Featured Stories
SBA Opens Disaster Loan Outreach Center in Slidell
WASHINGTON, July 18 -- The Small Business Administration's Office of Disaster Assistance issued the following news release:
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SBA Opens Disaster Loan Outreach Center in Slidell
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Honor America's 250th anniversary by taking the Freedom 250 Small Business Pledge. Sign up now to get your free certificate.
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Original text here: https://www.sba.gov/article/2026/07/18/sba-opens-disaster-loan-outreach-center-slidell
U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom Welcomes Appointments of Commissioners
WASHINGTON, July 17 -- The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom issued the following news release:
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U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom Welcomes Appointments of Commissioners
The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) welcomes the reappointments of Rachel Laser and Asif Mahmood and new appointments of David A. Anderson, CeCe Heil, Gunisha Kaur, and Gene Mills.
Asif Mahmood was reappointed to USCIRF by House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) after serving as elected Vice Chair during his first USCIRF appointment. Mahmood is
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WASHINGTON, July 17 -- The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom issued the following news release:
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U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom Welcomes Appointments of Commissioners
The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) welcomes the reappointments of Rachel Laser and Asif Mahmood and new appointments of David A. Anderson, CeCe Heil, Gunisha Kaur, and Gene Mills.
Asif Mahmood was reappointed to USCIRF by House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) after serving as elected Vice Chair during his first USCIRF appointment. Mahmood isa practicing physician and human rights advocate.
"We warmly welcome the appointments of David A. Anderson, CeCe Heil, Gunisha Kaur, and Gene Mills to the Commission," said Commissioner Asif Mahmood. "Their skillsets offer an invaluable perspective to the work of the Commission as it confronts threats to freedom of religion or belief."
Rachel Laser was reappointed by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY). Laser is the President and CEO of American United for Separation of Church and State as its first female leader.
"The work of the Commission is crucial to advancing freedom of religion or belief abroad and conveys to the world that it is a priority for the United States," said Commissioner Rachel Laser. "We look forward to working with the new Commissioners to advance international religious freedom."
David A. Anderson was appointed to USCIRF by House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY). He is the founder and President of Gracism Global, working to build bridges across the deep divides of race, faith, culture, and wealth. He is also the senior pastor of Bridgeway Community Church, reaching a multicultural congregation from over 52 nations.
CeCe Heil was appointed to USCIRF by Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD). She is Senior Counsel and International Legal Director for the American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ). She is a human rights attorney who advocates for religious freedom, rule of law, and the protection of vulnerable faith communities worldwide.
Gunisha Kaur was appointed to USCIRF by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY). She is a physician, medical anthropologist, and scientist with two decades of experience and fieldwork in human rights. She has worked to bring clinical care informed by her scholarship to some of the world's most urgent humanitarian crises.
Gene Mills was appointed to USCIRF by House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA). As the President of Louisiana Family Forum, he brings years of experience working on issues involving life, liberty, and limited government in the Louisiana political landscape.
USCIRF thanks for their service the former Commissioners whose terms ended on May 14, 2026: Mohamed Elsanousi, Maureen Ferguson, Vicky Hartzler, Stephen Schneck, and Meir Soloveichik.
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The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) is an independent, bipartisan federal government entity established by the U.S. Congress to monitor, analyze, and report on religious freedom abroad. USCIRF makes foreign policy recommendations to the President, the Secretary of State, and Congress intended to deter religious persecution and promote freedom of religion and belief. To interview a commissioner, please contact USCIRF at media@uscirf.gov.
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Original text here: https://www.uscirf.gov/news-room/releases-statements/uscirf-welcomes-appointments-commissioners
SBA Disaster Relief Still Available to Kentucky Businesses and Private Nonprofits Affected by the Louisville Airplane Crash
WASHINGTON, July 17 -- The Small Business Administration's Office of Disaster Assistance issued the following news release:
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SBA Disaster Relief Still Available to Kentucky Businesses and Private Nonprofits Affected by the Louisville Airplane Crash
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Honor America's 250th anniversary by taking the Freedom 250 Small Business Pledge. Sign up now to get your free certificate.
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Original text here: https://www.sba.gov/article/2026/07/17/sba-disaster-relief-still-available-kentucky-businesses-private-nonprofits-affected-louisville
Occupational Safety & Health Review Commission Final Order Affirms Southeast Texas Industrial Services Case Over Steel Mill Worksite Safety Issues
WASHINGTON, July 17 -- The Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission has made final an administrative law judge decision in Secretary of Labor v. STIS Inc. dba Southeast Texas Industrial Services (Docket No. 24-0702), a case tied to work at a steel mill in Pueblo, Colorado.
The case arose from OSHA's oversight of STIS, which had been hired as a subcontractor by EVRAZ North America to perform construction work at the steel mill on South Freeway in Pueblo. The commission's website lists the matter among its latest administrative law judge decisions and shows the final order date as July 15,
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WASHINGTON, July 17 -- The Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission has made final an administrative law judge decision in Secretary of Labor v. STIS Inc. dba Southeast Texas Industrial Services (Docket No. 24-0702), a case tied to work at a steel mill in Pueblo, Colorado.
The case arose from OSHA's oversight of STIS, which had been hired as a subcontractor by EVRAZ North America to perform construction work at the steel mill on South Freeway in Pueblo. The commission's website lists the matter among its latest administrative law judge decisions and shows the final order date as July 15,2026.
According to the commission's public notice, the ALJ decision in the matter became a final order of the commission after the review period ran its course. The agency's notice does not, in the public summary, spell out every factual finding or penalty detail, but it does confirm that the case reached finality at the commission level.
OSHRC, an independent federal agency created by Congress under the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, hears contests of OSHA citations and penalties after workplace inspections. In that system, an administrative law judge first resolves the dispute, and the resulting decision can become final if it is not further reviewed.
The STIS matter is one of several recent decisions posted by OSHRC on its website, where the agency keeps both ALJ and commission rulings for public access. The commission's docket listing identifies the respondent as STIS, Inc., doing business as Southeast Texas Industrial Services, and pairs that title with docket number 24-0702.
Public summaries indicate that the worksite involved was a steel mill under construction activity, which places the case in the broader category of jobsite safety enforcement. OSHRC's role is to provide a neutral forum for resolving disputed citations, including cases involving construction hazards and employer responsibility.
For readers following workplace safety enforcement, the final order means the legal path in this docket has closed at the commission stage unless a separate, allowable challenge applies. The public record available through OSHRC now marks the matter as a completed agency action, with the docket entry and final order date visible in the commission's decision listings.
-- Vidhi Gianani, Targeted News Service
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Original text here: https://www.oshrc.gov/wp-content/uploads/24-0702-STIS-Inc.-ALJ-Decision-and-Order-redacted.pdf
Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics: First Atmosphere Detected on a Habitable-Zone Rocky World
CAMBRIDGE, Massachusetts, July 17 (TNSjou) -- The Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics issued the following news release:
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First atmosphere detected on a habitable-zone rocky world
The discovery marks a major milestone in the search for life on planets beyond our solar system
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In a major milestone in the search for life on other planets, astronomers have detected, for the first time, an atmosphere surrounding an Earth-like, rocky planet orbiting within the habitable zone of another star.
The finding provides the strongest evidence yet that worlds with conditions similar to Earth
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CAMBRIDGE, Massachusetts, July 17 (TNSjou) -- The Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics issued the following news release:
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First atmosphere detected on a habitable-zone rocky world
The discovery marks a major milestone in the search for life on planets beyond our solar system
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In a major milestone in the search for life on other planets, astronomers have detected, for the first time, an atmosphere surrounding an Earth-like, rocky planet orbiting within the habitable zone of another star.
The finding provides the strongest evidence yet that worlds with conditions similar to Earthin composition and temperature, with the potential to support life, could exist beyond our solar system.
"An atmosphere is essential for a planet to support life as we know it," said lead author Collin Cherubim, who recently earned his Ph.D. in Earth and Planetary Sciences from Harvard University.
"This is the first time anyone has found an atmosphere on a rocky planet in the habitable zone of another star."
Published today in Science (https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.aea9708), the study reports observational results detecting helium escaping from the atmosphere of LHS 1140 b, a rocky exoplanet about 48 light-years from Earth. Motivated by theoretical predictions, the discovery provides evidence that the planet possesses an atmosphere.
The planet orbits a red dwarf star within the star's habitable zone, or the region where temperatures and environmental conditions are within the range that could support liquid water on the planet's surface.
Astronomers have discovered thousands of exoplanets, including a few rocky worlds within their stars' habitable zones, but determining whether those planets have atmospheres has remained a great challenge.
"Twenty years ago we wondered whether other terrestrial-type planets even existed," said Robin Wordsworth, Gordon McKay Professor of Environmental Science and Engineering and Professor of Earth and Planetary Sciences at Harvard and one of Cherubim's dissertation advisors. "Then we learned they're common, and found some in the habitable zone. The next question was whether any of them had managed to keep an atmosphere. Now we know at least one has."
Although other studies have found rocky planets in the habitable zones of their stars, this study is the first to clearly demonstrate the presence of an atmosphere, one that has existed for billions of years.
Cherubim and his colleagues' theoretical model predicted that LHS 1140 b has an upper atmosphere rich in helium that is slowly escaping into space.
To test their prediction, the team used the Warm Infrared Echelle (WINERED) Spectrograph on the Magellan Telescope at Las Campanas Observatory in Chile. They observed a rare alignment, where LHS 1140 b and another planet transited their star on the same night.
Although one planet showed no evidence of an atmosphere, the other, LHS 1140 b, showed helium escaping from around it, confirming that it retains an atmosphere.
Cherubim's joint advisor David Charbonneau, head of the Harvard Department of Astronomy and astronomer in the Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian, was initially skeptical of Cherubim's plan because it was the product of a mathematical calculation and had never been observed before for a rocky world.
But when the results came in, he was convinced.
"Collin analyzed the planets we knew about and predicted that this one would have a helium atmosphere," Charbonneau said. "Then he organized telescope time, got the data, and the detection was statistically rock solid."
The findings suggest that ground-based observations searching for escaping gases may become an important tool for studying atmospheres on rocky exoplanets.
The planet's atmosphere has likely survived for more than three billion years, the astronomers say, making it a valuable target for future observations.
Cherubim said he'd like to determine the atmosphere's full composition and eventually investigate whether the planet has surface oceans or other characteristics associated with habitability. He and his colleagues will also use his model to search for similar worlds.
"This has been a model validation, and hopefully it's just the first of many more observations to come," he said.
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About the Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian
The Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian is a collaboration between the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory and the Harvard College Observatory designed to ask, and ultimately answer, humanity's greatest unresolved questions about the universe.
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Original text here: https://www.cfa.harvard.edu/news/first-atmosphere-detected-habitable-zone-rocky-world
Factory Floor Fridays: Chairman Jovanovic, Representative Davidson Tour GE Aerospace in Ohio to See American Innovation in Action
WASHINGTON, July 17 -- The Export-Import Bank of the U.S. issued the following news release:
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Factory Floor Fridays: Chairman Jovanovic, Representative Davidson Tour GE Aerospace in Ohio to See American Innovation in Action
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EVENDALE, OH. - Export-Import Bank of the United States (EXIM) Chairman John Jovanovic joined United States Representative Warren Davidson (OH-08) for a visit to GE Aerospace's Evendale facility as part of its Factory Floor Fridays initiative. Factory Floor Fridays tell the story of the American Dream through the eyes of the companies and workers building the next
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WASHINGTON, July 17 -- The Export-Import Bank of the U.S. issued the following news release:
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Factory Floor Fridays: Chairman Jovanovic, Representative Davidson Tour GE Aerospace in Ohio to See American Innovation in Action
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EVENDALE, OH. - Export-Import Bank of the United States (EXIM) Chairman John Jovanovic joined United States Representative Warren Davidson (OH-08) for a visit to GE Aerospace's Evendale facility as part of its Factory Floor Fridays initiative. Factory Floor Fridays tell the story of the American Dream through the eyes of the companies and workers building the nextgeneration of American industry-proving that with the right tools and support, U.S. innovation can compete and win anywhere in the world.
During the visit, Chairman Jovanovic and Representative Davidson toured GE Aerospace's facility, met with company leaders, and discussed the role of export financing in supporting American manufacturing, aviation leadership, and jobs in Greater Cincinnati. EXIM has supported over $22 million in total exports for GE Aerospace in the district, which employs approximately 2,500 workers there.
"Representative Davidson and I saw firsthand the power of American manufacturing at GE Aerospace in Ohio's 8th district. Industry leaders like GE Aerospace demonstrate the innovation, skill, and industrial strength that keep America's manufacturing sector strong and competitive," said Chairman Jovanovic. "Under President Trump's leadership, EXIM is going back to the basics: strengthening supply chain security, revitalizing American industry, and putting American workers first so they can compete and win around the globe."
"GE Aerospace has helped make Southwest Ohio a center of American aviation and advanced manufacturing," said Representative Davidson. "I was glad to be joined by Chairman Jovanovic today to see that work firsthand and discuss how EXIM can support Ohio exporters and manufacturers. GE's work supports thousands of local jobs and strengthens America's ability to compete around the world. As Chairman of the subcommittee overseeing EXIM, I'm focused on making sure American companies have the tools they need to take on subsidized foreign competitors and win."
"American manufacturers are the backbone of our economic security," Jovanovic added. "Factory Floor Fridays give EXIM the opportunity to hear from businesses large and small-which account for nearly 90 percent of our transactions-and ensure they have the financing tools they need to compete, grow, and win in global markets."
When EXIM was founded 92 years ago, its mission was simple: support America's economic recovery from the Great Depression by creating well-paying jobs and rebuilding the nation's manufacturing base. Under President Trump's leadership, EXIM is once again a frontline economic tool to revitalize America's economy and define a future led by U.S. innovation.
ABOUT EXIM:
As the United States government's official export credit agency, the Export-Import Bank of the United States (EXIM) supports American jobs by facilitating U.S. exports. As an independent agency, EXIM plays a critical role in supporting economic growth, securing critical supply chains, and ensuring American businesses are given a fighting chance. To achieve this mission, EXIM offers financing including export credit insurance, working capital guarantees, loan guarantees, and direct loans. Learn more at www.exim.gov.
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Original text here: https://www.exim.gov/news/factory-floor-fridays-chairman-jovanovic-representative-davidson-tour-ge-aerospace-ohio-see
Bank Awards $1.5 Million in Native American Housing Grants
DALLAS, Texas, July 17 -- The Federal Home Loan Bank of Dallas, a district bank in the Federal Home Loan Bank System, issued the following news release:
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Bank Awards $1.5 Million in Native American Housing Grants
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* Bulletin No: 2026-14
The Federal Home Loan Bank of Dallas (Bank) is pleased to announce that it has awarded $1.5 million in grants to eight federally recognized tribes and Tribally Designated Housing Entities (TDHEs) through its Native American Housing Opportunities (NAHO) Fund. The funds were awarded through seven participating member institutions.
The fund, introduced
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DALLAS, Texas, July 17 -- The Federal Home Loan Bank of Dallas, a district bank in the Federal Home Loan Bank System, issued the following news release:
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Bank Awards $1.5 Million in Native American Housing Grants
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* Bulletin No: 2026-14
The Federal Home Loan Bank of Dallas (Bank) is pleased to announce that it has awarded $1.5 million in grants to eight federally recognized tribes and Tribally Designated Housing Entities (TDHEs) through its Native American Housing Opportunities (NAHO) Fund. The funds were awarded through seven participating member institutions.
The fund, introducedin 2024, provides grants from $50,000 to $200,000 to support housing initiatives that tribes, through their tribal governments and TDHEs, identify as critical to meeting tribal housing needs. All grant recipients were sponsored by Bank members.
Below is a list of the awardees, including the members that facilitated the grants:
Louisiana: $400,000
Charenton
Member: FNB of Jeanerette
Organization: Chitimacha Tribe of Louisiana
Grant: $200,000
Marksville
Member: Home Bank
Organization: Tunica-Biloxi Tribe of Louisiana
Grant: $200,000
New Mexico: $1.1 million
Laguna
Member: First National Bank Texas
Organization: Laguna Housing Development and Management Enterprise
Grant: $102,000
Mescalero
Member: First National Bank
Organization: Mescalero Apache Tribe
Grant: $200,000
Ohkay Owingeh
Member: Century Bank
Organization: Ohkay Owingeh
Grant: $200,000
Santa Fe
Member: Homewise
Organization: San Ildefonso Housing Authority
Grant: $200,000
Member: Homewise
Organization: Pueblo of Tesuque
Grant: $198,000
San Felipe Pueblo
Member: Southwest Capital Bank
Organization: San Felipe Pueblo Housing Authority
Grant: $200,000
Eligible uses for the NAHO Fund grants range from down payment, closing cost and rental assistance to repairs and new construction. The program also provides grants for administrative and operational expenses such as new program development and consultant fees.
Visit our website or contact Community Investment at 800.362.2944 for more information.
Sincerely,
Sanjay K. Bhasin
President and Chief Executive Officer
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Original text here: https://www.fhlb.com/library/bulletins/2026/bank-awards-1-5-million-in-native-american-housing
