The following text contains opinion that is not, or not necessarily, that of MIL-OSI –
WASHINGTON – House Republican Conference Chairwoman Lisa McClain (R-Mich.) released the following statement ahead of the U.S. House of Representatives vote on H.R. 35, the Agent Raul Gonzalez Officer Safety Act:
“This bill sends a message to illegal aliens, drug traffickers, and smugglers. If you threaten American lives, you will face the full consequence of the law,”Chairwoman McClain said. “Republicans want to detain, deport, and prevent these criminals from threatening our communities. And it is unfortunate that 154 Democrats disagreed when they voted against a similar, common-sense bill in the last Congress. They voted against America’s security. But today, they have another chance to redeem themselves. For those that vote against this bill today – you can start calling the loved ones of fallen officers.”
The Agent Raul Gonzalez Officer Safety Act is set to be voted on in the House today. Officer Gonzalez lost his life in a high-speed chase near the border. The bill, named after him, would prevent illegal immigrants who flee border patrol from ever being admitted to the United States.
Declaraciones de Lisa McClain sobre el Agent Raul Gonzalez Officer Safety Act a considerarse en la Cámara hoy
WASHINGTON – La presidenta de la Conferencia Republicana en la Cámara de Representantes de los Estados Unidos, Lisa McClain (R-Mich.), emitió las siguientes declaraciones ante la votación de la Cámara hoy sobre el H.R. 35, el Agent Raul Gonzalez Officer Safety Act:
“Esta medida envía un mensaje a los inmigrantes ilegales, narcotraficantes y contrabandistas de que, si ponen en riesgo la vida de los ciudadanos americanos, enfrentarán todas las consecuencias de la ley”, dijo McClain. “Los republicanos quieren detener, deportar y evitar que estos criminales amenacen a nuestras comunidades. Y es lamentable que 154 demócratas no estuvieran de acuerdo y votaran en contra de un proyecto de ley similar y de sentido común el pasado Congreso. Votaron en contra de la seguridad de Estados Unidos. Pero hoy tienen otra oportunidad de redimirse. Para aquellos que hoy votan en contra de este proyecto, pueden comenzar a llamar a los seres queridos de los oficiales caídos”.
El Agent Raul Gonzalez Officer Safety Act será considerado hoy en la Cámara. La medida busca prevenir que inmigrantes indocumentados que huyen de la Patrulla Fronteriza sean admitidos en el país. La ley lleva el nombre del agente de la Patrulla Fronteriza, Raul Gonzalez, quien falleció en 2022 tras un accidente mientras perseguía a migrantes que cruzaron ilegalmente la frontera hacia Texas.
Headline: Justice Department Announces Successful Conclusion of Agreement with Evangeline Parish Sheriff’s Office to Ensure Constitutional Policing
The Justice Department announced on Monday the successful conclusion of the United States’ agreement with the Evangeline Parish Sheriff’s Office (EPSO) in Louisiana to end its pattern or practice of conducting arrests in violation of the Fourth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. After a thorough investigation, the United States found reasonable cause to believe that EPSO had unconstitutionally arrested and held people in jail without obtaining a warrant and without probable cause to believe the detained persons had committed a crime.
(HARTFORD, CT) – Governor Ned Lamont and Connecticut Housing Commissioner Seila Mosquera-Bruno today announced that the Connecticut Department of Housing is awarding $12.8 million in grants to eight municipalities for infrastructure upgrades that will modernize and rehabilitate housing for low and moderate-income residents.
The grants are being awarded as part of theCommunity Development Block Grant (CDBG) Small Cities program, which is administered by the Connecticut Department of Housing with funding from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Eligible projects are required to be in a municipality with a population of fewer than 50,000 residents.
“These housing grants go a long way to improving neighborhoods so that we can make our communities more attractive and encourage continued growth for the benefit of all our residents,” Governor Lamont said.
“Connecticut has both large and small cities that contribute to its unique culture and quality of life,” Commissioner Mosquera-Bruno said. “Whether it’s helping families make essential renovations to their homes, ensuring senior living facilities are ADA compliant, or providing a fire truck for increased services, these grants are essential to upgrade and enhance our smaller towns. We’re aware that this funding is crucial and improves the day-to-day-lives of our residents.”
The grants are being awarded to the following recipients:
Ashford – Pompey Hollow Senior Housing ($2,000,000): The Town of Ashford will use funds to renovate Pompey Hollow Senior Housing, a 32-unit low and moderate-income housing complex for elderly and disabled individuals. The proposed scope of work includes interior renovations replacing all common doors and hardware, installing automatic entry doors, full kitchen and bathroom upgrades, installing new mailboxes for the tenants, adding blown-in insulation, elevator upgrades, installing LED lighting, updates to the attic sprinklers, updates to emergency lighting, and replacement of all smoke detectors with hardwired combination smoke/carbon monoxide systems. All interior upgrades will focus on ADA compliance, where applicable. The exterior renovations include replacing the existing vinyl siding, replacing AC condensers, roof and chimney repairs, pathway and driveway repairs, sloping the existing patio for better drainage, installing a handrail at the front sidewalk, and installing new fuel tanks for the existing generator. Additionally, there will be mechanical upgrades including a new fire pump with transfer switch, new hot water circulating pumps, new expansion tanks, a new furnace air handler, and changing the heating system from oil to propane.
Canton – 21 Dowd Avenue ($2,000,000): The Town of Canton will use the funds to rehabilitate an SSHP property located at 40 Dowd Avenue in Canton. The property was built in 1979 with 40 residential units and a community building. The renovations include replacing roofing materials, installing new doors and windows, and replacing siding. ADA compliance improvements will be made to four residential units and the community building. The fire alarm and call-for-aid systems will be upgraded and replaced. Asphalt roofing systems will be installed in four of the six buildings. All windows will be replaced with Energy Star-rated windows. Improvements will include sidewalks, site railings, and parking areas.
East Windsor – Park Hill ($2,000,000): The Town of East Windsor will use the funds for capital improvements to the existing affordable housing development located at Park Hill, an 84-unit affordable housing development located at 1A Park Hill in Broad Brook. This phase will prioritize the oldest buildings, which include five buildings totaling 30 units. The remaining nine buildings (54 Units) will be addressed with SSHP funds to complete a similar scope. The improvements included in the proposed scope are energy efficiency upgrades through new heat pump heating systems (mini-splits); improved envelope with new siding, insulation, windows, and doors; and new kitchens, stoves, and flooring throughout units (excluding bathrooms). Additionally, handicapped accessibility upgrades to bathrooms through tub to shower conversions for elderly and disabled residents will be made.
Southington – General Pulaski Terrace ($2,000,000): General Pulaski Terrace consists of eleven buildings, including ten residential buildings with a total of 40 units and a community building. The project aims to modernize the property by replacing roofing materials, installing seamless aluminum gutters and leaf screens, replacing the existing heat pumps, and installing a monitored fire alarm system (call-for-aid) including a closed-circuit television system and the replacement of inefficient heat pumps with more energy-efficient units.
Stonington – Housing Rehabilitation Program ($400,000): The Town of Stonington will use the funds to complete up to 10 housing units, and the future use of any program income to be used to continue the Stonington Housing Rehabilitation Program (SHRP) into the future. It is the town’s goal to establish SHRP as a continuous town service for its residents and serve as a catalyst to improve the properties and the living conditions of the residents.
Tolland – Old Post Village ($2,000,000): Old Post Village was constructed in 1977, before the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. Currently, the housing complex does not have any fully ADA accessible units available for its residents. The scope of this project proposes to achieve full ADA compliance on three units. This conversion will not only benefit the tenants who need it most, it will also make the property fully compliant by meeting the minimum 10% “Type A” barrier-free handicapped- accessible units’ requirements. The proposed scope of work focuses on ADA improvements, energy efficiency, and safety. This will be achieved through renovations to the exterior building envelope, which includes replacing the roof, gutters, windows, entry and storm doors, as well as the entry door stoops; interior kitchen, bathroom and community room renovations, including ADA accessibility; new interior doors, water closets, sinks, showers, and flooring; blown-in attic insulation; replacement of all mini split units throughout the complex; electrical upgrades, including interior and exterior lighting, emergency lighting, smoke/carbon monoxide detectors, as well as building service panels and meter cans; and site work, including improving drainage, parking lot repairs and expansion, as well as ADA ramp additions and improvements.
Watertown – Country Ridge ($2,000,000): The proposed renovations for the complex include replacement of roofing materials, installation of new Energy Star-rated triple pane windows, and installation of new entry doors and storm doors. These renovations aim to improve the long-term sustainability and independence of the property.
Windsor – Housing Rehabilitation Program ($400,000): The Town of Windsor will use the funding to continue its Housing Rehabilitation Loan Program to help low and moderate-income homeowners rehabilitate their homes. Ten housing units are expected to be rehabilitated. Upgrades will include roof replacement, heating systems, window replacement, lead paint and asbestos removal, and electrical and code upgrades.
For more information about the CDBG Small Cities program, visitportal.ct.gov/doh/doh/programs/small-cities-program.
Source: United States Senator MarkWayne Mullin (R-Oklahoma)
ICYMI from Bloomberg: “Markwayne Mullin’s Personal Bond Propels Him to Trump Confidant”
Washington, D.C. – ICYMI, Bloomberg Government published the following story this morning crediting U.S. Senator Markwayne Mullin (R-OK) as, “one of the most influential lawmakers in Trump’s second term.” Bloomberg notes Mullin’s position as a powerful nexus lawmaker among the White House, GOP House majority, and the Republican-led Senate. The story also includes that Mullin, “played a pivotal role” in getting some of Trump’s cabinet nominees across the finish line, including Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and HHS pick Robert F. Kennedy Jr., among others.
Read the full Mullin profile story from Bloomberg Government HERE and below:
Markwayne Mullin’s Personal Bond Propels Him to Trump ConfidantBy Ian Kullgren | February 13, 2025 5:00AM ET
Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.) is an unconventional leading ally for President Donald Trump. As Trump prepared to return to Washington, plenty of Republicans with higher profiles and deeper pockets were jockeying to be his congressional facilitator-in-chief.
To understand Mullin’s rise from congressman to senator to Trump confidant, it must be recognized this isn’t a relationship built on politics — rather one forged in the deeply personal throes of a tragedy deferred.
In early 2020, Mullin’s 15-year-old son, Jim, suffered a life-threatening blow to the head while wrestling, his pulse faint as paramedics airlifted him to a Tulsa hospital. When Trump learned what Mullin’s family was facing, he began calling.
He never stopped.
“He was at rehab for 18 months,” Mullin said in an interview with Bloomberg Government on Capitol Hill. “The president called every week. He flew to Bakersfield, California, to see him. He offered to help us financially, which we didn’t need, but he offered to help us financially with it. He still asks about him. Every time we talk, he still asks how my boy is doing.”
“You just see a different side of the guy. Not everybody sees it.”
‘Significant Relationship’
Mullin’s bond with the president has positioned him to be one of the most influential lawmakers in Trump’s second term, with both a direct line to the president and congressional ties to help shape his legislative agenda. He stuck by Trump during the times when the president’s political career seemed over — through Jan. 6, a second impeachment, and the barrage of criminal charges. In doing so, as Trump returned to the White House, Mullin had demonstrated the attribute he values above all: loyalty.
“There’s no question he has a significant relationship with the president,” Rep. Jason Smith (R-Mo.), Mullin’s close friend and roommate in Washington, told Bloomberg Government. “I know that to be certain.”
On the surface, Trump and Mullin look like opposites. Trump, as a boy in New York, had a chauffeur, while Mullin grew up with six siblings in rural Oklahoma.
The Oklahoman wears square-toed cowboy boots, a look his male staffers copy but one Trump wouldn’t be caught dead in. “And no, I don’t play golf,” Mullin said.
Despite lacking the name recognition of some of Trump’s other allies, his close ties to the House — where he served for a decade before becoming one of the youngest senators at 45 years old in 2023 — give him a level of influence across the Capitol few senators have.
Mullin still leads a bipartisan workout group at 6:30 a.m. in the House gym, a group that included former Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-Hawaii), who was confirmed on Wednesday as Trump’s director of National Intelligence, and former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy. It has become his forum for maintaining relationships and building new ones, Smith said.
“There’s not one senator over there that has better relationships with as many House members as Markwayne, and there is not a senator over there that campaigned more for Donald Trump,” Smith said.
Frequent Fighter
At the same time, he’s one of Trump’s most effective attack dogs. He posts on X frequently — often more than a dozen times a day — defending the administration’s policies, talking up his nominees, and slapping down the “woke” mob out to get Trump.
He spent weeks on the road campaigning for Trump last fall, and as a citizen of the Cherokee Nation, he’s one of the few Native Americans in Congress — an attribute that has made him a credible attack dog in Trump’s anti-DEI crusade.
“I grew up in Indian Country, living on the same land my ancestors were forced to move to,” Mullin posted on X last month. “I was born with bowed [legs] and a bad speech impediment. I lived in a barn. I NEVER let that be an excuse.”
Mullin also played a pivotal role in getting some of Trump’s nominees across the line, including Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. for Secretary of Health and Human Services, according to a senior White House official who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal strategy. The official described him as working tirelessly and being “energetic” in advancing Trump’s goals.
“President Trump loves people who are fighters,” said Rep. Kevin Hern (R-Okla.). “Clearly, Markwayne Mullin is a fighter.”
Mullin’s pugilistic nature was on show in 2023 when he threatened to fight Teamsters President Sean O’Brien during a committee hearing. The two nearly came to blows until Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) intervened. The clip went viral on social media, raising the profile of both men.
As far as the president is concerned, Mullin has distinguished himself as a resource, Justin Clark, a former Trump White House official who later worked for Mullin’s campaign, said. He is one of a few senators who had direct access to Trump, meaning he can call him directly rather than go through handlers, and has established a regular back-and-forth where the two exchange ideas.
Yet despite that access, Mullin doesn’t over-communicate — even as countless others constantly fight to get in the president’s ear.
Mullin said he talks to Trump a few times a week. The two had spoken that morning, he said. However, Mullin wouldn’t say what was discussed — offering a hint at why the relationship has blossomed.
“There’s a trust factor there, too,” he said.
Source: United States Senator Pete Ricketts (Nebraska)
February 12, 2025
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Pete Ricketts (R-NE), a member of the Senate Committee on the Budget, issued the following statement after voting to advance the budget reconciliation resolution:
“Americans elected President Trump to secure the border, unleash American energy, and restore American strength. This budget is the first step towards helping him do that. I look forward to passing it quickly to help deliver results for Nebraskans and the American people.”
Source: United States Senator Pete Ricketts (Nebraska)
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Pete Ricketts (R-NE) announced legislation that would urge our European allies to initiate the snapback of U.N. sanctions on Iran. Ricketts made the following comments while on a conference call with Nebraska media:
“Recently, President Trump took executive action to restore maximum pressure against Iran. He directed the Treasury and State Departments to try and drive Iran’s oil exports to zero – which will stop their ability to fund terrorism,” Ricketts said. “He also directed our UN Ambassador to pressure our allies to ‘complete the snapback of sanctions and restrictions on Iran.’ President Trump’s actions will make our country safer. But he can’t do it alone. Our allies, including the United Kingdom, France, and Germany, also known as the E3, will need to do the same.
“That’s why I will soon introduce legislation pushing our European allies to initiate a snapback of U.N. sanctions on Iran. These snapback sanctions would include export controls, travel bans, asset freezes, and other restrictions on those involved in Iranian nuclear and missile activities,” Ricketts continued. “My legislation would deliver a strong message to our European allies: they need to step up. Iran’s possession of a nuclear weapon would threaten our security and the security of our allies. Snapback sanctions are key to ensuring that President Trump’s maximum pressure policy is successful.”
[embedded content]
Watch the video HERE.
Today, the Water Security Agency (WSA) released the preliminary spring runoff report for 2025.
While much of Saskatchewan experienced below-normal precipitation, leading to dry conditions at freeze-up last fall, overall conditions improved compared to last year. Most major reservoirs in southern Saskatchewan are at or above normal levels and are expected to be near normal levels following spring runoff.
Winter precipitation has been variable across the province, ranging from below normal in south-central and northern Saskatchewan, to above normal in parts of the southwest and west central portions of the province.
Currently, Lake Diefenbaker, the province’s main water supply, is above normal levels for this time of year and inflows this winter have been near normal.
“In anticipation of potential below normal runoff from the alpine region, WSA has implemented an overwinter operating plan at Lake Diefenbaker that still focuses on retaining water supplies to ensure safe, reliable drinking water for communities and other users,” Minister Responsible for the Water Security Agency Daryl Harrison said.
A more complete assessment of potential runoff conditions will be available after snowpack survey data is gathered later in February. Snowpack data, collected from over 100 locations across the province, provides a comprehensive view of moisture conditions, helping to refine runoff forecasts and water management decisions.
Parts of southern and central Saskatchewan are expected to see an above normal runoff response as a result of an above normal snowpack in combination with wetter fall conditions. Below normal conditions continue in northern Saskatchewan and the south- and east-central parts of the province.
In the Souris Basin, reservoirs are projected to remain within normal operating ranges. All lakes within the Qu’Appelle River Basin are expected to remain in the normal operating ranges.
WSA will continue to monitor and report on conditions as they develop.
Dr. Maxwell Eder recently joined the Calhoun Cardiology Center at UConn Health. The Center is celebrating its 20th anniversary of advancing cardiovascular care, research, and training the next generation of heart doctors.
“UConn Health is an excellent place for general cardiology,” says Eder. “General cardiology allows me to care for a wide variety of heart patients which I really enjoy!”
Eder serves as an assistant professor of cardiology at UConn School of Medicine. He joined the UConn faculty from Yale where he completed both his residency and fellowship training in general cardiology.
Eder cares for patients at UConn Health ranging from those who simply want to prevent heart disease or lower their risk factors to those with a cardiovascular disease diagnosis and are being treated in the echocardiography lab or as inpatients at UConn John Dempsey Hospital.
Eder loves the heart.
Maxwell Eder, MD, is a general cardiologist in the Pat and Jim Calhoun Cardiology Center at UConn Health (Tina Encarnacion/UConn Health Photo).
“I really like the complexity of this muscle we call the heart,” says Eder. “It is more than just a muscle, a lot more. The heart has a very unique pathology, its own piping, and even its own electrical system too.”
Plus, Eder loves the heart patients he gets to meet.
“I really connect with my heart patients. It’s very gratifying to be able to offer them really great and evidence-based treatments,” Eder says who finds it also rewarding to meet with patients who are looking to prevent heart disease.
“I am happy to see all patients, but most people don’t need a practicing cardiologist to begin to prevent heart disease today, right now,” Eder says about heart disease which remains the leading cause of death of American men and women.
According to Eder, if someone has a new concern or change in their heart health or risk factors for the disease such as a sedentary lifestyle, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, was a past smoker, or has a strong family history of heart attack or stroke, it’s a very good idea to seek a consult with a cardiologist.
Eder advises three simple healthy lifestyle choices to begin preventing heart disease at any age.
First, eat heart healthy with a daily diet rich in fruits, vegetables, and high in fiber.
Second, stay active weekly with brisk walking or other vigorous exercise you enjoy. In fact, the official recommendation for exercise by the American Heart Association (AHA) is 150 minutes of moderate aerobic activity or 75 minutes of vigorous activity per week with strength training two days per week.
Lastly, don’t ever smoke, or quit smoking now, as it hardens and narrows the arteries in your body including those in the heart.
“If you eat healthy, exercise regularly, keep your cholesterol low, and avoid smoking your risk of developing heart disease will be much lower,” stresses Eder. “It’s never too early to start preventing heart disease and reducing your cardiovascular risk factors to prevent a heart attack or stroke in your lifetime.”
Eder concludes, “Live a healthy lifestyle, with everything in moderation. Do these few simple steps daily and you will be doing an amazing job of keeping your risk factors for cardiovascular disease low and maintaining your heart health.”
Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) State Crime Alerts (b)
CHICAGO — A federal grand jury in Chicago has indicted a high-ranking member of the Sinaloa Cartel in Mexico on a drug conspiracy charge for allegedly manufacturing and distributing fentanyl, cocaine, heroin, and other drugs and importing them into the United States.
According to an indictment returned Monday in the Northern District of Illinois, CEFERINO ESPINOZA ANGULO, 43, a dual citizen of the U.S. and Mexico, employed dozens of gunmen in Mexico to protect and support the leadership of the Guzman faction of the Sinaloa Cartel, including Ivan Guzman-Salazar, Jesus Alfredo Guzman-Salazar, Ovidio Guzman-Lopez, and Joaquin Guzman-Lopez, collectively known as “the Chapitos.” The indictment alleges that Espinoza Angulo worked with others to obtain fentanyl precursor chemicals and to manufacture fentanyl for importation into the United States. Espinoza Angulo allegedly worked with others to transport the fentanyl, cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine, and ecstasy toward the U.S. border for importation into the country. The indictment accuses Espinoza Angulo of illegally using a machine gun in furtherance of his drug trafficking crime.
The Chapitos are the sons of Joaquin Guzman Loera, also known as “El Chapo,” who led the Sinaloa Cartel before being convicted by a federal jury in Brooklyn, N.Y., and sentenced to life in prison. The Chapitos allegedly assumed their father’s role as leaders of the Sinaloa Cartel. The Chapitos have been charged with drug trafficking in other U.S. indictments.
The indictment against Espinoza Angulo charges him with drug conspiracy and a firearm offense, which are punishable by a maximum sentence of life in federal prison and a minimum of 30 years. Espinoza Angulo is believed to be residing in Mexico. A U.S. warrant has been issued for his arrest.
The indictment was announced by Morris Pasqual, Acting United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, Antoinette T. Bacon, Supervisory Official of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, Tara K. McGrath, United States Attorney for the Southern District of California, and Chad Yarbrough, Assistant Director of the FBI’s Criminal Investigative Division. Valuable assistance was provided by Homeland Security Investigations Field Offices in Arizona and Spokane, Wash.; DEA Special Operations Division, Bilateral Investigations Unit; FBI Field Offices in Washington, San Diego, and Los Angeles; and the Portland, Ore. Police Bureau, Narcotics and Organized Crime Unit, HIDTA Interdiction Taskforce. The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Michelle J. Parthum and Andrew C. Erskine of the Northern District of Illinois, Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Sutton of the Southern District of California, and Trial Attorney Kirk Handrich of the Criminal Division’s Narcotics and Dangerous Drug Section at the Justice Department.
The case is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles drug trafficking organizations and other criminal networks that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local enforcement agencies.
“Our nation’s fentanyl crisis has devastated individuals and families in northern Illinois and throughout the country,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Pasqual. “Our office will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to disrupt the production and trafficking of fentanyl and other dangerous narcotics before they can reach more victims.”
“As alleged, the defendant conspired to traffic dangerous drugs, including fentanyl, into the United States — and employed dozens of gunmen to protect his drug trafficking operation and the leadership of the Guzman faction of the Sinaloa Cartel,” said Supervisory Official Bacon. “Stopping Mexican cartels from poisoning our communities with fentanyl and other narcotics is a top priority of this Administration. Today’s indictment demonstrates that the Criminal Division is relentless in its pursuit of the drug traffickers who profit at the expense of the American people.”
“From San Diego to Chicago to D.C., we are united to bring down the traffickers pushing these poisons into American communities,” said U.S. Attorney McGrath. “We are attacking at every level — from street dealers to cartel leaders.”
“This indictment reinforces the FBI’s unwavering commitment to hold accountable those who endanger our communities and traffic violence and drugs across our borders,” said Assistant Director Yarbrough. “Let this serve as a clear message: if you engage in cartel activity, we will pursue you and bring you to justice. Together with our law enforcement partners at every level, we remain fully committed to protecting the American people and stopping the flow of these dangerous drugs into our nation.”
The public is reminded that an indictment is not evidence of guilt. The defendants are presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial at which the government has the burden of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
A New York man pleaded guilty yesterday in the Northern District of Georgia for his role in a scheme to defraud investors in connection with two commercial real estate investments.
According to court documents, Elchonon “Elie” Schwartz, 46, of New York City, engaged in a scheme to defraud investors who sought to invest in commercial real estate through the crowdfunding commercial real estate investing website CrowdStreet Marketplace (CrowdStreet). Beginning May 2022, Schwartz solicited investments through CrowdStreet for a large commercial real estate complex in Atlanta and ultimately raised approximately $54 million from about 654 investors. Beginning in November 2022, Schwartz solicited investments again through CrowdStreet in connection with a mixed-use building in Miami Beach, Florida, and ultimately raised approximately $8.8 million from about 167 investors. In total, Schwartz raised approximately $62.8 million from investors through CrowdStreet.
As part of the investment solicitation process, Schwartz executed agreements that stated, in part, that the funds raised from CrowdStreet investors would be held in segregated bank accounts controlled by Schwartz. In the documentation provided to CrowdStreet investors, Schwartz represented that he would only use the investors’ money to fund the investment in each property and that he had a fiduciary duty to safeguard the funds and to prohibit commingling or use of the money that did not benefit each investment.
Contrary to these representations, however, Schwartz misappropriated and converted the CrowdStreet investor funds for his own use. Schwartz directed substantially all the CrowdStreet investor money into his personal bank, personal brokerage account, and accounts for unrelated commercial real estate investments he controlled. For example, Schwartz used the CrowdStreet investor funds to purchase luxury watches, to invest in stocks and options in his brokerage account, and to pay for payroll expenses for his unrelated commercial real estate businesses. Ultimately, in mid-July 2023, the two corporate entities that Schwartz had formed to receive funds from CrowdStreet investors both filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.
Schwartz pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud. He is scheduled to be sentenced on May 19 and faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled at a later date. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Supervisory Official Antoinette T. Bacon of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, Acting U.S. Attorney Richard S. Moultrie Jr. for the Northern District of Georgia, and Acting Special Agent in Charge Sean Burke of the FBI Atlanta Field Office made the announcement.
The FBI Atlanta Field Office investigated the case. The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission’s Division of Enforcement provided valuable assistance in the investigation.
Trial Attorney Matthew F. Sullivan of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Kelly Connors for the Northern District of Georgia are prosecuting the case. Former Assistant U.S. Attorneys David O’Neal and Christopher Huber for the Northern District of Georgia provided substantial assistance with the investigation and prosecution.
Luxembourg, Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, February 13, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) – Codere Online Luxembourg, S.A. (Nasdaq: CDRO / CDROW) (the “Company” or “Codere Online”), a leading online gaming operator in Spain and Latin America, today announced that, by letter received on February 12, 2025, the Nasdaq Hearings Panel (the “Panel”) of The Nasdaq Stock Market LLC (“Nasdaq”) has determined to grant the Company’s request to continue its listing on Nasdaq, subject to the Company filing its annual report on Form 20-F for the year ended December 31, 2023 (the “2023 Annual Report”) on or before May 12, 2025.
The Panel’s determination follows a hearing on January 16, 2025, at which the Panel considered the Company’s plan to regain compliance with Listing Rule 5250(c)(1) (the “Rule”). The Company has and continues to work diligently with its new auditor to complete and file with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) its 2023 Annual Report and expects to do so within the extension period granted by the Panel, thereby regaining compliance with the Rule.
Following this positive development, the Company will release its fourth quarter 2024 results prior to 8:30AM US Eastern Time on Thursday, February 20, 2025. At 8:30AM US Eastern Time on the same day, Codere Online’s management will host a conference call to discuss the results and provide a business update.
The Company’s earnings press release and presentation will be available on Codere Online’s website at www.codereonline.com. Dial-in details for the conference call as well as the audio webcast registration link are accessible on the Events & Presentations section of the website. A recording of the webcast will be available following the conference call.
About Codere Online
Codere Online refers, collectively, to Codere Online Luxembourg, S.A. and its subsidiaries. Codere Online, launched in 2014 as part of the renowned casino operator Codere Group, offers online sports betting and online casino through its state-of-the art website and mobile applications. Codere Online currently operates in its core markets of Spain, Mexico, Colombia, Panama and Argentina; this online business is complemented by Codere Group’s physical presence in Spain and throughout Latin America, forming the foundation of the leading omnichannel gaming and casino presence.
Forward-Looking Statements Certain statements in this press release may constitute “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the “safe harbor” provisions of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements regarding the Company or its management team’s expectations, hopes, beliefs, intentions or strategies regarding the future, including the Company’s expectations about the timing of completion and filing of the 2023 Annual Report, statements related to the Company’s plan, timing and actions taken to regain compliance with the Rule.
These forward-looking statements are based on information available as of the date of this document and current expectations, forecasts and assumptions, and involve a number of judgments, risks and uncertainties. Accordingly, forward-looking statements should not be relied upon as representing the Company’s or its management team’s views as of any subsequent date, and the Company does not undertake any obligation to update forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date they were made, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as may be required under applicable securities laws.
As a result of a number of known and unknown risks and uncertainties, the Company’s actual results or performance may be materially different from those expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. There may be additional risks that the Company does not presently know or that the Company currently believes are immaterial that could also cause actual results to differ from those contained in the forward-looking statements. Additional information concerning certain of these and other risk factors is contained in Codere Online’s filings with the SEC. All subsequent written and oral forward-looking statements concerning Codere Online or other matters attributable to Codere Online or any person acting on their behalf are expressly qualified in their entirety by the cautionary statements above.
Contacts:
Investors and Media Guillermo Lancha Director, Investor Relations and Communications Guillermo.Lancha@codereonline.com (+34) 628.928.152
SAN FRANCISCO and SAN DIEGO, Feb. 13, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Pipe, a fintech company partnering with software platforms to deliver embedded financial solutions for SMBs, today announced its expansion to Canada through a partnership with Housecall Pro, the go-to software platform for over 45,000 home service companies. Together, the two companies are dramatically improving financial access for the industry by delivering Pipe’s embedded capital through the Housecall Pro platform. The move accelerates Pipe’s strategy of providing capital access to SMBs globally from within the software they already use to run their businesses. With this expansion, Pipe is now live in the U.S., the UK, and Canada, with additional geographies planned in the near future.
According to a recent study1, 87% of Canadian SMBs are confident in their performance, yet two-thirds struggle with cash flow, and many lack access to capital, hindering their growth and expansion. The situation in Canada is consistent with SMB markets in the United States and the UK, where Pipe Capital is being adopted rapidly to fill the hole left by banks and other traditional capital providers.
Housecall Pro offers an industry-leading SaaS operating platform combined with modern financial services to help home service professionals, or “Pros,” run all aspects of their business. Traditionally, businesses like the ones served by Housecall Pro have struggled to access the financing needed to grow — running into long application processes, credit checks, and excessive paperwork. With Pipe Capital, Housecall Pro can surface personalized offers to Pros embedded in the same platform they use to run their business. Through the partnership, Pipe is able to assess risk and deliver personalized offers to Pros based on live platform data on revenue streams, cash flow, and business performance.
Key capabilities of the embedded offering in the Housecall Pro platform include:
Customer-friendly financing without requiring credit checks or personal guarantees. No minimum monthly payments are required, and payments align with a Pro’s revenue.
Multiple ways to top up and boost financing offers, delivering similar benefits to a line of credit.
Access to capital in a few clicks with tailored go-to-market support.
“At Housecall Pro, we are dedicated to giving home service businesses the tools and resources they need to thrive and grow. Pipe’s customer-friendly capital solution aligns well with that mission,” said Valentina Durand, VP Strategy & Growth, Housecall Pro. “By offering our Canadian customers easy access to capital based on their present and future revenue, we’re helping them knock down common financial hurdles and invest in their growth. This streamlined solution increases our value proposition for customers, increases satisfaction and loyalty for Housecall Pro, and strengthens our position as a leading platform for home service professionals.”
“By partnering with an industry leader like Housecall Pro in Canada, we’re continuing to expand our global footprint to reach hundreds of thousands of small businesses that need capital to achieve their entrepreneurial dreams,” said Luke Voiles, CEO, Pipe. “The home services industry has historically been underserved by traditional financial organizations. Combining Housecall Pro’s unmatched technology and expertise in supporting this market with Pipe’s tailored risk models, together we’re able to provide the capital these SMBs need to grow and prosper.”
About Pipe Pipe makes customer-friendly capital and smart financial tools accessible to growing businesses inside the software they use every day. Our embedded solutions are built to scale and give business builders across industries the power to grow on their own terms. To learn more, visit www.pipe.com or follow us on X @pipe.
About Housecall Pro Housecall Pro is a top-rated business solution that helps home service professionals save time, sell bigger jobs, and provide best-in-class service. With easy-to-use tools for scheduling, dispatching, payments, and more, Housecall Pro enables Pros to manage every aspect of their business all in one place. The software is available through a mobile app and web portal for Pros across the United States and Canada. Founded in 2013, Housecall Pro has been championing Pros through streamlined solutions and strong community support for over nine years. Housecall Pro’s brand portfolio includes BuildBook, construction management software for builders and remodelers, and CONQUER, a business coaching solution for home service businesses.
Nashville, TN, Feb. 13, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — American Rebel Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ: AREB) (“American Rebel” or the “Company”), creator of American Rebel Beer (americanrebelbeer.com) and a designer, manufacturer, and marketer of branded safes, personal security and self-defense products and apparel (americanrebel.com), is very excited to announce that customers across 40 US states can now order American Rebel Light Lager online at americanrebelbeer.com. American Rebel Beer has accomplished this milestone by contracting with Bevstack, a leading platform aiding adult beverage brands in expanding the brand’s e-commerce presence. A customer’s order at americanrebelbeer.com to one of the 40 compliant states is routed directly from americanrebelbeer.com to a network of over 1,300 retailers across the 40 participating states, enabling in-state shipping and timely delivery.
“Customers now have the ability to enjoy America’s Patriotic, God-Fearing, Constitution-Loving, National Anthem-Singing, Stand Your Ground Beer across 40 US states,” said American Rebel CEO Andy Ross. “As we grow our brick-and-mortar distribution network it’s really exciting for customers in states or areas our beer is not yet physically stocked in stores to be able to buy our beer.”
“Another great benefit of being able to sell Rebel Light online is that potential investors can now try our beer,” said Andy Ross. “People love our brand and what we stand for, but they also want to love the taste of our beer. No matter how much I tell them they’re going to love it, there’s nothing like tasting it yourself.”
American Rebel Light Beer orders at americanrebelbeer.com can be shipped to Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, District of Columbia, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, North Carolina, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Texas, Vermont, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin and Wyoming.
About American Rebel Light Beer
Produced in partnership with AlcSource, American Rebel Light Beer (americanrebelbeer.com) is a premium domestic light lager celebrated for its exceptional quality and patriotic values. It stands out as America’s Patriotic, God-Fearing, Constitution-Loving, National Anthem-Singing, Stand Your Ground Beer.
American Rebel Light is a Premium Domestic Light Lager Beer – All Natural, Crisp, Clean and Bold Taste with a Lighter Feel. With approximately 100 calories, 3.2 carbohydrates, and 4.3% alcoholic content per 12 oz serving, American Rebel Light Beer delivers a lighter option for those who love great beer but prefer a more balanced lifestyle. It’s all natural with no added supplements and importantly does not use corn, rice, or other sweeteners typically found in mass produced beers.
About Bevstack
Bevstack stands as the leading platform aiding adult beverage brands in expanding their e-commerce presence. With a three-tier compliant retail network, seamless technology, and unparalleled customer service, Bevstack is dedicated to fostering the growth and success of brands in the digital marketplace. Visit Bevstack.com for more info.
About American Rebel Holdings, Inc.
American Rebel Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ: AREB) has operated primarily as a designer, manufacturer and marketer of branded safes and personal security and self-defense products and has recently transitioned into the beverage industry through the introduction of American Rebel Light Beer. The Company also designs and produces branded apparel and accessories. To learn more, visit www.americanrebel.com and www.americanrebelbeer.com. For investor information, visit www.americanrebel.com/investor-relations.
This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. American Rebel Holdings, Inc., (NASDAQ: AREB; AREBW) (the “Company,” “American Rebel,” “we,” “our” or “us”) desires to take advantage of the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and is including this cautionary statement in connection with this safe harbor legislation. The words “forecasts” “believe,” “may,” “estimate,” “continue,” “anticipate,” “intend,” “should,” “plan,” “could,” “target,” “potential,” “is likely,” “expect” and similar expressions, as they relate to us, are intended to identify forward-looking statements. We have based these forward-looking statements primarily on our current expectations and projections about future events and financial trends that we believe may affect our financial condition, results of operations, business strategy, and financial needs. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ from those in the forward-looking statements include benefits of selling beer online, actual placement timing and availability of American Rebel Beer, success and availability of the promotional activities, our ability to effectively execute our business plan, and the Risk Factors contained within our filings with the SEC, including our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2023. Any forward-looking statement made by us herein speaks only as of the date on which it is made. Factors or events that could cause our actual results to differ may emerge from time to time, and it is not possible for us to predict all of them. We undertake no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future developments or otherwise, except as may be required by law.
Golar LNG Limited (“Golar”) announces today that it has executed agreements to sell the 2003 built steam turbine LNG carrier, Golar Arctic. The sale price for the vessel is USD 24 million before transaction related expenses. The LNG carrier is unencumbered. The transaction is expected to close, and the vessel is to be handed over to its new owner, within Q1 2025. The Golar Arctic is the last LNG carrier in the Golar fleet. Following the vessel sale, Golar will have fully exited its legacy shipping business.
The LNG carrier Fuji LNG discharged its final cargo as an LNG carrier in January 2025, and has now arrived in China preparing to enter CIMC shipyard for conversion into a MKII FLNG later this month.
Golar CEO Karl Fredrik Staubo commented: “The sale of the Golar Arctic marks the conclusion of Golar’s planned exit from the LNG shipping segment, 50 years after taking delivery of our first LNG carrier in 1975. Over the last 50 years LNG shipping has been the foundation for Golar’s pioneering maritime LNG infrastructure advances, including FSRUs and FLNGs. Golar’s transition into a focused FLNG infrastructure company is now complete. We look forward to expanding our market leading FLNG position.”
FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENTS This press release contains forward-looking statements (as defined in Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended) which reflect management’s current expectations, estimates and projections about its operations. All statements, other than statements of historical facts, that address activities and events that will, should, could or may occur in the future are forward-looking statements. Words such as “may,” “could,” “should,” “would,” “expect,” “plan,” “anticipate,” “intend,” “forecast,” “believe,” “estimate,” “predict,” “propose,” “potential,” “continue,” “subject to” or the negative of these terms and similar expressions are intended to identify such forward-looking statements.
These statements are not guarantees of future performance and are subject to certain risks, uncertainties and other factors, some of which are beyond our control and are difficult to predict. Therefore, actual outcomes and results may differ materially from what is expressed or forecasted in such forward-looking statements. You should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this press release. Golar LNG Limited undertakes no obligation to update publicly any forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, unless required by applicable law.
Hamilton, Bermuda February 13, 2025
Investor Questions: +44 207 063 7900 Karl Fredrik Staubo – CEO Eduardo Maranhão – CFO Stuart Buchanan – Head of Investor Relations
This information is subject to the disclosure requirements pursuant to Section 5-12 the Norwegian Securities Trading Act
Federal courts regularly engage in public outreach and civics education efforts. A new interactive civics map is helping the public more easily find court educational resources and civics program information nationwide.
The tool, developed by the Federal Judicial Center (FJC), the education and research agency for the federal courts, acts as a central repository for local court-created educational resources and civics programs. It includes, for example, information about notable or historic cases and courthouse history and about recurring programs, such as courthouse tours, institutes for teachers, and civics contests for students.
Visitors can navigate across multiple display types and filtering options to view various civics offerings from different judicial districts. One view links to program information pages from the respective court website about its recurring civics programs.
Learn more about the new tool from the FJC civics education and outreach page.
Visit the educational resources section on the U.S. Courts website for additional information about the federal Judiciary’s national civics initiatives and educational activities.
Jacksonville, Florida – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces the return of an indictment charging Maico Miguel Perez (27, Mexico) with illegal reentry by a previously deported alien. If convicted, Miguel Perez faces a maximum penalty of two years in federal prison.
According to court documents, Miguel Perez is a citizen and national of Mexico. He was previously removed from the United States on November 23, 2022. Miguel Perez was found voluntarily back in the United States on September 2, 2024, when he was arrested in Duval County on a local warrant. Miguel Perez has not received the consent of the Attorney General or the Secretary of Homeland Security for the United States 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 Removal Operations (ERO). It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kelli Swaney.
Source: United States Senator for Oklahoma James Lankford
February 13, 2025
WASHINGTON, DC – Senator James Lankford (R-OK) today released the latest edition of his government waste book, Federal Fumbles: A Playbook for DOGE. Lankford reveals billions of dollars lost to wasteful spending, inefficiencies, fraud, and improper payments. The book also exposes the 30 different agencies involved in disaster relief and $2 billon that was given to the Taliban through United States Agency for International Development (USAID).
“Every time I talk with Oklahomans, they make it clear they want Washington to waste less and save more. My Federal Fumbles book is another edition of our playbook to cut waste and make government more efficient. This is the mandate that the American people voted to implement and we are committed to accomplish,” said Lankford.
CLICK HERE to read the report and CLICK HERE for a printable version.
CLICK HERE to view the Top 5 list.
New York, N.Y., Feb. 13, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — NANO Nuclear Energy Inc. (NASDAQ: NNE) (“NANO Nuclear” or “the Company”), a leading advanced nuclear energy and technology company focused on developing clean energy solutions, is pleased to announce that it has been included in the MSCI USA Index, effective as of February 28, 2025, following the February index review by MSCI Inc.
The MSCI USA Index is a part of the MSCI Global Small Cap Indexes, which capture small cap representation across 23 Developed Market countries. The index covers approximately 14% of the free float-adjusted market capitalization in each country. MSCI is a leading provider of decision support tools and services for the global investment community, backed by over 50 years of expertise in research, data, and technology. Widely recognized by international financial markets and referenced by global investment institutions, MSCI’s stock indexes cover high-performing, high-potential companies.
“Our addition to the MSCI US Index is a validation of our business approach and trajectory as we continue to build upon a great 2024, during which our company was the top performing initial public offering in the U.S.,” said Jay Yu, Founder and Chairman of NANO Nuclear Energy. “We believe this will also significantly enhance our visibility and accessibility among capital markets and institutional investors worldwide. This continued global access will play a part to reinforce our position as a leading innovator in the advanced nuclear energy technology sector.”
Figure 1 – NANO Nuclear Energy Inc. Announces its Inclusion in the MSCI USA Index, effective February 28, 2025.
“Building on a strong 2024 for NANO Nuclear, we’re thrilled to begin 2025 with our inclusion in the MSCI USA Index,” said James Walker, Chief Executive Officer and Head of Reactor Development of NANO Nuclear Energy. “This milestone reflects the market’s growing appetite for next-generation nuclear energy technologies and endorses our strategic growth initiatives. We are eager to build on this achievement in the coming months.”
About NANO Nuclear Energy, Inc.
NANO Nuclear Energy Inc. (NASDAQ: NNE) is an advanced technology-driven nuclear energy company seeking to become a commercially focused, diversified, and vertically integrated company across five business lines: (i) cutting edge portable and other microreactor technologies, (ii) nuclear fuel fabrication, (iii) nuclear fuel transportation, (iv) nuclear applications for space and (v) nuclear industry consulting services. NANO Nuclear believes it is the first portable nuclear microreactor company to be listed publicly in the U.S.
Led by a world-class nuclear engineering team, NANO Nuclear’s reactor products in development include “ZEUS”, a solid core battery reactor, and “ODIN”, a low-pressure coolant reactor, each representing advanced developments in clean energy solutions that are portable, on-demand capable, advanced nuclear microreactors. NANO Nuclear is also developing patented stationary KRONOS MMR™ Energy System and space focused, portable LOKI MMR™.
Advanced Fuel Transportation Inc. (AFT), a NANO Nuclear subsidiary, is led by former executives from the largest transportation company in the world aiming to build a North American transportation company that will provide commercial quantities of HALEU fuel to small modular reactors, microreactor companies, national laboratories, military, and DOE programs. Through NANO Nuclear, AFT is the exclusive licensee of a patented high-capacity HALEU fuel transportation basket developed by three major U.S. national nuclear laboratories and funded by the Department of Energy. Assuming development and commercialization, AFT is expected to form part of the only vertically integrated nuclear fuel business of its kind in North America.
HALEU Energy Fuel Inc. (HEF), a NANO Nuclear subsidiary, is focusing on the future development of a domestic source for a High-Assay, Low-Enriched Uranium (HALEU) fuel fabrication pipeline for NANO Nuclear’s own microreactors as well as the broader advanced nuclear reactor industry.
NANO Nuclear Space Inc. (NNS), a NANO Nuclear subsidiary, is exploring the potential commercial applications of NANO Nuclear’s developing micronuclear reactor technology in space. NNS is focusing on applications such as the LOKI MMR™ system and other power systems for extraterrestrial projects and human sustaining environments, and potentially propulsion technology for long haul space missions. NNS’ initial focus will be on cis-lunar applications, referring to uses in the space region extending from Earth to the area surrounding the Moon’s surface.
This news release and statements of NANO Nuclear’s management in connection with this news release contain or may contain “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. In this context, forward-looking statements mean statements related to future events, which may impact our expected future business and financial performance, and often contain words such as “expects”, “anticipates”, “intends”, “plans”, “believes”, “potential”, “will”, “should”, “could”, “would” or “may” and other words of similar meaning. In this press release, forward-looking statements include those related to the anticipated benefits of being included in the MSCI USA Index as described herein. These and other forward-looking statements are based on information available to us as of the date of this news release and represent management’s current views and assumptions. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance, events or results and involve significant known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, which may be beyond our control. For NANO Nuclear, particular risks and uncertainties that could cause our actual future results to differ materially from those expressed in our forward-looking statements include but are not limited to the following: (i) risks related to our U.S. Department of Energy (“DOE”) or related state or non-U.S. nuclear fuel licensing submissions, (ii) risks related the development of new or advanced technology and the acquisition of complimentary technology or businesses, including difficulties with design and testing, cost overruns, regulatory delays, integration issues and the development of competitive technology, (iii) our ability to obtain contracts and funding to be able to continue operations, (iv) risks related to uncertainty regarding our ability to technologically develop and commercially deploy a competitive advanced nuclear reactor or other technology in the timelines we anticipate, if ever, (v) risks related to the impact of U.S. and non-U.S. government regulation, policies and licensing requirements, including by the DOE and the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, including those associated with the recently enacted ADVANCE Act, and (vi) similar risks and uncertainties associated with the operating an early stage business a highly regulated and rapidly evolving industry. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which apply only as of the date of this news release. These factors may not constitute all factors that could cause actual results to differ from those discussed in any forward-looking statement, and NANO Nuclear therefore encourages investors to review other factors that may affect future results in its filings with the SEC, which are available for review at www.sec.gov and at https://ir.nanonuclearenergy.com/financial-information/sec-filings. Accordingly, forward-looking statements should not be relied upon as a predictor of actual results. We do not undertake to update our forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances that may arise after the date of this news release, except as required by law.
– The Credit Line Guaranty of $4 Million is to Further the DriveItAway Mission to Solve the Personal Transportation Problem of Entry Level Employees in the U.S., and Supply Vehicles for its Small Commercial Enterprises, by Enabling Individuals and Small Businesses the Ability to Drive and Then Buy Quality Vehicles on the DriveItAway all Digital Flexible Lease Subscription Mobility Platform
– The Funding Guaranty is from Fleet and Mobility Technology Leader Menachem Light, the Co-Founder of Voyager Global Mobility (VGM) the innovative mobility supply company that provides professionally managed vehicles in North America to driver and software company partners through its internally operated companies and its wholly owned subsidiaries Buggy TLC (United States), FastTrack Leasing TLC (United States) and Mi Nave (Mexico)
– Menachem Light will immediately Chair DriveItAway Holdings Inc.’s newly created Board of Advisors, as the Company Broadens its Resources with Leaders with Deep Industry Expertise,
DriveItAway Holdings, Inc. ( OTC Marketplace: DWAY) (“DriveItAway” and “Company”), an automotive industry leader in new digital mobility platforms with its unique “micro-lease/subscription to purchase” technology, continues to gain traction and visibility in its mission to enable all to drive, and then buy, affordable quality personal transportation, announces today the closing of a four million dollar credit line funding guaranty from Menachem Light, a noted national leader in the vehicle rental industry. He has also agreed to serve on the Company’s Board of Advisors as Chairman.
Menachem Light, is the Co-Founder of Voyager Global Mobility (VGM), a growing mobility supply company that provides professionally managed vehicles in North America to driver and software company partners on the trillion-dollar asset side of the smart mobility industry: ride-hailing, on-demand travel, and car sharing. Through its internally operated companies and its wholly owned subsidiaries Buggy TLC (United States), FastTrack Leasing TLC (United States) and Mi Nave (Mexico), and partners closely with Uber, Lyft, Via, Didi, Turo and Getaround as it efficiently grows its market share in this hyper-fragmented supply industry.
DriveItAway will use the credit guaranty to increase its own company-owned fleet, operating on its unique app-based digital platform that easily and transparently provides vehicle subscriptions, long-term rentals and flexible leases to individuals, and now small businesses, regardless of credit score, credit history or cash down payment.
“According to Deloitte’s 2025 Global Automotive Consumer Study, 44% of 18-34 year olds in the US are somewhat or very interested in giving up vehicle ownership for subscription model, yet very few car dealerships offer vehicle subscriptions or flexible leases as an option,” says John F. Possumato, Founder & CEO of DriveItAway Holdings, Inc., “While we are fundamentally a turnkey Software as a Service for car dealerships who want to offer vehicle subscriptions and flexible leases to all prospects (including those who ‘fall of the buying grid’ due to a poor credit scores), increasing our own fleet of vehicles serves not only to increase revenues and continues to improve our technology, but also acts as an ‘open book’ example to our chosen supplier car dealer partners that may be interested in using our platform to provide this turnkey service with their own inventory, as a unique competitive advantage for gaining new potential vehicle prospects who are looking for such a service but who currently are not being offered this option – we don’t just offer SaaS, we put ‘our money where our mouth is’ in demonstrating, first hand, the returns and advantages.”
“As outlined in my ‘Year End Message to Shareholders’ last month, we believe that we are at the forefront of a massive opportunity for our new automotive retailing technology to solve the needs of a vast number of people and small businesses, and one of our goals for the new year is to work and be guided by the very best in our sector of the industry to reach our true potential,” continues Possumato, “which is why I am the most pleased and excited to announce that Menachem Light, a true industry icon, has agreed to Chair our newly created Board of Advisors to help us with long-term strategy and growth. We are very fortunate that Menachem will help us achieve and fully leverage the massive opportunity we see ahead.”
“As one of the original three co-founders of Buggy, which grew from just one vehicle in New York City to over 14,000 vehicles globally, I believe that I can truly help DriveItAway on this path to scale,” says Menachem Light, Co-Founder of Voyager Global Mobility. “I think there is tremendous opportunity here as the way people ‘acquire’ personal transportation begins to change, and DriveItAway provides the technology needed to enable all automotive retailers to adapt to these changes, which is why I am ‘all in’ in helping John and his team at DriveItAway achieve and leverage this tremendous scalable business.”
“Menachem Light, Co-Founder of Voyager Global Mobility, and I are scheduled as guests on an upcoming episode of ‘The EVs for Everyone Podcast‘ with Elena Ciccotelli, to discuss the future developments of automotive fleet and retailing technologies and where EVs fit into the mix,” notes Possumato.
DriveItAway will be filing its annual 10K for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2024, and the Quarterly Report for the First Quarter December 31, 2024, in the near future.
Download the DriveItAway app today at DriveItAway.
About DriveItAway Holdings, Inc.
DriveItAway Holdings, Inc. is the first national dealer-focused mobility platform that enables car dealers to sell more vehicles in a seamless way through eCommerce, with its exclusive “Pay as You Go” app-based subscription. DriveItAway provides a comprehensive turn-key, solutions-driven program with proprietary mobile technology and driver app, insurance coverages, and training to get dealerships up and running quickly and profitably in emerging online sales opportunities, to gain sales and market share.
This press release may contain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the federal securities laws. Forward-looking statements relate to expectations, beliefs, projections, future plans and strategies, anticipated events or trends and similar expressions concerning matters that are not historical facts. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by the use of forward-looking terminology such as “may,” “will,” “should,” “expects,” “intends,” “plans,” “anticipates,” “believes,” “estimates,” “predicts,” or “potential” or the negative of these words and phrases or similar words or phrases which are predictions of or indicate future events or trends and which do not relate solely to historical matters. Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties, assumptions and contingencies, many of which are beyond our control, and may cause actual results to differ significantly from those expressed in any forward-looking statement. All forward-looking statements reflect our good faith beliefs, assumptions, and expectations, but they are not guarantees of future performance. We caution investors not to unduly rely on any forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this press release.
In the middle of Super Bowl LIX, President Donald Trump posted on social media that he was getting rid of the penny. Since the lowly penny in 2024 cost about 3.7 cents to make – meaning the government loses money on every coin – the announcement might seem practical at first glance. But does the president have the power to kill off the penny?
I’m a business schoolprofessor and a longtime advocate for physical money who has written op-eds supporting the penny in The Wall Street Journal and CNN. My forthcoming book, “The Power of Cash,” explores the many advantages of using old-fashioned currency. Yet inflation has slashed the value of the penny by a third in just the past decade, and even I now admit that its time is up.
But eliminating the penny via a social media post isn’t just legally dubious. It could cause more problems than it solves.
The penny problem
Critics see the penny as a shining example of government waste. Last year, the U.S. Mint lost US$85 million making pennies, according to the bureau’s annual report. It also lost about $18 million minting nickels. Now, to be clear, just because the mint didn’t make money on pennies or nickels doesn’t mean it’s losing money overall. In 2024, the mint earned a profit of about $100 million making the country’s pocket change. Still, $85 million is no small sum.
Meanwhile, public opinion on the penny is split. Some surveys show support for it, but it has plenty of opponents. Many of my students cite carrying around “nuisance coins” like the penny as a reason for switching away from using cash.
The good news, for those who dislike the penny, is that the coin is disappearing on its own. The U.S. Mint has made about 5 billion pennies annually throughout the 2020s — down from about 11 billion each year in the 1990s. So far in 2025, it has only made about a quarter of a million pennies.
But is it legal?
Setting aside people’s feelings toward the penny, the problem with the president’s order, I think, is that only Congress can change the type of coins the mint produces.
Now the phrase “to coin money” is vague. To fix that, the United States’ second Congress passed the Coinage Act of 1792, which was signed into law by President George Washington. The act, which lays out how the mint operates and what it produces, says it must produce “Cents – each to be of the value of the one hundredth part of a dollar, and to contain eleven penny-weights of copper.”
Congress can modify this act anytime it wants – and it has. The 1792 act also required the mint to produce “Half Cents – each to be of the value of half a cent.” These coins were eliminated in 1857 by an act of Congress. Similarly, before 1965, many U.S. coins were made out of silver. After a 1965 congressional amendment to the act passed, they were made out of a cheaper composite.
And lawmakers have tried several times to eliminate the penny. In 1989, for example, Arizona Rep. Jim Hayes proposed the Price Rounding Act, which called for cash purchases to be rounded to the nearest nickel. It didn’t pass. More recently, in 2017, Republican Senator John McCain introduced the COINS act, which would have eliminated the minting of pennies. The bill also proposed switching the paper one-dollar bill to a metal coin. It, too, didn’t pass.
What happens if pennies go?
Since Congress has failed to eliminate the penny in the past, Trump is trying to do so via a direct order to the Treasury secretary. However, many of Trump’s actions are being challenged in court. For the sake of argument, let’s assume no one challenges the order to kill off production of the penny.
A big problem remains. Even if the U.S. stopped making pennies, they’d remain legal tender and people would still need them as change. In simple terms, the supply would change, but not the demand.
Past efforts to phase out the penny have tried to deal with this problem by requiring rounding, but Trump’s effort doesn’t do this. I think it’s entirely possible that people opposed to Trump would organize national “Demand your penny in change” days in an attempt to embarrass the president.
The U.S. government loses less than $10 million a month minting pennies. In theory, Congress could pass legislation eliminating the penny and requiring rounding within a month or two. The cost to the government for doing things legally is low. If the penny has to go, let Congress do it the right way.
Jay L. Zagorsky does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
Bob Dylan gives his first concert in Israel in 1987 in Tel Aviv, playing with Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers.AP Photo/Anat Givon
James Mangold’s film “A Complete Unknown,” nominated for eight Oscars, captures the elusive, enigmatic quality of Bob Dylan in the early 1960s: the years he emerged as a major musical and cultural phenomenon. A scant few years after he came to New York from Minnesota, and legally changed his name from Robert Allen Zimmerman, Dylan transformed American music.
Especially “unknown” and baffling is Dylan’s religious and spiritual identity, one that has undergone many transformations. Mangold’s film avoids these questions, as does his 2005 film “Walk the Line,” a Johnny Cash biopic. The filmmaker – and much of Hollywood in general – must believe religion isn’t good at the box office.
As a music fan and scholar of religion, I have long been interested in artists’ religious backgrounds. Cash’s tumultuous life, like his friend and collaborator Dylan’s, was rich in religious affiliations and commitments.
And both of these musical giants shared a connection with Israel, defying calls to cancel performances there over concern for Palestinian rights – similar to artists’ debates in recent years. Dylan’s, in particular, is difficult to parse and part of his larger spiritual journey – one that’s rambled through Judaism and Christianity and back again.
Bob Zimmerman
The last time Dylan took the stage in Israel was at Tel Aviv’s Ramat Gan Stadium in June 2011. It had been 18 years since his last performance in the country, though he had made many personal visits in the interim.
He was, of course, a household name in Israel, revered by the young as well as the not so young. The audience members that evening, according to the Haaretz reporter who covered the event, were
“overwhelmingly young, overwhelmingly native-born Israelis.”
Surely everyone in attendance knew that Dylan had been born Robert Zimmerman – indeed, that he had a long, complicated relationship with Israel and with Judaism itself.
Bob Dylan, right, and a friend visit the Western Wall in Jerusalem on April 6, 1971. AP Photo
Young Zimmerman grew up in Hibbing, Minnesota, in a home that emphasized Jewish identity, if not its religious rituals. A visiting Orthodox rabbi had prepared him for his bar mitzvah, which took place in May 1954, with 400 guests in attendance. That summer, Zimmerman attended Camp Herzl in Wisconsin, a Jewish camp with a Zionist orientation; he would return there the following summers as well. At Camp Herzl young Bob formed his first musical group, the Jokers.
In his mid-20s, he married Sara Lownds, a Jewish woman with whom he had five children. Dylan made his first private visit to Israel in 1969 and returned regularly in the early 1970s. In May 1971, he celebrated his 30th birthday in Jerusalem; photos of him at the Western Wall appeared in Israeli and American newspapers, fueling speculation that he had “found religion” in the holy city.
In some ways, the young star put distance between himself and his Jewish roots – he was now Dylan, after all, not Zimmerman. But even in these early years, as throughout his career, “Dylanologists” delighted in the biblical allusions in some of his songs – including irreverent ones, at least at first glance.
“Highway 61 Revised,” for example, the title track of a 1965 album, kicks off with the binding of Isaac: a section of the Book of Genesis where God famously tests Abraham with a command – reprieved at the last moment – to kill his beloved child:
Yeah, God said to Abraham, “Kill me a son”
Abe said, “Man, you must be puttin’ me on”
God said, “No”, Abe said, “What?”
Twists and turns
But Dylan confounded both his admirers and his critics, turning abruptly in the late 1970s to evangelical Christianity. After his conversion, Dylan took a course at Vineyard Christian Fellowship in Los Angeles, which emphasized the end-time narratives of the New Testament Book of Revelation.
His years as a born-again Christian resulted in a series of gospel-influenced albums and at least one more visit to Israel during this early ’80s period. In 1987 he gave his first concerts there, kicking off his Temples in Flames world tour alongside Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers.
Within years of embracing Christianity, however, Dylan’s spiritual life yet again confounded his critics and fans, including the more scholarly obsessives known as “Dylanologists.” Born into Judaism, then a born-again evangelical, the rocker now forged ties to Chabad, an ultra-Orthodox Hasidic Jewish movement. Between 1986 and 1991, he made three appearances on the Chabad “To Life” Telethon, an annual fundraiser broadcast from Los Angeles.
Because Dylan was – and is – so private and publicity-shy, it is difficult to know whether such ecumenism represented true spiritual seeking, a political statement or sheer mischief.
Whether he was presenting himself as a born-again Christian, a supporter of Chabad or just a rock and roller, Dylan seemed inextricably connected to Israel in all its complexity. For example, many listeners interpreted the song “Neighborhood Bully” on his 1983 “Infidels” album as a “declaration of full-throated Israel support,” as Haaretz wrote.
Many fans interpret ‘Neighborhood Bully’ as sympathetic to Israel.
The lyrics presented the title character, the “bully,” as an unrepentant, besieged victim: “His enemies say he’s on their land/ They got him outnumbered a million to one/ He got no place to escape to, no place to run.”
‘Dylan lives here’
Dylan performed again in Israel in June 1993, bringing his summer tour to Tel Aviv, Beersheba and Haifa.
It would be nearly two decades before his next public performance in Israel, the 2011 concert at Ramat Gan. By then, performing in Israel had become much more controversial, with artists planning to tour there under scrutiny.
The boycott, divestment and sanctions movement publicly pressured the singer to cancel his Tel Aviv show, appealing to his past support of the American Civil Rights Movement. Activists called on Dylan “not to perform in Israel until it respects Palestinian human rights. A performance in Israel, today, is a vote of support for its policies of oppression, whether you intend for it to be that, or not.”
Ever the enigmatic artist, Dylan did not respond to the BDS appeal, nor did he cancel his concert. The towering pop-music icon did not say why. But many Israelis and Americans read his return as a gesture of support for the Jewish state in the face of widespread criticism.
Tel Aviv welcomed him with open arms, including a television news profile of his life, music and Jewish affiliations. Though he said nothing from the stage during the performance – late-career Dylan is notorious for not addressing the audience between songs – Israeli fans saw the concert as a triumphant homecoming.
“Dylan lives here. He lives in the culture of Israel,” wrote the Haaretz reviewer. “He has influenced Israel for the better more than any other American Jew.”
Since the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war in 2023, international criticism of Israeli policies has become much more strident. Dylan, as cryptic as ever, has neither joined the critics nor identified himself with Israel’s supporters.
Shalom Goldman does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
Source: The Conversation – USA – By Stefan Schmitt, Project Lead for International Technical Forensic Services Global Forensic Justice Center, Florida International University
As an expert in forensic anthropology and mass casualties in conflict, I was asked to evaluate what became known as the “Caesar photographs.” What was clear to me then, and is even more so now, is that those photos represented a systematic approach to torturing, killing and disappearing massive numbers of people by the Assad regime.
With Assad now gone, the newly formed government of the Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham has vowed to seek justice for the crimes Syrians suffered under Assad. Doing so will be difficult, even with the civil war in Syria being one of the better monitored conflicts in recent history. Yet it is a task that is imperative for the sake of pursuing justice in a shattered country and reducing the likelihood of violence returning to Syria.
Estimates of those killed since the start of civil conflict in 2011 range anywhere from 100,000 to over 600,000, with civilian deaths accounting for at least 160,000.
Many of these deaths have been at the hands of the Assad regime. But different armed groups, including the al-Nusra Front and Islamic State group, have also been accused of atrocities.
From the perspective of holding perpetrators accountable, that could complicate matters. The leader of now ruling Hayat Tahrir al-Sham is the founder of the al-Nusra Front and might not be willing to hold his group or others accountable or acknowledge the crimes of that group.
An uncovered mass grave believed to contain the remains of civilians killed by the ousted Assad regime in Daraa, Syria. Bekir Kasim/Anadolu via Getty Images
Who investigates?
There are three dimensions of accounting for the missing following conflict. First, there is the task of identifying and repatriating the remains of those in mass graves to allow family and friends to grieve. Second, the rights of victims to know the truth about what happened to their loved ones needs to be addressed. And finally, the process needs to provide justice, accountability and reconciliation, regardless of who was responsible.
But before this can take place, the question of who is responsible for the accounting needs to be addressed.
Countries coming out of civil conflict have turned to different mechanisms, from truth commissions to criminal tribunals. In the former Yugoslavia and Rwanda, special U.N. courts were set up to investigate and prosecute perpetrators of grievous crimes. These tribunals were created as independent judicial bodies dedicated to investigating and prosecuting those most responsible for the crimes that had been committed during conflict.
The nongovernmental Forensic Anthropology Foundation of Guatemala, or FAFG, has since 1993 formed a fundamental part of searching, identifying and repatriating the missing. FAFG collects personal information, DNA profiles and witness statements and is responsible for protecting the rights of victims’ families in Guatemala’s judicial system.
Its work continues to this day.
What crimes to include
As to the Syrian civil war, a decision over the scope of any investigation into the disappeared and dead will likewise have to be made.
Will it include all those missing and in mass graves in areas held by al-Nusra, the Islamic State group and other armed groups, as well as those killed by Assad? The fact that groups and individuals that now form the government could have been involved in human rights violations may risk future investigations being skewed toward just the victims of Assad.
Even if the scope was narrowed to Assad’s crimes, it’s unclear how far back one should go. Assad rule in Syria began more than 50 years ago under Assad’s father, Hafez al Assad. And killings and disappearances date back to the elder’s time in power, including the 1982 massacre in the city of Hama in which an estimated 20,000 to 40,000 were killed.
The role of the state
Another fact-finding question concerns the sharing of information between civil society groups and the state.
The information gathered on the war by various NGOs so far is technically held or “owned” by such groups, not the Syrian state. This is for a good reason, as victims trust these organizations to protect information from the perpetrators, some of whom might form part of the new government.
The International Commission on Missing Persons, an NGO with its seat in the Netherlands, gained its reputation while identifying the dead from the conflict in the former Yugoslavia in the 1990s and early 2000s. It has already collected and stored testimonies from over 76,200 Syrian relatives of more than 28,000 missing persons and has identified 66 mass grave locations. Other organizations have similar testimonies.
At some point, the state of Syria will need to be involved in the process. Legally and in practice, the state issues a citizen’s “civil identity” through things such as a birth certificate that establish a person with rights and responsibilities. In the same manner, the state issues death certificates in which the manner of death determines any judicial reactions – such as a criminal investigation in cases where the death is due to homicide.
The state is also important in resolving issues such as inheritance and widower status.
Identifying the remains from the mass graves is therefore not just a “technical” issue dependent on cutting-edge DNA laboratories and missing-persons databases. It is also something that any future Syrian state should work toward, and then own and take responsibility for.
Shifting responsibility away from the state to an international body would not really help Syria develop its own accountability mechanisms or hold the government to delivering justice for the victims and their families.
In my view, empowering victims in this transitional justice process needs to be a priority for the Syrian state. This includes the establishment of a transparent forensic and investigative effort to address the concerns of families searching for loved ones.
It should not, I believe, be outsourced. From my experience with similar processes elsewhere, it is important that Syrians become “experts” in all aspects of this process. No doubt, the task will take time and searching for the truth about what happened, and will involve perpetrators and victims alike.
It might well be a painful and painstaking process. But it is a necessary one if postconflict Syrian is to hold to account those who attempted to “erase” the identity of victims by disappearing them, burying them in mass graves, or leaving them under the bombed rubble of their neighborhoods.
Stefan Schmitt does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
Source: The Conversation – USA – By Paul Webster Hare, Master Lecturer and Interim Director of Latin American Studies, Boston University
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro with Richard Grenell, President Donald Trump’s special envoy, in Caracas, Venezuela, on Jan. 31, 2025. Venezuela’s presidential press office, via AP
The policy, which led Venezuela to officially sever ties with the United States, was consistent with the first Trump administration’s policy of maximum pressure and a desire for regime change when it came to the socialist government in Caracas.
Fast forward six years: The early days of Trump’s second administration has seen the U.S. president negotiate with Maduro over the release of detained Americans and an apparent willingness from Venezuela to receive hundreds of thousands of its nationals being deported from the U.S.
So far, the second Trump’s administration seems to be sticking to the line of not officially recognizing Maduro and preferring his departure from the scene. It has kept sanctions on the country intact and continues to recognize Maduro’s opponent, Edmundo González, as the legitimate president-elect.
But that hasn’t stopped the administration from pursuing negotiations. In late January, Trump’s envoy Richard Grenell visited Caracas to secure the release of six Americans accused by Venezuela of plotting to destabilize the country. Trump subsequently announced that Maduro would accept repatriation of deportations of Venezuelans in the U.S. The U.S. administration also revoked the Temporary Protected Status, a categorization prioritized by President Joe Biden, for hundreds of thousands of people who fled Maduro’s Venezuela.
On Feb. 10, two Venezuelan planes returned home from the U.S with nearly 200 deported Venezuelan nationals, a signal that negotiations between the two nations were more than just optics. But news that the Trump administration has sent Venezuelan detainees to a U.S. military camp at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba – and is trying to send more – could yet prove a thorn in the side of any diplomatic thaw.
But so long as Trump feels Venezuela under Maduro is useful to his aims of deportations, other U.S. issues with the government in Caracas are, I believe, likely to remain of secondary importance.
Rhetoric vs. reality
The complicated dynamic of two men, ideologically opposed but aware of the other’s usefulness, is reciprocated by Maduro. The Venezuelan leader congratulated Trump on his election victory in November, and he appears to treat his more powerful adversary with some pragmatism. But Maduro also remains willing to take a strident line rhetorically, even suggesting that Venezuela might “liberate” Puerto Rico if the U.S. keeps meddling with Venezuela’s affairs.
Rhetoric aside, Maduro – as evidenced by his apparent willingness to deal with the new administration on hostages and immigration – is likely to pursue self-interest where possible. And he will be well aware that the survival of his rule may be tied with his country’s economic situation.
Venezuela has been hit hard by U.S. sanctions that have been in place since 2017.
Under Biden, the U.S. granted some exemptions for oil companies to work in Venezuela despite sanctions, helping the struggling export industry to recover some of its lost productivity.
Maduro will want to see where he can work with the Trump team to continue such allowances and avoid a full embargo. But recent noises coming from the administration have been mixed on this front. On Jan. 20, Trump suggested that he may pull the plug on Venezuelan oil exports to the U.S. “We don’t have to buy their oil. We have plenty of oil for ourselves,” he said.
Such a move would be a severe blow to Venezuela’s economy, which has benefited from increased exports to the U.S. in recent years. But the move will likely face resistance from oil producers like Chevron, the American company that has a license to operate in Venezuela.
Election fraud and beyond
It’s plausible Trump will be swayed by the elements of his base or administration who view Venezuela primarily in terms of a socialist authoritarian adversary to be defeated.
Many in Trump’s circle viewed the fraudulent election as another reason for being hawkish toward the nation – a position that takes in both ideological and electoral considerations.
Rubio, in particular, is a longtime critic of any accommodation with Venezuela. He has spoken to opposition leaders, called González the legitimate president, blasted any relaxation of sanctions and, during his confirmation hearing, labeled Maduro’s government “a narco-trafficking organization.”
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, right, oversees a ‘seized’ sign being placed on a Venezuelan government airplane on Feb. 6, 2025. Mark Schiefelbein/AFP via Getty Images
And while U.S. envoy Grenell has been shaking hands with Maduro, Rubio has been seizing the Venezuelan leader’s aircraft. On Feb. 6, the U.S. secretary of state personally oversaw its confiscation while visiting the Dominican Republic, where it had been impounded since last year.
Competition with China
During his first administration, Trump failed in his efforts to encourage the replacement of Maduro.
In any case, the Venezuelan government under Maduro, like Chavez before him, has shown itself capable of withstanding U.S. pressure.
Throwing a further wrinkle to any U.S. intentions of influencing the future of Venezuela is the role China has taken on in the country and Maduro’s increasing closeness with Beijing. In contrast to leaders in the West, China’s president, Xi Jinping, congratulated Maduro following the latter’s claim of victory in 2024. China is the leading importer of Venezuelan crude oil and has signed a series of bilateral trade and tourism pacts that have provided Maduro an economic lifeline.
Ultimately, whatever path Trump chooses on relations with Venezuela is likely to be conditioned on what factions win out in his administration and which political constituencies the president is most keen to please.
Paul Webster Hare does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
As we have written, American history is not a steady march toward greater equality, democracy and individual rights. America’s commitment to these liberal values has competed with an alternative set of illiberal values that hold that full American citizenship should be limited by race, ethnicity, gender and class.
The most famous example of this conflict is the Jim Crow era after Reconstruction, when many of the political and legal rights gained by African Americans in the Civil War era were swept away by disenfranchisement, segregation and discrimination. From roughly 1870 until 1940, democracy and equal rights were retreating, not advancing, leaving what was described in the 1960s by President Lyndon Johnson as “the crippling legacy of bigotry and injustice.”
Today, the Trump administration is seeking to roll back America’s commitment to equality and engaging in a broad effort to limit – if not outright deny – the rights, liberties and benefits of democracy to all Americans.
President Donald Trump attacked the FAA’s DEI initiatives during a press conference on the D.C. plane crash.
Progress, then rollbacks
The biggest gains in African American rights came during the Revolutionary War, the Civil War, World War II and the Cold War, when the United States confronted enemies that Americans believed contradicted its liberal values – the British monarchy, Southern slaveholders, fascist dictators and communist tyrants. The United States highlighted its commitments to democracy and human rights as a way of contrasting itself from its enemies.
But once the pressures of war faded, America’s illiberal values reasserted themselves. With the end of the Revolutionary War and the Civil War, the movement for greater equality stalled and many of the previous gains were rolled back.
The onset of World War II and then the Cold War forced Americans to renew their commitment to democracy and human rights for all Americans. This period is often described as the Second Reconstruction.
Like the First Reconstruction a century earlier, the federal government helped to ensure civil and voting rights for African Americans. These efforts laid the groundwork for advancing the political and civil rights of women, other racial and ethnic groups, immigrants, disabled persons and, eventually, members of the gay and lesbian community.
But like the First Reconstruction, these changes generated intense backlash.
Since his second inauguration, Trump has mounted a full-scale effort to undermine the policies of the Second Reconstruction. This effort has been masked as an attack on diversity, equity and inclusion – or DEI – policies. According to Trump and other critics of DEI, these policies are themselves racist, since they allegedly single out white Americans for shame and scorn.
The Trump administration’s effort to end DEI programs is really an attack on decades of efforts by the federal government to make good on the promise of America: to engage in rigorous nondiscrimination efforts and open up opportunities for all.
These diversity initiatives have for more than 50 years included requirements that beneficiaries of these policies must be qualified for the benefits they obtain.
But to Trump and many conservatives, such policies force employers to engage in racial and gender quotas to prove that they don’t discriminate. Furthermore, these efforts to end discrimination, according to Trump’s executive order, “diminish the importance of individual merit, aptitude, hard work, and determination,” leading to “disastrous consequences.”
In other words, Trump and others claim that efforts to end discrimination are themselves a form of discrimination and force the hiring of unqualified and incompetent people.
Trump made this view clear in his comments on the recent collision between a passenger airliner and a military helicopter in Washington, D.C. Before any formal investigation, Trump alleged that the crash resulted from Obama and Biden administration efforts to diversify the Federal Aviation Administration staff. Such efforts, he suggested, elevate unqualified people.
Efforts to reverse DEI have been accompanied by other antidiversity moves. One example: According to a news release, the Defense Department will no longer use “official resources” to mark “Black History Month, Women’s History Month, Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, Pride Month, National Hispanic Heritage Month, National Disability Employment Awareness Month, and National American Indian Heritage Month.”
Undoing 19th-century advances
The attack on DEI goes beyond the federal government. Other executive orders mandate that K-12 schools as well as colleges and universities end DEI programs, since they are “anti-American, subversive, harmful, and false ideologies.”
Such a policy will almost certainly prevent schools from honestly addressing the ways in which racial, ethnic and gender discrimination have influenced America’s past and present.
This provision was included in order to explicitly overturn the notorious 1857 Supreme Court decision, Dred Scott v. Sandford, that ruled that African Americans were not citizens and consequently “they had no rights which the white man was bound to respect.”
Pushback capacity
A protester at a demonstration against the Trump administration at the Texas State Capitol on Feb. 5, 2025, in Austin, Texas. Brandon Bell/Getty Images
How far can the Trump administration go in its efforts to undo the Second Reconstruction?
Numerous legal challenges have already been filed. In the case of the executive order limiting birthright citizenship, a lower federal court judge appointed by President Ronald Reagan blocked the order, calling it “blatantly unconstitutional.”
Many of these cases will ultimately be decided by the Supreme Court, which under Chief Justice John Roberts has been willing to overturn long-established equal rights precedents. Besides its 2012 gutting of the Voting Rights Act, in 2022 the court limited the reproductive rights of women by overturning its 1973 decision, Roe v. Wade. Most recently, in 2023 the court ended a 45-year precedent that allowed colleges and universities to engage in limited forms of affirmative action in order to achieve more student diversity.
Yet despite years of attacks by conservatives and now the Trump administration, most efforts to end discrimination and open doors to all Americans, including DEI, remain popular. And the groups empowered by the Second Reconstruction – racial and ethnic minorities, women, immigrants, the LGBTQ community – are far more numerous and have far more legal and political resources available with which to fight back than those that were aided by the First Reconstruction.
There are now no government pressures driving Americans to make greater progress toward democracy and equal rights for all, as in the relatively brief earlier periods of significant reform in America.
But those reforms have given many more Americans the capacity to push back against policies that violate both American values and American interests.
The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
Source: United States Senator for Vermont – Bernie Sanders
WASHINGTON, Feb. 13 – Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP), Congressional Labor Caucus Co-Chairs Reps. Mark Pocan (D-Wis.), Debbie Dingell (D-Mich.), Donald Norcross (D-N.J.) and Steven Horsford (D-Nev.), and Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.) led every Democratic senator and a bipartisan group of 213 Representatives in urging President Trump to immediately reinstate National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) Member Gwynne Wilcox. The lawmakers called on the president to restore the NLRB’s ability to protect the rights of American workers to organize and collectively bargain, which were already impaired by understaffing at the agency, and are now effectively lost the lack of quorum on the NLRB.
“We are writing to express our deep frustration at the unprecedented and illegal firing of National Labor Relations Board Member Gwynne Wilcox and the negative impact this will have on working people across the country,” wrote Sanders and the lawmakers. “This firing violates the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA), renders the Board unable to effectively enforce federal labor law, and profoundly undermines the independence of the agency.”
Congress created the NLRB nearly 90 years ago as an independent, non-partisan federal agency to protect workers nationwide by enforcing the NLRA, which guarantees the rights of workers to join together in collective action, including by organizing unions, negotiating contracts, and going on strike. The lawmakers pointed to specific federal statute that restricts the president’s ability to remove NLRB members for reasons other than neglect of duty or malfeasance. They also clarified that Wilcox’s firing without a hearing or cause expressly violated that law.
“Workers rely on the NLRB to safeguard their rights to organize and collectively bargain to better their working conditions,”continued the lawmakers.“However, by firing Member Wilcox and leaving the five-seat NLRB with only two Members, you have left the Board without a quorum and effectively shut down its decision-making ability. This simply encourages bad employers to violate the law and trample on workers’ rights, while workers subjected to illegal union-busting will face significant delays in receiving the justice to which they are entitled.”
Since Trump fired Wilcox, grocery store workers in Philadelphia have already seen their labor rights eroded as large corporations are allowed to violate labor law with no recourse available for their employees. After Whole Foods workers voted overwhelmingly to form a union, the company, owned by billionaire Jeff Bezos, is “attempting to exploit some of the disruption Trump has caused,” according to the Washington Post, by not abiding by the outcome of the union election.
“We urge you to reverse your decision and to immediately reinstate Member Wilcox to the NLRB to ensure that working people are afforded the protections to which they are entitled under the law,” concluded Sanders and the lawmakers.
We hope you will join us in March for the next offerings of our Orientation to Law Library Collections webinar, which will feature the State Law Library of Montana as part of our 50 State Law Libraries Outreach Project. The 50 State Law Libraries Outreach Project aims to strengthen the ties between the Law Library of Congress and state law libraries by sharing information about our collections, products, and services with one another and with the public. Franklin Runge, state law librarian, will present from the State Law Library of Montana during the webinar. The State Law Library of Montana presenter notes that:
“[t]he mission of the State Law Library of Montana is to provide legal information and resources, to enhance knowledge of the law and court system, and to facilitate equal access to justice statewide. The need for reliable legal information was a priority for early western settlers, and in 1881, the Law Library was established by the Territory of Montana’s Legislative Assembly. Over the past two years (2023-2024), 73% of our reference interactions have been with members of the general public. We also serve the legal research needs of Montana’s bench and bar through reference services, training opportunities, and maintaining relevant collections. In tandem with our access to justice and reference work, the Law Library is responsible for maintaining a comprehensive collection of Montana law. The present Constitution of Montana was drafted, adopted, and ratified in 1972, and it ushered in a period of transparency and accountability in state government. This transparency has resulted in the Law Library compiling and maintaining a fantastic collection of legislative histories, which are frequently requested by judges, lawyers, and historians.”
The Law Library will also offer A Lunch and Learn webinar, which will focus on using secondary sources to conduct legal research, and the Orientation to Legal Research webinar, which will focus on federal legislative history in March. We hope you will join us by registering for these upcoming webinars!
An Orientation to Law Library Collections featuring the State Law Library of Montana
Date: Thursday, March 6, 2025, 1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. EST
Content: This webinar is designed for patrons who are familiar with legal research, and would instead prefer an introduction to the collections and services specific to the Law Library of Congress. Some of the resources attendees will learn about include the Law Library’s research guides, digital collections, and the Guide to Law Online, among others.
Instructors: Anna Price. Anna is a legal reference librarian at the Law Library. Anna holds a B.S. in communications from Ithaca College, a J.D. from the University of Washington School of Law, and an M.L.I.S. from the University of Washington iSchool.
Register here.
Flyer announcing the Lunch and Learn webinar titled, Using Secondary Sources in Legal Research. Created by Taylor Gulatsi.
A Lunch and Learn Webinar: Using Secondary Sources in Legal Research
Content: This webinar will provide an overview of secondary sources such as legal encyclopedias, treatises, and dictionaries. In addition, the webinar will provide practical examples to show how these resources are used in practice. The presentation will demonstrate how secondary sources are an important step in the legal research method and how they can guide researchers to primary sources. Many of the materials and content for this webinar have come from the Law Library’s research guide, Legal Research: A Guide to Secondary Resources.
Instructors: Olivia Kane-Cruz. Olivia Kane-Cruz is a legal reference librarian at the Law Library of Congress. Olivia holds a B.A. in political science from Humboldt State University (Cal Poly Humboldt), a J.D. and a master’s of environmental law and policy from Vermont Law School, and an M.L.I.S. from the University of Washington.
Register here.
An Orientation to Legal Research Webinar: Federal Legislative History
Content: This entry in the series provides an overview of U.S. federal legislative history resources, including information about the methods of identifying and locating them. In tackling this area of research, the focus will largely be on finding these documents online.
Instructor: Louis Myers. Louis Myers holds a B.A. in history from Kent State University, a J.D. from the University of Idaho College of Law, and an M.L.I.S. from Kent State University.
Register here.
To learn about other upcoming classes on domestic and foreign law topics, visit the Legal Research Institute. Please request ADA accommodations at least five business days in advance by contacting (202) 707-6362 or [email protected].
Subscribeto In Custodia Legis – it’s free! – to receive interesting posts drawn from the Law Library of Congress’s vast collections and our staff’s expertise in U.S., foreign, and international law.
La Rioja (Agenzia Fides) – The Diocese of La Rioja celebrated the 90th anniversary of its foundation and the beginning of the Jubilee Year. Bishop Dante Braida presided over the numerous masses and participated in most of the religious and festive activities not only in the capital but also within the diocese, strengthening faith and a sense of community.Numerous events were on the programme for the anniversary year of the diocese, which was held under the motto “90 years of faith, hope and mission” and extended from January 1 to November 24. These include the indigenous “Tinkunaco” festival, which is celebrated every year on December 31st to commemorate the uprising of the Diaghiti people, an ancient people who rebelled against the Spanish in the Andean regions of northwestern Argentina (as well as in the Chilean region of Norte Chico) in 1593.Bishop Braida heads the Social Pastoral Commission on behalf of the Argentine Bishops’ Conference (CEA), a role that underlines his commitment to social issues and his ability to address issues such as poverty, inequality and exclusion that so afflict the country. Always committed to social issues in La Rioja and throughout the country, Braida is actively involved in initiatives that address the country’s social priorities, such as unemployment and the protection of human rights. He is close to the people, visiting parishes, participating in popular festivals, holding discussions with the faithful and promoting youth pastoral programs together with the diocese. (AP) (Agenzia Fides, 13/2/2025)
Share:
We forecast that worldwide production of petroleum and other liquids in 2025 and 2026 will grow more in non-OPEC+ countries than in OPEC+ countries in our February Short-Term Energy Outlook (STEO). We estimate that total world petroleum and other liquids supply increased by about 0.6 million barrels per day (b/d) in 2024 and will increase by 1.9 million b/d in 2025 and 1.6 million b/d in 2026. Increasing crude oil production from four countries in the Americas—the United States, Guyana, Canada, and Brazil—drives this growth. Because of ongoing production restraint among OPEC+ countries, we forecast the group’s production to grow by 0.1 million b/d in 2025 and 0.6 million b/d in 2026.
Global petroleum liquids production outside of OPEC+ grew by 1.8 million b/d in 2024 and grows by 1.8 million b/d in 2025 and 1.0 million b/d in 2026 in our forecast. We forecast production will grow from 2024 to 2026 by 0.5 million b/d in Canada, 0.3 million b/d in Guyana, and 0.3 million b/d in Brazil. Most of the forecast growth comes from the United States, where we expect production to grow by 1.1 million b/d over the same period.
The United States continues to produce more crude oil and petroleum liquids than any other country. U.S. crude oil production increased to 13.2 million b/d in 2024 due partly to improved efficiency with fewer rigs. We expect production of petroleum liquids in the United States to increase by 0.6 million b/d in 2025 and by 0.5 million b/d in 2026. The Permian region accounts for about 50% of U.S. crude oil production of 13.7 million b/d in 2026 in our forecast. Further, the growth in the Permian offsets contractions in other regions.
In 2024, Canada was the fourth-largest oil producing nation, trailing only the United States, Saudi Arabia, and Russia. We forecast production of petroleum and other liquids to grow in Canada by 0.3 million b/d in 2025 and 0.2 million b/d in 2026, starting at 6.0 million b/d in 2024. Production growth in Canada is supported by the start-up of the Trans Mountain Pipeline expansion that transports oil to Canada’s West Coast for access to export markets from landlocked Alberta.
We expect producers in Brazil to add new Floating Production Storage and Offloading (FPSO) units to existing fields in the Santos Basin. The Alexandre de Gusmão will be the fifth FPSO installed at the Mero field and will begin production in mid-2025. Also in 2025, the FPSOs Almirante Tamandaré and P-78 in the Búzios field in the Santos Basin plan to begin operations. We forecast that these new projects will increase petroleum liquids production in Brazil by 0.1 million b/d in 2025 and 0.2 million b/d in 2026.
We forecast that petroleum liquids production in Guyana will increase by 0.2 million b/d in 2025 and 0.1 million b/d in 2026, driven by the start-up of the Yellowtail project within the Stabroek block. The development of the Stabroek block includes three projects, Yellowtail, Uaru, and Whiptail, where we expect the combined production capacity to reach approximately 1.3 million b/d by the end of 2027.
Production from OPEC+ members accounted for 47% (35.7 million b/d) of global crude oil production in 2024. We forecast that OPEC+ crude oil production will increase by 0.1 million b/d in 2025 as the group gradually increases production in line with the timeline agreed to at the meeting held in December 2024. In addition, the voluntary cuts of 2.2 million b/d that were announced in November 2023 will be extended until the end of March 2025 and then gradually phased out by the end of September 2026. The additional voluntary production cuts of 1.65 million b/d that were announced in April 2023 were extended until the end of December 2026.
We expect OPEC+’s share of global oil production to decrease by one percentage point to 46% in 2025 and 2026, compared with 53% in 2016 when the expanded group was initially formed. OPEC’s surplus crude oil production capacity was 4.6 million b/d in 2024, 103% (2.3 million b/d) more than in 2019.
Saudi Arabia is the largest oil producer in OPEC by volume, representing about a third of the group’s total supply. In 2024, Saudi Arabia produced 9.0 million b/d, down 13% (1.4 million b/d) compared with 2022—before OPEC+ announced the extension of its additional voluntary cuts.
Among the OPEC+ members, Russia was the largest crude oil producer in 2024, averaging 9.2 million b/d. After Russia and Saudi Arabia, the largest producers by volume were Iraq (4.4 million b/d), the United Arab Emirates (2.9 million b/d), and Kuwait (2.5 million b/d).
Pentagon Press Secretary John Ullyot provided the following readout:
On February 12, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth met with his United Kingdom counterpart, Secretary of State for Defence John Healey at NATO Headquarters in Brussels, Belgium. The two Secretaries discussed the UK-hosted Ukraine Defense Contact Group that followed their meeting that day and the need to set the stage for negotiations to stop the fighting and reach an enduring peace. Ahead of Thursday’s NATO Defense Ministerial, the two leaders also highlighted the need for increased Allied defense investments and greater burden-sharing by European Allies.
