CHICAGO, Illinois, March 17 -- Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul issued the following news release: * * * ATTORNEY GENERAL RAOUL URGES TRUMP ADMINISTRATION TO OPPOSE CHANGES TO PASSPORT APPLICATION PROCESS THAT HARM TRANSGENDER AND NONBINARY INDIVIDUALS Chicago - Attorney General Kwame Raoul, as part of a coalition of 12 attorneys general, today submitted a comment letter to the U.S. Department of State opposing proposed changes to the passport application process that would prevent trans  more

WASHINGTON, March 18 (TNSres) -- The U.S. Census Bureau issued the following document on March 12, 2025, entitled "Irish-American Heritage Month and St. Patrick's Day: March 2025.": Here are excerpts: * * * The U.S. Congress designated March as Irish-American Heritage Month in 1991 and the president issues a proclamation commemorating the occasion each year. Originally a religious holiday to honor St. Patrick who introduced Christianity to Ireland in the 5th century, St. Patrick's Day has ev  more

WASHINGTON, March 18 (TNSres) -- The U.S. Department of the Interior Geological Survey issued the following abstract of an article on February 22, 2025, entitled "Reservoir thermal energy storage pre-assessment for the United States." Here are excerpts: * * * Storing thermal energy underground for later use in electricity production or direct-use heating/cooling is a promising, viable, and economical green energy option. Reservoir thermal energy storage (RTES) is one such option, which stores  more

CHICAGO, Illinois, March 18 -- Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul issued the following news release: * * * ATTORNEY GENERAL RAOUL URGES FANS PLACING MARCH MADNESS WAGERS TO EXERCISE CAUTION TO PROTECT INFORMATION, FUNDS Raoul Recommends Checking into Betting Operators Before Placing Bets Online, Using Apps Chicago - As the 2025 NCAA March Madness Tournament gets underway, Attorney General Kwame Raoul today urged Illinoisans who are considering making a wager on basketball games to be fu  more

WASHINGTON, March 18 -- The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has released the following public communication dated Feb. 28, 2025, from the American Nuclear Society, Westmont, Illinois: * * * Respondent: American Nuclear Society (ANS) Standards Board on behalf of the ANS Standards Committee Point of Contact: Andrew Sowder, Ph.D., ANS Standards Board Chair Title: ANS Standards Board Response to Risk-Informed, Technology-Inclusive Regulatory Framework for Advanced Reactors [NRC-2019-0062] * * * T  more

WASHINGTON, March 18 -- President Trump sent 28 nominations to the Senate on March 10, 2025: Richard Anderson, of Virginia, to be an Assistant Secretary of the Air Force. Kenneth Jackson, of Texas, to be a Member of the Board of Directors of the Inter-American Foundation for a term expiring September 20, 2028. John Arrigo, of Florida, to be Ambassador to the Portuguese Republic. Laken Rapier, of Texas, to be a Member of the Board of Directors of the African Development Foundation for a term   more

WASHINGTON, March 18 -- Sen. Richard J. Durbin, D-Illinois, issued the following floor remarks on March 12, 2025: * * * Mr. President, my friend and colleague from Wyoming mentioned the New York Times this morning and reports, articles, on the economy, and so I took a quick look to see if I could find the column that he was referring to, though I couldn't find it, I did find this on page B2. Headline: "Stocks Decline Further As Investors Struggle To Make Sense Of Trump's Latest Tariff Talk."   more

WASHINGTON, March 15 -- Sen. Richard J. Durbin, D-Illinois, issued the following floor remarks on March 13, 2025: * * * Madam President, later today, the Senate will vote on passage of the HALT Fentanyl Act. Opioid addiction has had a devastating impact on communities all across the country. We have an overdose crisis in the United States, and we should be doing everything possible to combat it. In just a decade, fentanyl has emerged as the deadliest drug in American history. All it takes is   more

WASHINGTON, March 18 -- Sen. Richard J. Durbin, D-Illinois, issued the following floor remarks on March 13, 2025: * * * Mr. President, the second point I would like to make is on the HALT Fentanyl bill which is coming before us. I am going to vote for it. It extends the classification of fentanyl-type drugs as schedule I drugs, the most serious narcotics in our country. I do say this: What we are doing is extending current policy. There is no new approach in this bill. It was reported out of   more

WASHINGTON, March 15 -- Sen. Richard J. Durbin, D-Illinois, issued the following floor remarks on March 13, 2025: * * * Madam President, on January 6, 2021, a solemn constitutional proceeding was disrupted when a mob of thugs, egged on by President Trump, attacked and trashed the U.S. Capitol in an attempt to overturn a free and fair election. The grimmest results of the insurrection were the subsequent deaths of five of our law enforcement officers and the injuries to approximately 140 other  more

WASHINGTON, March 18 -- Sen. Richard J. Durbin, D-Illinois, issued the following floor remarks on March 11, 2025: * * * Mr. President, today stands out as a critical moment for the country, the Supreme Court, and the Constitution. In recent weeks, Trump administration officials and allies have made statements and engaged in troubling conduct that threatened judicial independence and our very system of government. Elon Musk, a senior adviser to President Trump, has repeatedly called for the i  more

WASHINGTON, March 18 -- Sen. Richard J. Durbin, D-Illinois, issued the following floor remarks on March 12, 2025: * * * Mr. President, I would like to make the following statement: The Food and Drug Administration is one of the most important Agencies in the Federal Government and the world. Every day the FDA makes life-anddeath decisions, whether to approve a new cancer drug, initiate a recall of contaminated food, or keep deadly tobacco products out of the hands of our children. This Agency  more

WASHINGTON, March 18 -- Sen. Raphael G. Warnock, D-Georgia, issued the following news release: * * * Senator Reverend Warnock, Colleagues Push Back on Proposed Cuts to Disaster Programs Helping Georgians Recover From Helene In a new letter, Senator Reverend Warnock led 42 of his colleagues in an effort to push back against U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Scott Turner's proposed cuts to disaster recovery programs HUD disaster recovery programs help rebuild hous  more

WASHINGTON, March 19 (TNSFR) -- The U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Shawnee National Forest, Harrisburg, Illinois, has announced plans to repatriate the remains of ten individuals of Native American ancestry who were removed from federal lands in Illinois over several decades. The disposition, conducted in accordance with the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA), will return the remains to lineal descendants, Indian Tribes, or Native Hawaiian organizat  more

WASHINGTON, March 18 (TNSres) -- The U.S. Department of Agriculture issued the following World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates report (No. 656) on January 10,2025: Here are excerpts: * * * WHEAT: The outlook for 2024/25 U.S. wheat this month is for slightly larger supplies and domestic use, unchanged exports, and marginally higher ending stocks. Supplies are raised on higher imports, increased 5 million bushels to 130 million, all on Hard Red Spring. Feed and residual use is unchange  more

WASHINGTON, March 18 -- The White House issued the following news: * * * President Trump Is Delivering Needed Economic Relief Americans are continuing to see the benefits as the economic agenda of President Donald J. Trump and his administration comes into focus. After years of soaring prices and economic pain, the Trump Administration's focus on cutting regulations and unleashing American energy is leading to stability for Americans' bottom lines. EGGS: The average wholesale price of eggs   more