who I know are trying to increase trade that we wind up stuck on this issue, and I very much hope the Mexican government will be able to resolve that problem even before I take office, if, in fact, I am confirmed.”
Source: Australian Ministers for Infrastructure and Transport
The Albanese Government today welcomes the report of the Community Broadcasting Sector Sustainability Review, which provides findings and recommendations to government and industry on supporting this vital media sector into the future. An election commitment, the Sustainability Review forms part of the Government’s efforts to work with the sector to identify a sustainable funding basis – recognising the important role of community broadcasters in contributing to local stories and media diversity. The review was undertaken in two phases, commencing in March 2023 with an independent evaluation of the Government’s Community Broadcasting Program (CBP), followed by the release of a discussion paper in June 2024 and extensive public consultation, including with industry and sector peak bodies. The report outlines four recommendations for Government consideration across the three priority areas of CBP funding, structure and outcomes; legislative and regulatory changes; and First Nations funding and licensing. The review found a reliance on CBP funding by some community broadcasters in the face of decreasing revenue and increasing operational costs. The report identifies opportunities to make the program more effective through reconsideration of funding priorities, processes and outcomes. The report also examines potential reforms to support the sector to modernise its operations, as well as outlining specific issues and potential solutions in relation to the First Nations broadcasting and media sector. A further three recommendations are directed at industry, highlighting scope for peak bodies to offer additional assistance and reflecting the shared responsibility of government, funding bodies, sector peak bodies and community broadcasters to support the sustainability of the sector. The Government is firmly committed to ensuring Australians continue to benefit from a strong and sustainable community broadcasting sector, recently announcing an additional $27 million investment. This comprises $15 million through the CBP, including $3 million to support community television, and $12 million for the Indigenous Broadcasting and Media Program. The Government will consider the report and work with stakeholders to progress the findings. To read the Community Broadcasting Sector Sustainability Review report, visitCommunity Broadcasting Sector Sustainability Review. Quotes attributable to the Minister for Communications, the Hon Michelle Rowland MP: “Community broadcasting is at the heart of local communities, providing millions of Australians with localised and diverse news, information and entertainment. It’s vital to a strong and healthy media landscape. “That’s why we committed to undertaking this review, working closely with industry to identify the best way forward to ensure the community broadcasting sector is sustainable into the future. “We will now consider the report findings as we continue to support community broadcasting and First Nations media, delivering $27 million in additional funding over the next three years.” Quotes attributable to the Minister for Indigenous Australians, Senator the Hon Malarndirri McCarthy: “The First Nations broadcasting and media sector is a vital community resource, promoting connection to culture and language and supporting access to important information and services. “We will closely consider the report’s recommendations with a view to ensuring First Nations journalists, broadcasters and media get the support they need – now and in the years to come. “These efforts build on our $12 million investment through the Indigenous Broadcasting and Media Program, which recognises and supports the important work of First Nations media.”
As part of ACT Government’s ‘One Government, One Voice’ program, we are transitioning this website across to our . You can access everything you need through this website while it’s happening.
The City Renewal Authority invites Canberrans and visitors to immerse themselves in a new, free, serene, and sensory experience titled ‘The Nature of Things’.
Glebe Park has been transformed into an enchanted woodland for an outdoor, family-friendly event designed to reconnect us with the natural world. The wonders of nature will come to life through unique soundscapes, illuminations, and interactive life-sized puppet performances by renowned storytellers, Erth Visual and Physical Inc.
“The Nature of Things will entertain and educate audiences about the fascinating natural world around us,” said Scott Wright, Artistic Director of Erth Visual and Physical Inc.
“Erth has created ‘Fauna’, a beautiful new illuminated puppet specially for this year’s event. Three times each night she will invite audiences to join her in awakening the other animals secretly inhabiting the park – a Sumatran pygmy rhino, an elephant and her calf, a Himalayan white tiger, koalas, sharks and more.
“Audiences are encouraged to raise their voices to help sing these animals to life, but you’ll also need to listen closely. We’ve been recording the sounds of trees as they draw nutrients from the earth, and you’ll have the chance to tap into the secret sounds of the forest.
“We’re thrilled to be working with emerging young artists from the Canberra Youth Theatre for our third consecutive year and can’t wait to share this experience.”
Event details: The Nature of Things
What: A free outdoor experience featuring interactive life-sized puppet performances, sounds and illuminations that tells the story of nature, animals, and endangered creatures.
Where: Glebe Park (Corner of Akuna and Bunda Street).
When: Nightly, 5pm-10pm, until Monday, 10 March 2025.
Cost: Free, with food and beverage vendors trading.
The free Enlighten shuttle bus runs every twenty minutes to connect the Festival Hub in the National Triangle with Canberra’s City Centre and Glebe Park.
The City Renewal Authority is collaborating with Events ACT to expand the Enlighten Festival into the City Centre as part of Enlighten: Beyond.
Free and low-cost activities encourage people to shop, eat and get out and about which provide social and economic benefits to the community. Events such as these create a great experience for Canberrans and visitors and contribute to a more exciting City Centre.
LOS ANGELES – A Hollywood woman was found guilty by a jury today of running a tech-savvy drug delivery business that employed drivers – including a part-time actor – and resulted in three near-fatal fentanyl overdoses.
Mirela Todorova, 36, a.k.a. “Mimi,” was found guilty of one count of conspiracy to distribute controlled substances resulting in serious bodily injury, one count of distribution of fentanyl, three counts of distribution of fentanyl resulting in serious bodily injury, one count of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, one count of possession with intent to distribute cocaine, one count of possession with intent to distribute MDMA (Ecstasy), and one count of making false statements to federal investigators.
The jury also found that Todorova must forfeit $498,555 in drug proceeds to the government.
“This defendant used her knowledge of technology to peddle the poison of fentanyl – despite knowing the pills she sold ran the risk of killing people,” said Acting United States Attorney Joseph McNally. “Investigating and prosecuting these cases saves lives. I commend our local and federal partners for stopping this dangerous criminal organization and bringing justice to the victims here.”
“This case highlights the importance of looking at every overdose incident,” said Matthew Allen, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Los Angeles Field Division. “This case started with a single overdose and led to the identification of the dealer responsible for multiple overdoses. This drug distributor had knowledge of the harm she was creating and didn’t care.”
According to evidence presented at a nine-day trial, Todorova from June 2020 to March 2021 orchestrated a technology-savvy drug trafficking operation in which she provided cellphones and narcotics – including counterfeit oxycodone pills that contained fentanyl – to drivers to facilitate the delivery of drugs to customers across Los Angeles County and elsewhere. Todorova – who is a citizen of the United States, Canada, and Bulgaria – also delivered drugs herself.
Several times throughout the drug trafficking conspiracy, Todorova visited Mexico, where she continued to manage her drug operation while tending to her pet jaguar, “Princess.”
To carry out the scheme, Todorova hired Mucktarr Kather Sei, 39, of Koreatown, as a driver and, later, gave him the keys to her Hollywood drug stash house, allowing him to run the drug ring’s operations while continuing to direct him from abroad.
Despite warnings from customers that the oxycodone pills she was selling were laced with fentanyl and potentially fatal, Todorova continued to sell them. From November 2020 to January 2021, three customers of Todorova’s drug ring suffered near-fatal overdoses of fentanyl-laced oxycodone pills. Despite knowing their danger, Todorova continued to sell these fentanyl-laced pills until February 2021.
In March 2021, law enforcement executed search warrants on Todorova’s person, car, and home, seizing numerous drug trafficking materials and narcotics, including lab-confirmed methamphetamine, cocaine, and MDMA, as a well as a single purported oxycodone pill laced with fentanyl.
In December 2021, Todorova knowingly made series of false statements to federal law enforcement official when she said she thought the drugs seized from her apartment were vitamins, she never instructed anyone how to package or make drugs, and she only met Sei twice.
United States District Judge André Birotte Jr. scheduled a September 12 sentencing hearing, at which time Todorova will face a mandatory minimum sentence of 20 years in federal prison and a statutory maximum sentence of life imprisonment. She has been in federal custody since April 2021.
Sei and two other defendants charged in this case – Christopher Y. Moreno Núñez, 29, of Pacific Palisades, and Ashley Alicia Nicole Johnson, 34, of Los Angeles –each pleaded guilty last year to felony narcotics distribution charges and will be sentenced in the coming months. Sei has been in federal custody since February 2022.
This case is the result of an investigation by the Los Angeles Police Department and the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Overdose Justice Task Force, which was created to address opioid-related deaths in the greater Los Angeles area, most of which are caused by the synthetic opioid fentanyl. Under the Overdose Justice program for the DEA’s Los Angeles Field Division, DEA agents collaborate with local law enforcement to analyze evidence to determine if there are circumstances that might lead to a federal criminal prosecution, and, if so, proactively target the drug trafficker.
Assistant United States Attorney Patrick Castañeda of the International Narcotics, Money Laundering, and Racketeering Section, Assistant United States Attorneys Jason C. Pang and Suria M. Bahadue of the General Crimes Section, and Assistant United States Attorney James E. Dochterman of the Asset Forfeiture and Recovery Section are prosecuting this case.
It said the humanitarian catastrophe was continuing in Gaza and hampering journalists’ work on a daily basis.
The Israeli army had killed their colleagues and destroyed their homes and newsrooms, said RSF in a statement.
Gaza’s remaining journalists, who had survived 15 months of intensive bombardment, continued to face immense challenges despite the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas that came into effect on 19 January 2025 with the first stage expiring last weekend.
Humanitarian aid, filtered by the Israeli authorities, is merely trickling into the blockaded territory, and Israel continues to deny entry access to foreign journalists, forbidding independent outlets from covering the aftermath of the war and the ongoing humanitarian catastrophe.
Exiled Palestinian journalists are also prevented from returning to the Gaza Strip.
“We urgently call for the blockade that is suffocating the press in Gaza to be lifted,” said RSF editorial director Anne Bocandé.
“Reporters need multimedia and security equipment, internet and electricity.
“Foreign reporters need access to the territory, and exiled Palestinian journalists need to be able to return.
“While the ceasefire in Gaza has put an end to an unprecedented massacre of journalists, media infrastructure remains devastated.
“RSF continues to campaign for justice and provide all necessary support to these journalists, to defend a free, pluralist and independent press in Palestine.”
Reporters face the shock of a humanitarian catastrophe
Working amid the rubble
“The scale of the destruction is immense, terrifying,” said Islam al-Zaanoun of Palestine TV.
“Life seems to have disappeared. The streets have become open-air rubbish dumps. With no place to work, no internet or electricity, I was forced to stop working for several days.”
Journalists must also contend with a severe fuel shortage, making travel within the country difficult and expensive. Like the rest of Gaza’s population, reporters have to spend long hours in queues every day to obtain water and food.
Israeli fire despite the ceasefire
“Entire areas are unreachable,” Al Jazeera correspondent Hani al-Shaer told RSF.
“The situation remains dangerous. We came under Israeli fire in Rafah.”
The journalist explained that due to an unrelenting series of crises, he was forced to choose which stories he covered.
“The destroyed infrastructure? The humanitarian crisis? Abandoned orphans?” he wondered.
Witnesses and targets: the double trauma of reporters
With at least 180 media professionals killed by the Israeli army in the course of 15 months of war, including at least 42 killed on the job, according to RSF figures, surviving journalists must face their trauma while continuing their news mission.
Gaza media sources put the journalist death toll at more than 200.
“We covered this tragedy, but we were also part of it. Often, we were the target,” stressed Islam al-Zaanoun.
“We still can’t rest or sleep. We’re still terrified that the war will start again,” adds Hani al-Shaer.
The suspended lives of exiled journalists
From Egypt to Qatar, journalists who managed to escape the horror continue to live with the consequences, unable to return to their loved ones and homes.
“My greatest hope is to return home and see my loved ones again. But the border is closed and my house is destroyed, like those of most journalists,” lamented Ola al-Zaanoun, RSF Gaza correspondent, now based in Egypt.
The Gaza bureau chief of The New Arab, Diaa al-Kahlout is one of many who watched the Israeli Army destroy his house.
“When they arrested me, they bombed and set fire to my house and car. I’ve lost everything I’ve earned in my career as a journalist, and I’m starting all over again,” he told RSF.
A refugee in Doha, Qatar, he is still haunted by the abuse inflicted by Israeli forces during his month-long detention in December 2023, following his arbitrary arrest at his home in Beit Lahya, a city in the north of the Gaza Strip.
“No matter how many times I tell myself that I’m safe here, that I’m lucky enough to have my wife and children with me, I have trouble sleeping, working, making decisions,” confided the journalist, whose brother was killed in the war.
“I’m scared all the time,” he added.
Asia Pacific Media Network’s Pacific Media Watch project collaborates with Reporters Without Borders.
China’s economy maintained overall stable operation with progress in 2024, with the main goals and tasks for its economic and social development successfully accomplished, according to a government work report submitted Wednesday to the national legislature for deliberation. The country saw its gross domestic product increase 5 percent year on year last year, ranking among the world’s fastest-growing major economies and continuing to contribute about 30 percent to global economic growth, according to the report.
An aerial drone photo taken on Jan. 8, 2024 shows robotic arms processing parts for new energy vehicles at a private company in Changxing Economic and Technological Development Zone, Huzhou City, east China’s Zhejiang Province. [Photo/Xinhua]
China targets an economic growth rate of around 5 percent in 2025, according to a government work report submitted Wednesday to the national legislature for deliberation.
The report also outlines an array of other key development goals for this year, including a surveyed urban unemployment rate of around 5.5 percent, over 12 million new urban jobs, and an around 2 percent increase in the consumer price index.
The country achieved economic growth of 5 percent in 2024 as an impactful policy package, along with other pro-growth measures, helped fuel strong economic momentum.
On a global scale, an around 5 percent growth rate places China among the world’s fastest-growing major economies, with the economic increment equating to the annual output of a mid-sized nation.
Huang Qunhui, a national political advisor from the Institute of Economics of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, described this year’s economic growth target as scientifically grounded and realistic.
“In the face of a challenging global environment, the proactive and resilient goal suggests that China is braving uncertainties with a clear, determined approach to growth,” he said.
As 2025 marks the final year of China’s 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-2025) period and is also crucial to crafting the next five-year blueprint, observers believe that the government policies will not only drive sustained growth this year but also lay the groundwork for the country’s modernization drive in the long run.
Fostering high-quality development is a key focus on this year’s government agenda, with priorities ranging from stimulating domestic demand to developing new quality productive forces.
“We will take a people-centered approach and place a stronger economic policy focus on improving living standards and boosting consumer spending,” the report said.
Domestic demand will be made the main engine and anchor of economic growth, the report said. Ultra-long special treasury bonds totaling 300 billion yuan will be issued to support consumer goods trade-in programs.
New quality productive forces will be nurtured in light of local conditions, according to the report. China aims to foster emerging and future industries, such as quantum technology and the low-altitude economy, accelerate the upgrading of traditional industries, and combine digital technologies including AI with manufacturing and market strengths.
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
China to improve contingency plans for handling external shocks to safeguard financial security, stability
BEIJING, March 5 — China will improve contingency plans for handling external shocks so as to effectively safeguard financial security and stability, according to a government work report submitted Wednesday to the national legislature for deliberation.
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
BEIJING, March 5 — China will promote the healthy and well-regulated development of the platform economy and give better play to its role in inspiring innovation, expanding consumption and stabilizing employment, according to a government work report submitted Wednesday to the national legislature for deliberation.
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
BEIJING, March 5 — China will formulate policies on boosting birth rates, and provide childcare subsidies, according to a government work report submitted Wednesday to the national legislature for deliberation.
The country will also vigorously develop integrated nursery and childcare services, and increase public-interest childcare services, read the report.
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
BEIJING, March 5 — China will firmly advance the cause of reunification, according to a government work report submitted Wednesday to the national legislature for deliberation.
The country will improve institutions and policies for promoting economic and cultural exchanges and cooperation across the Taiwan Strait and advance integrated cross-Strait development to improve the well-being of Chinese people on both sides, said the report.
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
BEIJING, March 5 — China plans to develop a package of major projects for climate change response and actively engage in and steer global environmental and climate governance in 2025, according to a government work report submitted on Wednesday to the national legislature for deliberation.
