Source: United States Coast Guard
U.S. Coast Guard sent this bulletin at 06/06/2025 01:00 PM EDT
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News Release |
U.S. Coast Guard 17th District Alaska |
06/06/2025 12:32 PM EDT
Source: Microsoft
Headline: Copilot Actions now available in Labs + Copilot with Instacart
Welcome to Microsoft’s Copilot Release Notes. Here we’ll provide regular updates on what’s happening with Copilot, from new features to firmware updates and more. Try Copilot Actions — Now in Copilot Labs Let Copilot lend you a hand with everyday web tasks. Copilot Actions is a new experimental feature available to Copilot Pro users in
Welcome to Microsoft’s Copilot Release Notes. Here we’ll provide regular updates on what’s happening with Copilot, from new features to firmware updates and more.
Let Copilot lend you a hand with everyday web tasks. Copilot Actions is a new experimental feature available to Copilot Pro users in the U.S., designed to help you get things done — not just find answers.
With simple chat prompts, you can ask Copilot to:
…and much more — all from your browser.
Copilot works behind the scenes to complete tasks on your behalf, and you stay in control every step of the way. You can pause, stop, edit, or take over at any time.
Available now in Copilot Labs on any modern browser.
Example prompts to try:
Getting all your ingredients ready just got even easier on Copilot with Instacart. With Recipe cards, you can now directly purchase ingredients in Copilot. Simply select “Shop Ingredients on Instacart” while using Copilot on iOS, Android, the Mac app, or Copilot.com.
The Recipe feature is enabled for all users — no sign-in required — and is available across all Copilot markets, making it effortless to find inspiration and shop for ingredients seamlessly. Currently, the Instacart Buy option is only available in the U.S., but it will be extending to Canada soon!
Source: Microsoft
Headline: New features in Microsoft Store on Windows focus on personalization, faster search
The Microsoft Store on Windows is used by over 250 million users each month – and we take the responsibility we have to you, our customers, seriously. We use the feedback you send to ensure we’re focusing on the most important things our customers care about. Last December, we announced a variety of product quality improvements, and in February, we shared how we’re evolving our Store into an AI marketplace. And we’re excited to keep the momentum going, with many more updates planned for this year.
Today, we’re excited to announce a variety of newly available features that we believe will level up your Store experience.
Let’s jump in!
The Microsoft Store homepage will now be personalized for you. Whether you’re a gamer chasing the next big hit, a productivity enthusiast looking for time-hacks or a developer in search of tools, the newly redesigned homepage will elevate the content most meaningful to you. In the coming weeks, you’ll see fresh recommendations based on recent activities, what’s trending in your region and the most recent deals. Personalized recommendations are controlled by your Store settings.
We are making four big improvements to help you to search for and discover new content faster. First, search in Store just got a whole lot smarter. We have rearchitected how search works – it is now more intent-aware, leverages signals like app updates and ratings more diligently for ranking and addresses language-specific nuances. This translates to results that are more relevant to what you are looking for – try it out today!
Second, for users in the United States, Copilot is now available in the bottom right corner to answer questions while you’re browsing product pages. You can open it up to ask questions about the page you’re viewing or select two products for comparisons.
Third, when you’re browsing product pages, you’ll now see a new “Discover More” section that includes related content that you may be interested in. And fourth, we have added product page badges to help you easily tell which apps have AI features, and which apps are great for Copilot+ PCs.
One of the superpowers of Store apps is their ability to integrate into the rest of Windows – so here are two new ways we’re trying to meet you where you are. First, if you’re like us and use Windows search to look for most things on your PC, we have exciting news! You’ll now be able to launch Windows search, search for an app or game from the Store and install it quickly1.
Second, we’re experimenting with offering app suggestions to open select file extensions, which is particularly helpful if you don’t have an app for that extension, or haven’t selected a default app. If you’re a Windows Insider in the U.S. or China regions, you’ll soon be able to try this out by using the context menu to select an app to “Open With” and browsing our recommendations. If you’ve already selected a default app, that will show up first.
The Store is getting faster. After rigorous performance investments, the Store launches two times faster than it did six months ago2. We have also significantly improved installation reliability and speed over the last six months. To make sure you see the latest improvements, please ensure you have the latest Windows update.
There’s a long list of fit and finish improvements for you to go try, including: a new capability that lets you install individual components for games; faster in-apps rating dialogs for when you want to share your feedback with developers; and a new field on product pages to let you know when an app or game was last updated.
And we would be remiss if we did not acknowledge the importance of our Store developers. Since last December, we’ve welcomed new partners like Notion, Perplexity, Docker and Day One. And more are on the way – including Manus, an autonomous AI agent (productivity tool) designed to perform and deliver complex tasks for knowledge workers across various domains – so please keep checking for new releases.
Built with care and tested with precision, the Microsoft Store on Windows is here to help you find what you’re looking for. As always, we are listening to your feedback, so please submit via Feedback Hub (WIN + F) under Microsoft Store. We still have a lot more in the pipeline, so visit the “What’s New” section in the Store to stay connected on new releases.
1Feature availability varies by market.
2 Data based on internal testing and subject to factors such as device, location, Windows and Store app versions.
Source: Microsoft
Headline: Connect with Microsoft at Gartner Security & Risk Management Summit June 9-11
Security professionals visiting booths scattered around a hall, eager for solutions to today’s top cybersecurity challenges to protect their resources and people. The hum of hundreds of conversations. Presenters in packed sessions sharing expertise, trends, and stories to energize attendees. Few occasions are as thrilling as a cybersecurity event, knowing that all around you are people who understand the frustrating challenges and exciting wins of working in cybersecurity. The rise in quantum computing and AI as tools used by adversaries make such events both inspiring and necessary as professionals seek new approaches and ways to manage risk and protect assets.
Join Microsoft Security at Gartner Security & Risk Management Summit, where we will showcase end-to-end security innovations and share world-class threat and regulatory intelligence to give you the advantage you need in the era of AI. This is an opportunity to learn how Microsoft’s AI-first end-to-end security platform can help you overcome the top security challenges and manage risk effectively even as high-level threats evolve.
The Summit is one of many top cybersecurity events in 2025 where security professionals like you can hear insights from Microsoft Security and interact with your peers. Microsoft Security offers AI-first, end-to-end protection for identities, endpoints, apps, and clouds, providing comprehensive security in the AI era, powered by unmatched threat intelligence. Accelerate your secure adoption of AI with ready-to-go security and governance tools built for generative AI.
We’re excited to be returning to the Gartner Security & Risk Management Summit and look forward to giving attendees several ways to connect. We invite you to come see our innovation and engage with us. Our experts will be giving two sessions, we’ll be offering live demos in our booth (#945), and we’ll be chatting with attendees during one-on-one meetings.
We’re excited to meet with conference attendees and encourage you to book a time. During these meetings, we can exchange perspectives on the latest cybersecurity threats, security best practices, and industry trends. It’s also a good time to learn more about specific Microsoft product capabilities and which features can address your organization’s unique challenges. We’re always up for sharing security strategies too. Book a one-on-one meeting with a Microsoft expert.
When choosing session topics for conferences, we consider several factors. What topics or trends are top of mind in the industry? What is sparking conversation with our clients? Where can we add the most value to help organizations facing modern security challenges? The Gartner Security & Risk Management is no exception and attendees can benefit from attending one – or even better, both –– of Microsoft’s two sessions at the event. If you want to hear insights on AI news and maximize the value of Microsoft products, you won’t want to miss these sessions for insights that can help you better manage your organization’s risk:
Elevate your defenses, enhance efficiency, and empower your team to focus on the most critical threats with generative AI for cybersecurity. We’d be thrilled to meet one-on-one with you at the Gartner conference. Whether you have questions, want a personalized demo, or want to chat about how AI could impact your security, schedule a time to speak with one of our experts at the event. And stop by Booth #945 for a live demo. In the meantime, explore how AI-powered cybersecurity can transform how you protect your organization.
Hope to see you at the Gartner event!
US Senate News:
Source: United States Senator for Vermont – Bernie Sanders
WASHINGTON, June 6 – After the Trump administration attempted to shutter the nation’s largest jobs training program for low-income and at-risk young people, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Ranking Member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, and 39 Senate colleagues, today sent a letter to Department of Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer urging her to reverse the illegal and unconstitutional cuts to the Job Corps program that are harming students and communities in every state in the country.
“The Administration’s decision to illegally and abruptly terminate Job Corps center operations has left 25,000 students and thousands of staff across 99 Job Corps centers in the lurch,” wrote Sanders and the senators. “The sudden ‘pause’ of operations at Job Corps centers puts young people’s lives at risk, especially a significant number of students who were experiencing homelessness before arriving to the program. Local communities will pay a steep price, especially the thousands of individuals who work at the centers and will lose their livelihoods.”
For more than 60 years, Job Corps has helped millions of young people in rural communities and cities alike to finish high school, learn technical skills and get good-paying jobs while providing stable housing, medical and mental health care, and other supportive services. Through Job Corps programs, young people receive the training they need to start in good-paying jobs that support their communities after graduation – including as wildland firefighters, nurses, electricians, machinists, pipefitters, and welders. Last month, however, the Trump administration indefinitely ‘paused’ operations at Job Corps sites across the country.
“We urge you to immediately reverse this decision to prevent a lapse in education and services for Job Corps students. We further urge that the Department restart enrollments, expeditiously restart background checks, and make any contract extensions or modifications necessary to ensure no interruptions or delays for students or program operations,” concluded Sanders and the senators.
Joining Sanders on the letter are Sens. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Ed Markey (D-Mass.), Angela Alsobrooks (D-Md.), Peter Welch (D-Vt.), Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-Del.), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), Chris Coons (D-Del.), John Fetterman (D-Pa.), Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.), Ben Ray Lujan (D-N.M.), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.), Angus King (I-Maine), Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), Tina Smith (D-Minn.), Jack Reed (D-R.I.), Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.), Andy Kim (D-N.J.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.), Mark Warner (D-Va.), Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Gary Peters (D-Mich.), Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.) and Patty Murray (D-Wash.).
Read the letter here.
Source: United Kingdom UK Parliament (video statements)
A new display in Westminster Hall explores how Parliament and its people met the challenges of wartime Britain.
Join a lates event on 13th June or 11th July to hear stories from the Second World War in the historic Palace of Westminster.
Search Parliament’s War Effort lates to book your ticket.
Image credit:
Mrs Hodges at the capstan lathe. From the Parliamentary Archives WMU/1/2.
Sir Oswald Birley, Sir Winston Churchill, 1874-1965, Prime Minister, 1946, Oil Painting, Photo credit: Parliamentary Art Collection WOA 2723.
Vice Admiral Sir Geoffrey Blake Black Rod, Ewart Monochrome photographic print, Parliamentary Art Collection, WOA 804 © UK Parliament.
Source: US Congressman Dan Goldman (NY-10)
Stadium and Airport Concessions Charge New York Captive Audiences Double the Street Price, Despite Receiving Tens of Millions in Public Subsidies Every Year
Washington, D.C – Congressman Dan Goldman (NY-10) led nine House Democrats in urging the House Appropriations Committee to direct the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to investigate stadium and airport concession prices to increase transparency and prevent potential price gouging practices.
New Yorkers are paying some of the highest concession prices in the country at publicly subsidized sports venues. At Madison Square Garden, the average price of a beer is $16—more than twice the citywide average—making it the third most expensive among NBA arenas. At Highmark Stadium, home of the Buffalo Bills, beer costs $10 on average, double the price fans would pay elsewhere. These costs come despite substantial public support. Madison Square Garden receives an estimated $42 million annually from New York City through a property tax exemption, while 60% of the Bills’ new stadium is being financed with public funds from the state.
“Despite the significant public investment into airports and sports venues, through direct grants, state and local tax credits, economic development incentives, and tax-exempt bonds, the cost of concessions at a ballgame or an airport remains unaffordable for the average American family,” the Members wrote.
Some stadiums have seen great success in implementing so-called “street pricing”, which pegs concessions prices to the average cost of food and drink to the average cost in the surrounding area. The Atlanta Falcons’ Mercedes-Benz stadium specifically lowered concession costs by 50% and saw a 30% increase in sales after implementing street pricing. The members request that the FTC survey stadiums across the country to determine what sustainable, affordable practices work best.
“A nationwide survey of concession prices and street pricing practices at these venues would allow the FTC, lawmakers, and most importantly, fans and travelers, to gain more transparency into potential price gouging by venues and determine what sustainable, affordable practices work best. We urge you to include the report language below to direct the FTC conduct such a survey and provide a report to Congress on its findings,” the Members wrote.
Dear Chairman Joyce and Ranking Member Hoyer,
As you begin to work on the Fiscal Year 2026 (FY26) Financial Services and General
Government (FSGG) Appropriations bill, we write to request that you include report language to direct the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to conduct a survey of concession prices and affordable pricing practices across major airports and sports stadiums.
In 1985, the average fan at the Major League Baseball (MLB) All-Star Game in Minneapolis spent about $5 on beer and other concessions (a little less than $15 in 2025 dollars). Today, this does not even cover the cost of a single beer at Nationals Park. Inside the stadium, fans across major sports, including at National Basketball League (NBA), National Football League (NFL), and National Hockey League (NHL) games, face exorbitant prices for concessions after paying high ticket fees. While serving very different purposes, airports share many of the same dynamics as sports stadiums. Travelers often arrive at airports hours before departure and face
restrictions on bringing in outside food and beverages. With few options, travelers face extreme markups for drinks and food before their flights. Despite the significant public investment into airports and sports venues, through direct grants, state and local tax credits, economic development incentives, and tax-exempt bonds, the cost of concessions at a ballgame or an airport remains unaffordable for the average American family.
According to a recent report by the Groundwork Collaborative, most large U.S. airports
implement some policies to seek to curb excessive pricing. Even then, the most common approach, known as “street pricing plus,” allows vendors to charge 10 to 18 percent more than off-airport prices. Set by state and local transit authorities, these policies vary widely across airports and leave high prices to compound the already high costs of air travel. Similarly, several individual sports teams have begun introducing “value deals,” offering a handful of basic items (such as bottled water, pretzels, and hot dogs) at lower prices. Following their move to Mercedes-Benz stadium in 2017, the Atlanta Falcons implemented significant concession price cuts – about 50 percent – aligning their prices with what fans may pay on the street. After this cut, the Falcons saw a 30 percent increase in overall transactions, a 20 percent increase in merchandise sales, and a 20 percent increase in the number of items per transaction. The Falcons’ move and other case studies, including Portland International Airport and Salt Lake City Airport, reveal that these “street pricing” practices can be a win-win for businesses and consumers.
With housing, food, and other everyday costs already so high, families visiting airports or sports stadiums – venues supported by their tax dollars – should not have to worry about drastic price markups. It’s clear that some form of street pricing is effective to make concessions more affordable while remaining sensible for businesses at these venues.
A nationwide survey of concession prices and street pricing practices at these venues would allow the FTC, lawmakers, and most importantly, fans and travelers, to gain more transparency into potential price gouging by venues and determine what sustainable, affordable practices work best. We urge you to include the report language below to direct the FTC conduct such a survey and provide a report to Congress on its findings.
“Airport and Sports Stadium Concessions.–The Committee is concerned about the high cost of concessions at airports and sports stadiums that receive public financing. While the Committee is pleased to see some venues make certain concessions more affordable through street pricing practices (i.e. aligning vendor prices inside the venue with prices that one may pay across the street), travel and sports remain unaffordable for most families. The Committee directs the FTC to conduct a survey of concession prices and street pricing practices across airports and major stadiums. The FTC shall provide a report to the Committee no later than 180 days of enactment of this act on its findings.”
Thank you for your consideration of this important request.
###
Source: Republic of France in English
The Republic of France has issued the following statement:
France learned of the establishment of new U.S. sanctions against four International Criminal Court judges, in addition to those already imposed on its chief prosecutor.
Once again, it calls on the United States to withdraw all of these measures.
France expresses its solidarity with the judges targeted by this decision and reaffirms its unwavering support for the ICC and its staff, who play a vital role in the fight against impunity. Together with its European partners and other States Parties to the Rome Statute, it will remain committed to ensuring that the Court can independently and impartially continue its efforts to obtain justice for the victims of the most serious crimes.
Source: Government of Canada regional news
The Office for International Credential Recognition’s first annual report is showing progress creating more opportunities for internationally trained professionals in B.C.
The International Credentials Recognition Act, which took effect on July 1, 2024, helps remove barriers for qualified professionals in 29 regulated fields. The legislation is making it fairer, faster and easier for people to use their skills to work in B.C., no matter where they were trained.
Over the past year, the office has made progress by continually engaging with regulatory authorities and helping them transition to the new law. This includes ensuring regulators understand the requirements, have the right information on their websites and update their rules and policies to comply with the new legislation. The office has also made progress explaining and clarifying the new legislation with internationally trained professionals who want to work in B.C.
The removal of Canadian work experience requirements for regulators comes into effect on July 1, 2025. By then, regulatory authorities will need to replace Canadian work experience requirements with alternative assessment frameworks, or apply for an exemption. This change will enable more applicants to demonstrate their competence in applied knowledge and skills, regardless of their Canadian work experience.
The Office for International Credential Recognition oversees the process for regulatory authorities included under the International Credentials Recognition Act, with a goal to ensure fair, efficient and transparent recognition of international credentials and help professionals join B.C.’s workforce.
The superintendent of the office is required by law to submit an annual report to the Minister of Post-Secondary Education and Future Skills by May 31 each year.
Learn More:
For the full report, visit: https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/governments/organizational-structure/ministries-organizations/regulatory-authorities/oicr/policies#annual-report
To read about the introduction of the International Credentials Recognition Act, visit: https://news.gov.bc.ca/releases/2024PSFS0022-000907
To learn more about international credential recognition, visit: https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/governments/organizational-structure/ministries-organizations/regulatory-authorities/oicr
Source: Government of Canada regional news
Released on June 6, 2025
The Governments of Canada and Saskatchewan announced that 32 Agriculture Demonstration of Practices and Technologies (ADOPT) projects and six Strategic Field Program (SFP) projects received more than $1.4 million in funding for fiscal 2024-25 under the Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership (Sustainable CAP).
“Research is at the root of how we grow the sector and strengthen Canada’s position as a world leader when it comes to agriculture,” Canada’s Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food Heath MacDonald said. “These projects will help get best practices directly into the hands of farmers and processors in Saskatchewan and keep them on the cutting edge.”
“Saskatchewan is a global leader in agriculture technology and sustainability practices thanks to initiatives like ADOPT,” Saskatchewan Agriculture Minister Daryl Harrison said. “By investing in demonstration and knowledge transfer projects, we are ensuring the long-term sustainability and competitiveness of Canada’s agricultural sector.”
The ADOPT program provides funding to assist producer groups and First Nations communities to evaluate and demonstrate new agricultural practices and technologies at the local level. ADOPT focuses on practical, short-term research projects that can be applied by producers soon after completion.
The SFP provides funding for relevant and timely field-level studies to support agriculture producers and processors in Saskatchewan and helps to develop new best practices that reinforce Saskatchewan’s global leadership in sustainable agriculture production and expertise.
Several projects will be demonstrated at Agriculture-Applied Research Management (Agri-ARM) sites throughout the province this year for producers to take part in learning first-hand about the new technologies and production practices.
Sustainable CAP is a five year, $3.5 billion investment by federal, provincial and territorial governments to strengthen competitiveness, innovation, and resiliency of Canada’s agriculture, agri-food, and agri-based products sector. This includes $1 billion in federal programs and activities and a $2.5 billion commitment that is cost-shared 60 per cent federally and 40 per cent provincially/territorially for programs that are designed and delivered by provinces and territories.
Sustainable CAP has committed $10 million over five years to demonstration projects through ADOPT and SFP.
-30-
For more information, contact:
Agriculture
Regina
Phone: 306-787-5155
Email: ag.media@gov.sk.ca
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada
Media Relations
Ottawa, ON
Phone: 1-866-345-7972
Email: aafc.mediarelations-relationsmedias.aac@agr.gc.ca
Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Bob Latta (R-Bowling Green Ohio)
Washington, June 6, 2025
Yesterday, Congressman Bob Latta (R-OH-5) met General S. Nordhaus at the House Guard and Reserve Caucus Reception, to discuss his distinguished military service and leadership both in Ohio and across the nation. General Nordhaus was raised in Putnam County in Ohio’s Fifth Congressional District.
General Nordhaus currently serves as the 30th Chief of the National Guard Bureau and is a member of the Joint Chiefs Staff. His decorated career includes serving as Commander of the 180th Fighter Wing at Toledo Air National Guard Base from January 2011 to December 2013. In October, he was promoted to the rank of four-star general.
“It was an honor to meet General Nordhaus, who now serves as Chief of the National Guard Bureau here in Washington. He has had a stellar career serving our nation, and I thank him for his continued service and leadership,” Latta said.
Read more about General Steven S. Nordhaus here.
Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Bob Latta (R-Bowling Green Ohio)
Washington, June 6, 2025
Last night, the Congressional Energy Engagement Foundation (CEEF) presented Congressman Bob Latta (R-OH-5) with its Icon Award in recognition of his leadership on energy policy in Congress. Congressman Latta currently serves as the chairman of the Energy Subcommittee of the House Energy and Commerce Committee.
The Congressional Energy Engagement Foundation is a non-profit organization dedicated to advancing the understanding and adoption of advanced nuclear energy.
“I’m honored to be recognized by the Congressional Energy Engagement Foundation for my work in advancing American energy policy. The fact is, we need more energy produced here in the United States, not less. I look forward to working with CEEF as I continue to champion legislation to strengthen U.S. energy production and unleash America’s energy potential,” said Latta.
“Congressman Bob Latta has long demonstrated thoughtful leadership and steadfast commitment to advancing America’s energy future. His support for innovation, reliability, and bipartisan engagement makes him a true champion—not only of nuclear energy, but, for his longstanding support of the mission of the Congressional Energy Engagement Foundation. We are proud to recognize him as a CEEF ICON for his enduring contributions on Capitol Hill and beyond,” said Michelle Amante-Harstine, CEO, Congressional Energy Engagement Foundation.
From left to right: Michelle Amante-Harstine, Congressman Latta, Gard Clark. Photo courtesy of Matt Vines.
Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Riley Moore (WV-02)
Washington, D.C. – Today, the Republican Study Committee (RSC) launched the Rescissions Working Group, a team of RSC Members who will serve as the tip of the spear for House conservative’s efforts to codify President Trump’s $9.4 billion rescissions package. Chaired by Congressman Riley Moore (R-WV), the task force will also work to educate members and staff about the rescissions process & the President’s impoundment authority, as well as make the case for additional rescissions packages to be sent to Congress.
The RSC has long supported the use of rescissions to rein in out of control spending, formally endorsing President Trump’s first rescissions package when it was sent to Congress in 2017. Recognizing the need to honor the commitment we made to the American people to eliminate woke, wasteful, and weaponized spending, the RSC has decided to accelerate our efforts by establishing the Rescissions Working Group.
The committee is grateful to former RSC Chair and current House Majority Leader Steve Scalise for leading the effort to shepherd the rescissions package through the House, and our Rescissions Working Group stands prepared to support the Majority Leader in his determined efforts to get this package over the finish line.
“I’m thrilled to be chairing this task force for RSC and thank Chairman Pfluger for his support,” said Congressman Moore. “President Trump was given a historic mandate by the American people to restore common sense and end waste, fraud, and abuse. This rescission package is a key first step in codifying necessary cuts, and I look forward to working with my colleagues and the White House as we continue to deliver for the American people.”
“The RSC’s Rescissions Working Group is the first of its kind, and signals to the American people that House conservatives are ready to meet the moment and assist President Trump in delivering on his historic mandate,” said RSC Chairman August Pfluger (TX-11). “The rescissions package sent to Congress serves as a critical opportunity for Congress to take immediate and decisive action to slash federal spending, and our Working Group will fight to make the case that this and future packages must pass.”
WHAT THEY’RE SAYING:
Heritage Action: “The Republican Study Committee’s Rescissions Task Force will play a vital role to ensure the President’s mandate is enacted and corrupt government spending is cut. Heritage Action fully supports eliminating $9.4 billion in woke and wasteful spending from the likes of USAID, NPR and PBS. The time for fiscal sanity is now, and we look forward to working with this Task Force to ensure these rescissions are passed and signed into law. Heritage Action applauds RSC Chairman August Pfluger and Rescissions Task Force Chairman Riley Moore for their leadership.”
Citizens for Renewing America: “Citizens for Renewing America applauds RSC’s launch of this Recissions Taskforce to ensure that the $9.4 billion recission package is passed in full. It is imperative that the entire rescissions package, just sent to Congress by the White House, passes. If Congress fails to pass the rescissions package we lose our ability to rescind those funds later. The eyes of America are on Congress to see if, as a whole, they are serious about addressing the deficit and debt problem endangering the future for our children and grandchildren.”
Brent Gardner, Chief Government Affairs Officer at Americans for Prosperity: “Our nation’s debt crisis wasn’t created overnight, and it will take more than one bill to solve this problem. We’re grateful to the President for proposing a first wave of commonsense cost-cutting measures, and we hope to see Congress approve them soon. It’s reassuring that RSC is standing up a Rescissions Working Group to address spending and taking a holistic approach to adopt a new culture of cost-cutting in Washington.”
David McIntosh, President of Club for Growth: “With the national debt now at $37 trillion, it’s critical that lawmakers use every available tool to reduce wasteful government spending and rescissions are a commonsense step in that effort. Club for Growth applauds the leadership of the Republican Study Committee and Rep. Riley Moore, and we encourage all conservatives to support this important initiative.”
BACKGROUND:
The Republican Study Committee is the oldest and largest conservative caucus in the House and represents the leading voice for conservative values in Congress. The RSC is home to over 180 strong members, fighting every single day for the American people.
###
Source: Office of United States Attorneys
Defendant, a Rap Musician Known as Quez 2RR, Had Stolen Weapon in Labor and Delivery; Federal Case Linked to Ongoing Metro Atlanta Shooting Investigation
MACON, Ga. – A Henry County resident who had a stolen Glock 9mm handgun with a loaded 30-round extended magazine capable of converting to a fully automatic weapon while at the Labor and Delivery unit of a hospital was sentenced to serve more than five years in prison—above federal sentencing guidelines—for his crime.
Terrell Monquez Searcy, 21, of McDonough, Georgia, was sentenced to serve 66 months in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release by U.S. District Judge Tilman E. “Tripp” Self on June 4. Searcy previously pleaded guilty to one count of possession of a machinegun on March 21, 2025. There is no parole in the federal system.
“Holding people found in possession of machineguns and with illegal conversion devices accountable for breaking federal law remains a top priority in the Middle District of Georgia,” said Acting U.S. Attorney C. Shanelle Booker. “This case exemplifies how law enforcement and prosecutors work together to effectively remove illegal firearms and other dangerous destructive devices from the streets in order to make our communities safer.”
“Machinegun conversion devices are fueling a deadly uptick in gun violence, turning routine firearms into weapons of war,” said ATF Acting Assistant Special Agent in Charge Thomas Crawford of the Atlanta Field Division. “This case is yet another example of why ATF is committed to aggressively identifying and removing these illegal devices from our communities.”
According to court documents, the stipulation of facts and other statements made in Court, Monroe Police Department officers were dispatched to Piedmont Walton Hospital on Aug. 17, 2023, after a nurse observed Searcy in a Labor and Delivery room with a handgun, which is prohibited in the hospital. When hospital security came to the room, Searcy admitted he did have a handgun and that he put it under the couch cushion. He gave the firearm—a Glock Model 17 9mm handgun with a loaded 30-round extended magazine—to security and remained in the room. Hospital security noticed that a full auto sear pin appeared to have been attached to the rear of the slide, making the firearm a machinegun, prompting the call by hospital security to police. Police ran the serial number on the firearm and found out it was reported stolen from Walton County, Georgia. Searcy was taken into custody.
ATF agents tested the firearm and confirmed it did function as a machinegun. Further investigation revealed that Searcy, a rapper known as Quez 2RR, had showcased a pistol with what appeared to be a machinegun conversion device in music videos on a YouTube channel. In a music video titled “Traffic,” Searcy rapped, “I pop out a switch on the back of my Glock” and “I put a switch on the back of my Glock, just to clean up the street when it’s time for that action.” At one point in the video, Searcy’s holding a pistol in his waistband with what appears to be a machinegun conversion device attached to the back.
Following the federal indictment charging Searcy with possessing a machine gun in August 2024, agents located Instagram messages between Searcy and a female law enforcement officer with the Clayton County Police Department. Between January and March 2023, Searcy asked the police officer to run his information to see if there were any warrants for his arrest. The police officer also provided information to Searcy regarding an active homicide investigation. During an interview with Clayton County Police Department detectives, the officer admitted to providing Searcy with information on an active homicide investigation and advising Searcy when she located active warrants for his arrest.
On Feb. 11, 2025, members of the ATF, McDonough Police Department and Henry County Sheriff’s Office executed a federal search warrant at Searcy’s residence in McDonough, Georgia. Searcy and two other men were in the home along with several firearms. The defendant told agents that he had been living at the residence for a couple of months, that he slept with a Draco firearm under his bed and that the Glock 17 found in the living room belonged to him. ATF agents submitted test fires from both firearms to the National Integrated Ballistic Information Network (NIBIN) to determine if either firearm had been used in other crimes. The Micro Draco recovered from Searcy’s bedroom returned with several NIBIN leads, including two from the DeKalb County Police Department. Both DeKalb County incidents indicated that the Micro Draco was used in a drive-by shooting in DeKalb County where four people, including two juveniles, were shot inside their homes. Each shooting occurred within just days of Searcy receiving information from the Clayton County police officer on the active Clayton County homicide where his friend was shot and killed.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) investigated the case, with assistance from the City of Monroe Police Department, Clayton County Police Department, McDonough Police Department, Henry County Sheriff’s Office, the Dekalb County Police Department and the Piedmont Walton Hospital Security Department.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel Peach prosecuted the case for the Government.
Source: Office of United States Attorneys
CHICAGO — A California attorney has pleaded guilty to a contempt of court charge for willfully disobeying a court order that called for settlement funds to be distributed to relatives of victims killed in the crash of Lion Air Flight 610.
DAVID R. LIRA, 65, of Pasadena, Calif., entered the plea on Thursday before U.S. District Judge Mary M. Rowland in the Northern District of Illinois. Judge Rowland set sentencing for Oct. 8, 2025.
Lira worked for the California personal injury law firm Girardi Keese, which represented five clients who were relatives of passengers killed in the 2018 crash in the Java Sea. Girardi Keese filed lawsuits in federal court in Chicago against the plane’s manufacturer, Boeing Co., and settled the suits in 2020. In connection with the settlements, U.S. District Judge Thomas M. Durkin ordered that the settlement funds, which included a total of $7.5 million for four of the clients, be sent to each client as soon as practicable. Although Boeing wired the settlement funds for those four victims into Girardi Keese’s client trust account, Lira admitted in a plea agreement that he knew for several months that the firm failed to distribute the money to the clients, in contravention of Judge Durkin’s order.
During those months, Lira admitted that the victims demanded their money but were not paid, and that there was nothing about the Covid-19 pandemic that precluded the firm from paying the money. Lira confronted another attorney at the firm, THOMAS GIRARDI, who was also Lira’s father-in-law, and demanded that Girardi pay the money to the clients, Lira’s plea agreement states. Lira admitted in his plea that he knew Girardi had misappropriated the money and that Lira was willfully violating Judge Durkin’s orders.
Lira ultimately resigned from the firm. The Lion Air Victims eventually received their settlement funds following a hearing before Judge Durkin when another law firm’s insurer paid the amount that Girardi had misappropriated.
Girardi, 86, of Seal Beach, Calif., was convicted last year by a federal jury in Los Angeles of embezzling millions of dollars in settlement funds from other clients. In connection with Girardi’s sentencing in that case, prosecutors in Los Angeles apprised the Court about Girardi’s misappropriation of settlement funds in the Lion Air matter. Girardi was sentenced earlier this week to more than seven years in federal prison.
Lira’s guilty plea was announced by Andrew S. Boutros, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, and Douglas S. DePodesta, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Office of the FBI. The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jared Hasten, Emily Vermylen, and Thomas Peabody.
“The willful failure to ensure distribution of settlement funds compounded the grief and anguish of the clients who lost loved ones in the Lion Air crash,” said U.S. Attorney Boutros. “Attorneys who violate the trust of their clients and breach the fiduciary duty that is paramount to the practice of law will be held accountable.”
“The FBI stands committed to protecting victims of crime and holding those who have violated federal laws accountable, no matter how much time may have passed,” said FBI SAC DePodesta. “The FBI is thankful for our continuing partnerships with law enforcement and our prosecutorial partners who have ensured justice in this case.”
Source: US FBI
SAN ANTONIO – An Indiana woman was sentenced in a federal court in San Antonio to 300 months in prison for sexually exploiting a six-year-old child.
According to court documents, Veronica Solis, 35, of Valparaiso, produced child sexual abuse material (CSAM) in August and September 2019 with codefendant Gerald Talman Brann. An investigation showed that Solis and Brann sexually assaulted the child victim, recorded the sexual assaults using their cell phones, and then shared the CSAM with each other, as well as others. The two were arrested on March 14, 2023.
Solis pleaded guilty Dec. 5, 2023 and, on June 3, 2025, was sentenced by Judge Fred Biery.
Brann, who pleaded guilty to the same charge on Nov. 28, 2023, was sentenced in May 2024 to 360 months in federal prison by Judge Jason K. Pulliam.
U.S. Attorney Justin R. Simmons for the Western District of Texas made the announcement.
The FBI’s San Antonio and Indianapolis divisions investigated the case with assistance from the Indiana State Police.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Tracy Thompson prosecuted the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, visit www.justice.gov/psc.
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Source: US FBI
The FBI is offering a $5,000 reward for information leading to the recovery of Sa’Wade Birdinground. There have been no known contacts with family or friends since Sa’Wade was last seen at her family’s residence in Garryowen, Montana, on October 6, 2024.
Sa’Wade is 13 years old. She is 5’4″ to 5’5″ tall, weighs 130-140 pounds, and has brown eyes and brown, curly hair.
Birdinground was last seen wearing a black hoodie with mushrooms on it, an anime t-shirt, basketball shorts, and purple slip-on Skechers-brand shoes. She may have a black and purple Adidas backpack with her and is known to wear an elk tooth necklace.
“Eight months is an incomprehensible amount of time for a family to be without their child,” said Special Agent in Charge Mehtab Syed of the Salt Lake City FBI. “The FBI is fully committed to finding Sa’Wade and bringing her home. No tip is too small or insignificant.”
The FBI is working this case jointly with Crow BIA law enforcement and the Big Horn County Sheriff’s Office.
The FBI, BIA, and tribal partners work together to search for and investigate missing persons cases. Such efforts include FBI’s Operation Not Forgotten, launched in 2023, and BIA’s Murdered and Missing Unit, which dedicates additional federal resources specifically to address missing persons on American Indian reservations.
As part of this year’s Operation Not Forgotten, the FBI has doubled the number of special agents working Indian Country cases in the Billings Resident Agency, who will assist with the Birdinground case, among other important investigations.
If you have any information about Sa’Wade’s disappearance, go to tips.fbi.gov, or call the FBI Salt Lake City Field Office at (801) 579-6195.
Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)
Reference is made to the stock exchange notice from IDEX Biometrics ASA (the “Company”) on 11 April 2025 regarding key information relating to share consolidation and change of ISIN as resolved by the 11 April 2025 Extraordinary General Meeting in the Company (the “EGM”). The effective date of the share consolidation was stated to be 11 June 2025 or such later date as determined by the board of directors of the Company (the “Board”).
Reference is also made to the subsequent offering resolved by the EGM (the “Subsequent Offering”), which is ongoing and will not be completed prior to 11 June 2025. For technical reasons, the Board wishes to complete the Subsequent Offering prior to implementing the share consolidation.
Therefore, the Board has resolved to move the effective date of the share consolidation (and the date of the associated ISIN change of the Company’s shares) to 20 June 2025.
For further information, please contact:
Kristian Flaten, CFO, Tel: +47 95092322
E-mail: ir@idexbiometrics.com
About IDEX Biometrics:
IDEX Biometrics ASA (IDEX) is a global technology leader in fingerprint biometrics, offering authentication solutions across payments, access control, and digital identity. Our solutions bring convenience, security, peace of mind and seamless user experiences to the world. Built on patented and proprietary sensor technologies, integrated circuit designs, and software, our biometric solutions target card-based applications for payments and digital authentication. As an industry-enabler we partner with leading card manufacturers and technology companies to bring our solutions to market. For more information, visit www.idexbiometrics.com
About this notice:
This notice was issued by Kristian Flaten, CFO, on 6 June 2025 at 18:30 CET on behalf of IDEX Biometrics ASA. The information shall be disclosed according to section 5-8 of the Norwegian Securities Trading Act (STA) and released in accordance with section 5-12 of the STA.
Source: Government of India
Source: Government of India (4)
Prime Minister Narendra Modi received a congratulatory call from Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney on Friday, during which the leaders discussed strengthening bilateral ties and confirmed India’s participation in the upcoming G7 Summit in Kananaskis, Canada.
In their first direct interaction since Carney’s recent electoral victory, Prime Minister Modi congratulated his Canadian counterpart and expressed appreciation for the formal invitation to attend the G7 Summit scheduled for later this month. The conversation marked a key step in revitalizing high-level engagement between the two nations.
The two leaders acknowledged the strong people-to-people bonds that connect India and Canada, emphasizing their shared democratic values and longstanding cultural and economic linkages. Both reaffirmed their commitment to work together with renewed energy, guided by mutual respect and shared strategic interests.
PM Modi expressed optimism about deepening cooperation across various sectors and said he looked forward to meeting Prime Minister Carney at the Kananaskis Summit.
PM Modi wrote in a post on X, “Glad to receive a call from Prime Minister @MarkJCarney of Canada. Congratulated him on his recent election victory and thanked him for the invitation to the G7 Summit in Kananaskis later this month. As vibrant democracies bound by deep people-to-people ties, India and Canada will work together with renewed vigour, guided by mutual respect and shared interests. Look forward to our meeting at the Summit.”
The upcoming G7 Summit is expected to focus on pressing global challenges including climate action, economic resilience, and geopolitical security.
Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur (OH-09)
Toledo, OH – Today, Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur (OH-09) Ranking Member of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development released the following statement upon the news that the Department of Energy has cancelled 24 projects nationwide, totaling $3.7 Billion in investment in American manufacturing, including a $45.1 Million investment in an Industrial Demonstration Project for Libbey Glass LLC’s Toledo, Ohio facility.
“The abrupt termination of $3.7 Billion in clean energy investment is shortsighted and malicious. This decision will raise energy costs for American families and undermine our nation’s competitive edge. In Northwest Ohio, it endangers jobs, and undermines manufacturing in our critical glass industry, while empowering China and our global competitors,” said Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur (OH-09). “Nationwide, DOE is not only raising the cost of energy in Red Districts and Blue Districts — we’re ceding ground to global competitors racing ahead in innovation and energy efficiency. This decision undercuts American innovation, discourages private-sector investment, and harms workers like the ones I represent who are counting on these projects for jobs and economic revitalization. The American people deserve leadership that meets the moment — not one that backs away from the challenge of a clean, affordable energy future. If the Trump Administration was looking to give Communist China everything they wanted, they are well on their way.”
Below are a list of actions Ranking Member Kaptur has taken related to DOE’s frozen funding and award cancelations
since the start of the Trump Administration:
RANKING MEMBER MARCY KAPTUR:
So one of the things I have to ask about is my own district. I don’t understand why there was a project that was to be awarded to a glass company. And for some reason, it was pulled or it’s sitting somewhere over there, and it has caused all kinds of problems for the company. You’re a businessman. You would understand this if I can find the right sheet here.
There’s so many sheets of paper. It’s called Libbey glass and they have two furnaces. I come from an industrial part of America and life there has been hell for a long time because we forgot what the defense industrial base of this country really is. And we’ve been trying to catch up, but it’s been hard.
And oh, here it is. OK. So the department had $6 billion in DOE investments that were leveraged with $14 billion of private sector investment. And one of those companies, Libbey Glass, which gave me permission to even use their — I’m even afraid to use their name in public. They’re a great company. They’re a legacy company in our community.
I’ll start to cry. They’re generous and they work hard. And they are to replace four regenerative furnaces with two larger hybrid electric furnaces to reduce the carbon intensity of its Toledo Ohio facility by up to 50 percent. And the department is considering canceling more than 60 percent of their industrial demonstration projects, which would be devastating to our community.
And this is a company that never left the city. They didn’t go out into the suburbs, OK, and break more ground. They’re a responsible company. And for this award review and cancellation process, how is DOE or any part of your administration assessing which DOE projects will be canceled or continued? What criteria are you using?
And even if DOE chooses not to cancel any of these awards, these actions are creating mass confusion. Unemployment is going up in our area, by the way, and companies have canceled almost $8 billion in energy manufacturing projects so far just this year, five times more than was canceled last year. So given your private sector background, what can you do to help me understand what is happening to this particular company in the review process? Where are they?
SECRETARY CHRIS WRIGHT:
Representative Kaptur, I appreciate your passion for industrial America, keeping the industries we have, bringing new industries home. We are so aligned on that. It’s one of the things I’m excited about this administration. We’ve outsourced so many of those jobs overseas. I was lucky. I grew up in suburban America and got a great education.
I’ve had a dreamy life. I could have been born somewhere else. I could have had a very different life. I share your passion.
RANKING MEMBER MARCY KAPTUR:
Thank you.
SECRETARY CHRIS WRIGHT:
I share your passion. So I think I mentioned briefly, I walk into a department that I am very passionate about energy and all that. I want to support as many activities and projects as we can, to save American industry and grow American industry. So fully aligned on that. I think I gave the numbers before, but I walked into a thing where $100 billion had been shoveled out the door in 76 days.
SECRETARY CHRIS WRIGHT:
I’m responsible for that money now, either in money out the door or committed to money to go out the door. I can’t look at American taxpayers, including taxpayers in your district and say, yes, we invested $2 billion and we built a bridge to nowhere. We built something and now it’s just closed because it had no marketplace, it had nowhere to go. So let me give you a quick little summary. So the answer is we haven’t canceled any projects because we’ve been slow and careful and deliberative. We’ve developed a process. And in the next few months, we will run hundreds of projects, including those through our thing.
And if it’s viable and it’s going to create jobs and it’s going to do these great things, we’re going to support that project. And the simple little criterion we’re looking at is legal, um, that technology, is the technology viable? Is the engineering done competently? Is there a market for the thing that’s being built?
Is there a financial model that that co-funding is coming in together with the DOE funding, so the project can be complete? And does it add to national or economic security? It sounds like that one, if all the other things work certainly would. And it is aligned with this agenda?
RANKING MEMBER MARCY KAPTUR:
Mr. Secretary, thank you for that, putting that on the record, but that was already approved. You are reviewing something that was — all the appropriated money was already there. Those decisions had been made. So that is a very — this is a very strange process because that — those dollars weren’t to be spent, um, already as we work toward the ’26 budget.
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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur (OH-09)
Perrysburg, OH — Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur (OH-09) today announced the award of a $10,285 Guiding Ohio Online award to Way Public Library in Perrysburg. The funding is made possible through the federal Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA), administered by the State Library of Ohio with support from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS).
This award will allow Way Public Library — Wood County’s first library and a pillar of learning since 1881 — to provide a dedicated technology trainer to serve the digital needs of the community. The trainer will assist with one-on-one tech tutoring, computer classes, and community outreach, helping ensure interested residents, regardless of age or background, can confidently navigate today’s digital world.
“Way Public Library has stood as a beacon of knowledge and service for nearly a century and a half,” said Congresswoman Kaptur (OH-09). “With this federal support, the library will continue to adapt and lead — ensuring that every citizen, young or old, rural or urban, has access to the digital tools and skills needed to succeed. In a time when digital literacy is essential to economic opportunity, civic engagement, and lifelong learning, this investment is truly an investment in people.”
“We hired a technology trainer who takes technology training outside our walls. She does some in-house training, but she also goes outside our walls and takes digital literacy to some people that can’t get here,” said Janel Haas, Director of the Way Public Library. “It’s a wonderful, wonderful grant for us to offer that, and we’re super appreciative of it.”
The Guiding Ohio Online initiative supports libraries serving rural and underserved populations, providing critical resources to bridge the digital divide. The program empowers local libraries to offer accessible, hands-on digital education, especially for communities with limited broadband or digital resources.
Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur (OH-09)
Toledo, OH – Today, Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur (OH-09) Ranking Member of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development and Senior Member on the Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration announced the award of $2,619,292 from United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development (RD) through the Rural Energy For America Program (Reap) Renewable And Energy Efficiency Program for projects in Defiance, Erie, Fulton, Sandusky, and Williams Counties.
“Today’s announcement of more than $2.6 Million in clean energy grant awards is a major investment in operations both big and small in our rural communities,” said Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur (OH-09). “By supporting renewable energy systems, and energy efficiency improvements, we are not only cutting costs for our small businesses, and farmers, but also creating jobs and stimulating economic growth for rural communities in Defiance, Erie, Fulton, Sandusky, and Williams Counties. These projects underscore our commitment to reinvesting in our people, while building sustainable, and resilient energy infrastructure across our region of Northwest Ohio.”
The Rural Energy For America Program (Reap) Renewable And Energy Efficiency Program grants awarded to Northwest Ohio are as follows:
The REAP program, established under the 2008 Farm Bill and expanded by subsequent Farm Bills and the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), enables rural businesses and agricultural producers to access funding for renewable energy projects. These initiatives include wind, solar, geothermal, and small hydropower energy, as well as energy efficiency improvements.
RD is a mission area within the USDA which runs programs intended to improve the economy and quality of life in rural parts of the United States. USDA RD has a loan portfolio over $224.5 Billion, and administers nearly $16 Billion in program loans, loan guarantees, and grants through their programs. They promote economic development by supporting loans to businesses through banks, credit unions and community-managed lending pools. It offers technical assistance and information to help agricultural producers and cooperatives get started and improve the effectiveness of their operations. RD also provides technical assistance to help communities undertake community empowerment programs and helps rural residents buy or rent safe, affordable housing, and make health and safety repairs to their homes.
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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur (OH-09)
Toledo, OH – Today, Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur (OH-09), Co-Chair and Co-Founder of the Congressional Ukraine Caucus released the following statement on reporting of successful Ukrainian drone strikes operations deep into Russian territory, which hit airfields including the Belaya air base in Russia’s Irkutsk region, destroying more than 40 Russian planes deep in Russian territory.
“For the continuing horror Russian dictator Vladimir Putin has exacted on the people and free nation of Ukraine, this multiple strike by Ukrainian drones on key Russian military air field assets is long overdue,” said Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur (OH-09). “Russia is the 3rd largest military in world. It encompasses 11 time zones and is rich in oil and minerals. Its population is more than 3 times the size of Ukraine. Nonetheless Putin covets the territory of Ukraine, the lowest income nation in Europe. Despite the odds, Ukraine’s soldiers and citizenry have nobly resisted Russia’s invasion since 2014 to regain their Liberty.”
“This comes while Russia also is enlisting thousands of North Korean troops who are being forced to fight by their Dictator Kim Jong Un. Today as June begins, may President Trump use all his persuasive power and impose further sanctions on Russia, or work with Congress to do so. I hope that we can soon bring the warring parties to negotiate an end to this unnecessary and costly war defiling Europe and our planet,” concluded Congresswoman Kaptur.
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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur (OH-09)
Toledo, Ohio – Today, Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur (OH-09), a senior member of House Appropriations Defense Subcommittee, and Congressman Don Bacon (NE-02), Chairman of the House Armed Services Subcommittee on Cyber, Information Technologies, and Innovation introduced the bipartisan Gold Star Spouse Healthcare Enhancement Act. Currently, surviving spouses retain healthcare coverage through TRICARE in the “active-duty family member” category for just three years after their servicemember passes away. After three years, they automatically shift to “retired family member” status, which forces them to pay higher fees and out-of-pocket costs. This Act effectively removes the three-year limitation for Gold Star Spouses, enabling them to retain “active-duty family member” status and eligibility for healthcare coverage.
“As we approach Memorial Day, Congressman Bacon of Nebraska and I have introduced a bipartisan bill to recognize the sacrifice of Gold Star spouses by expanding their healthcare benefits. Military service requires our men and women to risk their lives fighting and defeating America’s enemies,” said Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur (OH-09). “They selflessly put self above country and accept this risk to secure Liberty across the globe. We owe so much to those who answered the call to serve, and perished in defense of our nation. Caring for their surviving spouses is a part of that commitment. I encourage our colleagues to support the Gold Star Spouses Healthcare Enhancement Act as one small way we can honor the debt that surviving spouses are owed by our grateful nation.”
“As a nation we have a responsibility to the Gold Star spouses of servicemembers who sacrificed their lives overseas defending the United States’ interests, and this legislation is a small step forward in honoring their sacrifice and caring for their families,” said Congressman Don Bacon (NE-02). “Current law makes thousands of Gold Star spouses pay the retiree rate for healthcare. The Gold Star Spouse TRICARE Act of 2024 will allow Gold Star spouses to be treated as ‘active-duty members’ instead of a family member of a retiree so they will no longer have to incur additional costs to either continue TRICARE Prime or transition to TRICARE Select.”
You can find a full copy of the bill text for the Gold Star Spouse Healthcare Enhancement Act by clicking here.
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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Thomas Massie (4th District of Kentucky)
For Immediate Release
Contact: massie.press@mail.house.gov
Contact #: 202-225-3465
Washington, D.C.- Representative Thomas Massie announces the introduction of H.R. 3795, the Gold Reserve Transparency Act of 2025, legislation requiring the Comptroller General to conduct and publicly release a full audit of gold reserves held by the United States. The Comptroller General’s audit will include gold held in “deep storage” locations such as Fort Knox, Kentucky.
“Americans deserve transparency and accountability from the institutions that underpin our currency,” said Rep. Thomas Massie. “In February, President Trump said ‘We’re going to Fort Knox. . .to make sure the gold is there.‘ The Gold Reserve Transparency Act of 2025 will provide the full disclosure President Trump seeks and the American public deserves.”
The Gold Reserve Transparency Act of 2025 further requires the Comptroller General to conduct subsequent audits of the nation’s gold reserves every five years. In addition, the Comptroller General is instructed to report on the sufficiency of measures currently in place to ensure the physical safety of the gold reserves, to provide a full accounting of encumbrances against the gold reserves, and to document any sales, purchases, disbursements, or receipts over the past 50 years that have affected the gold reserves.
Rep. Massie’s legislation is cosponsored by Rep. Warren Davidson (R-OH), Rep. Addison McDowell (R-NC), and Rep. Troy Nehls (R-TX).
The text of H.R. 3795 is available at this link.
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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Rick Allen (R-GA-12)
This week, Congressman Rick W. Allen (GA-12) led a bipartisan, bicameral group of his colleagues in sending letters to U.S. Department of Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) Chair Amy Karpel in support of the American low-speed personal transportation vehicle (LSPTV) industry.
In the letter to Secretary Lutnick, Congressman Allen, Congressman Joe Wilson (SC-02), and Senator Raphael Warnock (D-GA) write: “We commend the U.S. Department of Commerce for its hard work in conducting the antidumping and countervailing duty investigations on Low Speed Personal Transportation Vehicles from the People’s Republic of China. These investigations are critical to ensuring the unfairly traded Chinese imports do not continue to injure the American LSPTV industry.”
The Members continue: “We are very concerned, however, by the actions being taken by Chinese LSPTV producers to circumvent and evade the trade relief needed by the domestic industry. It is clear to us that, since the Department’s preliminary determinations, Chinese LSPTV producers have responded, not by abiding U.S. trade rules, but rather by re-labeling and re-organizing their supply chains in an effort to skirt those very trade disciplines… We ask the Department to take all steps necessary to ensure that Chinese producers do not continue to erode U.S. trade measures, especially given the significant levels of dumping and subsidization that the agency has already found to exist among LSPTV imports from China.”
In the letter to Chair Karpel, Congressman Allen and 24 of his colleagues write: “Facing large and increasing volumes of dumped and subsidized imports from China, the American LSPTV industry filed antidumping and countervailing duty cases in June 2024… With the aid of substantial Chinese government subsidies, these imported vehicles are being sold below U.S. market prices, taking sales and revenue from domestic producers and underselling and depressing U.S. prices.”
The Members conclude: “In short, it is critical that our trade remedy laws accurately address unfair trade practices so that U.S. workers and businesses can compete on a level playing field. Domestic LSPTV manufacturers represent a quintessential American industry, and trade relief is crucial to ensuring that they do not continue to be injured by unfair Chinese import competition.”
To read the full letter to Secretary Lutnick, CLICK HERE.
To read the full letter to Chair Karpel, CLICK HERE.
BACKGROUND: The Central Savannah River Area, encompassing Georgia and South Carolina, has long been the epicenter of U.S. golf cart manufacturing. It is home to two large producers that deliver electric vehicle models for personal and recreational transportation – PTVs, LSVs, and golf carts. Congressman Allen has been at the forefront of this issue since June 2024 and continues to seek relief for domestic LSPTV producers:
Source: US State of North Carolina
Headline: NC Health and Human Services Secretary Dev Sangvai Visits Western North Carolina and Highlights Mental Health Resources, Importance of Healthy Opportunities Pilot Program
NC Health and Human Services Secretary Dev Sangvai Visits Western North Carolina and Highlights Mental Health Resources, Importance of Healthy Opportunities Pilot Program
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North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Dev Sangvai is traveling to western North Carolina to learn about recovery efforts and highlight mental health resources available to people impacted by Hurricane Helene. The Secretary will also visit a Healthy Opportunities Pilot program providing essential services to people recovering from the storm. Credentialed media are invited to attend the visit at Love and Respect Community for Recovery and Wellness in Hendersonville on June 12, 2025, at 12:45 p.m., and the visit at Caja Solidaria in Hendersonville on June 12, 2025, at 1:30 p.m. Together, Love and Respect and Caja Solidaria have served as a hub of recovery efforts following Helene.
Leaders will first give an update on the Hope4NC program, a $12.4 million investment that supports crisis outreach in 25 counties hit hardest by Helene. Trained crisis counselors have been going door-to-door to provide education, assist in recovery efforts, link people with critical behavioral health services and provide counseling where people need it most.
Love and Respect Community for Recovery and Wellness is a “no barriers” shelter run by peer support specialists. It has seen a significant increase in people in need of services following Hurricane Helene. The shelter’s expanded location opened just before Helene and is open to anyone in the community and can help people at no cost with mental health care, Healthy Opportunities Pilot enrollment and NC Medicaid enrollment and assistance.
Hope4NC also offers a free, confidential 24/7 helpline to anyone in distress. Since Sept. 28, 2024, Hope4NC has delivered more than 11,300 individual or group counseling services and supportive contacts, more than 200,000 assessments, referrals and media outreach contacts and answered more than 7,300 helpline calls.
Additionally, NCDHHS received a generous $25 million appropriation from the North Carolina General Assembly to further support mental health crisis response in the affected areas, including support for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD). Funds are being used to:
What: NC Health and Human Services Secretary Dev Sangvai Visits Western NC and Highlights Mental Health Resources
Who: Dr. Dev Sangvai, Secretary, NCDHHS
Tracy Hayes, Vaya Health Area Director and CEO
Lexie Wilkins, Founder, Love and Respect Community for Recovery
Alivea Turner, Director of Operations, Love and Respect Community for Recovery
Richard Dudley, Hope4NC crisis counselor
Hope4NC participant
When: Thursday, June 12, 12:45-1:25 p.m.
Where: Love & Respect, 350 Chadwick Ave., Hendersonville, NC 28792
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After the event at Love and Respect, Secretary Sangvai will tour Caja Solidaria, a human service organization serving Henderson and Transylvania Counties that is a provider for the Healthy Opportunities Pilot (HOP) program. HOP addresses social needs by providing housing, food, transportation and interpersonal violence/toxic stress services to qualifying Medicaid members.
In just under three years, the first-of-its kind innovative program has been described as a “life changer” for thousands of North Carolina families. Healthy Opportunities proves the best way to lower health care costs and create healthier communities is to reduce the need for medical care in the first place. HOP participants are healthier and visit the emergency room less often, which reduces the total cost of needed medical care for enrollees by $85 per person, per month.
Caja Solidaria currently provides fresh food to more than 1,500 people per week in western NC.
At present, proposed House and Senate budgets put forward by the North Carolina General Assembly do not include funding for the Healthy Opportunities Pilots program’s ongoing operations or statewide scaling beyond the current fiscal year (June 30, 2025). Without funding, Healthy Opportunities Pilots will end on July 1, putting services at-risk for thousands of people in North Carolina.
What: NC Health and Human Services Secretary Dev Sangvai Highlights Importance of Healthy Opportunities Pilot program
Who: Dr. Dev Sangvai, Secretary, NCDHHS
Amy Landers, Interim Executive Director, Caja Solidaria
Participant served by Caja Solidaria
When: Thursday, June 12, 1:30-2:15 p.m.
Where: Caja Solidaria, 316 Chadwick Ave., Hendersonville, NC 28792
RSVP: Credentialed media should RSVP to news@dhhs.nc.gov if they plan to attend.
Source: Royal Canadian Mounted Police
The remains of the missing boater on Cousins Lake have been found.
On April 10, RCMP Halifax Regional Detachment, fire and EHS responded to a report of a capsized boat on Cousins Lake. Of the two people in the boat, one man made it to shore.
An extensive search was conducted over several weeks, but they were unsuccessful in locating the missing boater.
On May 4, the man’s loved ones attended the lake in Devon and located human remains that were then recovered by ground search and rescue (GSAR) and fire services.
The Nova Scotia Medical Examiner Service has confirmed that the remains are those of the 58-year-old boater from Truro. His death is not believed to be suspicious.
The man’s family, and the Nova Scotia RCMP, wishes to thank everyone involved, GSAR volunteers, fire services, the Civil Air Search and Rescue Association and Department of Natural Resources Air Services for their efforts in trying to locate the man.
Our thoughts are with the man’s loved ones at this difficult time.
File #: 25-49243
Source: US FBI
PORTLAND, OR—The FBI Portland Field Office and local law enforcement partners arrested a Columbia County, Oregon, juvenile who conspired to conduct an improvised explosive attack and mass shooting at the Three Rivers Mall in Kelso, Washington, on May 22, 2025.
The teen, whose name will not be released due to an effort to limit public disclosure of a minor, was arrested on the morning of May 22, 2025, by deputies from the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office.
The detailed and imminent attack plans were reported to the FBI on May 19, 2025. Immediately, the FBI began working with our partners to identify the suspect who was responsible for the threat. The subject was identified the next day, May 20, as a juvenile Columbia County resident who shared nihilistic violent extremist ideology and the plans in online chats. The suspect was placed under court-authorized surveillance for public safety concerns, and a federal search warrant was planned and executed on May 22, 2025, prior to the arrest.
The suspect demonstrated the intent and means to carry out their plan, which included precise details such as a map of the mall, a route the shooter would follow, a plan to use an improvised explosive device commonly known as a chlorine bomb to incite panic, and then to shoot mall patrons as they were exiting the movie theatre before ultimately committing suicide at a pre-determined location in the mall.
An alarming amount of indicators of a cogent path to violence were met—at no point in this plan did it seem like the suspect wouldn’t follow through with their plans.
“This plot was as serious as it gets,” said FBI Portland Special Agent in Charge Douglas A. Olson. “We, along with our partners, moved swiftly to interrupt this violent plan and to protect our community.”
Initial contact with the subject was made by the FBI, however the arrest was made by local law enforcement on state charges.
The FBI encourages the public to report suspicious behavior to law enforcement, and for parents to engage with their children and have an open dialogue about their online activity.
The Columbia County District Attorney’s office is prosecuting this case.
Source: US FBI
HONOLULU – After a three-week trial before United States District Judge Jill A. Otake, a federal jury today found Paul Joseph Sulla, Jr., 78, Gary Charles Zamber, 55, and Rajesh P. Budhabhatti, 65, guilty of conspiracy to commit honest services wire fraud and nine counts of honest services wire fraud. Sulla was additionally convicted of money laundering. Sentencing is set for October 7, 2025 for Zamber, October 8, 2025 for Budhabhatti, and October 21, 2025 for Sulla. The defendants were permitted to remain released on bail pending sentencing.
At trial, the evidence showed that Sulla and Zamber, both attorneys living on the island of Hawaii (“Big Island”), and Budhabhatti, a private businessman on the Big Island, paid bribes and kickbacks to Alan Rudo, a Housing Specialist for the Hawaii County Office of Housing and Community Development, in exchange for Rudo using his official position to ensure the County approved three affordable housing agreements (AHAs) benefitting the defendants’ development companies Luna Loa Developments, LLC, West View Developments, LLC and Plumeria at Waikoloa, LLC. Although the defendants promised in the AHAs to build affordable housing for the citizens of Hawaii County, their development companies never built a single unit. Through the AHAs, the defendants fraudulently obtained at least $10,980,000 worth of land and excess affordable housing credits (AHCs). From that amount, the defendants paid or attempted to pay Rudo approximately $1,931,778 in bribes and kickbacks.
The defendants were convicted of one count of conspiracy to commit honest services wire fraud, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years imprisonment, and nine counts of honest services wire fraud, each of which also carries a maximum sentence of 20 years. Sulla alone was charged with and convicted of money laundering, which carries a maximum sentence of ten years. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Alan Rudo, who testified at trial, previously pled guilty in July 2022 to conspiring to commit honest services wire fraud in connection with the bribery and kickback scheme. Rudo is scheduled to be sentenced on August 13, 2025.
“Today’s verdict reiterates our unwavering message to those who bribe and attempt to buy the discretion of Hawaii’s public officials at the expense of the public’s trust and the integrity of our public institutions—you will be federally prosecuted and brought to justice,” said Acting United States Attorney Ken Sorenson. “Our office will continue to root out and vigorously pursue those who engage in public corruption or who violate their positions of public trust.”
“The defendants in this investigation defrauded their own community for personal financial gain,” said FBI Honolulu Special Agent in Charge David Porter. “The corruption of government officials corrodes public trust and weakens our communities. The FBI will continue to aggressively pursue these cases to protect and maintain public trust and hold criminals accountable.”
“This verdict marks an important step toward accountability and reinforces the importance of integrity in public service,” said County of Hawaii Mayor Kimo Alameda. “We understand the impact this case has had on our community and remain committed to restoring trust. Since the initial findings, the Office of Housing and Community Development has taken concrete actions to strengthen internal controls, improve oversight, and ensure that public resources are managed responsibly and transparently. These changes reflect our commitment to kuleana— our shared responsibility—to serve with integrity and protect community resources.”
The Federal Bureau of Investigation investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Mohammad Khatib and Margaret Nammar and Trial Attorney William Gullota, of the Department of Justice, Criminal Division, Public Integrity Section, prosecuted the case.