Bloomington Fire Department Mobile Integrated Healthcare program gets new tech

BLOOMINGTON- The Bloomington Fire Department’s Mobile Integrated Healthcare (MIH) program is enhancing patient care through innovative telemedicine technology.

Through a grant from the Indiana Department of Homeland Security (IDHS), the MIH program purchased telemedicine kits to better assess their patients. The kits, from Tech4Life, come with medical assessment tools that can give a medical provider a live picture of the patient. The medical provider will be able to get real-time vital signs, ECG readings, oxygen saturation levels, and more through a virtual meeting platform, facilitated by MIH team members. This enhanced capability empowers doctors to make faster, more informed diagnoses and decisions, ultimately improving patient outcomes.

Bloomington’s MIH program is the first MIH program in the United States to get these kits.

“These kits will help our team members provide even better medical assessments for our patients by providing real-time data,” says Shelby VanDerMoere, MIH Program Manager. “Truly, this is telemedicine at the highest level currently available.” 

Tech4Life’s company representative, Ruhab Ilyas, and the inventor of the kits, Dr. Shariq Khoja, came to Bloomington to deliver live, on-site training to several of the MIH team members.

“Tech4Life is honored to partner with the Bloomington Fire Department and its MIH program in bringing our Sojro Ambulance Telemedicine Kits to the community. With a shared commitment to improving healthcare accessibility through technology and social innovation, we are excited to help bridge the gap for patients in need. Together with the Bloomington Fire Department, we will empower both healthcare providers and patients, and create more connected, healthier communities for all.”

Team members will have these kits in service after additional training with a team trainer before deploying the kits in the field, MIH team members will undergo additional training with MIH Team Trainer and Grant Writer Trisha Rademachir and receive final approvals from BFD’s Medical Director, Dr. Corinna Repetto.

For more information, please contact Assistant Chief (Administration) Tania Daffron at [email protected] or 812-272-2113.

United States of America: FIDH and its members condemn President Trump’s draconian executive order establishing International Criminal Court sanctions regime

The Hague, Paris, 7 February 2025. Yesterday, President Trump issued an executive order declaring a national emergency and establishing a comprehensive sanctions regime targeting the ICC. The executive order authorises sanctions against individuals and/or entities listed in an annex (not yet publicly released), and future sanctions against foreign individuals and entities who engage in or support ICC efforts to investigate, arrest, detain or prosecute American or allied nationals, including Israeli officials. Sanctions include asset freezes and travel bans on foreign individuals and entities that provide legal, financial, material, or technological support to these ICC efforts. American individuals and entities are prohibited from offering specified forms of support to sanctioned individuals or entities, and violations may result in civil or criminal penalties under U.S. law.The executive order poses a significant threat to the ICC and its partners, including staff, judges, victims, witnesses, legal representatives for victims, civil society, and service providers like banks and tech companies, and even extends to ICC member states that assist or support investigations against protected persons. The order also authorises future sanctions against certain individuals who support already sanctioned persons, further expanding its reach. The far-reaching executive order also mandates a report within 60 days to identify additional targets for sanctions.
A glaring double standard
As President Trump calls to “clean out” and “take over” Gaza and welcomes Israeli Prime Minister and ICC suspect Benjamin Netanyahu this week, his administration escalates its assault on international justice by openly advocating for the commission of international crimes and attempting to dismantle global efforts to ensure accountability and justice for victims. This executive order also reveals the U.S.’s glaring double standards – demanding accountability for adversaries like Vladimir Putin (Russia) and Omar al-Bashir (Sudan) while shielding its own citizens and allies from scrutiny. This hypocrisy is further reinforced by Trump’s 21 January 2025 executive order rescinding Biden-era sanctions on far-right Israeli settler groups accused of violent attacks against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank. By selectively applying principles of justice and accountability, this administration prioritises political interests over the rule of law, undermining the principle of equality before the law, and the foundations of human rights and international justice.
According to Katherine Gallagher, Senior Staff Attorney at the Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR) and legal representative for victims at the ICC, “This executive order is a direct attack on an independent judicial institution necessary for combating impunity for atrocity crimes. It targets an incalculable number of victims, lawyers, investigators, victims representatives, and others in an attempt to stymie the work of the Court and keep it from doing its job of seeking to hold Israeli officials accountable for war crimes and crimes against humanity against Palestinians in Gaza.” She added: “The United States should concern itself with upholding international norms rather than working to dismantle international justice mechanisms and perpetuating systemic impunity for itself and Israeli leaders.”
Diana Alzeer, FIDH Vice President and representative of Al-Haq, also stressed the broader impact of this executive order on all victims of atrocities: “This is an affront to victims in the situation of Palestine before the ICC; however, its impact goes far beyond, affecting all other victims. It has a chilling effect on all situations, shields war criminals, and further green-lights international crimes. By aligning itself with war criminals, the U.S. further emboldens its own complicity in crimes, particularly in the situation of Palestine. These sanctions are a threat to the very foundation of international justice. By targeting the Court, they jeopardize all investigations and prosecutions, from Venezuela and Sudan to Myanmar, Ukraine, Afghanistan, and beyond. The message to victims and the global community is devastating: US leadership is willing to obstruct their pursuit of justice worldwide.”
In light of this egregious attempt to interfere with the ICC’s independent mandate, FIDH urges the ICC Prosecutor to investigate U.S. officials, including President Donald Trump, for potential “offences against the administration of justice” under Article 70 of the Rome Statute. This may include allegations of “impeding”, “intimidating” or “retaliating” against Court officials in relation to their investigations, prosecutions, and adjudication of alleged crimes in the Palestine situation.
A dangerous precedent, time to fight back
Now is also the time for ICC States Parties to fight back decisively. Alexis Deswaef, FIDH Vice President, emphasised that, “this executive order sets a dangerous precedent, by attacking the ICC and threatening a global network of civil society organisations, human rights defenders, and victim representatives, including our FIDH members and partners, who engage with the Court. States Parties to the Rome Statute must speak out against this assault on international law by taking concrete steps to safeguard the ICC’s work and victims’ access to justice.” He specified that, “this includes publicly opposing these harmful measures, reaffirming their commitment to the Court, and ensuring cooperation remains strong. Impunity must not be allowed to prevail — victims deserve action, not silence, from those who have pledged to uphold their rights.”
FIDH calls on all the 125 ICC States Parties to act immediately and decisively.
– Publicly condemn the executive order as a grave threat to the ICC’s functioning, independence, victims’ rights, and the broader international justice system.
– Cooperate with the ICC in investigations and prosecutions of all suspects, as required under the Rome Statute. These legal obligations include enforcing arrest warrants, such as the one against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Poland, France, Italy, Romania, Hungary, Austria, Germany and other ICC States Parties have suggested that they may not enforce the arrest warrant. This not only obstructs justice for victims, emboldens perpetrators of mass atrocities, but also threatens the very legitimacy of the institution at a moment when the Court needs state support more than ever.
– Safeguard ICC personnel and partners, including civil society organisations, from reprisals, sanctions, or interference. States must implement protective measures, such as adopting national and regional blocking statutes similar to the European Union, which could add ICC-related sanctions to its scope, to help shield suppliers and ensure financial and logistical support to the Court’s daily operations.
– Apply diplomatic pressure, including issuing démarches, sending private letters, and bilateral engagement, to urge the US to rescind this harmful executive order, and uphold global efforts to combat impunity.
FIDH will continue to stand in solidarity with victims, and remains steadfast in its support for the ICC. We will continue to work with civil society, States Parties, and all stakeholders to ensure that the ICC’s mandate is upheld and that access to justice for victims of Rome Statute crimes is ensured.
Background Information
On 6 January, FIDH joined over 130 human rights organisations, legal experts, and civil society groups in an open letter calling on members of the 119th Congress and the incoming Presidential Administration of Donald Trump to oppose attacks on the ICC. On 14 January, FIDH joined more than 145 of the Coalition for the ICC’s member non-governmental organisations in a joint statementto strongly oppose US sanctions and to urge ICC States Parties to defend the ICC, its officials, and those cooperating with it from measures aimed at undermining the Court’s vital mandate for justice.
The United States has long maintained a contentious relationship with the ICC in opposing its jurisdiction over US citizens and allies while demanding accountability for adversaries under international law. The executive order represents an escalation of this antagonism, building on prior measures that targeted the ICC and its affiliates. The inclusion of an annex system in yesterday’s executive order allows for enforcement against designated foreign persons and entities to be accelerated compared to President Trump’s 2020 executive order, which allowed for case-by-case designations of individuals and entities. Until the annex with specific designations is publically available, the extent of the sanctions’ reach remains uncertain. In the meantime, the executive order is already having a chilling effect, as organisations and individuals are preemptively distancing themselves from the ICC to avoid potential penalties.

Northwestern Medicine Performs the Highest Number of Lung Transplants in the United States

ASCO GI | Image Credit: © Katsyarina – stock.adobe.comIn an effort to expand the donor pool for lung transplant recipients and give surgeons more time to removed diseased lungs, the Northwestern Medicine Canning Thoracic Institute (CTI) is now routinely repairing damaged donor lungs using “lungs in a box” (lung perfusion) technology and storing them for transplantation by putting “lungs in a fridge” (lung refrigeration). These innovative approaches are yielding dramatic benefits for patients and staff alike.In 2024, CTI’s Lung Transplant Program finished the year by performing 148 lung transplants, their highest volume for a single year since the program began 10 years ago. For the first time, CTI also become the highest volume lung transplant center in the United States and achieved the shortest wait time for a lung transplant, with a median wait time of four days.“Since our lung transplant program launched 10 years ago, several innovations helped us reach these achievements for 2024. From performing the first COVID-19 lung transplants in the US, to starting a lung transplant program for select patients with advanced lung cancers, and replacing diseased lungs with breast implants to bridge patients to lung transplantation, we’re continuously thinking outside the box and ‘lungs in a fridge’ is another example,” said Ankit Bharat, MD, chief of thoracic surgery and director of the Canning Thoracic Institute. “In 2024, we used ‘lungs in a box’ to repair the most number of donor lungs that weren’t initially usable at Northwestern Medicine, enabling us to achieve a record wait list time of only four days. And now, with controlled lung refrigeration, we can keep the lungs alive outside the human body for an extended period of time, giving us more time to prepare for transplantation and perform the surgery.”“With a combination of ‘lungs in a box’ and ‘lungs in a fridge’ technologies, we also now have the option for patients at any transplant center in the country or overseas who experience longer wait times to dual list with us, and in 2024, patients traveled from places such as Germany, the United Kingdom and Columbia to receive a lung transplant at Northwestern Medicine,” said Ambalavanan Arunachalam, MD, pulmonologist and interim medical director of CTI’s Lung Transplant Program.Lung refrigeration was pioneered in Canada and Europe, and within the last few months, it was adopted successfully at Northwestern Medicine, where organ procurement specialists travel to hospitals across the United States to collect donor lungs, and once the lungs arrive at Northwestern Memorial Hospital, staff place them in a special refrigerator which is set at 10 degrees Celsius. The lungs can remain in the fridge up to 12 hours before transplantation when the conventional techniques only allowed them to stay outside for about six hours.“Prior to using the fridge, we were storing the donor lungs on ice, which is four degrees Celsius, and we had to perform the recipient lung implant surgery immediately without the opportunity to extend the preservation time,” said Anitha Chandrasekhar, DMSc, clinical lead for lung bioengineering with the Canning Thoracic Institute. “Studies show that 10-degree Celsius storage of lungs allows safe prolongation of cold ischemic times, results in better mitochondrial health with reduced inflammatory response, ultimately leading to better post-transplant outcomes, benefitting patients and health care teams.”Four Main Benefits for Using “Lungs in a Fridge”Widens the Donor PoolLung refrigeration widens the donor pool by allowing Northwestern Medicine’s organ procurement team to travel greater distances for donor lungs. Previously, there was only so much time that the lungs could be kept alive outside the body, which restricted how far the organ procurement specialists could travel. From the moment they’d take the lungs out of the donor, they’d have six hours to package up the lungs, get to a local airport, fly to Chicago, drive to Northwestern Memorial, take the old lungs out and put the new lungs in.“With this new type of preservation, our organ procurement specialists can fly to the East Coast, West Coast and potentially even Canada or Mexico. As a result, our wait times for lung transplant patients have dramatically gone down,” said Dr Arunachalam.Fewer Overnight TransplantsStoring donor lungs at 10 degrees Celsius allows for more flexible transplant scheduling. Lung refrigeration helps improve transplant logistics, which in turn, makes lung transplantation a semi-elective procedure performed during normal working hours.“Previously, these transplants would happen in the middle of the night when the team may not be in the best physical or mental capacity. For example, if the procurement team arrives at 1 am with the donor lungs, we can now put the lungs in the fridge and wait to do the transplant at 7 am. By keeping the lungs preserved at 10 degrees Celsius, the team can operate during regular hours after a full night’s rest, which helps with success rates and lowers the chance of medical errors,” said Dr Bharat. “Also, given the tough hours for lung transplant surgery, fewer surgeons have been interested in the field, resulting in a significant shortage of thoracic surgeons. But with this new strategy, more talented surgeons may be interested in adopting lung transplantation in their career.”Improves Surgical SchedulesTransplants are often unpredictable. Donor lungs can become available on short notice, so in some instances, elective surgeries have to be cancelled in order to get the transplant done in time, which causes an inconvenience for patients who have been waiting for their elective surgeries (ex: cancer patients). “Lungs in a fridge” allows the surgical team to keep elective surgeries and schedule the lung transplant procedures during times that work best for staff and patients. It also helps lung transplant recipients because they no longer have to rush from their home to the hospital in a short period of time to get their lung transplants within the six-hour window.“Lung refrigeration provides us with more options for getting our transplant recipients one step closer to a better quality of life,” said Denisha Gardner, organ procurement specialist with the Canning Thoracic Institute. “There are times when our recipients need a certain medication to be given hours before transplantation. Having the fridge allows us the opportunity to make sure everything is aligned for a successful procedure.”More Time to Remove Diseased LungsDouble-lung transplants are one of the most complex medical procedures in health care. Lung refrigeration gives surgeons more time to remove the diseased lungs, especially in patients with lung cancer.Northwestern Medicine started a first-of-its-kind clinical program called DREAM that provides double-lung transplants to select patients with advanced lung cancers who are out of treatment options. With these patients, their cancer-ridden lungs must delicately be taken out at the same time along with the lymph nodes, then surgeons need to wash the airways and the chest cavity to clear the cancer before transplanting new lungs. These patients can have billions of cancer cells in the lungs, so surgeons must be extremely meticulous to not let a single cell spill into the patient’s chest cavity or bloodstream.Having more time in the operating room to remove the cancer-ridden lungs can help reduce the risk of recurrence.Successful Patient Outcomes With Lung RefrigerationTadd Crosslin – Mansfield, TexasTadd Crosslin of Mansfield, Texas, (located in the Dallas-Fort Worth metropolitan area) received a double-lung transplant at Northwestern Memorial on September 23, 2024. The 49-year-old who is married (wife is Courtney) with twin sons (Cody and Blake), was diagnosed with stage 3 colorectal cancer in 2016 at the age of 40, and it advanced to stage 4 by 2019.While undergoing chemotherapy and surgery, Crosslin’s medical team noticed lung nodules forming but told him not to worry. Soon, the lung nodules started multiplying and Crosslin had hundreds of tumors on his lungs, which caused him to have difficulty breathing.“I traveled to major health systems in Texas, California, Florida, New Jersey, New York and even Germany, looking for a second opinion, but they all told me there was nothing more they could do,” said Crosslin. “Giving up was never an option for me, and Northwestern Medicine doesn’t shy away from exploring new techniques and technology. Without them, I wouldn’t be here today.”On September 23, Crosslin received his new lungs, but the surgery wasn’t easy. Because there were so many tumors and extensive cancer inside Crosslin’s old lungs, his explant was extremely difficult (see pictures here).“Having the refrigerator was a game-changer in Tadd’s lung transplant procedure,” added Dr Bharat. “Because his diseased lungs were fused so tightly to his chest cavity, we kept needing more time to remove them. We couldn’t let his new lungs go bad, so we were able to store them in the fridge until we were ready to transplant them.”The Double Lung Replacement and Multidisciplinary Care (DREAM) Program is a first-of-its-kind clinical initiative at Northwestern Medicine that provides double-lung transplants to select patients with advanced lung cancers who are not responding to conventional treatments. To date, more than 40 patients have received double-lung transplants through the DREAM Program.Amanda Long – Nashville, TennesseeAmanda Long of Nashville, Tenn., is also a DREAM patient. The 48-year-old wife (husband is James) and mother of three daughters (Kenzie, Maddie and Makenna) was diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer in September 2023.“As a non-smoker who eats healthy and works out five days a week, I was completely shocked by the diagnosis,” said Long.When immunotherapy and chemotherapy treatments didn’t work, Long’s medical team in Nashville recommended she reach out to the lung transplant team at Northwestern Medicine. Long was listed for a lung transplant on August 15, 2024, and received her new lungs on August 21.Because it took the surgical team longer to remove her diseased lungs due to the cancer, lung refrigeration was also used to store Long’s new lungs. Long is now back home in Nashville and will return to Northwestern Memorial once a month for follow-up appointments.“The fridge is so simple and doesn’t further complicate what might be one of the more complex procedures in health care. If anything, it makes everything go more smoothly for the team in the operating room,” added Jeff Lysne, practice administrator for the Canning Thoracic Institute. “Overall, it’s been great to see such a simple innovation used to expand our donor pool and help more patients.”For More InformationIn 2024, the lung transplant team used “lungs in a fridge” for approximately 12 patients, all with good outcomes. Since CTI’s Lung Transplant Program started in 2014, they’ve performed nearly 600 lung transplant procedures. Currently, more than 900 patients in the US are waiting for new lungs.Patients interested in being evaluated for a lung transplant can contact the referral line at 844.639.5864. For more information about Northwestern Medicine, as well as advanced therapies, visit nm.org.

World News | PM Modi to Embark on Four-day Visit to France, United States; Co-chair the AI Action Summit with President Macron

New Delhi [India], February 7 (ANI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi will embark on a visit to France and the United States next week during which he will hold talks with President Emmanuel Macron and President Donald Trump.The Prime Minister will visit France from February 10 to 12 and the United States on February 12 and 13.Also Read | PM Modi US Visit: Prime Minister Narendra Modi To Visit America on February 12-13; Energy, Defence on Agenda During Talks With President Donald Trump.Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said at a special media briefing that PM Modi will co-chair the AI Action Summit along with President Macron on February 11.”At the invitation of French President Emmanuel Macron, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be visiting France from 10th to 12th February 2025. This visit is on the occasion of the organization of the Artificial Intelligence Summit that France is organizing and the Prime Minister will co-chair this AI Action Summit alongside President Macron of France,” he said.Also Read | PM Modi France Visit: Prime Minister Narendra Modi To Co-Chair AI Summit, Address CEOs Forum, Says Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri (Watch Video).Prime Minister will arrive in Paris on the February 10 evening and attend a dinner that is being hosted by President Macron at the Elysee Palace in honour of visiting heads of government and heads of State.Misri said that the dinner is also likely to be attended by a large number of CEOs from the tech domain and a number of other distinguished invitees to the summit.The following day, the Prime Minister will co-chair the AI Action Summit.”This is the third such high-level summit that is being held in the very recent past. The first of these was in the UK in 2023, the second one in the Republic of Korea in 2024 and now this one in France,” Misri said.After the AI summit, there will be a bilateral component to the visit and PM Modi and President Macron will address the India-France CEOs forum.PM Modi will travel to Marseille on the evening of February 11. The France President will also host a dinner in honour of PM Modi.On February 12, the two leaders will visit the war cemetery and there they will pay tribute to the sacrifices made by Indian Soldiers in World War 1.The two leaders will jointly inaugurate the newest Consulate General of India in Marseille and will pay a visit to Kadash which is the site of the international thermal nuclear experimental reactor.During his visit to the United States, PM Modi will hold a meeting with President Donald Trump and interact with senior leaders of US administration.This will be the first visit of PM Modi to the US since the inauguration of President Donald Trump. The Foreign Secretary said that Prime Minister’s visit within three weeks of the new administration taking office shows the importance of the India-US partnership.”At the invitation of US President Donald Trump, PM Modi will pay an official working visit to the US on 12th and 13th of February. This will be the first visit of Prime Minister Modi to the United States since the inauguration of the second presidential term of US President Donald Trump,” he said. “The fact that the Prime Minister has been invited to visit the US within barely three weeks of the new administration taking office shows the importance of the India-US partnership and is also reflective of the bipartisan support, that this partnership enjoys in the US,” he added. Answering a query, he said PM Modi and US President will have discussions on areas such as energy and defence. “Energy and defence, both of these are definitely be going to be on the table when the PM and President meets. on Tariffs, you have seen the announcement that have been made in the budget, some of those are already out there. We expect that there will be a more intense and continuing conversation with US on these matters,” he said. Misri informed that PM Modi will hold bilateral meeting with Donald Trump and key US administration figures are also expected to call on PM. “The PM will hold a bilateral meeting with Donald Trump in both restricted and delegation level format. The senior US administration figures are expected to call on PM during the visit. PM will also have the opportunity to interact with business leaders and members of Indian community,” Misri said. He said India’s relationship with US has been “one of our strongest international partnership in recent years.” Answering queries on the deportation of Indian nationals in military plane, Misri said the deportation that happened the day before yesterday “is somewhat different compared to flights that have been taking place for many years and is of a slightly different nature”.Answering another query, he said the process of deportation is not new and said this was also emphasised by External Affairs Minister (EAM) in his statement in Parliament on Thursday.He said Indian authorities have been told by the US that there are up to 487 presumed Indian citizens with final removal orders.”I would not accept the description of India as an uncooperative country. Any country in the world if it wants to accept its nationals back will want to have the assurance that whosoever is coming back is a citizen of India, there are issues of legality associated with it, there are issues of security associated with it…In recent conversations when we have sought details about potential returnees from US. We have been told that there are up to 487 presumed Indian citizens with final removal orders. We have sought details and they have been provided to us with regard to 298 individuals. We have been very transparent on this use with US counterparts,” he said. The Foreign Secretary said India continues to emphasise to US authorities that there should be no mistreatment of deportees.”The description by the EAM of the standard operating procedure relating to the use of restraints which has been communicated to us by US authorities including the immigration and customs enforcement. EAM attracted attention to the fact that these have been in practice for a long period of time…On the issue of mistreatment, it is a valid issue to raise and we continue to emphasise to US authorities that there should be no mistreatment of deportees…We will continue to take up any instances of mistreatment that come to our attention. Action needs to be taken across the system against the underlying ecosystem that thrives on promoting illegal immigration,” he said.Asked if there were protests after the deportation of illegal Indian immigrants from the US in 2012, he said there was apparently no protest. “I don’t think there was any protest. We don’t have any record of any protest having been made about it,” he said.On the extradition of Tahawwur Rana, Misri said he has exhausted all legal avenues in the US with US Supreme Court also dismissing his appeal.”We are in touch with US authorities to work on the logistics of his surrender to Indian authorities,” he said.Pakistani origin businessman Tahawwur Hussain Rana was convicted for his role in the 26/11 attacks on Mumbai that resulted in killing of 164 people.Asked about vandalisation of the memorial and residence of Bangladesh’s founding father Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, Misri said he would also like to point out that the safety of diplomatic premises is the responsibility of the host government.”I have no doubt that the Bangladesh authorities are fully aware of their responsibilities in this regard,” he said. (ANI)(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)

In Washington, Trump and Modi Could Build on Rapport

Analysis

In Washington, Trump and Modi Could Build on Rapport

The two leaders’ bonhomie will continue if the Indian prime minister makes accommodations on trade and illegal immigration.

Ganguly-Sumit-foreign-policy-columnist8
Sumit Ganguly

By Sumit Ganguly, a columnist at Foreign Policy and a senior fellow at Stanford University’s Hoover Institution.

Trump and Modi are seen from behind as they walk beside each other, both wearing formal clothing. Trump has his hand on the back of Modi’s shoulder as they walk.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and U.S. President Donald Trump leave after attending the “Namaste Trump” rally in Motera, India, on Feb. 24, 2020. Money Sharma/AFP via Getty Images

Technology And 10-Year Notes: When Fintech And Finance Meet

In an all-encompassing interview with Bloomberg, U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent emphasized the Trump administration’s strategic focus on maintaining low 10-year Treasury yields. This approach marks a significant shift in economic and fiscal policy, which previously focused almost exclusively on pushing the Federal Reserve to cut its benchmark interest rate.

U.S. Federal Reserve Board Chairman Jerome Powell has overseen 100 bps in Fed rate cuts since Sep … [+] 2024. 10-year Treasury yields have risen dramatically in the same period. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)Getty Images
Since the Fed began cutting interest rates in September 2024, 10-year Treasury note yields spiked from 3.6% in September to almost 4.8% in January. In the month since the last Non-Farm Payrolls report and the change in administration, yields have rallied by 30 basis points (bps), signifying increased demand.

Since taking office in January, the Trump administration has taken significant steps to demonstrate a commitment to strengthening U.S. leadership in innovating financial technologies. His crypto-focused executive order aims to establish regulatory clarity for digital assets and secure America’s position as a global leader in the digital asset economy.
Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C. led Senate Banking Committee hearings on the practice of debanking. Hours … [+] prior, the FDIC released documents cautioning banks to “pause” activities with crypto-related companies and people. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis)Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved
Over the past week, the Senate Banking Committee and the House Financial Services Committee held hearings on the aggressive enforcement actions and regulatory overreach during the Biden Administration. Commonly referred to as Operation Choke Point (OCP) 2.0, industry experts testified about how OCP 2.0 stifled innovation and growth in crypto and other “politically disfavored industries,” by providing little or no regulatory guidance and requests to “pause” banking activities with crypto companies, resulting in debanking.

Regulatory and legislative policy measures that foster innovation in digital financial technologies could work in tandem with fiscal policy to pave a path toward a more efficient U.S. financial system with positive implications for consumers.

The Role of Fiscal Policy
SecretaryScott Bessent, US treasury secretary, right, during an interview at the Treasury Department in … [+] Washington, DC, US, on Thursday, Feb. 6, 2025. Bessent discussed a focus on 10-year note yields, not the Fed Funds rate. Photographer: Stefani Reynolds/Bloomberg© 2025 Bloomberg Finance LP
Bessent’s comments highlight the importance of long-term interest rates in driving economic stability and growth. While the mainstream financial press focuses much of its attention on the U.S. stock market, the 10-year Treasury note is a cornerstone for the whole U.S. financial system.The 10-year Treasury note yield is the benchmark by which mortgage rates and other loans are priced. … [+] (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)Getty Images
The benchmark reflects investors’ sentiments about the U.S. economy’s future and influences everything from mortgage rates to corporate borrowing costs. This relationship underscores the importance of maintaining low 10-year yields to support consumer spending and economic growth.
The 10-year note simultaneously serves as a bellwether for sentiment about general global stability. Backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. government, U.S. bonds are considered a “flight to quality” investment. In times of global economic uncertainty or market volatility, investors sell riskier investments to buy U.S. Treasuries.
Price vs YieldFinancial press tend to focus on the stock market as a proxy for U.S. economic health and stability. … [+] Bond investors would argue differently. (Photo by Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)Getty Images
While stock investors talk about their assets in terms of price, bond mavens speak in terms of yield, which moves inversely to price. While this can be confusing for non-fixed income thinkers, bond markets, like all markets, respond to supply and demand.
Spend enough time on any trading floor and you’ll hear the most logical reason why any asset rallies (for 10-year notes, this means goes up in price, down in yield)– more buyers than sellers.
Innovation in Digital Financial Technologies: Catalysts for EfficiencyPresident Donald Trump signs executive orders in the Oval Office. His cryptocurrency-focused EO was … [+] signed three days into his term. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)Getty Images
During its first month, the Trump administration has taken significant steps to promote innovation in digital financial technologies. Blockchain technology and cryptocurrencies are at the forefront of FinTech innovation.
Blockchain, a decentralized ledger technology, offers transparency, security, and efficiency in transactions. Cryptocurrencies, built on blockchains, provide new vehicles for digital transactions and financial inclusion.
Correlation Between Innovation and the Bond Market
For many, the correlation between technology innovation and the bond market can be elusive. While experts in both fields can point to the benefits in their own domain, the path to mutual benefit can be longer in duration (bond pun most definitely intended).
Blockchain technology can enhance the transparency and security of financial transactions, reducing the risk of fraud and improving investor confidence. This increased confidence can lead to greater demand for U.S. Treasury securities, including the 10-year note, thereby supporting lower yields.
The integration of blockchain and cryptocurrencies into the financial system can streamline payment processes, reducing transaction costs and settlement times. This efficiency can enhance liquidity in the financial markets.USD₮ and USDC make up 86% of the rapidly growing stablecoin market. (Photo by Silas Stein/picture … [+] alliance via Getty Images)dpa/picture alliance via Getty Images
Stablecoin development has been one of the fastest growing areas in the field. By mid-2024, there were over 180 stablecoin projects, a 574% increase over three years. Over 98% of the $230 billion stablecoin market is USD-denominated
If USD-denominated stablecoin issuers were aggregated and classified as a single investor, they would be one of the top 15 investors in U.S. Treasuries, somewhere between India and Brazil.
Increased confidence in the United States and the collateralization of stablecoins with U.S. Treasuries could both be catalysts for increased demand, driving prices higher and yields lower.
In turn, borrowing costs for consumers and corporations would decrease, making it more affordable to purchase homes and other goods and finance major capital expenditures.
The Long Game
Whether it’s technology or Treasuries, the ramifications of policy actions today may take time to manifest themselves. Like their namesake, 10-year Treasury notes reflect market expectations at that point in time. The uncertainty of such a long time horizon is reflected in the term premium, the extra compensation (higher yield) paid to investors for their investment in longer term bonds.Standard rising yield curve. Context between the return and the maturity of a risk-free investment. … [+] Term premium is the excess return investors receive for the risk of holding longer-term bonds.getty
Treasury Secretary Bessent’s comments are aligned with technology policy mandates and reflect a nuanced understanding of the interconnectedness of fiscal policy, financial innovation, and market dynamics.Focusing on 10-year Treasury yields instead of the Fed Funds rate is a change in fiscal policy. … [+] Photographer: Michael Nagle/Bloomberg© 2024 Bloomberg Finance LP
By simultaneously encouraging digital financial technologies (cryptocurrency and blockchain) and implementing supportive fiscal policies, the Trump administration aims to create a favorable environment for economic growth driven by innovation. The focus on maintaining low 10-year Treasury yields is a strategic move that can benefit consumers, businesses, and investors alike. As we navigate the complexities of the modern economy, the integration of advanced technologies and sound policy measures will be key to sustaining long-term prosperity.

Top Republican moves to restrict AI exports amid concerns over Chinese tech

FIRST ON FOX: A top House Republican is moving to make it harder for China to procure advanced U.S. technology amid longstanding concerns about intellectual property theft by Beijing.”My proposed legislation will establish safeguards to prevent future shocks like China’s development of DeepSeek using American technology. In addition to the chips China reportedly stockpiled, it appears China used chips under the current export control threshold to achieve this AI breakthrough,” House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Mark Green, R-Tenn., told Fox News Digital.”This scenario should be a wakeup call — if you give the CCP an inch, it will take a mile. The CCP’s craftiness is coupled with a total disregard for legal and security considerations. We already know that the CCP uses technology to oppress its own citizens and to commit acts of espionage and sabotage against the United States, including major cyberattacks.”SCOOP: KEY CONSERVATIVE CAUCUS DRAWS RED LINE ON HOUSE BUDGET PLAN U.S. officials are concerned about DeepSeek, a Chinese AI company with ties to the Chinese Communist Party, led by Chinese President Xi Jinping. (Getty Images | iStock)DeepSeek is an artificial intelligence (AI) software company based in Hangzhou, China. Its AI chatbot is known to be similar to ChatGPT, which was made by California-based OpenAI.DeepSeek’s release of the new high-profile AI model that costs less to run than existing models like those of Meta and OpenAI sent a chill through U.S. markets.BLACK CAUCUS CHAIR ACCUSES TRUMP OF ‘PURGE’ OF ‘MINORITY’ FEDERAL WORKERS House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Mark Green, R-Tenn., unveiled a bill to crack down on China’s ability to get U.S. tech. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)Its popularity in U.S. app stores has also renewed concerns about Chinese companies collecting American data, as well as the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) censorship practices.The surprise DeepSeek release also displayed how China’s economic competitiveness has far outpaced the ability of U.S. business leaders and lawmakers to agree on what to do about it. The U.S. Commerce Department is now looking into whether DeepSeek used chips that were banned from entering China via sanctions, Reuters reported. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APPGreen’s bill would put export controls on certain national interest technology and intellectual property to China.It would also call for sanctions against foreign actors who sell or purchase such items to and from China, as well as Chinese entities who knowingly use items covered by the export controls.