Our Household Recycling Centres will continue their extended opening hours every day over the Easter holiday.
Slots can be booked online and details of opening hours for each centres can be found here.
Since Friday 4th April 2025, our clean-up crews across the city have collected 11,588 tonnes of waste, including the waste taken to HWRCs – the equivalent to 1,000 killer whales.
Our crews have been clearing approx. 1,500 tonnes of waste a day since our vehicles have been able to deploy on time, with around 100-120 refuse collection vehicles out every day. We have repurposed between 40 and 60 housing and street cleansing vehicles and deployed multiple ‘grab trucks’ to clear large rubbish piles each day, prioritising 15 of the most affected hotspot wards.
We are also supported by extra vehicles through mutual aid, with military support working alongside the managing director to support with planning and logistics – this is not about having personnel on the ground clearing rubbish.
Leader of the Council Cllr John Cotton said: “Our work to clear the backlog is gathering pace and we will continue collecting waste over the weekend.
“I fully appreciate that there is still more to do, and I share the frustration of people across the city, but now that we are getting our crews out on time every day, we are starting to see a difference and I want to thank our amazing crews for their hard work over the last week.
“I also want to thank every citizen, community group and organisation that is helping with the clear-up. People are helping in neighbourhoods right across the city and their support is helping to clear our streets.”
Talks to resolve the dispute will continue this week and Cllr Cotton added: “I will stress again that we have made a fair and reasonable offer that means that no-one has to lose any pay at all, with alternative roles offered within the service, or indeed a promotion to work as a driver. We’re determined to reach an agreement but in the meantime, the clear-up continues.”
Secretary for Transport & Logistics and chair of the Logistics Development Council Mable Chan, listened to the logistics industry’s views on the US’ reckless tariff imposition at a council meeting held today.
She also discussed with the trade ways to tackle the situation together, including a further increase in the so-called reciprocal tariffs.
Ms Chan noted that although the industry is worried about the ongoing uncertainty of the trade environment, it remains firm against the adversary and is actively exploring ways to cope with the situation.
She emphasised that the Transport & Logistics Bureau will be in solidarity with the trade and counter the challenge to Hong Kong and the industry together with determination and confidence, adding that the bureau will play a leading role in providing more specific guidance on industry development and assisting the industry in coping with market restructuring.
To this end, the bureau will adopt five major strategies: exploring emerging markets; strengthening collaboration with ports located in the Greater Bay Area with a view to developing new cargo sources together; exempting the import and export licence requirements for certain products to attract more transshipment cargo; deepening international port and shipping co-operation; and expanding the maritime and aviation networks.
The ultimate aim is to identify new growth points for Hong Kong’s logistics industry, thereby consolidating and enhancing the city’s status and competitiveness as an international maritime centre, international aviation hub and international logistics hub.
Meanwhile, the bureau will also work with Customs and other relevant government departments to implement more initiatives to facilitate the industry’s development, thereby further enhancing the city’s role as a transshipment hub.
Such trade facilitation measures include the expansion of the Single E-lock Scheme, the Free Trade Agreement Transshipment Facilitation Scheme and the Air-Land Fresh Lane.
Millions of UK households are facing what’s been dubbed “awful April” after rising council tax, water bills and broadband costs coincided with the new tax year. It could all start to hurt quite quickly. And it has led many people to ponder whether they’re genuinely worse off than previous generations – or simply experiencing a temporary pinch.
Council tax has risen by an average of 5% across England (some rises in Scotland and Wales are even greater). Water bills are up by £10 per month on average, while many broadband and mobile providers have imposed rises several percentage points above the rate of inflation.
This comes after years of economic volatility, from the 2008 financial crisis through Brexit, the COVID pandemic and the subsequent inflation surge.
But beyond the immediate pain of these April increases, there’s a deeper question. Has there been a fundamental shift in British prosperity over the past two decades?
Data from the UK’s Office for National Statistics (ONS) reveals a complex picture around real household disposable income (RHDI). This is the amount of money from all income that households have available for spending or saving after taxes and benefits, adjusted for inflation. As such, it’s a reliable way to see how much money people have to spend right now, compared to previous years or decades.
Between 2000 and 2008, RHDI grew steadily at approximately 3% per year. The financial crisis brought this growth to an abrupt halt, with the period between 2008 and 2023 characterised by unprecedented stagnation.
While there have been periods of modest recovery in 2023 and 2024, the overall trajectory shows sustained minimal growth in disposable income ever since the 2008 financial crisis.
When broken down by income groups, the data tell a more nuanced story. The bottom 20% of households have experienced virtually no growth in real disposable income since 2008, while the top 20% recovered more quickly after initial setbacks. Income inequality, which narrowed slightly during the early 2010s, has widened again in recent years.
Underlying the income stagnation is Britain’s productivity problem. Labour productivity growth, which averaged around 2% annually in the five decades before 2008, has grown at less than 1% per year since. This has directly impacted wage growth.
Several factors contribute to this productivity puzzle – under-investment in infrastructure and skills, a shift toward service-sector jobs with traditionally lower productivity growth, and economic uncertainty discouraging business investment.
Housing – the great divider
Perhaps the most significant factor in understanding why people might feel poorer is housing costs. The ratio of average house prices to average earnings has nearly doubled over the past 20 years. In 2002, a typical house cost around five times the average salary. But by 2023, this had risen to approximately nine times.
For renters, the situation is also very challenging. Private rental costs increased faster than wages in the year to January 2025 in most regions, particularly in London. The proportion of income spent on rent increased from roughly 25% to more than 30%) for the average renter between 2022 and 2024.
This housing cost burden creates a stark divide between generations. Those who bought property before the mid-2000s housing boom have generally seen their housing costs decline as a proportion of income as their mortgages were paid down. Meanwhile, younger generations face significantly higher barriers to home-ownership and higher ongoing costs.
Housing costs are a big determiner of whether you feel wealthy in the UK. Alex Segre/Shutterstock
Another important part of the overall picture is the consumer experience – and how the quality and variety of goods and services have changed. Technology has made many products more affordable and accessible. Smartphones, computers and TVs were significantly more expensive (or didn’t even exist in current forms) 20 years ago.
But essential services such as childcare have seen costs rise faster than general inflation. The same is true for grocery costs, which have seen a substantial increase since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. This has created a confusing dual experience where discretionary purchases may feel more affordable while essential costs consume a greater proportion of income.
So are Britons actually poorer? The facts suggest that while the average Briton isn’t necessarily worse off in absolute terms than 20 years ago, many are certainly no better off. This in itself is a stark contrast to the expectation of continual improvement that characterised previous generations.
When accounting for housing costs, younger generations are demonstrably worse off than their predecessors at the same life stage. For many, the combination of stagnant incomes and rising costs for essentials has created a genuine decline in living standards and financial security.
“Awful April” isn’t just a seasonal discomfort. It is a manifestation of long-term economic trends that have fundamentally altered Britain’s prosperity trajectory. The coming local and mayoral elections in England will no doubt see these issues take centre stage. There will likely be a thorny debate around the expectation that each generation should be better off than the last.
Marcel Lukas receives funding from The British Academy.
Source: The Conversation – UK – By Glenn Fosbraey, Associate Dean of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Winchester
Having collaborated with the likes of (deep breath) John Lennon, Aretha Franklin, George Michael, Rod Stewart, Little Richard, Luciano Pavarotti, Eminem and Leonard Cohen, it’s fair to say that Elton John likes to work with other artists.
The news, then, that he has embarked on another joint musical project, this time with Grammy-winning American superstar Brandi Carlile, won’t have raised many eyebrows. It may not even be too much of a shock that their album Who Believes in Angels?, released April 4, just reached the top spot on the UK album charts.
Who Believes In Angels? by Elton John and Brandi Carlile.
John’s penchant for collaborating isn’t unusual, of course. Solo artists frequently pool their resources with others. Producers bring in guest vocalists. Bands unite to create “supergroups”, and swarms of celebrities crowd into a studio for the latest charity or novelty song. Collaborations have been a staple of recorded music since (and probably before) Louis Armstrong and Bessie Smith committed St. Louis Blues to wax a century ago.
Artists like David Bowie have used collaboration as an opportunity to challenge themselves across different genres. In his case, this has led to a catalogue of diverse – and sometimes baffling – linkups ranging from Bing Crosby (“I just knew my mother liked him,” said Bowie) to Trent Reznor.
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Other artists use collaboration to stay current in an ever-evolving musical landscape. Take Paul McCartney teaming up with Michael Jackson in the 1980s then Kayne West in the 2010s. Or The Beach Boys’ ill-advised foray into hip hop with The Fat Boys. Or Madonna recording with insert name of current flavour-of-the-month artist.
Some even specialise in collaborations, such as rapper Nicki Minaj, who has been a featured artist on more singles than she’s been the lead (84 v 52 if you’re interested). Or DJ Khaled, whose 24 hits on the Billboard Hot 100 have all been collaborations.
And collaborations are only becoming more common. According to the Official Charts company, since 2020 almost half of the 100 biggest tracks have been collaborations, which is more than double the amount we saw at the end of the noughties.
Better off alone?
There’s good reason why more and more artists are getting together to record.
A 2023 research paper found that collaborations not only received more than twice the number of plays per week on average compared to solo efforts, but also significantly increased the number of plays an artist received in the future.
Although such songs may increase commercial success, however, and a well-timed, well-placed collaboration can be enough to revive even the most waning of careers, they come with risks, too. They may sound artificial and inauthentic; feel like soulless and corporate attempts by record labels to cash in; or, in the case of Ed Sheeran (according to Guardian music critic Issy Sampson) give the impression of tricking the public into thinking you’re cool by getting some famous mates on your songs.
To avoid such pitfalls, cultural sociologist Jo Haynes prescribes competency, creativity, financial recompense, passion, respect and sincerity as the main ingredients of successful musical collaboration.
In the case of Elton John and Brandi Carlile, although we may only speculate on the financial recompense, evidence suggests the other elements were abundant during the album’s creation. And this may be what has so rejuvenated John.
“It was a connection,” John says, emotionally and musically. Pop music collaborations may come along as frequently as trains on the Victoria Line at rush-hour, but true artistic connection is a rare and precious commodity indeed.
Glenn Fosbraey does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
Dan Niu, once confined to a cubicle crunching numbers at a Shanghai bank, now spends weekdays cycling through the city’s alleyways, leading foreign tourists past steamed bun stalls and hidden galleries tucked off the beaten path. “On our rides, we can stop anytime to chat with locals at breakfast spots or dance with retirees in public squares,” said Dan, whose cycling tours offer international travelers a half-day glimpse into everyday Shanghai, far from the usual tourist trail. Dan’s career shift reflects the boom in “China travel,” partly fueled by the continuous optimization of visa-free policies. To date, China has introduced unilateral visa-free policies for 38 countries, and implemented 240-hour transit visa-free arrangements for 54 countries. The impact has been striking. More than 20 million visa-free inbound trips were recorded in 2024, a 112.3 percent increase year-on-year, according to the National Immigration Administration. This inbound tourism boom has opened up opportunities for people with foreign language skills like Dan. GZL International Travel Service in Guangdong Province, south China, has expanded its multilingual guide team to around 30 people, including 14 new team members hired since late 2023, with English-speaking guides remaining the most sought-after. In an era of AI-powered instant translation, a tourist may travel to any foreign country without the need for a human translator. However, human connection remains highly valued. After all, while technology can translate, it cannot guide. The warmth of a smile and the bond forged in a shared moment still require a human touch. “What we’re seeing goes far beyond language assistance,” said Zhou Weihong, deputy general manager of Shanghai-based travel agency Spring Tour. Since the relaxation of visa policies, the agency has witnessed a growing influx of European and American tourists seeking immersive cultural experiences that standard itineraries often overlook. To meet this demand, the agency has included the 2025 Formula 1 Chinese Grand Prix in its tour packages, offering international visitors an exclusive combination of race event access and carefully curated Shanghai city experiences. Xu Junjie, a Japanese-speaking guide, has also observed a growing trend in demand for culturally distinctive experiences. “Alongside classic tours, visitors are increasingly drawn to quintessentially Chinese activities like tai chi and calligraphy,” Xu said. “Some even request tours of filming locations inspired by Chinese TV dramas.” Zhao Da, a Spanish-speaking guide, said Spanish tourist visitors tend to have different priorities. “Spanish tourists are captivated by China’s natural landscapes, with river cruises being their favorite,” Zhao told Xinhua. “Equally important is shopping for unique Chinese-style fashion items.” Even for the tourists from the same region, their interests can vary with their ages. Chen Junjun, an English-speaking guide in Shanghai, observed that elderly European tourists seek historical experience delivered with nostalgic warmth, while Gen Z travelers crave urban explorations, including the city’s hidden food gems and vibrant street culture. Therefore, Chen tailors itineraries to suit generational preferences. Xu Kai, another English-speaking tour guide, has seen a noticeable rise in visitors from South America. He also noticed that this year’s inbound tourism season started earlier than last year. Specializing in high-end travel, Xu curates personalized itineraries that offer visitors access to lesser-known, authentic experiences. “What surprises most guests is how different China is from what they expected,” Xu told Xinhua. “I often hear things like, ‘This isn’t what we imagined at all,’ or ‘seeing is believing.’” Though consulting tourist agencies remains a choice for many foreign travelers, popular Chinese social media platforms have become a thriving market where tourists discover potential tour guides. This is how Yami, a Russian-language graduate student, finds clients. Living in southwest China’s Sichuan Province, home of pandas and spicy hotpot, Yami obtained a tour guide certification in early 2024 and began offering services through Xiaohongshu, or rednote, a popular Chinese social media app. Yami receives a flood of inquiries through rednote. In the second half of 2024 alone, Yami led 16 Russian tour groups, and the schedule is already fully booked through June this year. For Yami, guiding is more than just a paycheck. “Through daily interactions, I learn about my guests’ lives back home. It feels like a study-abroad experience, with international visitors bringing the world to me,” Yami said.
The U.S. National Science Foundation today launched a 24/7 crisis intervention helpline for members of the NSF research community who have experienced sexual assault, sexual harassment, or stalking.
The NSF Safer Science Helpline is an anonymous and secure helpline available to NSF awardees, grantees, scientists, contractors and those affiliated with supporting the mission of NSF, including all those supporting NSF’s mission throughout Antarctica and the Arctic.
“NSF is committed to ensuring a culture free from sexual assault, sexual harassment and stalking,” said Renée V. Ferranti, special assistant to the director for NSF Sexual Assault and Harassment Prevention and Response Program Office (NSF SAHPR). “The NSF Safer Science Helpline will give members of the NSF research community a safe way to access support and resources and help foster an environment free from sexual violence.”
Helpline support specialists provide live, confidential, one-on-one crisis intervention and emotional support, as well as information for reporting channels and helping connect victims of sexual harm to additional support resources.
Victims and survivors can access resources through phone, online chat and SMS text support mechanisms. All services are anonymous and secure, providing NSF community members with the help they need, anytime, anywhere. Services are trauma-informed and survivor-centered, aligning with NSF’s goals of ensuring confidentiality, safety and comprehensive care for victims and survivors.
Individuals can access the NSF Safer Science Helpline in the following ways: Phone number: 833-673-1733 Number to text: 202-932-7569 To chat or to find other resources available: NSFSaferScienceHelpline.org
The NSF SAHPR launched the NSF Safer Science Helpline, operated by RAINN, the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network, the nation’s largest anti-sexual violence organization.
For information about the NSF SAHPR visit nsf.gov. For questions about the NSF Safer Science Helpline email saferscience@nsf.gov.
LONDON, Ky. – A Lebanese and Italian national, Alessandro Sabbagh, 27, was sentenced on Friday by U.S. District Judge Robert Wier to 78 months in prison, for conspiracy to sell counterfeit drugs and knowingly causing the sale of a counterfeit drug.
According to his plea agreement, between January 2017 and October 2021, Sabbagh conspired with others to manufacture and sell counterfeit generic alprazolam pills. Sabbagh and his co-conspirators, without authorization, created pills stamped with manufacturer imprints designed to replicate the appearance of actual alprazolam pills. The benzodiazepine-class drugs used by the co-conspirators in the counterfeit pills have no accepted medical use in the United States. Sabbagh and his co-conspirators then sold these counterfeit pills in the Eastern District of Kentucky and throughout the United States via darknet marketplaces, receiving payment for the sales in cryptocurrencies. Sabbagh managed multiple vendor accounts across several darknet marketplaces and was responsible for sales to customers and providing lists of customer orders to co-conspirators who manufactured and shipped the counterfeit alprazolam pills. Over the course of the conspiracy, Sabbagh and his co-conspirators trafficked counterfeit alprazolam valued at more than $25 million.
Under federal law, Sabbagh must serve 85 percent of his prison sentence. Upon his release from prison, he will be under the supervision of the U.S. Probation Office for three years. Sabbagh must also forfeit cryptocurrency seized by the Drug Enforcement Administration, and agreed to the imposition of a $5,055,377 forfeiture money judgment, representing the amount of proceeds he received from the scheme.
Paul McCaffrey, Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky; Jim Scott, Special Agent in Charge, DEA, Louisville Field Division; Karen Wingerd, Special Agent in Charge, IRS-Criminal Investigations, Cincinnati Field Division, Quincy Barnett, Acting Special Agent in Charge, FBI, Louisville Field Office; and Chief Jeff Couch, Manchester Police Department, jointly announced the sentence.
The investigation was conducted by the DEA, IRS, FBI, and Manchester Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Gregory Rosenberg is prosecuting the case on behalf of the United States.
On April 24, Apple Watch users are encouraged to close their Activity rings to earn a special Global Close Your Rings Day limited-edition award
Apple Watch is the world’s most popular watch, and the ultimate fitness and health companion. Every day, Apple Watch offers fitness motivation to millions of people around the globe, along with powerful insights into their workouts, training, and more, across a wide range of activities. Leveraging its advanced sensor technology, Apple Watch also provides users with information on important aspects of their health, including sleep, heart health, and menstrual health.
Over the past 10 years, Activity rings on Apple Watch have offered a simple, engaging, and customizable way for users to stay active throughout the day. To highlight how staying active can lead to a healthier life, on April 24, all Apple Watch users are encouraged to close their Activity rings to earn a special Global Close Your Rings Day limited-edition award, along with animated stickers for Messages.1
“Apple Watch has changed the way people think about, monitor, and engage with their fitness and health. A decade ago, we introduced Activity rings — and since then, Apple Watch has grown to offer an extensive set of features designed to empower every user,” said Jeff Williams, Apple’s chief operating officer. “People write to us almost every day sharing how Apple Watch has made a difference in their life, from motivating them to move more throughout the day, to changing the trajectory of their health.”
April 24: Global Close Your Rings Day
On April 24, Apple Watch users are encouraged to do something they love, push themselves further, or try something new, and then share what they did using #CloseYourRings. Users who close all three Activity rings will earn a limited-edition award, plus 10 animated stickers and an animated badge for Messages.
To celebrate Global Close Your Rings Day, customers can obtain a special pin inspired by the award. Customers can pick up a pin at Apple Store locations worldwide starting April 24, while supplies last.
New Apple Watch Activity and Health Research Insights
Fitness and health are deeply intertwined. A new analysis of data contributed by more than 140,000 participants in the Apple Heart and Movement Study identified positive associations between the closure of Activity rings and aspects of sleep, heart health, and mental wellbeing.2 These associations were consistent across men and women, and across all age groups.
Relative to people who infrequently closed their Activity rings, people who closed their rings most of the time were 48 percent less likely to experience poor sleep quality — defined as waking up frequently during the night — and 73 percent less likely to experience elevated resting heart rate levels; lower resting heart rate can be a key indicator of fitness and heart health. They were also 57 percent less likely to report elevated stress, as measured by the Perceived Stress Scale-4 (PSS-4), a four-item questionnaire designed to assess an individual’s perception of their stress levels.
The Apple Heart and Movement Study is conducted in collaboration with Brigham and Women’s Hospital, the American Heart Association, and Apple, and has more than 200,000 participants across the United States who consented to participate.3
Activity and Health on Apple Watch
The Activity app is one of the most beloved Apple Watch features, encouraging users to close their three Activity rings — Move, Exercise, and Stand — by hitting personal daily goals for active calories burned, minutes of brisk activity completed, and number of hours when they stand up for at least a minute. Users can customize their goals to fit their lifestyle, even by the day of the week, and Activity rings can be paused if a user needs a rest day.
Activity rings are just one of many Apple Watch features that offer motivating and actionable insights that break down barriers between users and their fitness and health information. Users can also:
Track a wide range of workouts with validated custom heart rate and calorie algorithms using the Workout app, with advanced metrics provided for running, cycling, swimming, hiking, and more.
Stay motivated with Activity challenges and sharing, keep an eye on their progress with weekly summaries and trends, and monitor key fitness metrics like training load, cardio fitness, and cardio recovery.
Track their sleep, receive insights on heart health, track their menstrual cycle, manage their medications, monitor environmental noise levels, and more.
As with all of the fitness and health features on Apple Watch, the Activity and Workout apps are grounded in science with rigorous standards for accuracy. A recently published validation summary shares highlights of the methodologies and underlying hardware and software technologies of Apple Watch that measure heart rate, estimate calories burned, and inform associated fitness and heart health data, with machine learning models developed using data from hundreds of thousands of hours of studies involving thousands of participants from diverse populations.
Apple’s fitness and health features put users’ privacy at the center, offering protections like transparency and control over their personal data. When iPhone and iPad are locked with a passcode, Touch ID, or Face ID, all fitness and health data in the Health app — other than Medical ID — is encrypted, and any health data synced to iCloud is encrypted both in transit and on Apple servers. And if a user has a recent version of watchOS, iOS, and iPadOS with the default two-factor authentication and a passcode, their health and activity data will be stored in a way that Apple can’t read it.4
The limited-edition award is available to users running watchOS 5.0 or later.
Analysis compares people who closed all three Activity rings at least 50 percent of the time with people who closed all three Activity rings 10 percent or less of the time. Poor sleep quality is defined as a sleep efficiency [Total Sleep Time / (Total Sleep Time + Wake After Sleep Onset)] of less than 87.5 percent. Elevated stress is defined as a PSS-4 score of 8 or more.
VANCOUVER, British Columbia, April 14, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Legible Inc. (CSE: READ) (OTCQB: LEBGF) (FSE: D0T) (“Legible” or the “Company”), a leading innovator in AI-interactive digital reading and entertainment and winner of the 2025 Entertainment Technology award from the Global Tech Awards, is pleased to announce the release of the fifth title in its growing AI Classics series, The Prophet by Kahlil Gibran.
The Prophet is a literary masterpiece that has touched generations of readers around the world. First published in 1923, the collection of 26 poetic essays follows the prophet Almustafa as he shares profound insights on life, love, marriage, work, freedom, and death before leaving the city of Orphalese. Translated into over 100 languages, it remains one of the most widely read and beloved books of the 20th century. This new 21st century edition, showcasing Legible’s new proprietary operating system for books, brings Gibran’s poetic wisdom to life in a dynamic experience, using AI-powered art, animation and interactive characters to reimagine how classic literature is experienced across devices.
“This advanced new release in our AI Classics series offers a glimpse into how AI can deepen our connection to timeless works,” said Kaleeg Hainsworth, CEO of Legible. “With Legible’s new release of The Prophet, readers don’t just read—they engage. This is a meaningful step toward our vision of Living Books as a new standard in immersive storytelling.”
The public is invited to experience the Living Book version of The Prophethere, and to sign up to receive future updates as they are released.
Legible announces the planned retirement of its Chief Financial Officer, Mr. Ed Duda, effective as of April 11, 2025. Mr. Duda will support the Company as a consultant throughout the transition to new financial leadership. Mr. Duda’s ongoing involvement will ensure operational continuity and alignment with Legible’s strategic priorities.
As a way to strengthen Legible’s Balance Sheet, the Company has secured commitments from five Legible Shareholders holding $522,636 of Convertible Debentures to convert their debentures, that are not due, into 5,966,233 common shares of the Company, effective as of the date of the first closing of the Private Placement Unit Offering (“Offering”) that was press released on March 27th, 2025. Closing of the Offering has been delayed due to turbulence in the global equity markets.
Legible continues to advance business development initiatives with a focus on driving revenues.
About Legible Inc.
Legible is a groundbreaking, mobile-centric global company specializing in eBook and audiobook entertainment. Its extensive partnerships encompass four of the Big 5 Publishers, the world’s largest eBook distributors, along with other outstanding publishers of all sizes, enabling Legible to deliver millions of eBooks and audiobooks, transforming any smart device into a source of cutting-edge infotainment.
Legible recently released My Model Kitchen – Holidays, the fourth in a series of video-enriched Living Cookbooks by former supermodel, bestselling author, TV host and celebrity chef Cristina Ferrare, with an AI Sous Chef for each recipe. The Living Cookbooks and Ms. Ferrare have now been featured four times on The Drew Barrymore Show and by many other major US media outlets.
A first mover in the rapidly expanding automotive infotainment market, Legible has partnered with major app providers including Forvia’s Appning, Samsung’s Harman IGNITE, Visteon’s AllGo, and ACCESS’s Twine4Car. Legible has the only Android Automotive OS app that is capable of delivering both audiobooks and eBooks to drivers and passengers in tens of millions of vehicles around the globe, positioning Legible at the forefront of the new world of in-car infotainment experiences.
Cautionary Note Regarding Forward Looking Information This Press Release contains certain statements which constitute forward-looking statements or information (“forward-looking statements”), including statements regarding Legible’s business. Such forward-looking statements are subject to numerous risks and uncertainties, some of which are beyond Legible’s control, including the impact of general economic conditions, industry conditions, currency fluctuations, the lack of availability of qualified personnel or management, stock market volatility and the ability to access sufficient capital from internal and external sources. Although Legible believes that the expectations in its forward-looking statements are reasonable, they are based on factors and assumptions concerning future events which may prove to be inaccurate. Those factors and assumptions are based upon currently available information. Such statements are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that could influence actual results or events and cause actual results or events to differ materially from those stated, anticipated or implied in the forward- looking information. As such, readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on the forward- looking information, as no assurance can be provided as to future results, levels of activity or achievements. The forward-looking statements contained in this document are made as of the date of this document and, except as required by applicable law, Legible does not undertake any obligation to publicly update or to revise any of the included forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. The forward-looking statements contained in this document are expressly qualified by this cautionary statement.
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M., April 14, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — ARRAY Technologies (NASDAQ: ARRY) (“ARRAY” or the “Company”), a leading provider of tracker solutions and services for utility-scale solar energy projects, announced the appointment of Nick Strevel as senior vice president of product management and technical sales, effective today.
In this dual leadership role, Strevel will be responsible for driving ARRAY’s global product strategy and building a high-performing technical sales function that strengthens ARRAY’s relationships with customers and partners worldwide.
“Nick brings a rare blend of technical depth, commercial acumen, and international experience that will accelerate ARRAY’s innovation and customer engagement,” said Kevin G. Hostetler, chief executive officer at ARRAY. “Nick’s leadership will help ensure our products and solutions are contributing to driving the renewable energy sector and positioned for long-term success.”
Strevel joins ARRAY from First Solar, where he spent more than a decade in increasingly senior roles across product management, technical sales, and technology development. Most recently, he served as Vice President of Product, responsible for driving the global product roadmap and aligning technology development with customer needs and market opportunities. Prior to that, he led First Solar’s global technical sales team and held multiple engineering and leadership positions in the U.S. and Germany.
At ARRAY, Strevel will lead the development and execution of the company’s product strategy, promoting cutting-edge innovations and solutions for our customers. He will also oversee the creation of ARRAY’s technical sales function, empowering teams with the tools, knowledge, and processes needed to deliver high-impact, solution-based selling around the globe.
“I’m thrilled to join ARRAY at such a transformative time for the solar industry,” said Strevel. “ARRAY’s commitment to innovation and customer success will allow us to help shape the next generation of solar tracking solutions that drive value for our customers and accelerate the clean energy transition.”
With over 15 years of experience in the renewable energy and automotive electrification sectors, Strevel brings deep expertise in thin-film photovoltaics, semiconductor manufacturing, and custom equipment development. He began his career at United Solar Ovonic as a semiconductor process engineer and later served as a senior application engineer based in Frankfurt, Germany.
Strevel holds a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from Michigan State University and studied at RWTH Aachen University in Germany.
About ARRAY ARRAY Technologies (NASDAQ: ARRY) is a leading global provider of solar tracking technology to utility-scale and distributed generation customers who construct, develop, and operate solar PV sites. With solutions engineered to withstand the harshest weather conditions, ARRAY’s high-quality solar trackers, software platforms and field services combine to maximize energy production and deliver value to our customers for the entire lifecycle of a project. Founded and headquartered in the United States, ARRAY is rooted in manufacturing and driven by technology – relying on its domestic manufacturing, diversified global supply chain, and customer-centric approach to design, deliver, commission, train, and support solar energy deployment around the world. For more news and information on ARRAY, please visit arraytechinc.com.
Forward Looking Statement This press release contains forward-looking statements. These statements are not historical facts but rather are based on the Company’s current expectations and projections regarding its business, operations and other factors relating thereto. Words such as “may,” “will,” “could,” “would,” “should,” “anticipate,” “predict,” “potential,” “continue,” “expects,” “intends,” “plans,” “projects,” “believes,” “estimates” and similar expressions are used to identify these forward-looking statements. These statements are only predictions and as such are not guarantees of future performance and involve risks, uncertainties and assumptions that are difficult to predict. Actual results may differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements as a result of a number of factors. Forward-looking statements should be evaluated together with the risks and uncertainties that affect our business and operations, particularly those described in more detail in the Company’s most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and other documents on file with the SEC, each of which can be found on our website www.arraytechinc.com. Except as required by law, we assume no obligation to update these forward-looking statements, or to update the reasons actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements, even if new information becomes available in the future.
ALLEN, Texas, April 14, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — CapturePoint LLC and affiliate CapturePoint Solutions LLC (together “CapturePoint”) announced its Board of Directors has appointed Greg Harper as Chief Executive Officer and as a member of the Board of Directors, effective immediately. Mr. Harper has been a leader in the U.S. energy sector for over 35 years, most recently serving as co-founder, Chairman and CEO of Evergreen Midstream LLC, an asset acquisition and development firm focused on traditional and renewable resources.
Mr. Harper’s extensive energy management experience includes previous roles as President and CEO of Blue Mountain Midstream LLC, a subsidiary of Riviera Resources, and executive leadership roles at Enbridge, Southwest Energy, CenterPoint Energy, Spectra Energy Partners, and Duke Energy. “Greg is a dynamic, purposeful leader who has driven commercial, operational, and developmental success across every aspect of America’s natural gas and energy transportation sectors,” said Brian Falik, Global Chief Investment Officer of Mercuria Energy, one of CapturePoint’s largest shareholders. “CapturePoint is poised to lead the rapidly growing U.S. Carbon Capture, Utilization and Sequestration (CCUS) industry which will play a large role in America’s future energy resilience and adaptation. Mr. Harper’s demonstrated skills are well-matched to the ambitious growth plans of CapturePoint shareholders.”
Mr. Harper replaces the former CEO and founder, Tracy Evans, who recently retired from CapturePoint. “The board would like to thank Mr. Evans for his passion and dedication for bringing CapturePoint to this pivotal point in commercializing large scale CCUS opportunities,” continued Mr. Falik.
CapturePoint is one of the leading private carbon management companies in North America, currently injecting over 1 million tons of CO2 annually into Enhanced Oil Recovery (CO2-EOR) projects and operating over 230 miles of dedicated CO2 pipelines, anchored by production in Oklahoma and Texas. CapturePoint is also pursuing deep underground carbon storage sites nationally, highlighted by industry-leading projects in Louisiana and Colorado, and has contracts and commitments to sequester up to 8 million tons of CO2 annually by 2030.
CapturePoint’s Central Louisiana Regional Carbon Storage Hub (CENLA Hub) development, now in permit review, has the potential to be one of the largest onshore underground carbon storage sites in the United States. The CENLA Hub already has CO2 storage commitments that could exceed 4 million tons of CO2 sequestered annually and anticipates constructing a regional system of up to 250 miles of dedicated CO2 pipelines in Louisiana and Texas.
CapturePoint’s proposed CO2 Storage Hub in Colorado will leverage an existing 200-mile CO2 pipeline and Class II injection site to serve as the foundation for building out a larger regional CO2 transport and storage network. The Colorado CO2 Storage Hub intends to utilize both Class VI deep underground storage and CO2-EOR injection methods. The first phase of the development will focus on extending the existing pipeline by 100 miles, enabling the capture of an additional 1.25 million tons of CO2 annually and significantly enhancing the region’s capacity to mitigate carbon emissions.
“I am honored to lead the talented team at CapturePoint,” noted Mr. Harper. “Domestic carbon management solutions are critical to securing our nation’s energy resilience and reinforcing U.S. leadership in manufacturing and industrial exports while adapting to the changing needs of the climate. With a strong operating foundation and a portfolio of groundbreaking projects, CapturePoint is well-positioned to drive lasting energy leadership and success.”
CapturePoint LLC and CapturePoint Solutions LLC, together “CapturePoint,” are privately held companies based in Allen, Texas. They provide a full range of leading-edge carbon management services, operate Enhanced Oil Recovery (CO2-EOR) production, facilitate advancement of traditional energy resources as well as pioneering clean energy and manufacturing projects, and are developing regional U.S. deep underground carbon storage hubs. CapturePoint funders include an affiliate of Mercuria Energy (Mercuria) as well as other institutional investors. For more information, visit the CapturePoint website at www.capturepointllc.com.
Forward Looking Statements This press release may include certain statements concerning expectations for the future that are forward-looking statements as defined by federal law. Such forward-looking statements are subject to a variety of known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors that are difficult to predict and many of which are beyond management’s control. In addition to all risks and uncertainties previously stated, CapturePoint has also been, or may in the future be, impacted by new or heightened risks related to the energy market; federal, state and local regulation; as well as other factors; and we cannot predict the length and ultimate impact of those risks. CapturePoint undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statement to reflect new information or events, nor to update the status of permits, governmental approvals or other external factors that may affect potential future operations.
The information contained in this press release is available on our website at www.capturepointllc.com.
Media Contact: Forrest Hudson Chief Land & Legal Officer 1-281-668-8478 (office/direct) 1-601-283-9888 (cell) fhudson@capturepointllc.com
AGOURA HILLS, CALIFORNIA, April 14, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — MultiCorp International, Inc. (OTC Markets PINK: MCIC) Multicorp International, Inc. is pleased to announce the execution of a Quadripartite Agreement on March 26, 2025 and the currently pending $2,000,000,000 credit transfer from a top 10 European Bank to Neoforma Inc.’s domestic bank to access immediate liquidity.
Multicorp International, Inc.’s alliance with 40 Brightwater LLC’s Global Financial Consortium inclusive of Neoforma Inc. and now Airavata Developers Corporation has expanded immediate access to greater liquidity, which will be added to the previously announced financings from Edwards Capital N.A. correspondent bank.
In turn, Neoforma Inc. will provide a line of credit to MultiCorp International, Inc. in an amount of up to $1,800,000,000 (one billion eight hundred million USD), to be utilized to execute all transactions previously announced with Global X Cryptocurrency Stablecoin Tokens (GBP-pegged), Bitcoin, and gold-backed Cryptocurrency Tokens, as well as to perfect the newly-targeted acquisition of a mineral property in Michigan and to cover all required corporate expenditures.
MultiCorp International, Inc., a diversified leader in health, energy, and agriculture, announces a series of strategic initiatives aimed at accelerating its growth and expanding its market presence. The company is actively pursuing joint ventures and acquisitions, is fortifying its organizational infrastructure, and is preparing for significant advancements in the stock market.
Neoforma Inc. is a Minnesota based privately held corporation and a global leader in Software & Technology. The company has now diversified into International finance including private equity and has operations globally, including India, the UAE, the UK, Mexico and the United States and serves clients globally. Its client base includes numerous global corporations as well as government entities.
Airavata Developers Corporation is a prominent international construction firm that has carved a niche for itself in the design and construction of commercial and industrial infrastructure. With a commitment to excellence, we specialize in a wide array of services that encompass every phase of the construction process, including comprehensive pre-construction planning, meticulous project management, and effective general contracting. Each of these services is tailored to meet the specific needs and demands of our diverse clientele, ensuring that we not only meet but exceed their expectations.
At the helm of our organization are the highly respected Principal Partners, Alan Khara, who serves as the Chief Executive Director and Chairman, and David D. Brannon, the Executive Financial Director. Together, they bring a wealth of experience and knowledge to the company. Their unwavering dedication extends beyond just business; they are passionately committed to fostering community excellence. This commitment is demonstrated through substantial efforts in promoting global economic development while simultaneously focusing on job creation within the communities we operate. Their leadership style emphasizes ethical practices, innovative thinking, and a deep responsibility toward societal well-being.
Airavata Developers Corporation has set forth an ambitious goal: to emerge as the global leader within this ever-evolving and dynamic construction industry. To achieve this vision, we place a strong emphasis on delivering exceptional service that stands out in a competitive marketplace. This is complemented by our proactive approach in integrating cutting-edge technology and state-of-the-art materials into our projects. By continually investing in the latest advancements in construction techniques and environmental sustainability, we ensure that our infrastructure not only meets current industry standards but also anticipates future demands.
Our commitment to quality, sustainability, and innovation drives every project we undertake, ensuring that we consistently remain at the forefront of industry trends and client expectations.
David Brannon Chief Financial Director/ Partner
About 40 Brightwater LLC:
40 Brightwater LLC is a private holding company focusing specifically on acquiring private entities and merging its holdings with public companies by leveraging its financial network and resources through its Managing Member, President & CEO Shannon Newby.
Disclaimer: This press release does not constitute an offer to sell or solicit an offer to buy, nor will there be any sale of these securities in any jurisdiction where such an offer, solicitation, or sale would be unlawful before registration or qualification under applicable securities laws. Any offer will be made only through a prospectus supplement and accompanying base prospectus as part of an effective registration statement.
This press release is for informational purposes only and should not be considered investment advice or a solicitation to purchase securities. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance. These statements are based on current expectations and could differ materially from actual events
SUNNYVALE, Calif., April 14, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Illumio, the breach containment company, today announced the launch of Illumio Insights, the industry’s first cloud detection and response (CDR) solution powered entirely by an AI security graph. A key part of Illumio’s breach containment platform, Insights can observe and protect every workload and resource, spanning hybrid and multi-cloud environments. It provides AI-powered observability into the organization’s traffic, flows, and connections, surfacing risk throughout the connected landscape.
Illumio Insights helps SOC analysts, incident responders, and threat hunters uncover hidden risks by observing all flows and connections and discovering risky, malicious, and anomalous activity. Insights visualizes dangerous traffic and behavior and prioritizes lateral movement risks across environments, enabling rapid detection and response. Threats can be dynamically quarantined, with impacted workloads completely isolated, reducing the blast radius and significantly boosting resilience.
Key benefits of Illumio Insights include:
Rapid Cloud-Scale Deployment: Push-button, agentless deployment delivers AI security graph-powered insights across millions of workloads in minutes.
Unmatched Threat Detection with AI Observability: Significantly reduces the mean time to detect (MTTD) by uncovering unseen threats and attack paths.
One-Click Attack Containment: Immediately neutralizes potential risks and reduces the mean time to respond (MTTR) with one-click containment.
“When an organization is under attack, understanding the connectivity graph is crucial. Bringing together the Illumio security graph with the AI-driven Illumio Insights analytics pipeline allows organizations, for the first time, to understand how threats and risks are moving through their environment. This is the power of an AI security graph,” says Andrew Rubin, CEO and Founder of Illumio. “Illumio Insights is vital for protecting the environment as it offers unparalleled observability to understand threat and malicious activity in the cloud. Illumio Insights connects the dots and finds every needle in every haystack. When integrated with Illumio Segmentation, breaches are contained and cyber disasters avoided.”
Illumio’s AI security graph enables Insights to ingest network flow and resource data at cloud scale, automatically classify traffic and resources, and immediately find the risk. The graph helps security teams to form a complete picture of attacker movement across the entire environment and drives faster, more informed response decisions.
“As the cybersecurity landscape continues to evolve, it’s no longer about having more technology — it’s about having smarter, more adaptive solutions. The need for intelligent systems has never been greater, and AI is at the heart of this transformation,” said Frank Dickson, group vice president, Security and Trust at IDC. “AI-powered security graphs are a game-changer, enabling businesses to proactively identify, assess, and mitigate risks in near real-time. These sophisticated tools streamline security efforts and enhance decision-making by learning from patterns and behaviors, offering a level of insight and protection that traditional offerings simply can’t match.”
According to Thomas Vavra, manager, Network & Security Operations, Mondi Group, “Illumio Insights will give us real-time visibility and control over our risky ports, significantly reducing our risk exposure and improving compliance with industry standards. This will enable us to quickly identify vulnerabilities and address them before they become threats.”
Illumio Insights and Illumio Segmentation are integral components of the Illumio Platform, the first cybersecurity platform focused on breach containment. Illumio Insights helps organizations quickly identify and detect threats, while Illumio Segmentation contains breaches, protects critical assets, and enables instant response. Together, these solutions help identify and mitigate risks, contain attacks, and enhance overall cyber resilience.
To see a demo of Illumio Insights and to learn more about Illumio’s breach containment offerings, stop by the Illumio booth (North Hall #5670) at RSAC in San Francisco April 28-May 1.
Organizations interested in being the first to experience Illumio Insights can sign up now for a private preview or visit Illumio Insights to learn more.
About Illumio
Illumio is the leader in ransomware and breach containment, redefining how organizations contain cyberattacks and enable operational resilience. Powered by an AI security graph, our breach containment platform identifies and contains threats across hybrid multi-cloud environments – stopping the spread of attacks before they become disasters.
Recognized as a Leader in the Forrester Wave™ for Microsegmentation, Illumio enables Zero Trust, strengthening cyber resilience for the infrastructure, systems, and organizations that keep the world running.
PENSACOLA, Fla., April 14, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Advanced Technology Recycling (ATR), a leader in IT asset disposition (ITAD) and IT asset management (ITAM) services for over 30 years, today announced a significant investment in enhancing its Data Center IT Asset Management Services throughout the United States. The new Mack Anthem 64T Semi Tractor and AI enhanced Geotab fleet monitoring systems are the latest addition to our fleet. This strategic expansion underlines ATR’s commitment to providing state-of-the-art logistics capabilities and comprehensive onsite services to data center operators nationwide.
Comprehensive Onsite Services Tailored for Data Centers
Recognizing the unique challenges faced by data center administrators—especially concerning the secure decommissioning and recycling of sensitive legacy assets—ATR has augmented its onsite capabilities to meet these demands head-on. Additionally, ATR assigns each data center client with their own account manager and Operations Support Specialist to ensure maximum account oversight. Key onsite service offerings include:
Expert Onsite Support: ATR’s trained professionals provide optimized value recovery assistance during rack and server decommissioning and enhancement projects. Customized assessments empower you to handpick from a scalable portfolio of on-site services that put our resources where you need them most. This means you can choose services that best suit your needs—ranging from equipment removal and packing for transport, data destruction, value recovery evaluations, to assistance with installing replacement equipment, and much more.
Mobile Equipment Solutions: For facilities without docks, ATR’s fleet, including vehicles with lift gates, is fully equipped to bring all necessary supplies and labor for efficient pack-and-ship operations right at the site.
Asset Inventory & Reconciliation Services: ATR offers optional onsite asset reconciliation, capturing accurate inventory and identifying anomalies before equipment leaves the facility, contributing to transparent reporting and improving efficiencies.
Optional Onsite Hard Drive Shredding: ATR delivers self-contained, portable shredders directly to your data center to securely and irretrievably destroy sensitive data onsite, ensuring complete transparency, robust security, and full regulatory compliance.
Scalable Commodity Recovery Programs: ATR’s commodity recovery program is a powerful fee mitigation tool, providing a robust and incentivized solution that rewards customers for helping sort and separate enclosures, cabling, non-inventoried e-waste, and other end-of-life electronics. With our program, you gain maximum value from assets that most ITAD providers charge to recycle.
ATR’s mission is to transform outdated electronics into profitable assets while assuring clients that every step—from initial pickup through final resale—is executed with precision, security, and environmental responsibility.
Enhancing Logistics Capabilities with Next-Generation Fleet Technology
ATR’s ongoing investment includes the integration of top-tier fleet tracking systems utilizing Geotab technology. The Geotab system integrates advanced features into our fleet vehicles ensuring every step of the IT asset disposition process is secure, transparent, and efficient:
Precise GPS Tracking & Real-Time Route Visibility: Each ATR vehicle is equipped with Geotab GPS and video monitoring software, providing real-time satellite location data, accurate route diagnostics, and geofencing capabilities.
Vehicle Health Assessments & Collision Detection: Advanced AI monitoring systems continuously assess engine performance, detect faults, and alert the team to any collision events, ensuring prompt maintenance, enhanced safety, and added assurances shipments are completed on time and in optimal condition.
In-Vehicle Driver Monitoring: Forward and aft-facing cameras monitor driving conditions while providing audible coaching alerts to address driver fatigue or distractions, such as cell phone use. This proactive approach helps maintain high safety standards, and enhanced security monitoring for each route traveled.
Secured Data & Advanced Data Capture: With R2v3 and RIOS certified data protocols in place, ATR guarantees that all logistical information is handled with the utmost confidentiality, supporting strict compliance with industry standards.
These enhancements not only improve operational efficiency but also bolster ATR’s secure chain of custody for data center equipment. Every shipment is safeguarded through padlocked cargo doors, unique trailer seals, real-time vehicular monitoring, and on-site real-time inventory and data destruction services, ensuring full audit readiness.
Data Center Recycling: Unlocking Value with Sustainability in Mind
The expanded investment reinforces ATR’s vision to not only manage assets securely but also to optimize their residual value. By leveraging a transparent profit-sharing program, ATR maximizes the returns on legacy equipment through certified R2v3/RIOS resale and wholesale channels.
This approach supports clients in:
Turning decommissioned data center assets and non-inventoried e-Commodities into profitable, recoverable revenue streams.
Achieving eco-friendly operations through responsible electronics reselling and recycling is a simple click away.
Meeting sustainability targets with comprehensive lifecycle management of IT assets.
Commitment to Excellence and Future-Ready Solutions
“Our increased investment in Data Center IT Asset Management Services demonstrates ATR’s unwavering commitment to staying ahead in a rapidly evolving technological landscape,” said Brodie Ehresman, Director of Marketing and Strategic Business Development at ATR. “By integrating Geotab’s advanced fleet tracking capabilities and expanding our onsite service offerings, we are poised to offer unparalleled efficiency, security, and value recovery for our clients. We understand the critical nature of managing legacy IT assets, and our enhanced solutions are designed to support our clients’ operational and sustainability goals while mitigating risk.”
ATR’s enhanced logistics and onsite service portfolio positions the company as a trusted partner for data center operators looking to navigate the complexities of technology refresh cycles, secure data destruction, and environmental compliance.
About Advanced Technology Recycling (ATR)
For more than three decades, ATR has been at the forefront of the IT asset disposition and management industry, offering innovative, secure, and eco-friendly solutions to organizations across the nation. With a fully company-owned fleet of over 60 logistics assets and seven strategically located, R2v3 and RIOS certified facilities, ATR delivers complete lifecycle management—ensuring high recoverable value, robust security, and streamlined operational processes for every client.
Media Contact: Brodie Ehresman Director of Marketing and Strategic Business Development 877-781-7779
AI-powered natural language discoverywill allow marketers to identify creators through topic-led search, driving more authentic and impactful activations
Reimagined, customizable brand safety solution that helps brands activate creators that align with their values and audience
New creator vetting features drastically reduces time spent in discovery so brands can refocus on more strategic, creative tasks
CHICAGO, April 14, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Sprout Social (Nasdaq: SPT), an industry-leading provider of cloud-based social media management software, today unveiled its fully reimagined influencer marketing platform. Sprout Social Influencer Marketing now features a refreshed, intuitive design along with powerful AI-driven natural language discovery and data analysis capabilities. These enhancements reflect the evolving landscape of content consumption, where personalized feeds and topical interests play a central role. With these new features, Sprout’s search is topic-led to match how networks serve content, enabling brands to more quickly identify creators who can foster authentic partnerships, scale awareness, and drive greater revenue.
This launch comes at a pivotal time for marketers. As traditional marketing tactics lose effectiveness, marketing leaders are urgently seeking new ways to expand their reach and impact. Consumers now turn to social media for inspiration and brand discovery, favoring more authentic, relatable connections. This shift has given influencers unprecedented power to shape purchasing decisions, making social media a dominant full-funnel channel. In fact, nearly half of consumers now make daily, weekly, or monthly purchases because of influencer posts. As a result, influencer marketing has rapidly evolved from a trend into a top driver and multiplier of ROI.
“Influencer marketing is no longer optional—it’s essential for brands to connect with and sell to consumers. Yet, many organizations still struggle to create cohesive, data-driven campaigns and find the right creators who truly align with their brand and messaging,” said Erika Trautman, Chief Product Officer at Sprout Social. “That’s why we’ve made strategic updates to our platform that are designed not just to solve our customers’ biggest challenges, but to empower them to lead the next era of marketing and drive transformative growth across their organizations.”
This launch comes after the recent rebrand of Sprout Social Influencer Marketing and incorporates customer-driven updates that tackle their toughest challenges, from surfacing actionable data to finding the right influencers and maintaining brand safety guidelines. These key updates include:
AI-Powered Natural Language Creator Search: Marketers can now identify creators by topic or the content they’re looking to create, making discovery faster and easier, and enabling brands to forge impactful partnerships that resonate with customers.
AI-Powered Brand Fit Score: Proprietary metric that provides an instant assessment of how well a creator’s content aligns with a brand’s social presence, helping marketers make smarter, faster decisions about creator activations while supporting relevance and authenticity.
AI-Powered Creator Suggestions in Lists: Sprout’s proprietary AI Assist automates influencer sourcing by recommending potential partners within Creator Lists, helping users cut time spent in discovery so they can refocus their efforts on strategic priorities.
Customizable Brand Safety Reporting: Marketers receive a brand safety report on each creator based on their organization’s defined brand safety keywords and parameters. The report analyzes creator content and flags associated topics such as alcohol, adult/NSFW, politics or competitor mentions, helping brands activate creators that align with their values and audience.
“With the new Brand Safety Reports we can quickly see if a creator mentioned our competitors five years ago. The visual of this definitely helps especially when we get into some profiles who may have a higher volume of sensitive posts. For example, did it all just happen suddenly, or was it a consistent thing for them over time? So I really like this feature a lot,” said Dakota McDaniel, Social Media Strategist at American Honda Motor Company.
Learn more about these updates and Sprout Social Influencer Marketing here.
Sprout Social is a global leader in social media management and analytics software. Sprout’s intuitive platform puts powerful social data into the hands of approximately 30,000 brands so they can deliver smarter, faster business impact. Named the #1 Best Software Product by G2’s 2024 Best Software Award, Sprout offers comprehensive publishing and engagement functionality, customer care, influencer marketing, advocacy, and AI-powered business intelligence. Sprout’s software operates across all major social media networks and digital platforms. For more information about Sprout Social (NASDAQ: SPT), visit sproutsocial.com.
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by terms such as “anticipate,” “believe,” “can,” “continue,” “could,” “enables,” “estimate,” “expect,” “explore,” “intend,” “long-term model,” “may,” “might” “outlook,” “plan,” “potential,” “predict,” “project,” “should,” “strategy,” “target,” “will,” “would,” or the negative of these terms, and similar expressions intended to identify forward-looking statements. However, not all forward-looking statements contain these identifying words. These statements may relate to the success, performance, and effect on our business and customers of our product features, our market size and growth strategy, our estimated and projected costs, margins, revenue, expenditures and customer and financial growth rates, our plans and objectives for future operations, growth, initiatives or strategies. By their nature, these statements are subject to numerous uncertainties and risks, including factors beyond our control, that could cause actual results, performance or achievement to differ materially and adversely from those anticipated or implied in the forward-looking statements. These assumptions, uncertainties and risks include that, among others: we may not be able to sustain our revenue and customer growth rate in the future; price increases have and may continue to negatively impact demand for our products, customer acquisition and retention and reduce the total number of customers or customer additions; our business would be harmed by any significant interruptions, delays or outages in services from our platform, our API providers, or certain social media platforms; if we are unable to attract potential customers through unpaid channels, convert this traffic to free trials or convert free trials to paid subscriptions, our business and results of operations may be adversely affected; we may be unable to successfully enter new markets, manage our international expansion and comply with any applicable international laws and regulations; we may be unable to integrate acquired businesses or technologies successfully or achieve the expected benefits of such acquisitions and investments; unstable market and economic conditions, such as recession risks, effects of inflation, labor shortages, supply chain issues, high interest rates, and the impacts of current and potential future bank failures and impacts of ongoing overseas conflicts, could adversely impact our business and that of our existing and prospective customers, which may result in reduced demand for our products; we may not be able to generate sufficient cash to service our indebtedness; covenants in our credit agreement may restrict our operations, and if we do not effectively manage our business to comply with these covenants, our financial condition could be adversely impacted; any cybersecurity-related attack, significant data breach or disruption of the information technology systems or networks on which we rely could negatively affect our business; and changing regulations relating to privacy, information security and data protection could increase our costs, affect or limit how we collect and use personal information and harm our brand. Additional risks and uncertainties that could cause actual outcomes and results to differ materially from those contemplated by the forward-looking statements are included under the caption “Risk Factors” and elsewhere in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”), including our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2023 filed with the SEC on February 23, 2024, as well as any future reports that we file with the SEC. Moreover, you should interpret many of the risks identified in those reports as being heightened as a result of the current instability in market and economic conditions. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date the statements are made and are based on information available to Sprout Social at the time those statements are made and/or management’s good faith belief as of that time with respect to future events. Sprout Social assumes no obligation to update forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date they were made, except as required by law.
WARSAW, Poland, April 14, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — On April 14, Unimot,a multienergy capital group and a leader among independent importers of liquid and gaseous fuels in Poland with a strong international presence, officially inaugurated the establishment of the Board of Strategic Advisors.The Board consists of international experts: Mark Brzezinski, PhD, Prof. Jim Mazurkiewicz, Prof. Boguslaw Pacek, Prof. Karl Rose and Isaac Querub, and is led by Andreas Golombek, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Unimot.The establishment of the Board of Strategic Advisors strengthens the Unimot Group’s competence in the face of the growing importance of geopolitics, global challenges in the energy sector, and dynamic economic changes. The initiator of the Board of Strategic Advisory is Adam Sikorski, PhD, President of the Management Board of Unimot.
Unimot has over 30 years of experience in the industry and operates internationally, with branches in Poland, China, Switzerland, and Ukraine; it also operates an LPG terminal in Wilhelmshaven, Germany, under a lease agreement. In response to the evolving global energy landscape and the growing significance of strategic expertise, the company has established its Board of Strategic Advisors, consisting of renowned experts with extensive professional experience in areas crucial for the energy sector – from strategic management, through energy security, raw material geopolitics, to advanced technologies and investments.
“We are aware that success in the dynamic and unpredictable energy market requires the ability to anticipate trends and manage risk boldly. This is especially important in the face of geopolitical and economic challenges that go far beyond national or regional interests. Considering the long-term interests of our shareholders and the future of the entire group, we have deliberately established the Board of Strategic Advisors.This is a group of world-class experts whoseextensive connections and unique experience will allow us to continuously monitor the market situation and draw appropriate conclusions based on this, ultimately building a competitive advantage, ensuring stable and sustainable development, and responsibly managing risk in an era when geopolitics determines the future of the energy industry,” says Dr. Adam Sikorski, President of the Management Board of Unimot.
“Uncertainty is a constant in the energy sector, but success comes to those who are able to see opportunities where others only see threats. I would like to thank UNIMOT’s Management Board for the invitation to join the Board – our role will be to provide knowledge and tools that will help the company not only adapt to changes but actively shape the future of the market,” says Prof. Karl Rose, Member of the Board of Strategic Advisors.
The establishment of the Board of Strategic Advisors is another step in the consistent strengthening of the Unimot Group’s position as an independent leader in the energy sector. All activities will be carried out in line with the current strategy of sustainable development, corporate responsibility, and care for the long-term interests of shareholders.
About Unimot:
Unimot is a multi-energy capital group and a leader among independent importers of liquid and gaseous fuels in Poland, listed on the main market of the Warsaw Stock Exchange. The company specializes in the wholesale of diesel oil and the distribution of other liquid fuels. It ranks third in the fuel storage market and second in asphalt production in Poland, operating nine fuel terminals and two bitumen production plants. Furthermore, Unimot is developing its photovoltaic segment and invests in additional renewable energy sectors. The company also manages the AVIA fuel station network in Poland and Ukraine.
WASHINGTON, April 14, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — United Bank (NASDAQ: UBSI) and the Federal Home Loan Bank of Atlanta (FHLBank Atlanta) announced today an investment of $4.7 million in grant funding, designated for five separate projects that will create 363 new affordable housing units in Washington, D.C. and Virginia.
The funding is sourced from FHLBank Atlanta’s Affordable Housing Program (AHP) General Fund and administered through United Bank.
These funds will go toward the following projects in Washington, D.C.:
Hope View Apartments received $1 million to use for the development of 42 housing units for seniors with incomes 80% or below the area median income (AMI), 16 of which are reserved for homeless households. This development will include approximately 8,000 square feet for community services for residents and the surrounding community. Anacostia Economic Development Corporation is the sponsor and developer, and T&H Investment Properties LLC also sponsored the project, which is expected to be completed in early 2026.
2229 M Street NEApartments received $1 million for the development of 92 rental units for families, 89% of which are for households with incomes at or below 50% of AMI. The project is sponsored by Housing Up and THC Affordable Housing and is expected to be completed by the end of 2026.
Wagner Senior Residences received $742,805 for the development of an apartment complex that will provide 67 affordable housing units, 90% of which will be for seniors with incomes below 50% of AMI. The Residences are sponsored by Justice Housing Inc. in partnership with Miller Housing LLC and is expected to be completed by the end of 2026.
2911 Rhode IslandAvenue NE Apartments received $1 million toward the development of a new affordable rental project, which will provide 100 units for households between 30% and 80% of AMI. The project is sponsored by Lincoln-Westmoreland Housing, Inc. and is expected to be completed in spring of 2028.
In Harrisonburg, Va.:
Bluestone Town Center Residences received $1 million for the development of 62 affordable housing units for seniors with incomes between 30% and 60% of AMI. These senior housing units will be part of the full Bluestone Town Center development, a 90-acre master planned, multi-phased community that will create 900 units of mixed-income housing and service-oriented commercial space less than five minutes from downtown Harrisonburg. Harrisonburg Redevelopment & Housing Authority is the project sponsor and developer. The project is expected to be completed by early 2026.
Each property will provide residents with high-speed internet and offer education and training services on topics including computer skills, life skills, money management, GED preparation, literacy, and nutrition.
“United Bank has a longstanding history of supporting community development initiatives that provide affordable housing, support low- or moderate-income senior citizens and families, and revitalize communities in meaningful ways,” said Christina Cudney, Corporate Social Responsibility Officer, United Bank. “These funds from FHLBank Atlanta help us continue to move the needle on pressing challenges faced by our communities to fulfill this ongoing commitment. With the rise in construction costs, several projects in our area had a need for gap funding, and FHLBank Atlanta’s grant program is enabling these initiatives to cross the finish line sooner than otherwise possible.”
FHLBank Atlanta’s General Fund provides grants annually to assist in the acquisition, construction, rehabilitation, or preservation of affordable housing projects. In December 2024, FHLBank Atlanta announced 66 grant recipient winners of its 2024 program, which allocated a total of $55 million to support the development and repair of more than 4,200 affordable housing units.
“It is inspiring to see United Bank’s dedication to affordable housing and economic vitality,” said FHLBank Atlanta President and CEO Kirk Malmberg. “Understanding the growing need for more affordable housing, our members like United Bank are working hand in hand with their local developers and nonprofits to make a lasting impact, and we are honored to see funds from FHLBank Atlanta support such transformational projects.”
About United Bank United Bank is a premier community bank headquartered in Greater Washington, D.C. A subsidiary of United Bankshares, Inc. (NASDAQ: UBSI), United has consolidated assets of more than $32 billion with over 240 offices located throughout Virginia, Maryland, West Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Georgia, as well as Washington, D.C., where it is the community bank of the nation’s capital. The Bank is committed to growing the relationships it has built since 1839 and offering a competitive suite of banking and lending products, treasury management, wealth management, mortgage services, personal and business credit cards, and more. United is also committed to providing excellence in service to the communities throughout its footprint, strategically aligning resources to move the needle on pressing challenges in vital impact areas, including financial literacy, children and education, affordable housing, health, and economic vitality. For more information, visit BankWithUnited.com.
About Federal Home Loan Bank of Atlanta FHLBank Atlanta offers competitively-priced financing, community development grants, and other banking services to help member financial institutions make affordable home mortgages and provide economic development credit to neighborhoods and communities. The Bank’s members—its shareholders and customers—are commercial banks, credit unions, savings institutions, community development financial institutions, and insurance companies located in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, and the District of Columbia. FHLBank Atlanta is one of 11 district Banks in the Federal Home Loan Bank System. Since 1990, the FHLBanks have awarded approximately $9.1 billion in Affordable Housing Program funds, assisting more than 1.2 million households.
Madame Prime Minister, other Ministers, Chair of the Supervisory Board, honoured guests:
An hour before noon on Friday 15 April 1904, all stores in Reykjavík were closed, and children were given the day off school. At noon, city merchants gathered at the square in Lækjartorg and “marched” to the tune of band music to the cemetery on Suðurgata. The weather was delightful, and the Icelandic flag, which was then blue and white, and the Danish flag were held aloft as the parade moved along. When it reached the cemetery, a garland was placed on the grave of Jón Sigurdsson, speeches were given, those gathered sang “Ó Guð vors lands [O God of our Land]”, and the group returned to midtown.
That parade marked the fifty-year anniversary of free trade and the end of the Danish trade monopoly, the last vestiges of which had been lifted on 15 April 1854. The celebrations continued through the evening with gatherings all over town. Freedom was eulogised with a nineteen verse “ode to trade freedom” written by editor and Alaska explorer Jón Ólafsson. The last verse translates loosely as follows:
Let freedom to trade be the beacon that guides us
and helps us change boulders to bread.
Let freedom to trade be the bedrock beneath us,
the bulwark of freedoms ahead.
Independence leader Jón Sigurdsson had certainly prioritised free trade. In 1843, he wrote an article for the magazine Ný félagsrit [New Association Writings] entitled “On Trade in Iceland”, in which he explored Icelandic history through the lens of classical economics in the spirit of Adam Smith and David Ricardo. He attributed Iceland’s poverty to the Danish trade monopoly, thereby staking out a new political policy: Free trade would be a cornerstone of Iceland’s sovereignty. The 1904 event was therefore a victory celebration, as much had been gained over the preceding half-century. Iceland had home rule and a new bank registered in Copenhagen. Motorised boats and urbanisation were just over the horizon. Perhaps more importantly, the Icelandic nation had gained the confidence to stand on its own feet.
Honoured guests:
The period from 1860 until 1914 is often referred to as the First Globalisation – when trade in goods and capital was unrestricted and countries were interlinked by railroads, steamships, and the telegraph. The British were in the vanguard of global trade at that time, harnessing their industrial power, their might as a colonial empire, and the strength of the gold-pegged pound sterling.
This openness came to an end with the outbreak of World War I in 1914. The US took the helm from Britain as the twentieth century’s leading industrialised country but did not take the lead in world trade. This became obvious after the stock market crash of October 1929. In June 1930, the US responded by levying protective tariffs of 20% on the rest of the world. Other countries immediately responded in kind and world trade shrank by 60-70% over the ensuing two years, undeniably deepening the Great Depression.
Iceland’s fight for independence was grounded not least in its having unrestricted access to foreign markets. It was in the shelter of this certainty that the nation chose to separate from Denmark and become a sovereign state on 19 October 1918. A mere 23 days later, on 11 November 1918, World War I ended with the signing of an armistice agreement on the Western Front, and soon afterwards, Europe stopped buying Icelandic herring. Iceland was close to insolvent by October 1920, and consumer goods had to be rationed in Reykjavík over the ensuing winter. The situation was only remedied after the króna had been devalued by 30% and a loan from Britain obtained – on onerous terms.
Only two years after having gained sovereignty, Iceland had been battered by the fragility of international trade. Numerous shocks have shaken the country since then, and we have usually been poorly prepared for the headwinds. Perhaps it is not in Icelanders’ nature to make hay while the sun shines, as we are advised in to do in the Book of Proverbs. I believe the COVID pandemic in 2020 was the first and only severe shock we have weathered without staring down the barrel of a balance of payments crisis, a currency implosion, the imposition of capital controls, or goods rationing. But our relative strength in 2020 did not materialise out of nowhere.
Honoured guests:
Ever since the financial crisis struck in October 2008, we as a nation have given top priority to shoring up the economy’s resilience to external shocks. Of course, this is not the work of any single individual but a joint effort involving many, many people. With the passage of the new Central Bank Act in 2019 and the merger between the Bank and the Financial Supervisory Authority in 2020, Iceland endeavoured to integrate monetary policy, macroprudential policy, and financial supervision into a comprehensive strategy. Five years after the merger, the boundaries between the two institutions have vanished, but the improvement is plain to see.
Anyone who doubts the efficacy of macroprudential tools should read the Bank’s most recent Financial Stability report, issued this March. According to the analysis in that report, households’ and businesses’ balance sheets have seldom been healthier than they are right now, owing to moderate debt levels and ample equity. There are few signs of increased arrears as yet. Iceland’s balance of payments is broadly satisfactory, and the króna has been relatively stable. In short, we are very well prepared to face headwinds.
The application of macroprudential tools has also supported monetary policy effectively by restricting both debt levels in the real estate market and derivatives contracts in the foreign exchange market. It has enabled us both to prevent bubble formation amidst rising house prices and to limit opportunities for speculation and carry trade in the wake of a significant tightening of the monetary stance. It is also clear that capital requirements on credit institutions strengthen the transmission of the monetary stance along the credit channel by limiting the multiplier effects on deposits and lending, or the money creation associated with increased leverage.
The Central Bank has now lowered its key interest rates four times since last autumn, and inflation has been on a more or less constant downward path for well over a year. Although inflation is still too high, it is moving steadily towards the 2½% inflation target. Monetary policy works. As long as private sector balance sheets remain strong and resilience is sufficient, it is quite likely that the economy will achieve a soft landing after a period of very buoyant GDP growth. This is the scriptural lesson that truly matters.
Honoured guests:
The voices insisting that we as a nation cannot afford the macroprudential buffers we have accumulated in recent years have grown ever louder. Icelandic banks, they say, are fenced in and their competitive position weakened by excessive capital requirements. Resolving this would involve either bank mergers or a relaxation of capital requirements. In this context, I want to ask everyone to pause for a minute and look back over the past five years, and to recognise that it is indeed possible to strengthen operations without increasing leverage and indebtedness in the system.
In 2019, the three systemically important banks’ net interest income totalled 100 b.kr. or so. By 2024, it had grown to 150 b.kr. This is an increase of 16% in real terms. Over the same period, the banks’ operating expenses rose by 7 b.kr., which is equivalent to a decrease of 19% in real terms. Their expense ratios in terms of regular income fell from 57% in 2019 to 43% as of 2024. Their interest rate spreads have held broadly unchanged. Simply put, this is a revolution in Icelandic banking operations! And no wonder that the three banks’ returns were twice as strong over the past four years as over the four-year period immediately preceding. In 2017-2020, the banks’ average returns were 5.7%, but in 2021-2024 they were 11.7%. Strong returns and strong macroprudential policy therefore go hand-in-hand!
I cannot resist quoting the closing line in Voltaire’s Candide: “We must cultivate our garden.” It seems crystal-clear to me that the three large banks have made astonishing progress in cultivating their gardens over the past five years – and that a host of opportunities still await them.
I want to emphasise here that the best foundation for sound long-term returns in the financial system is economic policy that ensures stability. This should be obvious – and it is a lesson we ought to have learned many times over. The heart of the matter is this: Strong macroprudential policy and robust financial supervision create more stable revenues for the financial system and reduce the likelihood of loan losses and collapse. Macroprudential tools lay the groundwork for preventing competition in the lending market from devolving into a game of leapfrog where participants vie with each other to see who can make the most lenient requirements, as was the case during the years preceding the collapse of 2008. Being a systemically important bank in a small system brings with it both responsibilities and benefits, which must inevitably be reflected in higher capital requirements. But I want to mention that just this winter the Central Bank lowered capital buffers on Icelandic financial institutions not designated as systemically important. This is a reflection of the Bank’s assessment that systemic risk has subsided with the application of macroprudential tools.
I also want to emphasise the importance of financial supervision for the credibility of the financial system, where transparency is a key to trust. It is vital to monitor risks within individual institutions because temptation within one entity can so easily become another’s problem. In this context, it is important that we be able to investigate such cases and conclude them appropriately without giving rise to doubts about the financial system or the market as a whole. It is also important that we increase the efficacy of supervision to the extent possible, given the international commitments we have undertaken under the EEA Agreement. I would like to point out that the capital requirements imposed on Icelandic credit institutions due to specific credit risk have declined in recent years, partly because the banks’ loan books are far better diversified and carry less concentration risk now that the share of real estate-backed loans has increased. The outlook is also for capital requirements due to mortgages with relatively low loan-to-value ratios to decline even further with the implementation of the third Capital Requirements Regulation (CRR III) in coming months.
Not only have real estate-backed loans generated secure interest income for the banks and reduced capital requirements, they have also created new, favourable possibilities for foreign funding. I am convinced that, once the dust settles after the period of rapid price rises and supply shortages in the housing market, we will see continued growth in the banks’ mortgage lending, similar to that seen in neighbouring countries, and Icelandic households will then be able to borrow on the best possible terms. It is very important for the Government to support this loan form – one that is funded with deposits, on the one hand, and covered bonds, on the other – instead of launching a new system and/or sponsoring large-scale State-guaranteed lending. In this context, we should be chastened by the past, for the Housing Financing Fund’s remaining assets are hopefully being settled virtually as I speak, and at a large loss to the Treasury.
Honoured guests:
From the beginning of Iceland’s sovereignty in 1918 until November 2008, the country’s international reserves were too small to enable us to weather large external shocks. We changed course with loans taken in cooperation with the IMF in the wake of the financial crisis. But it was not until the Central Bank embarked on large-scale foreign currency purchases in the domestic interbank market in 2014-2017 that we acquired sizeable reserves financed in Icelandic krónur. These purchases created a glut of liquidity in the monetary system. Subsequently, the Central Bank’s key interest rate became its deposit rate rather than the rate on collateralised loans. Instead of receiving interest income from its collateralised loans to the banks, as it had previously, the Central Bank paid interest on banks’ deposits. If foreign interest income on the reserves were enough to cover these payments of deposit interest, the Central Bank’s finances would be broadly in balance. As things stand, however, interest rates on deposits with the Central Bank have far exceeded returns on the reserves, owing to Iceland’s interest rate differential with abroad. Furthermore, because of their prudential role, the reserves are invested in high-quality liquid assets, which generally yield lower returns than higher-risk assets would. This, in turn, entails a negative interest rate differential for the Central Bank and has eroded its capital in recent years. In 2024, the Bank took measures to curb this trend, as I explained in my speech at the Bank’s annual meeting a year ago.
The shift was of direct benefit to the commercial banks. The foreign currency purchases of previous years expanded the stock of deposits and liquid assets in the system. Thus the banks’ gross interest income is higher than it would be otherwise, which should reduce their average expenses. Furthermore, financial institutions enjoy risk-free returns on their accounts with the Central Bank. The benefits of this stem from the difference between the deposit interest the banks pay to their customers and the deposit interest they receive from the Central Bank. Here it is worth noting that liquid assets such as the banks’ deposits with the Central Bank are not subject to reserve requirements. In view of all this, it should be beyond doubt that the commercial banks derive a net benefit from the past few years’ glut of liquidity in the Icelandic monetary system – not to mention the international reserves themselves.
The advantages of large reserves should also be patently obvious. The reserves confer benefits such as improved credit ratings, easier access to foreign credit markets, and better interest rate terms, and moreover, they are available to ensure liquidity in the foreign exchange market when needed. The commercial banks benefit in particular, as they are the only domestic entities apart from the Treasury and State-owned companies that have issued bonds in foreign credit markets. The direct advantage to the three banks can be seen, among other things, in last year’s credit rating upgrades and in more favourable interest terms abroad, which ultimately deliver benefits to the banks’ customers.
The international reserves currently total 865 b.kr., or 19% of GDP. They are held jointly by the Central Bank and the Treasury, although of course, the Icelandic nation is ultimately the owner. The 300 b.kr. worth of reserves owned by the Treasury are actually borrowed, as they are financed with foreign bond issues. The Central Bank’s share in the reserves, which are financed primarily in krónur, comes to 565 b.kr. At present, the Bank and the Treasury bear the cost of the reserves jointly, together with deposit institutions via the 3% reserve requirement.
The Bank bases its assessment of the optimum size of the international reserves on the IMF’s reserve adequacy metric, or RAM. The Bank’s current assessment is that the reserves should not be below 120% of that metric. The reserves have shrunk in recent years, and their funding has changed markedly, owing in particular to the Bank’s programme of foreign currency sales during the pandemic and the Treasury’s foreign currency need. In 2024, the reserves were equivalent to 118% of the RAM. The outlook is for the reserves to shrink marginally in the coming term, all else being equal, owing to foreign payments made by the Bank on the Treasury’s behalf. The Central Bank is therefore of the opinion that the reserves need to be strengthened. As a result, and as a step in that direction, the Bank will initiate a new programme of regular foreign currency purchases in the domestic interbank market on 15 April 2025, the 171st anniversary of free trade in Iceland. The Bank plans to buy a total of 6 million euros, the equivalent of 870 b.kr., each week. The programme will be explained in more detail in a press release posted on the Bank’s website.
Honoured guests:
The foundations for the post-war renaissance of free global trade were laid at a conference of 44 nations in the small US town of Bretton Woods, New Hampshire, in July 1944. Iceland was among them. At the Bretton Woods conference, the groundwork was laid for the establishment of the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank, and the so-called Bretton Woods fixed exchange rate system. Three years later, groundrules were created for the cancellation of tariffs and quotas in world trade with the signing in 1947 of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade, or GATT Treaty. In a total of eight rounds of negotiations, the world was opened up again, and GATT led to the establishment of the World Trade Organization in 1995, a year after the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) came into being.
The political capital for the endeavour came from the US, as did the political conviction that trade liberalisation was the only way to guarantee world peace and that big countries should not strong-arm smaller ones by levying tariffs on them. This perspective on the link between peace and free trade has been a leitmotif in US foreign policy for over 80 years – until 2025, that is.
It is unclear what short- and long-term impact the tariffs introduced by the current US administration this April will have on the global economy or on the future of liberalised world trade. It is obvious, though, that the side-effects will be felt not least by the American people, who have benefited enormously from free international trade.
I firmly believe in common sense: World trade will adjust to a new reality and will continue to grow. That does not change the fact that we Icelanders must always be prepared to respond to shocks and changed circumstances – to ensure the resilience of our economy. There is no question that strong macroprudential policy enabled us to weather the COVID storm without significant problems. And we have recouped our previous output capacity with 20% accumulated GDP growth since 2020. With this in mind, I want to encourage stakeholders and elected officials alike to avoid short-sightedness. Solid macroprudential policy is a good investment for the Icelandic nation.
It would be highly appropriate for us to gather at Lækjartorg next Tuesday, the 15th of April, walk together to Jón Sigurdsson’s grave in the cemetery, and celebrate the abolition of the Danish trade monopoly. Jón’s political policy – that free trade is a cornerstone of sovereignty and prosperity – is still valid.
“Wherever Palestinians have control is barbaric.” These were the words from New Zealand’s Chief Human Rights Commissioner Stephen Rainbow.
During a meeting with Philippa Yasbek from Jewish Voices for Peace, Dr Rainbow allegedly told her that information from the NZ Security Intelligence Services (NZSIS) threat assessment asserted that Muslims were the biggest threat to the Jewish community. More so than white supremacists.
But the NZSIS has not identified Muslims as the greatest threat to national security.
In the 2023 threat environment report, NZSIS stated that it: “Does not single out any community as a threat to our country, and to do so would be a misinterpretation of the analysis.
“White Identity-Motivated Violent Extremism (W-IMVE) continues to be the dominant IMVE ideology in New Zealand. Young people becoming involved in W-IMVE is a growing trend.”
Religiously motivated violent extremism (RMVE) did not come from the Muslim community, as Dr Rainbow has also misrepresented.
The more recent 2024 NZSIS report stated: “White identity-motivated violent extremism (W-IMVE) remains the dominant IMVE ideology in New Zealand. Terrorist attack-related material and propaganda, including the Christchurch terrorist’s manifesto and livestream footage, continue to be shared among IMVE adherents in New Zealand and abroad.”
To implicate Muslims as being the greatest threat may highlight Dr Rainbow’s own biases, racist beliefs, and political agenda. These false narratives, that have recently been strongly pushed by the US and Israel, undermine social cohesion and lead to a rise in Islamophobia and anti-Palestinian racism.
It is also deeply troubling that he has framed Muslim and Arab communities as potential sources of violent extremism while failing to acknowledge the very real and documented threats they have faced in Aotearoa.
The Christchurch Mosque attacks — the most horrific act of mass violence in New Zealand’s modern history — were perpetrated not by Muslims, but against them, by an individual radicalised by white supremacist ideology.
Chief Human Rights Commissioner Dr Stephen Rainbow . . . “It is also deeply troubling that he has framed Muslim and Arab communities as potential sources of violent extremism while failing to acknowledge the very real and documented threats they have faced in Aotearoa.” Image: HRC
Since that tragedy, there have been multiple threats made against mosques, Arab New Zealanders, and Palestinian communities, many of which have received insufficient public attention or institutional response.
For a Human Rights Commissioner to overlook this context and effectively invert the victim-aggressor dynamic is not only factually inaccurate, but it also risks reinforcing harmful stereotypes and undermining the safety and dignity of communities who are already vulnerable.
Such narratives are inconsistent with the Human Rights Commission’s mandate to protect all people in New Zealand from discrimination and hate.
The dehumanisation of Muslims and Palestinians As part of Israel’s propaganda, anti-Muslim and Palestinian tropes are used to justify violence against Palestinians by framing us as barbaric, aggressive, and as a threat. We are dehumanised in order to normalise the harm they inflict on our communities which includes genocide, land theft, ethnic cleansing, apartheid policies, dispossession, and occupation.
In October 2023, Dan Gillerman, a former Israeli Ambassador to the UN, described Palestinians as “horrible, inhuman animals” and was perplexed with the growing global concern for us.
That same month Yoav Gallant, then Israeli Defence Minister, referred to Palestinians as “human animals” when he announced Israel’s illegal and horrific siege on Gaza that included blocking water, food, medicine, and shelter to an entire population, the majority of which are children.
In making his own remarks about the Muslim community being a “threat” in New Zealand as a collective group, and labelling Palestinians being “barbaric”, Dr Stephen Rainbow has shattered the credibility of the Human Rights Commission. He has made it very clear that he is not impartial nor is he representing and protecting all communities.
Instead, Dr Rainbow is exacerbating divisions within society. This is a worrying trend that we are witnessing around the world; the de-humanising of groups to serve political agendas, retain power, or seek public support for war crimes and crimes against humanity.
Dr Rainbow’s appointment also points a spotlight onto this government’s commitment to neutrality and inclusiveness in its human rights policies. Allowing a high-ranking official to make discriminatory remarks undermines New Zealand’s commitment to the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (ICERD) and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
A high-ranking official should not be allowed to engage in Islamic and Palestinian racist rhetoric without consequence. The public should be questioning the morals, principles, and inclusivity of those currently in power. Our trust is being eroded.
Dr Stephen Rainbow’s comments can also be seen as a breach of human rights principles, as he is supposed to uphold equality and non-discrimination. Yet his beliefs seem to be peppered with racism, often falsely based on religion, ethnicity, and race.
Foreign influence in New Zealand This incident also shines accountability and concerns for foreign influence and propaganda seeping into New Zealand. The Israel Institute of New Zealand (IINZ) has published articles that some perceive as dehumanising toward Palestinians.
“The Left has found a new underdog to replace the Jews — the Palestinians — in spite of the fact that the treatment of gay people, women, and political opponents wherever Palestinians have control is barbaric.”
By publicising these comments, The Israel Institute of New Zealand signalled its support of these offensive and racist serotypes. Such statements risk reinforcing a narrative that portrays Palestinians as inherently violent, uncivilised, and unworthy of basic rights and dignity.
This kind of rhetoric contributes to what many describe as anti-Arab and anti-Palestinian racism, and it warrants public scrutiny, especially when shared by organisations involved in shaping public discourse.
Importantly, the NZSIS 2024 threat report stated that “Inflammatory and violent language online can target anyone, although most appears directed towards those from already marginalised minority communities, or those affected by globally significant conflicts or events, such as the Israel-Gaza conflict.”
Other statements and reposts published online by the IINZ on their X account include:
“Muslims are getting killed, is Israel involved? No. How many casualties? Under 100,00, who cares? Why is this even on the news? Over 100,000. Oh, that’s too bad, what’s for dinner?” (12 February 2024)
“Fact. Gaza isn’t ‘ancestral Palestinian land’. We’ve been here long before them, and we’ll still be here long after the latest propaganda campaign.” (12 February 2024)
Palestinian society was also described as being “a violent, terror-supporting, Jew-hating society with genocidal aspirations.” (16 February 2025)
The “estimate of Hamas casualties, the civilian-to-combat death ratio could be as low as 1:1. This could be historically low for urban warfare.” (21 February 2025)
“There has never been a country called Palestine.” (25 February 2025)
Even showing a picture of Gaza before Israel’s bombing campaign with a caption saying, “Open air prison”. Next to it a picture of a completely destroyed Gaza with a caption that says “Victory.” (23 February 2025)
“Palestinian society in Gaza is in my eyes little more than a death loving cult of murderers and criminals of the lowest kind.” (28 February 2025)
Anti-Palestinian bias and racism Portraying Muslims and Palestinians as a threat and extremist reflects both Islamophobia and anti-Palestinian bias and potential racism. These statements risk dehumanising Palestinians and are typical of the settler colonial narrative used to erase indigenous populations by denying our history, identity and legal claim.
The IINZ has published content that many see as mocking the deaths of Palestinian Muslims and Christians, which is not only ethically questionable but can be seen as a complete lack of empathy.
And posting the horrific images of a completely destroyed Gaza, appears to revel in the suffering of others and contradicts basic ethical norms, such as decency and compassion.
There also appears to be a common theme among pro-Israeli organisations, not just the IINZ, that cast negative connotations on our national symbols including our Palestinian flag and keffiyeh.
In an article on the IINZ webpage, titled “A justified war”, they write “chorus of protesters wearing keffiyehs, waving their Palestinian and terrorist flags, and shouting about Israel’s alleged war crimes.”
It seemingly places the Palestinian flag — an internationally recognised national symbol– alongside so-called “terrorist flags,” suggesting an equivalence between Palestinian identity and terrorism. Many view this language as dehumanising and inflammatory, erasing the legitimate national and cultural characteristics of Palestinians and feeding into harmful stereotypes.
The Palestinian flag represents a people, their identity, and national aspirations.
There is nothing wrong with our keffiyeh, it is part of our national dress. The negative connotations of Palestinian cultural symbols have to stop, including vilifying other MPs or supporters who wear it in solidarity.
This is happening all too often in New Zealand and must be called out and addressed. Our keffiyeh is not just a scarf — it is a symbol of our Palestinian identity, our resistance, and our rich, historic and deeply rooted cultural heritage.
Pro-Israeli groups attack it because they aim to delegitimise Palestinian identity and resistance by associating it with violence, terrorism, or extremism.
In 2024, ISESCO and UNESCO both recognised the keffiyeh as an essential part of their Intangible Cultural Heritage lists as a way of safeguarding Palestinian cultural heritage and reinforcing its historical and symbolic importance.
As a safeguarded cultural artifact, much like indigenous dress and other traditional attire, attempts to ban or demonize it are acts of cultural erasure and need to be called out as such and dealt with accordingly.
In the same IINZ article titled “A Justified War”, the authors present arguments that appear to defend Israel’s military actions in Gaza, including the targeting of civilians.
Many within the community (most of us have been affected), including survivors and those with direct ties to the region, have found the article deeply distressing and feel that it lacks compassion for the victims of the ongoing violence, and the framing and tone of the piece have raised serious ethical concerns, especially as some statements are factually incorrect.
The New Zealand Palestinian communities affected by this unimaginable genocide are suffering. Our family members are being killed and are at threat daily from Israel’s aggression and illegal war.
Unfortunately, much rhetoric from this organisation aligns with Israeli state narratives and includes statements that some view as racist or immoral, warranting further scrutiny from the government.
There is growing public concern over the association of Human Rights Commissioner Dr Stephen Rainbow with the IINZ, which promotes itself as a research and advocacy body.
A Human Rights Commissioner requires neutrality and a commitment to protecting all communities from discrimination; aligning with Israel and publishing harmful rhetoric may lead to bias in policy decisions and discrimination.
It is also important to remember that we are not a monolithic group. Christian Palestinians exist (I am one) as well as Muslim and historically Jewish Palestinians. Christian communities have lived in Palestine for two thousand years.
This is also not a religious conflict, as many pro-Israeli groups wish the world to believe, and it is not complex. It is one of colonialism, dispossession, and human rights. A history that New Zealand is all too familiar with.
“A Human Rights Commissioner requires neutrality and a commitment to protecting all communities from discrimination; aligning with Israel and publishing harmful rhetoric may lead to bias in policy decisions and discrimination.” Image: HRC screenshot APR
The need for accountability Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith’s inaction and disrespectful response, claiming that a staunchly pro-Israeli supporter can be impartial and will be “very careful” from now on, hints that he may also support some forms of racism, in this case against Muslims and Palestinians.
Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith . . . “There needs to be accountability for Goldsmith. Why has he not removed Dr Rainbow from office and acted appropriately?” Image: NZ Parliament
You cannot address only some groups who are discriminated against but then ignore others, or accept excuses for racist, intolerable actions or statements. This is not justice.
This is the application of selective principles, enforced and underpinned by political agendas, foreign influence, and racism. Does Goldsmith understand that justice is as much about human rights, fairness and accountability as it is about laws?
Without accountability, there is no justice at all, or perhaps he too is confused or uncertain about his role, as much as Dr Rainbow seems oblivious to his?
There needs to be accountability for Goldsmith. Why has he not removed Dr Rainbow from office and acted appropriately? If Dr Rainbow had said that Jews were the biggest threat to Muslims or that Israelis were the biggest threat to Palestinians, would this government and Goldsmith have sat back and said, “he didn’t mean it, it was a mistake, and he has apologised”?
Questions New Zealanders should be asking are, what kind of Human Rights Commissioner speaks of entire peoples this way? What kind of minister, like Paul Goldsmith, looks at that and does very little?
What kind of Government claims to champion justice, while turning a blind eye to genocide? This is betraying the very idea of human rights itself.
Although we are a small country here in New Zealand, we have remained strong by upholding and standing by our principles. We said no to apartheid in South Africa. We said no to nuclear weapons in the Pacific. We said no to the invasion of Iraq in 2003.
And we must now say no to dehumanisation — anywhere. Are we a nation that upholds justice or do we sit on the sidelines while the darkest times in modern history envelopes us all?
The attacks against Palestinians, Arabs and Muslims must stop. We have already faced horrific acts of violence against us here in New Zealand and currently in Palestine. We need support and humanity, not dehumanisation, demonisation and cruelty. This is not what New Zealand is about, we must do better together.
There needs to be a formal enquiry and policy review to see if structural biases exist in New Zealand’s Human Rights institutions. This should also be done across some government bodies, including the Ministry of Education and Immigration NZ, to determine if there has been discrimination or inequality in the handling of humanitarian visas and how the Education Ministry has handled the complaints of anti-Palestinian discrimination at schools.
Communities have particular concern at how the curriculum in many schools deals with the creation of the state of Israel but is silent on Palestinian history.
Public figures should be held to a higher standard, with consequences for spreading racially charged rhetoric.
The Human Rights Commission needs to rebuild trust in our multicultural New Zealand society. The only way this can be done is through fair and just measures that include enforcement of anti-discrimination laws, true inclusivity and action when there is an absence of these.
We are living in a moment where silence is complicity. Where apathy is betrayal.
This is a test of whether New Zealand, Minister Goldsmith and this government truly uphold human rights for all, or only for some.
Source: The Conversation – USA – By Erin Baker, Distinguished Professor of Industrial Engineering and Faculty Director of The Energy Transition Institute, UMass Amherst
A turbine from the Roth Rock wind farm spins on the spine of Backbone Mountain behind the Mettiki Coal processing plant in Oakland, Md.Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
The Trump administration is working to lift regulations on coal-fired power plants in the hopes of making its energy less expensive. But while cost is one important aspect, utilities have a lot more to consider when they choose their power sources.
Different technologies play different roles in the power system. Some sources, like nuclear energy, are reliable but inflexible. Other sources, like oil, are flexible but expensive and polluting.
How utilities choose which power source to invest in depends in large part on two key aspects: price and reliability.
Power prices
One way to compare power sources is by their levelized cost of electricity. This shows how much it costs to produce one unit of electricity on average over the life of the generator.
Coal is one of the more expensive technologies for utilities today, making it less competitive compared with solar, wind and natural gas, by Lazard’s calculations. Only nuclear, offshore wind and “peaker” plants, which are used only during periods of high electricity demand, are more expensive.
Land-based wind and solar power have the lowest estimated costs, far below what consumers are paying for electricity today. The National Renewable Energy Lab has found similar levelized costs for renewable energy, though its estimates for nuclear are lower than Lazard’s.
Upfront costs are also important and can make the difference for whether new power projects can be built, as the East Coast has seen lately.
But cost is not the whole story. Utilities must balance a number of criteria when investing in power sources.
Most important is matching supply and demand at every moment of the day. Due to the technical characteristics of electricity and how it flows, if the supply of electricity is even a little bit lower than the demand, that can trigger a blackout. This means power companies and consumers need generation that can ramp down when demand is low and ramp up when demand is high.
Since wind and solar generation depend on the wind blowing and the sun shining, these sources must be combined with other types of generation or with storage, such as batteries, to ensure the power grid has exactly as much power as it needs at all times.
Combining renewable energy and battery storage or both wind and solar can smooth out power supply dips and spikes. The Pine Tree Wind Farm and Solar Power Plant in the Tehachapi Mountains north of Los Angeles do both. Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images
Nuclear and coal are predictable and run reliably, but they are inflexible – they take time to ramp up and down, and doing so is expensive. Steam turbines are simply not built for flexibility. The multiple days it took to shut down Japan’s Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant after an earthquake and tsunami damaged its backup power sources in 2011 illustrated the challenges and safety issues related to ramping down nuclear plants.
That means coal and nuclear aren’t as helpful on those hot summer days when utilities need a quick power increase to keep air conditioners running. These peaks may only happen a few days a year, but keeping the power on is crucial for human health and the economy.
In today’s energy system, the most flexible generation sources are natural gas and hydro. They can quickly adjust to meet changing electricity demand without the safety and cost concerns of coal and nuclear. Hydro can ramp in minutes but can only be built where large dams are feasible. The most cost-effective natural gas technology can ramp up within hours.
The big picture, by power source
Over the past two decades, natural gas use has risen quickly to overtake coal as the most common fuel for generating electricity in the U.S. The boom was largely driven by the growing use of fracking technology, which allowed producers to extract gas from rock and lowered the price.
But natural gas has its challenges. Natural gas requires pipelines to carry it across the country, leading to disruptive construction. As Texas saw during its February 2021 blackouts, natural gas equipment can also fail in extreme cold. And like coal, natural gas is a fossil fuel that releases greenhouse gases during combustion, so it is also helping to cause climate change and contributes to air pollution that can harm human health.
Nuclear power has been gaining interest recently since it does not contribute to climate change or local air pollution. It also provides a steady baseload of power, which is useful for computing centers as their demand does not fluctuate as much as households.
Of course, nuclear has ongoing challenges around the storage of radioactive waste and security concerns, and construction of large nuclear plants takes many years.
Solar and wind have grown rapidly in recent years due to their falling costs and environmental benefits. According to Lazard, the cost of solar combined with batteries, which would be as flexible as hydropower, is well below the cost of coal with its limited flexibility.
However, wind and solar tend to take up a lot of space, which has led to challenges in local approvals for new sites and transmission lines. In addition, the sheer number of new projects is overwhelming power system operators’ ability to evaluate them, leading to increasing wait times for new generation to come online.
What’s ahead?
Utilities have another consideration: Federal, state and local governments can also influence and sometimes limit utilities’ choices. Tariffs, for example, can increase the cost of critical components for new construction. Permitting and regulations can slow down development. Subsidies can artificially lower costs.
In our view, policies that are done right can help utilities move toward more reliable and cost-effective choices which are also cleaner. Done wrong, they can be costly to the economy and the environment.
Erin Baker receives funding from NSF, DOE, and Sloan Foundation
Paola Pimentel Furlanetto receives funding from NSF and Sloan Foundation
Source: The Conversation – USA – By Dennis W. Jansen, Professor of Economics and Director of the Private Enterprise Research Center, Texas A&M University
The retirement and disability program has been running a cash-flow deficit since 2010. The $2.7 trillion held in its two trust funds may seem immense, but those reserves are diminishing as the number of Americans getting benefits grows. Social Security’s trustees, a group that includes the secretaries of the departments of Treasury, Labor, and Health and Human Services, as well as the Social Security commissioner, projected in 2024 that both of its trust funds would be completely drained by 2035.
Under current law, when that trust fund is empty, Social Security can pay benefits only from dedicated tax revenues, which would, by that point, cover only about 79% of promised benefits. Another way to say this is that when that trust fund is depleted, the people who rely on Social Security for some or the bulk of their income would see a sudden 21% cut in their monthly checks in 2036.
As an economist who studies the Social Security system, I am alarmed that Democratic and Republican administrations alike have failed for more than three decades to take the actions necessary to keep its funding on track, either by raising taxes or cutting benefits. Instead, Congress has only made the program’s funding outlook worse. And now, the Trump administration is reducing the program’s staff, sending confusing signals about changes it intends to make, and undercutting the quality of service for the people who are eligible for these benefits.
But I do believe there are strategies that could help.
Taking steps backward
This gloomy outlook was clear to experts at least 32 years ago. In 1993, the Social Security trustees projected that the assets of the systems’ trust funds would be depleted in 2036.
Rather than resolve this now more imminent problem, Congress passed a law in December 2024 that could accelerate the crisis.
Called the Social Security Fairness Act, President Joe Biden signed it into law in early January. This measure ended the government’s prior practice of paying reduced Social Security benefits to retired teachers, firefighters and others who had pensions from their years of public service and who had not paid Social Security tax on much of their income. Now, these retirees will get full Social Security benefits. The Congressional Budget Office estimates that this change will cause the trust fund to be depleted six months earlier than previously expected.
The University of Pennsylvania’s Penn Wharton Budget Model finds that should this new exemption take effect, it could make the trust fund run out of money two years earlier than the model currently predicts, hastening the day the Social Security program is forced to cut benefits.
In addition, Social Security already had record-sized backlogs of what it calls “pending actions,” according to a report from its own inspector general in August 2024.
And yet, despite this need to process paperwork faster, the agency is now less able to carry out its mission due to staffing cuts attributed to billionaire and Trump adviser Elon Musk’s so-called Department of Government Efficiency.
Principles for successful reform
Social Security is funded by a payroll tax of 12.4% on wages, which is split equally between workers and employers. Self-employed people pay the entire 12.4%. This payroll tax only applies to earnings up to $176,100 for 2025. The government increases this cap annually based on wage increases and inflation.
The Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, a nonpartisan nonprofit that focuses on fiscal policy, provides an online interactive tool to help people see for themselves what specific measures might do to shore up Social Security. Examples include increasing the retirement age by one month every two years and increasing the cap on income subject to the payroll tax that funds Social Security so it covers more of the highest-earners’ income.
Three main principles characterize the approaches supported by the policy analysts and researchers who have considered which reforms to Social Security might strengthen its finances and long-term continuing viability:
The program should be self-funded in the long run so that its annual revenues match its annual expenses.
The reform burden should be shared across generations. Current retirees can share the burden through a reduction in the cost-of-living adjustment. Today’s workers can share the burden through an increase in the cap on income subjected to Social Security taxes. Gradually increasing the retirement age to keep pace with anticipated longevity gains would also be borne by current workers and young Americans who haven’t gotten their first job yet.
The government should make sure that Social Security benefits will be adequate for lower-income retirees for years to come. That means reforms that slow the benefit growth of future retirees would be designed to affect only payments to higher-income retirees.
The last time the government made big changes to Social Security was in 1983, during the Reagan administration.
Back then, the government enacted reforms that slowly reduced benefits over time. These changes included raising the full retirement age, a change that is still being phased in. Because of those changes, workers born in 1960 or later cannot retire with full benefits until age 67 – two years later than the original retirement age.
The 1983 reforms also gradually increased the Social Security payroll tax rate from 10.4% to 12.4% by 1990, and for the first time levied federal income taxes on higher-income retirees’ benefits. Workers bore the burden of the payroll tax increases, and higher-income retirees bore the burden of the tax on benefits.
Those changes bolstered the program’s finances. One of those measures could potentially end if Trump manages to end the taxation of retirees’ Social Security benefits.
Today, about half of the Americans getting Social Security benefits pay some federal income taxes on that income, contributing revenue that helps finance the program as a whole. Taxpayers with annual income of at least $205,000 pay income tax that claws back about 20% of their benefits. That percentage is smaller for taxpayers with lower incomes. Individuals who get Social Security benefits and have incomes of less than $25,000 and couples making no more than $32,000 pay no income taxes on their Social Security benefits at all.
The most recent bipartisan effort to preserve the system’s solvency was in 2001. The Commission to Strengthen Social Security, during the George W. Bush administration, tried – and failed – to get Congress to enact reforms to shore up the program’s finances.
More than 20 years later, Americans and their elected representatives still seem unwilling to have a serious debate on these issues.
I believe waiting any longer is unwise.
Any solutions that might be introduced gradually today will no longer be viable in 2035 if the trust fund has been completely hollowed out. That would leave millions of older adults with lower incomes than they were counting on, plunging many of them into poverty.
Dennis W. Jansen does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
The 94 nuclear reactors currently operating at 54 power plants continue to generate more radioactive waste. Public and commercial interest in nuclear power is rising because of concerns regarding emissions from fossil fuel power plants and the possibility of new applications for smaller-scale nuclear plants to power data centers and manufacturing. This renewed interest gives new urgency to the effort to find a place to put the waste.
In March 2025, the U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments related to the effort to find a temporary storage location for the nation’s nuclear waste – a ruling is expected by late June. No matter the outcome, the decades-long struggle to find a permanent place to dispose of nuclear waste will probably continue for many years to come.
I am a scholar who specializes in corrosion; one focus of my work has been containing nuclear waste during temporary storage and permanent disposal. There are generally two forms of significantly radioactive waste in the U.S.: waste from making nuclear weapons during the Cold War, and waste from generating electricity at nuclear power plants. There are also small amounts of other radioactive waste, such as that associated with medical treatments.
Nuclear waste is stored in underground containers at the Idaho National Laboratory near Idaho Falls. AP Photo/Keith Ridler
Waste from weapons manufacturing
Remnants of the chemical processing of radioactive material needed to manufacture nuclear weapons, often called “defense waste,” will eventually be melted along with glass, with the resulting material poured into stainless steel containers. These canisters are 10 feet tall and 2 feet in diameter, weighing approximately 5,000 pounds when filled.
For now, though, most of it is stored in underground steel tanks, primarily at Hanford, Washington, and Savannah River, South Carolina, key sites in U.S. nuclear weapons development. At Savannah River, some of the waste has already been processed with glass, but much of it remains untreated.
At both of those locations, some of the radioactive waste has already leaked into the soilbeneath the tanks, though officials have said there is no danger to human health. Most of the current efforts to contain the waste focus on protecting the tanks from corrosion and cracking to prevent further leakage.
A look inside a cooling pool for spent nuclear fuel rods.
Waste from electricity generation
The vast majority of nuclear waste in the U.S. is spent nuclear fuel from commercial nuclear power plants.
Before it is used, nuclear fuel exists as uranium oxide pellets that are sealed within zirconium tubes, which are themselves bundled together. These bundles of fuel rods are about 12 to 16 feet long and about 5 to 8 inches in diameter. In a nuclear reactor, the fission reactions fueled by the uranium in those rods emit heat that is used to create hot water or steam to drive turbines and generate electricity.
After about five years, the fuel bundles are removed, dried and sealed in welded stainless steel canisters. These canisters are still radioactive and thermally hot, so they are stored outdoors in concrete vaults that sit on concrete pads, also on the power plant’s property. These vaults have vents to ensure air flows past the canisters to continue cooling them.
Even reactors that have been decommissioned and demolished still have concrete vaults storing radioactive waste, which must be secured and maintained by the power company that owned the nuclear plant.
Salt spray from the ocean can corrode waste containers at nearby nuclear waste storage sites, like this one at the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station in California. Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images
The threat of water
One threat to these storage methods is corrosion.
Because they need water to both transfer nuclear energy into electricity and to cool the reactor, nuclear power plants are always located alongside sources of water.
In the U.S., nine are within two miles of the ocean, which poses a particular threat to the waste containers. As waves break on the coastline, saltwater is sprayed into the air as particles. When those salt and water particles settle on metal surfaces, they can cause corrosion, which is why it’s common to see heavily corroded structures near the ocean.
At nuclear waste storage locations near the ocean, that salt spray can settle on the steel canisters. Generally, stainless steel is resistant to corrosion, which you can see in the shiny pots and pans in many Americans’ kitchens. But in certain circumstances, localized pits and cracks can form on stainless steel surfaces.
In recent years, the U.S. Department of Energy has funded research, including my own, into the potential dangers of this type of corrosion. The general findings are that stainless steel canisters could pit or crack when stored near a seashore. But a radioactive leak would require not only corrosion of the container but also of the zirconium rods and of the fuel inside them. So it is unlikely that this type of corrosion would result in the release of radioactivity.
Not only must a long-term site be geologically suitable to store nuclear waste for thousands of years, but it must also be politically palatable to the American people. In addition, there will be many challenges associated with transporting the waste, in its containers, by road or rail, from reactors across the country to wherever that permanent site ultimately is.
Perhaps there will be a temporary site whose location passes muster with the Supreme Court. But in the meantime, the waste will stay where it is.
Imagine nearly every seat in Philadelphia’s Wells Fargo Center − over 20,000 seats − are empty. That’s the scale of Pennsylvania’s projected shortfall of registered nurses by 2026, according to the Hospital and Healthsystem Association of Pennsylvania.
Pennsylvania’s nursing shortage is the result of long-standing issues in education, workforce retention and health care delivery.
Education bottlenecks: Nursing schools in Pennsylvania and nationwide turn away thousands of qualified applicants each year due to faculty shortages, limited classroom space and scarce clinical placements. More than 65,000 qualified applications were turned away from U.S. nursing programs in 2023 alone, according to a report from the American Association of Colleges of Nursing.
A key issue is the lack of preceptors. Preceptors are experienced nurses who teach students in real-world settings. A shortage of preceptors directly limits how many students can complete their education.
Uneven distribution: While Pennsylvania may have a sufficient number of licensed nurses on paper, those nurses don’t all still work in the profession. And among those that do, they are not evenly spread across roles or locations. Rural hospitals, long-term care centers, behavioral health settings and maternal-child health units are experiencing acute shortages.
Many cite stress as their reason for leaving the profession. New graduates often leave within their first two years, feeling unprepared for the emotional and operational realities of practice.
In Pennsylvania, the shortage has created a feedback loop. Understaffing increases pressure on those who remain. A 2023 National Council of State Boards of Nursing survey found that 41% of nurses under age 35 reported feeling emotionally drained.
This turnover erodes institutional knowledge, increases costs for onboarding and overtime, and limits the capacity to mentor incoming staff.
What’s being done
To help address the problem, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro in March 2025 proposed a US$5 million Nurse Shortage Assistance Program. If approved by the General Assembly, the program would cover tuition costs for nursing students who commit to working in Pennsylvania hospitals for three years after graduation.
HB 390 is also currently under review in the Pennsylvania General Assembly. It aims to establish a $1,000 tax deduction for licensed nurses who serve as clinical preceptors.
To meet the growing demand for nurses, Pennsylvania hospitals are partnering with colleges and universities to expand clinical training capacity, streamline pathways into nursing and develop innovative education models such as hybrid and accelerated programs.
Hospitals statewide are also offering substantial sign-on bonuses, loan forgiveness programs, housing stipends and flexible scheduling to attract nurses.
They are also increasingly using virtual nursing, telehealth services and AI-driven administrative tools to reduce nurses’ workloads, enhance patient interactions and address staffing gaps.
Continuing Title VIII Nursing Workforce Development Programs are another solution. These federal grants, reauthorized under the March 2020 CARES Act, help fund nursing pathways and the availability of high-quality nursing care for patients nationwide.
Research consistently demonstrates that care provided by nurses who have earned a bachelor’s degree or higher directly leads to better patient outcomes, improved safety and overall health. A commitment to shoring up the nurse pipeline in Pennsylvania is a commitment to improving the well-being of individuals and communities across the state.
Board Member for the American Association of Colleges of Nursing. The views, analyses, and conclusions expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or positions of the American Association of Colleges of Nursing.
Kymberlee Montgomery does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
When the Trump administration announced in February 2025 that it was cutting 10% of staff at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, it seemed that a small but storied program within it called the Epidemic Intelligence Service – also known as the CDC’s disease detectives – would also be cut. A few days later, the program was reinstated. And in March, Epidemic Intelligence Service officers traveled to Texas to support the state’s public health officials in fighting the ongoing measles epidemic.
The Epidemic Intelligence Service is a dynamic crisis response team. Just as firefighters rush into burning buildings to save lives, this team’s specialists mobilize both domestically and internationally to help curb disease outbreaks. But first and foremost, it is a training program that has produced some of the most highly trained and regarded public health experts in the country who have gone on to work at local and state public health offices, academic departments and international health organizations.
We are public health experts – one an experienced professor who served in the Epidemic Intelligence Service from 1994-1996, and the other an early career trainee who was accepted to its incoming class of 2025-2027. Although it’s not clear how the administration will enact its new vision for the CDC, we hope a continued urgency to identify and fight infectious disease threats – the essence of the Epidemic Intelligence Service – remains a national priority.
A program rooted in national security
The Epidemic Intelligence Service is a two-year fellowship open to physicians, scientists and other health professionals. The program accepts 50 to 80 people each year.
Students participate in an Epidemic Intelligence Service officer training course in July 1955. Dr. Alex Langmuir, CDC
The Epidemic Intelligence Service was founded in 1951, just five years after the launch of the CDC, in response to Cold War-era concerns about biological warfare. Alexander Langmuir, its founder, was the CDC’s chief epidemiologist and has often been called the father of shoe-leather epidemiology – on-the-ground, out-of-the-office disease investigation through extensive field work and engagement with affected populations.
In a report announcing the unit’s establishment, Langmuir and a colleague wrote that one of the “problems that would emerge in the event of biological warfare attacks” was “the dearth of trained epidemiologists.” They recognized the urgent need for a specialized team capable of rapidly identifying and responding to potential bioterrorism threats.
The new division soon evolved to address a wide range of civilian public health threats. In 1955, as one of its first major actions, the program’s officers were tasked with investigating an outbreak of polio in children that started just as the first mass vaccination campaign against the disease launched. Within weeks, Epidemic Intelligence Service officers helped trace the outbreak to a few batches of a vaccine manufactured by a California company called Cutter Laboratories in which the virus had not been properly killed. The incident led to increased safety regulations in vaccine production and boosted public confidence, paving the way to eliminating polio from the U.S. in the ensuing decades.
And in 1981, a tip from an Epidemic Intelligence Service officer serving in the Los Angeles County Health Department led to the first description of a new disease that would become the global epidemic of HIV-AIDS. The program’s officers went on to help lead foundational studies on prevalence, prevention and treatment of AIDS around the world.
Beyond vaccines and immunization
Even from its earliest days, vaccine-preventable and infectious diseases were far from the Epidemic Intelligence Service’s only focus. During the program’s first 15 years, its officers were involved in a wide swath of epidemiological investigations in areas including lead paint exposure, a cancer cluster’s connection to birth defects, family planning practices and famine relief.
These activities established the group’s priorities of addressing chronic diseases and population health – goals that have also driven its involvement in disaster response efforts, including hurricanes Harvey, Irma, Maria and Katrina, as well as the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001.
The Epidemic Intelligence Service has also played a key role in keeping the nation’s food supply safe. It investigates major outbreaks of foodborne illnesses, helping to identify which foods are implicated so that contaminated products are removed from shelves and disseminating investigation findings that inform food safety policy. For example, officers investigated a 1993 outbreak of Escherichia coli O157:H7 linked to undercooked hamburgers at several Jack in the Box restaurants. The outbreak sickened more than 700 people and resulted in the deaths of four children. It also led to major food safety reforms including expanded meat and poultry inspection nationwide.
The CDC’s “disease detectives” train at sites across the U.S. and abroad.
A legacy of impact
The importance of an expert, nimble team of disease detectives has only increased. Over the past few years, Epidemic Intelligence Service officers have responded to countless public health threats.
Perhaps the Epidemic Intelligence Service’s most significant legacy has been in building a worldwide network of deep epidemiological expertise. To date, the program has trained more than 4,000 disease detectives, and its officers have collectively conducted thousands of outbreak investigations.
All of these activities, at home and abroad, have shaped health policy in crucial ways that in turn protect people’s health. It is increasingly clear that disease outbreaks will continue to occur in the U.S. and abroad. In our view, the Epidemic Intelligence Service’s history provides rich evidence of its value.
I am currently a member of the EIS Alumni Association Executive Committee.
Casey Luc does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
Source: The Conversation – USA – By Rose Cuison-Villazor, Professor of Law and Chancellor’s Social Justice Scholar, Rutgers University – Newark
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers restrain a detained person on Jan. 27, 2025, in Silver Spring, Md.Associated Press
News reports of noncitizens unexpectedly being detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, have dominated headlines in recent weeks. Those being detained include noncitizens who hold lawful permanent residency status.
One story concerns the March 8, 2025, arrest of Mahmoud Khalil, a lawful permanent resident and recent Columbia University graduate, who was initially detained in New Jersey and transported to Louisiana. He remains there while he challenges his detention and the immigration judge’s April 11 decision that he can be deported
And on March 25, ICE agents arrested Rumeysa Ozturk, a Turkish national and doctoral student at Tufts University, while she was walking on the streets of Somerville, Massachusetts. She is currently detained in Louisiana.
ICE agents have also detained and removed, among other people, hundreds of Venezuelan noncitizens to El Salvador since March, resulting in high-profile legal cases that are making their way through the court system. And the U.S. has revoked the visas of at least 300 foreign students this year.
At the most basic level, ICE has broad, sweeping powers to question, arrest, detain and process the deportation any noncitizen. But ICE is still bound by certain constitutional and other legal restrictions, including noncitizens’ rights to make their case in court to remain in the U.S.
ICE’s operating budget from Oct. 1, 2024 through Sept. 30, 2025 is approximately US$8 billion, a relatively small portion of Homeland Security’s $107.9 billion total budget for that same time period.
With more than 20,000 immigration enforcement officers stationed across the country, ICE’s day-to-day work is divided into three main areas – homeland security investigations, enforcement and removal operations, and legal representation for the government in an immigration court.
The branch focused on homeland security investigations probes transnational crime and terrorism-related activities. ICE’s second area of work focuses on apprehending and removing noncitizens who are in violation of immigration laws. Finally, staff at the Office of the Principal Legal Advisor represent the government in immigration hearings, particularly what is called removal proceedings, or deportation.
This act outlines the federal government’s authority to regulate immigration and provides immigration agencies, including those established at a later date, like ICE, broad powers to enforce these restrictions. One key part of the Immigration and Nationality Act allows ICE officers to interrogate any individual they believe to be a noncitizen regarding their right “to be or remain” in the U.S.
The Immigration and Nationality Act also says that any noncitizen can be deported for engaging in activities that the secretary of state believes “would have potentially serious adverse foreign policy consequences for the United States.”
Rubio used the same provision to claim that Khalil’s involvement in protests at Columbia University had negative U.S. foreign policy consequences.
Detain and arrest
ICE officers have broad power to arrest noncitizens in the U.S.
With a warrant, they may arrest noncitizens who are in the country without legal permission, including foreign students whose visas are revoked. These warrants are administrative warrants signed by an immigration enforcement supervisor – not a judge.
ICE officers have long been able to carry out these arrests in plain clothes – although using face coverings, as ICE officers who arrested Ozturk and Khalil did, is a new and, I think, startling development.
Still, ICE’s powers to interrogate, arrest and detain noncitizens are not absolute.
For one, immigration law requires noncitizens to be notified in writing that they are being processed for a removal proceeding, so they can appear before an immigration judge and have the opportunity to challenge the government’s claim that they should be deported.
Noncitizens have the right to legal representation – albeit not paid for by the U.S. government – in an immigration court. Ultimately, an immigration judge, and not ICE, determines if a noncitizen should be deported.
People take part in a protest on March 27, 2025, in Newark, N.J., against the arrest and threatened deportation of Mahmoud Khalil, a lawful permanent resident. Kena Betancur/VIEWpress/Corbis via Getty Images
The Constitutional limits on ICE
Crucially, ICE is bound by various constitutional provisions that protect individual rights, including the rights of noncitizens who are living in the U.S. without legal authorization.
Three particular constitutional amendments impose different checks on ICE’s power.
The First Amendment, for example, protects individuals’ rights to free speech, assembly and religion. Consequently, ICE cannot target individuals – even if they are noncitizens living in the U.S. without legal permission – for simply participating in peaceful protests or writing something for the public. Rubio has said that he revoked Ozturk’s visa not because of her writing, but because she participated in “activities that are counter to our foreign … policy.” He also relied on this provision to support the deportation of Khalil.
But Ozturk and Khalil’s lawyers contend that their activities were protected speech. Ultimately, a federal district judge has the power to determine whether ICE targeted them for exercising their First Amendment rights.
The Fourth Amendment safeguards the right of individuals “to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures.” ICE must first obtain a search warrant, signed by a judge, before entering a person’s home or private areas of a workplace.
The Fourth Amendment’s protection against unreasonable searches and seizures also applies in public spaces. So, law enforcement officers must have reasonable suspicion to stop a person – or have probable cause to not have a warrant when they arrest a person they believe is guilty of a crime or in violation of a law and likely to escape. The Immigration and Nationality Act also requires ICE officers to have an arrest warrant unless they have reason to believe that the noncitizen may flee before they get a warrant.
It is not clear whether ICE officers presented Khalil and Ozturk with arrest warrants before they were detained outside their home and on the street, respectively.
The Fifth Amendment guarantees the right of all individuals against self-incrimination. This means that people detained by ICE have the right to remain silent during interrogations.
It also means that before noncitizens can be deported, they must have the opportunity to go before an immigration judge to challenge the government’s plan to remove them, or may file a case before a federal judge to challenge their detention and deportation.
ICE’s power is not absolute
Even with an annual budget of approximately $8 billion, ICE does not have the capacity to pursue all immigration law violations.
In this context, recent Trump administration initiatives could significantly increase ICE’s reach. For example, an April 2025 memorandum of understanding between the Internal Revenue Service and DHS allows the IRS to share tax information of immigrants living in the U.S. without legal authorization. This could help ICE more easily identify, locate and arrest noncitizens living in the U.S. illegally.
Despite its considerable power, ICE’s authority is not without checks and balances.
But as a longtime scholar of immigration law, I believe ICE officers’ recent actions raise serious concerns that it is exceeding the bounds of its legal authority and the constitutional limits that are intended to protect individual rights.
Rose Cuison-Villazor does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
Source: The Conversation – USA – By Paul M. Collins Jr., Professor of Legal Studies and Political Science, UMass Amherst
Jeff Sralla, left, and his partner of 28 years, Gerald Gafford, wed in 2015 in Texas.AP Photo/Eric Gay
Same-sex marriage, which the U.S. Supreme Court in 2015 legalized nationwide in the case known as Obergefell v. Hodges, is facing resurgent hostility.
In the decade since the court’s decision, public support for same-sex marriage has increased. Currently, about 70% ofAmericans approve of legally recognizing the marriages of same-sex couples, a 10-percentage-point bump from 2015.
Despite this, Republican lawmakers in five states have recently introduced symbolic bills calling on the Supreme Court to overturn its ruling in Obergefell.
And Republican lawmakers in two states have proposed legislation that creates a new category of marriage, called “covenant marriage,” that is reserved for one man and one woman.
As a professor of legal studies, I believe such attacks on same-sex marriage represent a serious threat to the institution.
And others share my concern.
A 2024 poll of married same-sex couples found that 54% of respondents are worried that the Supreme Court might overturn Obergefell, with only 17% saying they did not anticipate such a challenge.
Recognizing this fear, Democratic legislators in Michigan have called for the state to pass a ballot initiative to protect same-sex marriage. The initiative would repeal a part of the state constitution that banned same-sex marriage, but which was invalidated by the subsequent Obergefell decision. If Obergefell were overturned, that ban in the Michigan constitution would go into effect again.
And a law firm in Missouri is helping LGBTQ+ couples establish medical power of attorney plans in the event Obergefell is reversed.
Here’s what’s known about the current attacks on same-sex marriage.
Plaintiff James Obergefell of Ohio, center, wipes his eyes after exiting the Supreme Court in Washington on April 28, 2015, following arguments before the court over the right of gay and lesbian couples to marry. AP Photo/Cliff Owen
What happens if anti-Obergefell state legislation passes?
Currently, two types of legislation have been introduced by Republican state lawmakers.
This legislation is symbolic, since state legislatures do not have control over what the Supreme Court does. And even if it passes, the legislation does not directly threaten the legality of same-sex marriage in those states because it does not address those states’ marriage laws.
But if it becomes law, this legislation sends a clear signal that, should Obergefell be overturned, these states could quickly enact legislation banning same-sex marriage. For a state such as Michigan, whose constitutional language defining marriage as between one man and one woman is still on the books, the status quo would revert immediately to outlawing same-sex marriage – it wouldn’t require any legislative vote.
Second, lawmakers in Missouri and Tennessee have introduced legislation that would create a new category of marriage that would be available only to opposite-sex couples. So-called “covenant marriage” would require that the couples who choose this kind of marriage undergo counseling prior to getting married and creates significant obstacles to getting divorced, except under very specific circumstances, such as spousal abuse.
Tennessee’s sponsor of the legislation, Rep. Gino Bulso, a Republican, was quoted on Knoxnews.com as saying his legislation “seeks to challenge the U.S. Supreme Court’s egregiously wrong 2015 decision in Obergefell v. Hodges.” According to Bulso, “The bill is not ‘anti’ anything or any person. It simply recognizes the natural order of things.”
Since this version of covenant marriage excludes same-sex couples, they would be denied access to covenant marriages, although they would still have access to more traditional forms of marriage.
Timing of attacks
Efforts by state Republican lawmakers to revisit same-sex marriage bans are part of a broaderassault on LGBTQ+ rights taking place in the U.S.
The timing of these efforts is primarily driven by two factors: Donald Trump’s second term as president and the Supreme Court’s 2022 decision in Dobbs v. Jackson, which overturned the constitutional guarantee of the right to an abortion.
But the Biden administration reversedmost of these policies.
In his second term, Trump has upped his hostility to the LGBTQ+ community, following an election campaign in which he madetransgender rights a wedge issue. This includes canceling more than US$125 million in federal grants related to LGBTQ+ health programs and stopping the enforcement of the Equal Access Rule, a federal policy that ensured access to federal housing programs regardless of gender identity.
The Supreme Court’s decision to overrule Roe v. Wade in Dobbs v. Jackson is the other key factor motivating the timing of attacks on same-sex marriage.
Legislators in the Tennessee statehouse, seen here, introduced legislation that would create a new category of marriage that would be available only to opposite-sex couples. AP Photo/George Walker IV
In Dobbs, the court’s conservative majority indicated its willingness to revisit – and overrule – precedents that it disagreed with, even if those precedents were supported by a large majority of the public, as was the case for Roe.
In addition, Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas wrote a concurring opinion in Dobbs in which he argued that the Supreme Court should apply the logic used to overrule Roe to reconsider other decisions, including Obergefell. Although Thomas’ concurring opinion does not have the force of law, it nonetheless sent what some court observers say is a clear message to opponents of same-sex marriage that at least one justice has an appetite for reconsidering Obergefell.
Reaffirm or overrule?
Should the Supreme Court agree to hear a challenge to Obergefell, one of two main outcomes is likely.
First, the court could reaffirm Obergefell. This would probably put an end to most Republican attacks on same-sex marriage and would maintain the status quo by prohibiting states from outlawing same-sex marriage.
It would also serve to make the Supreme Court appear moderate, which may enhance its near historicallylow public approval ratings.
Second, the court could overrule Obergefell. If a majority of justices did so, I believe they would almost certainly use the same logic employed to overturn Roe v. Wade. That is, the court’s conservative majority could argue that the Constitution does not recognize marriage as a fundamental right, and therefore it is up to the states to regulate and define marriage, including prohibiting same-sex couples from obtaining marriage licenses.
Under the Respect for Marriage Act, however, signed into law by President Joe Biden in 2022, states outlawing same-sex marriage would have to recognize same-sex marriages performed in other states, as would the federal government.
The bottom line is that Trump’s second term and the Supreme Court’s conservativeactivism have lit a fire in some Republican lawmakers, who are targeting same-sex marriage as part of a broader attack on LGBTQ+ rights.
If successful, these efforts would be a dramatic blow to the progress made toward LGBTQ+ equality over the past two decades.
Paul M. Collins Jr. does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
Various cutting-edge robots displayed at 5th CICPE in Haikou, China’s Hainan
Updated: April 14, 2025 20:34Xinhua
A robot dog by Unitree Robotics is pictured at the 5th China International Consumer Products Expo (CICPE) in Haikou, south China’s Hainan Province, April 13, 2025. This year’s expo highlights future technology through the debut of various cutting-edge robots. By showcasing AI-powered functionalities and real-world applications, these robots offer a glimpse into the future of daily life. [Photo/Xinhua]A robot dog carries medicines at the 5th China International Consumer Products Expo (CICPE) in Haikou, south China’s Hainan Province, April 14, 2025. [Photo/Xinhua]A robot makes latte art at the 5th China International Consumer Products Expo (CICPE) in Haikou, south China’s Hainan Province, April 13, 2025. [Photo/Xinhua]A child interacts with a robot at the 5th China International Consumer Products Expo (CICPE) in Haikou, south China’s Hainan Province, April 14, 2025. [Photo/Xinhua]A robot performs traditional “fist and palm” salute at the 5th China International Consumer Products Expo (CICPE) in Haikou, south China’s Hainan Province, April 14, 2025. [Photo/Xinhua]An exoskeleton robot by ULS Robotics is pictured at the 5th China International Consumer Products Expo (CICPE) in Haikou, south China’s Hainan Province, April 14, 2025. [Photo/Xinhua]A robot performs cocktail mixing at the 5th China International Consumer Products Expo (CICPE) in Haikou, south China’s Hainan Province, April 14, 2025. [Photo/Xinhua]A visitor shakes hands with a robot dog by Unitree Robotics at the 5th China International Consumer Products Expo (CICPE) in Haikou, south China’s Hainan Province, April 14, 2025. [Photo/Xinhua]
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
BEIJING, April 14 — China’s meteorological authorities on Monday evening issued a blue alert for strong gales that will sweep the country’s northern regions and coastal areas.
From 8 p.m. Monday to 8 p.m. Tuesday, strong winds are forecast to hit parts of Xinjiang, Inner Mongolia, Gansu and Ningxia, with gusts reaching up to 24.4 meters per second, according to the National Meteorological Center.
Parts of the Yellow Sea and the East China Sea will experience stronger gales during the same period, with the fastest wind speeds likely to hit 28.4 meters per second, the center said.
It has warned ships of the dangers of sailing or operating in affected waters, and urged relevant authorities to implement precautionary measures with a focus on fire prevention and transport safety.
Pedestrians and vehicles should not linger under or near tall buildings, billboards or trees, the center has advised.
China has a four-tier weather-warning system, with red representing the most severe warning, followed by orange, yellow and blue.
Firms reported declining interest rates on bank loans, while indicating a slight further tightening of other lending conditions.
The bank loan financing gap remained almost unchanged, with firms reporting a reduced need for such loans alongside a slight decrease in availability.
Firms’ one-year-ahead median inflation expectations decreased slightly to 2.9%, down from 3%, while median inflation expectations three and five years ahead remained unchanged at 3.0%.
In the most recent round of the Survey on the Access to Finance of Enterprises (SAFE), covering the first quarter of 2025, euro area firms reported a net decrease in interest rates on bank loans (a net ‑12%, compared with a net ‑4% in the previous quarter), suggesting that monetary policy easing is being transmitted to firms. At the same time, a net 24% (a net 22% in the previous quarter) observed increases in other financing costs (i.e. charges, fees and commissions) (Chart 1).
In this survey round, firms indicated a reduction in the need for bank loans (net ‑4%, unchanged from the fourth quarter of 2024, Chart 2). At the same time, firms reported broadly stable availability of bank loans (a net ‑1%, down from a net 2% in the previous quarter). This left the bank loan financing gap – an index capturing the difference between the need for and the availability of bank loans – broadly unchanged (a net ‑1%, after a net 1% in the previous survey round). The current composite financing gap indicator – which includes bank loans, credit lines and trade credit as well as debt securities and equity – is reaching levels historically associated with periods of monetary policy easing. Looking ahead, firms expect a modest improvement in the availability of external financing over the next three months.
Firms continued to perceive the general economic outlook to be the main factor hampering the availability of external financing, as in the previous survey round (a net ‑21%, compared with a net ‑22%). A net 7% of firms indicated an improvement in banks’ willingness to lend (down from a net 8% in the previous survey round).
A net 6% of firms reported an increase in turnover over the last three months, unchanged from the previous survey round, with a significantly higher percentage of firms becoming optimistic about developments in the next quarter (a net 30%, up from a net 11%). More firms saw a deterioration in their profits compared with the previous survey round (a net ‑16%, down from ‑14% in the previous survey round). The survey indicates that the net percentage of firms reporting rising cost pressures had also increased over the past three months.
Firms’ expectations of selling prices over the next 12 months were unchanged, while expectations for wage costs slightly decreased, driven by lower expected pressures in the services sector (Chart 3). On average, firms’ selling price expectations remained unchanged at 2.9%, while the corresponding figure for wages was 3.0% (down from 3.3% in the previous round). At the same time, firms signalled a slight increase in other production costs (4%, up from 3.8% in the previous round).
Firms’ inflation expectations for the short term slightly decreased, while remaining unchanged at longer horizons (Chart 4). Median expectations for annual inflation one year ahead declined by 0.1 percentage point to 2.9%, while those for three and five years ahead saw no changes, standing at 3.0%. For inflation five years ahead, fewer firms reported balanced risks (30%, down from 33% in the previous round). A higher percentage of firms is seeing risks to the five-year-ahead inflation as being tilted to the upside (55%, up from 51% in the previous round), which was mirrored by a decline in the proportion of those perceiving risks to the downside (14%, down from 16%).
The report published today presents the main results of the 34th round of the SAFE survey for the euro area. The survey was conducted between 10 February and 21 March 2025. In this survey round, firms were asked about economic and financing developments over two different reference periods. Around half of firms were asked about changes in the period between October 2024 and March 2025. The remainder, all from the 12 largest euro area countries, were asked about changes in the period between January and March 2025. Additionally, firms also reported their expectations for euro area inflation, selling prices, and other costs. Altogether, the sample comprised 11,022 firms in the euro area, of which 10,167 (92%) had fewer than 250 employees.
For media queries, please contactBenoit Deegtel.: +49 172 1683704.
Notes
Chart 1
Changes in the terms and conditions of bank financing for euro area firms
(net percentages of respondents)
Base: Firms that had applied for bank loans (including subsidised bank loans), credit lines, or bank or credit card overdrafts. The figures refer to rounds 27 to 34 of the survey (April-September 2022 to October 2024-March 2025).
Notes: Net percentages are the difference between the percentage of firms reporting an increase for a given factor and the percentage reporting a decrease. The data included in the chart refer to Question 10 of the survey. The grey panels represent responses for three-monthly reference periods, whereas the white panels relate to replies for six-monthly reference periods.
Chart 2
Changes in euro area firms’ financing needs and the availability of bank loans
(net percentages of respondents)
Base: Firms for which the instrument in question is relevant (i.e. they have used it or considered using it). Respondents replying “not applicable” or “don’t know” are excluded. The figures refer to rounds 27 to 34 of the survey (April-September 2022 to October 2024-March 2025).
Notes: The financing gap indicator combines both financing needs and the availability of bank loans at firm level. The indicator of the perceived change in the financing gap takes a value of 1 (-1) if the need increases (decreases) and availability decreases (increases). If firms perceive only a one-sided increase (decrease) in the financing gap, the variable is assigned a value of 0.5 (-0.5). A positive value for the indicator points to a widening of the financing gap. Values are multiplied by 100 to obtain weighted net balances in percentages. The data included in the chart refer to Questions 5 and Questions 9 of the survey. The grey panels represent responses for three-monthly reference periods, whereas the white panels relate to six-monthly reference periods.
Chart 3
Expectations for selling prices, wages, input costs and employees one year ahead, by size class
(percentage changes over the next 12 months)
Base: All firms. The figures refer to rounds 29 to 34 (September 2023 to March 2025) of the survey, with firms’ replies collected in the last month of the respective survey waves.
Notes: Average euro area firms’ expectations of changes in selling prices, wages of current employees, non-labour input costs and number of employees for the next 12 months using survey weights. The statistics are computed after trimming the data at the country-specific 1st and 99th percentiles. The data included in the chart refer to Question 34 of the survey.
Chart 4
Firms’ median expectations for euro area inflation by size class
(annual percentages)
Base: All firms. The figures refer to pilot 2 and rounds 30 to 34 (December 2023 to March 2025) of the survey, with firms’ replies collected in the last month of the respective survey waves.
Notes: Median firms’ expectations for euro area inflation in one year, three years and five years, calculated using survey weights. The statistics are computed after trimming the data at the country-specific 1st and 99th percentiles. The data included in the chart refer to Question 31 of the survey.
Vatican City (Agenzia Fides) – “Faced with the appalling injustice of evil, we never carry the cross of Christ in vain; on the contrary, it is the most tangible way for us to share in his redemptive love.” Under a gray sky, in St. Peter’s Square filled with pilgrims, Cardinal Leonardo Sandri, Vice Dean of the College of Cardinals, gave voice to the Pope by reading Pope Francis’ homily for Palm Sunday, the day that marks the beginning of Holy Week.The Pope, who is entering his fourth week of convalescence after being hospitalized for bilateral pneumonia, was absent from the ceremony, which began, as is tradition, with the blessing of olive and palm branches at the foot of the ancient obelisk in the center of St. Peter’s Square. From there, the procession continued to the square, decorated with olive trees.As last Sunday, at the end of the celebration, the Pope appeared unexpectedly on the square, greeted by long applause. “Happy Palm Sunday! Happy Holy Week!” These were the words spoken by the Pope, who, before returning to Casa Santa Marta, stopped to greet the Cardinals present and the authorities who had participated in the rite.[embedded content]In his commentary on today’s Gospel, that of the Passion according to Luke, Pope Francis, in the homily read by Cardinal Sandri, focused on the figure of Simon of Cyrene, the man who “while coming in from the countryside” was seized by the soldiers who then “laid the cross on him, and made him carry it behind Jesus.”The Pope described this action of carrying the cross as “ambivalent” because the man from Cyrene “was forced to carry the cross: he did not help Jesus out of conviction, but out of coercion.”On the other hand, “he then becomes personally involved in the Lord’s passion,” so that “Jesus’ cross becomes Simon’s cross. He was not the Simon, called Peter, who had promised to follow the Master at all times.That Simon disappeared on the night of betrayal, even after he had exclaimed: “Lord, I am ready to go with you to prison and to death”. Yet the Master had clearly taught: “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me”. Simon of Galilee spoke but did not act. Simon of Cyrene acts but does not speak. Between him and Jesus, there is no dialogue; not a single word is spoken. Between him and Jesus, there is only the wood of the cross.””The cross of wood that Simon of Cyrene bore is the cross of Christ, who himself bore the sins of all humanity,” the Pope emphasized, recalling that Christ carries the cross “for love of us, in obedience to the Father, he suffered with us and for us. It is precisely in this unexpected and astonishing way, Simon of Cyrene becomes part of the history of salvation, in which no one is a stranger, no one a foreigner.”And when “we see the great crowds of men and women whom hatred and violence are compelling to walk the road to Calvary, let us remember that God has made this road a place of redemption, for he walked it himself, giving his life for us. How many Simons of Cyrene are there in our own day, bearing the cross of Christ on their shoulders! Can we recognize them? Can we see the Lord in their faces, marred by the burden of war and deprivation?Faced with the appalling injustice of evil, we never carry the cross of Christ in vain; on the contrary, it is the most tangible way for us to share in his redemptive love.” Jesus’ passion “becomes compassion whenever we hold out our hand to those who feel they cannot go on, when we lift up those who have fallen, when we embrace those who are discouraged.””In order to experience this great miracle of mercy, let us decide how we are meant to carry our own cross during this Holy Week: if not on our shoulders, in our hearts. And not only our cross, but also the cross of those who suffer all around us; perhaps even the cross of some unknown person whom chance — but is it really chance? — has placed on our way. Let us prepare for the Lord’s paschal mystery by becoming each of us, for one another, a Simon of Cyrene,” the Pope concluded.In the text of the reflection prepared for the recitation of the Angelus, released for the ninth consecutive Sunday only in written form, the Pontiff thanks all the faithful for their prayers on his behalf: “At this time of physical weakness, they help me to feel God’s closeness, compassion and tenderness even more. I too am praying for you, and I ask you to entrust all those who suffer to the Lord together with me, especially those affected by war, poverty or natural disasters.”The Bishop of Rome then turned his thoughts to Santo Domingo: “May God receive in His peace the victims of the collapse of a building in Santo Domingo, and comfort their families.” Then the appeal for peace, beginning with Africa: “The 15th of April will mark the second sad anniversary of the beginning of the conflict in Sudan, in which thousands have been killed and millions of families have been forced to flee their homes. The suffering of children, women and vulnerable people cries out to heaven and begs us to act. I renew my appeal to the parties involved, that they may end the violence and embark on paths of dialogue, and to the international community, so that the help needed may be provided to the populations.And let us also remember Lebanon, where the tragic civil war began fifty years ago: with God’s help, may it live in peace and prosperity.””May peace come at last to martyred Ukraine, Palestine, Israel, the Democratic Republic of Congo, to Myanmar, to South Sudan. May Mary, Mother of Sorrows, obtain this grace for us and help us to live this Holy Week with faith,” is the plea at the end of Pope Francis’s text. (F.B.) (Agenzia Fides, 13/4/2026)
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