Four people are up for sentencing before the courts, with multiple others facing a range of charges following a drug operation in Selwyn.
The operation was a targeted drug operation that ran from June 2024 to December 2024.
In that time, Rolleston Police executed multiple search warrants across the region in relation to serious drug offending.
In total, 13 people were arrested for a variety of drug dealing and cultivation related offences.
From those executed warrants, Police seized over $22,000 in cash and various quantities of drugs with a combined street value of over $38,000. Drugs seized included cannabis, methamphetamine, MDMA and cocaine.
A total of 120 charges were laid throughout the duration of the operation.
Police remain committed to holding these offenders to account and ensuring these harmful products are not getting through to the community.
Two men aged 29 and 28 will be sentenced on 7 March.
A 63-year-old man will be sentenced on 11 March, and a 33-year-old is due for sentencing on 11 April.
All four men will appear in the Christchurch District Court.
February was warm and dry for most regions, according to the February 2025 Climate Summary issued by the National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA).
Temperatures were above average or well above average for most regions of the country, while rainfall was below normal or well below normal in almost all regions of the country.
At the end of February, soil moisture levels were lower than normal for most of the North Island, parts of the West Coast, inland northern Canterbury, coastal parts of the South Island from Dunedin to Invercargill, and Stewart Island.
February 2025 was characterised by above normal mean sea level pressure (MSLP) over and to the south of Aotearoa New Zealand. This led to extended periods of settled weather throughout the country.
NIWA’s February 2025 Climate Summary shows that sunshine was abundant for wide swathes of the country. Queenstown and Hokitika observed their sunniest February on record, with 275 hours and 278 hours of sunshine, respectively. A further 12 locations observed near-record high sunshine hour totals from as far north as Kaitaia to as far south as Dunedin.
Further highlights include the highest temperature of 33.0°C, observed at Kawerau on 4 February and Clyde on 15 February, while the lowest temperature was 2.1°C, observed at Manapouri on 3 February.
Of the six main centres in February 2025, Auckland was the warmest, driest and sunniest, Dunedin was the coolest, Tauranga was the wettest, and Christchurch was the least sunny.
The sunniest four locations so far in 2025 are Taranaki (621 hours), West Coast (606 hours), Mackenzie Basin (584 hours), and Central Otago (582 hours).
The New Zealand summer was milder overall, and dry for many parts of the country, according to the Summer 2024-25 Seasonal Climate Summary issued by the National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA).
Summer temperatures were above average or well above average for northern, western and southern parts of the South Island, and many central, western, and northern parts of the North Island. Rainfall was below normal or well below normal for northern, central, and western parts of the North Island, as well as for western, inland, and southern parts of the South Island.
Rainfall was above normal or well above normal for some eastern parts of Canterbury, northern Hawke’s Bay, and Gisborne.
At the end of summer, soil moisture levels were lower than normal for most of the North Island, parts of the West Coast, inland northern Canterbury, coastal parts of the South Island from Dunedin to Invercargill, and Stewart Island, according to the NIWA summary.
The highest temperature was 34.8°C, observed at Kawerau on 29 December, while the lowest temperature was -0.4°C, observed at North Canterbury’s Waipara River North Branch on 25 January. The highest 1-day rainfall was 154 mm, recorded near Greymouth, on 15 December, with the highest wind gust 196 km/h, observed at Manawatu-Wanganui Tararua district’s Cape Turnagain on 5 December.
The sunniest four locations so far in 2025 are Taranaki (621 hours), West Coast (606 hours), Mackenzie Basin (584 hours), and Central Otago (582 hours).Of the six main centres in summer 2024-25, Auckland was the warmest, Hamilton was the driest, Tauranga was the sunniest and wettest, Dunedin was the coolest, and Christchurch was the least sunny.
More detailed information is available at the full Summer 2024-25 Seasonal Climate Summary available at NIWA’s website:Seasonal | NIWA
The Summer summary is attached as a Word and pdf file, with images available within it for download and use.
The Summer summary is attached as a pdf file, with images available within it for download and use.
Increased production and higher export prices mean that New Zealand dairy farmers will play a big role in New Zealand’s economic recovery Agriculture Minister Todd McClay said in a speech at an Environmental Diary Leaders conference in Wellington today.
“Dairy exports are forecast to grow by around $4.5 billion this year meaning more money in the pockets of Kiwi farmers and more jobs in rural New Zealand,” Mr McClay says.
“The strong performance of our dairy farmers is welcome news for the economy as the government continues to lower inflation through careful spending meaning reducing interest rates and by delivering fewer and less costly regulations.
Milk production for the last season was up 4 per cent on the previous year, marking the highest level in a decade. December alone saw the strongest output in four years, meaning consumers around the world can enjoy more of the world’s highest quality and safest environmentally friendly grass fed dairy.
“Agriculture remains the backbone of our economy with food and fibre exports bringing in over $10,600 for every Kiwi, with dairy exports alone contributed $4,700 per person. The dairy industry also employs over 54,000 people,” Mr McClay says.
“The Government is committed to meeting our environmental and climate change obligations, but we will do this without closing down farms or sending jobs and production overseas.
“The primary sector is fundamental to achieving our ambitious goal of doubling exports by value in ten years and the coalition government is backing farmers to be world best.
“With strong production already in the vat, feed crops coming in, and consumers eager for our products, the sector is well positioned to turbo charge the economy and deliver for every New Zealander,” Mr McClay says.
The number of lives lost on South Australia roads for 2024 have been revised.
The death of an 84-year-old local man involved in a crash on Laught Street, Whyalla Stuart on 17 June will not be counted in the number of lives lost. The final number of lives lost for 2024 is 90.
If you head to the shops to buy bread, you’ll face a variety of different options.
But it can be hard to work out the difference between all the types on sale.
For instance, you might have a vague idea that wholemeal or wholegrain bread is healthy. But what’s the difference?
Here’s what we know and what this means for shoppers in Australia and New Zealand.
Let’s start with wholemeal bread
According to Australian and New Zealand food standards, wholemeal bread is made from flour containing all parts of the original grain (endosperm, germ and bran) in their original proportions.
Because it contains all parts of the grain, wholemeal bread is typically darker in colour and slightly more brown than white bread, which is made using only the endosperm.
Australian and New Zealand food standards define wholegrain bread as something that contains either the intact grain (for instance, visible grains) or is made from processed grains (flour) where all the parts of the grain are present in their original proportions.
That last part may sound familiar. That’s because wholegrain is an umbrella term that encompasses both bread made with intact grains and bread made with wholemeal flour. In other words, wholemeal bread is a type of wholegrain bread, just like an apple is a type of fruit.
Don’t be confused by labels such as “with added grains”, “grainy” or “multigrain”. Australian and New Zealand food standards don’t define these so manufacturers can legally add a small amount of intact grains to white bread to make the product appear healthier. This doesn’t necessarily make these products wholegrain breads.
So unless a product is specifically called wholegrain bread, wholemeal bread or indicates it “contains whole grain”, it is likely to be made from more refined ingredients.
Which one’s healthier?
So when thinking about which bread to choose, both wholemeal and wholegrain breads are rich in beneficial compounds including nutrients and fibre, more so than breads made from further-refined flour, such as white bread.
The presence of these compounds is what makes eating wholegrains (including wholemeal bread) beneficial for our overall health. Research has also shown eating wholegrains helps reduce the risk of common chronic diseases, such as heart disease.
The table below gives us a closer look at the nutritional composition of these breads, and shows some slight differences.
Wholegrain bread is slightly higher in fibre, protein, niacin (vitamin B3), iron, zinc, phosphorus and magnesium than wholemeal bread. But wholegrain bread is lower in carbohydrates, thiamin (vitamin B1) and folate (vitamin B9).
However the differences are relatively small when considering how these contribute to your overall dietary intake.
Which one should I buy?
Next time you’re shopping, look for a wholegrain bread (one made from wholemeal flour that has intact grains and seeds throughout) as your number one choice for fibre and protein, and to support overall health.
If you can’t find wholegrain bread, wholemeal bread comes in a very close second.
Wholegrain and wholemeal bread tend to cost the same, but both tend to be more expensive than white bread.
Margaret Murray does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
It could be as little as roughly A$100. That was how much ABC News Verify recently spent to clone federal senator Jacqui Lambie’s voice – with her permission – using an easily accessible online platform.
This example highlights how artificial intelligence (AI) apps which create a synthetic replica of a person’s image and/or voice in the form of deepfakes or voice cloning are becoming cheaper and easier to use.
This poses a serious threat not only to the functioning of democracy (especially around elections), but also to a person’s identity.
Current copyright laws in Australia are inadequate when it comes to protecting people if their image or voice is digitally cloned without their permission. Establishing “personality rights” could help.
In theory copyright law can also protect a person’s image and voice. However, its application is more nuanced.
First, a person whose likeness has been cloned by an AI platform often does not own the source material. This material could be an image, video or voice recording which has been copied and uploaded. Even if your image and voice is depicted, if you are not the owner of the source material, you cannot sue for infringement.
Using Senator Lambie as an example, the ABC only needed 90 seconds of original voice recording to create the AI clone. Senator Lambie’s voice itself is not able to be copyright-protected. That’s because copyright can only attach to a tangible expression, say in written or recorded form. It cannot attach to speech or unexpressed ideas.
As the ABC arranged, recorded and produced the original 90-second recording, the broadcaster could hold copyright in it as a sound recording. It is a fixed, tangible expression of Senator Lambie’s voice. However, unless the senator and the ABC made an agreement, Senator Lambie would have no economic rights, such as the right to reproduction, to the original voice recording. Nor would she have any rights to the clone of her voice.
In fact, the AI-generated clone itself is unlikely to be protected by copyright, as it is considered authorless under Australian copyright law. Many AI-generated creations are currently unable to be protected under Australian copyright, due to a lack of original, identifiable human authorship.
Moral rights – including the right of attribution (to be credited as the performer), the right against false attribution and the right of integrity – are also limited in scope. They could apply to the original audio clip, but not to a deepfake.
What are ‘personality rights’?
In most jurisdictions in the United States, there exist what are commonly known as “personality rights”. These rights include the right of publicity, which acknowledges that an individual’s name, likeness, voice and other attributes are commercially valuable.
Celebrities such as Bette Midler and Johnny Carson have successfully exercised this right to prevent companies using elements of their identity for commercial purposes without permission.
One of the challenges is overlap with pre-existing laws, such as Australian consumer law and tort law. Policymakers might be hesitant to introduce a new right, as these other areas of the law may provide partial protection. Another challenge is how to enforce these rights if an AI-generated deepfake is created overseas.
Australia could also consider introducing a similar law to the “No Fakes Bill” currently being debated in the US. If passed, this bill would allow people to protect their image and voice through intellectual property rights. This should be given serious consideration in Australia too.
Deepfakes are becoming more and more common, and are now widespread during elections. Because of this, it’s important that Australians remain vigilant to them in the lead up to this year’s federal election.
And let’s hope that whoever wins that election takes urgent steps to better protect everyone’s image and voice.
Wellett Potter does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
Released by: The Premier, Deputy Premier, Minister for Planning and Public Spaces
The Western Sydney Aerotropolis is set to take-off, with the official opening of the first building at Bradfield City Centre and the release of the Minns Labor Government’s infrastructure delivery plan which will drive further investment into the region.
The Advanced Manufacturing Readiness Facility (AMRF) – is the first step in delivering the new city of Bradfield at the heart of the Western Sydney Aerotropolis and the start of an innovation ecosystem that will boost the NSW manufacturing industry.
A landmark partnership agreement between the AMRF and 11 NSW and ACT universities will see this ecosystem rapidly evolve with the world class research capabilities of the universities combined with the AMRF’s industrial expertise and infrastructure.
Under the agreement, the parties will work together to translate research into production and develop the next generation of advanced manufacturing experts through a paid internship program.
Critical to facilitating further growth in the precinct, the NSW Government has released the Aerotropolis Sector Plan, which sets out how essential government infrastructure will be delivered quickly and efficiently to service the development of thousands of hectares of employment land.
The Sector Plan, developed by Infrastructure NSW, provides certainty to industry, the community, and all levels of government around how infrastructure will be sequenced and prioritised in the Aerotropolis.
This will enhance the State’s competitiveness and boost the supply of serviced land to combat the critical shortage across NSW. It will also assist planning assessment authorities to align development with infrastructure capacity in the region.
This is the first time the Aerotropolis has had a concrete road map that brings together planning and infrastructure coordination.
With the Western Sydney International (Nancy-Bird Walton) Airport due to open by the end of 2026, investment in Bradfield City Centre and the Western Sydney Aerotropolis capitalises on the opportunity to deliver more than 120,000 high-quality jobs and new industries that will see the Western Sydney economy boom.
This work builds on the Minns Labor Government’s historic investment in Western Sydney to deliver more homes, jobs and investment to the region.
“The Aerotropolis is almost 40 times the size of Sydney CBD and provides an unprecedented economic opportunity for Western Sydney.
“We’re backing the region with over $25 billion of infrastructure investment that is going to ensure the critical roads and services are delivered as quickly as possible to give industry certainty and confidence to invest in the area.
“We asked Infrastructure NSW to develop the Aerotropolis Sector Plan to identify how and when we will do this. Today’s announcement demonstrates the value in utilising whole-of-government coordination to deliver on our commitments.
“With Bradfield and the Advanced Manufacturing Readiness Facility (AMRF), we’re showcasing the NSW Government’s commitment to rebuilding the state’s critical manufacturing capability and delivering economic growth in the region.”
Deputy Premier and Minister for Western Sydney Prue Car said:
“Western Sydney is a rich and diverse region set to boom with the opening of the new Airport. We’re building better communities by investing in the region.
“With Bradfield and the Aerotropolis, we’re giving kids in Western Sydney the opportunity to dream about a future with high quality jobs close to home.”
Minister for Planning and Public Spaces Paul Scully said:
“The First Building opening is another example of the genuine momentum building around Australia’s first new city in over 100 years.
“This is just the beginning of Bradfield’s future growth as it evolves into a world class city with 10,000 homes, 20,000 high quality jobs, and critical green open spaces for residents and visitors to enjoy.”
Headline: Work ramping up to rebuild Hume Highway at Marulan
Published: 5 March 2025
Released by: Minister for Regional Transport and Roads
The Minns Labor Government is ramping up work to build a better Hume Highway at Marulan as part of a $35 million investment into rebuilding a key section of highway corridor.
To improve safety and provide a smoother journey for motorists, crews will carry out the next stage of repair work on a 1.1 kilometre stretch of the northbound carriageway from the Marulan South Road intersection.
The work, starting from March 17, will include the use of a high-strength asphalt road pavement to replace 500 damaged concrete slabs on a 600-metre section the highway.
This change from the concrete base to asphalt pavement is expected to mean less disruptions to motorists while repairs are carried out.
Once the work has been completed around mid-April, weather permitting, Transport for NSW will evaluate the impact of the change and determine if the new approach should be rolled out on other sections of the highway.
More details of staged future upgrade work will be announced progressively by Transport for NSW.
Minister for Regional Transport and Roads, Jenny Aitchison said:
“The Hume Highway is the second largest freight route in Australia, linking Sydney and Melbourne and used by more than 37,000 vehicles daily.
“The Marulan bypass was built in 1986 as part of the Hume Highway upgrade program and since that time the large growth in traffic volumes have put extra pressure on the existing road surface.
“We understand motorists are frustrated by the quality of this section of road and that’s why we have invested $35 million in rebuilding and improvement work.
“We thank the community for its ongoing patience while this essential repair work is carried out.”
We will issue a Reduced Threat message when the threat to the community has reduced.
All bushfire incidents that have had an Advice, Watch and Act or Emergency Warning message issued will be finalised with an Advice – Reduced Threat message.
Source: United States Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives (ATF)
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – A Reeds, Mo., woman was sentenced in federal court today for her role in a conspiracy to distribute large quantities of methamphetamine in southwest Missouri.
Kimberly C. Elliott, 45, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge M. Douglas Harpool to 12 years in federal prison without parole.
On June 8, 2023, Elliott pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and one count of money laundering.
Elliott admitted that she participated in a conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine in Barry, Stone, Polk, Lawrence, Greene, Jasper, and Newton Counties from Nov. 1, 2020, to April 28, 2022. According to court documents, Elliott personally distributed more than 16 pounds of methamphetamine, an extremely conservative estimate for her involvement. During this conspiracy, law enforcement seized more than 30 pounds of methamphetamine from various co-conspirators.
Elliott sold 62 grams of methamphetamine to an undercover law enforcement officer on May 3, 2021. At the time of that transaction, Elliott was in possession of at least an additional pound of methamphetamine.
On May 12, 2021, Elliott traded her red Chevrolet Colorado for a black 2017 Ford Explorer. Elliott purchased this vehicle with approximately $15,000 from the proceeds of unlawful methamphetamine distribution. Elliott was arrested while driving the Explorer without a driver’s license on June 16, 2021. Elliott had approximately 60 grams of methamphetamine, approximately nine grams of marijuana, and six hydrocodone tablets in her purse. A user quantity of suspected heroin and methamphetamine was located in the driver’s side door pocket of the vehicle, and approximately $7,165 in cash was found in a zipper bag between the driver’s seat and center console.
Elliott told investigators she had obtained one pound of methamphetamine approximately two days prior to the traffic stop from a co-conspirator, and what was located in her vehicle was what was left from that transaction. Elliott stated she had been purchasing methamphetamine for the past two months and estimated she had purchased between five and 10 pounds of methamphetamine. She also investigators that conspirators were receiving shipments of 250 pounds of methamphetamine every two weeks from California.
Elliott is among 20 defendants who have been convicted in this case, and the fourth defendant to be sentenced.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jessica R. Eatmon. It was investigated by the Missouri State Highway Patrol, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the FBI, the Bureau of Indian Affairs, the Ozarks Drug Enforcement Team, the Barry County, Mo., Sheriff’s Office, the Stone County, Mo., Sheriff’s Office, COMET (the Combined Ozark Multi-Jurisdictional Enforcement Team), the Oklahoma Highway Patrol, the Greene County, Mo., Sheriff’s Office, the Polk County, Mo., Sheriff’s Office, the Ottawa County, Ok., Sheriff’s Department, the Bolivar, Mo., Police Department, the Cassville, Mo., Police Department, the Kimberling City, Mo., Police Department, the Springfield, Mo., Police Department, and the U.S. Marshals Service.
Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force
This case is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
Source: United States Senator for Washington Maria Cantwell
03.04.25
Trump Tells Farmers ‘Have Fun’ As He Kicks Off Pointless Trade Wars. Cantwell Tells the Truth: ‘It’s Not Going to Be Fun, It’s Going to Be A Nightmare’
Ahead of Presidential address, Cantwell calls on Congress to reclaim its Constitutional authority over tariffs; Cantwell also calls out arbitrary and wasteful layoffs at NOAA, NIH, NSF, USDA: “These kinds of ideas sound great, but they’re not well thought out. It’s literally throwing tax dollars away.”
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA), ranking member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation and senior member of the Senate Finance Committee, delivered a Senate floor speech raising concerns about the economic fallout of Trump’s newly announced tariffs, hours before the President is set to deliver remarks before a Joint Session of Congress.
“Trump said to our farmers yesterday on Truth Social, quote, ‘tariffs will go on external products on April 2. Have fun.’ End quote,” Sen. Cantwell said. “’Have fun?’ ‘Have fun?’ When retaliatory tariffs strike our farmers — just as they did in the first Trump administration — it’s not going to be fun, it’s going to be a nightmare for our farmers. And many of the farmers in my state worry [whether] they will be able to farm at all.”
“I hope my colleagues will slow down on this tariff tirade. Under Article One, Section Eight of the U.S. Constitution, Congress has the power to set duties and regulate foreign commerce. However, Congress has spent the last 80 years delegating its tariff authority to presidents,” she continued. “This president, I believe, is abusing this authority. He calls it an emergency. He’s using the trade wars to supposedly force countries to do things like changing their border policies. I believe it’s time for Congress to start taking back some of that power and considering how we’re going to protect the family farm.”
Over the past 24 hours, as President Trump’s long-promised 25% tariffs on goods from Mexico and Canada and 10% tariff increase on goods from China took effect, stock prices in the United States have plummeted. The Dow fell more than 700 points this morning. Today, the Wall Street Journal’s editorial board criticized his decision: “Trump takes the dumbest tariff plunge.”.
Sen. Cantwell also showed the following graph with the alarming new forecast by the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta, which recently began predicting negative real GDP growth for the first quarter of 2025, a rapid reversal of its prior forecast for growth. “Just last week, when people want to talk about GDP and where this is going, it’s amazing that the Atlanta Fed was forecasting GDP growth over two percent for the first quarter of 2025…. but we can see when we got to February, we fell off a cliff… this drop is the representation of a cliff that President Trump is pushing the American economy over.”
“We know this — that in my state, families are paying more for groceries. They’re paying more at the gas pump. They’re paying more at electricity bills. And they are seeing the stock market plummet because as businesses grapple with Trump’s unnecessary trade war, businesses are concerned about the long-term impacts of the supply chain and the cost of those tariffs,” Sen. Cantwell said.
In Washington state, two out of every five jobs are tied to trade and trade-related industries. More information on how President Trump’s tariffs on goods from Mexico, Canada, and China will affect consumers and businesses in the State of Washington can be found HERE. Nationwide:
A 25% tariff on Canada and Mexico would add an estimated $144 billion a year to the cost of manufacturing in the United States.
Tariffs on Canada and Mexico could increase U.S. car prices by as much as $12,000.
According to the Yale Budget Lab, Trump’s proposed tariffs would result in the highest U.S. effective tariff rate in more than 80 years, and depending on the level of retaliation by other trading partners, will result in increased costs of between $1,600 and $2,000 per household. According to their analysis, electronics, clothing, cars, and food will all see above-average price increases.
Sen. Cantwell has remained a steadfast supporter of free trade to grow the economy in the State of Washington and nationwide. Sen. Cantwell was the leading voice in negotiations to end India’s 20% retaliatory tariff on American apples, which was imposed in response to tariffs on steel and aluminum and devastated Washington state’s apple exports. India had once been the second-largest export market for American apples, but after President Trump imposed tariffs on steel and aluminum in his first term, India imposed retaliatory tariffs in response and U.S. apple exports plummeted. The impact on Washington apple growers was severe: Apple exports from the state dropped from $120 million in 2017 to less than $1 million by 2023. In September 2023, following several years of Sen. Cantwell’s advocacy, India ended its retaliatory tariffs on apples and pulse crops which was welcome news to the state’s more than 1,400 apple growers and the 68,000-plus workers they support.
In her speech today, Sen. Cantwell also railed against the Trump Administration’s Department of Government Efficiency’s (DOGE) push to indiscriminately slash federal workers from the payroll, compromising the vital ongoing work at federal agencies.
“The cuts that these agencies have been facing are really the cuts to some of the most technical jobs the United States government has. Whether you’re talking about NOAA, or the National Weather Service, or the National Institutes of Health, or the National Science Foundation, or the US Department of Agriculture — they’ve all been targeted for reductions. These agencies are critical to our economic growth and to our security. And at a time when we are seeing more extreme weather events, or more floods or more wildfires, why shouldn’t we be investing more in weather forecasting, not less?
“And when you look at NOAA workers who support our commercial, and recreation, and tribal fisheries, they employ 1.7 million people, including thousands in the State of Washington. Why would you cut specialized workforce that are helping support the growth of GDP?” Sen. Cantwell said.
“DOGE wants to cap the overhead expenses of research. University of Washington medicine tells me that this would leave them with shortfalls and that they might have to stop clinical trials that are underway. You can’t just stop medical research like it’s a faucet! Once halted, the research, the data, the clinical trials, the patients, the laboratories, the equipment — all that led to innovation will be lost. You think you just turn that back on? You know, these kinds of ideas sound great, but they’re not well thought out. It’s literally throwing tax dollars away.”
Since DOGE announced its intent to hack away at federal agencies and programs, Sen. Cantwell has been sounding the alarm and coming to the defense of workers at NOAA, the Small Business Administration, the Department of Housing and Urban Development, the Federal Aviation Administration, the National Institutes of Health, the National Park Service, and more.
A video of her speech on the Senate floor today can be viewed HERE; audio is HERE; and a transcript is HERE.
Mayor Brown of the City of Ryde, the Council’s Executive Team and Councillors Keanu Arya, Tina Kordrostami and TECO Sydney attended a book donation ceremony this morning. Mayor Brown said multiculturalism has been deeply rooted as the way of living in Ryde. Thanks for the generosity from Taiwan, so the Mandarin speaking communities in Ryde can enjoy the top-tier Taiwanese literature works, and the city’s diverse heritages are further enriched. Director General David Cheng-Wei Wu said that he is also a City of Ryde Library member and honored to represent the National Taiwan Museum of Literature in donating 60 books of 2023 and 2024 Taiwan Literature Awards Finalists and Award-Winning Titles, for the very first time in history. The Awards recognize outstanding work across all literary categories, including fiction, nonfiction, prose, poetry and also provide a window into the richness and diversity of Taiwanese society and culture. This is the pilot program that the National Museum of Taiwan Literature donates books to Australia, and we hope residents of this community can know more about Taiwan through reading them, and most importantly, enhance the connection between our two peoples. The plan is for the books to start touring the libraries from the week commencing Monday, 9 March. The books will be available at our Ryde Library (Top Ryde) for a week, before being taken to West Ryde Library for another week, before Eastwood for the final week.
Used victims’ personal information to open business bank accounts, linked them to established personal accounts, and drained victim funds
Seattle – A leader in a nationwide $1.4 million bank fraud scheme pleaded guilty this week in U.S. District Court in Seattle to conspiracy to commit bank fraud, aggravated identity theft, and money laundering, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Teal Luthy Miller. Amber Towndrow, 36, was indicted along with coconspirator Darby Canfield, 35, in April 2024. Prosecutors have agreed to recommend no more than eight years in prison for Towndrow when she is sentenced by U.S. District Judge Jamal N. Whitehead on June 12, 2025.
According to records filed in the case, Towndrow and her coconspirators acquired personal identifying information for at least 19 victims nationwide. In Western Washington, the co-schemers used that personal information to register businesses with the Washington Secretary of State. Armed with the business documents and false identification documents such as drivers’ licenses and passports, Towndrow would open business bank accounts at financial institutions where the victim already had a personal savings account. The bank system would link the new business bank account to the real customer’s bank account. The conspirators would then transfer money from the personal bank account to the business account. Towndrow would then use a business account debit card to purchase money orders and high value goods such as designer merchandise or electronics. Towndrow and other conspirators would use various fake IDs to cash the money orders at locations such as Money Tree outlets.
With this scheme Towndrow committed bank fraud and identity theft in Washington, Colorado, Pennsylvania, California, New Jersey, Indiana, and Washington D.C.
The plea agreement details how Towndrow defrauded a victim living in Illinois by creating a company registered in Colorado. Towndrow listed the Illinois victim as the registered owner of the company. Towndrow traveled to a Chase branch in Seattle where she opened a business banking account for the fake company. Towndrow and her coconspirators used online banking to transfer $131,709 from the Illinois victim account to the business account. Towndrow used the business debit card to purchase 128 U.S. Postal Service money orders totaling $126,653. The money orders were made payable to various people the co-schemers could impersonate with their fake IDs. The conspirators then cashed several of the money orders at various locations in the Seattle area.
The plea agreement admits similar conduct regarding a victim residing in Texas, who was defrauded of $75,000, of which $50,000 was used to purchase MoneyGram money orders across the Seattle area.
Towndrow admits she opened at least 50 business bank accounts and attempted to obtain $1.4 million. She admits she successfully obtained $664,000.
Conspiracy to commit bank fraud, and bank fraud are punishable by up to 30 years in prison. Money laundering is punishable by up to 20 years in prison and aggravated identity theft is punishable by a mandatory minimum two years in prison consecutive to any other sentence imposed in the case.
The case is being investigated by The U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the Diplomatic Security Service, and the Seattle Police Department.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Sean Waite.
Opening Remarks by the IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva At a conference on Asia and the IMF: Resilience through Cooperation, Tokyo, Japan, March 5, 9AM JST
March 4, 2025
(As Prepared for Delivery)
I would like to thank Finance Minister Kato for welcoming us today and want to express my gratitude to Governor Ueda for joining. I’m very sorry I can’t be with you in person. But thankfully technology allows me to join you virtually.
Those who have been to Tokyo’s Skytree know that it has the best views of the city. And like so much in Japan, it’s an engineering masterpiece. Gazing across Tokyo’s skyline, it’s hard to imagine just how much the city—and the country—has changed in the 80 years since the Bretton Woods Institutions were established.
After World War II, Japan invested heavily in infrastructure and manufacturing and introduced sweeping reforms. These set the country on a path to becoming an economic powerhouse.
Inspired by Japan’s success, other countries in Asia followed suit. Today, the region contributes over 60 percent of global growth, and is home to some of the world’s largest, most innovative companies.
Of course, Asia is a very diverse continent, with a mix of advanced economies, emerging and frontier markets, and small island states. Demographics and income levels vary too.
But across the region, openness and deepening economic ties have been crucial to countries’ success.
The world is changing, however. Many countries face weaker growth prospects and are saddled with high public debt. The COVID-19 pandemic and recent geopolitical developments have brought into focus the importance of security of supplies. Trade is no longer the engine of global growth it used to be. And we are in the midst of massive transformations, from rapid advances in AI to changing patterns of capital flows and trade.
Against this background, governments worldwide are shifting their priorities. The new US administration is rapidly reshaping its policies on trade, taxation, public spending, deregulation, and digital assets. And other governments are also recalibrating their approaches and adjusting their policies.
The future of growth
How should countries in Asia adapt? Let me highlight three opportunities.
First, the shift toward services-led growth. While trade in goods has flattened, service flows are surging. In fact, services have already drawn about half of the region’s workers, up from just 22 percent in 1990.
Economists have traditionally thought of services as less productive than manufacturing. Our research suggests otherwise. Asia’s labor productivity in financial services is four times higher than in manufacturing, and twice as high in business services.
Second, digitalization and AI. The demand for digital products and services in the region has accelerated quickly and is on track to continue growing faster than the region’s GDP. Japan’s Rakuten, China’s Alibaba Group, and Indonesia’s GoTo Group now rival e-commerce giants Amazon and Walmart.
In AI development, Japan and China are racing ahead, followed closely by South Korea and Singapore. This could be an important boost for productivity. In Singapore, for example, an estimated 40 percent of jobs could be made more productive by AI. The country has several digital economy agreements now in place, enabling digital companies in the region to connect and share data more easily.
That brings me to my third point: greaterregional cooperation andtrade. On the surface, it might look as if the world is retreating from integration. But regionally, countries are leaning in.
Over the past four decades, intra-regional trade in Asia has increased by 43 percent. Today, more than half of Asian trade is regional.
The trend is the same for foreign direct investment. FDI from Asian countries to Japan, for example has nearly doubled over the past decade, as market opportunities in Japan’s technology sector grow.
Together, the shift toward services, digitalization and AI, and greater regional integration can lift growth. But to harness these opportunities, the region will need to carefully navigate domestic developments and global changes.
The IMF’s role
That is where the IMF comes in. We strive to be trusted partners to our member countries, provide country-specific advice and safeguard the stability of the global economy. Our work spans economic analysis, policy advice, financing and capacity development.
And as the world economy has changed, we too have evolved. From managing fixed exchange rates in the 1970s, to active surveillance of countries’ economic and financial policies and more systematic coverage of spillovers.
More recently, our thinking on capital flow management and foreign exchange interventions has changed, and we’ve upgraded our lending toolkit to include more flexible instruments tailored to emerging market economies.
Thanks in large part to Japan’s support, we are also offering more support to low-income countries, especially in capacity development, and a stronger presence around the world through our regional technical assistance centers.
We are grateful to Japan for the deep engagement in thinking about the future of the Fund. Today’s discussions are an important part of that.
My colleagues and I are keenly interested in ideas and reflections on:
how we can best support our members, especially the most vulnerable among them, to grow and build economic resilience;
how to tailor more of our advice to support countries’ efforts to deepen regional collaboration, by thinking through our strategic engagement with groups like the ASEAN, the Pacific Island countries, as well as medium sized and larger economies; and
how to strengthen the global financial safety net. We’re assessing how IMF facilities can be further improved to support resilience in our member countries. And we are working closely with regional arrangements to enhance crisis prevention and response capabilities.
We know from experience that reforms are hard, but we also know they can steer countries towards stronger and durable growth and can achieve a more stable and prosperous global economy.
You can count on the IMF in this journey.
Deputy Managing Director Nigel Clarke and the rest of our team are excited to be part of today’s productive discussion. I look forward to the outcome.
The Manurewa Local Board is developing its first Pan-Pacific strategy in Aotearoa New Zealand to amplify Pasifika voices in local decision-making.
A recent community workshop brought leaders and residents together to develop a strategy that will help guide how the board engages with Pasifika communities. The plan will then be presented in June.
Akerei Maresala-Thomson, an Auckland Council partner and facilitator of the workshop at Manurewa Library, described it as a listening session.
“A lot of work has gone into reaching this stage, with investment from both past and present board members. This will be the first Pasifika strategy for the board-a win for our community.”
The strategy aims to amplify Pacific voices in local decision-making, promote cultural recognition, improve access to services, and encourage Pasifika participation in governance.
Maresala-Thomson facilitated a similar workshop in 2019, laying the groundwork for this initiative.
The strategy, expected to be presented in June, will be informed by feedback from the workshop and an online community survey.
According to the 2023 Census, Pasifika make up nearly 40 percent of Manurewa’s approximately 39,450 residents. The consultation process involved gathering demographic information and identifying key priorities for the community.
“There was a diverse mix of expertise and perspectives in the room,” said Maresala-Thomson. “Some smaller Pasifika communities weren’t represented, and our youth were largely absent.
Notes from the workshop will help shape the final draft of the Pan-Pacific strategy, set for presentation in June. Image: LDR/Mary Afemata
“However, many contributed via the online survey, which helped guide our discussions.”
The local board wants a Pan-Pacific approach — not just input from the larger island groups but representation from all the diverse Pacific communities, he said.
“More often than not, and this is no fault of our own, our Samoan, Cook Island, and Tongan communities naturally make up the larger share of our population.
“But they wanted to make sure we also reached our smaller community groups, like our Niuean, Tuvaluan, Solomon Islands, and even Rotuman communities.”
The group received great representation from the Tuvaluan, Kiribati, Solomon Islands, and Niuean communities, in addition to the larger, traditional networks from Samoan and Tongan communities, he said.
‘Great networking opportunity’ One attendee, Kate*, who asked not to be identified, said she joined the workshop to understand how local boards align with Pasifika priorities.
“It was a great networking opportunity, but ultimately, I wanted to know how I can best support the community,” she said. “The issues raised today aren’t new. We’ve been talking about them for years.”
Kate believes many Pasifika families struggle to engage with local government because they don’t see the impact of their input.
“There’s access to these spaces, but people don’t know where to go or why it matters. We need better ways to bring the conversation into people’s homes,” she said.
Engaging Pasifika youth was another key discussion point.
“There are youth in different spaces, and we need to find the champions — whether through youth councils, community groups, or other networks-who can help share the message among their peers.”
Community educator Kathleen Guttenbeil-Vatuvei . . . “When you hear ‘strategy,’ you want to be involved in shaping solutions.” Image: Facebook/TP/LDR
Kathleen Guttenbeil-Vatuvei, a community educator and financial mentor at Vaiola Pacific Island Budgeting Service Trust, said she attended the event to ensure financial capability was part of the discussion.
“When you hear ‘strategy,’ you want to be involved in shaping solutions,” she said. “What is the local board going to do about these issues? Are they listening? How do we fit into this strategy, and do we have a voice?”
She stressed the importance of youth involvement.
“Youth should be equally represented. But sometimes, they feel intimidated around elders or community leaders. It’s important to create spaces where they feel comfortable contributing.”
Angela Dalton, Councillor for Manurewa-Papakura and former chair of the local board, received a message from Maresala-Thomson thanking her for initiating the strategy years ago.
“I always felt we weren’t turning words into tangible outcomes for Pasifika,” Dalton said.
“I was determined to build strong relationships to ensure we deliver projects that meet the needs of our growing Pasifika population.”
Auckland Council partner and facilitator Akerei Maresala-Thomson . . . facilitating a discussion on strengthening the relationship between the Manurewa Local Board and Pasifika communities. Image: LDR/Mary Afemata
Feedback will shape final draft Feedback will shape the final draft of the strategy. A subcommittee will refine the document before it is presented to the Manurewa Local Board.
The goal is to align its implementation with the 2025-2026 Local Board Plan, ensuring Pasifika priorities are embedded in decision-making.
A steering committee will oversee the project, ensuring it reflects the aspirations of Manurewa’s Pasifika communities and fosters meaningful engagement with local government.
Maresala-Thomson said: “What we get from today, from your feedback, which has been amazing, this will help to draft the strategic plan specifically for Pacific and Manurewa.”
Local Democracy Reporting (LDR) is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air. Asia Pacific Report is a community member of the LDR project.
05 March 2025 – Reserve Bank of New Zealand Governor Adrian Orr has resigned and will finish in the role on 31 March.
Mr Orr, who was first appointed as Governor in March 2018, says it has been a privilege to lead an institution that plays a critical role in the economic wellbeing and prosperity of all New Zealanders.
“Over the last seven years we’ve significantly built our capability and capacity so we can respond to an increasing complex and challenging global environment. We’ve made considerable progress in our approach to monetary and financial policy, alongside driving much-needed maturity uplifts in our balance sheet capital, digital, data and technology.”
“We’ve advanced many major, multi-year programmes, to modernise and strengthen the RBNZ and the New Zealand financial system and led the implementation of strategies related to the Future of Money and Cash, Future of Payment and Settlements, Financial Inclusion, Climate Change, and Māori Access to Capital,” Mr Orr says.
“I’m incredibly proud of the RBNZ’s people, our work and the impact of our mahi on all New Zealanders,” Mr Orr says.
“I leave the role with consumer price inflation at target, and an economy in a cyclical recovery following the long period of COVID-related disruption. The financial system remains sound. However, there is much work left to do on the major multi-year strategies RBNZ is following. Ongoing focus and funding will be critical to these projects’ success.”
RBNZ Board Chair Professor Neil Quigley thanked Mr Orr for his leadership and commitment to the central bank. “Adrian has been critical to leading the institutional reforms needed to implement the new Reserve Bank Act, Deposit Takers Act, and Depositor Compensation Scheme. In particular, Adrian has demonstrated resilience and fidelity to the Bank in operationalising the changes in governance and decision-making that followed from the creation of a Monetary Policy Committee with external members from 2019 and the Reserve Bank Act coming into force in July 2022.”
“He has also driven a significant uplift in leadership and capability across the Bank, and modernised its culture to reflect contemporary New Zealand society,” Professor Quigley says.
Deputy Governor Christian Hawkesby will be Acting Governor until 31 March. From 1 April the Minister of Finance, on recommendation from the RBNZ Board, will appoint a temporary Governor for a period of up to six months. Mr Hawkesby will also chair the Monetary Policy Committee.
Under the Reserve Bank Act the Minister of Finance can appoint temporary Governor for a period of up to six months, following a recommendation from the RBNZ Board.
Issued for Karpany Road, Langhorne Creek Road near Wellington in the Murraylands.
Warning level Advice – Avoid Smoke
Action Smoke from WELLINGTON is in the Karpany Road, Langhorne Creek Road, Lovely Banks Road, Hawks Nest Road near Wellington area.
Smoke can affect your health. You should stay informed and be aware of the health impacts of smoke on yourself and others.
Symptoms of exposure includes shortness of breath, wheezing and coughing, burning eyes, running nose, chest tightness, chest pain and dizziness or light-headedness.
If you or anyone in your care are having difficulty breathing, seek medical attention from your local GP. If your symptoms become severe, call 000.
More information will be provided by the CFS when it is available.
Photo & Video Chronology — March 4, 2025 — Kīlauea summit eruption episode 12
Episode 12 of the ongoing Halemaʻumaʻu eruption began a fountaining phase at 2 p.m. HST on March 4 after small and short-lived lava flows earlier in the day.
Only weak vent activity was observed on the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory monitoring helicopter overflight of Kīlauea summit at 8 a.m. HST on March 4, 2025. Scientists conducted sampling of lava that has slowly oozed out in the eastern portion of the crater in recent days as residue from earlier episodes. All samples are collected in coordination with and after receiving permission from Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park. Analysis of the sample will provide information for ongoing eruption hazard assessment. Weak effusive activity continued throughout the day until around 2 p.m., when fountaining started with more vigor, producing a larger flow across the crater floor.
A panoramic view of Kaluapele, the caldera at the summit of Kīlauea volcano, taken from the Volcano House Hotel overlook in Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park. The intermittently active vents on the west wall of the caldera are visibly degassing in the shadowed background of the image, while Mauna Loa is illuminated in the sunlight. This image was taken the morning of March 4, 2025. USGS photo by K. Mulliken.
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Source: United States Senator for Wisconsin Ron Johnson
I had the honor of attending the swearing-in ceremony for Robert F. Kennedy Jr. after being confirmed Secretary of Health and Human Services.
The ceremony was held in the Oval Office, a unique honor.
I’m looking forward to working with Secretary Kennedy in his commitment to radical transparency and conquering chronic illness. I believe this is a watershed moment for America.
The Make American Healthy Again movement held a press conference after RFK Jr’s swearing-in. Watch my remarks here, but the entire MAHA press conference with Del Bigtree is well worth watching. Truth is about to be revealed.
The Senate DOGE Caucus met with Elon Musk, and I gave him my variance sheet comparing a reasonable pre-pandemic level of spending to this year’s outrageous $7.3 trillion. In 2019, the federal government spent $4.4 trillion.
We need to turn Elon’s brilliant DOGE efforts into long-term savings. Here’s the chart I shared with Elon. I’m an accountant and I’ve long been frustrated by how little Washington talks about the actual numbers. Three years ago, I asked my colleagues and the Washington press corps what the federal government spent and no one knew.
On February 21, I joined the Clay & Buck Show and the discussion turned to Ukraine. I was at Zelensky’s inauguration and he told me in 2019 he knew war with Putin was unwinnable. This war never should have started and never should have gone on this long.
On March 2, I joined The Cats Roundtable with John Catsimatidis to talk about Zelensky’s Oval Office meeting. President Trump is dedicated to peace and ending war with out-of-the-box thinking.
The American people deserve a full accounting of Joe Biden’s activities.
I sent another letter to the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) highlighting multiple requests — some dating back to June 2021 — for records relating to Joe Biden and his family business dealings. For years, NARA failed to provide the requested records to both Sen. Chuck Grassley and myself.
Although former President Biden is no longer in office and he pardoned his son Hunter and other family members, we believe it is of importance to review these records so the American people have a full accounting of Joe Biden and his family’s activities while Joe Biden was in government.
READ: Fox News — Grassley, Johnson demand NARA turn over Biden records relating to email aliases, family business dealings
Congratulations to Finn Peterson, a junior at the Prairie School in Racine, for earning a spot in the U.S. Senate Page Program this semester.
Pages play an important role in the daily operation of the Senate. They live in Washington, D.C. for the semester and attend Page School while working in the U.S. Senate. Pages deliver correspondence and legislative material within the Capitol and Senate office buildings, prepare the Chamber for Senate sessions, and work on the Senate floor.
Contact my office and the Senate Page Coordinator for more information on the program for 16 or 17-year-olds in their junior year of high school.
I had the pleasure of meeting Meredith Clark, a senior at Green Lake High School, and her dad. Clark is a national recipient of the Samsung American Legion Scholarship. She plans to attend Ripon College and then veterinary school at Colorado State University.
Samsung funds these scholarships to show appreciation for U.S. veterans who came to Korea’s aid during its struggle against communist forces in the Korean War.
A group from Wisconsin’s Disabled American Veterans (DAV) was in Washington. The organization has over 14,000 members in Wisconsin and helps provide resources and fulfill promises made to our nation’s Veteran heroes.
Source: United States Senator for Washington State Patty Murray
ICYMI: Senator Murray On Trump’s Joint Congressional Address
***VIDEO HERE***
Washington, D.C. – This morning, ahead of President Trump’s Joint Address to Congress, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), a senior member and former Chair of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee, participated in a virtual press conference with women harmed by Republican abortion bans—including Washington state resident Kayla Smith, who Senator Murray brought as her guest to last year’s State of the Union Address. The speakers highlighted how the Trump administration and Republicans’ efforts to restrict access to reproductive health care everywhere and ultimately ban abortion nationwide are putting women’s health and lives at risk. Senator Murray released a statement last night explaining her decision not to attend President Trump’s Joint Address—instead she will be meeting with constituents who have been harmed by this administration’s reckless actions.
Participating in the virtual press conference with Senator Murray were multiple women: Kayla Smith, Murray’s State of the Union guest last year and a plaintiff in Adkins v. State of Idaho—more on Kayla’s story here; Amanda Zurawski, patient storyteller and lead plaintiff in Zurawski v. State of Texas; Latorya Beasley, IVF patient storyteller from Alabama; Dr. Caitlin Bernard, OB-GYN from Indiana who spoke out publicly about providing abortion care to a 10-year-old victim of rape; and former U.S. Representative Colin Allred (D, TX-32). Kayla, Amanda, Latorya, and Dr. Bernard were all honored guests at last year’s State of the Union.
“Republicans are doing everything they can to push things from what is already nightmarishly bad to somehow even worse,” Senator Murray said on today’s press call. “They’ve replaced anti-abortion dog whistles with anti-abortion train whistles—sending a clear signal to extreme, and even dangerous, anti-abortion crusaders to go wild… It may be early days of this new administration, but, unfortunately, it is not too early to see that they are hell-bent on ripping away women’s reproductive rights, and that we will need to fight tooth and nail to defend abortion access in this country from a new onslaught of Republican attacks.”
In his first few weeks in office, President Trump has taken direct aim at reproductive health care access—issuing two executive orders and taking a host of other actions to roll back efforts to protect and advance access to abortion and birth control, and that threaten health care providers across the country. These actions include:
Pardoning anti-abortion extremists found guilty of entering clinics by force, barricading clinic entrances with chains and bike locks, harassing patients and providers, and even assaulting and injuring clinic staff—and announcing that his Department of Justice will no longer enforce the FACE Act at all except in “extraordinary cases.”
Taking down ReproductiveRights.Gov and scrubbing agency websites of vital information about reproductive health care.
Repealing two Biden-era executive orders that sought to protect and expand access to reproductive health care in the aftermath of the Supreme Court’s disastrous Dobbs decision overturning Roe v. Wade.
Reinstating the expanded Global Gag Rule that targets reproductive health care around the world.
Rescinded critical travel and leave benefits for service members and their families seeking abortion care.
Nominating notorious anti-abortion extremists for critical public health positions and other influential roles in his administration—including Dr. David Weldon for CDC Director, Pam Bondi for U.S. Attorney General, Russell Vought for OMB Director, and Dean John Saurer as Solicitor General, and many others.
Senator Murray is a longtime leader in the fight to protect and expand access to reproductive health care and abortion rights, and she has led Congressional efforts to fight back after the Supreme Court’s disastrous decision overturning Roe v. Wade.
Murray has introduced more than a dozen pieces of legislation to protect reproductive rights from further attacks, protect providers, and help ensure women get the care they need; Murray has led efforts to push for passage of these bills on the floor multiple times. Last January, on the anniversary of Roe v. Wade, Murray led her colleagues in hosting a “State of Abortion Rights” briefing with women who have suffered firsthand from Republican abortion bans, and last June, she chaired a HELP Committee hearing titled “The Assault on Women’s Freedoms: How Abortion Bans Have Created a Health Care Nightmare Across America.” Recently, Murray helped lead efforts to force Republicans on the record on votes to protect access to contraception and access to IVF (twice), and she led her colleagues in raising the alarm about the threat a second Trump administration poses to reproductive rights and abortion access in every state, as outlined in Project 2025.
Senator Murray’s full remarks, as delivered on today’s press call, are below and video is HERE:
“Thank you all for joining this important conversation. And I have to say it is so great to be reunited with Kayla, who was my guest to last year’s State of the Union, where we joined together to underscore the devastation and cruelty caused by Republicans’ extreme attacks on abortion rights.
“Unfortunately, it’s painfully clear today we have to continue shining a harsh spotlight on this issue—because while Trump and Republicans would no doubt love for all the chaos they are causing to push these stories out of the public eye, there are even more women suffering now and yes, dying, because of Republicans’ extreme abortion bans.
“And we will not stop pushing to make their stories heard, and make change happen.
“This work is far from over but I will never, ever, back down from this fight—especially not now, when Republicans are doing everything they can to push things from what is already nightmarishly bad to somehow even worse.
“The stories women have shared since abortion rights were stripped away have been horrific: women forced to stay pregnant despite what they wanted, despite what was best for them, even despite medical emergencies.
“But the data also continues to roll in and give us an even clearer picture of the grim reality for women in this country.
“At the same time that we are finally making overdue progress nationally to lower maternal death rates, we are seeing maternal death rates surge in Texas and other states after Republicans put in place extreme abortion bans.
“And what is the Trump Administration doing now? Well, for starters, they’ve locked researchers out of a key maternal health database and fired people working on maternal health research.
“That’s going to painfully undermine some of our best tools for understanding the damage that Republicans’ extreme abortion bans are doing nationwide—but more than that, they’ve replaced anti-abortion dog whistles with anti-abortion train whistles, sending a clear signal to extreme, and even dangerous, anti-abortion crusaders to go wild.
“President Trump issued mass pardons of people who broke laws that keep patients receiving reproductive health care safe, and he made clear he won’t punish people who break that law going forward.
“That is a chilling invitation to lawlessness—people blocking patients, barricading clinic entrances, and making violent threats—all of which we have seen before, and all of which it’s clear Trump wants to make even worse.
“And Trump is not just emboldening extremists—Trump is seeking to empower them as well.
“His pick to lead the CDC is the father of the Weldon amendment, which gave the Trump Administration free rein to withhold funds from states that seek to protect abortion access.
“Dave Weldon is someone who has radical anti-abortion views and a long history of peddling inflammatory and medically debunked anti-abortion rhetoric that put the lives and health of women in danger.
“Meanwhile, Trump’s HHS Secretary has made clear he is completely open to Republicans’ bogus push to rip away access to medication abortion—something that would upend the most common, and most accessible form of abortion care, which hundreds of millions of women turn to each year, especially since the Dobbs decision.
“So, it may be early days of this new Administration—but, unfortunately, it is not too early to see that they are hell-bent on ripping away women’s reproductive rights, and that we will need to fight tooth and nail to defend abortion access in this country from a new onslaught of Republican attacks.“But women across the country are fed up with having their rights undermined, having their health jeopardized, and having their most personal decision stripped away from them by Republican politicians.
“They are going to continue speaking out. Women like Kayla are going to continue having the courage to tell their stories, and I am going to continue doing everything I can to lift them up, to make their stories heard in the halls of power, and to stand my ground in the fight to protect abortion access in America.
“Thank you, and now I’ll turn it over to Kayla.”
State Highway 2 is currently closed between Carterton and Clareville due to a crash earlier this morning.
The crash involving a car and a power pole near the intersection of Andersons Line, was reported shortly after 9am this morning.
Lines company contractors are on site and local road detours are available.
Southbound traffic should use Somerset Road, turn right onto Carters Line, then right again onto Park Road, back to SH2. The reverse applies for northbound traffic.
Drivers should follow the directions of emergency services and contractors at the scene and can expect travel delays until the site is cleared later today. Please allow extra time for your journeys.
Updates on the highway’s status can be found on the Journey Planner website:
State Highway 2 (SH2) Hewletts Road in Mount Maunganui will be looking fresh by early April, after NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA) completes the resurfacing of key intersections.
This includes new asphalt layers and new road markings for the Tōtara Street, Waimarie Street and Jean Batten Drive intersections and the Golf Road roundabout,” says Bay of Plenty System Manager, Sandra King.
“A smoother road will make the trip safer and more enjoyable for the thousands of people who travel through this part of SH2 every day, heading to the Mount and Pāpāmoa, delivering freight to the Port and as part of their daily commute to and from work,” says Ms King.
Work gets underway on Sunday 16 March for 2 weeks, with crews on site between 8pm and 5am, Sunday to Thursday nights. During these hours there will be lane closures, some full closures and detours in place. No work will take place on Friday or Saturday nights.
Ms King acknowledges that this type of work can be disruptive.
“Closing the road at times provides the safest working environment for our crews, which allows them to work effectively and efficiently. NZTA thanks road users for their patience while we carry out this work.”
While other work was completed on SH2 Hewletts Road early in 2024, the intersections were always programmed to be resurfaced in the 2024/2025 maintenance programme.
Schedule of work
Phase 1: Tōtara Street intersection
Sunday 16 and Monday 17 March
The intersection of Tōtara Street and SH2 Hewletts Road will be closed to enable resurfacing to take place, there will be a detour via Hewletts Road, Newton Street, left on to Hull Road and back on to Tōtara Street and in reverse if travelling from Tōtara Street. On Hewletts Road there will be a lane closure with a temporary speed limit in place within the worksite.
Phase 2: Waimarie Street intersection and between Waimarie Road to Hocking Street
Tuesday 18 March to Sunday 23 March (no work Friday or Saturday nights)
The Waimarie Street intersection is being resurfacing, both exits either side of Hewletts Road into Waimarie Street will be closed during this time. There will be a lane closure with a temporary speed limit in place within the worksite.
Phase 3: Jean Batten Drive intersection and between Maru Street to Waitomo Service Station
Monday 24 March to Wednesday 26 March
The Maru Street intersection on the northern side is being resurfaced, during this time the entry into Maru Street will be closed. Hewletts Road is also being resurfaced between Maru Street and the Waitomo Service Station, there will be a lane closure with a temporary speed limit in place within the worksite.
Phase 4: Golf Road roundabout
Sunday 30 and Monday 31 March
The Golf Road roundabout will be closed at night to enable resurfacing to take place. The road will be closed between Tui Street and Golf Road roundabout with a detour via Maunganui Road, Tweed Street, Oceanbeach Road and back to Golf Road. If travelling along Hewletts Road, the flyover towards Pāpāmoa will be open. Travel towards Mount Maunganui beyond Tōtara Street will be via Newton Street and Hull Road.
Police have taken another firearm out of the community after a traffic stop early this morning.
Just before 2.30am, a frontline Police unit stopped a vehicle on Carbine Road in Mt Wellington.
“The vehicle was sought by Police and as staff were speaking with the driver, they noticed a baseball bat in footwell of the car,” Inspector Rachel Dolheguy, of Auckland City East’s Area Prevention Manager says.
“A further search of the vehicle was invoked and uncovered a sawn-off shot gun in the vehicle’s backseat.”
Attending staff also located ammunition for the firearm.
Police have since towed the vehicle and the driver was arrested.
A 27-year-old man will appear in the Auckland District Court next week on a raft of charges.
Inspector Dolheguy says: “It’s a great result from the nightshift Public Safety Team in taking another firearm out of the community and its potential use for future offending.”
HONOLULU, Hawaii – Former Honolulu City Attorney Donna Leong and former Honolulu Police Commission Chair Max Sword pleaded guilty in federal court today, admitting that they conspired to illegally pay then-Honolulu Police Chief Louis Kealoha $250,000 from city coffers without the approval of the Honolulu City Council while he was under federal investigation for corruption.
Additionally, former Honolulu City Manager Roy Amemiya entered a deferred prosecution agreement for his role in the same conspiracy.
The defendants were immediately sentenced to time served and were ordered to pay $250,000 in restitution to the city.
The resolution of these cases marks the end of a decade-long series of public corruption prosecutions in Honolulu, which began with the investigation and conviction of Chief Kealoha and former Honolulu prosecutor Katherine Kealoha.
According to court documents, Leong, Sword, and Amemiya admitted that they conspired in their official capacities as Honolulu city officials to reach a settlement agreement for the retirement of then-Police Chief Kealoha while he was under federal investigation for corruption. The defendants also paid Kealoha $250,000 from the city’s purse without first seeking and obtaining the approval of the Honolulu City Council, which was required by city laws. Leong, Sword, and Amemiya admitted that their decision not to seek and obtain City Council approval violated the law and deprived the citizens of Honolulu of their due process rights under the Fifth and Fourteenth Amendments of a hearing before, and approval by, their elected City Council for the use of city funds.
Following their guilty pleas, Leong and Sword were sentenced by U.S. District Judge Leslie E. Kobayashi to time served and one year of supervised release. During today’s hearing, Judge Kobayashi characterized Leong and Sword’s actions as “truly misguided” and reprimanded them for exercising a “complete disregard for the separation of powers” by not presenting the settlement agreement to City Council. She further stated that their actions caused “serious harm” to the community of Honolulu.
As part of a deferred prosecution agreement, in addition to admitting his involvement in the criminal conspiracy, Amemiya’s agreement requires him to comply with certain conditions for a period of two years, including completion of 200 hours of community service and restriction from holding public office. Per the terms of his deferred prosecution agreement, if he complies in full for two years, the charges against Amemiya will be dismissed.
Importantly, all three defendants agreed to pay restitution in the amount of $250,000 to the City and County of Honolulu—the exact amount of taxpayer money paid to then-Chief Kealoha as part of the unlawful settlement agreement.
The conclusion of the criminal case against Leong, Sword, and Amemiya is the last in a decade-long series of public corruption prosecutions in Hawaii conducted by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of California, which prosecuted these cases after the District of Hawaii was recused. These prosecutions have charged and convicted over a dozen individuals, most of whom were public officials or persons of prominence in Honolulu, including the Kealohas, Honolulu police officers, and anesthesiologist Rudy Puana, Katherine Kealoha’s brother. The resolution of the charges against Leong, Sword, and Amemiya marks a historic end to this journey of seeking justice for the citizens of Honolulu.
“After a decade-long battle against public corruption in Hawaii, we have successfully brought numerous cases to a close. This achievement is a testament to the unwavering dedication of our law enforcement partners, the prosecutors, our legal support staff, and the community,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Andrew R. Haden. “Together, we have demonstrated that no one is above the law. Hopefully, our efforts have also restored some faith in law enforcement and local government for the Hawaiian community. But let these cases also be a reminder, the fight against corruption must never end. The Department of Justice has a proud history and stands ready to fight for the principles of justice and fairness for all.”
“The cases against these three defendants are the last among a decade-long series of public corruption prosecutions in Hawaii,” said FBI Honolulu Special Agent in Charge David Porter. “I am proud of the agents and prosecutors who devoted years to these investigations—their tireless efforts reflect our continued commitment to root out corruption in our communities.”
This case and the series of public corruption cases brought over the last decade were led by Special Attorneys Michael G. Wheat, Joseph J.M. Orabona, Janaki G. Chopra, Colin M. McDonald and Andrew Y. Chiang.
DEFENDANTS Case Number 21cr00142-LEK
Donna Yuk Lan Leong Age: 69 Honolulu, HI
Max John Sword Age: 73 Honolulu, HI
Roy Keiji Amemiya, Jr. Age: 69 Honolulu, HI
SUMMARY OF CHARGES
Conspiracy to Deprive Rights under Color of Law – Title 18, U.S.C., Sections 371 and 242
Maximum penalty: One year in prison and $100,000 fine
For centuries, fire was one of the major fears for city-dwellers. Dense cities built largely of wood could – and did – burn. In 1666, a fire in a bakery went on to destroy two-thirds of the city of London, leaving 85% of residents homeless. In 1871, fire burned out huge areas of Chicago. In World War II, bombing raids by Allied forces largely destroyed cities such as Dresden in Germany and Tokyo in Japan.
The threat of large-scale urban fires drove authorities to spend more on urban firefighting and require buildings to use less flammable material. Fire alarms, fire engines and automatic sprinklers have done much to reduce the chance of uncontrolled spread.
But will our sense of safety endure in the age of climate change? In January, we saw swathes of Los Angeles burn – even in the northern winter. Driven by low humidity and high winds, numerous large fires encroached on the city, destroying outlying suburbs. Climate change made the fires worse, according to climate scientists.
Now we have new research on the question of whether climate change will make large city fires more likely. A research team from China, Singapore and Australia have gathered a decade’s worth of data on fires from almost 3,000 cities in 20 nations, home to one-fifth of the world’s population.
The researchers found for every 1°C increase in air temperature, outdoor fires (rubbish and landfill) increase 4.7% and vehicle fires 2.5%. If the world accelerates its burning of fossil fuels under a high emissions scenario compatible with a 4.3°C temperature rise by century’s end, outdoor fires in cities would soar 22% and vehicle fires 11%. But building fires are projected to actually fall 5%. Thankfully, this emissions scenario is now less likely.
To make these findings, the researchers aggregated the fire incident data from 2,847 cities located in 20 countries over the 2011–20 decade and analysed them to see how air temperature influences the frequency of three types of fires: outdoor, structural and vehicle. They found a strong correlation.
Of the 20 nations, New Zealand looks likely to have the highest increase in fires, soaring 140% over 2020 figures by 2100.
When we think of fires in a city, we usually think of structural fires – a building going up in flames.
The research suggests building fires would actually decrease 5% by 2100. This is unexpected, and might suggest uncertainty about this finding.
Interestingly, this research found the fewest structural fires occurred at air temperatures of 24°C, a temperature which humans find optimal. When it’s hotter or cooler than that, more buildings catch fire.
Why? It’s likely due to our behaviour. We spend more time indoors when it’s very cold or very hot outside, which the authors suggest could make us more likely to accidentally cause fires by using electrical appliances and fireplaces which have a fire risk.
By contrast, outdoor and vehicle fires do increase linearly as temperatures rise. Most vehicle fires come from an equipment or heat source failure, which are both likely to increase as temperatures rise. We are also more likely to have a car crash when it’s hotter, and vehicle fires often come after a crash.
Outdoor fires become more likely because heat dries out fuels and favours fire spread. Rubbish dumps can spontaneously catch fire when temperatures are too high – even underground. This happens because chemical reactions are accelerated in warmer temperatures, causing waste materials to heat up faster. If the extra heat isn’t dissipated, waste can become so hot that it catches fire on its own.
We should take these estimates with a grain of salt. This is because they project recent statistical patterns into an uncertain future, and draw on a data set not perfectly suited to the task. The data set stops in 2020, before the electric vehicle transition gathered speed. EVs have a different risk profile for accidental fires.
As the authors note, there are large barriers to getting a coherent understanding of fire risk. “Despite multiple efforts, we have been unsuccessful in obtaining fire data from Africa and South America,” they write.
Their estimates also relate to a high-emissions future which is hopefully becoming less likely, though the general pattern of the results are similar under less severe climate projections.
Most importantly, it’s not yet clear why temperature influences urban fires. This uncertainty raises questions over whether simple projections of current patterns into the future are realistic or appropriate.
Cities aflame?
Arguably the most important contribution of this new research is to show us that our cities are not inherently protected from fire.
For city authorities, this research points to the need to manage combustible materials, from piles of mulch to dry urban parks and even home gardens. Storage yards, rubbish dumps and recycling centres will also need to be managed.
Fire used to be a major concern for cities, and it could be again. Cities and fire are uneasy bedfellows, and climate change will worsen the situation.
David Bowman is an Australian Research Council Laureate Fellow and also receives funding from the New South Wales Bushfire and Natural Hazards Research Centre, and Natural Hazards Research Australia.
Calum Cunningham receives funding from the Australian Research Council.
The aftermath of one of the most undiplomatic – and notorious – White House meetings in recent history reveals a changed world.
Having berated Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky for supposedly not wanting peace with Russia and failing to show sufficient gratitude to the United States, President Donald Trump has now paused all military aid to Ukraine.
This equates to about 40% of the beleaguered nation’s military support. If the gap is not quickly covered by other countries, Ukraine will be severely compromised in its defence against the Russian invasion.
This has happened while the Russian army is making slow but costly gains along the front in eastern Ukraine. Trump’s goal appears to be to force Zelensky to accept a deal he does not want, and which may be illegal under international law.
New Zealand is a long way from that front line, but the implications of Trump’s unilateral abandonment of Ukraine still create a serious foreign policy problem.
Aside from its unequivocal condemnation of Russia’s actions, New Zealand has provided Defence Force personnel for training, intelligence, logistics and liaison to the tune of nearly NZ$35 million. The government has also given an additional $32 million in humanitarian assistance.
At the same time, New Zealand has supported global legal efforts to hold Russia to account at both the International Court of Justice and the International Criminal Court. With Trump undermining these collective actions, New Zealand faces some stark choices.
Allies at war
While a genuine ceasefire and eventual peace in Ukraine are the right aims, Trump’s one-sided proposal has involved direct talks between Russia and the US, excluding all other parties, including the actual victims of Russian aggression.
With eery parallels to the Munich Agreement of 1938 between Nazi Germany, Britain, France and Italy, peace terms could be dictated to the innocent party. Ukraine may have to sacrifice part of its territory in the hope a wider peace prevails.
In exchange, Ukraine may be given some type of “security assurance”. But what that arrangement would look like, and what kind of peacekeeping force might be acceptable to Russia, remains unclear.
If the current UK and European ceasefire proposals fail, Europe could be pulled more directly into the conflict. Since the Trump rebuff, European leaders are embracing Zelenskyy more tightly, wary of an emboldened Russia threatening other states with substantial Russian populations such as in Estonia and Latvia.
European boots on the ground in Ukraine could escalate the existing war into a much larger and more dangerous conflict. The complexities of this new reality are now spilling over in the United Nations.
A fork in the road
While the Security Council finally agreed on a broad statement in favour of a lasting peace, just what that might look like has seen opposing resolutions in the General Assembly.
On February 18, 53 countries, including New Zealand, voted in favour of a resolution condemning Russian aggression and calling for the return of Ukrainian territory. The resolution passed, but the US, Russia, Belarus and North Korea voted against it.
The US then put up its own resolution calling for peace, without recognising Russian aggression or the illegal annexation of Ukrainian territory. New Zealand supported this, too.
Those two votes clearly signal a fork-in-the-road moment for New Zealand.
As well as the wider consequences and potential precedents of any Ukraine peace settlement for security in Europe and the Pacific region, there is the immediate problem of supporting Ukraine.
With the US and Europe – both traditional allies of New Zealand – now deeply divided, whatever path the government chooses will directly affect present and future security arrangements – including any possible “pillar two” membership of AUKUS.
Potentially complicating matters further, Trump’s civilian lieutenant Elon Musk has publicly advocated for the US leaving the UN and NATO. Whether or not that happens, the threat alone underscores the gravity of the current situation.
No option without risk
Ultimately, if Trump decides to force Zelensky to the negotiating table against his will, and Europe continues urging and supporting him to fight on, New Zealand will have to take sides. It cannot take both.
The National-led coalition government will either have to abandon the stance New Zealand has taken on the Russian invasion over the past three years, or wait for Europe’s response and align with efforts to support a rules-based international order.
The first option would mean stepping back from that traditional foreign policy position, cutting military support for Ukraine (and trusting the Trump process), and probably ending sanctions against Russia and diplomatic efforts for legal accountability.
The other path would mean spending more on military aid, and possibly deploying more defence personnel to help fill the gap Trump has created.
No option is without risk. But, on balance, the European approach to international affairs seems closer to New Zealand’s worldview than the one currently articulated by the Trump administration.
The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
