WORLD NEWS FLASH
UNITED STATES
Two big developments have taken place at the U.S. Department of Education – with one of them set to potential end the department outright.
On July 10, the U.S. Department of Education today announced it will end taxpayer subsidization of illegal aliens in career, technical, and adult education programs. In an interpretive rule issued today, the Department rescinded a Dear Colleague letter from the Clinton Administration that enabled non-qualified illegal aliens to access federal public benefits in contravention of the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act (PRWORA).
The interpretive rule also ensures that postsecondary education programs authorized under the Higher Education Act (HEA), such as Pell Grants and student loans, continue to be inaccessible to illegal immigrants.
“Postsecondary education programs funded by the federal government should benefit American citizens, not illegal aliens,” said U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon. “Under President Trump’s leadership, hardworking American taxpayers will no longer foot the bill for illegal aliens to participate in our career, technical, or adult education programs or activities. The Department will ensure that taxpayer funds are reserved for citizens and individuals who have entered our country through legal means who meet federal eligibility criteria.”
The Notice of Interpretation published in the Federal Register today states that federal programs that provide postsecondary education and other similar benefits, including career and technical education (CTE) programs under the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act (Perkins V), and adult education programs under Title II of the Adult Education and Family Literacy Act (AEFLA) of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA), are federal public benefits subject to the requirements of PRWORA.
The Notice reminds grantees and subgrantees of their obligations to verify the eligibility of participants to ensure that limited federal funding is not being improperly distributed to noneligible individuals or used to support programs and services that serve illegal aliens. The Department drafted the Notice of Interpretation in response to the President’s Executive Order 14218 titled, Ending Taxpayer Subsidization of Open Borders.
The Notice also rescinds a portion of a previous Dear Colleague Letter issued in November 1997 that mischaracterized federal public benefits.
Then, on July 14, the U.S. Supreme Court reached a decision that President Trump did have the authority to massively cut jobs at the USDOE. This aligns with his campaign agenda of sunsetting the USDOE as a whole and leaving all educational matters to individual states.
“Today, the Supreme Court again confirmed the obvious: the President of the United States, as the head of the Executive Branch, has the ultimate authority to make decisions about staffing levels, administrative organization, and day-to-day operations of federal agencies,” said McMahon on the decision. “While today’s ruling is a significant win for students and families, it is a shame that the highest court in the land had to step in to allow President Trump to advance the reforms Americans elected him to deliver using the authorities granted to him by the U.S. Constitution.
“The U.S. Department of Education will now deliver on its mandate to restore excellence in American education. We will carry out the reduction in force to promote efficiency and accountability and to ensure resources are directed where they matter most – to students, parents, and teachers. As we return education to the states, this Administration will continue to perform all statutory duties while empowering families and teachers by reducing education bureaucracy.”
MASS SHOOTING UPDATE
Information from 7-15-2025
2025 Mass Shooting Stats: (Source: Mass Shooting Tracker, https://www.massshootingtracker.site/data/?year=2025)
- Total Mass Shootings: 271
- Total Dead: 304
- Total Wounded: 1135
- Shootings Per Day: 1.38
- Days Reached in Year 2025 as of noon July 15: 196
MIDDLE EAST
NEARLY 900 DEAD IN UNDER 90 DAYS
Nearly 900 desperate and hungry Gazans have been killed in recent weeks trying to fetch food, with most deaths linked to private aid hubs run by the so-called Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), the UN human rights office, OHCHR, said.
“As of July 13, we have recorded 875 people killed in Gaza while trying to get food; 674 of them were killed in the vicinity of GHF sites,” said Thameen Al-Kheetan, OHCHR spokesperson, referencing the US-Israeli run private organization which has bypassed regular humanitarian operations.
The remaining 201 victims were killed while seeking food “on the routes of aid convoys or near aid convoys” run by the UN or UN-partners still operating in the war-shattered enclave, Mr. Al-Kheetan told journalists in Geneva.
Killings linked to the controversial US and Israeli-backed aid hubs began shortly after they started operating in southern Gaza on May 27, bypassing the UN and other established NGOs.
The latest deadly incident happened at around 9 am on July 14, when reports indicated that the Israeli military shelled and fired towards Palestinians seeking food at the GHF site in As Shakoush area, northwestern Rafah.
According to OHCHR, two Palestinians were killed and at least nine others were injured. Some of the casualties were transported to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) hospital in Rafah. On July 12, medics there received more than 130 patients, the “overwhelming majority” suffering from gunshot wounds and “all responsive individuals” reporting they were attempting to access food distribution sites.
The UN agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, expressed deep concerns about the continuing killing of civilians trying to access food, while deadly malnutrition spreads among children.
“Our teams on the ground – UNRWA teams and other United Nations teams – have spoken to survivors of these killings, these starving children included, who were shot at while on their way to pick up very little food,” said Juliette Touma, UNRWA Director of Communications.
Speaking via video from Amman, Ms. Touma insisted that the near-total Israeli blockade of Gaza has led to babies dying of the effects of severe acute malnutrition.
“We’ve been banned from bringing in any humanitarian assistance into Gaza for more than four months now,” she said, before pointing to a “significant increase” in child malnutrition since the Israeli blockade began on March 2.
Ms. Touma added: “We have 6,000 trucks waiting in places like Egypt, like Jordan; it’s from Jordan to the Gaza Strip it’s a three-hour drive, right?”
In addition to food supplies, these UN trucks contain other vital if basic supplies including bars of soap. “Medicine and food are going to soon expire if we’re not able to get those supplies to people in Gaza who need it most, among them one million children who are half of the population of the Gaza Strip,” Ms. Touma continued.
WORLD
CIVILIANS FALLING IN UKRAINE
Relentless missile and drone strikes by Russian forces have killed and injured hundreds of civilians in Ukraine this month, continuing a devastating pattern of attacks far from the frontlines.
According to the UN human rights office, OHCHR, at least 139 civilians have been killed and 791 injured so far in July alone.
“The devastating physical and psychological impact on civilians of repeated attacks in this and other conflicts cannot be captured by numbers alone,” said OHCHR spokesperson Liz Throssell on July 15.
On the night of July 12, Russian forces reportedly launched nearly 600 Shahed-type unmanned attack and decoy drones, along with 26 missiles, killing two civilians and injuring 41.
Damage was reported across multiple regions, including Chernivtsi, Lviv, Cherkasy, Volyn and Kirovohrad – all far from active combat zones. Earlier that same week, Russian forces reportedly launched a record-breaking 728 long-range drones in a single 24-hour period.
June marked the deadliest month for civilians in over three years.
“People are having to spend hours sheltering … in basements, corridors and available refuges such as metro stations,” said Ms. Throssell. “In some cases, they’re unable to get to shelter at all.”
The UN World Health Organization (WHO) meanwhile has verified 2,504 attacks on health facilities and personnel in Ukraine since the start of the full-scale invasion by the Russian Federation on Feb. 24, 2022.
These strikes have hit hospitals, ambulances and first responders, including in so-called “double tap” attacks where secondary strikes follow the initial impact.
“This means more than two attacks every day…Healthcare is not a safe place for patients and healthcare workers,” said Dr. Jarno Habicht, WHO Representative in Ukraine.
Access to healthcare remains especially limited in frontline areas, where personnel and supplies are scarce. Only 69 percent of residents in those areas have seen a primary care doctor, compared to 74 percent nationally. WHO mobile teams operating in 82 locations have conducted more than 7,500 consultations in 2025 so far.
The psychological toll is also wearing people down. A recent assessment found that seven out of 10 people reported anxiety, depression or severe stress over the last 12 months, while one in two said they had experienced significant stress in just the past two months.
To address this, WHO and national partners have trained more than 125,000 health workers and expanded mental health services through more than 220 community resilience centers.
Despite continued deliveries of trauma kits and medical supplies by UN and humanitarian partners, the response remains critically underfunded. As of mid-July, only 35.5 percent of the required $129 million for 2025 has been secured, leaving more than two million people without adequate medical support.
HAITI
UN CONTINUES EFFORTS FOR ISLAND NATION
Amid runaway gang violence and crumbling state authority, the Security Council on July 14 unanimously extended the mandate of the UN’s political mission in Haiti until the end of the year, amid escalating gang violence, political paralysis and a deepening humanitarian crisis threatening the country’s collapse.
By adopting resolution 2785, the Council renewed the authorization of the UN Integrated Office in Haiti (BINUH), reaffirming support for a Haitian-led solution to the island nation’s overlapping crises.
The decision comes as armed gangs maintain their grip on most of the capital, Port-au-Prince, with over 1.3 million people displaced and more than 4,000 killed in the first half of 2025 alone, according to UN figures.
Conditions have deteriorated dramatically amid growing food insecurity and the erosion of public institutions. Of particular concern is the safety of women and girls, with a sharp rise in reports of sexual violence since the start of the year – including rape, gang rape, and sexual enslavement.
The Security Council also “expressed its intention to consider, without delay” the recommendations by the Secretary-General on possible future roles for the UN in sustaining security and stability in Haiti.
In February, António Guterres presented the Council with a range of options.
“Each new wave of criminal attacks against the communities and institutions of Haiti is a distressing sign that time is running out,” the UN chief said in a letter.
He urged Member States to support the Multinational Security Support (MSS) mission, which the Council authorized in October 2023 to assist Haiti’s national police in tackling gang violence and restoring order. He also emphasized that international efforts to improve security must be matched by national progress toward resolving the political crisis.
Several Council members voiced a willingness to engage on the Secretary-General’s proposals. The Chinese representative, for instance, said Beijing was open to working with others to chart a constructive way forward.
“With regard to how to improve the situation in Haiti, including how to respond to the Secretary-General’s recommendations, we are ready to have candid communication with all parties, explore viable solutions and seek the broadest possible consensus,” said Geng Shuang, Deputy Permanent Representative of China to the UN.
The Council’s action was welcomed by Haiti’s Ambassador, who underscored the political and security stakes ahead of a critical 2026 transition timeline.
“This extension should help Haitian authorities undertake a real, genuine political dialogue, to strengthen good governance, bolster security and bring about justice and promote human rights,” said Pierre Ericq Pierre, Permanent Representative to the UN.
He also expressed his Government’s expectation that the UN mission will support implementation of the national roadmap, including constitutional reforms and elections.
Emphasizing national ownership, he added: “BINUH must work as part of a holistic plan to support Haitian authorities in confronting the grave crisis shaking the country to its core.”
The United States, which led negotiations on the resolution alongside Panama, stressed the urgency of political progress and called on international partners to increase support.
“Less than one year remains on the Transitional Presidential Council’s planned roadmap for the restoration of democratic institutions,” said Ambassador Dorothy Shea, acting representative.
“Supporting the security of elections and the participation of all sectors of society is key to sustainable political progress in Haiti. Without BINUH, realizing the vision of a stronger, more resilient society would be less likely.”
UNITED KINGDOM
FIGHTING MISOGYNY IN THE CLASSROOM
Through a new Relationships, Sex and Health Education guidance for UK schools published July 15, children and young people will be better protected from the scourge of misogynism, deepfake porn and unhealthy attitudes to consent, power and control.
The statutory guidance has a new focus on helping boys identify positive role models, and challenge myths about women and relationships that are spread online in the ‘manosphere’ – without stigmatizing boys for being boys.
Secondary schools will also now include lessons on incel culture, including how a piece of content online can impact a person’s understanding of sexual ethics and behavior, as well as increasing awareness of AI, deepfakes and how pornography links to misogyny.
It comes as new data published shows misogynistic attitudes have reached epidemic scale by the end of secondary school. When asked to think about just the past week, over a third (37%) of pupils aged 11-19 had heard comments that made them concerned about the safety of girls, and over half (54%) said they had witnessed comments they would describe as misogynistic.
Other additions to the curriculum include spiking and methanol poisoning, increased focus on resilience and coping, a strengthened health syllabus so children are equipped with necessary knowledge on women’s health such as endometriosis and fertility.
The guidance builds on the government’s commitment to give every school child access to a mental health professional, delivering on the Prime Minister’s Plan for Change, and comes ahead of the Violence Against Women and Girls strategy due to be published in the autumn.
Education Secretary, Bridget Phillipson, said, “Before I was elected to Parliament, I managed a refuge for women and children fleeing domestic violence, so I have seen first-hand the devastating impact when we don’t foster healthy attitudes from the youngest age.
“I want our children to be equipped to defy the malign forces that exist online. Schools and parents alike have a vital role to play, helping children identify positive role models and resist the manipulation too often used online to groom impressionable young minds.
“Whether it’s helping deliver on our Plan for Change mission to halve violence against women and girls or growing a more just and equal society, there can be no more basic mission for a government then making sure our children grow up to become decent, respectful adults, prepared for the modern world.”
Children will start to build positive attitudes to relationships between friends and family in primary school, followed by new dedicated content in secondary school that helps boys identify positive male role models, and all children to expect consent and kindness when they get ready for more intimate relationships.
Additional new content for secondary schools includes:
- Sexual ethics beyond consent, for example teaching young people that yes doesn’t always mean yes as factors like peer pressure should be taken into account
- Staying safe in public spaces, to match staying safe online, so young people know how to increase their personal safety in public spaces, build confidence in trusting their instincts and learn ways to seek help
- Financial exploitation
- Positive conceptions of femininity and masculinity
A strong new emphasis on age-appropriate and sequenced teaching, differentiated between primary and secondary school, will mean children don’t get taught things they are too young for, without proscribing specific ages to each individual topic.
The clear dividing line between what can be taught in primary and secondary school remains unchanged.
This will allow teachers to sensitively respond to topics that children might have seen online or heard from their friends – making sure children are kept safe and parents are informed.
