Source: Peoples Bank of China
Announcement on Government Bond Transactions No.5 [2025]
(Open Market Operations Office, May 30, 2025)
The People’s Bank of China (PBOC) did not purchase or sell government bonds on the open market in May 2025.
Date of last update Nov. 29 2018
2025年05月30日
Source: Government of Canada regional news (2)
“The Competition Bureau has moved forward on unleashing extreme, ideological guidelines that will hurt Canada’s economy, silence our hard-working businesses and punish families from coast to coast to coast. The guidelines will not reduce emissions or improve environmental performance, but they will make it harder for companies to attract investment and make our country less globally competitive, once again.
“Despite detailed submissions and calls for change from provinces, businesses and Canadians, the guidelines continue to hold companies to international standards that don’t even exist, and which the Competition Bureau is not qualified to dictate or able to assess.
“These guidelines aren’t just unfair; they enshrine a dangerous double standard. This federal government for years has freely allowed anti-energy and anti-business activists to spread misinformation and false claims with impunity, while effectively silencing and putting an undemocratic gag order on the very businesses working to reduce emissions, build pipelines and grow our economy.
“This sends the wrong signal to markets and industry at the worst possible time. The federal government has committed to Albertans and all Canadians to making Canada an energy superpower. More fancy rhetoric and mixed messages will not make Canada an energy superpower, especially while Ottawa is upholding censorship laws that prevent businesses from talking about the very work and goals needed to build us into that superpower.
“If Prime Minister Mark Carney is serious about attracting investment, building major projects and truly improving Canadians way of life, he should take steps to scrap these guidelines immediately.”
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Geoff Rose, Professor in Transport Engineering, Monash Institute of Transport Studies, Monash University
Last weekend a pedestrian in Perth tragically died after being struck by an e-scooter.
This followed the death of another person in Victoria last month who was hit and killed by a modified e-bike which police alleged could travel at 90 kilometres per hour.
A study published earlier this week also found nearly 180 e-scooter injuries in young people aged five to 15 at the Sunshine Coast University Hospital in 2023 and 2024. One in ten injuries were life-threatening or potentially life-threatening.
Even though e-bikes and e-scooters have many benefits, such as improving urban accessibility and giving people scope to reduce or even eliminate carbon-emitting car use, these examples highlight their associated risks.
For these risks to be properly addressed, an overhaul of regulations covering e-bikes and e-scooters is urgently needed.
E-bikes have a battery-powered motor to assist the rider. The key word there is “assist”: to be legal the rider has to be pedalling to get the power assistance.
E-scooters are a new variant of the once humble children’s kick scooter. They are more sturdy to support an adult rider, and the battery-powered motor provides all the power.
Some e-bikes and e-scooters have throttles, which enable riders to accelerate to higher speeds without pedalling. Technically, these are illegal.
These new forms of urban transport are surging in popularity. This year alone, about 150,000 e-bikes are forecast to be sold across the country. An estimated 350,000 Australians – about 1.3% of the population – owned an e-scooter in 2024.
Regulations governing e-bikes and e-scooters were historically designed with reference to the power required to ride a regular bicycle.
A person needs to provide power equal to 220 watts to propel a regular bicycle at 32km/h on a flat road without a headwind.
The figure of 250 watts emerged as the baseline in Europe for the power limit on e-bikes. It is 500 watts in Canada and 750 watts in the United States.
In 2017, Australia harmonised its e-bike regulations with with those in Europe.
The regulations specify that power-assisted e-bikes can have a motor up to 250 watts. But the rider must pedal to get the power assistance and it must cut out above 25km/h.
E-bikes can travel faster than 25km/h. But the rider has to be providing all the power above that speed.
The same power limit was applied to e-scooters. But given their design and smaller wheels, regulators in Australia were more conservative, specifying a 20km/h maximum speed.
Differences across Australian states have since emerged with New South Wales allowing e-bikes up to 500 watts. Queensland has also removed motor power output from its e-scooter regulations and allows them to travel at speeds up to 25km/h.
There are two main problems with the existing system of regulations. First, there is nothing to stop the import of high-performance e-bikes and e-scooters from overseas. Second, enforcement is difficult and rarely occurs, because the police don’t have the equipment to easily test motor power.
The federal government has a clear role to play in stemming the import of e-bikes and e-scooters that exceed the legal limits for public use in Australia.
However there is no evidence the government has engaged with the issue. This is inconsistent with its commitment to the National Road Safety Strategy and the approach taken to the management of vehicle safety and import regulations which apply to motor vehicles.
State and territory governments must revise and simplify their e-bike and e-scooter regulations.
Tasmania is on the front foot with its review of e-bike regulations. But e-scooter regulations also need reform – to make them easier for the public to understand, to ensure these devices offer a viable travel option for people and, importantly, to enable efficient enforcement.
A few changes to the rules could then make a big difference.
For a start, references to motor power should be removed because the severity of a crash depends on speed not the power of the device. Having the regulations framed in terms of power is a complication for enforcement and we don’t use it to regulate motor vehicles.
Then we need to focus on where, and how fast, these vehicles can be ridden.
A good first step would be to follow the lead of Queensland and Tasmania and legalise footpath riding, subject to a 12km/h or 15km/h speed limit as is the case in those states.
Restricting e-scooters to low-speed roads (up to 50km/h), and with a lower speed limit when ridden on the footpath, would minimise the risk of dangerous collisions with pedestrians and reduce the risk of dangerous collisions with cars on high-speed roads.
Specifying a max speed under power assistance for e-bikes of 32km/h would bring us in line with the regulations for countries that have cities similar to Australia’s such as Canada and New Zealand.
This would open our market to more models from overseas. It would also ensure e-bikes are better able to keep up with traffic when ridden on roads and are more competitive in terms of travel time relative to the car, to help further reduce car use.
When it comes to e-scooters, moving to a 25km/h speed limit (as is the case in Queensland), combined with restricting their use to roads of up to 50km/h, would improve their compatibility with the flow of motor vehicles on local streets.
Local government and road authorities should also have the power to declare areas where footpath riding is not permitted – for example, inner-city footpaths with heavy pedestrian activity. They should also have the power to set speed limits for riders on shared paths and bicycle lanes where there is likely to be interaction with pedestrians.
With those changes in place, police would be able to enforce displayed speed limits for e-bikes and e-scooters using radar guns, as is already done in Queensland, and issue fines where appropriate.
Geoff Rose has received in-kind support for his research, in the form of data, from shared e-scooter operating companies; he has served on the oversight panel for the Victorian Government’s shared e-scooter trial and he has consulted to the Tasmanian Department of State Growth on e-bike regulations.
– ref. E-bikes and e-scooters are popular – but dangerous. A transport expert explains how to make them safer – https://theconversation.com/e-bikes-and-e-scooters-are-popular-but-dangerous-a-transport-expert-explains-how-to-make-them-safer-257126
Source: Government of Canada regional news
More people belonging to the Sons of Freedom Doukhobor community are receiving financial health and well-being support, as part of the B.C. government’s apology for historical wrongs committed against them.
In August 2024, the Province, in partnership with the Canadian Red Cross, distributed funds to living survivors who were forcibly apprehended and kept in New Denver as children. Now, the remaining health and well-being funds will be shared among:
Descendants of survivors who are still alive or who have already received the health and well-being fund are not eligible to receive additional support.
This work is part of the Province’s ongoing efforts to honour the legacy of the New Denver survivors and to acknowledge the hardships they experienced at the hands of government.
People who believe they may be eligible to receive support but have not been contacted can email the Ministry of Attorney General: sofd@gov.bc.ca.
The deadline to contact the ministry is January 2026.
In 1899, the Doukhobors fled persecution in Russia, seeking refuge in Canada. Many settled in the Kootenay Boundary region in B.C. During the first half of the 20th century, the Province targeted the Sons of Freedom, a group within the Doukhobor community, with fines and seizure of property for acts of civil disobedience, such as missing school and protesting naked.
In addition, hundreds of children from the Sons of Freedom were forcibly removed from their families and placed in institutions in New Denver between 1953 and 1959. There, many of the children were subjected to physical, emotional and sexual abuse that left deep, generation-spanning scars on them, their families, loved ones and the broader community.
The Province issued a formal apology for these historical wrongs in February 2024.
Learn More:
For guidelines on determining eligibility and how to access the funds, visit: https://news.gov.bc.ca/files/Backgrounder%20-%20SoF%20Health_Wellbeing%20Funds%20Phase%202.pdf
To learn more about government’s apology, visit: https://news.gov.bc.ca/30239
US Senate News:
Source: United States Senator for Delaware Christopher Coons
WASHINGTON – In case you missed it, U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.) earned praise yesterday for his questioning of Whitney Hermandorfer, President Donald Trump’s nominee for a seat on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit, regarding her lack of professional experience as part of a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing.
Trump nominated Hermandorfer to fill the vacancy left by Judge Jane Stranch’s decision to take senior status. Senator Coons questioned Hermandorfer’s readiness to fill the seat, as Hermandorfer has only 10 years of legal work experience and has never tried a case to a jury verdict, performed direct or cross examinations in federal court, taken or defended depositions, or delivered oral arguments before the U.S. Supreme Court.
Senator Coons pointed out that the judge Hermandorfer has been nominated to replace had over three decades of legal experience before President Barack Obama nominated her to the Sixth Circuit. He also noted that the non-partisan American Bar Association, which has historically been seen as objective vetter by presidents of both parties, would likely rate Hermandorfer as ‘unqualified’ because of her lack of experience.
From USA TODAY: Trump nominees for judgeships face scrutiny of youth, lack of experience
“I am concerned about the striking brevity of your professional record,” Sen. Chris Coons, a Democrat from Delaware, told Hermandorfer. He said she only graduated from law school 10 years, [sic] ago, but the judge she is being recommended to replace had 31 years on the bench before her nomination.
Coons pointed to a longtime standard from the American Bar Association that says federal judicial appointees should have at least 12 years of experience. While the association has long been involved in vetting judicial appointments, Attorney General Pam Bondi has said the association, which many conservatives criticize as too liberal, won’t be involved.
From POLITICO: Confirmation process begins for Trump’s first judicial nominees
…Democratic Sen. Chris Coons of Delaware suggested the nominee lacked the experience typically seen in lawyers proposed for federal appellate judgeships.
“I am concerned about the striking brevity of your professional record,” said Coons. “You graduated from law school just a decade ago,” said Coons.
Under further examination by Coons, Hermandorfer acknowledged she has never been lead counsel in a federal jury trial, questioned a witness on the stand or conducted a deposition.
A video of Senator Coons’ full questioning and transcript of his comments are available below.
WATCH HERE
CAC: Thank you very much. Ms. Hermandorfer, thank you for your service and the Tennessee Attorney General’s office, and congratulations to you and your family for your nomination. As you may know, I am not a reflexive ‘no’ vote on nominees of a president of the other party. I supported President Trump’s judicial nominees in his first term when they had the qualifications and experience for the job and the character and the independence to carry out the role of a judge, particularly circuit judge, with integrity. I am concerned about the striking brevity of your professional record. You graduated from law school just a decade ago, and you spent four years with impressive clerkships, but often nominees for a position such as the circuit have real experience in court. Have you ever served as the sole or chief counsel in any case, tried to a jury verdict?
Hermandorfer: Not to a jury verdict, Senator.
CAC: Have you ever served as the sole or chief counsel in any case tried to a final judgment?
Hermandorfer: I’ve served as chief counsel in many final judgment cases in trial court. If you mean a bench trial, I’m sorry I don’t understand, a bench trial would be no, but final judgment.
CAC: How many direct examinations have you personally taken in federal court?
Hermandorfer: As an appellate lawyer, I don’t usually take direct examinations, and the answer is zero.
CAC: How many cross examinations have you taken in federal court?
Hermandorfer: None.
CAC: How many depositions have you taken?
Hermandorfer: Again, as an appellate lawyer, that’s not really part of my practice.
CAC: How many depositions have you defended?
Hermandorfer: I have not defended depositions.
CAC: How many federal appellate oral arguments have you presented?
Hermandorfer: Federal appellate oral arguments? That would be four.
CAC: And how many Supreme Court oral arguments have you presented?
Hermandorfer: None. Though I’ve second-chaired and been counsel of record in Supreme Court matters.
CAC: I’ll just point out that the jurist you’ve been nominated to replace, Judge Jane Stranch, had 31 years of legal experience under her belt when nominated to this position in the Sixth Circuit, and the ABA, although disregarded by some, has long had a standard that without more than adozen years of federal service, they would deem someone unqualified for positions such as what you’ve been nominated for. Let me move to a different issue, the Federal Rule of Civil Procedure Number 65 sets out the rules of the road for issuing TROs and PIs, including whether a party moving must post a security bond. What factors should an appellate judge consider when ruling on a challenge to a security bond set or not set by a district court under FRCP 65c before issuing a TRO or a PI?
Hermandorfer: So, this comes up sometimes when the state is a litigant, and oftentimes parties can move to waive the security bond, and what a court is looking to is the gravity of harm to the potential appellant, should the case, the disposition in the District Court, be allowed to moveforward. So, it’s similar to kind of equitable considerations of harm and the gravity of that harm, and whether it would be reparable or, you know, compensable on the other end.
CAC: Thank you. And in what sorts of cases is it typical to set or require a security bond?
Hermandorfer: So, I think cases in which there’s going to be financial exposure, for example, on behalf of an appellant, could be such a case where a bond might be…
CAC: Post contract case, or a case involving infringement of a patent or something like that. Does your analysis change if the matter is a constitutional case brought by a private plaintiff against allegedly unconstitutional actions of the federal government?
Hermandorfer: So, it’s, I would have to take each constitutional violation and ruling on its own terms, and wouldn’t want to prejudge but the equitable factors, of course, would be the ones that I would apply in such a situation.
CAC: How would you set a bond for something as foundational as a violation of the Constitution?
Hermandorfer: I’m not sure I could answer that in the abstract, senator.
CAC: And I’m not sure district court judges could answer that either. What tools does the Sixth Circuit, or any circuit, have to enforce its judgments? If you were confirmed and a party disobeys an order of the Sixth Circuit, perhaps even one you wrote, what would you do?
Hermandorfer: Well, I know that there are mechanisms by which, of course, judgments are entered and executed and enforced through federal district courts.
CAC: And what are those mechanisms?
Hermandorfer: Well, the federal district court sometimes can issue contempt rulings, for example, that are appealable. And you know, if you’re talking about warrants or orders of those sort, I know the U.S. Marshals’ office has some sort of involvement in that, but I confess this hasn’t been part of something that I’ve litigated.
CAC: And when would you feel you’d met the standard to call in the marshals to execute your judgment?
Hermandorfer: I think it’s very difficult again, to answer that question in the abstract, and I could just tell you, as a party, I’ve followed the appellate practice process whenever I felt as though a judgment had gone the wrong way against me, and I’ve secured appellate relief in those situations.
CAC: Last question, what would you do if the U.S. Marshals were to disobey and refuse to execute the judgment of the circuit court, if they were instructed by the DOJ to stand down and to refuse to implement an order of the court?
Hermandorfer: That would, probably, as junior appellate judge on my court, be something that I would look to my colleagues and whatever governing rules and precedents would govern that situation, but again, on the abstract as a hypothetical matter.
CAC: Ms. Hermandorfer, I hope this is an abstract and hypothetical matter, but it’s one that occupies quite a few of us and quite a bit of our discussion on this committee, as we come up against the question of whether or not we have a president willing to disobey orders of federal courts. Thank you for your testimony. Thank you.
US Senate News:
Source: United States Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND)
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Shortly after President Donald Trump’s inauguration, he established the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to maximize efficiency and productivity within the federal government. U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND), a member of the Senate DOGE Caucus, joined caucus chairs U.S. Senator Joni Ernst (R-IA) and U.S. Representative Aaron Bean (R-FL-04) in introducing the DOGE in Spending Act to codify one of DOGE’s practices to identify and prevent fraudulent or improper payments.
Introduction of the DOGE in Spending Act follows a recent Government Accountability Office report revealing 16 federal agencies reported an estimated $162 billion in improper payments across 68 programs in Fiscal Year 2024. The bill modernizes the U.S. Department of Treasury’s payment oversight system by requiring each federal disbursement include the payment’s purpose, funding source, and activity type all of which must be certified annually and publicly reported on USAspending.gov.
It also empowers the Do Not Pay system to prevent improper payments by granting the U.S. Department of Treasury real-time access to verification data across agencies.
“From the moment he took office, President Trump laid out a clear agenda: eliminate waste, reduce unnecessary spending, and restore fiscal sanity to Washington,” said Cramer. “The Department of Government Efficiency has delivered—cutting through layers of bureaucracy. This agency has taken a scalpel to the federal government, slashing misspending, and eliminating fraudulent and improper payments. By codifying DOGE’s best practices, we safeguard the taxpayer dollars of North Dakotans and Americans across the country.”
“Requiring government to answer basic questions before spending tax dollars will save billions over the next decade,” said Ernst. “Enacting safeguards to spending has been one of the Trump administration’s and DOGE’s greatest triumphs, and I am determined to codify it and make it permanent. At $36 trillion in debt, the cost of inaction is too high, and I will continue to lead the fight in Washington to root out waste, fraud, and abuse.”
“For too long, improper and fraudulent payments have drained resources and undermined trust in government spending,” said Bean. “The American people deserve responsible stewardship of their tax dollars, and this bill delivers exactly that. By ensuring federal payments are accurate, transparent, and verifiable, we are eliminating waste, fraud, and abuse in the federal government. This legislation takes the first critical step toward codifying DOGE efforts into law—bringing real oversight and integrity to the way taxpayer dollars are managed.”
Cramer is a member of the Senate DOGE Caucus, a bicameral effort launched to advance DOGE priorities through legislation and oversight. The caucus, led by Ernst and backed by President Trump, is committed to rooting out waste, fraud, and abuse across the federal bureaucracy.
Click here for bill text. Click here for a section-by-section breakdown.
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
U.S. President Donald Trump and billionaire Elon Musk traded barbs over the Trump administration’s sweeping tax-cut and spending bill on Thursday, a week after Musk left the administration.
The tax-cut and spending bill, also known as the “Big and Beautiful Bill,” is part of Trump’s core agenda and includes a series of economic measures such as eliminating tax credits for electric vehicle consumers, increasing investment in border security, and lowering corporate and personal tax rates.
Musk has been fiercely criticizing the bill in recent days. On Thursday, he called the bill a “mountain of disgusting pork” on social media.
“In the entire history of civilization, there has never been legislation that (is) both big and beautiful. Everyone knows this,” said Musk on social media.
“Either you get a big and ugly bill or a slim and beautiful bill. Slim and beautiful is the way,” he said.
Trump said Musk’s dissatisfaction stemmed from the bill’s proposal to eliminate tax credits for electric vehicle consumers, which affected Musk’s interests as CEO of electric vehicle manufacturer Tesla.
“Look, Elon and I had a great relationship. I don’t know if we will anymore,” Trump said in the Oval Office.
“I’m very disappointed in Elon. I’ve helped Elon a lot,” he added.
“Without me, Trump would have lost the election, Dems would control the House and the Republicans would be 51-49 in the Senate,” said Musk at one point on Thursday afternoon.
As for Trump’s post saying Musk “wearing thin” and going “crazy” and he asked Musk to leave, Musk referred the post as “Such an obvious lie. So sad.”
Musk, however, said he opposed the bill because it would increase the federal deficit.
Following Trump’s criticism of Musk, Tesla’s stock price fell more than 15 percent on Thursday afternoon. As of this year, Tesla’s share price has fallen over 30 percent.
Musk was once a staunch ally of Trump, spending nearly 300 million U.S. dollars to support Trump’s campaign in 2024. After Trump won the presidential election, Musk joined the newly established Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), responsible for overseeing bureaucratic corruption and reducing the national debt.
DOGE’s work led to thousands of federal government layoffs and cuts of billions of dollars in foreign aid and other programs, sparking multiple protests in the United States and around the world. On Wednesday last week, Musk announced his departure.
Musk also initiated a survey on Twitter regarding “is it time to create a new political party in America that actually represents the 80 percent in the middle,” which drew more than 510,000 votes in about one hour.
Source: United States Small Business Administration
WASHINGTON — Today, Kelly Loeffler, Administrator of the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) applauded the U.S. House of Representatives’ bipartisan passage of H.R. 2931, the Save SBA from Sanctuary Cities Act of 2025, which will support the agency’s decision to relocate SBA field offices out of sanctuary jurisdictions that refuse to comply with federal immigration law.
“By harboring criminal illegal aliens, sanctuary cities jeopardize both the lives of American citizens and the livelihoods of our small businesses — which is exactly why the SBA is moving our field offices out of these lawless jurisdictions and into safer, more accessible communities that comply with federal law,” said Administrator Loeffler. “This Administration is committed to ending the illegal invasion of our nation – and I am grateful for the bipartisan group of House lawmakers who voted in support of that agenda by passing the Save SBA from Sanctuary Cities Act of 2025.”
In March, the SBA announced it would relocate six of its regional offices out of sanctuary cities, including Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Denver, New York City, and Seattle. This decision was undertaken not only in support of President Donald J. Trump’s Executive Order 14218 ending the taxpayer subsidization of open borders, but also as part of SBA’s commitment to relocating field offices to safer, less costly, and more accessible communities.
Under the leadership of Administrator Loeffler, the SBA has taken numerous steps to put American citizens first. Earlier this year, the agency announced it would require SBA loan applications to include a citizenship verification provision to ensure only legal, eligible applicants have access to taxpayer-funded SBA loan programs.
# # #
About the U.S. Small Business Administration
The U.S. Small Business Administration helps power the American dream of entrepreneurship. As the leading voice for small businesses within the federal government, the SBA empowers job creators with the resources and support they need to start, grow, and expand their businesses or recover from a declared disaster. It delivers services through an extensive network of SBA field offices and partnerships with public and private organizations. To learn more, visit www.sba.gov.
US Senate News:
Source: United States Senator for Louisiana Bill Cassidy
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA) and U.S. Representative August Pfluger (R-TX-11) introduced the Small Biotech Innovation Act to exempt research and development-intensive small biotech manufacturers from the Medicare drug price negotiation program.
“When the federal government stands in the way of developing better care, there’s a problem. The cures developed through small biotech innovation change the future for many patients. Instead of limiting it, we should encourage it,”said Dr. Cassidy.
“The Inflation Reduction Act has proven to fall short in several areas, including its small biotech exemption that disincentivizes companies from investing in R&D and hinders the development of innovative therapies. By tying eligibility to R&D spending, we can better incentivize companies to develop new treatments that will benefit patients nationwide,”said Representative Pfluger. “The bicameral Small Biotech Innovation Act is a forward-thinking approach that will strengthen America’s leadership in life-saving science by modernizing the small biotech exemption to reward real innovation and research investment, and ultimately protect these innovative small biotech companies.”
The Small Biotech Innovation Act would counter the negative impact that the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) will have on innovation and drug development by providing any small biotech that spends a certain amount of money on research and development with the ability to delay one of their drugs for IRA negotiation for a year. The bill also prohibits any company that is owned by a foreign adversary from being eligible for the delay.
Millions of workers worldwide are facing a “silent crisis” of being trapped in unsafe, unfair and exploitative conditions, according to the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH).
Speaking at the International Labour Conference in Geneva, Ruth Wilkinson, IOSH’s Head of Policy and Public Affairs, highlighted the health and safety risks faced by these workers every day, from exposure to harmful chemicals and dangerous machinery to stress and long working hours.
Despite global commitments, she said nearly 3 million workers die from job-related accidents and diseases every year while 395 million suffer non-fatal injuries.
She urged delegates attending the plenary to come together to ensure decent work is a reality for everyone, adding failure to do will bring about significant consequences.
Ruth said: “Every day, millions of workers around the world face a silent crisis — one that unfolds not in headlines, but in hospitals, homes, and workplaces. From exposure to harmful chemicals and dangerous machinery, to the toll of stress, poor ergonomics, and long hours — our workers are navigating a minefield of risks.
“And yet, in far too many places, the systems meant to guarantee them with decent work — our occupational safety and health frameworks — remain largely underdeveloped, underfunded, or unenforced.
“High-level declarations are not enough. We need urgent, coordinated, and well-funded action to make decent work a reality for all. We must take bold, coordinated action to ensure that every worker, in every corner of the world, is treated with dignity, fairness, and safety. The time for fragmented efforts is over. Only through a strong, well-resourced, and accountable global approach can we protect workers’ rights, uphold human dignity, and build a future where no one is left behind.
“Our failure to address these challenges urgently will fail humanity and weaken resilience, jeopardising our collective future and undermining the very foundation of sustainable and inclusive economic growth.”
The conference is being held by the International Labour Organization (ILO) from 2-13 June. It is attended by delegates from ILO member states, including representatives of governments, employers and workers. Discussions this year include the development of new standards to enhance the protection of workers from biological hazards in the workplace, ensure decent work conditions in the platform economy, and promote innovative strategies for transitioning from informal to formal employment.
IOSH is the global chartered membership body for the occupational safety and health profession, with a vision of a safe and healthy world of work and a mission to drive action by all who can influence occupational safety and health. It att
Newly arrived refugee and migrant communities want Australia’s multicultural policies and infrastructure to provide more practical help rather than just ‘food and festivals’, a survey has found.
A focus group of 32 community leaders in 21 key cohort migrant and refugee groups in Melbourne, Sydney and Adelaide said that while they value the nation’s commitment to multiculturalism, their communities struggled with employment opportunities and access to government services exacerbated by a lack of interpreters and gender issues.
They reported social cohesion is under stress, partly because of international events, including the conflict in Gaza, and a rise in the cost of living, the survey, commissioned by migrant and refugee settlement agency AMES Australia, found.
While 70 per cent of the community leaders surveyed agreed Australia was a ‘successful multicultural community’, there was a need for more access to employment opportunities and careers support for skilled migrants and refugees.
First-language learning capacity in schools was also identified as a need, while libraries, local government programs and community education and training programs were identified as the services that are valued.
Sixty per cent of respondents agreed that global events were having an impact on social cohesion and community harmony, with conflict in Gaza, repression in Afghanistan and the US’ crackdown on migrants cited as some of the factors.
A need for better access to government services was also identified. Only 55 per cent of survey respondents said they had ‘good’ access to government services.
The community leaders identified ‘universal and equitable practices, protocols and standards across the public services; more representation of diverse communities within the public service; and a multicultural ombudsman or complaints process’ as ways of improving access to services.
Asked ‘what could be done to improve community harmony, the most common responses were: support for multi-faith events and festivals, support for multi-faith groups and more employment opportunities from emerging communities.
Only 50 per cent of community leaders said government communicated ‘well’ with their communities, while 30 per cent communication was not effective.
They identified a need range of interventions to tackle poor knowledge and engagement through programs and resources co-designed by communities themselves.
Thirty per cent of respondents said they had experienced racism or discrimination, a similar proportion said they had not faced discrimination while 40 per cent said they faced discrimination ‘sometimes’.
Community leaders cited ‘more transparency on race hate crimes and positive fact-base narratives to counter allegations of criminality in some communities’ as ways of combating racism and discrimination.
Sixty per cent of survey respondents believed there was cultural understanding and respect between communities in Australia. They identified holding festivals and events that attracted multiple communities, more access to affordable gathering places; and funding and capacity building for inter-faith groups and dialogues as ways of improving community connections.
Female community leaders were more likely to raise issues about Australia’s multicultural architecture than male respondents.
The survey found a general consensus that the focus of multicultural programs should be less about ‘food and festivals’ and more about employment, equity, access to services and opportunities as well as Inter-community and inter-faith dialogue.
The surveyed community leaders said social cohesion was underpinned by social equity and access to opportunity.
Among the suggested interventions were:
Improved access to services Intercultural and inter-faith opportunities for communities to build networks outside their own;
More opportunities for employment and education;
More access to affordable spaces to gather;
Grants systems that is more sustainable and easier to navigate;
Broader representation of communities on multicultural bodies;
Standard multicultural policies and practices across all departments;
A multicultural ombudsman or complaints mechanism.
AMES Australia CEO Cath Scarth said the survey showed there was an appetite to reimagine Australia’s multicultural policies and infrastructure.
“There seem to be a consensus that people would like to see more support in terms of accessing services and opportunities for multicultural communities; and there is a desire to see communities better connect with each other and with the broader community,” Ms Scarth said.
Jerusalem, 5 June 2025 – In southern Gaza, displacement orders and movement restrictions imposed by Israeli authorities on Nasser hospital are pushing this vital medical facility on the brink of becoming non-functional, warns Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders (MSF).
On 3 June, our teams were told that any movement to Nasser hospital would require authorisation and this would have to be requested with at least 24 hours’ notice. This meant that medical staff due on the day shift could not reach the hospital. The staff from the previous night had to continue working. They ended up staying on shift for 48 consecutive hours.
The outpatient department remained closed for the whole day. Ambulances that were able to carry patients to the hospital did so at great risk, as there was a danger they would be shot at because they lacked authorisation. Nasser’s location on the frontline hampers both staff and patient’s ability to access this vital remaining hospital.
This is happening while people are exhausted, their lives shattered by 20 months of extremely violent war and a suffocating siege where even the distribution of minimal amounts of aid results in devastating massacres. In this context, any remaining medical facility is of critical importance and must be protected.
The attacks on healthcare are not only carried out through military action. They happen through limitations imposed on the importation of medical supplies, forcing doctors to ration pain relief medicine. They happen through displacement orders, leading to entire hospitals having to shut down at short notice. They happen through harassment and confusing orders issued by Israeli authorities, making it more and more difficult to provide lifesaving care.
“We have seen this pattern before”, says Jose Mas, head of MSF emergency programmes. “It happened to facilities like Al Awda and the Indonesian hospital, in northern Gaza, where they were first asked to not admit more patients, and a few days later were attacked and practically shut down. Putting Nasser hospital out of service would equate to a death sentence for the most severe patients among wounded adults and children, critically ill patients, and women in need of emergency obstetric care.”
Nasser hospital is a large referral hospital with many specialist wards not found anywhere else in the south of Gaza including operating theatres, an oxygen plant, ventilators, a blood bank, and incubators. Reducing access to this hospital and blocking the referral of patients who need specialist, emergency care, stops people from receiving treatment that may safe their life.
In the past few months, MSF medical teams in Nasser hospital have provided care to over 500 patients in the maternity ward, including women requiring surgical care, as well as to more than 400 newborn babies and paediatric patients. The hospital is full of patients with burns and severe trauma.
Healthcare is under attack everywhere in Gaza. In the morning of 4 June, Israeli forces struck the MSF supported Al Aqsa hospital three times, the main facility in Deir Al Balah, central Gaza. Although no casualties were reported, it is a stark reminder of how patients, medical staff and health facilities are constantly at great risk in Gaza.
Our teams have received patients who have been critically injured while trying to get food, as a result of the shootings which have taken place around the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation food distribution centres. This is in addition to the people who have been wounded in the ongoing bombardment of the Gaza Strip. Hospitals are overflowing with patients.
It’s essential that Israeli authorities protect Nasser hospital and guarantee full and unimpeded access to patients and medical staff alike, to avoid more deaths.
MSF is an international, medical, humanitarian organisation that delivers medical care to people in need, regardless of their origin, religion, or political affiliation. MSF has been working in Haiti for over 30 years, offering general healthcare, trauma care, burn wound care, maternity care, and care for survivors of sexual violence. MSF Australia was established in 1995 and is one of 24 international MSF sections committed to delivering medical humanitarian assistance to people in crisis.
Source: Government of Canada – Prime Minister
Note: All times local
10:10 a.m. The Prime Minister will deliver remarks and meet with community members at an Eid al-Adha celebration.
EY Centre
Note for media:
Pooled coverage
12:30 p.m. The Prime Minister will hold a media availability. He will be joined by the President of the King’s Privy Council for Canada and Minister responsible for Canada-U.S. Trade, Intergovernmental Affairs and One Canadian Economy, Dominic LeBlanc, the Minister of Transport and Internal Trade, Chrystia Freeland, and the Minister of Energy and Natural Resources, Tim Hodgson.
Third Floor Foyer
West Block
Parliament Hill
Notes for media:
Open coverage
Source: US State of North Dakota
The North Dakota Department of Commerce is thrilled to announce two new tools for partners aimed at supporting our mission of empowering the growth of the North Dakota economy.
Commerce has purchased an umbrella subscription to LOIS, a property marketing software that markets our available sites and buildings globally. This subscription is statewide and provides service for all Regional, County, Local, and Downtown/Mainstreet economic development organizations and Tribal governments at no additional charge.
Additionally, Commerce has acquired Lasso, an RFI data collection software used by corporate location decision-makers, site selectors, and economic development organizations. Access to Lasso will enable organizations to prepare for future site selection projects and keep their site and building database up to date on the LOIS property marketing map.
“These new tools will significantly strengthen our ability to position North Dakota’s sites and communities in the competitive marketplace for business attraction,” said Commerce Commissioner Chris Schilken. “By providing comprehensive and up-to-date property marketing data, we can better showcase the opportunities available in our state and entice businesses to consider North Dakota as their next location.”
The introduction of LOIS and Lasso represents a significant step forward in our efforts to enhance economic development across North Dakota. These tools not only provide valuable data and insights but also foster collaboration among various community and economic development organizations. By leveraging these resources, we can create a more cohesive and effective strategy for attracting new businesses and supporting existing ones.
“These tools have significantly enhanced our ability to market properties and attract new businesses—but what’s been even more impactful is how they’ve strengthened collaboration between the regional council and our local EDC partners,” said Amber Metz, Executive Director of Lake Agassiz Development Group. “By working together and leveraging shared data and resources, we’re better positioned to showcase the opportunities from Ransom to Traill County and the broader region. It’s exciting to see how this partnership is driving momentum for future growth.”
Benefits For North Dakota Organizations
“We are thrilled to see the rollout of LOIS and Lasso,” said Red River Regional Council Executive Director Dawn Mandt. “Rural communities and regions, which can struggle to afford such tools, now have the same opportunity to promote their spaces as major cities. Our regions have been advocating for this for years, and we are looking forward to utilizing these services to enhance our economic development efforts.”
LOIS and Lasso Training: Training will cover how to integrate the LOIS Map viewer on organization websites, generate reports, and walk through the Lasso RFI process.
For more information, please go to https://www.commerce.nd.gov/lois.
Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Hillary Scholten – Michigan
WASHINGTON, DC – Today, U.S. Representative Hillary Scholten (MI-03) applauded a federal court ruling that blocks the Department of Labor’s abrupt decision to pause operations at Job Corps centers nationwide. The ruling comes after Rep. Scholten and fellow Michigan lawmakers raised serious concerns about the lack of notice, planning, and support for the more than 25,000 students affected across the country, including over 700 in Michigan alone.
On May 29, the Department of Labor announced a “phased pause” of Job Corps operations that disrupted training centers in Kent, Wayne, and Genesee Counties, leaving students and staff without answers or a clear path forward. On June 4, U.S. District Judge Andrew Carter in Manhattan ordered the federal government to maintain existing Job Corps contracts and continue operations at Job Corps centers until the court issues a further decision in the case.
“The court’s ruling is an important first step in protecting students and restoring stability to our workforce development pipeline,” said Rep. Scholten. “My office has already heard from concerned constituents who are deeply worried about what the Job Corps closure would mean for their futures. Now we need a clear commitment from the Department of Labor that they will honor this decision, withdraw the pause, and stop leaving these students in limbo.”
In a letter sent earlier this week to Secretary of Labor Chavez-DeRemer, Rep. Scholten and her colleagues called for the immediate reversal of the pause and demanded answers on how the Department planned to support students, staff, and local workforce partners impacted by the sudden shutdown.
“The Job Corps program is an investment in our nation’s future. We can’t allow our young adults to think who they are today is all they have the potential to be,” said Brian Burnett, Gerald R. Ford Job Corps Center Director Brian Burnett. “Job Corps allows young adults to discover their potential, refine social skills, and utilize their ambition in positive ways. It is the jewel across the country that continues to give hope to individuals that are considered to be hopeless. Those who complete the Job Corps rigorous program find they have become hopeful. That is worth the investment and is a priceless return.”
Rep. Scholten will continue working closely with the Gerald R. Ford Job Corps Center and local officials. She will monitor the Department’s response to ensure full compliance with the court’s decision and lasting support for Job Corps students and staff across Michigan.
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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Darrell Issa (CA-50)
Washington, DC – Today, Congressman Darrell Issa (CA-48) and Senator Joni Ernst (IA) re-introduced legislation to protect gun store owners from onerous Biden-era gun control policies, which instigated the ATF to unfairly target small firearms businesses and the legal products they sell to customers.
The Fighting Irrational Regulatory Enforcement to Avert Retailers’ Misfortune (FIREARM) Act, provides a safe harbor for law-abiding Federal Firearms License (FFL) holders – granting them the ability to correct minor clerical mistakes and insulating them from ATF retribution. The bill also increases due process protections for these businesses and establishes a retroactive reapplication process for those whose FFLs were unduly revoked. Senator Ernst earlier this week introduced the Senate companion of the FIREARM Act.
“The Biden Administration repeatedly undermined Second Amendment rights and weaponized federal agencies against law-abiding citizens and family-owned small businesses because they were part of the lawful firearms industry. This delivered a transparently unfair assault on the fundamental rights of Americans, and that’s why my friend Senator Ernst and I introduced the FIREARM Act. This bill prevents a repeat of that kind of government weaponization and puts in permanent safeguards for the future,” said Rep. Issa.
“The Biden administration’s zero-tolerance policy empowered gun grabbers in Washington to infringe on the Second Amendment and shutter small businesses,” said Senator Ernst. “Iowans spoke loud and clear in November that they were tired of bureaucratic overreach. My FIREARM Act disarms the out-of-control ATF and ensures that the rights of law-abiding gun owners are protected.”
“The firearms industry is a core enabler of our constitutional rights under the Second Amendment, as well as acritical component of our National Defense apparatus. As such, ensuring fair and transparent adjudication of licensing matters — to include a mechanism for voluntary disclosures and self-corrections — for federal firearms licensees is of paramount importance. FRAC applauds Representative Issa for his leadership on this issue and for spearheading this bold legislation, which aims to create accountability, transparency, and fairness in such adjudication process.” Travis R. White, President & CEO, Firearms Regulatory Accountability Coalition
“Congressman Issa’s ‘FIREARM’ Act will ensure that future administrations cannot weaponize the ATF as a political gun control tool for special interests,” said Lawrence G. Keane, NSSF Senior Vice President & General Counsel. “Under the Biden administration, the firearm and ammunition industry witnessed the ATF being weaponized to carry out that administration’s extreme antigun policies. That damaged the cooperative relationships between firearm retailers, who are on the frontline preventing illegal straw purchases of firearms, and the ATF, which enforces laws to safeguard our communities. NSSF is thankful for Congressman Issa’s leadership to provide remedies that repair this necessary public trust in our federal agencies.”
Specifically, the FIREARM Act:
Cosponsors: Reps. Claudia Tenney (NY-24), Randy Weber (TX-14), Derrick Van Orden (WI-3), Mike Collins (GA-10), Wesley Hunt (TX-38), Lauren Boebert (CO-4), Troy Downing (MT-2), Jeff Van Drew (NJ-2), Brett Guthrie (KY-2), Scott DesJarlais (TN-4), Gus M. Bilirakis (FL-12), Tim Burchett (TN-2), Cory Mills (FL-7), Michael Guest (MS-3), Pete Sessions (TX-17), David Kustoff (TN-8), Gabe Evans (CO-8), Scott Franklin (FL-18), Mary Miller (IL-15), Don Bacon (NE-2), Chuck Edwards (NC-11),Andy Biggs (AZ-5), Elise Stefanik (NY-21), Diana Harshbarger (TN-1), Ashley Hinson (IA-2), Clay Higgins (LA-3), and Anna Paulina Luna (FL-13).
Industry support includes the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) and Firearms Regulatory Accountability Coalition (FRAC).
The bill text can be found here.
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Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments
Up to 4,000 rail passengers can take part in each route of the pay-as-you-go ticketing trials.
From today (6 June 2025), thousands of passengers across the north and East Midlands will have a chance to volunteer to take part in a new digital ticketing trial.
Backed by government funding, the trials will use GPS-based technology to track train journeys, ensuring passengers pay the best fare for the journey they take.
Digital ticketing builds on the government’s plans to overhaul the railways to make them simpler, more flexible and passenger-focused. Ahead of the creation of Great British Railways, the government continues to work to deliver positive changes like this for passengers – attracting more people back onto our trains, boosting the economy and delivering on the government’s Plan for Change.
The trials being operated by East Midlands Railway (EMR) and Northern Trains will run along these routes:
Rail Minister, Lord Peter Hendy, said:
Contactless ticketing is making journeys easier to navigate for millions of passengers and now our digital trials are actively recruiting volunteers to help expand this technology across Yorkshire and the East Midlands.
Simplifying ticketing is a major part of our plans to overhaul the railways. I encourage anyone who regularly gets the train along these routes to get involved and help us build a ticketing system that delivers a better experience for passengers and communities across the country.
Unlike the previous rollout of pay-as-you-go, which uses contactless payment at barriers, these trials will use GPS-based technology to track people’s location throughout their train journey.
Up to 1,000 passengers will be able to take part in each route of the trials, meaning 4,000 passengers in total. The first trial to get underway will be on EMR between Leicester, Derby and Nottingham, kicking off at the beginning of September. The other routes, operated by Northern, will begin between September and November, with each running for 9 months from the start date.
Anyone interested in taking part should check EMR and Northern Trains’ websites, where a recruitment campaign has been launched.
Alex Hornby, Commercial and Customer Director, Northern Trains, said:
These trials mark an important step forward in simplifying rail travel and making the experience as frictionless as possible for our customers. By trialling pay-as-you-go technology on some of our routes, we’re helping to shape a future where hopping on a train is as easy as checking in and out.
We will now be reaching out to regular customers on those routes to see if they would be willing to participate in these trials later this year. We’re excited to see how they respond and look forward to playing our part in modernising how people travel by rail in the north.
These trials are expected to build on the success of the rollout of contactless ticketing at 53 stations across the south east. Since its introduction, more than 2 million entries and exits have been made using contactless cards or mobile devices, averaging around 140,000 a week – showing how popular the system is with customers using those stations already.
The department is also working closely with Greater Manchester and the West Midlands to develop their proposals for rolling out contactless ticketing even further.
Jenna Cowie, Interim Commercial Director at East Midlands Railway, said:
We’re excited to be part of a project that aims to improve the way people travel and it is a great opportunity for our customers in Derby, Nottingham and Leicester to be among the very first in the country to experience a new, smarter way to buy train tickets.
This trial is all about making train travel easier, faster and more intuitive. No more fare confusion – just check in and out with your phone and travel knowing you’ll automatically pay the best-value fare for your journey.
This follows on from a watershed moment last month when South Western Railway (SWR) services became the first train operating company to transfer back into public control since the passing of the Public Ownership Bill, ending almost 30 years of fragmentation and waste under privatisation.
By bringing track and train together, Great British Railways will enable operations to run more seamlessly, bringing accountability and reliability back into the railways and, in turn, helping to reduce delays and cancellations.
Great British Railways will not just be the name of the new nationally owned railway, it symbolises a complete reset that will mark the high standard of service and delivery the public should expect to receive.
This week, the government also announced £15.6 billion – the biggest ever investment – in buses, trams and local train infrastructure for city regions, benefiting working people across the north, the Midlands and the south west. The funding – a more than double real-terms increase in capital spending on local transport in city regions by 2029 to 2030 compared with 2024 to 2025 – will empower local leaders to invest in transport projects that will make a difference to their local area.
Rail media enquiries
Media enquiries 0300 7777878
Switchboard 0300 330 3000
Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments
Investing in safer roads will encourage more women to cycle, build healthier, stronger communities and help ease pressure on the NHS.
Cyclists in the North East and Yorkshire will get around safely and easily as the government invests an extra £32 million to tackle potholes and build new cycle lanes in the region.
Today (6 June 2025), the Minister for the Future of Roads will be in Saltburn-by-the-Sea, North Yorkshire, to speak to local schools, cycling clubs and female cycling champions during Stage 2 of the Lloyds Tour of Britain Women – the UK’s biggest women’s road cycling race.
The minister will show how the government is taking action to resurface roads and emphasise the need to make them safer and more accessible for all road users, including female cyclists. Her visit follows the £15.6 billion boost announced earlier this week to empower local leaders to invest in local transport projects that will make a real difference across England’s city regions – including South Yorkshire, the north east and Tees Valley.
Pothole-ridden roads put everyone off cycling, with this impact felt the most by women. According to research from Cycling UK, more than half of women (58%) said their cycle journeys were limited by safety concerns and a lack of suitable infrastructure, with 36% of women pointing to poor roads as a main factor.
The government is investing an extra £20 million to resurface roads across the north east and Yorkshire so that cyclists and all road users can get around more safely, more easily and with confidence.
On top of this uplift, local cyclists are also benefiting from an almost £13 million boost to build new cycle lanes and pavements in the north east.
Better roads and new cycle lanes will make it easier and safer for people to cycle. This will lead to 43,000 fewer sick days a year across the country and add £1.4 billion to the UK economy, putting money in the pockets of hardworking families to help deliver the government’s Plan for Change.
Future of Roads Minister, Lilian Greenwood, said:
Safer roads mean safer spaces to cycle. The Lloyds Tour of Britain Women is a fantastic way to show women and girls the power of cycling and the difference it can make to their lives.
By investing in better roads, we’re delivering our Plan for Change – encouraging more women and girls to hop on a bike, easing pressure on the NHS and building healthier, stronger communities.
Across the country, the government is investing a total of £1.6 billion to resurface roads – enough to fill 7 million extra potholes – which includes an extra £500 million boost to go above and beyond the government’s manifesto commitment.
Lizzie Deignan MBE, Olympic silver medallist and world champion, said:
I am incredibly passionate about getting more women and girls on bikes, whatever their background or ability. The benefits of cycling are vast, from improving your health, meeting new people and developing new skills and confidence.
Having better cycling infrastructure across the UK will definitely break down barriers, which currently prevent women and girls from participating in cycling.
Programmes like British Cycling’s Breeze and Go-Ride clubs are reaching out to local communities and creating opportunities to make it easier for women and girls to access cycling, so we can enable safe and fun environments to make sure that everyone can enjoy the freedom of riding a bike.
With more investment in our roads and cycle lanes, programmes like this can go further as we bring the joy of cycling to more people across the country.
The £13 million for new cycle lanes and pavements in the north east comes from a £291 million package to build new active travel infrastructure across the whole country and encourage more people to walk, wheel, scoot and cycle.
The improvements will help people across the country make 30 million more journeys by bike or foot every year, including more than 20 million new walk-to-school journeys by children and their parents.
Caroline Julian, Director of Brand and Engagement at British Cycling, said:
Significant barriers still exist that prevent many people from accessing the health, economic and social benefits that cycling brings. We know from our research that road safety is the biggest reason that holds people back from getting on a bike. This is, unfortunately, particularly the case for women.
We are encouraged to see the significant government investment in road and cycle lane infrastructure in the north-east and Yorkshire regions. Investing in infrastructure and places to ride, alongside strengthened promotion and enforcement of the Highway Code, is of critical importance to make cycling accessible to all.
RAC Senior Policy Officer, Rod Dennis, said:
Whether on two wheels or four, the quality of the nation’s roads must be improved to make journeys smoother and safer. It’s crucial now that councils use this cash as effectively as possible.
While dangerous potholes must be filled quickly, councils need to do more surface dressing work to ensure decent roads stay in a better state for longer and resurface those that are beyond repair.
IAM RoadSmart Director of Policy and Standards, Nicholas Lyes, said:
Poorly maintained roads are not just a nuisance, they are a road safety hazard, particularly for those on two wheels. We welcome this additional funding that focuses not just on smoother surfaces but safer infrastructure, which will improve journey choice for people.
Roads media enquiries
Media enquiries 0300 7777 878
Switchboard 0300 330 3000
Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments
Patients will receive better, faster and more appropriate emergency care as the government sets out reforms to shorten waiting times in A&E.
Nearly £450 million investment to expand urgent and emergency care facilities to provide faster care for patients
800,000 fewer patients each year to wait more than four hours at A&E, and more will receive urgent treatment in their community
Part of government’s Plan for Change to modernise NHS services and improve emergencv care.
Patients will receive better, faster and more appropriate emergency care as the government sets out reforms to shorten waiting times and tackle persistently failing trusts.
The new package of investment and reforms will improve patients’ experiences this year, including by caring for more patients in the community, rather than in hospital which is often worse for patients and more expensive for taxpayers.
Backed with a total of nearly £450 million, the plan will deliver:
The plan’s emphasis will be on shifting more patient care into more appropriate care settings as part of the move from hospital to community under the government’s Plan for Change to rebuild the NHS, while tackling ambulance handover delays and corridor care.
Health Secretary Wes Streeting said:
No patient should ever be left waiting for hours in hospital corridors or for an ambulance which ought to arrive in minutes.
We can’t fix more than a decade of underinvestment and neglect overnight. But through the measures we’re setting out today, we will deliver faster and more convenient care for patients in emergencies
Far too many patients are ending up in A&E who don’t need or want to be there, because there isn’t anywhere else available. Because patients can’t get a GP appointment, which costs the NHS £40, they end up in A&E, which costs around £400- worse for patients and more expensive for the taxpayer.
The package of investment and reforms we are announcing today will help the NHS treat more patients in the community, so they don’t end up stuck on trolleys in A&E. Hundreds of new ambulances will help cut the unacceptably long waiting times we’ve seen in recent years. And new centres for patients going through a mental health crisis will provide better care and keep them out of A&E, which are not well equipped to care for them.
By shifting staff and resources out of hospitals and into communities, and modernising NHS technology and equipment, our Plan for Change will make sure the NHS can be there for you when you need it, once again.
NHS Chief Executive Sir Jim Mackey said:
Urgent and emergency care services provide a life-saving first line of defence for patients – but for too long now, despite the incredible hard work of staff, the speed and quality of NHS care has often not been good enough.
Our patients and staff deserve better, so that is why we need a radical change in approach and to ensure we get the basics right.
This major plan sets out how we will work together to resuscitate NHS urgent and emergency care, with a focus on getting patients out of corridors, keeping more ambulances on the road, and enable those ready to leave hospital can do so as soon as possible.
NHS National Director for Urgent and Emergency Care Sarah-Jane Marsh said:
It is vital that patients can access our urgent and emergency care services in the right place at the right time, and that the care provided is to a standard we would want for ourselves and our own families.
While the 10 Year Health Plan will set out a longer-term vision to transform urgent and emergency services for the 21st century, there is so much more we could all be doing now.
This plan sets out not only what we know is working across the country, but how systems must work together to improve access and quality for the benefit of our patients.
In order to support this shift in delivery focus, NHS England will be asking providers and systems to be accountable to their own local Boards and populations, creating robust winter plans which will be tested during winter exercises throughout September”.
Every day, more than 140,000 people access urgent and emergency care services across England. Since 2010/11, demand has almost doubled with ambulance service usage rising by 61%.
A&E waiting time standards have not been met for over a decade, while the 18-minute target for category 2 ambulance calls has never been hit outside the pandemic.
But at least one in five people who attend A&E don’t need urgent or emergency care, while an even larger number could be better cared for in the community.
The plan focuses on making winter 2025/26 significantly better than recent winters by setting ambitious but achievable targets and increasing transparency about progress.
It marks a fundamental shift in our approach to urgent and emergency care – moving from fragmented efforts to genuine collaboration across the whole system and mean better coordination between NHS trusts and primary care to identify patients most vulnerable during winter.
And it aims to make the most difference to patients by focusing on specific improvements across the healthcare system, aligning resources to areas that need them most.
The plan will also see more patients receive care in the community, rather than being unnecessarily admitted into hospital, through measures including:
Thanks to the investment and reforms announced today, 800,000 fewer people should be forced to wait more than 4 hours for care in emergency departments this year.
Chief Executive of NHS Providers Daniel Elkeles said:
There is a lot to like about this plan. It’s helpful that we’re seeing it in early summer, with time to ensure meaningful measures are in place ahead of the added pressures of winter.
It’s also good to see that so many parts of the system, including primary, community and mental health care, in addition to ambulance and hospital services, have been factored in.
The extra capital investment for same day emergency care and mental health crisis assessment centres and ambulance services is particularly welcome, as is the emphasis on vaccination – and on this we’d urge NHS staff and the public to play their part by getting that protection.
This plan should result in meaningful progress compared to last winter. As the plan acknowledges the public and our staff want to know the NHS can respond quickly, safely and effectively in an emergency. NHS Providers would like to work with NHSE and the government to develop long term UEC plans that are bold and ambitious.
Association of Ambulances Chief Executives Managing Director Anna Parry said:
The new urgent and emergency care plan reaffirms AACE’s vision for the future of NHS ambulance services. By extending and formalising a wider ambulance sector remit in urgent and emergency care, we will be better placed to help resolve some of the key system pressures, reduce the risks for patients and transform patient care while offering a more positive working environment for our people.
By underscoring the importance of a system-wide focus to achieve improvements in urgent and emergency care, this new plan acts as a genuine challenge to all health and social care leaders, encouraging them to plan and act with purpose to achieve the transformation that is needed. Ambulance service leaders continue to proactively seek increased opportunities for greater collaboration with system partners while identifying new strategies and initiatives within their own ambulance trusts to achieve the transformation targets outlined in the plan.
We are particularly heartened to see the plan’s emphasis on the reduction and improved management of hospital handover delays. Handover delays have the greatest detrimental impact on ambulance resources and create unnecessary delays and additional harm for thousands of patients each year. The elimination of corridor care and the focus on reducing 12-hour waits at emergency departments is also welcomed.
Finally, we wholeheartedly endorse and support the plan’s underlined recognition of the impact of the delivery of sub-optimal care on NHS staff, alongside the pivotal role both leadership and a strong system-level approach must play in the transformation of urgent and emergency care.
NHS Confederation Chief Executive Matthew Taylor said:
Health leaders across systems, providers and primary care will welcome this plan to provide better, faster and more appropriate emergency care, an area which is facing high demand and rising public concern over performance.
As the plan shows, there is a lot of good practice across the health service to build upon, including expanding the number of same day emergency treatment and mental health crisis assessment centres and rolling out more ambulances.
Making sure the NHS does not continue to fall into crisis each winter will be essential for improving public confidence in the health service. Strong collaboration between health partners and with local government to improve discharges out of hospitals will also be key to progress.
Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley (MA-07)
WASHINGTON – Today, House Haiti Caucus Co-Chairs Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley (MA-07) and Yvette D. Clarke (NY-09) issued the following statement on Donald Trump’s executive order that bans citizens of 12 countries, including Haiti, from traveling to the United States, and places partial restrictions on citizens of seven more nations:
“We condemn Donald Trump’s bigoted travel ban in the strongest possible terms. Let’s be clear: the President of the United States has committed an unambiguously xenophobic attack on the most vulnerable people in the world, many of whom will die as a direct consequence of his cruelty. These are children, women, and men who are fleeing political turmoil and war, who are trying to survive famine and natural catastrophes. Haitians and so many others are drowning, and Donald Trump just ripped a life preserver from their desperate arms and tied weights around their ankles,” said the Co-Chairs.
“But the continuation of their suffering is the point. This is a targeted abuse of hundreds of millions of Black and Brown people at a scale of cruelty even beyond the historically despicable Muslim and African Bans, and it’s undergirded by nothing but baseless accusations and one man’s insatiable hate. The American people know that. No matter what sick justifications he gives or sadistic lies he spins, we see this vile, unlawful act for what is. Just as we see him for who he is.
“We call on all people of conscience to recognize this cruelty for what it is, and join us in standing with the innocent people who Donald Trump sought to hurt through this executive order. In the face of such brutal inhumanity, they need more than our support, and they need more than our love. Only our unwavering and absolute commitment to fight against this depraved act in the courts, in our communities, and in the halls of Congress is sufficient at this moment.”
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US Senate News:
Source: United States Senator for Iowa Chuck Grassley
Q: What have you learned about the FBI’s bias towards American Catholics?
A: From my top spot on the Senate Judiciary Committee, I’m pushing to get answers from the FBI about its efforts during the Biden administration to tie certain Americans of Catholic faith to violent extremist views. New information I recently released showed the anti-Catholic Richmond memo was widely distributed to more than 1,000 FBI employees across the country during the Biden administration. What’s more, the newly released records showed the targeting of Catholics based on biased sources included more than just a single memo. Records reveal the FBI produced many written products containing anti-Catholic terminology that hinged on information from the radical far-left Southern Poverty Law Center. This contradicts former FBI Director Christopher Wray’s misleading testimony to my questioning about these operations that have undermined the public trust in our institutions of government. I’m working to get to the bottom of the Richmond memo, including the FBI’s efforts to skirt congressional oversight. The American people deserve answers to help restore confidence that federal law enforcement agencies administer justice without fear or favor. Targeting Americans based on their religious faith crosses a constitutional guardrail enshrined in the Bill of Rights.
Q: Is religious freedom in America at risk?
A: For more than two centuries, the First Amendment protects freedom of religion. Specifically, the Establishment Clause prevents the government from establishing a state religion; and the Free Exercise Clause protects the right to practice religion freely. Unfortunately, the recent murders outside the Israeli embassy in Washington, D.C. and the attack on the Jewish community in Boulder aren’t isolated incidents. They expose a grave and present danger for people of religious faith, particularly antisemitic extremism. Since the brutal attack in Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, antisemitism is on the rise in the United States and around the world. During his first month back in the White House, President Trump signed an executive order to combat antisemitism. The Department of Justice formed a task force in February and zeroed in on incidents taking place on college campuses. I convened a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing in March to strongly rebuke the stunning acts of antisemitism happening on campuses and elsewhere. During his first administration, President Trump made religious freedom a top foreign policy to stand against religious intolerance, persecution and violence around the world. Closer to home, President Trump last month created the Religious Liberty Commission to foster appreciation for our founding principles of religious freedom, identify emerging threats and protect the free exercise of religion. The president appointed advisory board members representing religious, legal and lay leaders to produce a comprehensive report on the foundations of religious liberty in America and its impact on society leading up to the 250th anniversary of American independence on July 4, 2026. The commission also will discuss Supreme Court rulings on religious liberty and delve into the meaning of separation of church and state.
Written public comments may be submitted in advance of its first meeting prior to June 15. Send comments to RLC@usdoj.gov, or by postal mail to U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the Associate Attorney General, 950 Pennsylvania Ave., N.W., Room 5706, Washington, D.C. 20530.
US Senate News:
Source: United States Senator for Iowa Chuck Grassley
WASHINGTON – Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) today released a Majority staff report exposing the disastrous consequences of the Biden Department of Justice’s (DOJ) grants to two non-governmental organizations (NGOs) – the Soros-backed Vera Institute of Justice and Impact Justice, which houses the Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA) Resource Center.
The Trump administration has since terminated these grants to ensure DOJ awards align with the administration’s stated priorities: “support[ing] law enforcement operations, combat[ing] violent crime, protect[ing] American children, support[ing] American victims of trafficking and sexual assault, and enhanc[ing] coordination among law enforcement.” Ninety-three percent of DOJ’s recently terminated grants only impacted NGOs.
“The Biden-Harris administration awarded millions of taxpayers’ hard-earned dollars to advance left-leaning agendas that ultimately put lives at risk. The American people overwhelmingly rejected these soft-on-crime, defund-the-police policies in the last election because they undermined the safety and security of their communities. Organizations like the Vera Institute and Impact Justice that promote radical ideology have no business collecting another dime from the federal treasury. Americans are safer without their influence in the criminal justice system,” Grassley said.
Read the Grassley staff report HERE.
Background:
Under the Biden-Harris administration, the Vera Institute was awarded millions of taxpayer dollars to prop up left-wing District Attorneys, who would then partner with the Vera Institute to implement Soros-backed progressive policies. These policies included prioritizing violent criminals over victims and declining to fully prosecute felony charges – including assault, kidnapping, rape and murder.
Impact Justice & the PREA Resource Center was awarded $7.45 million by the Biden-Harris administration to help combat sexual abuse in prisons and ensure the integrity of the PREA audit process. However, the PREA auditors routinely failed to uncover pervasive sexual abuse. Further, PREA Resource Center training materials endangered women by encouraging the housing of transgender inmates in female prisons. This was done without due regard for inmate safety and in ways inconsistent with federal regulation.
Key Findings of the Report’s Analysis on the Vera Institute:
The Vera Institute used taxpayer funds to gain unprecedented access to progressive prosecutor offices. Below are several examples that illustrate the Vera Institute’s influence over federal prosecutors across the county.
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US Senate News:
Source: United States Senator for Iowa Chuck Grassley
WASHINGTON – Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) is following up on recent revelations in a declassified Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) analysis he released exposing the FBI for placing certain Crossfire Hurricane files under “Prohibited Access” status, potentially preventing most FBI agents, Congress and the Inspector General from accessing some FBI records.
Grassley is demanding Attorney General Pam Bondi and FBI Director Kash Patel search for and produce all records related to Special Counsel Robert Mueller and the Biden family that may currently be under “Prohibited” or “Restricted” Access.
“As I’m sure you are aware, the impact of parking records in a way that impedes, or in some cases prevents, responsive records from being produced to Congress pursuant to a valid request and during the course of court litigation, whether criminal or civil, is wide-ranging and potentially catastrophic to constitutional requirements,” Grassley wrote to Bondi and Patel. “Indeed, if the FBI has failed to take steps in the past to access records in ‘Restricted’ or ‘Prohibited’ status, the FBI has not fully responded to many years of my oversight requests.”
Grassley is also seeking records relating to current and former Department of Justice (DOJ)/FBI officials who may have committed serious misconduct by mishandling and destroying federal records, particularly related to Special Counsel Mueller’s investigation into the now-discredited Trump-Russia hoax.
According to Freedom of Information Act disclosures, former Mueller team member Andrew Weissman deleted all of the data on his government phone multiple times over the course of the Meuller investigation.
Additionally, whistleblowers allege the following of Special Agent (SA) Walter Giardina, who played a significant role in the investigation and prosecution of Trump advisor Peter Navarro, as well as Arctic Frost, Crossfire Hurricane, Special Counsel Mueller’s investigation, and the Dan Scavino, Roger Stone and Hillary Clinton cases:
Read Grassley’s full letter to Bondi and Patel HERE.
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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Diana DeGette (First District of Colorado)
WASHINGTON D.C. — Today, Congresswoman Diana DeGette (CO-01) released the following statement after House Republicans passed a politically motivated bill that would relocate Small Business Administration offices out of Denver and other Democratic-ran cities.
“For years, we have heard Donald Trump whine about political prosecution and targeting political opponents. Today, House Republicans are weaponizing the federal government against Democratic-led cities to cut vital access to the Small Business Administration from the countless entrepreneurs and small business owners throughout our region. This is blatant political punishment because the only reason they are forcing this bill through is because House Republicans disagree with Denver’s policies.
“This bill is a waste of time and taxpayer dollars, and it will only further the confusion and chaos small business owners are experiencing thanks to Trump’s reckless economic agenda.”
The House of Representatives passed H.R. 2931 by a vote of 211-199.
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Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)
STAMFORD, Conn., June 05, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Patriot National Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ: PNBK) (the “Company”), the parent company of Patriot Bank, N.A., today announced that it has successfully completed a registered direct offering of 8,524,160 shares of its common stock at a purchase price of $1.25 per share, raising gross proceeds of $10,655,200.
The registered direct offering follows the Company’s March 20, 2025 private placement that raised over $50 million in gross proceeds from a diverse group of accredited investors.
Steven Sugarman, President of Patriot National Bancorp, stated, “We are pleased by the continued strong investor interest in Patriot Bank. The success of this offering further strengthens the Bank’s capital base and enhances our ability to execute on our strategic objectives. With a significantly reinforced balance sheet, we are well-positioned to serve our clients and communities with greater resilience and flexibility. We appreciate the confidence our investors have placed in our team and our mission.”
The shares of common stock described above were offered and sold pursuant to a shelf registration statement on Form S-3 (File No. 333-287283), which was declared effective by the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) on May 22, 2025. A prospectus supplement describing the terms of the registered direct offering has been filed with the SEC and is available on the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov.
Performance Trust Capital Partners, LLC served as capital markets adviser to the Company. Blank Rome LLP and Robinson & Cole LLP served as counsel for the Company.
This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy any securities, nor shall there be any sale of these securities in any state or jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation, or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such state or jurisdiction.
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release includes “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 regarding the Company’s plans, objectives, goals, strategies, business plans, future events or performance. Words such as “anticipates,” “believes,” “estimates,” “expects,” “forecasts,” “intends,” “plans,” “projects,” “targets,” “designed,” “could,” “may,” “should,” “will” or other similar words and expressions are intended to identify these forward-looking statements. Because forward-looking statements relate to future results and occurrences, they are subject to inherent risks, uncertainties, changes in circumstances and other factors that are difficult to predict. Forward-looking statements are neither historical facts nor assurances of future performance. Instead, they are based only on the Company’s current beliefs, expectations and assumptions regarding its business, plans and strategies, projections, anticipated events and trends, the economy and other future conditions. Many possible events or factors could affect the Company’s future financial results and performance and could cause its actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially from any anticipated results expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such risks and uncertainties include, among others: (i) the dilution to be caused by the Company’s issuance of additional shares of its capital stock in connection with the offering, (ii) general competitive, economic, political and market conditions, or (iii) other factors that may affect future results of the Company.
Given these factors, you should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. All information set forth in this press release is as of the date of this press release. The Company undertakes no duty or obligation to update any forward-looking statements contained in this press release, whether as a result of new information, future events or changes in its expectations or otherwise, except as may be required by applicable law.
Learn more about Patriot National Bancorp, Inc. at www.bankpatriot.com
Media Inquiries:
Kirsten Hoekman
khoekman@bankpatriot.com
(203) 252-5905
Source: US Congressman Dan Goldman (NY-10)
Last Month, Goldman Sent Letter of Inquiry to Justice Department Demanding Unredacted Release of Files Containing Trump’s Name and Explanation of Stonewalling
Goldman: “I write to express my grave concern about what appears to be a concerted effort by you to delay and even prevent the release of the Jeffrey Epstein Files in their entirety – potentially at the direction of the sitting President of the United States, Donald J. Trump.”
There you have it – Elon Musk just confirmed Rep. Dan Goldman’s suspicion that Attorney General Pam Bondi and the Department of Justice were stonewalling the promised release of the Epstein Files and had agents working around the clock to redact instances of President Donald Trump’s name.
“I write to express my grave concern about what appears to be a concerted effort by you to delay and even prevent the release of the Jeffrey Epstein Files in their entirety – potentially at the direction of the sitting President of the United States, Donald J. Trump,” Congressman Goldman wrote in May 2025.
Following the broadly ridiculed release of The Epstein Files: Part 1 on February 27, 2025, AG Bondi demanded that the FBI deliver the complete Epstein Files within 24 hours to DOJ, as well as a comprehensive report from FBI Director Patel within 14 days. It has now been 74 days since Bondi issued those directives, yet the Department has not released the report despite months-old reporting that the FBI Field Office in New York has delayed other investigations to review and redact information for public release. The Congressman questioned if this delay may be related to President Trump’s long-running relationship with Jeffrey Epstein.
“The convergence of your unexplained delay in releasing the Epstein Files, the reporting nearly two months ago that numerous FBI agents were working overtime to redact the materials, President Trump’s well-documented affiliation with Epstein, and his view that the Department of Justice is his personal law firm raises serious questions about whether President Trump has intervened to prevent the public release of the Epstein Files in order to hide his own embarrassing and potentially criminal conduct,” Congressman Goldman continued.
Attorney General Bondi’s oath of office requires her to represent the United States’ interest without fear or favor, not protect the President’s embarrassing or even criminal behavior from being made public. Congressman Goldman requested that Attorney General Bondi inform Congress of whether the White House or Donald Trump himself has sought to intervene in the case in any way, as well as to provide a detailed timeline for the release of the Epstein Files.
“I look forward to your response to this matter of intense public interest. Both Congress and the American people are eager for you to follow through on your promise of transparency about the Epstein Files,” the Congressman concluded.
Dear Attorney General Bondi,
I write to express my grave concern about what appears to be a concerted effort by you to delay and even prevent the release of the Jeffrey Epstein Files in their entirety – potentially at the direction of the sitting President of the United States, Donald J. Trump.
On February 27, 2025, to much fanfare, the Department of Justice under your leadership released a trove of already-public documents related to the Jeffrey Epstein
case titled The Epstein Files: Phase 1. This document dump, which was redacted ostensibly to “protect victims,” was sold to the American people as a fulfillment of President Trump’s promise of government transparency. It was rightly met, however, with widespread ridicule from across the political spectrum as a ham-handed attempt to gaslight the American people.
Shortly after the underwhelming ‘Phase 1’ release, you sent a letter to FBI Director Kash Patel attempting to pin blame on the FBI’s New York field office for the missing material. In that letter, also dated February 27, 2025, you demanded that the FBI deliver, within 24 hours, “the full and complete Epstein files…including all records, documents, audio and video recordings, and materials related to Jeffrey Epstein and his clients, regardless of how such information was obtained.” You went on to clearly state that, “[t]here will be no withholdings or limitations to my or your access.” You further demanded a “comprehensive report” from the FBI Director “within 14 days.” Director Patel subsequently indicated his intent to comply with your request in a post on X: “There will be no cover-ups, no missing documents, and no stone left unturned.”
It is now 74 days past the issuance of both your 24-hour demand and 14-day deadline for a comprehensive report, yet you have provided no additional materials nor an explanation for the delay. Reporting from March 21, 2025, indicates that the FBI field office in New York, presumably at your direction, delayed other investigations in order to work around the clock to review and redact information contained in the Epstein Files for release.3 Although you stated on May 8, 2025, that “[t]here are thousands of videos of Epstein with children or child porn,” which would require redaction to protect the victims’ identities, it simply cannot take this long for dozens of agents working around the clock to make the necessary redactions.
Further, extensive reporting has revealed that President Donald Trump had a lengthy and close relationship with both Jeffrey Epstein and Epstein’s co-conspirator Ghislaine Maxwell, including being named in Jeffrey Epstein’s flight logs as having flown on Epstein’s private jet at least seven times between 1993 and 1997. In 2002, President Trump was quoted as saying, “I’ve known Jeff for fifteen years. Terrific guy… He’s a lot of fun to be with. It is even said that he likes beautiful women as much as I do, and many of them are on the younger side.”5 Moreover, Epstein’s personal address book, leaked in 2009 by an Epstein employee, contained 14 phone numbers for President Trump, his wife, Melania, and members of his staff.
The convergence of your unexplained delay in releasing the Epstein Files, the reporting nearly two months ago that numerous FBI agents were working overtime to redact the materials, President Trump’s well documented affiliation with Epstein, and his view that the Department of Justice is his personal law firm raises serious questions about whether President Trump has intervened to prevent the public release of the Epstein Files in order to hide his own embarrassing and potentially criminal conduct.
As a former 10-year DOJ prosecutor, I remind you that, as Attorney General, your oath of office requires you to represent the United States’ interest without fear or favor, not President Trump’s personal interest. That obligation to the American people requires the immediate release in their entirety of the Epstein Files in your possession, subject to appropriate redactions related to victims and minors. To be clear, there is no proper basis to redact the name, identify, or likeness of President Trump.
If you have been directed to redact instances of President Trump’s name or likeness that are included in the Epstein Files, then your oath of office and your commitment to transparency requires you to inform the American people of that directive. As part of Congress’ oversight authority provided by the Constitution of the United States, I request that you respond, in writing, to the following questions no later than June 2, 2025:
Are you or the Office of the Attorney General (OAG) in possession of all of the Epstein Files in the FBI’s custody and control?
Have the necessary redactions of victims’ identities and likenesses been completed? If not, why not?
Has the name, identity or likeness of President Donald Trump been redacted? If so, why?
Have you, OAG, or any other member of the DOJ been contacted by President Trump, anyone working in the White House, or another agent of President Trump’s about the Epstein Files?
If so, did they request that you or your staff prevent the release of the Epstein Files?
Did they request that you redact the name, identity or likeness of President Trump from the Epstein Files prepared to be released publicly pursuant to your previous promise?
If not, why haven’t you released the Epstein Files as you promised to do in February?
If you do still intend to release the Epstein Files, please provide a detailed timeline of your plan to do so.
I look forward to your response to this matter of intense public interest. Both Congress and the American people are eager for you to follow through on your promise of transparency about the Epstein Files.
###
Source: US Representative Andrea Salinas (OR-06)
Washington, DC – Today, U.S. Representatives Andrea Salinas (OR-06) and Jimmy Panetta (CA-19) introduced the Farmers Feeding America Act, a bill that would help food banks meet demand and ensure families stay fed and healthy by expanding the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) ability to purchase food directly from producers, including Oregon’s small family farms.
“The pandemic, lingering inflation, and the Trump Administration’s disastrous policies have all made it harder for working families to make ends meet in recent years, and food banks have struggled to keep up with record demand,” said Rep. Salinas. “Now, Republicans are trying to force through partisan legislation that would threaten food assistance for over 800,000 Oregonians. I voted against that bill, and I’m proud to introduce the Farmers Feeding America Act to expand The Emergency Food Assistance Program. This bill will ensure our local food banks are fully stocked, support local farmers, and help families put food on the table.”
“Many working families across my congressional district and throughout the country rely on food banks to put food on the table,” said Rep. Panetta. “The Farmers Feeding America Act would strengthen working families, and by allowing the USDA to purchase food directly from local farmers for food banks, the bill would also bolster our communities. At a time when there are politicians who want to cut these types of essential benefits, we are working hard to fight hunger by supporting agriculture and ensuring that working families have access to healthy food.”
In 2023, 13.5 percent of Americans — or 18 million households — were food insecure. However, as higher prices continue to impact working families’ ability to afford food and basic necessities, local food banks are often unable to meet the need in their communities. Meanwhile, Republicans are pushing ahead with legislation to attack core nutrition benefits, taking food assistance away from at least 3 million Americans.
The Farmers Feeding America Act would significantly increase funding for The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP). TEFAP provides commodities like fruits and vegetables, as well as monetary support, to food banks, food pantries, soup kitchens, shelters, and other types of emergency feeding organizations. In addition to serving individuals, TEFAP supports local agriculture by enabling USDA to purchase food directly from producers.
Along with Reps. Salinas and Panetta, the legislation is cosponsored by Reps. Becca Balint (VT-AL), Salud Carbajal (CA-24), Troy Carter (LA-02), Emanuel Cleaver II (MO-05), Jim Costa (CA-21), Suzan DelBene (WA-01), Christopher Deluzio (PA-17), Cleo Fields (LA-06), Robert Garcia (CA-42), Raja Krishnamoorthi (IL-08), Mary Gay Scanlon (PA-05), Melanie Stansbury (NM-01), Marilyn Strickland (WA-10), Shri Thanedar (MI-13), Jill Tokuda (HI-02), Juan Vargas (CA-52).
The bill is also endorsed by the following organizations, in alphabetical order: Alliance to End Hunger, Door Dash, Feeding America, Marion Polk Food Share, Second Harvest of Santa Cruz County, Second Harvest of Silicon Valley.
“With food prices and food insecurity on the rise, this necessary investment will help struggling families put nutritious food on the table,” said Minerva Delgado, Director of Coalitions & Advocacy, Alliance to End Hunger.
“In every community across the U.S., people are working hard to provide for themselves and their families. Yet in 2023, 47 million people—1 in 7 people—experienced food insecurity in the U.S., according to the USDA. The Emergency Food Assistance Program, or TEFAP, helps bridge the food gap for millions of families and individuals by moving nutritious foods from U.S. farmers to local food banks. But in recent years, TEFAP support has decreased as demand for food assistance has increased. TEFAP and additional USDA foods received by the Feeding America network have dropped by more than 50% from 2020-2023—dropping from 3 billion pounds to less than 1.4 billion pounds per year. The Farmers Feeding America Act introduced by Reps. Andrea Salinas and Jimmy Panetta would strengthen TEFAP, a cornerstone of the charitable food system, and ensure equitable access to the program for noncontiguous states. We urge Congress to ease the strain on our nation’s food banks by including this crucial provision in the upcoming Farm Bill,” said Vince Hall, Chief Government Relations Officer, Feeding America.
“Families and children are facing tough times right now. More than ever, our community needs the Farmers Feeding America Act to make sure children and families have the food they need to thrive,” said Rick Gaupo, President & CEO, Marion Polk Food Share.
Second Harvest Santa Cruz County CEO Erica Padilla Chavez: “With food insecurity on the rise in our community and food prices continuing to climb, the need to support the Farmers Feeding America Act has never been more urgent. It is critical that our federal government not only address hunger but also sustains our local agriculture – an essential part of both our economy and our hunger relief efforts.”
Leslie Bacho, CEO, Second Harvest of Silicon Valley: “The Farmers Feeding America Act is a practical solution that bridges communities—connecting local farmers with families in need and strengthening our food system. In Silicon Valley, where the cost of living is among the highest in the nation and 1 in 6 of our neighbors turn to Second Harvest of Silicon Valley for food assistance, we see this urgent need firsthand every day. At a time when the need for food assistance touches every community, this legislation affirms a shared commitment to ensuring no one goes hungry. Investing in TEFAP is not just about feeding families; it’s about reinforcing the resilience and well-being of all our communities.”
To read the full text of this legislation, click here.
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US Senate News:
Source: United States Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND)
Click here for audio.
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, or the “Quad,” is an informal strategic forum for the militaries of the United States, Japan, India, and Australia. The partnership between the four countries is built upon common interests: promoting a free and open Indo-Pacific and addressing regional geopolitical challenges.
At a time when adversaries like China and Russia are increasingly utilizing space-based capabilities to expand their interests, U.S. Senators Kevin Cramer (R-ND), co-chair of the Senate Space Force Caucus and chair of the Senate Armed Services (SASC) Airland Subcommittee, and Michael Bennet (D-CO) introduced the Quad Space Act of 2025. The bill would direct the Secretary of Defense to initiate discussions with Quad countries to identify mutual areas of interest with respect to the formulation of best practices in space, cooperation on space situational awareness, and space industrial policy.
The Quad Space Act of 2025 would also require the Secretary of Defense to submit a report to the House and Senate Armed Services Committees, detailing potential areas of mutual interests. Additionally, the report must outline potential steps the Secretary intends to take to formalize cooperation among Quad members.
“Maintaining space dominance is vital to protecting the stability and prosperity of the Indo-Pacific region,” said Cramer. “The Quad’s alignment addresses shared security challenges between our countries, and we recognize the importance of space as a strategic domain. The Quad Space Act protects our interests by deepening space cooperation with trusted partners and reaffirming our commitment to advancing a free and open region.”
“As China and Russia rapidly develop dangerous space capabilities and behave recklessly in space, the United States must bolster cooperation with our Quad partners to ensure a free and open Indo-Pacific,” said Bennet. “The Quad Space Act will enhance our collective capacity to address shared challenges by better ensuring safe and secure space missions, tracking objects and activities in space, and fostering shared innovation.”
Click here for bill text.
US Senate News:
Source: United States Senator for Texas John Cornyn
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators John Cornyn (R-TX), Ben Ray Luján (D-NM), Rick Scott (R-FL), and Mark Kelly (D-AZ) today introduced their Licensing Aerospace Units to New Commercial Heights (LAUNCH) Act, which would streamline the application process for commercial space launches and the licensing of private remote sensing space systems or satellites:
“As the pace of China’s space ambitions accelerate, the Federal Aviation Administration must be able to approve commercial space launches quickly and efficiently in order to maintain our competitive edge,” said Sen. Cornyn. “By reducing bureaucratic hurdles for innovators, this legislation would drive scientific advancement and ensure America stays one step ahead of our adversaries in space and beyond.”
“New Mexico is already at the forefront of our country’s leadership in space exploration and innovation. Ranging from Spaceport America, to Kirtland Air Force Base, and White Sands Missile Range, our state’s success is clear and should be supported,” said Sen. Luján. “That’s why I’m proud to join Senator Cornyn to introduce this bipartisan legislation that will streamline federal oversight for commercial space flights. This bill will ensure regulations are modernized and up-to-date, allowing New Mexico to continue our leadership.”
“Florida’s Space Coast is where our nation’s brightest minds innovate and help America reach for the stars. This incredible growth and success have been driven by effective public and private partnerships pushing our nation to the forefront of space exploration,” said Sen. Scott. “I’m honored to work alongside my colleagues in introducing the Licensing Aerospace Units to New Commercial Heights (LAUNCH) Act to eliminate unnecessary government bureaucracy and support American businesses in the space industry.”
“Outdated regulations shouldn’t hold back the advancement of commercial spaceflight,” said Sen. Kelly. “The LAUNCH Act will support innovation and increase competition in the commercial space industry by modernizing the regulations that govern launch and reentry.”
Background:
Commercial space regulations were developed in an era with limited industry activity. These regulations require modernization to adapt to ongoing technological development and anticipated growth and maintain safety while reducing bureaucratic burden. The Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) approval process for commercial space launches is onerous and subject to arbitrary minimum review timelines, which gives foreign adversaries the economic and national security advantage. To maintain America’s competitive position, the FAA must be able to efficiently approve weekly and, eventually, daily launch and reentry operations by multiple companies in a manner that reduces the burden on the commercial space industry and government resources.
The LAUNCH Act would require:
This legislation is endorsed by the Commercial Spaceflight Federation.
