News and Issues

Secretary of State Antony Blinken: "Welcome to the State Department. First let me say how grateful I am to my friend and colleague of so many years, Lee Satterfield, our assistant secretary of state. (Applause.) Lee and the Bureau of Education and Cultural Affairs were the masterminds of this evening, and every single day are out there working to strengthen the bonds between Americans and people around the world. To our philanthropic and private sector partners – YouTube, Chevron, Boeing, the Wasserman Foundation, United Airlines – thank you. Thank you for making so many of our cultural diplomacy programs possible. We could not do what we’re doing without you. And to my friend and colleague, Chairman Mike McCaul, thank you for your support, your advocacy for international exchange. It makes a huge difference, and I’m proud to be your partner in this endeavor as well."       more »

"Because these reports are transmitted automatically to cancer registries, the findings suggest that the decline in new cancer diagnoses was not due to delays in reporting caused by pandemic disruptions but rather to missed screenings and delays in other cancer-related procedures. The authors also looked at declines in new cancer cases by cancer stage at diagnosis, sex, age, and population group. For each cancer type in the study, new cases of early-stage cancers fell more sharply than new cases of advanced cancers. The declines were greatest for the cancers typically diagnosed through screening (female breast, lung, and colorectal cancer). For example, 7,147 cases of early-stage colorectal cancer were expected to be diagnosed in 2020, but only 5,983 cases were diagnosed — meaning that potentially more than 16% of early-stage colorectal cancer cases weren’t caught." more »

A number of bills introduced: September 18-22, 2023: A bill to extend protections to part-time workers in the areas of family and medical leave; increasing access to short-term child care; a bill to provide access to an annually updated list of adoption agencies that are licensed and not-for-profit; extend protections to part-time workers in the areas of family and medical leave; a bill providing deferment of loans for borrowers who are survivors of sexual harassment, stalking, and assault; A bill to provide birth mothers and adoptive families with access to an annually updated list of adoption agencies that are licensed and not-for-profit in states across the United States; and a bill to recognize the Women-Owned Small Business program in the Department of Veterans Affairs procurement hierarchy of small business preferences.   more »

Jo Freeman Writes: "A coalition of national and local organizations brought approximately 15,000 people to NYC to demand that President Joe Biden end the use of fossil fuels. On Sunday, September 17 they marched from Columbus Circle across Manhattan to rally half a mile from the United Nations. This was the first day of Climate Week, which is held every year at the beginning of the United Nations General Assembly in New York City. President Biden will address that Assembly on Tuesday. A UN Climate Ambition Summit will be held on Wednesday, September 20. Biden will be meeting with other Heads of State that day as well." more »