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Bannock County Marks the 25th Anniversary of 9/11

By
Karyn Simmons
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0

September 12, 2026

Pocatello–This past Friday evening the community gathered to commemorate the terrorist attacks that took place on our soil a quarter century ago, on September 11, 2001.  The riders of the POW/MIA Awareness Association thundered in just prior to the event’s 5:30 start time; immediately afterward, Bannock County Commissioner Ernie Moser welcomed the crowd.

The American and Idaho flags were raised by members of the Combined Honor Guard of Pocatello, including C/SMSgt Donlevy (Civil Air Patrol), SFC Luke Hayward (US Army, Ret.), MMN2 Angela Brush (US Navy, Ret.), Cpl. Jordan Johnson, and Ofc. Brendan Daniels.  The Highland Saxophone Quartet performed a beautiful and solemn rendition of the National Anthem; this was followed by the recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance, led by Dr. Craig W. Nickisch (COL US Army, RET).  Military Chaplain Brett Peterson offered the invocation.

Commissioner Ernie Moser then returned to the podium to share his memories of the 9/11 attacks and America’s response.  He also read a proclamation by the Bannock County Commissioners urging residents to remember the attack, honor the fallen, and teach those too young to remember.

Finally, the Honorable Judge Rick Carnaroli read The Events As They Unfolded, a tribute to all who lost their lives due to the attack: those in the Twin Towers and the Pentagon, the passengers on the hijacked planes, the first responders who died either on that day or due to the effects of it, and the service members who paid the ultimate price during or because of the ensuing wars.  After each group was mentioned, a bell mounted on one of Chubbuck’s fire engines was tolled in memory.  Bell ringers included Bannock County Sheriff Tony Manu, Pocatello Police Chief Roger Schei, Pocatello Fire Chief Shane Grow, Chubbuck Fire Department Captain Shane Manning, Asst. Chief Mel Timbana of the North Bannock Fire Department, and Angela Brush (US Navy, RET).

Following the ceremony, attendees were invited to attend a community dinner at the Bannock County Veterans Memorial Building.

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Guest Columnist Idaho Senator Brian Lenney: Idaho’s Other Handout

By
Observer Staff
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0

September 7, 2026

Idaho’s Other Handout
(In honor of Labor Day)

By: Idaho Senator Brian Lenney

Last time I wrote about Micron’s $50 billion handout and the property tax cap.

I keep hammering H-1B because it’s the one with a name people recognize. It’s also the one with the most rules on it: a cap, a lottery, a prevailing wage requirement, a public filing, etc.

But wait, there’s more!

F-1 is the student visa. A foreign national gets admitted to an American college, the college certifies his enrollment to the feds, and he’s in (we have about a million people here on it right now).

OPT stands for Optional Practical Training. It’s basically a work permit that comes with the degree. Graduate, and you can work full time for any employer for 12 months: no lottery, no prevailing wage, no labor certification. If the degree’s in a STEM field… add 24 more months. Three years of work authorization in the United States, and Congress never voted on it. It came out of a Department of Homeland Security rule in 2008, and the Obama DHS stretched it to its current length in 2016.

CPT is the same idea, moved earlier. Curricular Practical Training lets a student work while he’s still enrolled, as long as the school calls the job part of the curriculum. There’s a whole industry of “day-one CPT” schools built around this, where a foreign man enrolls, works full time from the first week, and shows up to class once a month on a weekend and the school just signs the paperwork.

American kids can’t get on either one because you have to be a foreign national to qualify.

Then there’s J-1 for exchange visitors and trainees, L-1 for moving an employee in from a company’s own foreign office (no cap, no lottery), and O-1 for “extraordinary ability,” which is the workaround of choice for people who miss the H-1B drawing.

An F-1 student is a “nonresident alien” for tax purposes, so neither he nor his employer pays Social Security or Medicare tax on his wages. That’s +7.65% off the top for the company. Hire a kid from Nampa at $85,000 and Micron owes about $6,500 a year in payroll tax on him. Hire the OPT graduate at the same salary and it owes zero.

Yes, the federal government built a discount into hiring the foreigner over the local.

By year three the company enters him in the H-1B lottery and every year on OPT is another ticket. Win, and he’s on the H-1B visa, tied to the employer, unlikely to quit, and unlikely to complain because his employer now controls his immigration status. Like an indentured servant. Lose, and there’s usually a way to buy more time: get another degree, another OPT clock.

So the sequence runs F-1, then CPT or OPT, then H-1B, then green card sponsorship. Micron didn’t invent it, but it runs on it. Those 573 labor condition applications are the back end of a pipeline whose front end is a master’s program.

Universities like money and foreign students pay full tuition, usually the out-of-state rate. A one-year master’s in computer engineering aimed at foreign enrollment is about the most profitable thing a public college can run. At a lot of American schools, about 70% of full-time grad students in computer science and electrical engineering are here on a visa.

It’s our own kind of diploma mill, where an entire graduate program exists to sell the work permit, with the degree as packaging.

Texas, California, and New York mastered this grift:

  1. The state builds the engineering school with taxpayer money
  2. The school fills the master’s programs with F-1 students, who pay more
  3. The employer down the road hires off OPT because it’s cheaper
  4. The state’s own kids get the undergrad seat, the bill, and a graduate program where the assistantships were spoken for before they applied.

If you want to see what that looks like after twenty years of it, Tyler Oliveira put out a documentary in April:

He walks around Frisco and Argyle asking software engineers how they got here, and he gets the same answer over and over: student visa, then OPT, then H-1B. He has another one on H-1B “ghost offices” too. Those are the staffing firms that sponsor a worker on paper and lease him out to whoever’s actually paying.

He didn’t find this. It’s federal regulation and you can read the rule yourself. That’s the part that should bother you. This is a rule, not law.

Nobody had to break anything.

Now look at Boise State.

Micron’s name is on the business building and the materials research center. Idaho taxpayers fund the College of Engineering. So the company that already has a permanent property tax cap and a sales tax exemption also gets a stream of graduates it pays no payroll tax on, produced at a school it doesn’t pay for.

That’s a fourth subsidy.

And OPT has no floor. H-1B at least has a prevailing wage rule on paper. OPT has a form where the employer writes down a “training plan” and promises the pay is “commensurate.” But nobody audits it, there’s no requirement the employer tried an American first, and there’s no cap on the number.

It’s the loosest work authorization in the country and the word “visa” isn’t even in the name.

Idaho can’t rewrite federal immigration law or change federal rules.

Of course our congressmen could have some sway there, but we know that’s not happening with the current guys, busy as they are pushing illegal immigration… and making TikTok dance videos.

The state does have a card to play here though, in theory.

Every Idaho public university that enrolls an F-1 student does it because it applied for and holds the federal certification to do it, and every H-1B it sponsors is a decision its own office makes. Those are state institutions on state money, and the legislature sets the terms of state money. So we could pass a law saying state-funded schools don’t certify F-1 enrollment, don’t sign CPT or OPT training plans, and don’t sponsor H-1B petitions.

It would never get a hearing though.

You know how it works. The men who fund the engineering school and the men who fund the campaigns are, in a lot of cases, the same men. A legislator who took their check in October knows exactly who they answer to in January, and it isn’t the guy who voted for them. The lobbyist is in their office every week, picking up the bar tab, the dinner tab, and who knows what else. The voter shows up once every two years and buys nothing.

Guess who they’re going to listen to.

If a kid from Delhi wants to build chips in Boise he should come the way people have come here for 200 years: an employer pays him the same as the guy next to him, pays the same taxes on him, and he can quit whenever he wants.

I’ll hear that without foreign grad students the engineering programs shrink. Then run them for Idahoans. Boise State exists to educate Idaho’s kids. But a grad program that only makes sense if most of the seats go to foreigners is a business the state has no reason to be a part of.

And this isn’t only about Micron. It’s any company whose engineering seats go to somebody who arrived on a student visa, took the OPT discount, and got parked on H-1B, while the Nampa kid with the same degree from the same school is out bidding against people his employer can hire for less.

We call that a labor market.

It’s a rigged one, and we helped rig it.

Beyond the Office: INL Interns See National Security in Action

By
Observer Staff
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(Idaho National Laboratory Press Release, September 10, 2026)

By Jackie Edwards, Jr. and Zoe Wilkinson for INL Communications

Each summer, the Idaho National Laboratory welcomes hundreds of interns to the nation’s nuclear energy laboratory. While INL is best known for its leadership in nuclear energy, it also plays a big role in the nation’s national security. Here, interns have the chance to step into the field and get hands-on experience doing work that supports the nation’s defense missions.

This summer, more than 100 interns toured the lab’s National Security Test Range, or NSTR, a testing environment where subject matter experts evaluate technologies and systems supporting national security missions. The visit provided a new perspective on both the laboratory’s work and potential careers.

Learning beyond the classroom

Located 45 miles west of Idaho Falls, NSTR provides a one-of-a-kind environment for testing and evaluating technologies in realistic conditions, with capabilities spanning ballistics, breaching, energetic chemistry and more. Situated on 330 acres of isolated desert, the range allows researchers to conduct experiments and demonstrations that cannot be replicated anywhere else.

During the visit, interns were introduced to some of the range’s explosives research, testing and evaluation capabilities. The visit included explosives and barrier testing and provided a broader understanding of how INL supports national and homeland security missions.

Each day began in the classroom, where interns received safety briefings and watched videos showcasing previous testing projects. They then participated in one of the day’s most memorable activities: detonography. Interns cut custom designs from explosive material, placed them on brass plates and watched as controlled detonations permanently indented artwork into brass. School logos, animals, and even portraits emerged from the blasts, blending science with creativity.

The experiences continued with a fuel-air detonation, where interns were surprised to feel the blast wave several moments after seeing the detonation. The day concluded with a 500-pound explosive detonation viewed from 1,000 meters away. This left students with a firsthand appreciation of the National Security Test Range. The research conducted here builds subject matter experts’ understanding of explosives and how to transfer that knowledge to warfighters — providing the right tools for the right jobs, increasing their survivability and reducing unnecessary harm.

For Chris Valleau, department manager of the range, that hands-on experience is what makes the visit meaningful.

“Without the hands-on application, students are left wondering, ‘The book says to do this, but how do I actually apply it?’” Valleau said. “I hope they leave with the experience, but I also hope they take away the science behind the energetics — not just seeing things go boom.”

Seeing the bigger picture

Many students spend the summer contributing to projects within their niche and their specific organizations. However, the range visit provided a broader view of how those efforts support INL’s larger mission.

Intern Michael McCartney, a biomedical engineering student at Boise State University, said the visit expanded his understanding of the laboratory’s role in national security.

“The most surprising thing was how much they work with our military and how much they actually train special groups,” McCartney said. “I was expecting some explosives and some cool experiments, but I didn’t realize how broad the mission really was.”

Intern Emily Gillmore, a nuclear engineering student at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, arrived with few expectations but left with a new appreciation for the laboratory’s capabilities.

“I didn’t know INL did anything like this,” Gillmore said. “I was surprised they actually let us see things explode — and I got to push the button. I like that we got to make art with the first explosion, so we got to see something cool and a souvenir to take home.”

NSTR Intern Week, and similar experiences are cornerstones of INL’s National Security Workforce Development program, which connects students with the laboratory’s broader mission while preparing the next generation of national security professionals.

Shaping the workforce pipeline

The National Security Workforce Development program exists to attract, develop and retain the next generation of talent for national and homeland security. By forging strategic partnerships with federal agencies and academic institutions, the program creates a robust pipeline for young professionals to transition from the classroom to the workforce.

Through partnerships with organizations including the Department of War, the National Nuclear Security Administration, and the Defense Logistics Agency, the program has built an internship experience that goes far beyond resume building.

The NSTR Intern Week itself is a testament to what becomes possible when INL’s mission organizations work together. Bringing together teams from across the laboratory, the event reflects the kind of cross-institutional collaboration that defines INL’s approach — and sets it apart.

Internships to impactful careers

One of the week’s most powerful outcomes was when students begin to picture themselves not just finishing an internship but building a career. That vision became a reality for nine students, who converted their internships last summer into full-time employment.

Jonathan Bennett, a former INL intern who now works full-time at the laboratory as a critical infrastructure security analyst, reflected on his journey. “You don’t really understand everything INL does until you get out of your role and see other parts of the mission,” he said. “My internship opened doors I wasn’t expecting and ultimately changed my career trajectory. I had the chance to explore cybersecurity, which was completely new to me at the time, and that experience led me toward the career path I’m on today.”

Investing in the generation of tomorrow

The National Security Workforce Development program operates across a wide range of focus areas within INL’s national security directorate, but every effort circles back to one shared commitment — investing in the next generation of talent.

“This isn’t just about building resumes,” said April Augustine, director of the National Security Workforce Development programs. “Our goal is to create purpose-driven professionals who understand why their work matters. The challenges we face as a nation demand the best and brightest minds, and we’re here to ensure those minds are not only prepared but also inspired to make a difference.”

As INL continues to expand its internship programs and deepen its partnerships with federal agencies, the lab is simultaneously addressing today’s challenges and shaping the workforce of tomorrow. Experiences like NSTR Intern Week are not a bonus, they are built into the program by design, because INL believes every aspiring professional deserves real access, real experiences, and a real sense of what their future could look like.

About Idaho National Laboratory

Battelle Energy Alliance manages INL for the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Nuclear Energy. INL is the nation’s center for nuclear energy research and development, and also performs research in each of DOE’s strategic goal areas: energy, national security, science and the environment. For more information, visit www.inl.gov. Follow us on social media: Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and X.

AG Labrador Demands Feds Strengthen Rules to Fight Illegal Robocalls

By
Observer Staff
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0

(Attorney General’s Office Press Release, September 10, 2026)

BOISE, ID —  Attorney General Raúl Labrador and a bipartisan coalition of 48 other attorneys general are pushing the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to strengthen its “Know Your Upstream Provider” (KYUP) requirements to help prevent scammers from using the U.S. phone network to make illegal robocalls. KYUP rules require voice service providers to ensure that they receive calls from legitimate and responsible providers and do not regularly pass through lots of illegal calls.

“Every Idahoan is fed up with robocalls and scammers,” said Attorney General Labrador. “The FCC needs to hold telecom providers accountable at the source for allowing and profiting from the illegal traffic in the first place. I am urging the FCC to strengthen its rules and crack down on scammers before they can target Idaho families.”  

Phone calls get routed through a series of phone companies before they reach your phone. The FCC requires all voice service providers to take reasonable measures to vet the phone companies that originate and route calls. However, some voice service providers fail to do so, allowing illegal robocalls onto the U.S. communications network. Last year, Americans received more than 29.6 billion scam robocalls and texts and lost nearly $2 billion to these scams.

The attorneys general are asking the FCC to strengthen voice service providers’ obligation to vet their upstream provider customers, and to require the same scrutiny and diligence of the entities involved in the implementation of STIR/SHAKEN, which is the framework developed to prevent caller ID spoofing.

In addition to what the FCC is already doing, the attorneys general urge it to:

  • Mandate five categories of baseline KYUP measures. The attorneys general are asking the FCC to demand that voice service providers collect more detailed—and verified—information from their upstream provider customers. The attorneys general also urge the FCC to require voice service providers to more thoroughly vet upstream providers’ compliance with FCC rules, monitor those upstream providers regularly, and refuse or end service to upstream providers that aren’t following the law.
  • Require additional triggers for KYUP monitoring. Right now, a voice service provider generally monitors or reviews information about, or the conduct of, their upstream provider customers when they are entering into or renewing an agreement with the upstream provider, or when they receive evidence that an upstream provider may be breaking the law. The attorneys general argue that the FCC should require upstream provider monitoring more regularly to help prevent bad actors from operating unchecked.
  • Strengthen STIR/SHAKEN protections. STIR/SHAKEN is a framework to ensure that a caller is placing calls from phone numbers that are not being spoofed. The FCC should ensure that providers are aware of and comply with their caller ID authentication obligations, and that these rules are being followed and applied similarly to and by everyone with responsibility for making sure that a call is really coming from the number a consumer sees as the caller ID, regardless of where they are in the path of a call.
  • Implement new rules quickly, establish enforcement penalties, and require retention of KYUP data. The attorneys general ask that any rules to help cut down on illegal robocalls should be implemented as soon as possible. They also support base penalties for providers that don’t meet upstream provider monitoring requirements or violate STIR/SHAKEN. They are also asking the FCC to require voice service providers to collect and retain data related to KYUP verification and monitoring, so that these data will be available to law enforcement or attorneys general for future investigations.

Attorney General Labrador is part of the Anti-Robocall Multistate Litigation Task Force, which launched Operation Robocall Roundup in 2025.

In Phase 1 of the operation, the task force sent warning letters to 37 smaller voice providers that were disregarding their obligations to mitigate the origination and transmission of illegal and/or suspicious robocalls by failing to comply with certain baseline mandates from the FCC.  Just two weeks ago, the FCC issued an order to six of those companies, ordering them to fix their robocall protection issues or risk losing the ability to route any calls across the U.S. telephone network. 

In Phase 2, the task force:

  • Expanded its crackdown to four of the country’s largest intermediate voice service providers.
  • Pushed the FCC to strengthen its Know Your Customer rules to require phone companies to verify who is making calls using their networks and what kinds of business their customers are conducting.

Attorney General Labrador is joined in signing this letter by the attorneys general of Alabama, Alaska, American Samoa, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New
Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.

Alzheimer’s Association Empowered Caregiver Series Starts September 22, 2026

By
Observer Staff
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0

(Joining Forces Eastern Idaho, September 10, 2026)

The Empowered Caregiver Series offers four free classes in Pocatello designed to help caregivers better understand dementia and confidently navigate their caregiving role. Topics include building a strong caregiving foundation, supporting independence, improving communication and managing dementia-related behaviors, and exploring respite, long-term care, and other support services. Classes are held September 22 through October 13 from noon–1:30 p.m. at Housing Alliance & Community Partnerships. See flyer for details.

First Lady Melania Trump’s Vision to Preserve America’s Story Through Superior Design

By
Observer Staff
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(Office of the First Lady Press Release, September 9, 2026)

First Lady Melania Trump shared her forward-looking vision on the generational significance of institutional design, declaring that, “The White House stands as an architectural autobiography of America, embodying the enduring values of ambition, democracy, and civic life through its design, craftmanship, and the objects within.”

First Lady Melania Trump’s elevated creative vision has played a significant and meaningful role, shaping architecture, landscape, preserving historic interiors, and enhancing decorative arts to carry the White House forward.

First Lady Melania Trump’s most substantial design accomplishments include the award-winning design and construction of the White House Tennis Pavilion, the complete renovation of the Queens’ Bedroom and the Queens’ Bathroom, the conservation of the historic Zuber wall covering in the President’s Dining Room; and the 2020 restoration of the Rose Garden, which renewed its historic design while revamping infrastructure and accessibility. The First Lady affirmed that important design “fosters collaboration, conveys dignity, inspires ambition, and creates a sense of belonging to something larger.”

First Lady Melania Trump’s White House preservation work also encompassed the East Room floor, State Entrance and Hall marble floors, President’s Elevator, White House Bowling Alley, and Children’s Garden, all demonstrating a broader devotion to American craftsmanship and the preservation of the People’s House. Mrs. Trump highlighted, “Within the walls of the White House, these experiences become essential to our national identity.”

Notably, her design work has extended beyond the White House grounds to Camp David, further broadening her approach to preserving and evolving America’s historic presidential spaces. The First Lady exclaimed, “Great design transcends aesthetic appeal; it shapes our lived experiences.”

The First Lady’s comments were presented from the White House Rose Garden to honor the 2026 White House Historical Association Presidential Sites Summit. This convening brings together more than 200 leaders from presidential sites nationwide, reflecting on the America 250 celebration, with a view to the future.

The full remarks by First Lady Melania Trump are below.

The White House: America’s Architectural Autobiography

The White House stands as an architectural autobiography of America, embodying the enduring values of ambition, democracy, and civic life through its design, craftsmanship, and the objects within.

Generation after generation, America’s ideals and stories are woven directly into the fabric of the White House.

Design is a meticulous process that involves a multitude of choices—each line, texture, and play of natural light contributes to an overarching narrative. No detail is too small; what may seem insignificant today can influence how individuals connect with one another and perceive their place in history.

Within the walls of the White House, these experiences become essential to our national identity.

I encountered this truth firsthand when I sought to uncover the exquisite American War of Independence wallpaper designed by French artist Jean-Julien Deltil and created by the firm Jean Zuber and Co. This wallpaper was hidden behind the walls of the President’s Dining Room in the private Family Quarters. Created in 1852 and initially acquired by the Astor family, this exceptional piece was ultimately concealed beneath a wall treatment. My mission to restore and reveal it was driven by a commitment to preserving a vital piece of our American narrative. The successful unveiling of this work was not merely an act of restoration; it was an investment in the future of our nation’s story.

Great design transcends aesthetic appeal; it shapes our lived experiences.

It fosters collaboration, conveys dignity, inspires ambition, and creates a sense of belonging to something larger. This philosophy guided my work on the White House Tennis Pavilion, designed in collaboration with the Trust for the National Mall, the Executive Residence, and the National Park Service, and approved by the Committee for the Preservation of the White House, the Commission of Fine Arts, and the National Capital Planning Commission in 2018. Every detail was thoughtfully considered to ensure the new structure harmonized with the historic neoclassical character of the White House Grounds.

Completed in 2020, the White House Tennis Pavilion later earned two distinguished architectural awards: the 2025 Palladio Award and the John Russell Pope Award. These honors recognize its design inspiration, which echoes the White House itself through doric columns, fanlight windows, limestone cladding, and a copper roof.

The Pavilion exemplifies the power of thoughtful design and serves as a bridge that connects people and generations through shared history.

As stewards of the places shaped by those before us, we are tasked with making decisions that honor future generations. It is our duty to ensure that the choices we make today are worthy of the legacy we pass forward.

And now, it is my honor to introduce John Rogers, the Chairman of the Board of the White House Historical Association. John is not just a remarkable leader; he is a steadfast ally and supporter, dedicated to preserving the rich heritage of our nation’s most iconic residence. His passion for history and commitment to education inspire all of us to champion the values and stories that shape our democracy. With John’s unwavering support, we are empowered to continue our vital mission and ensure that the legacy of the White House endures for generations to come.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio: A Hemisphere That Delivers

By
Observer Staff
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September 8, 2026

A Hemisphere That Delivers

By: U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio

This week, I will travel to Barranquilla, Quito, and Lima to highlight a clear, actionable commitment on behalf of President Donald Trump and the American people: the United States delivers. We are partnering directly with Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru to build real security, facilitate economic growth, and ensure that our region’s future remains in the sovereign control of each country.

We deliver on security because narcoterrorist organizations do not only traffic drugs but they also fuel mass illegal immigration and human trafficking, corrupt public institutions, recruit children, destroy families, and drive out honest investment. Together our governments work shoulder-to-shoulder with law enforcement to defeat the criminal cartels that have plagued our hemisphere. Ending illegal migration has already deprived them of tens of billions of dollars a year; our cooperation on eradicating drug trafficking will further limit their resources to commit evil.

We deliver on prosperity because economic development creates the conditions for lasting security, disincentivizes participation in the illicit economies run by criminal networks, and allows for mutual benefit between our nations.

For too long, foreign state-backed extra-hemispheric actors—specifically from China—have entered our hemisphere with promises that mask their predatory practices. Their involvement too often comes in the form of opaque contracts, unsustainable debt burdens, worker exploitation, and environmental destruction. When critical national assets fall under another nation’s ownership or control, countries lose their sacred right to determine their own destiny and face grave threats to their national sovereignty, data privacy, and economic independence.

The United States offers a clear, transparent alternative. U.S. companies and business leaders invest directly in your national economy, develop your local workforce, and support the communities that surround them.

Colombia: Tangible Investments and Renewed Security

Together, the Trump and De la Espriella Administrations are reinvigorating the 200-year-old U.S.-Colombia friendship to restore it to its rightful place as the lynchpin of security and economic cooperation in our region.

Rather than offering vague promises, our economic engagement focuses on direct investments that improve daily life and create formal employment for the Colombian people. Through our upcoming Bilateral Prosperity Dialogue, we are mobilizing U.S. private sector investment into Colombia’s energy, logistics, and transportation infrastructure. American companies operating in Colombia are actively expanding high-paying jobs, offering a clear economic alternative to the informal and illicit economies that criminal networks exploit, and helping Colombia face the challenges posed by El Niño.

We pair these economic tools directly with security support. U.S. assistance, including training, equipment, and operational support, helps Colombian authorities consolidate territorial control in areas historically dominated by the narcoterrorist groups that terrorize communities in Colombia, the United States, and throughout our region.

The United States shows up because that is what real partners do. Following the devastating August 10 earthquake in Colombia, the Trump Administration immediately delivered more than $27 million in emergency assistance.

Furthermore, Colombia’s new posture on border security and stopping illegal immigration serves as a model for regional cooperation. The partnerships now taking shape in Ecuador and Peru build on a model Colombia has spent two decades helping prove can work.

Ecuador: Direct Action Against Cartels and Economic Growth

In Ecuador, I will meet with President Daniel Noboa to advance our joint campaign against transnational organized crime. President Noboa confronts criminal organizations that once operated as though they were untouchable. They are not.

Following the Trump Administration’s formal designation of Ecuadorian gangs Los Lobos, Los Choneros, and the Chone Killers as Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTOs) last year, we have unlocked critical intelligence, law enforcement, and military coordination through the Shield of the Americas and the Americas Counter Cartel Coalition.

We are also modernizing our bilateral extradition treaty with Ecuador so that fugitive criminals face swift, inescapable justice.

As security improves, U.S. commercial activity expands. Leading American technology firms, including Google, Palantir, and SpaceX, are establishing operations and digital infrastructure in Ecuador. These investments bring high-speed connectivity, secure data analytics, and technological jobs to Ecuadorian workers without compromising state security or user privacy.

Peru: Two Centuries of Strategic Economic Collaboration

In Peru, we look forward to working with the new Fujimori government to bring our 200 years of shared history into the future. We’re synchronizing efforts to secure our hemisphere against transnational and regional threats by welcoming Peru, now a Major non-NATO ally, into the Shield of the Americas.

Our economic partnership with Peru is built on high-value, transparent investments in key strategic sectors. Following the signing of our Critical Minerals Memorandum of Understanding in February 2026, the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (DFC) committed $5 million directly into Peru’s mining sector, generating tax revenue and local employment in Peru.

Where Chinese Communist Party-backed projects challenge Peru’s legal frameworks and threaten data security and transparency, the United States’ private sector is delivering open, market-driven investments that preserve Peruvian ownership and protect our hemisphere’s security interests.

A Hemisphere That Delivers

Every nation in our region has the sovereign right to select its partners. We ask only that the choice be made in daylight, with the full terms visible to the public.

Where that has not happened, the pattern is clear: foreign state-owned enterprises acquire control over strategic infrastructure, leaving debt, surveillance, worker exploitation, and compromised sovereignty behind.

The American offer is fundamentally different. It is transparent, reliable, and mutually beneficial. Trusted technology. Clear, enforceable contracts. Private sector investments that build local capacity, create real jobs, and respect national independence.

That is a hemisphere that delivers.

Marco Rubio was sworn in as the 72nd Secretary of State on January 21, 2025. The Secretary is creating a Department of State that puts America First.

Guest Columnist Julianne Young: Protect and Defend

By
Observer Staff
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0

September 10, 2026

Protect and Defend

By: Julianne Young

Julianne Young

This year’s State Fair Parade reflected our enthusiasm for America’s 250th, festive from the first moment. First came rows of Scouts with American flags. Then more law enforcement vehicles than I have ever seen in one parade — one from nearly every department and county in eastern Idaho! Then came the Army National Guard. As I watched them march by, intense gratitude welled up inside me, spilling onto my cheeks.

You don’t get emotional watching something you take for granted. You get emotional watching something you’ve sacrificed to protect, and are afraid to lose. I’ve never worn a military uniform. But I’ve had the privilege of giving time, talents, and means protecting and defending the things that make Idaho so beautiful.

It’s no accident that Idaho was just named the best state in the country to live in, according to WalletHub’s 2026 ranking of all fifty states on affordability, safety, income growth, and quality of life. This is the fruit of policy choices deliberately pursued, year after year, by a state willing to defend a line other states have abandoned.

Idaho has protected families, refusing to treat parents as obstacles to their children’s upbringing and preserving common-sense public policies like sex-separated sports and private facilities. It has kept communities safe with strong, anti-drug laws rather than treating recreational drug use as public health policy. We have protected life, refusing to treat our next generation as disposable. These choices have not always been popular. Left-leaning headlines have long condemned these positions as backward. Idaho is rarely accused of being ordinary, and the wallet hub survey confirms this. It seems we’ve done some things unusually right.

Like all worthwhile things, this can’t be taken for granted. The values that have made Idaho uniquely good are under attack on your ballot this November.

For example, Proposition 1 would strip away Idaho’s pro-life protections, replacing them with one of the most radical pro-abortion laws in the country — a broad “right to reproductive freedom” that includes unregulated abortion on demand up until a baby could survive outside the womb without a doctor or parental consent. Proponents know it’s a hard sell on its merits, so the campaign leans, instead, on false claims that Idaho women can’t get treated for miscarriages or other complications.

The truth: Idaho Code specifically exempts miscarriage from the definition of abortion, so miscarriage care falls outside the law’s reach entirely. Conflating miscarriage with abortion is a deceptive strategy — and not a particularly original one. Fear has always been easier to manufacture than a sound argument when defending a bad idea.

HJR 4, also on the ballot, is a different kind of fight, offering to protect Idaho from wealthy out-of-state drug interests. Interests that profit from legalized marijuana, psychedelics, and other substances excel at marketing initiatives directly to voters. Like the miscarriage ads for abortion, they spam voters with misleading emotional ads which only have to be convincing, not true. In contrast, our legislative process requires public hearings, expert testimony, and a chance for opposing evidence — all of which make bad ideas harder to sell. HJR 4 doesn’t take the question of drug-legalization off the table. It just insists that if Idaho legalizes something this consequential, the change goes through a transparent, accountable process on the public record, not through a deluge of thirty-second commercials. HJR 4 mirrors language already in Idaho’s Constitution giving the legislature authority to regulate alcohol, and applies it to drugs.

When the sirens and excitement of this year’s parade have long since faded into the distance, the values represented by each uniform in it will remain. While others have stopped defending these values, Idaho has not.

So when the ads come — and they will, through November — the answer isn’t to soften the positions that got us here, or apologize for a state that is leading rather than following everyone else’s failing playbook. The results of that leadership are reflected in black and white in the WalletHub ranking. No amount of out-of-state money or manufactured fear changes that math.

May we remember that we celebrate 250 years of independence because a nation was willing to defend what it believed in, even when it would have been easier not to. Let’s celebrate our own corner of that nation, built one deliberate choice at a time, by continuing to do the same. Two hundred fifty years from now, someone should look back and say Idaho held the line when it counted — without apology, on the things that made this the best place in the country to live.

Julianne Young is a Bingham County Mom who loves faith, family, and freedom; a former state representative; founder of the nonprofit Idaho Family Strong; regional coordinator for Idaho Chooses Life; and 2nd Vice Chair of the Idaho State GOP.

BLM Invites People to Help Shape the Future of America’s Public Lands, Make Your Voice Matter

By
Observer Staff
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(Bureau of Land Management Press Release, September 9, 2026)

Washington, D.C.–The Bureau of Land Management is encouraging adventurers, problem‑solvers, public‑lands enthusiasts, and community champions to join its Resource Advisory Councils; engaging forums where everyday people help shape decisions that keep America’s public lands healthy, accessible, and thriving. Serving on a council is a chance to collaborate, share ideas, and make a real difference in how millions of public acres are managed for current and future generations.

The BLM published a national call for nominations in the Federal Register [on Wednesday] to fill current and upcoming vacancies on 20 statewide and regional Resource Advisory Councils and two statutory councils. The nomination period is open 45 days, until Oct. 26, 2026, and anyone can nominate themselves or someone else. It’s a unique opportunity to bring your perspective to the table, work alongside diverse voices, and help guide the stewardship of public lands we all care about.

“Resource Advisory Councils are a cornerstone of our mission to manage public lands for current and future generations,” said BLM Director Steve Pearce. “These councils bring local voices and expertise to the table, ensuring decisions consider the needs of the American public. If you’ve been seeking an opportunity to have a voice in how America’s public lands are managed, this is your chance.”

The BLM is looking for individuals from a wide range of backgrounds and interests, including:

  • Ranchers and holders of federal grazing permits
  • Energy and mineral development representatives
  • Recreation users
  • State and local elected officials
  • Tribal governments
  • Wild horse and burro interest groups
  • Environmental organizations
  • Academics and members of the public-at-large

Resource Advisory Councils are required by the Federal Land Policy and Management Act and operate under the Federal Advisory Committee Act to ensure balanced representation. Resource Advisory Council members meet virtually at least once per year, providing advice on initiatives, regulations, and policies that impact millions of acres of public lands.

For more information and to apply visit https://www.blm.gov/get-involved/resource-advisory-council.

-BLM-

The BLM manages about 245 million acres of public land located primarily in 12 western states, including Alaska, on behalf of the American people. The BLM also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. Our mission is to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of America’s public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations.

Trump Dividend: America Is Winning — and Americans Should Win With It

By
Observer Staff
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(White House Press Release, September 10, 2026)

Washington, D.C.–[Wednesday] night, President Donald J. Trump unveiled the Trump Dividend — a historic $5,000 cash payment to every adult American citizen, made possible by the strength of the American economy under his leadership. The announcement is the latest proof that President Trump does what the so-called “experts” say cannot be done: he delivers for the American people.

“Because we’ve done so well, and because our country is making so much money, only I can make this promise to you, and here is my promise: if the Republicans win the House of Representatives and the United States Senate… I will issue a dividend to every adult citizen in the United States of America for $5,000.” — President Donald J. Trump (Watch)

  • America is winning again — and the American people should share in that success. Like a successful company returning cash to its shareholders, the Trump Dividend is possible only because of President Trump. In his second term, he has unleashed trillions in new private investment, launched an unprecedented crackdown on government waste, and rebuilt American strength at home. That success belongs to the American people — and the Trump Dividend returns it to them.
  • President Trump delivers results no one else will even attempt. He captured Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro and secured a landmark oil deal in its wake, delivered historic tax relief, and put American workers first with an America First trade policy. The same leadership that shattered the old limits of what Washington thought possible is now prepared to put $5,000 directly into Americans’ pockets.
  • President Trump’s priority is making Americans richer. The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act and the Working Families Tax Cuts produced bigger paychecks, bigger refunds, and more money left with the workers who earned it. The Trump Dividend is the next chapter of that fight — not another Washington program or lecture from the “experts,” but cash in the hands of American citizens.
  • This happens only with President Trump and a Republican Congress. Democrats will not deliver a dividend, they will deliver the opposite — higher taxes, open borders, and the same failed communist agenda that makes American families poorer and punishes the people who work the hardest.

The Trump Dividend depends on President Trump and Republicans. Democrat control means America loses — and working people pay the price.

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The Pocatello Chubbuck Observer seeks to be a fair and objective portal, where readers can find the local, regional and national news, recent facts and entertainment.
Contact us: jcrowder@pocatellochubbuckobserver

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