As homeland security secretary, Noem would lead a sprawling federal bureaucracy with a $60 billion budget and more than 230,000 employees.

The post Trump picks Gov. Kristi Noem to serve as homeland security secretary appeared first on Boston.com.

The National Council for Voluntary Organisations says Stuart Andrew has a ‘deep understanding’ of the voluntary sector

Washington — Health care workers will be the focus of OSHA’s emergency temporary standard on COVID-19, which will be issued June 10, Labor Secretary Marty Walsh told the House Education and Labor Committee during a June 9 hearing.

Washington — Labor Secretary Marty Walsh is expected to leave the Biden administration to become executive director of the National Hockey League Players’ Association, according to multiple reports.

Washington — President Joe Biden has announced his intent to nominate Julie Su for labor secretary.

Washington — Julie Su emphasized her commitment to “finding and expanding the vast areas of common ground between employers and employees” during her April 20 confirmation hearing before the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee.

Washington — President Joe Biden has renominated Julie Su for labor secretary, but Su’s path to confirmation remains murky.

Washington – Anthony Foxx was sworn in as the 17th Secretary of Transportation on July 2, five days after being confirmed by the Senate in a unanimous vote.

Washington – The Senate confirmed Thomas Perez on July 18 as secretary of labor with a 54-46 vote.

If confirmed, the Florida senator would become the first Latino to ever serve as the nation's top diplomat.

Hegseth, 44, is a co-host of Fox News Channel’s “Fox & Friends Weekend” and unsuccessfully ran for the Senate in Minnesota in 2012.

Donald Trump has selected South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem to head the Department of Homeland Security. It's one of the biggest government agencies that will be integral to his vow to secure the border and carry out a massive deportation operation.

[International] :
U.S. President-elect Donald Trump has nominated Pete Hegseth, a Fox News host and veteran of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, as the next secretary of defense. In a statement issued Tuesday, Trump called the nominee “tough, smart and a true believer in America First,” adding that with Hegseth at the ...

[more...]

"This is a petty, partisan power grab that is absolutely retaliation towards my office," Arizona Democratic Secretary of State Katie Hobbs says of the new law.; Credit: Ross D. Franklin/AP

Arizona Republicans have stripped the secretary of state's office — currently held by a Democrat — of the right to defend the state's election laws in court, or choose not to, a change enacted as part of Arizona's newly signed budget.

The spending blueprint that Gov. Doug Ducey signed into law Wednesday declares that the attorney general — currently a position occupied by Republican Mark Brnovich — has sole authority over election-related litigation.

If the secretary of state and attorney general were to disagree over a legal strategy when Arizona election laws are challenged, the new law states that "the authority of the attorney general to defend the law is paramount."

Republicans also adopted language stating it's their intent for the law to apply through Jan. 2, 2023, coinciding with the end of Democrat Katie Hobbs' term as secretary of state.

Hobbs, the top election official in Arizona who's now running for governor, says her lawyers are looking at whether this change violates the Arizona Constitution.

"This is a petty, partisan power grab that is absolutely retaliation towards my office," Hobbs said. "It's clear by the fact that it ends when my term ends. ... It is at best legally questionable, but at worst, likely unconstitutional."

Republicans have generally cast the law as a cost-saving measure, citing Hobbs and Brnovich's frequent disagreements over how to defend state election laws that have been challenged in court. In 2020, Hobbs filed complaints with the state bar against Brnovich and other lawyers in his office.

Other election provisions in the budget

The budget includes a number of other election provisions, and it comes weeks after Republicans enacted new restrictions on early voting in the state, and as a controversial review of 2020 election results in Maricopa County continues.

Here are some of the other election-related measures in the budget:

• New laws could soon require watermarks, QR codes and other security measures to be printed on ballots.
• There's a new mandate to inspect state and county voter registration databases and create a report on voters who cast federal-only ballots — an option available to Arizonans who don't show proof of citizenship to register to vote in the state, but are still allowed to register under federal law.
• And a new task force would investigate alleged social media bias as an unreported in-kind political contribution.

The ballot security measures, though not mandated by law in the budget, have the potential to be the most cumbersome and costly requirement for county election officials to implement.

The budget amendment provides a list of 10 "ballot fraud countermeasures" for counties to choose from — features like holographic foil, background designs similar to those found on banknotes and ultraviolet or infrared ink. If mandated, counties would have to implement any combination of at least three features from the list on their ballots. The budget provides $12 million to pay for those features, to be split among Arizona's 15 counties.

"By everyone's admission, there is only one company that can do any of this," said Jennifer Marson, executive director of the Arizona Association of Counties. "And so now, we can't have a competitive bid process or a traditional procurement process at the county or state level to use these countermeasures because we're locked into one company."

That company is Authentix, a Texas-based firm that provided Republican Rep. Mark Finchem with a sample ballot that included watermarks, QR codes and other security measures. Finchem had the sample ballot on display at the Capitol in March. According to the Yellow Sheet Report, it could be five times more expensive to print ballots with those security measures as it is to print paper ballots currently in use.

Marson said Finchem has acknowledged the security levels required of companies in the budget amendment could only be met by Authentix, and has vowed to mandate the ballot security measures in the "very near future."

Finchem defended the company in a brief email. He wrote that Authentix "offers these countermeasures to governments around the world for document and tax stamp security."

As the budget was being considered, Democrats like Sen. Tony Navarrete said the amendment is part of a broad effort to solidify conspiracy theories of election fraud.

"It's important for us to make sure we vote down conspiracy-laced amendments that are going to hurt the integrity of our election system in the state of Arizona and encourage other states to have these bad copycat laws spread like wildfire," he said.

This content is from Southern California Public Radio. View the original story at SCPR.org.

Autonomous vehicles (AV) took center stage at the Chair’s Luncheon of the Transportation Research Board’s annual meeting today.

U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg addressed attendees of the Transportation Research Board’s 101st Annual Meeting, where he highlighted the importance of evidence-based science, along with economic strength, clean energy, road traffic safety, and infrastructure.

President-elect Donald Trump reportedly plans to name Florida Sen. Marco Rubio (R) as his secretary of state, The New York Times reported Monday night.

President-elect Donald Trump announced on Tuesday evening he has selected Fox News host Pete Hegseth to serve as his defense secretary. Hegseth, an Army veteran, is a surprise pick that […]

VIENNA, 13 April 2016 – As Poland takes over the rotating Chairmanship of the OSCE Forum for Security Co-operation (FSC), Under-Secretary of State with the Foreign Ministry Marek Ziółkowski said that one of the main tasks of his country will be to strengthen confidence- and security-building measures by revitalizing the Vienna Document 2011. Moving this process forward and including regional perspectives into the security dialogue with the focus on some areas including the Baltic Sea region, Central and Eastern Europe are the priorities of Poland’s Chairmanship of the FSC.

Opening the 815th meeting of the Forum for Security Co-operation Ziółkowski said: “Poland believes that risk reduction is one of the pillars of the Vienna Document-based co-operation. And nowadays the relevance and usefulness of risk reduction mechanisms are growing.”

He noted in particular the proposal made jointly by Poland and other OSCE participating States to improve co-operation regarding hazardous incidents of a military nature.

Poland’s Chairmanship will put an emphasis on regional perspectives in the security dialogue in the OSCE area. Political-military aspects of security in Georgia and Tajikistan as well as Montenegro’s Demilitarization Programme (MONDEM) will also be topics of discussion.

Regarding the crisis in and around Ukraine, the Under-Secretary of State drew attention to the lack of progress in the implementation of the Minsk agreements and further deterioration of the security situation in Donbas. “The OSCE must retain its focus and resolve to facilitate a peaceful and lasting resolution of the conflict in eastern Ukraine. We see room for the FSC to play a more prominent role here. For example, the applicability of the existing set of confidence- and security-building measures could be re-examined and further explored,” Ziółkowski said.

Poland is taking over the Chairmanship of the Forum for Security Co-operation from the Netherlands and preceding Portugal. Ambassador Adam Bugajski of Poland will chair the FSC till the end of the summer recess.

Related Stories

• OSCE confidence- and security-building measures must be adapted to current security challenges, says Polish Foreign Ministry Under-Secretary of State
• Dialogue for enhanced European security in focus at joint session of OSCE Forum for Security Co-operation and Permanent Council
• Greater international efforts needed to address challenges to stable security in Georgia, say participants of OSCE Forum for Security Co-operation

BERLIN / VIENNA, 15 July 2016 – OSCE Chairperson-in-Office and Germany’s Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier and OSCE Secretary General Lamberto Zannier today condemned the deadly terror attack in Nice, France. 

“A day dedicated to joy and the pride of the French Nation ended in tragedy,” said Minister Steinmeier. “Many people were cruelly and senselessly taken from peaceful celebrations to death, many are struggling for their lives.  Our thoughts and our compassion lie with the victims, their families, the French people. We share the grief of France, in these dark hours we stand shoulder to shoulder.”

Ambassador Zannier said: “I am saddened and shocked by the terror attack in Nice. We at the OSCE stand in solidarity with the families of the victims, and with the people of France. OSCE participating States and Partners will not be intimidated by murder and violence. We will work together to tackle this scourge.”

Related Stories

• OSCE Chairperson-in-Office and Secretary General express deep concern and call for respect of democratic institutions in Turkey
• OSCE Chairperson Steinmeier and Secretary General Zannier condemn senseless and horrific violence in Orlando
• Urgent steps needed towards full respect for ceasefire in eastern Ukraine, says OSCE Chairmanship Special Representative and Chief Monitor

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has undergone a medical procedure at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center and has resumed duty after temporarily transferring power. He is continuing to deal with bladder issues that arose in December following his treatment for prostate cancer. The Pentagon says the procedure Friday was successful, elective and minimally invasive, “is not related to his cancer diagnosis and has had no effect on his excellent cancer prognosis.” Austin has returned home, and the Pentagon says no changes in his official schedule are anticipated, including his participation in Memorial Day events.

The post Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin resumes duty after undergoing procedure at Walter Reed first appeared on Federal News Network.

Department Secretary for international company in Tel Aviv

Job Description

• Daily administration duties
• Managing diaries
• Coordinating meetings
• Setting up conference calls
• Maintaining databases
• Handling travel arrangements
• Arranging conferences

• Experience from similar role.
• Fluent Hebrew and English

In a Letter to the United Nations – AUA Secretary General Conveys the Assyrian Nation’s Demands for an Assyrian State/Region in a Federalized Iraq

The Stranger's morning news round-up. by Ashley Nerbovig

Goooooood morning: The National Weather Service predicts a 50% chance of rain today, with a breezy evening ahead. Meteorologists expect wind speeds to possibly top 29 miles per hour, so batten down your rotting porch pumpkins people!

Time to talk dollars: Want to tell the City Council how to spend your tax dollars? Go to public comment tonight at 5 pm at City Hall. Or you can participate remotely. You can go to tell them to support a capital gains tax, or oppose cuts to tenant services. Or tell the Council to respect the Jumpstart spend plan and actually use the payroll tax to pay for affordable housing, as it was intended. Check back on the blog for more coverage of the budget from Hannah. 

ICYMI: With the blowout loss for former Council Member Tanya Woo, Hannah tells City Council Member Sara Nelson to count her days. Local politicos plan to mount a serious challenge to the conservative Council President Nelson next year in the hopes of ousting her and her pro-cop, pro-business agenda out of office.

Rob Saka Seeks Street Car phase-out: Saka proposed phasing out the South Lake Union streetcar and redirecting the funding to bus service in the City. The budget for the street car is about $4.4 million, which isn't a whole lot of money when you consider Saka wants $2 million to remove the Delridge median so he can take a left turn.

Last week, the Office of Police Accountability (OPA) completed its investigation into Seattle Police Department (SPD) Officer Kevin Dave, who hit and killed 23-year-old Jaahnavi Kandula as she crossed through a crosswalk in January 2023. The OPA found Dave violated the department's driving policies as well as its policies requiring officers to follow the law. The City must hold a Loudermill hearing for Dave, which allows him to tell his side of the story before deciding on his discipline, so it may be a couple months before we know the final outcome. In the meantime, Dave continues to fight the traffic ticket Republican City Attorney Ann Davison issued him for his killing of Kandula. Seattle Municipal Court shows Dave's next hearing is scheduled for 8:30 am on December 18 in courtroom 301. 

BREAKING: OPA concluded its investigation into SPD Officer Kevin Dave on Friday and sustained policy violations for breaking the law and vehicle operation. Next step will be deciding discipline for him.

— Ashley Nerbovig (@AshleyNerbovig) November 11, 2024

What's your plan for this week anyway? Maybe you're checking out Christmas Dive Bar? Or maybe it's too soon? Maybe you're trying to enjoy something with more Thanksgiving vibes? Well, as always, our sister publication EverOut has you covered with the top 41 things to do this week in Seattle.

Republicans likely to control the US House: As it stands, Republicans have won 214 seats in the House, with Democrats at 205, and 16 races yet to be called. To control the House, Republicans need only to pick up another four seats, which they seem highly likely to do. Congress returned to Washington this week, ready to start setting Trump's right-wing agenda into motion.

Trump plans to pick Senator Marco Rubio for Secretary of State: The worst people in American continue to jockey for a position in Trump's new administration, with Florida Republican Rubio possibly securing the role of America's top diplomat, according to Politico. We're sure to hear more names in the coming days, including people such as Tiffany Justice, co-founder of Moms for Liberty, who Trump may consider for Secretary of Education. The nightmare continues. 

Israel kills 14 in Gaza: Two Israeli strikes killed 14 people in an area Israel had mostly declared to be a humanitarian zone. The deaths included at least two children, according to the Associated Press. 

Migos’ “Bad And Boujee” (Feat. Lil Uzi Vert): Been a minute since I checked out Tom Breihan's the Number Ones column, and I'm glad I plumbed it for a song today because I normally wouldn't think about Migos around holiday season, but that's when "Bad and Boujee" climbed to the number one spot on the charts, so I suppose that makes it a holiday classic.

President-elect Donald Trump is considering tapping Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) as secretary of state, according to the New York Times.

The post Report: President-Elect Donald Trump Considering Marco Rubio as Secretary of State appeared first on Breitbart.

Secretary of State Dr. Shirley Weber walks us through overseeing elections across California. Also, a look at early ballot returns and vote tracking with Political Data. Finally, the California Voter Foundation provides last minute voting tips.

The Denver district attorney has launched an investigation into how a spreadsheet of voting system passwords ended up on the Colorado secretary of state's website earlier this year.

He was fully vaccinated, but fought multiple myeloma.

Pete Hegseth, a 44-year old NATO-skeptic, is perhaps Trump's most surprising pick as he fills out his cabinet ahead of the 20 January inauguration

Victoria Atkins is challenged to name some health trusts meeting their targets to cut waiting lists.

In a surprise move that broke in the early hours of Tuesday morning, President-elect Donald Trump has reportedly picked South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem as his nominee to head the […]

The post Trump Makes His Pick for Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security Secretary: Report appeared first on The Western Journal.

President-elect Donald Trump is reportedly considering lawyer Alina Habba to be the White House press secretary. Habba often spoke to the media while she was on the legal team representing […]

The post Report Shows New Front-Runner for Trump's Press Secretary Spot: The Media Should Be Terrified appeared first on The Western Journal.

In conversation with Julien Harneis, UN Assistant Secretary-General 18 November 2024 — 2:30PM TO 3:30PM Anonymous (not verified) 11 November 2024 Chatham House and Online

In this discussion, Julien Harneis will give critical insights into the UN’s humanitarian response in Yemen and the importance of maintaining independent humanitarian assistance.

According to the United Nations, Yemen has faced the world’s worst humanitarian crisis in the last decade, with over 20 million people in need of assistance. Years of ongoing conflict have devastated infrastructure, displaced millions, and caused widespread food insecurity and health emergencies. Access to essential services remains a daily struggle, and the escalating economic collapse has left vulnerable communities facing critical shortages in food, water, and medical supplies.

However, humanitarian actors are continually facing challenges in delivering aid to Yemen due to security threats and supply chain barriers, highlighting the urgent need for coordinated and sustainable international assistance.

UN Assistant Secretary-General and Humanitarian Coordinator for Yemen, Julien Harneis, will provide an account of the humanitarian mission and evolving strategies in Yemen, the impact of regional conflicts in the delivery of aid and discuss other key questions including:

Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall said the branch is looking toward confronting China, as well as unity in its ranks, and added that the service needs to retire older aircraft and programs -- and focus on ones that work.

U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin signed a new security agreement with Georgia Monday, seeking to buttress relations with the Black Sea nation as it continues to face Russian troops in two of its regions.

Billionaire financier John Paulson has declined a likely appointment as U.S Treasury Secretary by President-elect Donald Trump, he announced.

FAO Director-General José Graziano da Silva today praised UN Secretary-General Ban Ki Moon for his support in the fight against hunger at a meeting with FAO member countries, the Committee [...]