WASHINGTON, March 27 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following report (No. R44175) on March 26, 2025, entitled "Navy Shipboard Lasers - Background and Issues for Congress:" (Continued from Part 1 of 2) * * * ODIN Overview Optical Dazzler Interdictor Navy (ODIN) systems have been installed on eight Arleigh Burke (DDG-51) class destroyers. Figure 10 and Figure 11 reportedly show an ODIN system. The first ODIN installation reportedly was done on the destroyer Dewey (DDG-105)  more

RICHMOND, Virginia, March 28 -- The American Civil Liberties Union of Virginia issued the following news release on March 27, 2025: * * * Red Onion cannot be allowed to retaliate against incarcerated people for exercising their First Amendment rights RICHMOND, Va. - Today the ACLU of Virginia and co-counsel filed a motion on behalf of plaintiffs in the class action lawsuit Thorpe et al. v. Clarke et al., who are currently held in long-term solitary confinement at Red Onion State Prison and ha  more

WASHINGTON, March 27 -- Rep. Don Beyer, D-Virginia, issued the following news release: * * * Beyer: RFK Jr. Making "Dangerous Purge" Of Health Workers While "Bringing In A Team Of Kooks, Loons, And Weirdos" Congressman Don Beyer (D-VA) today issued the following statement on the mass firing of 10,000 federal workers at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS): "Amid major health challenges, including outbreaks of bird flu and measles Trump and RFK Jr. are undertaking an extreme and  more

WASHINGTON, March 27 -- Sen. John Boozman, R-Arkansas, issued the following news release: * * * Boozman Shares Memories of Northwest Arkansas Veteran Who Helped Paved the Way for Expanded Roles for Women WASHINGTON --The Veterans History Project, an initiative of the Library of Congress's American Folklife Center, is marking its 25th year collecting and retaining the oral histories of our nation's veterans. U.S. Senator John Boozman (R-AR), whose office has actively promoted and participated   more

WASHINGTON, March 28 -- The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has released the following public communication dated March 12, 2025, from the American Association of Nurse Practitioners, Austin, Texas: * * * To: John J. Howard, Director, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Department of Health and Human Services. RE: Expansion of NIOSH B Reader Certification Eligibility  more

WASHINGTON, March 28 -- Rep. Gerald "Gerry" Connolly, D-Virginia, ranking member of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, issued the following news release: * * * Committee Democrats Demand Multifront Investigation Into Exposure of Classified Information In Unsecure Signal Chat Washington, D.C. (March 27, 2025)-- Today, Rep. Gerald E. Connolly, Ranking Member of the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, sent a letter to Department of Defense Acting Inspector General Ste  more

WASHINGTON, March 28 (TNSFR) -- The Committee for Purchase From People Who Are Blind or Severely Disabled has announced its intent to remove several products and services from its Procurement List. The proposed deletions, published in the Federal Register on March 28, 2025, would impact nonprofit agencies that employ individuals who are blind or have severe disabilities. Among the items proposed for removal are various types of file folders previously supplied by Georgia Industries for the Bli  more

NEW YORK, March 28 -- Common Cause - New York issued the following news release on March 27, 2025: * * * Activists Take Opposition to Anti-Voter SAVE Act to House District Offices from Maine to Nevada Today, activists from Common Cause, Declaration for American Democracy (DFAD), and more than a dozen other organizations will deliver petitions to congressional district offices from Maine to Nevada urging their U.S. Representatives to vote against the anti-voter SAVE Act (Safeguard American Vot  more

WASHINGTON, March 28 -- Rep. Suhas Subramanyam, D-Virginia, issued the following news release on March 27, 2025: * * * Congressman Suhas Subramanyam Calls for the Resignation of Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth Washington, D.C. - Today, Congressman Suhas Subramanyam, Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Military and Foreign Affairs on the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, called on Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth to resign. "It is an indisputable fact that Secretary He  more

WASHINGTON, March 27 -- Rep. Chuck Edwards, R-North Carolina, issued the following news release: * * * Edwards, NC colleagues introduce bill to aid small business recovery after Helene U.S. Congressman Chuck Edwards (R-NC-11) introduced the Helene Small Business Recovery Act, marking the the six-month anniversary of Hurricane Helene's landfall, to facilitate small business owners' access to federal aid for rebuilding after Hurricane Helene. Congressman Don Davis (D-NC-01), Congresswoman Virgi  more

WASHINGTON, March 28 -- The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has released the following public communication dated March 13, 2025, from the American Public Power Association, Arlington, Virginia: * * * To: Honorable Lee Zeldin Administrator U.S. Environmental Protection Agency EPA Docket Center Mail Code 28221T 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue N.W. Washington, D.C. 20460 RE: Comments of the American Public Power Association on the Proposed New Source Performance Standards for Stationary Com  more

WASHINGTON, March 28 -- The Federal Acquisition Regulation Council has released the following public communication dated March 11, 2025, from SC&A, Arlington, Virginia: * * * Comment on FAR Proposed Rule on Controlled Unclassified Information Docket No. FAR Case 2017-016 SC&A is a small business federal contractor supporting several departments and agencies. We have been pursuing full compliance with NIST SP 800-171 revision 2 for the past several years and appreciate the work done by the FA  more

WASHINGTON, March 27 -- The Federal Acquisition Regulation has released the following public communication dated March 17, 2025, from the Aerospace Industries Association, Arlington, Virginia. Here are excerpts: * * * To: Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Regulatory Secretariat Division ATTN: Ms. Mahruba Uddowla Subject: FAR Case 2023-006 Preventing Organizational Conflicts of Interest in Federal Acquisition * * * Dear Ms. Uddowla, The Aerospace Industries Association (AIA)/1 welcome  more

WASHINGTON, March 27 -- The Naval Sea Systems Command issued the following news: * * * Forging the Future: U.S. Trains First Australian Radiological Control Technicians to Support AUKUS Submarine Force PORTSMOUTH, Va. - In a milestone for the AUKUS (Australia, United Kingdom, United States) enhanced trilateral security partnership, four Australian civilian maintenance technicians from the Australian government's submarine company, ASC, graduated from the U.S. Navy's Radiological Controls Tech  more

RICHMOND, Virginia, March 27 -- Gov. Glenn Youngkin, R-Virginia, issued the following news release: * * * Governor Glenn Youngkin Announces New Cabinet Appointments RICHMOND, VA - Governor Glenn Youngkin announced the departure of Secretary of Commerce and Trade Caren Merrick and the appointment of Chief Deputy Secretary of Commerce and Trade Juan Pablo Segura as Secretary. Additionally, Governor Youngkin formally named Stefanie Taillon Secretary of Natural and Historic Resources. "When I n  more

WASHINGTON, March 27 -- Rep. Richard Hudson, R-North Carolina, issued the following news release: * * * Hudson, NC Colleagues Champion Legislation to Support NC Firefighters, EMS Personnel WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Representative Richard Hudson (NC-09) joined Representative Greg Murphy, M.D. (NC-03), along with Representatives Virginia Foxx (NC-05), Chuck Edwards (NC-11), David Rouzer (NC-07), Pat Harrigan (NC-10), Addison McDowell (NC-06), and Tim Moore (NC-14) in introducing legislation (link  more

WASHINGTON, March 27 -- Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Virginia, issued the following news release: * * * Kaine & Cruz Applaud Committee Passage of their Bipartisan Bill to Reunite Separated Korean American Families WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, U.S. Senators Tim Kaine (D-VA) and Ted Cruz (R-TX), members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, applauded committee passage of their bipartisan bill to reunite separated Korean American families. "I'm glad the Senate Foreign Relations Committee advanced my bi  more

WASHINGTON, March 27 -- Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Virginia, issued the following news release: * * * Kaine Statement on Mass Firing of Federal Workers from U.S. Department of Health and Human Services WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, U.S. Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA), a member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee, released the following statement regarding the Trump Administration's decision to fire an additional 10,000 full-time federal workers from the U.S. Department of Health  more

WASHINGTON, March 27 -- The U.S. Department of Labor issued the following weekly report entitled "Unemployment Insurance Weekly Claims" for week ending March 22, 2025. * * * REVISION TO SEASONAL ADJUSTMENT FACTORS Note: This week's release reflects the annual revision to the weekly unemployment claims seasonal adjustment factors. The seasonal adjustment factors used for the UI Weekly Claims data from 2020 forward, along with the resulting seasonally adjusted values for initial claims and conti  more

WASHINGTON, March 28 -- NASA issued the following news release: * * * NASA Shares SpaceX Crew-11 Assignments for Space Station Mission As part of NASA's SpaceX Crew-11 mission, four crew members from three space agencies will launch in the coming months to the International Space Station for a long-duration science expedition aboard the orbiting laboratory. NASA astronauts Commander Zena Cardman and Pilot Mike Fincke, JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Mission Specialist Kim  more

WASHINGTON, March 28 -- NASA issued the following news release: * * * Meet the Space Ops Team: Anum Ashraf For Anum Ashraf, Ph.D., the interconnectedness of NASA's workforce presents the exciting opportunity to collaborate with a multitude of people and teams. With more than 11 years at the agency, Ashraf has played a fundamental role in leading efforts that actively bridge these connections and support NASA's mission. Ashraf serves as the mission commitment lead for NASA's SCaN (Space Comm  more

WASHINGTON, March 28 (TNSFR) -- The U.S. Department of Commerce National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has announced the receipt of an application for a permit that would allow research on bottlenose dolphins in Texas' coastal waters. Charted Marine Consulting, based in Norfolk, Virginia, has submitted the request to conduct studies on dolphin populations in the bays, sounds, estuaries, and near-shore regions of the northwestern Gulf of Mexico. The research, aimed at understand  more

WASHINGTON, March 28 -- Rep. Gerald "Gerry" Connolly, D-Virginia, ranking member of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, issued the following news release: * * * Ranking Member Connolly's Statement on Mass Firings at HHS Washington, D.C. (March 27, 2025)-- Today, Rep. Gerald E. Connolly, Ranking Member of the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, released the following statement after U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. an  more

WASHINGTON, March 28 -- Rep. Gerald "Gerry" Connolly, D-Virginia, ranking member of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, issued the following news release: * * * Ranking Member Connolly, Rep. Fallon, Rep. McClain Delaney, and Chairwoman Mace Introduce Bipartisan Legislation to Streamline and Improve Federal Software Purchasing Washington, D.C. (March 27, 2025)-- Today, Congressman Gerald E. Connolly (D-VA), Ranking Member of the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, Co  more

WASHINGTON, March 28 -- Rep. Robert C. Scott, D-Virginia, ranking member of the House Education and Workforce Committee, issued the following news release: * * * Ranking Member Scott's Statement on Trump and RFK Jr. Plans to Eliminate Agencies and Cut Thousands of HHS Workers WASHINGTON - Ranking Member Robert C. "Bobby" Scott (VA-03), House Committee on Education and Workforce, released the following statement in response to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announcement to c  more

FORT BRAGG, North Carolina, March 27 -- The U.S. Army Reserve Command issued the following news: * * * Resilience lessons provide HRC Soldier with different outlook FORT KNOX, Ky. - After months of rigorous training and preparation, Sgt. 1st Class Jared Alvarado was determined to bring home the 2024 Adjutant General Corps Soldier of the Year title to the U.S. Army Human Resources Command. About halfway through the competition at Fort Jackson, South Carolina, last April, it was time to pro  more

WASHINGTON, March 28 -- Rep. Robert C. Scott, D-Virginia, ranking member of the House Education and Workforce Committee, issued the following news release on March 27, 2025: * * * Scott, Nadler, Murray, Stansbury and Leger Fernandez Condemn Unlawful Dismissal of EEOC Commissioners, Demand Immediate Reinstatement WASHINGTON - Today, Committee on Education & Workforce Ranking Member Robert C. "Bobby" Scott (D-VA), Representative Jerrold Nadler (D-NY), Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Representative  more

WASHINGTON, March 27 -- Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Virginia, issued the following floor remarks on March 26, 2025: * * * Mr. President, I rise today to honor and celebrate the remarkable leadership and dedication of Nathan Monell, who will retire as executive director of the National Parent-Teacher Association (PTA) this year. Nathan's tenure at the PTA has been defined by his steadfast commitment to advocating for the educational success and well-being of our Nation's children. His vision, expertise,   more

WASHINGTON, March 28 -- The U.S. Senate conducted seven committee hearings on March 26, 2025: * * * DEFENSE AUTHORIZATION REQUEST Committee on Armed Services: Subcommittee on Strategic Forces concluded open and closed hearings to examine the United States Strategic Command and United States Space Command in review of the Defense Authorization Request for fiscal year 2026 and Future Years Defense Program, after receiving testimony from General Anthony J. Cotton, USAF, Commander, United States   more

WASHINGTON, March 26 -- Sen. Mark Warner, D-Virginia, issued the following news release: * * * Senate Intel Vice Chairman Mark R. Warner Pushes FBI Director to Confirm Investigation into Misuse of Messaging App Signal by Senior Trump Officials WASHINGTON - Today, Vice Chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence Mark R. Warner (D-VA) wrote Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Director Kash Patel requesting he confirm that the FBI will open an investigation into the Signal group ch  more

WASHINGTON, March 26 -- Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, issued the following news release: * * * Senate Votes to Advance Sen. Cruz Resolution Overturning IRS Cryptocurrency Regulation for Presidential Signature WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, the United States Senate voted 70-28 on final passage of a a resolution authored by U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) to overturn a Biden administration midnight rule imposing regulations on software developers of decentralized financial (DeFi) technology. The resolution h  more

WASHINGTON, March 28 -- Rep. Robert C. Scott, D-Virginia, ranking member of the House Education and Workforce Committee, issued the following news release: * * * Top Democrats Urge EEOC to Immediately Reverse Field Office Closures Concerning Reports Detail EEOC Office Closures in Seven States Could Potentially Expose Workers to Discrimination WASHINGTON - Top Democrats sent a letter to Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) Acting Chair Andrea Lucas following alarming reports that th  more

WASHINGTON, March 28 -- The White House issued the following news on March 27, 2025: * * * Trump Administration Takes Down Top MS-13 Gang Leader Early this morning, the Trump Administration directed the successful apprehension of a key leader of the brutal MS-13 gang in Virginia -- an illegal immigrant from El Salvador who was one of the top three MS-13 leaders in the United States. Thanks to a coordinated effort by federal law enforcement and state and local law enforcement in Virginia, thi  more