Source: US Marines (video statements)
#Marines from the Marine Corps Software Factory develop and implement innovative technologies to enhance mission capabilities.
The Software Factory is focused on delivering cutting-edge solutions to support Marine Corps operations, ensuring readiness and effectiveness in any environment.
Marine Corps video by CTR Moises Rodriguez, CTR Eduardo Gutierrez, CTR Kurtis Chan
US Senate News:
Source: United States Senator for North Carolina Thom Tillis
WASHINGTON, D.C. – This week, Senators Thom Tillis (R-NC) and Mark Kelly (D-AZ) led the introduction of the Alternatives to Prevent Addiction in the Nation (Alternatives to PAIN) Act, bipartisan legislation that would provide greater access to non-opioid treatments for pain management for seniors.
“The opioid crisis continues to wreak havoc on families and communities across the country, including in North Carolina,” said Senator Tillis. “This bipartisan, pragmatic legislation will help prevent opioid addiction before it starts by leveling the playing field for non-opioid alternatives, ensuring seniors have uninterrupted access to non-opioid, non-addictive alternatives.”
“Arizona seniors managing pain deserve real choices—not a system that steers them toward addictive opioids just because they’re the cheaper option,” said Senator Kelly. “By expanding affordable access to safer, non-opioid treatments, we’re helping prevent addiction and giving seniors better options for attending their health.”
“One way to prevent opioid addiction is by avoiding unnecessary exposure to prescription opioids,” said Chris Fox, Executive Director, Voices for Non–Opioid Choices. “To do so, providers and patients must have easy and equal access to non-opioid pain management options. Unfortunately, non-opioid approaches are all-too-often out of reach for many Americans due institutional preferences and economic incentives that lead to our reliance on opioids to treat pain. This results in millions of Americans developing a new, long-term opioid use pattern every year. The Alternatives to Prevent Addiction in the Nation (“Alternatives to PAIN”) Act would ensure that non-opioid approaches are just as easily accessible as other medications. The legislation will go a long way towards ensuring that all Americans in all settings can access such approaches. It is a much needed step towards preventing opioid addiction in America and Voices for Non-Opioid Choices proudly supports and urges enactment of this critical legislation.”
Background:
The Alternatives to Prevent Addiction in the Nation (Alternatives to PAIN) Act is cosponsored by Senators Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), Tim Kaine (D-VA), Katie Britt (R-AL), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Ted Budd (R-NC), Chris Coons (D-DE), John Cornyn (R-TX), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Jerry Moran (R-KS), Michael Bennet (D-CO), Jim Banks (R-IN), Alex Padilla (D-CA), Steve Daines (R-MT), and Mark Warner (D-VA).
The United States is facing a public health crisis caused by prescription drug addiction. Unfortunately, our country’s seniors are not immune to the worsening opioid epidemic. In 2021, 1.1 million seniors were diagnosed with an opioid use disorder, and 50,000 seniors experienced an opioid overdose-from prescription opioids, illicit opioids, or both. Tragically, the number of Americans aged 65 and older who died as the result of a natural or semisynthetic opioid overdose increased 63 percent between 2012 and 2020.
Now, more than ever, we must prevent unnecessary opioids from becoming prevalent in medicine cabinets, homes, and communities. We can do this by increasing the use of non-opioids for pain management. Non-opioid treatments and therapies can be successful in replacing, delaying, or reducing the use of opioids which is why we believe it is necessary for Congress to advance policies that give practitioners and patients more access to these non-addictive treatments.
The opioid epidemic is estimated to cost U.S. taxpayers $1.5 trillion every year. Too often, cost considerations incentivize Medicare Part D sponsors to employ utilization management practices intended to steer patients towards lowest cost options, which typically end up being generic opioids. This has resulted in opioid prescribing in Medicare Part D increasing over the past decade. In fact, Medicare Part D’s share of overall opioid prescriptions dispensed in the United States has increased 75 percent just since 2011. With several new opioid alternatives in the pipeline and others currently on the market, it is essential we encourage robust access to these therapies for Medicare Part D beneficiaries.
This bipartisan legislation would:
This legislation builds on the Non-Opioids Prevent Addiction in the Nation (NO PAIN) Act, legislation supported by Senator Tillis that was signed into law in December 2022. The NO PAIN Act directed the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to provide separate Medicare reimbursement for non-opioid treatments used to manage pain in both the hospital outpatient department (HOPD) and the ambulatory surgery center (ASC) settings. Prior to the NO PAIN Act being signed into law, hospitals received the same payment from Medicare regardless of whether a physician prescribed an opioid or a non-opioid. As a result, hospitals relied on opioids, which are typically dispensed by a pharmacy after discharge at little or no cost to the hospital.
The Alternatives to Prevent Addiction in the Nation (Alternatives to PAIN) Act is supported by the following organizations: Voices for Non-Opioid Choices, Ambulatory Surgery Center Association, American Addiction Recovery Coalition, American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons, American Psychological Association Services, Asheville Equine Therapy, A Better Life-Brianna’s Hope, A Voice in the Wilderness Empowerment Center, Blue Water Recovery & Outreach Center, CA Black Health Network, Center of Addiction & Faith, Chatham Drug Free, Clean Living Exceptional Alternative Recovery Residences (CLEARR), Danny’s Ride, Dove Recovery Center for Women, Elderly Advocates, Families of Addicts, Freedom Through Recovery, Georgia for Recovery, Hawaii Health and Harm Reduction Center, Healing On The Fly Inc, Hear Alex’s Story, Hep Free Hawaii, Hernando Community Coalition, Herren Project, Holistic Homes for Us, Hope Haven, Inclusive Recovery, InStep Indy, Iron Tribe Network, Jake’s Reach, Journey House Foundation, LITE Recovery Café, Lifeboat Addiction Services, Medicare Rights Center, Mental Health America, Mental Health America of Illinois, Metro Drug Coalition, Michigan Women Veterans Empowerment, National Association of Social Workers, National Certification Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine, National Hispanic Medical Association, National Rural Health Association, National Safety Council, National Transitions of Care Coalition, Operation First Response, Inc, Operation PAR, Overdose Lifeline, Parrott Creek Child and Family Services, Partnership for A Healthy Iowa, Partnership to End Addiction, Pennsylvania Mental Health Consumers Association, Pledge for Life Partnership, Positive Action Against Chemical Addiction, Inc. (PAACA), Prevention Action Alliance, Prevention Alliance of Tennessee, Psychophysiologic Disorders Association, PTSD Awareness Summit, REAL LIFE, Recovery Café- Ft. Wayne, Recovery Café- Muncie, Recovery Mobile Clinic, RetireSafe, Safe Haven Recovery Engagement Center, Salvage USA, Shatterproof, She Recovers Foundation, Sobar, Society for Opioid-Free Anesthesia, Society of Behavioral Medicine, South End – Roxbury Community Partnership, Stayin Alive 24 Coalition, Team Sharing, Inc., The Battle Within, U.S. VETS, VetPark’s A.T.V., Veterans National Recovery Center, Voices For Awareness, Warren Coalition, Warrior Path Home, West Warwick Prevention Coalition, Will Bright Foundation, Wyoming Valley Drug & Alcohol Services, and Young People in Recovery.
Full text of the legislation is available HERE.
Additional statements of support are available HERE.
US Senate News:
Source: United States Senator for Illinois Tammy Duckworth
February 06, 2025
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] – U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Edward J. Markey (D-MA) and Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI) reintroduced the Right to Contraception Act, legislation that would create a statutory right to obtain and use contraceptives and ensure health care providers have a right to provide contraceptives, contraception and share information about this essential care. Last June, Senate Republicans shamefully blocked the bill from passing the Senate.
“Ever since the Supreme Court threw out Roe v. Wade, we’ve seen extreme MAGA Republicans across the country work to roll back health care and tear reproductive freedom away from Americans—which has cruelly threatened birth control, plan B, IUDs and other forms of contraception,” said Senator Duckworth. “I refuse to let my daughters grow up in a world with fewer rights than I had. As MAGA Republicans continue their anti-choice, anti-science crusade, it is as important as ever that the Senate acts to codify the right to contraception into law so that every American in every state—regardless of their skin color, zip code or income—has equal access to basic, necessary health care. I’m proud to join Senators Markey and Hirono in reintroducing our Right to Contraception Act to do just that.”
“The right to contraception is essential for people’s freedom to make decisions about their lives and their health without politicians getting in the way,” said Senator Markey. “Contraception is essential not only for sexual and reproductive health, but also to treat a wide array of medical conditions and decrease the risk of certain cancers. The Right to Contraception Act will protect the right for people to get contraception and for providers to give it in the face of President Trump and Republicans’ relentless attacks on reproductive justice.”
“Contraception is essential health care that millions of people across the country rely on,” said Senator Hirono. “The Right to Contraception Act simply protects patients’ right to access contraception, as well as providers’ right to provide it. I’m proud to join Senator Markey and Representative Fletcher in reintroducing this important bill. The right to control your own body, free from government interference, is as fundamental as it gets, and we’ll continue doing everything we can to protect the reproductive rights of all Americans.”
Throughout her time in the Senate, Duckworth has made protecting reproductive freedom a top priority in the face of Republicans’ anti-choice crusade. Duckworth has long pushed to pass her Right to IVF Act—which Senate Republicans blocked not once, but twice last year—that would both establish a right to IVF and other assisted reproductive technology (ART), expand access for hopeful parents, Veterans and federal employees, as well as lower the costs of IVF for middle class families across the country. This marked the fourth time Senate Republicans blocked Duckworth-led legislation that would protect access to IVF nationwide—Duckworth’s Access to Family Building Act, which builds on previous legislation she introduced in 2022.
Duckworth was the first Senator to give birth while serving in office and had both of her children with the help of IVF. In 2018, she advocated for the Senate to change its rules so she could bring her infant onto the Senate floor.
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US Senate News:
Source: United States Senator for Illinois Tammy Duckworth
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] – Today, U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) released the following statement announcing she will vote no on all remaining cabinet-level nominations until President Trump stops his relentless spree of illegal power grabs that are hurting middle-class Americans and endangering our national security:
“I take the Senate’s advise and consent responsibility seriously and have always thoroughly considered the cabinet nominees of every President based on their individual merit, qualifications and ability to do the job. But until Donald Trump and unelected billionaire Elon Musk stop their relentless spree of illegal power grabs that are inflicting pain on the middle class and damaging our national security, I’ll be voting no on all remaining top-level cabinet nominees.
“Despite running on a promise to lower costs and deliver for middle-class Americans, Donald Trump is instead putting the needs of the billionaire class above those he swore he’d look out for—effectively giving the keys to our government away to the richest man in the world who no one elected while he works to dismantle core agencies and programs that Americans depend on. It has become clear that I cannot trust the promises these nominees make—after all, Senator Rubio promised he wouldn’t come for USAID.
“I already voted no on DOT Secretary Duffy and VA Secretary Collins after originally intending to support their nominations and I refuse to aid and abet these illegal and harmful power grabs by voting for any of this Administration’s remaining cabinet-level nominees.”
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US Senate News:
Source: United States Senator for Connecticut – Chris Murphy
WASHINGTON—U.S. Senators Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), along with 25 of their Senate colleagues, sent a letter urging U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Secretary Doug Collins to take immediate actions to secure veterans’ personal information provided by VA or other agencies to Elon Musk and his “Department of Government Efficiency” (DOGE). This call follows Musk’s takeover of the U.S. Treasury’s payment system, which includes private information of veterans and their families, and reports of DOGE employees accessing VA computer systems at the Department’s headquarters in Washington, D.C.
“Among many tasks, the Secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is entrusted with safeguarding the private and sensitive information of millions of veterans…Veterans risked their lives to defend our country, and they deserve better than to have an unelected billionaire reviewing their medical records, targeting the benefits they have earned, or using their private information for personal gain,” the senators wrote.
“Our nation’s veterans have entrusted their health records, including genetic samples, disability data, bank information, and other private information, to VA. The Department also stores sensitive veteran casework, files of whistleblowers who have come forward with concerns about waste, fraud, and abuse, and sensitive investigative files with veteran and federal employee information,” the senators added.
“Meanwhile, the President has given unfettered access to federal databases and systems to Mr. Musk, an unelected citizen, and a team of colleagues with no formal documented employment agreement with the U.S. government. It is a group of private citizens with no experience in the federal government, who lack proper approval from legal and agency authorities, lack the appropriate security clearances, and lack the requisite background investigations or ethical conflict requirements. We are outraged these unelected, unvetted, and unaccountable individuals now have access to sensitive information that has been heavily secured for decades and by Administrations of both parties,” they continued.
There are millions of veterans’ medical records stored in VA’s computer systems. These confidential records include veterans’ prescriptions, diagnoses, and procedures they have undergone. Access to these medical records could give Musk and DOGE the ability to identify veterans who have received abortions or abortion counseling in the past. The Million Veteran Program, which manages the genomic data of its more than one million veteran participants for authorized research programs, also stores its data in VA data systems. In addition, the U.S. Treasury’s payment system stores private information of veterans, surviving spouses, and their families, including their monthly disability compensation amount, home address, and bank account numbers.
The senators concluded, “During your confirmation process, you claimed you would be focused on rooting out corruption and ensuring accountability at VA, and committed to following the laws passed by Congress. We now call on you to respond quickly and comprehensively to these privacy violations by revoking DOGE’s access to VA systems and insisting they permanently remove all VA data collected from their files.”
U.S. Senators Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.), Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Ed Markey (D-Mass.), Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), Tina Smith (D-Minn.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Jack Reed (D-R.I.), Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.), Patty Murray (D-Wash.), Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), Angus King (I-Maine), Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), Mark Warner (D-Va.), and Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) also signed the letter.
Full text of the letter is available HERE and below:
Dear Secretary Collins,
Among many tasks, the Secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is entrusted with safeguarding the private and sensitive information of millions of veterans. Today, we call on you to immediately secure any personal and related information regarding veterans provided by VA or other agencies to Elon Musk and associates under the auspices of the “Department of Government Efficiency” established under Executive Order 14158. Further, we call on you to deny and sever their access to any VA or other government system that includes information about veterans, and to require them to immediately and permanently delete any information in their possession. Veterans risked their lives to defend our country, and they deserve better than to have an unelected billionaire reviewing their medical records, targeting the benefits they have earned, or using their private information for personal gain.
Our nation’s veterans have entrusted their health records, including genetic samples, disability data, bank information, and other private information, to VA. The Department also stores sensitive veteran casework, files of whistleblowers who have come forward with concerns about waste, fraud, and abuse, and sensitive investigative files with veteran and federal employee information. Veterans and VA employees entrusted the Department with this information with the understanding that it would be kept private and only used to help deliver the highest quality of services to veterans, their families, and survivors.
Meanwhile, the President has given unfettered access to federal databases and systems to Mr. Musk, an unelected citizen, and a team of colleagues with no formal documented employment agreement with the U.S. government. It is a group of private citizens with no experience in the federal government, who lack proper approval from legal and agency authorities, lack the appropriate security clearances, and lack the requisite background investigations or ethical conflict requirements. We are outraged these unelected, unvetted, and unaccountable individuals now have access to sensitive information that has been heavily secured for decades and by Administrations of both parties.
These actions are in direct violation of federal laws meant to protect our national security and the privacy of our citizens’ personal information. This includes information on Social Security payments, Medicare, Medicaid, student loans, veterans’ disability compensation payments, GI Bill payments, federal civil servants’ personnel records, and much more. With every hour, we see DOGE further expand its efforts to create a massive private database of previously guarded data outside the federal government’s cyber and legal protections. It is an abhorrent and illegal overreach of executive powers, which conflicts with various federal statutes, including the Federal Information Security Modernization Act, the Privacy Act, the EGovernment Act of 2002, and likely several other cyber and national security laws.
During your confirmation process, you claimed you would be focused on rooting out corruption and ensuring accountability at VA, and committed to following the laws passed by Congress. We now call on you to respond quickly and comprehensively to these privacy violations by revoking DOGE’s access to VA systems and insisting they permanently remove all VA data collected from their files.
Sincerely,
US Senate News:
Source: United States Senator for Connecticut – Chris Murphy
February 07, 2025
WASHINGTON—U.S. Senators Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), a member of the U.S. Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) joined their Senate colleagues in introducing the Preventing Algorithmic Collusion Act to prevent companies from using algorithms to collude to set higher prices. As recent reporting, a Justice Department lawsuit, and multiple private lawsuits have shown, big corporations are using algorithms to raise prices and limit competition, including companies like RealPage that have facilitated collusion to increase rents by more than $3 billion in 2023 alone. This legislation would make such collusion illegal to lower costs for families and support small businesses.
“These pricing algorithms are just one more tactic corporations use to get around the law and screw regular people. It’s how the poultry industry colludes to keep the price of chicken high,” said Murphy. “If we really care about lowering costs and disrupting the corrupt status quo, this is the kind of bill that Congress should pass.”
“Predatory algorithms significantly suppress competition in today’s markets and allow companies to collude to raise prices to unaffordable levels. The Preventing Algorithmic Collusion Act will eliminate coercive anticompetitive software and empower consumers,” said Blumenthal.
Price fixing and other forms of collusion are illegal under current antitrust laws. However, current antitrust laws may be insufficient when competing companies delegate their pricing decisions to an algorithm without agreeing to fix prices. Current law requires proof of an agreement to fix prices before condemning the conduct. When pricing decisions of multiple competitors are delegated to a single algorithm, that agreement may not exist even though the use of the algorithm may have the same effect as a traditional agreement to fix prices. This type of conduct has already occurred in rental housing, and we must ensure that it does not spread to other sectors of our economy with the proliferation of algorithmic pricing.
To strengthen current price fixing law, this legislation would:
U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), and Peter Welch (D-Vt.) also cosponsored the legislation.
The Preventing Algorithmic Collusion Act is endorsed by Consumer Reports, the Open Markets Institute, and Accountable.US.
Full text of the legislation is available HERE.
US Senate News:
Source: United States Senator for Oklahoma James Lankford
WASHINGTON, DC – Senator James Lankford (R-OK) introduced the Ensuring Accountability and Dignity in Government Contracting Act of 2025 to close gaps in federal rules that allow human trafficking to persist in government contracting while strengthening agency oversight, accountability, and reporting requirements. Representative David Valadao (R-22) led the introduction of this bill in the House of Representatives.
“It is unthinkable that taxpayer dollars would fund human and labor trafficking,” said Lankford. “Lax standards and procedures have enabled traffickers to continue their abuse of vulnerable people. This bill puts proactive measures in place to make sure that no taxpayer funds are spent on federal contracts that don’t safeguard against trafficking.”
“The United States has a zero-tolerance policy for human trafficking, yet recent reports make it clear that federal agencies are failing to take meaningful action to prevent trafficking in government contracts,” said Valadao. “I’m proud to introduce this bill which will ensure contractors have anti-trafficking compliance plans in place and guarantee that when violations occur, there are consequences. American taxpayers should never be complicit in human trafficking, and this legislation takes critical steps to prevent that from happening.”
The Ensuring Accountability and Dignity in Government Contracting Act of 2025 would:
US Senate News:
Source: United States Senator for Wyoming John Barrasso
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), joined by U.S. Senators Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.), and Peter Welch (D-Vt.), recently introduced bipartisan legislation to ensure that hospitals caring for large numbers of Medicaid and uninsured patients in Wyoming and other rural states receive their fair share of federal funding.
The Fair Funding for Rural Hospitals Act would establish a nationwide federal funding minimum for disproportionate share hospitals (DSH). Current payment levels are based on a 1992 formula that has seen few updates and has assigned Wyoming the lowest payments of any state by far. In 2023, Wyoming’s DSH funding totaled only $300,000 while the second-lowest state received $11 million.
“Wyoming’s hospitals serve more Medicaid and low-income patients than other states, but our share of funding hasn’t caught up for decades,” said Senator Barrasso. “We’ve been overlooked for our fair share while our rural hospitals fight to keep their doors open. This legislation will fix outdated funding issues for hospitals across Wyoming and rural America.”
“By enabling states to increase payments to hospitals providing uncompensated care, our bill will help more uninsured and low-income people across Hawai‘i access the care they need,” said Senator Schatz.
“I joined my colleagues in introducing the Fair Funding for Rural Hospitals Act to ensure hospitals receive appropriate support to care for Medicaid and uninsured patients,” said Cramer. “By establishing a new federal floor for rural states like North Dakota, this legislation will support access to care for our state’s most vulnerable patients.”
“Hospitals in rural communities like Vermont are seeing more and more Medicaid and low-income patients. These hospitals provide essential health care services, so it’s crucial they get the support they need,” said Senator Welch. “I am proud to join Senator Barrasso to introduce this bipartisan legislation to provide stable funding for these hospitals to continue to do the important work of serving our most vulnerable patients.”
The Fair Funding for Rural Hospitals Act:
Establishes a federal floor of $20 million per state for the Medicaid DSH program, which will then grow at a “low” DSH percentage inflation rate after the first five years.
Increases DSH funding to Delaware, Hawaii, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wyoming.
Full text of the legislation can be found here.
Source: US State of Idaho
Dear Friends,
This has been an extraordinary week for women and girls across the country. Surrounded by female athletes of all ages, President Trump signed an executive order safeguarding their opportunities and safety by preventing biological males from competing in women’s sports. This decisive action came just days after the Trump Administration’s Department of Education rescinded Biden’s Title IX rewrite—an overreach that forced schools to allow men into girls’ bathrooms and locker rooms and mandated the use of preferred pronouns under the guise of gender identity discrimination. With these rules now overturned, sanity, common sense, and biological reality have been restored in our schools.
As Idaho’s Attorney General, I’ve been on the front lines of this fight, defending Idaho’s laws in federal court in Roe v. Critchfield and Hecox v. Little. I have also joined lawsuits alongside other attorneys general challenging Biden’s unlawful Title IX revisions. A U.S. District Court in Louisiana issued an injunction protecting Idaho and a small group of plaintiffs, while a District Court in Kentucky went even further, issuing a nationwide injunction against Biden’s Title IX rewrite, deeming it “unlawful.” Currently, Roe v. Critchfield, which addresses whether biological males can access girls’ bathrooms and locker rooms, is before the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. Meanwhile, Hecox v. Little, which upholds Idaho’s ban on biological males competing in women’s sports, is awaiting a decision from the U.S. Supreme Court on whether it will be taken up for review. President Trump’s actions this week could have a meaningful impact on these cases, reinforcing the constitutional and legal foundation we have been defending.
Perhaps most rewarding is knowing that Idaho has led the way on these issues long before President Trump’s executive order. In 2020, Idaho became the first state in the nation to pass a law barring men from competing in women’s sports—thanks to the leadership of State Representative Barbara Ehardt, a former high school and NCAA women’s basketball coach. Dozens of states followed suit, modeling their laws after Idaho’s HB500. Rep. Ehardt has been a tireless advocate for female athletes, fighting for fairness, safety, and equal opportunities. Idaho owes her a debt of gratitude for her unwavering dedication. Today, what started here in Idaho has become the law of the land.
That victory did not come without fierce opposition. Major businesses and their lobbyists in Idaho fought against it. Five former attorneys general urged a veto. My predecessor in the Attorney General’s office at the time wrote a legal opinion which gave the bill’s opponents their talking points. Democratic leadership called the legislation “disgusting and disappointing.” Editorial boards across the state attacked it. But as the saying goes, if doing the right thing were easy, more people would do it.
Opponents argued that we should have surrendered women’s sports to political correctness, allowing fairness and safety to be sacrificed. But standing up for what is right often invites criticism from those who lack the moral clarity and courage to do so themselves. While the battle over women’s sports and girls’ privacy in school bathrooms may be won for now, there will always be new fights on the horizon. It is this very reason I worked so hard to become Idaho’s Attorney General—so I could uphold the values of the people of Idaho and defend what is right.
I am honored to serve you and will continue to stand firm in this fight.
Best regards,
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Source: The Conversation – USA – By Allison Stanger, Distinguished Endowed Professor, Middlebury
Elon Musk’s role as the head of the Department of Government Efficiency, also known as DOGE, is on the surface a dramatic effort to overhaul the inefficiencies of federal bureaucracy. But beneath the rhetoric of cost-cutting and regulatory streamlining lies a troubling scenario.
Musk has been appointed what is called a “special government employee” in charge of the White House office formerly known as the U.S. Digital Service, which was renamed the U.S. DOGE Service on the first day of President Donald Trump’s second term. The Musk team’s purported goals are to maximize efficiency and to eliminate waste and redundancy.
That might sound like a bold move toward Silicon Valley-style innovation in governance. However, the deeper motivations driving Musk’s involvement are unlikely to be purely altruistic.
Musk has an enormous corporate empire, ambitions in artificial intelligence, desire for financial power and a long-standing disdain for government oversight. His access to sensitive government systems and ability to restructure agencies, with the opaque decision-making guiding DOGE to date, have positioned Musk to extract unprecedented financial and strategic benefits for both himself and his companies, which include the electric car company Tesla and space transport company SpaceX.
One historical parallel in particular is striking. In 1600, the British East India Company, a merchant shipping firm, began with exclusive rights to conduct trade in the Indian Ocean region before slowly acquiring quasi-governmental powers and ultimately ruling with an iron fist over British colonies in Asia, including most of what is now India. In 1677, the company gained the right to mint currency on behalf of the British crown.
As I explain in my upcoming book “Who Elected Big Tech?” the U.S. is witnessing a similar pattern of a private company taking over government operations.
Yet what took centuries in the colonial era is now unfolding at lightning speed in mere days through digital means. In the 21st century, data access and digital financial systems have replaced physical trading posts and private armies. Communications are the key to power now, rather than brute strength.
Viewing Musk’s moves as a power grab becomes clearer when examining his corporate empire. He controls multiple companies that have federal contracts and are subject to government regulations. SpaceX and Tesla, as well as tunneling firm The Boring Company, the brain science company Neuralink, and artificial intelligence firm xAI all operate in markets where government oversight can make or break fortunes.
In his new role, Musk can oversee – and potentially dismantle – the government agencies that have traditionally constrained his businesses. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has repeatedly investigated Tesla’s Autopilot system; the Securities and Exchange Commission has penalized Musk for market-moving tweets; environmental regulations have constrained SpaceX.
Through DOGE, all these oversight mechanisms could be weakened or eliminated under the guise of efficiency.
But the most catastrophic aspect of Musk’s leadership at DOGE is its unprecedented access to government data. DOGE employees reportedly have digital permission to see data in the U.S. government’s payment system, which includes bank account information, Social Security numbers and income tax documents. Reportedly, they have also seized the ability to alter the system’s software, data, transactions and records.
Multiple media reports indicate that Musk’s staff have already made changes to the programs that process payments for Social Security beneficiaries and government contractors to make it easier to block payments and hide records of payments blocked, made or altered.
But DOGE employees only need to be able to read the data to make copies of Americans’ most sensitive personal information.
A federal court has ordered that not to happen – at least for now. Even so, funneling the data into Grok, Musk’s xAI-created artificial intelligence system, which is already connected with the Musk-owned X, formerly known as Twitter, would create an unparalleled capability for predicting economic shifts, identifying government vulnerabilities and modeling voter behavior.
That’s an enormous and alarming amount of information and power for any one person to have.
Like Trump himself and many of his closest advisers, Musk is also deeply involved in cryptocurrency. The parallel emergence of Trump’s own cryptocurrency and DOGE’s apparent alignment with the cryptocurrency known as Dogecoin suggests more than coincidence. I believe it points to a coordinated strategy for control of America’s money and economic policy, effectively placing the United States in entirely private hands.
The genius – and danger – of this strategy lies in the fact that each step might appear justified in isolation: modernizing government systems, improving efficiency, updating payment infrastructure. But together, they create the scaffolding for transferring even more financial power to the already wealthy.
Musk’s authoritarian tendencies, evident in his forceful management of X and his assertion that it was illegal to publish the names of people who work for him, suggest how he might wield his new powers. Companies critical of Musk could face unexpected audits; regulatory agencies scrutinizing his businesses could find their budgets slashed; allies could receive privileged access to government contracts.
This isn’t speculation – it’s the logical extension of DOGE’s authority combined with Musk’s demonstrated behavior.
Critics are calling Musk’s actions at DOGE a massive corporate coup. Others are simply calling it a coup. The protest movement is gaining momentum in Washington, D.C., and around the country, but it’s unlikely that street protests alone can stop what Musk is doing.
Who can effectively investigate a group designed to dismantle oversight itself? The administration’s illegal firing of at least a dozen inspectors general before the Musk operation began suggests a deliberate strategy to eliminate government accountability. The Republican-led Congress, closely aligned with Trump, may not want to step in; but even if it did, Musk is moving far faster than Congress ever does.
Taken together, all of Musk’s and Trump’s moves lay the foundation for what cryptocurrency investor and entrepreneur Balaji Srinivasan calls “the network state.”
The idea is that a virtual nation may form online before establishing any physical presence. Think of the network state like a tech startup company with its own cryptocurrency – instead of declaring independence and fighting for sovereignty, it first builds community and digital systems. By the time a Musk-aligned cryptocurrency gained official status, the underlying structure and relationships would already be in place, making alternatives impractical.
Converting more of the world’s financial system into privately controlled cryptocurrencies would take power away from national governments, which must answer to their own people. Musk has already begun this effort, using his wealth and social media reach to engage in politics not only in the U.S. but also several European countries, including Germany.
A nation governed by a cryptocurrency-based system would no longer be run by the people living in its territory but by those who could could afford to buy the digital currency. In this scenario, I am concerned that Musk, or the Communist Party of China, Russian President Vladimir Putin or AI-surveillance conglomerate Palantir, could render irrelevant Congress’ power over government spending and action. And along the way, it could remove the power to hold presidents accountable from Congress, the judiciary and American citizens.
All of this obviously presents a thicket of conflict-of-interest problems that are wholly unprecedented in scope and scale.
The question facing Americans, therefore, isn’t whether government needs modernization – it’s whether they’re willing to sacrifice democracy in pursuit of Musk’s version of efficiency. When we grant tech leaders direct control over government functions, we’re not just streamlining bureaucracy – we’re fundamentally altering the relationship between private power and public governance. I believe we’re undermining American national security, as well as the power of We, the People.
The most dangerous inefficiency of all may be Americans’ delayed response to this crisis.
Allison Stanger receives funding from the Berkman Klein Center for Internet and Society, Harvard University
– ref. Efficiency − or empire? How Elon Musk’s hostile takeover could end government as we know it – https://theconversation.com/efficiency-or-empire-how-elon-musks-hostile-takeover-could-end-government-as-we-know-it-249262
Source: Office of United States Attorneys
Defendant sent undercover federal agent 345 CSAM files depicting children as young as one year old
BOSTON – An Amherst man pleaded guilty on Feb. 5, 2025 in federal court in Boston to distribution and possession of child sexual abuse material (CSAM).
Bradley Driscoll, 26, pleaded guilty to one count of distribution of child pornography and one count of possession of child pornography. U.S. District Court Judge Mark G. Mastroianni scheduled sentencing for May 13, 2025. Driscoll was indicted by a federal grand jury in October 2023.
The investigation determined that on or about Aug. 29, 2022, Driscoll knowingly distributed and possessed CSAM. Specifically, Driscoll engaged in a Kik on-line chat conversation with an undercover agent, where he expressed an interest in obtaining CSAM materials. Driscoll also distributed a link to the undercover agent which contained approximately 345 CSAM files depicting minor children, some as young as one year old, being sexually penetrated by adult males.
In September 2023, Driscoll told federal agents that he was the owner of the Kik username and that he located the link containing CSAM files through other Kik messenger chat groups. He acknowledged asking the undercover agent to send him sexual material related to child pornography and acknowledged that the Mega link he shared contained sexual materials involving young children.
The distribution charge provides for a mandatory minimum of five years and up to 20 years in prison, supervised release of no less than five years and a maximum of life and a $250,000 fine. The possession charge provides for up to 20 years in prison, a mandatory minimum of five years and up to life of supervised release and a $250,000 fine. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based on the United States Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Jodi Cohen, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigations; and Gabriel Ting, Chief of the Amherst Police Department made the announcement today. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Suzanne Sullivan Jacobus of the Major Crimes Unit.
The case is brought as part of Project Safe Childhood. In 2006, the Department of Justice created Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from exploitation and abuse. Led by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the DOJ’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as identity and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov/.
Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)
MONTREAL, Feb. 07, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Haivision Systems Inc. (TSX: HAI), a leading global provider of mission-critical, real-time video networking and visual collaboration solutions, today announces that the Haivision Command 360 video wall solution has won the AV Technology ‘Best in Show’ Award at ISE in Barcelona. This prestigious recognition highlights the groundbreaking impact of Command 360 in operation and command centers.
Haivision Command 360: Powering Mission-Critical Decision-Making
Haivision Command 360 is a complete video wall solution for situational awareness and real-time decision-making in mission-critical environments. By aggregating live video feeds, real-time analytics, and diverse data streams onto a secure, scalable video wall, Command 360 empowers defense, government, and public safety organizations to collaborate seamlessly and respond rapidly to critical situations. Its intuitive interface simplifies operations, enabling teams to access, manage, and control essential information with just a few clicks.
“We are extremely honored to have won the ISE Best in Show Award for Haivision Command 360,” said Marcus Schioler, Vice President of Marketing at Haivision. “Haivision is a world leader in providing solutions that improve situational awareness and help organizations make better decisions in mission-critical situations. Winning this award at ISE is a recognition of our commitment to excellence and innovation.”
Haivision Command 360 is part of Haivision’s mission-critical video ecosystem, helping aerospace, enterprise, government, military, and public safety organizations make informed decisions faster. Command 360 provides the following features and benefits to customers:
For more information about Haivision Command 360, visit https://www.haivision.com/products/command-360-video-wall-software/.
About Haivision
Haivision is a leading global provider of mission-critical, real-time video networking and visual collaboration solutions. Our connected cloud and intelligent edge technologies enable organizations globally to engage audiences, enhance collaboration, and support decision making. We provide high quality, low latency, secure, and reliable live video at a global scale. Haivision open sourced its award-winning SRT low latency video streaming protocol and founded the SRT Alliance to support its adoption. Awarded four Emmys® for Technology and Engineering from the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, Haivision continues to fuel the future of IP video transformation. Founded in 2004, Haivision is headquartered in Montreal and Chicago with offices, sales, and support located throughout the Americas, Europe, and Asia. To learn more, visit Haivision at haivision.com.
Jennifer Gazin
514.334.5445 ext 8309
jgazin@haivision.com
US Senate News:
Source: United States Senator for Virginia Tim Kaine
Published: February 06 2025
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA), a member of the Senate Budget Committee, released the following statement regarding the confirmation of Russell Vought as Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB):
“The American people deserve a federal government they can count on—one that is staffed by people who are hired based on merit and are committed to upholding the Constitution. And just like our federal workforce has our back—they deserve a Congress that will have theirs. This vote is an insult to both of those principles. But today’s temporary injunction against the sham federal worker buyout—which has Russell Vought’s name written all over it—is an important reminder that our work here isn’t over. To Vought and the rest of Donald Trump’s cronies intent on shredding the federal workforce: rest assured that when you break the law, we’ll see you in court.”
As a member of the Senate Budget Committee, Kaine aggressively questioned Vought during his confirmation hearing over a speech Vought gave in which he said he wanted to “traumatize” the federal workforce. He also demanded that Budget Chairman Lindsey Graham (R-SC) postpone a vote on Vought’s nomination until he answers questions regarding his role in the illegal freeze of many federal grants and loans that have already been appropriated by Congress. He took to the Senate floor for multiple speeches about Vought’s unfitness to lead OMB, including to help Senate Democrats delay today’s vote by sharing stories he collected from federal workers about how the Trump Administration’s attacks on the federal workforce have harmed them and threatened their ability to deliver essential services.
US Senate News:
Source: United States Senator for Wisconsin Tammy Baldwin
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) and her colleagues are pushing back on the Trump Administration’s reported plans to unilaterally dismantle the Department of Education and called out Elon Musk’s access to Americans’ most sensitive data, including at the Department of Education. Baldwin is calling on the acting Secretary of Education for answers on recent actions taken to put federal workers on administrative leave, coerce employees into leaving their jobs, provide access to students’ sensitive data, and illegally freeze vital funding. Wisconsin received approximately $630 million last fiscal year from the Department of Education to directly support school operations, pay teachers, and support students. If the Department of Education were to shutter, it could threaten this year’s funding and risk cuts programs, layoffs for teachers, and less funding for classrooms.
“Over the course of two weeks, the Trump Administration issued sweeping executive orders and sought to broadly and illegally freeze federal financial assistance,” wrote Baldwin and the lawmakers. “Federal employees have been targeted, in some cases for simply following the law. Elon Musk is attempting to shut down the work of entire agencies while gaining access to some of the federal government’s most far reaching and sensitive data systems. Media reports indicate a similar effort may be underway at the Department of Education.”
In their letter, they request information about access to the Department’s sensitive data and steps taken to safeguard it, communications and details regarding Department employees who have been placed on leave and confirmation that no awards have been blocked or terminated.
“We will not stand by and allow this to happen to the nation’s students, parents, borrowers, educators, and communities. Congress created the Department to ensure all students in America have equal access to a high-quality education and that their civil rights are protected no matter their zip code,” continued the lawmakers. “We urge you to provide information on the steps the Department is taking to ensure the continuity of programs that Americans depend on, the ability of the Department to effectively administer programs for their intended purposes without waste, fraud and abuse, and the safeguards in place to protect student data privacy.”
A full version of this letter is available here and below.
Dear Acting Secretary Carter,
We write with serious concerns about actions at the U.S. Department of Education (the Department), in light of the troubling developments across the federal government since January 20, 2025.
Over the course of two weeks, the Trump Administration issued sweeping executive orders and sought to broadly and illegally freeze federal financial assistance. Federal employees have been targeted, in some cases for simply following the law. Elon Musk is attempting to shut down the work of entire agencies while gaining access to some of the federal government’s most far reaching and sensitive data systems.
In just the last few days security officials at the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) were put on leave after refusing non-government workers access to sensitive personnel information and classified systems. On Monday morning, USAID staff were told not to report to the agency and more than 600 employees were locked out of their computer systems and put on leave. Media reports indicate a similar effort may be underway at the Department of Education. Media reports are all we can rely on at this point because the Department has not shared any information on its plans with the authorizing Committees of jurisdiction responsible for establishing the Department, its organizational structure and programs; or the Committees on Appropriations responsible for funding it.
The Department has been a target of President Trump and his unelected advisors since even prior to his inauguration. And recently, the Department has put workers on administrative leave for attending trainings promoted by former Secretary Betsy DeVos, once touted among results achieved by the Department, and coerced employees into leaving their jobs.6 Workers at the Department—like those across the government—have been made to fear their jobs will be reclassified so that they lose employment protections. Some staff from the entity referred to as the Department of Government Efficiency have reportedly gained access to internal Department data systems, including financial aid systems that include personally identifiable information on millions of students. These actions appear to be part of a broader plan to dismantle the federal government until it is unable to function and meet the needs of the American people.
We will not stand by and allow the impact that dismantling the Department of Education would have on the nation’s students, parents, borrowers, educators, and communities. Congress created the Department to ensure all students in America have equal access to a high-quality education and that their civil rights are protected no matter their zip code. The Department is in the middle of implementing the FAFSA for the 2025-2026 school year and cannot afford any disruptions to that critical work. The Department also oversees vital federal aid programs that help students from low-income backgrounds, students with disabilities, student veterans, students experiencing homelessness, rural students, educators, and parents in need of childcare across the country. To further these activities, the Department maintains sensitive, personally identifiable information about these students and their families, which must be protected from people bent on ending these critical programs created over decades through bipartisan laws passed by Congress.
We urge you to provide information on the steps the Department is taking to ensure the continuity of programs that Americans depend on, the ability of the Department to effectively administer programs for their intended purposes without waste, fraud and abuse, and the safeguards in place to protect student data privacy. We therefore request the following by Friday February 7th, 2025.
Provide a list of all individuals, including their job titles and offices and whether they are federal government employees, who have been granted access to personally identifiable or sensitive information since January 20, 2025, the training provided to such individuals on the requirements for handling personally identifiable or sensitive information, the specific information to which they have they been granted access and the legal purpose to granting them access to that information, and whether students have been notified that their personally identifiable or sensitive information has been accessed.
Provide an explanation of all steps the Department has taken to protect sensitive, personally identifiable data in the Department’s control, including but not limited to the National Student Loan Data System, the Common Origination and Disbursement System, and the FAFSA Processing System. a. Provide information on how those steps have been communicated to each individual with access to that data.
Provide a list of all individuals placed on administrative leave or terminated from the Department since January 20, 2025, including their job title, duties and responsibilities, office, and the reason for the leave or termination.
Provide all communications to Department employees who have been placed on administrative leave or terminated since January 20, 2025.
Confirm that the Department has not frozen, paused, impeded, blocked, canceled, or terminated any awards or obligations since January 20, 2025 (other than the cancellation of training and service contracts announced in the Department’s January 23, 2025 Press Release).
US Senate News:
Source: United States Senator for New Mexico Martin Heinrich
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) and Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.) joined U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA) and 25 of their colleagues in calling for the immediate implementation of the Social Security Fairness Act to provide full Social Security benefits for millions of public servants impacted by Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) and the Government Pension Offset (GPO). The Social Security Fairness Act, which Heinrich and Luján cosponsored, fully repeals the two unfair Social Security provisions WEP and GPO, was signed into law on January 5, 2024 after Heinrich and Luján voted to advance legislation on the Senate floor.
“The Social Security Fairness Act restores full Social Security benefits for the millions of teachers, police officers, firefighters, and other public servants who are unfairly penalized by the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) and the Government Pension Offset (GPO),” wrote the senators.
“The Social Security Administration’s website currently states, ‘SSA expects that it could take more than one year to adjust benefits and pay all retroactive benefits’ owed under the Social Security Fairness Act. We call for the immediate implementation of this legislation to provide prompt relief to the millions of Americans impacted by WEP and GPO,” continued the senators.
Heinrich, Luján, and Cassidy were joined by U.S. Senators Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska), Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), Jerry Moran (R-Kan.), Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), Deb Fischer (R-Neb.), Susan Collins (R-Maine), Pete Ricketts (R-Neb.), John Fetterman (D-Pa.), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.), Angus King (I-Maine), Jon Ossoff (D-Ga.), Jack Reed (D-R.I.), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Mark Warner (D-Va.), Peter Welch (D-Vt.), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), and Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.).
Read the full letter here or below:
Dear Acting Commissioner King,
We write to you concerning the implementation of the Social Security Fairness Act (Public Law No: 118-273). This legislation passed Congress on an overwhelmingly bipartisan basis on December 21st, 2024 and was signed into law on January 5th, 2025. The Social Security Fairness Act restores full Social Security benefits for the millions of teachers, police officers, firefighters, and other public servants who are unfairly penalized by the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) and the Government Pension Offset (GPO).
The Social Security Administration’s website currently states, “SSA expects that it could take more than one year to adjust benefits and pay all retroactive benefits” owed under the Social Security Fairness Act. We call for the immediate implementation of this legislation to provide prompt relief to the millions of Americans impacted by WEP and GPO. In the interim, we request monthly updates and briefings regarding the status of the Social Security Administration’s progress towards implementing the Social Security Fairness Act.
Thank you for your prompt attention to this important matter. We look forward to your response.
US Senate News:
Source: United States Senator for New Mexico Martin Heinrich
Heinrich introduced the legislation last week to permanently place fentanyl-related substances into Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act, help law enforcement combat fentanyl trafficking, and advance scientific and medical research
WASHINGTON — U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) announced that his Halt All Lethal Trafficking of (HALT) Fentanyl Act to permanently classify fentanyl-related substances (FRS) as Schedule I drugs, under the Controlled Substances Act, passed the U.S. House of Representatives. This permanent scheduling will give law enforcement the tools they need to keep extremely lethal and dangerous drugs off our streets and ensure scientists can research and better understand these substances.
Last week, Heinrich, with U.S. Senators Bill Cassidy (R-La.) and Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), introduced the HALT Fentanyl Act in the Senate. The bill now awaits Senate passage, before heading to the President’s desk.
“I’m pleased that my HALT Fentanyl Act is one step closer to becoming law,” said Heinrich. “I urge my Senate colleagues to swiftly bring the legislation to the floor for passage. It is urgently needed to help our law enforcement personnel crack down on illegal trafficking, get deadly fentanyl out of our communities, and save lives.”
The HALT Fentanyl Act is endorsed by the Drug Enforcement Association of Federal Narcotics Agents, the Association of State Criminal Investigative Agencies, the Major County Sheriffs of America, the National Alliance of State Drug Enforcement Agencies, the National High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Directors Association, the National Narcotic Officers’ Associations’ Coalition, and the National District Attorneys Association, as well as state and local law enforcement across New Mexico.
“Fentanyl has negatively impacted the city of Las Cruces in significant ways. In the past five years, we have experienced a substantial increase in crime, homelessness, and quality of life issues. I firmly believe fentanyl has been the biggest driver of these issues. It is time to take meaningful action to reverse the harm caused by this illicit substance,” said Jeremy Story, Chief of the Las Cruces Police Department.
“Like any illegal substance, whether it be opioids or fentanyl use, there are no easy or quick solutions and often combatting their abuse requires a multi-layered approach. The HALT Fentanyl Act is just that, which is why I fully support it. We may be inclined to not concern ourselves with research, for example, but those trafficking in this market do concern themselves with research. Let us endorse this bigger picture approach to help combat fentanyl use in our country,” said Kim Stewart, Doña Ana County Sheriff.
“The HALT Fentanyl Act is another tool to go after transnational gangs and help make our community safer. Legislation is key for law enforcement to do their job,” said John Allen, Bernalillo County Sheriff.
Background:
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that there were 107,543 overdose deaths in the United States in 2023. Fentanyl and fentanyl-related substances accounted for nearly 75,000 of those deaths. Since 1999, the overdose crisis has increasingly been characterized by deaths involving these illicitly manufactured synthetic opioids, such as fentanyl-related substances (FRS), which are commonly sold through illicit drug markets for their fentanyl-like effect, and are often mixed with heroin or other drugs, such as cocaine, or pressed in to counterfeit prescription pills. During this same period, overdose deaths involving synthetic opioids (excluding methadone) increased 103-fold. By comparison, overdose deaths involving heroin and prescription opioids increased 2.5-fold and 4.1-fold, respectively.
Traffickers are continually altering the chemical structure of fentanyl to evade regulation and prosecution, sometimes with tragic results. Since 2013, China has been the principal source of fentanyl, fentanyl-related substances, and the precursor chemicals from which they are produced. Chinese product is commonly shipped to Mexico and smuggled into the U.S’s illicit drug market. Traffickers have favored fentanyl-related substances to skirt around committing the crime of trafficking fentanyl and fentanyl analogues. In 2023, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) seized nearly 12,000 pounds of illicit fentanyl, including fentanyl powder and more than 78 million pills laced with illicit fentanyl. The 2023 seizures were equivalent to more than 388.8 million lethal doses of fentanyl.
In 2018, as an initial response to this unprecedented crisis, the DEA issued a temporary scheduling order that placed FRS in Schedule I, under the Controlled Substances Act (CSA), after classifying it as an imminent hazard to public safety. Previously, Congress has only closed this loophole temporarily by designating fentanyl-related substances as Schedule I drugs. Congress has extended the FRS temporary scheduling order several times, most recently on December 21, 2024, with a measure that expires on March 31, 2025.
Heinrich’s HALT Fentanyl Act would finally make permanent the scheduling of illicitly produced fentanyl-related substances as Schedule I drugs and streamline the regulatory process for scientists seeking approval from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to research Schedule I substances.
Clear and Enforceable Criminal Penalties for Fentanyl Trafficking:
A permanent scheduling of FRS is necessary to make penalties for criminals clear and enforceable under the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), reducing the supply and availability of illicitly manufactured FRS. The HALT Fentanyl Act places the strongest controls and penalties on FRS, which have no accepted medical use and a high abuse potential.
Specifically, the HALT Fentanyl Act will permanently impose the following quantity-based federal trafficking penalties on FRS:
Mandatory minimum penalties: 5 years for 10 grams or more (10 years for second offense); and 10 years for 100 grams or more (20 years for second offense).
Discretionary maximum penalties: 40 years for 10 grams or more (life for second offense); and life for 100 grams or more.
Expanded Scientific and Medical Research
More closely aligning the research and registration process for schedule I substances, including FRS, with Schedule II substances will facilitate increased FRS research. By accommodating more medical research into fentanyl-related substances, the bill would establish a new, streamlined registration process for research funded by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), or under an Investigative New Drug (IND) exemption from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
Specifically, the HALT Fentanyl Act will enhance our understanding of these illicitly manufactured substances by:
Allowing researchers in the same institution to participate in multiple scientific studies.
Permitting researchers with ongoing studies to examine newly added schedule I substances.
Allowing researchers to manufacture small quantities of FRS without a separate registration.
Full text of the HALT Fentanyl Act can be found here.
A section-by-section summary of the HALT Fentanyl Act can be found here.
US Senate News:
Source: United States Senator for Iowa Chuck Grassley
WASHINGTON – Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) joined Judiciary Committee member Ted Cruz (R-Texas) in introducing a constitutional amendment to maintain a total of nine Supreme Court justices on the bench at a time. Once approved by Congress, the amendment would go to the states for ratification.
“Democrats’ radical court packing scheme would erase the legitimacy of the Supreme Court and destroy historic precedent. The Court is a co-equal branch of government, and our Keep Nine Amendment will ensure that it remains independent from political pressure,” Grassley said.
“For years, Democrats have openly said they intend to pack the Supreme Court. They seek to use the Court to advance policy goals they can’t accomplish electorally. Such a move would be a direct assault on the design of our Constitution, which is designed to ensure the Supreme Court remains a non-partisan guardian of the rule of law,” Cruz said. “This amendment is a badly-needed check on their efforts to undermine the integrity of the Court.”
Additional cosponsors are Sens. John Cornyn (R-Texas), Mike Lee (R-Utah), Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), Bill Cassidy (R-La.), Todd Young (R-Ind.), Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.), Jim Banks (R-Ind.), Jim Risch (R-Idaho), Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), Bill Hagerty (R-Tenn.), Katie Britt (R-Ala.), Tim Sheehy (R-Mont.), Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) and Deb Fischer (R-Neb.).
Read the amendment text HERE.
US Senate News:
Source: United States Senator for Iowa Chuck Grassley
Q: What should taxpayers keep in mind during tax season?
A: The IRS officially kicked off tax season and started accepting and processing federal individual tax returns for the 2024 tax year. The federal tax-collecting agency this year expects more than 140 million individual tax returns. Don’t procrastinate, the tax filing deadline is April 15.
At kitchen tables across the country, taxpayers will gather necessary documents to file their tax returns, including income information from paycheck stubs, W-2’s and 1099 forms. Whether you file on your own or have tax preparation assistance, be sure to gather all records and receipts, including for expenses required for credits and deductions, such as education and dependent care expenses, clean energy credits, retirement contributions and charitable donations. The IRS anticipates more than half of all tax returns will be filed with the help of a tax professional.
As a former chairman of the tax-writing Senate Finance Committee, I encourage taxpayers to be mindful of scams and schemes. Choose a reputable tax professional to protect your personal and financial information. Keep in mind, even if you use a tax preparer, you are legally responsible for the information provided on the tax return. You can search an online directory of different types of federal tax preparers in your local area. Ask in advance about service fees. Avoid choosing tax preparers who base their fees on a percentage of your tax refund. Any refund should go directly to the taxpayer, not the tax preparer. Take care to double check the routing and bank account number on the completed return for accuracy. The IRS advises taxpayers to take precautions for fraud and liability. Specifically, if a paid preparer does not sign the tax return, either on paper or digitally, that’s a red flag for unscrupulous behavior. More importantly, never sign a blank or incomplete tax return. Anyone paid to prepare a federal tax return must have a Preparer Tax Identification Number. By law, paid preparers must sign and include their tax identification number on any tax return they prepare.
The IRS offers free electronic filing for taxpayers with federal adjusted gross income of $84,000 or less. IRS Free File allows eligible taxpayers to use guided tax preparation software free of charge to file a federal tax return. You can choose from IRS partner tax software companies here. The Free File Alliance is a nonprofit coalition serving 100 million American taxpayers. Taxpayers above that income threshold may use the free fillable forms– electronic federal tax forms – to fill out and file on your own.
Q: What other programs are available in local communities for tax preparation assistance?
A: The IRS coordinates services with local volunteers in communities across the country to help eligible taxpayers prepare their tax returns for free. The Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) or Tax Counseling for the Elderly (TCE) programs support residents with participating partner organizations. These programs are designed to reach low-to-moderate income individuals, persons with disabilities, elderly and limited English speakers. VITA tax preparation services are available for individuals and families earning $67,000 or less. Find participating organizations in your local area here, https://irs.treasury.gov/freetaxprep/. Be sure to bring the required documents to your appointment. If you would like to volunteer in your local community as a tax preparer, greeter, interpreter or computer specialist, learn more at irs.gov/volunteers.
Q: What assistance can your Senate office provide?
A: My Senate office may not help you file taxes. However, my office may help Iowans resolve issues and get answers from the IRS through the Taxpayer Advocate Service. For assistance, Iowans first need to complete a request form to allow my staff to get involved on your behalf with federal agencies. Print and sign the form and return via email at caseworker_grassley@grassley.senate.gov. Or mail to my Des Moines office at 721 Federal Building, 210 Walnut Street, Des Moines, IA 50309.
As a taxpayer watchdog, I keep a tight leash on the IRS to protect sensitive taxpayer information and fight for taxpayer rights. For decades, I’ve led a crusade to secure tax fairness, strengthen taxpayer rights, improve customer service and strengthen our system of voluntary tax compliance. As the co-author of the first-ever Taxpayer Bill of Rights in 1988 and one of four members who served on the National Commission on Restructuring the IRS during the Clinton administration, I’ve kept my nose to the grindstone to strengthen our system of voluntary compliance, as well as strengthen the IRS whistleblower program that’s helped recover more than $6 billion. The best way to narrow the tax gap is to help taxpayers do the right thing and improve taxpayer service. Tax cheats ought to be held accountable; honest taxpayers ought to pay every dime owed, not a penny more.
US Senate News:
Source: United States Senator for Iowa Chuck Grassley
WASHINGTON – Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) joined Judiciary Committee member John Kennedy (R-La.) and 15 Republican colleagues in introducing the Veterans 2nd Amendment Protection Act. This bill would permanently end onerous reporting requirements that cause veterans who receive help managing their Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) benefits to be stripped of their Second Amendment rights without due process. Rep. Mike Bost (R-Ill.), Chairman of the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, leads companion legislation in the House of Representatives.
“I take the constitutional right to bear arms very seriously. Our bill would preserve due process for veterans and put a stop to unelected bureaucrats unjustifiably stripping away the Second Amendment rights of those who’ve served,” Grassley said.
“Our veterans should not receive less due process rights than other Americans just because they served our country and asked the federal government for a helping hand. Under the VA’s interpretation of the law, however, unelected bureaucrats punish Louisiana and America’s veterans by forcing them to choose between their Second Amendment rights and getting the help they need as they manage their financial affairs. I’m proud to introduce the Veterans 2nd Amendment Protection Act to stand up for veterans’ constitutional rights by ending this unfair practice,” Kennedy said.
The Veterans 2nd Amendment Protection Act is endorsed by the National Rifle Association, the Gun Owners of America, AMAC Action, Vietnam Veterans of America, the National Association of County Veterans Service Officers, the Veterans of Foreign Wars, the American Legion, the Black Veterans Empowerment Council, the Military Order of the Purple Heart, the National Shooting Sports Foundation, Turning Point Action, the Firearms Regulatory Accountability Coalition, the National Disability Rights Network and the National Association for Gun Rights.
Find bill text HERE.
Background:
Under current law, any veteran who appoints a fiduciary to help manage their VA benefits is immediately reported to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)’s National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS), restricting their Second Amendment right to legally purchase and own a firearm. The Veterans 2nd Amendment Protection Act would end this practice by prohibiting the VA from transmitting veterans’ personal information to NICS unless there is a judicial determination that the individual is a danger to themselves or others.
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Translartion. Region: Russians Fedetion –
Source: Government of the Russian Federation – An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.
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Dmitry Chernyshenko held a meeting on the issue of training personnel in the field of tourism and hospitality
Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Chernyshenko held a meeting on the issue of training personnel in the field of tourism and hospitality and spoke with students of the Russian State University of Tourism and Service (RSUTIS).
Acting Rector of RSUTS Ambartsum Galustov presented plans for the development of the university’s infrastructure and educational programs to the Deputy Prime Minister and ministers.
“The formation of a system for training and developing the human resources potential of workers in the tourism and hospitality sector is one of the priority tasks of the industry, set by President Vladimir Putin. Currently, about 1 million people are employed in this sector. The need for employees is about 250 thousand, by 2030 this number will increase to 400 thousand people. New specialists are needed for the successful development of the industry as a whole, as well as for the implementation of large-scale investment projects, such as “Five Seas and Lake Baikal”. The Russian State University of Tourism and Service is intended to become a leading center for training personnel for the industry. Today, the university signed several agreements on the creation of new campuses,” said Dmitry Chernyshenko.
The plans include the development of the scientific and educational infrastructure of RSUTS in Zavidovo, Tver Region, and in Anapa, where they will train personnel for the Five Seas and Lake Baikal project.
In Russia, students are admitted to more than 100 universities and 1,300 colleges in the field of tourism and hospitality. Within the framework of the national project “Tourism and Hospitality”, training centers have been created in the Moscow Region on the basis of RSUTS, Tatarstan and St. Petersburg.
At a meeting at the university, a comprehensive approach to solving the issue of personnel shortage was discussed. This is necessary to achieve the goals set by the head of state within the framework of the national project.
“Tourism needs a model of integration with secondary vocational education. There should be interaction with strong regional universities. These should not be point solutions. And today’s agreements are an example that can be replicated throughout the country. Another important aspect is labor productivity. We have created competence centers based at Kavkaz.RF and in Krasnodar Krai. The centers have been created and have begun work. Also, together with businesses, it is worth working on the issue of including the topic of productivity in educational programs for training personnel for the tourism industry,” said Minister of Economic Development Maxim Reshetnikov.
The head of the Ministry of Education and Science, Valery Falkov, noted that today special attention is paid to the training of personnel in the tourism sector. The new model of higher education provides for qualitative changes in the implementation of educational programs, which should be a modern response to the industry’s demand.
Dmitry Chernyshenko emphasized that the interest of tourists in the Moscow region, where RGUTIS is located, is growing every year. “This is facilitated by the availability of high-quality infrastructure for recreation and a huge number of attractions – these are cultural heritage sites, churches and monasteries, estates, monuments of military glory, which is especially important in the Year of the Defender of the Fatherland, declared by President Vladimir Putin, in the year of the 80th anniversary of our Victory,” the Deputy Prime Minister added.
Dmitry Chernyshenko assessed the university infrastructure and talked to students. He noted the attention of the head of state and the Ministry of Economic Development to the tourism sector and supported the students in choosing this direction. The guys presented their projects, including concepts for the adaptation of foreign students, the development of design projects for the Five Seas and Lake Baikal program and the popularization of tourism among young people through student media.
In addition, the consecration of the restored temple-chapel of the Blessed Grand Duke Alexander Nevsky took place.
Dmitry Chernyshenko left a note in the university’s memorial book: “I am confident that the experienced teaching staff of RSUTS and the talented students who came here from different regions of the country will make a serious contribution to the development of tourism in Russia. As our President Vladimir Putin said, domestic tourism is one of the main priorities.”
“The President called the development of domestic tourism one of the priorities of the long-term development strategy of Russia. In our Moscow Region, we see that there is a great demand for tourism, and therefore for specialists. In our Moscow Region, we have 14 colleges and 5 universities engaged in training personnel. Last year, one of the three federal resource centers was created here, on the basis of RSUTS, which plans to train 10 thousand specialists for the entire country this year,” said Moscow Region Governor Andrei Vorobyov.
Following the meeting, the Deputy Prime Minister gave a number of instructions, including updating educational programs, developing plans for the development of the university, and holding new competitions in the field of tourism.
The meeting was also attended by the Governor of the Tver Region Igor Rudenya, Deputy Minister of Labor and Social Protection of Russia Dmitry Platygin, Deputy Minister of Education of Russia Irina Shvartsman, Deputy Governor of the Krasnodar Region Alexander Ruppel, university rectors, representatives of companies and public organizations.
Please note: This information is raw content directly from the source of the information. It is exactly what the source states and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.
Source: Royal Canadian Mounted Police
An overdue snowmobiler who had departed Nain yesterday morning was safely located today by Nain Ground Search and Rescue.
At approximately 9:30 p.m. on Thursday, Nain RCMP received the report. The man, who was traveling alone on his snowmobile, departed Nain yesterday morning to go cut some wood. He was without a cell phone or any other communication device and had not returned.
Nain Ground Search and Rescue were deployed and searched for the missing snowmobiler throughout the night. Ice conditions in the area and frigid temperatures posed a concern.
The missing snowmobiler was safely located this morning by Nain Ground Search and Rescue. After experiencing mechanical issues with his snowmobile, the man sought shelter from the elements and was safely located in a cabin.
RCMP NL thanks Nain Ground Search and Rescue for their continued dedication and congratulates them on a successful search.
Those heading out on a snowmobile are encouraged to pack extra food and clothing, as well as items capable of starting a fire. Where possible, individuals should carry a means of communication, such as a cell phone, satellite phone or SPOT device. It is also important to communicate your intended travel location and expected return time.
Source: Office of United States Attorneys
Ocala, Florida – United States District Judge Thomas P. Barber has sentenced Ignacio Juan-Velazquez (34, Mexico) to one year in federal prison for illegal re-entry into the United States. Juan-Velazquez previously pled guilty on November 13, 2024.
According to court documents, Juan-Velazquez is a citizen of Mexico. He previously has been deported from the United States on four occasions between 2012-2017 and never has obtained permission from the Attorney General or the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security to apply for readmission to the United States. On September 24, 2024, U.S. Border Patrol agents discovered Juan-Velazquez at a rest area on Interstate 75 in Sumter County, Florida. Juan Velasquez presented the agents with his Mexican voter card as identification. He then admitted that he was illegally in the country.
This case was investigated by U.S. Customs and Border Protection. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney William S. Hamilton.
Source: Office of United States Attorneys
CHICAGO — A defendant has been sentenced to 15 years in federal prison for soliciting a minor to engage in commercial sex and lying to the FBI about social media postings supportive of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS).
HARDY LEE BROWNER, 37, of Chicago, pleaded guilty in 2023 to one count of making a materially false statement to the FBI involving international terrorism and one count of soliciting a minor to engage in commercial sex. U.S. District Judge Andrea R. Wood imposed the sentence on Wednesday and ordered that it be followed by five years of court-supervised release.
Browner admitted in a plea agreement that Browner used various accounts on the social media site formerly known as Twitter to communicate with individuals associated with ISIS, including a media arm of the terrorist group. Browner also used the accounts to make public posts regarding, among other topics, jihad, martyrdom, and ISIS. When FBI agents interviewed Browner about the posts, Browner falsely claimed not to have used the accounts and not to have communicated with certain Twitter users, including the ISIS media arm.
The solicitation charge relates to Browner’s attempt to traffic a minor with whom Browner had engaged in a sexual relationship. Browner communicated with the minor on Instagram and through texts and phone calls. Browner then met the minor on multiple occasions and had sex with the minor. Browner sometimes gave the minor cash or other items of value. Browner also took steps to traffic the minor for sex with others for money, although Browner’s crimes were discovered before the minor was trafficked.
The sentence was announced by Morris Pasqual, Acting 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 defendant disrespected law enforcement agents and sought to thwart the FBI’s mission in defending against terrorist organizations,” Assistant U.S. Attorneys Barry Jonas and Julia Schwartz argued in the government’s sentencing memorandum. With regard to the solicitation, the prosecutors argued, “Traffickers operating today should receive the message that if you traffic children in the Chicagoland area, the sentence will be severe.”
Source: Office of United States Attorneys
BOSTON – A Newton man has been arrested and charged for allegedly making repeated sexual contact with a 17-year-old female passenger (minor victim) seated directly in front of him onboard a flight from Puerto Rico to Boston in August 2024.
Jonathan Alan Lefman, 46, is charged with one count of abusive sexual contact while in the special aircraft jurisdiction of the United States. Lefman was arrested today and will make an initial appearance in federal court in Boston at 2:30 p.m. today.
According to the charging documents, on Aug. 30, 2024, Lefman was a passenger onboard a JetBlue flight flying from San Juan, Puerto Rico to Boston with his wife and four children. On multiple occasions during the flight and while on the ground waiting to deplane in Boston, Lefman allegedly engaged in abusive sexual contact with the minor victim. Specifically, it is alleged that Lefman intentionally worked his hand in between and through the area between the back and bottom of the seat directly in front of him, where the minor victim was seated, and touched the minor victim’s buttocks without her permission. On at least one occasion when he did so, the minor victim saw his reflection leaning between the seats in the seatback monitor in front of her. On the last occasion when he allegedly touched or attempted to touch her buttocks, the minor victim was able to use her cell phone camera to take a video of Lefman’s fingers protruding between the back and bottom of the minor victim’s seat. According to court documents, after she exited the aircraft, while still on the jet bridge, the minor victim took a video of Lefman as he got off the aircraft.
It is alleged that, after deplaning, the minor victim’s adult female family member who had been traveling in a different row reported Lefman’s alleged conduct to a JetBlue supervisor and confronted Lefman, showing the video of his fingers to support her statement.
The charge of abusive sexual contact while in the special aircraft jurisdiction of the United States provides for a sentence of up to two years in prison, one year of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.
United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Jodi Cohen, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division; and Colonel Geoffrey D. Noble, Superintendent of the Massachusetts State Police made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by Boston Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Elianna J. Nuzum of the Criminal Division is prosecuting the case.
The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Source: Office of United States Attorneys
Ocala, Florida –United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces the return by a grand jury of an indictment charging Luis Marcos Hernandez-Granillo (42, Mexico) with illegal reentry by a previously deported alien. If convicted, Hernandez-Granillo faces a maximum penalty of two years in federal prison.
According to court documents, Hernandez-Granillo is a citizen and national of Mexico. He was previously removed from the United States on July 26, 2018, and August 28, 2024. Afterward, Hernandez-Granillo was found voluntarily back in the United States on January 29, 2025, when he was arrested in Marion County on a local warrant. Hernandez-Granillo has not received the consent of the Attorney General or the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security to apply for readmission to the United States.
An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed one or more violations of federal criminal law, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty.
This case was investigated by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO). It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Sarah Janette Swartzberg.
Source: Office of United States Attorneys
Defendant defrauded a company to obtain tens of millions of dollars of Mass Save funds through paying bribes and kickbacks to company employees
BOSTON – A former Stoneham Auxiliary Police Officer was sentenced in federal court in Boston for a bribery and kickback scheme that netted millions of dollars in Mass Save contracts.
Christopher Ponzo, 50, of North Reading, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Nathaniel M. Gorton to 27 months in prison, to be followed by two years of supervised release. Ponzo was also ordered to pay a $300,000 fine. In November 2024, Christopher Ponzo pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit honest services wire fraud, 24 counts of honest services wire fraud and one count of making false statements to government officials. Christopher Ponzo was indicted by a federal grand jury in January 2023 along with his brother Joseph Ponzo.
Christopher Ponzo, along with his brother and co-conspirator, Joseph Ponzo, conspired to pay, and did pay, tens of thousands of dollars in cash bribes, kickbacks and other in-kind benefits, including a John Deere tractor, a computer, home bathroom fixtures and free electrical work, among other things, to Company A employees (Associates 1 and 2) in exchange for the Associates’ assistance in getting the defendants millions of dollars in Mass Save contracts.
Massachusetts law requires utility companies to collect an energy efficiency surcharge on all Massachusetts energy consumers. These funds, which amount to hundreds of millions of dollars each year, are to be disbursed by the utility companies to fund energy efficiency programs and initiatives in Massachusetts. Under the Mass Save program, the utility companies select lead vendors, like Company A, to approve and select contractors to perform energy improvement work for residential customers. This contracting work – performed by contractors at no-cost or reduced cost to the customer – is then paid for by Company A with Mass Save funds.
On a weekly basis, from 2013 to 2017, Christopher Ponzo paid Associate 1 $1,000 in cash. At times, Christopher Ponzo paid Associate 1 $5,000 to $10,000 in cash, telling Associate 1 that the extra money was from Joseph Ponzo for his part in the bribery scheme. In return for these payments, Associate 1, among other things, helped Joseph Ponzo set up a shell company, Air Tight, to do insulation work and get approved as a Company A contractor under the Mass Save program. Joseph Ponzo put his spouse’s name on Air Tight incorporation documents and contracting licenses in order to conceal his involvement in his corrupt side business. Despite having no professional experience in residential insulation work, Joseph Ponzo collected over $7 million under the Mass Save program.
After Associate 1 left Company A in 2017, Christopher Ponzo and Joseph Ponzo recruited Associate 2 to the bribery-kickback scheme from approximately 2018 to 2022, paying Associate 2 thousands of dollars in cash and hiring a relative of Associate 2 as part of the ongoing scheme.
In April 2022, both Joseph Ponzo and Christopher Ponzo falsely denied making bribe payments to any Company A employees when interviewed by federal agents.
Joseph Ponzo pleaded guilty in November 2024 and is scheduled to be sentenced Feb. 28, 2025.
United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Jodi Cohen, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation in Boston; and Thomas Demeo, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Internal Revenue Service’s Criminal Investigations in Boston made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Lauren Maynard and Dustin Chao of the Criminal Division are prosecuting the case.
Source: United Kingdom London Metropolitan Police
A man has been sentenced for manslaughter by diminished responsibility – after investigators managed to recover footage of the killing itself.
Caudel Haughton, 21 (12.11.2003), of Conisborough Crescent, SE6, was sentenced at the Old Bailey on Friday, 7 February. He was sentenced to an indefinite term in a secure hospital over the fatal stabbing 20-year-old Filipe Oliveira on his doorstep on 15 April, 2023.
Detective Chief Inspector Kate Blackburn, from the Met’s Specialist Crime Command – who led the investigation – said:
“My thoughts today are with Filipe’s family and friends, who have had to wait almost two years for justice. This was an unprovoked attack, which saw Filipe fatally stabbed outside his own home.
“Our investigation utilised extensive CCTV evidence and witness testimonies. Haughton will be detained indefinitely in hospital – and may spend the rest of his life there, meaning he will no longer be a risk to the public.”
On the day of the killing, Filipe Oliveira was standing outside his home in Norwood Road, SE27, when he was approached by Haughton. The defendant was caught on CCTV approaching Filipe, armed with a flick knife. He stabbed him five times, before fleeing the scene.
Officers arrived in Norwood Road around 18:00hrs. They administered CPR, but Filipe tragically died later that evening. Eyewitnesses to the stabbing came forward, and detectives received vital anonymous tipoffs via Crimestoppers. Haughton had bragged about killing Oliveira after the incident.
Comprehensive CCTV enquiries were able to map Haughton’s entire route from his home address in Catford across several train journeys to Filipe’s home. This journey saw him travel by foot, bus and two trains over an hour-and-a-half.
Firearms officers from British Transport Police arrested Haughton at Waterloo Station five days later, on Tuesday, 21 April. This came off the back of a joint manhunt operation involving the Met Police, Dorset Police and British Transport Police.
Source: Government of Canada regional news
Diana Gibson, Minister of Jobs, Economic Development and Innovation, has issued the following statement on the release of Statistics Canada’s Labour Force Survey for January 2025:
“We’re standing strong and defending British Columbians, workers, and industries against tariff threats from the United States. We are encouraged by the news that there will be a 30-day pause on the tariffs. Now, it’s full steam ahead on strengthening our economy to defend B.C. from this threat.
“We are fast-tracking major economic projects to deliver good paying, family-supporting jobs throughout the entire province and we are working hard to get B.C. goods to new markets, including the ongoing push to knock down trade barriers within Canada. So many people are coming together to buy B.C. and support Canadian products first.
“As B.C.’s minister of jobs, economic development and innovation, I met with my ministerial counterparts on the federal Committee on Internal Trade on Jan. 31 in Toronto to discuss expediting negotiations to reduce barriers to trade across the country. Increasing trade across the country is a key part of B.C.’s tariff-response strategy.
“B.C. has continued to show strength with a gain of 10,300 private-sector jobs in January – the third largest increase among provinces. B.C. has gained 178,900 private-sector jobs since July 2017.
“B.C. has also gained 19,900 full-time jobs since December 2024, the second-highest increase in full-time jobs among provinces.
“B.C.’s unemployment rate is 6.0%, one of the lowest unemployment rates among provinces and below the national average of 6.6%. B.C.’s average hourly wage is $37.53, the highest among provinces.
“Today’s Labour Force Survey data shows a growth of 8,700 jobs in manufacturing, 6,100 in retail trade and 5,200 in construction, among other types of jobs. Construction has gained 24,500 jobs, compared to this time last year.
“The current global uncertainty posed by potential tariffs from the United States puts all of this at risk. That’s why we’re taking action to defend B.C. jobs in the face of this threat. The Committee on Internal Trade meeting last Friday provided an opportunity to boldly move forward to unlock markets and the flow of goods and services between provinces and territories.
“Right now, the provinces have conflicting regulations and rules, causing barriers to trade across the country. B.C. is working with our provincial counterparts to create a list of regulatory requirements in each jurisdiction, with the intention of achieving an agreement where regulations can be mutually recognized that will cover all goods and services sold or used in Canada.
“British Columbia has been a leader in reducing internal trade barriers and is one of the founding parties of the New West Partnership Trade Agreement, a regional trade enhancement agreement that surpasses the Canadian Free Trade Agreement in terms of ambition, coverage of economic sectors and lack of exceptions.”
Learn More:
To learn more about Clean and Competitive: A Blueprint for B.C.’s Industrial Future, visit: https://news.gov.bc.ca/files/Clean_and_Competitive.pdf
To find out more about the Stronger BC Economic Plan, visit: https://strongerbc.gov.bc.ca/plan/
Source: US Immigration and Customs Enforcement
HOUSTON – U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Harris County Sheriff’s Office arrested a 3-time previously deported criminal alien Feb. 5 wanted in Harris County, Texas, for aggravated assault causing serious bodily injury.
David Gonzalez-Martinez, a 52-year-old criminal alien from Mexico, was arrested during routine daily operations in Houston and booked into the Harris County Jail. Following his arrest, ICE lodged an immigration detainer with the jail requesting to be notified in the event Gonzalez is going to be released back into the community.
“Immigration detainers are one of the most indispensable resources in the ICE officer’s toolbox,” said ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations Houston Field Office Director Bret Bradford. “They enable our officers to take direct custody of criminal aliens in the safe confines of the jail, which enhances the safety of everyone involved, and helps to eliminate unnecessary spending that would otherwise be required to go out and search for them in the community.”
Gonzalez has illegally entered the U.S. at least four times and was previously removed to Mexico by U.S. immigration officials in Sept. 2001, July 2008, and April 2015. While in the U.S. illegally, he has been convicted of several criminal offenses to include voluntarily manslaughter, aggravated assault with a weapon, possession of marijuana, and illegal re-entry.
“Violent criminal aliens like this individual who violate our nation’s system of laws with impunity are a direct threat to the safety of our communities,” said Bradford. “That danger is not lost on our officers who live and raise families in the Houston area. As a result, they are out in the field every day putting their lives on the line to track down dangerous criminal aliens and restore law and order in our communities.”
Source: US Immigration and Customs Enforcement
BALTIMORE — U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement apprehended a Salvadoran alien convicted of possession of a loaded handgun when officers with arrested German Ronal Del Cid Carranza, 33, Feb. 4, in Silver Spring, Maryland. Del Cid is a validated MS-13 gang member.
“The swift and flawless apprehension of this violent MS-13 gang member is a testament to the dedication and expertise of our officers. MS-13 has been deemed a foreign terrorist organization, and individuals like Del-Cid, convicted of carrying a deadly handgun, pose a direct and ongoing threat to our Maryland residents,” said ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations Baltimore acting Field Office Director Matthew Elliston. “It is our top priority to arrest and remove egregious criminals. I commend our officers for their unwavering dedication to upholding public safety, ensuring that dangerous criminals are removed from our communities and brough to justice.”
Del Cid lawfully entered the United States in Washington, D.C., Dec. 11, 2010, and later violated the terms of his lawful admission.
The Prince George’s County Police Department arrested Del Cid Sept.8, 2022, for possession of a loaded handgun. The Circuit Court of Maryland for Prince George’s County convicted Del Cid March 18, 2023, for possession of a loaded handgun and sentenced him to incarceration for two years.
Del Cid remains in ICE custody.
Members of the public can report crimes and suspicious activity by dialing 866-DHS-2-ICE (866-347-2423) or completing the online tip form.
Learn more about ICE’s mission to increase public safety in our Maryland communities on X, formerly known as Twitter, at @EROBaltimore.
