Source: Moscow Government – Government of Moscow –
An exhibition has opened in the GROUND Solyanka gallery and workshop “Forward to Zlotnikov!”, presenting a new look at the artist’s legacy.
Yuri Zlotnikov is an abstract artist, one of the classics of Russian contemporary art, creator of his own visual language. His works are kept in the State Tretyakov Gallery, the State Russian Museum in St. Petersburg, the National Center of Art and Culture Georges Pompidou in Paris and other major cultural organizations.
The exhibition “Forward, to Zlotnikov!” is complex: its creators define it as a search for an impulse that sets in motion the mechanism of perception and knowledge of the world, as a large-scale study based on the art of Yuri Zlotnikov. His works are shown together with works by Russian and foreign contemporary artists – this takes viewers away from the idea of a lone innovator, which is assigned to the master, and denotes the continuity of ideas and interdisciplinary searches. And the image of the world through the prism of Yuri Zlotnikov’s works is complemented and expanded by scores for the ANS synthesizer by Olesya Rostovskaya and the installation “Machine Vision” by media artist Kamila Yusupova.
As for the architecture of the exhibition, notes Katya Bochavar, director of the GROUND Solyanka gallery and workshop, it is organized quite uniformly: almost all of the master’s works on display are located on a white support, with the exception of large paintings.
“And since the texts written by curator Nikita Spiridonov explain the artist’s works themselves, the themes that Zlotnikov worked on, and explain his worldview and perception in general, then, as it seems to me, it is very important at this exhibition not only to look, but also to read the text,” emphasizes Katya Bochavar.
“Signal System”, Cybernetics and Sculpture
The research exhibition is a timely and important stage in the study of the work of one of the greatest authors of contemporary Russian art, says Nikita Spiridonov.
“The starting point here is the art of Yuri Zlotnikov. However, following the call in the title, the dramaturgy can also be built in reverse: through the practices and poetics of other authors, the perception of Zlotnikov’s own art is deconstructed and reassembled,” the curator of the exhibition reasons.
The starting point for the research is the “Signal System”, which is at the crossroads of these vectors. Yuri Zlotnikov himself formulated its essence as follows: “The study of psychophysiological motor experiences, the nature of the subject’s reactions to color and form, the interaction of “artist – image – viewer” and subsequent impacts is the meaning of my work…”.
The term “signal” refers to cybernetics, an interdisciplinary science of transforming and transmitting information in complex control systems, which, in turn, borrowed it from psychophysiology. The artist emphasized the influence of cybernetics in his texts and statements. It is known, for example, that while working on “Signal System” (1957–1962), Zlotnikov communicated with Nikolai Bernstein, who was in charge of one of the laboratories of the Central Institute of Labor in the first half of the 1920s, where he was developing the foundations of biomechanics. Researchers of the artist’s work do not have a unified opinion on what exactly he gleaned from the texts and reasoning, but his practice sometimes seems worthy of its own laboratory and speaks of Yuri Zlotnikov’s exceptional passion and persistence not only in aesthetics, but also in science.
In the hall “Psychophysiology of visual perception” a special place is given to Zlotnikov’s still little-studied projects – sculpture and design theory. He worked on the principles of industrial workshop design in parallel with the “Signal System”.
“The idea was to extrapolate the Signals problematic to the needs of industrialization of that time – the project addressed the mental state of a person at the moment of production. Like the psychotechnical experiments of the Russian avant-garde, it was supposed to help a worker tune in to the production process in the factory shops, a schoolchild – to perceive and assimilate educational material in the classroom, and so on. However, later Zlotnikov cooled towards design and became disillusioned with its potential. According to Alexander Zlotnikov, Yuri Savelyevich claimed that the mundane is detrimental to the perception of art: if a worker sees a mural next to his machine every day, he will most likely stop noticing it,” says Nikita Spiridonov.
The sculptural works, not realized on a large scale during Zlotnikov’s lifetime and presented as models, establish a continuity with Yakov Chernikhov’s “Architectural Fantasies” — graphic compositions with an emphasis on “a sense of form, line, plane, volume, a sense of rhythm.” And although most of Chernikhov’s works remained projects, their flat architecture echoes the elements of lines and arcs of spatial objects in the gallery-studio hall. Thus, the visual patterns of Zlotnikov’s series enter three-dimensional space and now share it with the viewer, provoking movement and the search for a more perfect point of perception.
The exhibition runs until April 22. Tickets can be purchased on mos.ru.
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Source: United States Senator for Commonwealth of Virginia Mark R Warner
WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine (both D-VA) and Rep. Morgan Griffith (R-VA) wrote a letter to President Trump urging approval of Virginia’s updated request for an expedited Major Disaster Declaration following the February winter storms that caused widespread flooding and damage to Southwest Virginia. The updated request by the Commonwealth of Virginia asks for Individual Assistance and Public Assistance for the counties of Bland, Giles, Lee, Pulaski, Russell, Scott, Smyth, and Wise. The original request included the counties of Buchanan, Dickenson, and Tazewell.
Today’s letter of support comes more than two weeks after the Senators and Rep. Griffith originally wrote to President Trump in support of Virginia’s original request for a Major Disaster Declaration, which has not yet been granted.
“Unfortunately, this storm has resulted in at least four fatalities, caused significant damage to regional infrastructure, left over 203,000 customers without power at its peak, caused over 270 road closures including low water bridges and road washouts, resulted in multiple 9-1-1 center outages,” said the lawmakers. “The towns of Grundy and Hurley (Buchanan County) experienced catastrophic flooding, with the river gauges in these towns spiking historical flood levels. Over 150 swift water rescues, including evacuations, were made. The ability to perform thorough damage assessments has been hampered by access to areas, the safety of damage assessment teams, and stretched local capacity due to ongoing recovery efforts from Hurricane Helene.”
“Since the initial request for an expedited Major Disaster Declaration, additional impacts have been revealed now that post-storm assessments are taking place,” they continued. “This amended expedited Major Disaster Declaration would ensure the availability of key federal resources to support the Commonwealth’s efforts to guarantee public safety and rapid recovery from the direct and indirect effects of this destructive storm event.”
Expedited Major Disaster Declarations are granted for catastrophes of unusual severity and magnitude when field damage assessments are not feasible or may not be necessary to determine the requirement for supplemental federal assistance. The Administration’s approval of a declaration would provide a surge of federal resources and support, allowing Virginia to more quickly respond to and recover from the direct and indirect consequences caused by Hurricane Helene.
A copy of today’s letter can be found here and below.
Dear President Trump:
We write to express our strong support for Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin’s amended Major Disaster Declaration request for the Commonwealth of Virginia due to the ongoing impacts of February Winter Storms. An expedited Major Disaster Declaration is necessary due to the widespread flooding and damage to Southwest Virginia, which is still recovering from historic destruction caused by Hurricane Helene last fall. This amended request includes additional localities impacted by recent storms that had preliminary damage assessments delayed due to ongoing response, debris, high water, and snowstorms.
On February 10, 2025, Governor Youngkin declared a state of emergency in the Commonwealth of Virginia in advance of February Winter Storms. Following widespread impacts throughout Southwest Virginia, Governor Younkin requested an expedited Major Disaster Declaration on February 16, 2025. This request included Individual Assistance and Public Assistance for Buchanan, Dickenson, and Tazewell counties and Hazard Mitigation Grant Program assistance statewide. On February 26, 2025, Governor Youngkin submitted an amended expedited Major Disaster Declaration request for Individual Assistance and Public Assistance that included the following additional localities and counties: Bland, Giles, Lee, Pulaski, Russell, Scott, Smyth, and Wise.
As these winter storms and flooding moved inland, over seven inches of rain fell in some areas of Southwest Virginia with significant life-threatening flash flooding across some of Virginia’s most vulnerable and least resourced areas. Unfortunately, this storm has resulted in at least four fatalities, caused significant damage to regional infrastructure, left over 203,000 customers without power at its peak, caused over 270 road closures including low water bridges and road washouts, resulted in multiple 9-1-1 center outages. The towns of Grundy and Hurley (Buchanan County) experienced catastrophic flooding, with the river gauges in these towns spiking historical flood levels. Over 150 swift water rescues, including evacuations, were made. The ability to perform thorough damage assessments has been hampered by access to areas, the safety of damage assessment teams, and stretched local capacity due to ongoing recovery efforts from Hurricane Helene.
Since the initial request for an expedited Major Disaster Declaration, additional impacts have been revealed now that post-storm assessments are taking place. This amended expedited Major Disaster Declaration would ensure the availability of key federal resources to support the Commonwealth’s efforts to guarantee public safety and rapid recovery from the direct and indirect effects of this destructive storm event. Significant federal assistance is needed in Southwest Virginia to help our constituents who are already recovering from the widespread damage of Hurricane Helene, which was the most significant disaster in the Commonwealth in over a decade. It is important to note this is the fifth major flood in this area in the past five years.
We thank you for your consideration of Governor Youngkin’s request for an amended expedited Major Disaster Declaration and request you act expeditiously to approve this designation to ensure the Commonwealth has the resources available to support our constituents following this tragic storm event. We look forward to working with you, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, and other relevant federal agencies to support the Commonwealth of Virginia’s disaster response efforts.
Sincerely,
By the end of February, cargo volume on the Chancay-Shanghai shipping route had exceeded 22,000 tonnes since the sea link between China and Peru became fully operational in both directions on Dec. 18, 2024, according to Shanghai Customs.
The total cargo value reached 610 million yuan (about 85.03 million U.S. dollars), the customs department said Tuesday.
Currently, two regular voyages operate between the ports each week, benefiting other major Chinese ports along the east coast, including Dalian, Qingdao, Ningbo and Xiamen.
Chancay Port is not only a deep-water hub but also South America’s first smart and green port. As a flagship Belt and Road cooperation project between China and Peru, the direct route has cut sea travel time between the two countries from over a month to approximately 23 days, reducing shipping costs by at least 20 percent.
The new route has enhanced cargo flows from Latin America to Asia, with projected shipments from Brazil, Ecuador and Colombia. It also streamlined distribution across Asia, offering faster and more cost-effective shipping services.
Statistics from Shanghai Customs show that in 2024, the import value of goods transported from Peru to Shanghai port reached 26.4 billion yuan, marking a year-on-year increase of 23.6 percent; meanwhile, the export value of goods transported from Shanghai port to the South American country amounted to 25.1 billion yuan, up 22.2 percent.
In December 2024, the first month after the sea route was launched, total trade between Shanghai port and Peru surged to 4.68 billion yuan, a 46.1 percent increase from the previous year.
Chinese-made automobiles are among the key exports to Peru, while agricultural products such as fruit and fish powder from the South American country are common imports.
Shanghai Customs has established a “green channel” for cargo and optimized supervision services to ensure safety and efficiency on the route.
Source: United States Senator for Alabama Tommy Tuberville
WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) penned an op-ed in Newsweek previewing President Donald J. Trump’s Joint Address to Congress tonight. In the piece, Sen. Tuberville celebrates the Trump administration’s accomplishments since returning to the White House, including securing the border, negotiating America First trade deals, cutting wasteful government spending, and facilitating peace around the world.
Read excerpts from the piece below or here.
“Tonight, President Donald Trump will give his first joint address to Congress since his triumphant return to the White House. For the past four years, Americans endured a national nightmare under the Biden administration. Democrats opened our borders—allowing criminals, terrorists, drug dealers, and murderers to flood into our country unchecked. They canceled American energy production and forced us to rely on our foreign adversaries for energy. They wrote a blank check to Ukraine—while doing nothing to actually stop the bloodshed. They even went as far as to support men competing in women’s sports. Joe Biden and Kamala Harris brought this country to the brink of destruction.
The last four years were a dumpster fire—a total disaster. ‘Sleepy Joe’ was worn slap out as soon as he got up in the morning. Thinking back on it now, I really don’t know how our country survived. It’s a miracle that we made it through those dark days. One thing is for sure: President Trump’s address will be nothing like the clown show we endured the last four years.
But today, America is ready to usher in its golden age under President Donald J. Trump. We’re only a month and a half in, and President Trump is well on his way to renewing the American dream by reversing some of the Democrats’ most destructive policies. Most importantly, President Trump is keeping his promises to the 77 million Americans who voted for him and his ‘America First’ agenda. A recent poll showed 70 percent of Americans believe President Trump is doing what he said he would do.
We’ve already seen a whole lot of winning. Illegal border crossings have plummeted under the Trump administration, reaching their lowest levels in decades. Democrats’ ‘catch and release’ program has been replaced with detaining and deporting illegal immigrants. Since master-dealmaker President Trump first threatened tariffs, Canada and Mexico have been pulling their weight to stop the flow of illegal immigrants and deadly fentanyl into the U.S. It’s about time they pony up and contribute to this so-called ‘alliance.’
Two weeks ago, the administration officially designated eight different cartel groups as foreign terrorist organizations. Did Border Czar Kamala Harris recommend any of these policies? I don’t think so. She was too busy trying to keep the Left’s radical agenda alive. Border security is national security, and President Trump is making the safety of U.S. citizens his top priority.
President Trump is also hard at work restoring common-sense policies. For example, his administration announced that schools that still enforce COVID vaccine mandates will no longer receive federal funding. President Trump also signed an executive order defining gender as male and female, along with one banning men from competing in women’s sports.
[…]
I was particularly thrilled when President Trump signed an executive order to protect Title IX and keep men out of women’s sports. But unfortunately, executive orders can be reversed. My bill, the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act, finally got a vote last night in the Senate. Every Democrat voted against it. Last week, my wife Suzanne and I welcomed our first granddaughter, Rosie Grace. Now that I’m a grandfather, I’m more motivated than ever to continue fighting to permanently keep men out of women’s sports.
President Trump is doing something rare in D.C.: delivering on his campaign promises. From cutting wasteful spending with DOGE to renaming the beautiful Gulf of America, President Trump is renewing the American dream. And he’s not slowing down. Trump has brought unbelievable energy to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. He won’t rest until American families, businesses, farmers, and manufacturers are winning again.
We have a long way to go if we’re going to get our country back on track and truly make America great again. But we’re well on our way. I look forward to hearing his address tonight and am committed to helping advance his agenda from the Senate.”
Senator Tommy Tuberville represents Alabama in the United States Senate and is a member of the Senate Armed Services, Agriculture, Veterans’ Affairs, HELP, and Aging Committees.
Source: United States Senator for Alabama Tommy Tuberville
“My Democrat colleagues either hate Donald Trump so bad or they just think that they know better than everybody else.”
WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) joined Senate Republican Leadership’s weekly press conference to discuss last night’s vote on his bill, the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act. During his remarks, Sen. Tuberville called out Democrats for failing to vote to protect women and girls.
Read excerpts from Senator Tuberville’s remarks below or watch here.
“I sat up last night trying to think of a word to describe what happened yesterday to girls and women across this country. I still haven’t come up with it. It’s amazing to me that anybody would be against [protecting] girls’ and women’s sports—but that’s what happened yesterday for the third time since I’ve been here for going on five years.
I spent all my life in coaching and the best thing that’s ever happened to women and women’s sports is Title IX. Folks, it’s being attacked, and attacked daily by the Democrats. There’s no reason why that should not have been a 100-0 vote. It makes no sense. It really doesn’t. And I want you to look at this. Women’s sports [are] being attacked. Men in women’s sports—the Democrats say ‘There’s only a few.’ But it doesn’t take but one to injure somebody. Again, I’ve spent my entire life watching competition. And this is a no-nonsense vote of voting for girls and women. […]
So, let’s go ahead and run women’s sports into the ground and do away with it. Let’s go ahead and cancel it right now because that’s what they’re saying.
Here’s another deal—NIL money going to athletes, which I’m fine with because athletes work hard—but the problem is none of the money is going to women’s sports. So, what’s going to happen is we’re going to have transgenders in women’s sports. And now we’re taking all of the women’s sports and saying ‘We do not have funding for you because the money has to go to NIL.’
Folks, we are ruining women’s athletics. It will be over with in a very short period of time. Only because my Democrat colleagues either hate Donald Trump so bad or they just think that they know better than everybody else and they want to change to one gender or 60 genders. It makes no sense to me.
So, today I’m challenging my Democrat colleagues: think about it, sleep on it, understand it. Because you’re going to have to own every bit of this because every Republican voted for it, every Democrat voted against it. It will come [up] again in the next few years and we’re going to try to get it passed. Thanks to President Trump for doing an Executive Order, but as we all know that doesn’t last. We’re going to get this done one way or another. And I think the American people will speak next time when they see in their state what Senator voted against women’s sports—and they should. And they should be run out of town. Because it is absolutely not political, it’s common sense.”
BACKGROUND:
Under Joe Biden, more than 900 women lost medals to men competing in women’s sports. The issue of men in girls’ and women’s sports proved to be one of the top concerns of voters during the 2024 Presidential Election. A recent New York Times (NYT) poll found 79% of respondents said men should not be allowed to participate in women’s sports. This number is a 10% increase from a 2023 survey where 69% of respondents agreed that men do not belong in women’s sports. This is a bipartisan issue—the same recent NYT poll found that 67% of Democrats agree that male athletes shouldn’t be allowed in women’s sports.
In February, President Trump signed a historic Executive Order banning men from competing in women’s sports. President Trump has spoken about the need to keep men out of women’s sports on multiple occasions.
Unfortunately, Executive Orders can be reversed. That’s why last night the Senate voted on Senator Tuberville’s bill, the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act, which would make President Trump’s Executive Order permanent. 45 Democrats voted to block the bill from proceeding.
Earlier this year, Senator Tuberville also introduced a bill to ban men from competing in women’s U.S. Olympic sports, following USA Boxing’s announcement that it would allow men to box against women.
IN THE NEWS:
Not One Democrat Senator Voted to Protect Women’s Sports From Males
White House Backs Tuberville’s Women’s Sports Legislation Ahead Of Senate Vote
After This Vote, the Dems Show They Really Haven’t Learned Anything From Their 2024 Loss
Democrats Stall Senate Bill To Protect Women’s Sports
Bill to Ban Biological Males From Women’s Sports Blocked by Democrats
Senate Dems face backlash after bill to prevent boys from playing girls’ sports fails to break filibuster
Senate Dems Kill Legislative Effort to Protect Women’s Sports
Senate Democrats block GOP bill to keep male-born athletes out of female sports
Senate bid to prevent boys from playing girls’ sports get stuck on filibuster
Fight To Protect Women’s Sports Could Stall In Senate
Will Democrats stand up for women or let men destroy girls’ sports?
Senator Tommy Tuberville represents Alabama in the United States Senate and is a member of the Senate Armed Services, Agriculture, Veterans’ Affairs, HELP, and Aging Committees.
Chinese cultural elements such as trendy toys, cuisines, TV dramas, etc., are establishing a bigger presence in Thailand these years. The popularity of Chinese culture is a vivid illustration of the close bond between China and Thailand.
In a store of China’s trendy toy maker Pop Mart in Bangkok, capital of Thailand, a customer named Ploy was selecting from an array of dolls displayed on the shelves. Each series, whether it was Labubu, Molly, or Skullpanda, left her enchanted.
“Many of my friends love Labubu. It’s so comforting and always brings me joy,” said Ploy. She added that the Thai people are drawn to cute things. The toys of Pop Mart, featuring vibrant colors and diverse designs, strongly appeal to the young people there.
Following the success of the Chinese animated film “Ne Zha 2,” Pop Mart’s newly-launched blind boxes of the “Ne Zha 2” series have quickly sold out. Many international fans are also eagerly anticipating its overseas release.
Thailand’s news channel TNN commented that toy collecting has evolved from a trend in China to Thailand and beyond. It has transcended the scope of a commercial activity, becoming a modern culture that brings people together.
In addition, Thailand has seen a surge in Chinese restaurants offering traditional dishes like Malatang, hotpot, fish with Sichuan pickles, and Sichuan-style grilled fish. The numbing and spicy Sichuan cuisine very much suits the flavor preferences of the Thai people, and are therefore highly popular in Thailand, May from Bangkok told People’s Daily Online.
In July 2023, Thailand’s Minor Food Group opened a Sichuan-style grilled fish restaurant in Bangkok. The company’s COO said that with the diverse Chinese cuisine styles in the Thai market, the company is exploring Sichuan dishes to keep up with the growing trend of Chinese food in Thailand.
Chinese TV series are also accelerating their global reach. Hou Xiaonan, CEO, president and executive director of China Literature Limited, said at the Asia TV Forum & Market that, “Chinese TV series have replaced US TV series and become the second most popular entertainment content in Southeast Asia’s video-on-demand market.” Last year, high-quality Chinese dramas like “Joy of Life Season 2” topped the trending charts on video platforms across Southeast Asia.
Similarly, Chinese micro-dramas are gaining significant traction abroad. Singaporean Chinese-language newspaper Lianhe Zaobao reported that Southeast Asia is a hotspot for Chinese micro-dramas, with some Chinese companies setting up production centers in Thailand, the Philippines, and other countries. With exquisite costumes, fast-paced storytelling and dramatic twists, Chinese micro-dramas have become a favorite among global viewers and a popular medium for young audiences to explore Chinese culture.
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.
Source: United States Senator for Washington State Patty Murray
In floor speech, Murray slams yearlong CR proposal, calls for transparency from DOGE so Congress can do its job, and reiterates call for Musk to come before Congress
Murray: “No one wants a shutdown—well, no one except Elon Musk, who recently said that ‘sounds great.’”
Murray: “Elon Musk is, apparently, in charge of his own conflicts of interest—we’re just supposed to trust him. Has he recused himself from a single decision? We haven’t heard a single update about that.”
***WATCH: Senator Murray’s floor speech***
Washington, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Vice Chair of the Senate Appropriations, took to the Senate floor and delivered the following remarks on government funding talks, House Republican leadership’s yearlong CR plan, DOGE’s utter lack of transparency, and Elon Musk’s glaring conflicts of interest that are going completely unaddressed by the Trump administration:
[ON GOVERNMENT FUNDING TALKS]
“No one wants a shutdown. Well, actually, no one except Elon Musk, who recently said that ‘sounds great,’ or Donald Trump or Russ Vought.
“That’s why I have been at the table this entire time, ready to pass bills that protect key investments and ensure Congress—not Donald Trump or Elon Musk—decides whether or not our public schools or lifesaving cancer research get funded.
“Unfortunately, Republican leadership told their members last week to walk away from the negotiating table—which raises the risk of a shutdown—in an attempt to pass a clean yearlong continuing resolution that would actually give Trump and Musk exactly what they want: fewer restraints, and more power over federal spending so they can pick winners and losers as they see fit, which would hurt all of our constituents.
“Nonetheless, I am urging Republican leadership to come back to the table, if they are willing to do that, and work with us on full-year funding bills—the type of work we do together every year—and prevent a shutdown while we do that.
[ON REPUBLICAN LEADERSHIP’S FULL-YEAR CR]
“We cannot stand by and accept a yearlong power grab CR that would help Elon take a chainsaw to programs that families rely on and agencies that keep our communities safe.
“We actually have a job to do—Republicans and Democrats—to be a voice for our constituents, to advocate for the funding they need, and to get support back to our communities.
“I have heard my House Republican colleagues say they will not restrict a Republican President’s powers. I want to be clear: what I am asking for is to work together to make sure that as we write and negotiate these full-year spending bills, our laws get followed. I welcome, and I want everyone to know, I am open to any and all ideas on how we can work together to do that.
“I am confident we can get this done. I am ready to pass a short-term CR immediately to take down the risk of a shutdown so that we can finish our negotiations and write full-year spending bills.
[ON UTTER LACK OF TRANSPARENCY FROM TRUMP ADMIN, DOGE]
“Now, on a topic I believe appropriators on both sides would agree with: we need far more information and transparency and accountability from the Trump administration to write these bills.
“Because, here’s one big problem—among many: how are we supposed to fund the government when many agencies are not responding to any of our questions, and when we have no clear picture of who is actually in charge of many of our agencies?
“It’s clear as day there have been a lot of dramatic changes made across the government.
“Agencies are being illegally shuttered. Workers are being fired by the thousands—again, often in direct violation of laws we have passed. And hundreds of billions of dollars in federal programs and grants have been frozen, unfrozen, and frozen again. We’ve had contracts that have recklessly cancelled, some accidentally and then restarted—not to mention the workers who have fired and rehired.
“It is incredibly chaotic—and it makes it much harder to write legislation that actually responds to the latest developments, when programs are switching on and off again like a two-year-old is playing with a light switch—and when the number of people and programs illegally terminated remains unclear.
“It is much more difficult to write funding bills for Department programs when we have no idea what the Department is actually doing, or what the actual plan is for the next year, or if it’s actually them or perhaps DOGE making the plans in the first place.
“When we are seeing decisions made and reversed, or made and ignored, or made by people who have no authority making them—and yet seemingly being implemented. And it’s not just the whirlwind of decisions that are causing chaos. It is the complete lack of transparency and accountability surrounding these decisions from Trump and Musk that makes it all but impossible to get a straight answer.
“When we have questions that urgently need answers—like why has this energy program been frozen, or when will the NIH grants start up again, or which VA contracts have actually been scrapped or how many workers are being pushed out—then it helps if we know who is actually in charge.
“When our constituents have problems that require solutions quickly or they will have to close a business, or lay people off, or lose the family farm—then it matters that we can get the right person on the phone to get things resolved.
“And yet, when there is information we urgently need so we can write funding bills and avoid a shutdown like agency priorities or unexpected challenges or just the basic nuts and bolts stuff—to say nothing of the information we need to address the very extraordinary circumstances and decisions of the past few weeks—it is totally unclear who we should actually be talking to if we want answers that actually reflect the reality of what is happening.
“It is totally unclear who is actually making decisions—and who is actually in charge.
“Appropriators have now sent over thirty letters to agencies since January 20th asking to just understand agency actions—and that’s to say nothing of the efforts from me and my staff to get answers to our emails and our calls. But the answers have been few and very far between.
“And what’s more, just because we hear something from someone who should know, just because we hear from someone who should be in charge—we have found that does not mean it’s actually true.
“There is more than one time in the past few weeks, where we’ve been told one thing, only to see the reality is entirely different.
“Like, for example, when the OMB funding freeze was implemented and we were told it won’t affect Head Start—except that it did affect Head Start. Providers in my state were locked out of the payment system for days—even after the funding freeze itself was rescinded.
“It seems like the only thing that has been consistent about the last few weeks is that every time there has been chaos, every time I’ve seen actions that fly in the face of laws we have passed—not to mention common sense—or contradict what I’ve heard from agency leaders, DOGE has been at the center of it.
“We have seen DOGE absolutely trample the authority of Congress, and other federal agencies—including officials Congress confirmed.
“For example, while Secretary Rubio instituted a recklessly broad and illegal freeze of all foreign assistance funding, he publicly announced exceptions for a limited set of programs—including lifesaving aid—the basic idea being that we probably shouldn’t let HIV spread rampant and we probably shouldn’t let food grown right here in America rot in ports while children starve.
“Causing mass death through pointless negligence is not really a good strategy for bolstering our global reputation. It is cruel and self-defeating. So, as Secretary of State he made the exception. But DOGE had other plans. Because on the rare occasion that what was left of USAID staff who hadn’t been sidelined, was able to clear these payments through the agency’s interim leadership—surprise! DOGE staffers would veto the payments anyways.
“Keep in mind: we don’t know about this because DOGE disclosed it or State disclosed it—we know only because of reporting.
“That should not be how this works. Congress—and the American people—should not be out of the loop.
“Especially given the serious stakes here—and the serious questions that remain, like: on what authority did they veto these payments? Whose orders did they overrule the Secretary? I would very much like to know.
“Because while the Secretary is guilty of plenty of the attacks on his workforce and programs, it certainly seems like the Secretary of State got steamrolled on numerous occasions, without even knowing it.
“And if that’s the case: who are we supposed to talk to with questions about State’s funding needs? The Secretary, or the two DOGE minions who actually have their hands directly on the levers of power here?
“And let’s not forget about what happened at Treasury. DOGE wanted access to our most secure systems. Agency officials told them no. And then the agency officials were told ‘you’re fired.’
“That sent a chilling message to our federal workers: you stand up to DOGE at your own peril.
“And it’s not just Treasury—DOGE has been worming its way into Department after Department, making a beeline for the most sensitive systems, including ones storing my constituents’ sensitive financial data, and bulldozing over anyone who stands in their way, for any reason.
“We don’t even know who all of these people are or whether they even have security clearances.
“They even had people fired for denying them access to classified material beyond their security levels. That is how completely unchecked their power has become. And we have incredibly little insight into what they are actually doing with those sensitive systems.
“We’ve seen DOGE claim they only can view some data—that’s already deeply concerning—but there are also plenty of indications they have been given more power at times.
“And they are interested in tinkering around with some of these systems too or unaccountably blocking payments like we saw at USAID
“And let’s talk about the Defense Department, because first Secretary Hegseth was saying he wanted to revive the quote, ‘warrior spirit’ at the Department, but now he’s telling employees to reply to DOGE’s weekly emails. He is firing thousands of defense personnel, and he’s asking every corner of DOD to propose major cuts.
“So, as an appropriator, trying to write full-year bills that fund our military, which is it? Major increases? Or major cuts?
“And who do I ask about the Department’s needs? Is this up to the Secretary? Or up to DOGE? And who at DOGE is even steering this ship?
“We need to know this kind of thing—and we really needed to know yesterday. Because we have a deadline coming up for funding the military, and we have some serious questions for whoever is in charge about how the administration is approaching things.
“And when I say whoever is in charge, I don’t mean who is in charge on paper—because it seems like there is a big disconnect.
“I mean who is actually making the decisions and driving actions at our agencies—and at DOGE for that matter.
“Because, look: first Elon was running DOGE with Vivek, then it was just Elon, then it supposedly wasn’t Elon at all.
“But then, Elon kept right on posting about hiring decisions like someone in charge and rehiring an individual who resigned after their blatant racism came to light.
“And he kept right on doing press availabilities with the President—in the Oval Office—to discuss his work at DOGE, like someone in charge. So it sure looks like Elon is still the head of DOGE.
“And even after we were all finally told, with great supposed certainty, that DOGE is actually being run by another person no one had even mentioned, we then promptly learned: oh, she’s on vacation. And the very next day we saw Elon briefing the Cabinet on what he is doing at DOGE.
“If that seems at all confusing, or contradictory, I don’t think it’s an accident, so much as a smokescreen—one that seems designed to hide the obvious fact that Elon Musk is the one calling the shots at DOGE.
[ON ELON MUSK’S GLARING CONFLICTS OF INTEREST]
“All of us here in Congress really need to know that—because this is the richest man in the world with billions in government contracts on the line.
“Elon Musk is, apparently, in charge of his own conflicts of interest. We’re just supposed to trust him. Has he recused himself from a single decision? We haven’t heard a single update about that.
“As a steward of taxpayer dollars who wants to make sure the bills we write are implemented to help my constituents—not Elon Musk’s bottom line—I would like to know:
Did the owner of Space X recuse himself from decisions gutting NASA?
Did the owner of Tesla interfere at all in funding freezes that will hurt his competition in the electric vehicle market?Does the guy who posted criticizing Verizon’s work for FAA and pitching his own company Starlink as an alternative have anything to do with reports the government may reverse course now on the Verizon contract?
Did the guy selling satellite internet have any role in halting funds that were helping connect my constituents to broadband?
Or what about all the watchdogs that have been fired? People reviewing Neuralink devices at FDA? People at the agency that reviews the safety of Tesla’s self-driving cars? Or the Inspector General looking into Elon’s connections to foreign governments?
“Despite what Musk likes to pretend, it is not in the slightest bit transparent for him alone to be deciding what he hides, and what he shares about his role in government.
“Nor is it transparent when DOGE is posting updates that are often completely inaccurate from getting basic math wrong, to getting wrong basic timelines of what Trump did versus Biden did, to not understanding how contracts work—and counting the same ‘cuts’ over and over and over again.
“They aren’t being transparent—they are muddying up the waters with falsehoods and disinformation and making it that much harder for us to write meaningful funding bills in the next few days.
“I mean—if DOGE doesn’t even know what programs they’ve cut and how much they’ve cut—how are we supposed to understand how these decisions could hurt our constituents? How are we supposed to write legislation that rejects the cuts we find harmful or even aligns if there are areas of agreement?
[ON MUSK NEEDING TO COME BEFORE CONGRESS]
“We need real answers from DOGE—and we need them as soon as possible. And so, I am once again requesting that Elon Musk come before Congress for a hearing and be held accountable to the American people.
“Tell us: what exactly are you doing? Why are you firing federal employees whose salaries are covered by fees, not taxpayer dollars? Why are you firing veterans—by the thousands—who are doing work to support our communities? Why are you planning to fire the people who make sure seniors get their Social Security checks? Who are the people who work for you? How were they vetted? What are your long-term plans for the agencies? And based on what authority are you overruling Secretaries, directing federal workers, and ignoring the laws we pass in Congress?
“America is waiting—but we are losing valuable time. Congress—and the American people—deserve answers. And we need them to do our jobs.”
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.”
SEATTLE — Utah-based jewelry company Paparazzi will pay $1.9 million and reform its business practices in Washington state following an Attorney General’s Office investigation into the company’s pyramid scheme. Attorney General Nick Brown will send 7,100 Washingtonians who sold jewelry for the company checks of an average of $180 in the near future.
“Our investigation showed Washingtonians were clearly harmed by Paparazzi,” Brown said. “Advertising too-good-to-be-true returns on investments is one of the ways companies and individuals try to deceive Washingtonians.”
The payment is part of a resolution Paparazzi signed to avoid a lawsuit over violations of the state Consumer Protection Act and Antipyramid Promotional Scheme Act. Washingtonians who sold Paparazzi’s products can return to the company any unsold merchandise that they purchased after January 2017 for a full refund.
The binding resolution also requires the company to be more transparent if it wants to keep operating in Washington state. It creates a nationwide claims process for refunds for anyone who bought Paparazzi jewelry that contains the heavy metals lead and nickel. Paparazzi advertised certain products — including those marketed toward children and youth — as free from both heavy metals. Paparazzi’s own testing revealed that some of its products contained lead and nickel.
The resolution also reforms how Paparazzi can advertise its sales program, to include fully disclosing the income sales consultants would likely receive from its sales programs.
The Consumer Protection Division is largely funded through money recovered from businesses who have violated Washington’s Consumer Protection Act and similar laws, not by taxpayers. Specifically, a portion of Consumer Protection recoveries go into the Attorney General’s Civil Justice Operating Fund, which supports the Consumer Protection, Antitrust, Wing Luke Civil Rights, and Environmental Protection divisions. It also funds Medicaid Fraud Control and the Complex Litigation divisions.
Here are some recent key consumer protection victories:
$1.3 billion in recoveries dedicated to combating the opioid epidemic at the state and local level.
Blocking the Kroger and Albertson’s anticompetitive grocery store merger.
Up to $40.6 million will be distributed to Washingtonians who overpaid for chicken and tuna products that were part of a price-fixing conspiracy.
A nationwide agreement requiring Dollar Tree to monitor its testing labs to ensure they follow appropriate testing methods for lead and cadmium that are audited and verified through independent experts.
Over $43 million in direct refunds and debt forgiveness to student loan borrowers.
More than $158 million in debt relief to patients who Washington hospitals failed to screen for charity care.
Our Consumer Protection Division has successfully challenged consumer “non-disclosure” agreements to make sure online reviews are honest and returned funds to consumers who signed illegal contracts.
The Manufactured Housing Unit, recoups millions of dollars for tenants subjected to illegal rent hikes and other misconduct under the Manufactured Housing Landlord Tenant Act.
The Wing Luke Civil Rights Division addresses discrimination in housing, employment, insurance, credit, and in government services and businesses open to the public. Recent wins illustrating the breadth of that work include wins against Allianz ($1.5 million, insurance discrimination), Greenridge Farming ($470,000, farmworker sexual harassment and retaliation) and Operation Veterans Assistance & Humanitarian Aid (more than $2.15 million, sexual harassment and retaliation at a chain of thrift stores).
Our Consumer Resource Center, which answers between 25,000-30,000 calls annually, returns over $10 million to consumers every year via its informal dispute resolution efforts. Assistant attorneys general also take calls and complaints throughout the year that result in additional consumer protection actions.
Assistant Attorneys General Ben Brysacz, Joe Kanada; Paralegals Joseph Drouin, Luis Oida and Heather Zamudio handled the case for Washington. Former Assistant Attorneys General Susana Croke, Kevin Eggers and Camille McDorman also handled the case before leaving the Attorney General’s Office.
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Washington’s Attorney General serves the people and the state of Washington. As the state’s largest law firm, the Attorney General’s Office provides legal representation to every state agency, board, and commission in Washington. Additionally, the Office serves the people directly by enforcing consumer protection, civil rights, and environmental protection laws. The Office also prosecutes elder abuse, Medicaid fraud, and handles sexually violent predator cases in 38 of Washington’s 39 counties. Visit www.atg.wa.govto learn more.
Media Contact:
Email: press@atg.wa.gov
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Marc H. Silverman, Acting United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, and Kathryn Rivera, Acting Assistant Special Agent in Charge of EPA’s Criminal Investigation Division for New England, announced that NATIONAL WATER MAIN CLEANING COMPANY (“NWMCC”) was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Kari A. Dooley in Bridgeport for a felony violation of the Clean Water Act (“CWA”) for knowingly discharging a pollutant into Cuff Brook while refurbishing a large culvert pipe in Cheshire, Connecticut, in July 2019. The company’s unauthorized discharge of uncured geopolymer mortar killed more than 150 fish and contaminated Cuff Brook.
Judge Dooley sentenced NWMCC to a term of federal probation with environmental conditions for three years, a $500,000 federal penalty, and a payment of $500,000 to the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (“CT DEEP”) to fund aquatic ecosystem enhancement projects in the South Central Coastal Watershed, where both Cheshire and Cuff Brook are located.
NWMCC is based in New Jersey and owned by Carylon Corporation based in Chicago, Illinois.
According to court documents and statements made in court, NWMCC had submitted the lowest bid and entered into a contract with the Town of Cheshire (“Cheshire”) to repair a decaying 11-foot culvert pipe underneath Marion Road. Cheshire’s project specifications required that the work be done under dry conditions along with environmental controls to prevent uncured geopolymer mortar from leaking into Cuff Brook.
With a Cheshire Department of Public Works (“DPW”) representative present each day, NWMCC began work on July 15, 2019. However, from July 16 to July 18, 2019, NWMCC sprayed geopolymer mortar onto the culvert pipe without the mandated environmental controls. On July 17, 2019, NWMCC crews continued to work despite heavy rain, which led to uncured geopolymer mortar seeping into Cuff Brook. On July 18, 2019, a Cheshire resident with property abutting Cuff Brook observed dead fish and discolored water with an oily sheen in the brook, and smelled a chemical odor similar to lighter fluid. CT DEEP responded and determined that NWMCC was responsible for the pollutant release, thereby killing more than 150 fish and contaminating the waterway. CT DEEP estimated that Cuff Brook would not return to its prior state for three to five years.
The government’s investigation revealed that NWMCC was aware that its environmental controls were deficient, but did not remediate these deficiencies during the project. Although the company attempted to blame the pollutant release and fish kill on a single employee, the investigation showed that he had been inadequately trained, directed to complete the job in an unrealistic timeframe, and was never informed that the uncured geopolymer mortar was hazardous to the environment.
The investigation also revealed that NWMCC lacked a meaningful and comprehensive environmental training program for its employees, particularly with respect to the CWA, even though NWMCC’s core business is repairing and rehabilitating infrastructure that interfaces with public waterways. In addition, NWMCC’s bonus policy incentivized site supervisors and executives to push their work crews to perform projects quickly and maximize the number of jobs completed. At the time of Cheshire project, NWMCC was operating under a Code of Conduct as part of a 2014 settlement with the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office to resolve civil allegations involving environmental pollution.
NWMCC pleaded guilty to the offense on January 17, 2025.
This matter was investigated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency – Criminal Investigation Division with the assistance of the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection and the Connecticut Office of the Attorney General. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Hal Chen with the assistance of EPA Regional Criminal Enforcement Counsel Man Chak Ng.
Police is seeking witnesses to a series of scrub fires across Port Waikato and Tuakau this year.
Counties Manukau South CIB are investigating seven fires that have been deemed suspicious.
Detective Senior Sergeant Simon Taylor says this series fires first began in January this year.
“Police are working with Fire and Emergency New Zealand to understand the scope of the series of fires,” he says.
“We will consider all investigative opportunities to hold those responsible to account.
“At this stage we are keeping an open mind as to whether these fires are linked or not.”
There were five suspicious fires that occurred in February alone.
Detective Senior Sergeant Taylor says it is fortunate there have been no injuries or loss of life as a result.
No arrests have been made at this stage of the investigation.
“The dry weather, and at times proximity to the Port Waikato township, causes significant concern and risk for the township,” Detective Senior Sergeant Taylor says.
Police urge anyone with information about those involved, or who have witnessed suspicious activity surround the time fires occurred, to report this.
You can update Police online now or call 105 using the reference number 250227/2905.
“If you see any suspicious activity occurring, please call Police on 111,” Detective Senior Sergeant Taylor says.
Fires under investigation:
– 11 January – 9 February – 17 February – 26 February – 27 February – 27 February – 4 March
Keeping yourself safe:
Fire and Emergency’s Counties Manukau Community Risk Manager Thomas Harre says there are some simple steps people can take to keep themselves, and their homes, safe from wildfire.
“Things like keeping your grass short, keeping gutters clear and removing highly flammable plants from around your property can help.
“Longer term, planting low flammability plans before next summer reduces your risk.”
For more information on low flammability plants and advice on when wildfire threatens, people can visit this link.
Thomas Harre encourages anyone with information to come forward to help the Police investigation.
“These fires are causing a lot of anxiety in the community, so we want them to stop.
“Our fire brigades have had to spend a lot of time responding to these fires, and that has put pressure on them if there are other incidents to attend to in the area.
“Most of the crews have been volunteers, so this means time away from family or from their place of work to fight these fires.”
The Albanese Labor Government continues to deliver on its commitment to create an inclusive labour market where everyone has the opportunity to work.
Australians with disability who can and want to work will benefit from our $14.6 million boost to support the evolution of the supported employment sector.
Supported employment is a type of job for people with disability who need substantial ongoing support to get or keep a job, and they receive extra support while at work. About 16,000 Australians with disability currently participate in supported employment.
Thirty-three organisations will receive grants in round 2 of the $29.5 million Structural Adjustment Fund. They’ll deliver projects that increase the range of job opportunities and pathways into open employment for people with disability with high support needs.
Minister for Social Services and the National Disability Insurance Scheme, Amanda Rishworth, said people with disability had the right to meaningful work and training, and this investment would ensure the sector continues to evolve to meet individual needs.
“We understand that most people with disability want to work but unfortunately face many barriers to finding and maintaining suitable employment,” Minister Rishworth said.
“Boosting disability employment and opening more opportunities for people with disability who can and want to work, is high on the Albanese Labor Government’s agenda.
“Funding under this grant round will be delivered across various locations around Australia, ensuring people with high support needs can reap both the social and economic benefits that employment can provide.”
The Minister today visited Cultivate Food and Beverage in Adelaide, a social enterprise offering open employment in food manufacturing for people with barriers to work. Cultivate is backed by Bedford – a round 2 funding recipient that will deliver the Bedford Rangers program. It will build on a trial they delivered with RM Williams to host employment in mainstream workplaces with an employment coach and create individualised pathways to open employment for supported employees.
The Structural Adjustment Fund boosts training and skills for people with disability, creates and expands pathways to open employment and broadens social enterprise offerings. It aims to create employment pathways and opportunities for people with intellectual disability and other high support needs by investing in the supported employment sector.
The Structural Adjustment Fund complements the Government’s new specialist disability employment program, Inclusive Employment Australia. Replacing the current Disability Employment Services program, Inclusive Employment Australia recognises that people with disability may be at different stages of their employment journey – and that a one size fits all approach doesn’t work.
Learnings from the Structural Adjustment Funds projects will also be shared with the sector through the new Centre for Inclusive Employment. Previously known as the Disability Employment Centre of Excellence, the Centre will be an evidence-informed, best-practice hub that provides resources, tools, and training to help providers deliver quality employment services for people with disability.
“Inclusive Employment Australia and Centre for Inclusive Employment align with the Government’s vision of a more inclusive future, where people with disability, as well as those with injuries or health conditions, can get the support they need to find work and progress in their careers,” Minister Rishworth said.
Source: United States Senator for Alabama Tommy Tuberville
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) joined U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy (R-LA) in re-introducing the Prioritizing Offensive Agricultural Disputes and Enforcement Act, which will help eliminate trade barriers that harm American farmers, producers, and businesses, leading to higher prices for consumers. This legislation aims to protect U.S. agriculture while ensuring that the food which appears on U.S. store shelves meets U.S. health standards.
“America’s ag industry can out-compete anyone in the world—as long as the rules are fair,” said Senator Tuberville. “But right now, our farmers, producers, and fishermen are suffering because of foreign countries violating their trade obligations. We must level the playing field to bolster our domestic ag industry. We must eliminate barriers to our agriculture exports. I will continue to keep working to remove red tape for those in our ag industry.”
Joining Senators Tuberville and Cassidy in re-introducing this legislation are U.S. Senators John Boozman (R-AR) and Joni Ernst (R-IA). Sen. Tuberville cosponsored this legislation in the 118th Congress as well.
BACKGROUND:
The Prioritizing Offensive Agricultural Disputes and Enforcement Act establishes a joint task force on agricultural trade enforcement led by the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR). The task force will more proactively monitor upcoming Indian and Chinese industrial subsidies, rather than waiting to react after subsidies are in place. The bill will also require the task force to report recommendations to Congress to deal with unfair subsidies they identify, like India dumping shrimp on the U.S. market, driving down income for American fisherman.
Establishing a USDA-USTR task force urges USTR to hold bad actors, like India, accountable for agricultural WTO violations and requires regular reporting to Congress and industry on those efforts.
Since 2005, the U.S. has imposed antidumping duties and conducted reviews of those duties on shrimp. These antidumping duties were placed on foreign shrimp suppliers as a result of unfair trade practices. These practices flooded the U.S. shrimp market with foreign frozen warmwater shrimp, deteriorating the per-pound price from $6.50 in 1980 to under $1.00 today. The decline in shrimp prices has driven domestic harvesters out of business and allowed foreign entities to control this U.S. market. India is the world’s top shrimp exporter, accounting for roughly 40 percent of U.S. shrimp imports, largely due to massive subsidies from the Indian government.
Alabama shrimp farmers produce approximately 200,000 to 300,000 pounds of farm-raised shrimp annually. In 2022, commercial wild-shrimp landings totaled approximately 24.3 million pounds, with over $52 million in value, in Alabama.
As Alabama’s voice on the Senate Ag Committee, Senator Tuberville has taken rigorous action to bolster and safeguard our own domestic agriculture industry, including recently reintroducing the Protecting America’s Agricultural Land from Foreign Harm Act and Foreign Adversary Risk Management (FARM) Act.
MORE:
Tuberville Honors National Agriculture Week, Continues to Stand Up for Farmers
Tuberville Continues Fighting Foreign Influence in American Agriculture
Tuberville Gets the Gavel for Key Agriculture Subcommittee
Tuberville Continues Push to Combat Chinese Influence in U.S. Agriculture
Tuberville, Colleagues Stand up for Agriculture Producers
Tuberville Introduces Bill to Combat Foreign Influence in U.S. Agriculture Industry
Tuberville Announces Agriculture Subcommittee Assignments
Tuberville Statement on Tom Vilsack Confirmation as Secretary of Agriculture
Tuberville Advocates for Farmers During Senate AG Hearing
Senator Tommy Tuberville represents Alabama in the United States Senate and is a member of the Senate Armed Services, Agriculture, Veterans’ Affairs, HELP, and Aging Committees.
Source: United States Senator for Alabama Tommy Tuberville
“At least 900 medals that belonged to women went to men instead over the past few years.”
WASHINGTON – Yesterday, the U.S. Senate took a procedural vote on U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville’s (R-AL) Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act, his legislation to require federally-funded institutions to keep men out of women’s sports, locker rooms, and other spaces designated only for females. The bill did not receive the 60 votes needed to proceed. All 45 Democrats refused to stand up for female athletes and voted to block the bill.
Prior to the vote, Senator Tuberville called on his colleagues to pass this commonsense piece of legislation and preserve Title IX to keep a level playing field for current and future female athletes.
Excerpts from Senator Tuberville’s remarks can be found below, or on YouTube or Rumble.
“Over the past four years, women’s sports and women’s protections, at all levels, have been under attack. Since the beginning of time, people have agreed that sex is assigned at birth and determined by God. But under [the] Biden administration, you had people claiming that men can get pregnant. Pure, absolute insanity. But it didn’t stop there. They weren’t content just to erase gender norms that have been accepted for thousands of years. No, they wanted to allow transgender men to participate in women’s and girls’ sports. This has been happening at schools all across our country. […] Young women have been forced to compete against men and even to share locker rooms and shower time. And on top of that, your taxpayer dollars are paying for it. Thankfully, President Trump signed an Executive Order—he said, ‘no more, no more federal money to any state that allows this to happen.’ But you have to understand, this only lasts as long as President Trump is in office. We need this vote, which is going to happen in around an hour, to pass so we can make this into law. This Executive Order that he signed can be reversed.
[…]
Congress needs to act on this to protect women’s sports to ensure Title IX protections are preserved. My bill that we are voting on today in about an hour, the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act, would make sure women’s rights to equal competition, equal scholarships, safe locker rooms, and that they all are protected. This legislation has already passed the House just about a month ago – with two Democrats actually supporting it. I appreciate the support of all my Republican colleagues on this. You all have joined me in championing this important cause for the past three years. I especially want to thank Leader Thune for […] bringing my bill to the floor here in the United States Senate. This will be the third time. It is hard to get a bill on this floor, but it is important to understand that. I also want to thank my friend and former Democrat colleague Senator Joe Manchin of West Virginia who was the only Democrat in the last few years to support this when he was in the Senate. But unfortunately, my Democratic colleagues have been radio silent on this very issue despite the fact that a recent poll shows 67% [of] Democrats do not want men in women’s sports. 67%.
[…]
One of the most frequent talking points I’ve heard from the other side on this is that it isn’t a big deal and isn’t impacting that many women. That’s not true. At least 900 medals that belonged to women have gone to men just over the past few years of men competing against women. In Pennsylvania alone, 66 female athletes have lost placements to male competitors since 2020. How sad is that. For each woman, the medals that went to men, there are potentially hundreds of women who lost out on that opportunity. Not to mention the hundreds of girls who perhaps did not make a team at all because they didn’t have a spot [on the roster]—you can only have so many on a team. Or the many young women who missed out on a scholarship because a man, or biological boy, took that scholarship. It’s not fair. [So] no, this is [not] a minor issue impacting a few Americans. […] I took the liberty of looking up how many women and girls participate in women’s sports in some of my Democrat colleagues’ home states. More than 77,000 girls participate in high school [athletics] in the state of Georgia. In Michigan, 114,000. In Virginia, 164,000. In New Hampshire, 17,000. Pennsylvania [has] almost 150,000. New Mexico [has] almost 20,000. Minnesota [has] 98,000. Arizona [has] 120,633. And don’t tell me it’s not going to affect these states when, today, my Democrat colleagues come on this floor that represent these states and vote against this bill. It will affect [women], and it will affect them for years. So, as you can see, men competing in women’s sports has a negative impact on a lot of different girls across this country. But you know, it’s not just trophies. It’s about playing time, it’s about learning and being on a team, learning how to win and learning how to lose.
[…]
Last week, my wife Suzanne and I were proud to welcome our first granddaughter, Rosie Grace. She’s about five or six days old. We want her to have the same opportunities that all the other girls have had over the years. She deserves [the same rights] to fair competition, scholarships, trophies. I already bought her first pair of golf clubs—at age five days old. But if Democrats have their way today, she may one day be forced to compete against a man. Let me tell you something, if she has to share a locker room with a boy, you’re looking at a grandfather that will raise hell. If they shower in the same showers, we’re going to have problems. So, what we’re creating here is more and more problems that our country doesn’t need. I heard a story the other day about a 6th grade girl in Minnesota who was changing in a college locker room after swim practice when a biological man who identified as a female walked in and came within 5-6 feet of her to grab something. Let me tell you something, her dad became unglued. You would have too. Anybody would. This isn’t even about politics. This is about right and wrong. 79% of Americans agree on this: allowing men to compete against women is just plain wrong. 79% of the entire country. And like I said earlier, 67% of my Democratic colleagues and their constituents say, ‘no way, Jose.’ It’s not going to happen. So, to my colleagues on the other side of the aisle, you may want to check with your constituents before you make this vote today in about an hour.
[…]
Because if polling is even close to correct, 8 out of 10 of your constituents do not want men competing against women. And if that doesn’t strike a chord with you, let me ask you this: Do you have daughters? Do you have granddaughters? Do you have nieces? How would you feel if they trained for years – waking up early every morning, staying after school late practicing. Putting in those long hours when nobody else is watching. Missing spring breaks, family vacations, birthday parties, and holidays, making tremendous physical and financial sacrifices. All so they could one day have the opportunity either to win a trophy or win a scholarship. But then only to have that opportunity ripped away by a bigger, better, stronger, faster male athlete because they want to participate against women.
[…]
Thanks to President Trump’s Executive Order, the NCAA recently announced men will no longer be allowed to compete against women on the college level. While this is a step in the right direction, the NCAA’s rules still allow, to this day, the NCAA to change the rules but they still allow men—biological boys or men—to enjoy in all the other benefits of being on a women’s team—practicing, dressing in the locker room, showering. But they just can’t compete in a game. That makes no sense. The NCAA needs to stand up for young women across this country and say, ‘no way.’ It just makes no sense, when [President Trump] made that [Executive Order]. To fully protect women, Congress needs to pass legislation on this, as I said earlier. We have got to pass it. It’s the only way it’s going to stop. Because the people out there that have lost their minds are going to continue to force this to happen. The Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act would prevent a school from receiving federal funding if it lets boys compete in women. It’s the only way we can stop it. It also defines gender as male and female. What an idea, right?
[…]
I hope we can put politics aside and in about, and hour [or] 45 minutes, do the right thing and protect women and girls in sports.”
BACKGROUND:
The issue of biological males in girls’ and women’s sports proved to be a winning message during the 2024 Presidential Election. Support continues to grow for keeping biological males out of women’s sports—a recent NYT poll found 79% of respondents said biological males who identify as women should not be allowed to participate in women’s sports. This number is a 10% increase from a 2023 survey where 69% of respondents agreed that biological males do not belong in women’s sports.
This growing increase in support for keeping biological males out of girls and women’s sports isn’t a partisan issue. In the NYT poll, of the 1,025 people who identified as Democrats or leaning Democrat, 67% agreed that biological male athletes shouldn’t be allowed in women’s sports.
The Trump administration has taken historic action to establish where it stands on the issue, including an Executive Order from President Trump himself recognizing two genders and the Department of Education’s announcement that it will revoke the disastrous Biden-era Title IX policies. President Trump has spoken about the need to keep biological males out of women’s sports on multiple occasions.
However, there is still a need to make the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act permanent law. Now, Senator Tuberville faces another different challenge—getting Republican leadership to bring the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act (or S.9 for Title IX) before the Senate for a vote after leadership previously signaled support. The legislation is simple: 1) it bans federal funds from going to ANY institution that allows biological males in spaces designated for girls and women, and 2) ensures that Title IX provisions only recognize a person’s biological gender—or gender at birth.
The U.S. House of Representatives quickly moved to pass the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act on January 14, 2025, a week after the bill’s reintroduction. Two Democrats—Reps. Henry Cuellar and Vicente Gonzales—joined Republicans in voting for its passage, bringing the vote to 218-206. Another Democrat congressman—Rep. Ron. Davis—voted “present.” The bill had no Democrat support when it passed the House in 2023, signaling that some Democrats are beginning to wake up to the fact that Americans do not want biological males competing against female athletes.
One of Tuberville’s first acts after taking office in 2021 was offering an amendment to protect female athletes. Though the amendment had broad support, Senate Democrats blocked it from even being considered by a vote of 49-50.
Senator Tuberville has continued to be the leader on preserving Title IX, introducing legislation such as the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act and the Protection of Women in Olympic and Amateur Sports Act, and forcing Democrats to show the American people exactly where they stand on the issue of protecting female athletes.
On June 23, 2022—the 50th anniversary of Title IX becoming law—the Biden Department of Education announced its proposed changes to Title IX that would allow biological males to compete in girls’ and women’s sports. Senator Tuberville led 21 of his Republican colleagues in submitting a “public comment” to then-ED Secretary Miguel Cardona that warned of the dangers of his proposal, should it be carried out.
In April 2023, Senator Tuberville reintroduced the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act to strip away funding from schools that allow biological males to participate in female sporting events. The U.S. House of Representatives passed this legislation, but Senate Democrats blocked it when Senator Tuberville brought it up for a vote on the Senate floor.
In March 2024, Senator Tuberville once again forced the Democrats’ hand during a critical election year, when offering the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act as an amendment. ALL 51 Democrats at the time voted against allowing the bill to proceed.
In March 2024, Senator Tuberville ALSO introduced a bill to ban men from competing in women’s U.S. Olympic sports, following USA Boxing’s announcement that it would allow men to box against women.
IN THE NEWS:
Not One Democrat Senator Voted to Protect Women’s Sports From Males
White House Backs Tuberville’s Women’s Sports Legislation Ahead Of Senate Vote
After This Vote, the Dems Show They Really Haven’t Learned Anything From Their 2024 Loss
Democrats Stall Senate Bill To Protect Women’s Sports
Bill to Ban Biological Males From Women’s Sports Blocked by Democrats
Senate Dems face backlash after bill to prevent boys from playing girls’ sports fails to break filibuster
Senate Dems Kill Legislative Effort to Protect Women’s Sports
Senate Democrats block GOP bill to keep male-born athletes out of female sports
Senate bid to prevent boys from playing girls’ sports get stuck on filibuster
Fight To Protect Women’s Sports Could Stall In Senate
Will Democrats stand up for women or let men destroy girls’ sports?
Senator Tommy Tuberville represents Alabama in the United States Senate and is a member of the Senate Armed Services, Agriculture, Veterans’ Affairs, HELP, and Aging Committees.
State Highway 2 in Clareville is blocked after a vehicle hit a power pole, resulting in the pole and lines coming down across the road just north of Carterton.
It happened about 9:15am, and fortunately no one was significantly injured.
There are diversions in place off the highway and these are likely to remain in place until the afternoon.
LOS ANGELES, March 04, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Hanmi Financial Corporation (NASDAQ: HAFC, or “Hanmi”), the parent company of Hanmi Bank (the “Bank”), today announced its participation in the Piper Sandler Western Bank Forum on Monday, March 10 and Tuesday, March 11, 2025, in Marina del Rey, CA.
Anthony Kim, Chief Banking Officer, and Ron Santarosa, Chief Financial Officer, will host one-on-one and small group meetings throughout the day.
A copy of the presentation being used for meetings with institutional investors will be available in the Investor Relations section of the Company’s website at www.hanmi.com.
About Hanmi Financial Corporation Headquartered in Los Angeles, California, Hanmi Financial Corporation owns Hanmi Bank, which serves multi-ethnic communities through its network of 32 full-service branches, five loan production offices and three loan centers in California, Colorado, Georgia, Illinois, New Jersey, New York, Texas, Virginia and Washington. Hanmi Bank specializes in real estate, commercial, SBA and trade finance lending to small and middle market businesses. Additional information is available at www.hanmi.com.
Source: Government of the Russian Federation – An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.
The Presidium (headquarters) of the Government Commission on Regional Development made management decisions on 43 more unfinished construction projects included in the federal register of unfinished construction projects.
“At the recent operational meeting with deputy prime ministers, the Prime Minister noted the importance of improving the efficiency of federal property management for the sustainable development of regions. In this area, we are doing a lot of work to involve unused land plots in economic circulation so that they benefit people. Another area of work is unfinished construction projects financed from the federal budget, of which, unfortunately, there are many in the country. Among them are schools, clinics, dormitories, utility facilities and much more that people are waiting for. In recent years, the situation has gradually begun to change. Since 2022, the Ministry of Construction has begun to maintain a federal register of unfinished projects, and the government commission for regional development makes management decisions on them. Thanks to this, people can receive objects that are important for a comfortable life. In addition, an additional favorable environment is created for the development of populated areas, their appearance is improved, and citizens get new jobs. “So, we have made decisions to complete and commission another 43 unfinished buildings,” said Deputy Prime Minister Marat Khusnullin.
The Deputy Prime Minister noted that there are currently 773 unfinished construction projects in the federal register, of which management decisions have already been made for 696. Of these, 321 will be completed.
In addition, the Ministry of Construction is collecting and analyzing information regarding 77 unfinished buildings for subsequent submission to headquarters for consideration.
“The Russian Ministry of Construction is actively working with the subjects of the Russian Federation in terms of monitoring the development of regional regulatory legal acts similar to federal level documents. They provide for the maintenance of regional registers of unfinished capital construction projects, the construction and reconstruction of which were carried out in whole or in part at the expense of the budgets of the subjects and local budgets,” noted Deputy Minister of Construction and Housing and Public Utilities Yuri Gordeyev.
Information about unfinished construction projects financed by federal funds is included in the federal register based on data from the main budget funds administrators. This information is first sent to the Ministry of Construction and then checked by the interdepartmental commission. Entering an object in the register enables the presidium (headquarters) of the Government Commission for Regional Development to make decisions regarding the future fate of such an object.
Please note: This information is raw content directly from the source of the information. It is exactly what the source states and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.
Tampering with a Monitoring Device/Clean Air Act, Conspiracy
Trials
United States v. Jason Lee Wagner
No. 3:22-CR-01754(Western District of Texas)
ECS Senior Litigation Counsel Todd Gleason
ECS Senior Trial Attorney Gary Donner
ECS Paralegal Chloe Harris
On February 7, 2025, a jury convicted Jason Lee Wagner of conspiracy and 12 smuggling violations (18 U.S.C. §§ 371, 545, 2). Sentencing is scheduled for June 25, 2025.
Between March 2015 and December 2019, Wagner and others bought and sold endangered reptiles from individuals in Mexico. Wagner and other co-conspirator suppliers and middlemen used social media to offer reptiles for sale and to negotiate the terms of the sale and delivery with customers in the United States and Mexico. His co-conspirators also used international money transfers to provide for “crossing fees,” sales and purchases, and other expenses. They then packaged and re-packaged the reptiles for illegal crossings using USPS and other courier services to transport them between Mexico and the United States.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Office of Law Enforcement conducted the investigation.
Indictments
United States v. Roy Ladell Weaver, et al.
No. 1:25-CR-00048 (Middle District of Pennsylvania)
ECS Trial Attorney Ron Sarachan
AUSA David Williams
RCEC Patricia Miller
On February 19, 2025, a grand jury indicted Roy Ladell Weaver and his company, Pro Diesel Werks, LLC, with conspiring to impede the lawful functions of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and to violate the Clean Air Act (CAA), and substantive CAA violations (18 U.S.C. § 371; 42 U.S.C. § 7413(c)(2)(C)).
Pro Diesel Werks provided vehicle repair and maintenance and performance enhancement services, including services on diesel engines and vehicle emission systems. The indictment alleges that between 2013 and March 2024, Weaver and the company, along with co-conspirators, disabled the hardware emissions control systems on the diesel vehicles of Pro Diesel Werks’ customers (a practice referred to as a “delete” or “deleting”), defeating the systems’ ability to reduce pollutant gases and particulate matter released to the atmosphere. The defendants are also alleged to have tampered with the monitoring device and method required under the CAA, that is they disabled the onboard diagnostic system on vehicles preventing the system software from monitoring the emission control system hardware deletes (a practice referred to as a “tune” or “tuning”).
The defendants charged customers between approximately $2,000 and $4,000 per vehicle to remove and disable the emission control systems on motor vehicles with diesel engines.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Criminal Investigation Division conducted the investigation.
On February 7, 2025, Corey Potter pleaded guilty to violating the Lacey Act for illegally transporting crab from Alaska (16 U.S.C. §§ 3372(a)(2)(A), 3373(d)(1)(B)). Sentencing is scheduled for May 13, 2025. Kyle Potter, his son, was previously sentenced to pay a $20,000 fine and complete a five-year term of probation. A third defendant, Justin Welch, was ordered to pay a $10,000 fine and complete a three-year term of probation.
Corey Potter owns two crab catching vessels; Kyle Potter and Welch worked as vessel captains. In February and March 2024, the vessels harvested more than 7,000 pounds of Tanner and Golden king crab in Southeast Alaska. Corey Potter directed Welch and Kyle Potter to land the crab to Seattle, Washington, where they intended to sell it at a higher price than they would have in Alaska. Neither captain landed the harvested crab at a port in Alaska, and they never recorded the harvest on a fish ticket, as required under state law.
A large portion of the king crab that arrived in Seattle from Alaska had died and was unmarketable. Corey Potter knew that some of the crab aboard was infected with Bitter Crab Syndrome (BCS), a parasitic disease fatal to crustaceans. Officials were forced to destroy more than 4,000 additional pounds of Tanner crab due to the risk of BCS infection. If the defendants had properly landed the crab in Alaska, authorities could have inspected the harvest and removed the infected crab before leaving Alaska.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Office of Law Enforcement conducted the investigation.
United States v. Kendall Glenn Hacker
No. 5:25-CR-00002 (Eastern District of Kentucky)
AUSA Emily Greenfield
On February 7, 2025, Kendall Glenn Hacker pleaded guilty to conspiracy and to violating the Animal Crush statute (18 U.S.C. §§ 371, 48(a)(2), (a)(3)).
Between November 2021 and June 2022, Hacker sent money through online payment applications, such as PayPal and Venmo, to Michael Macartney, an online chat group administrator. The members and participants of these groups funded, created, obtained, received, exchanged and/or distributed animal crush videos.
Homeland Security Investigations conducted the investigation.
United States v. Chamness Dirt Works, et al.
No. 3:24-CR-00430 (District of Oregon)
AUSA Bryan Chinwuba
RCEC Karla Perrin
On February 7, 2025, property management company Horseshoe Grove, LLC, pleaded guilty to violating the Clean Air Act (CAA) National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants (NESHAP) for asbestos work practice standards (42 U.S.C. §§ 7412(h),7413(c)(1)). Horseshoe Grove’s owner and operator Ryan Richter pleaded guilty to a CAA negligent endangerment violation (42 U.S.C. § 7413(c)(4)). Construction and demolition company Chamness Dirt Works, Inc., pleaded guilty to violating the CAA NESHAP for asbestos, and company owner and president, Ronald Chamness, pleaded guilty to a CAA negligent endangerment violation (42 U.S.C. § 7413(c)(4)). Sentencing is scheduled for April 3, 2025.
In November 2022, Horseshoe Grove acquired a property in The Dalles, Oregon, which included a mobile home park and two dilapidated apartment buildings. The previous owner provided the new buyers with an asbestos survey from December 2021, which identified more than 5,000 square feet of friable chrysotile asbestos within the two deteriorating buildings, with levels ranging from 2% to 25%. The survey also noted non-friable asbestos in various building materials, including siding and flooring, throughout the apartments. Despite these findings, Horseshoe Grove failed to implement the necessary precautions for asbestos removal.
In March 2023, Chamness Dirt Works began demolishing the two asbestos-laden structures without following proper removal procedures. Chamness did not engage a certified asbestos abatement contractor, did not wet the asbestos-containing debris, and dumped the material in a regular landfill.
Horseshoe Grove paid Chamness Dirt Works a total of $49,330 for the demolition, which did not meet the required safety standards.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Criminal Investigation Division conducted the investigation.
Nos.4:25-CR-00018, 4:24-CR-00006, 00084 (District of Montana)
ECS Senior Trial Attorney Patrick Duggan
ECS Trial Attorney Sarah Brown
AUSA Jeff Starnes
ECS Paralegal Tonia Sibblies
On February 10, 2025, Hollis G. Hale pleaded guilty to violating the Lacey Act and the Endangered Species Act (16 U.S.C. §§ 1538(a)(1)(G), 3372(d)(2), 3373(d)(3)(B)). Sentencing is scheduled for June 11, 2025.
Hale conspired with Jack Schubarth to create giant hybrid sheep for captive hunting. Schubarth smuggled Marco Polo argali sheep parts from Kyrgyzstan into the United States. This protected species of sheep, native to high elevations in the Pamir region of Central Asia, is deemed the largest in the world.
In 2013, Schubarth provided genetic material to a third-party cloning facility, and, in 2016, received successfully cloned pure Marco Polo argali embryos. Schubarth raised a pure male argali clone that he named “Montana Mountain King.” In 2018, Schubarth began breeding Montana Mountain King with other species and selling the offspring throughout the U.S. To evade detection, Schubarth falsely labeled the offspring on Certificates of Veterinary Inspection and other official forms.
In June and July 2020, Hale facilitated the purchase and interstate transport of twelve hybrid Marco Polo argali sheep from Schubarth and falsely identified 43 species of sheep on a Certificate of Veterinary Inspection. Hale falsified these documents knowing these sheep are prohibited in Montana. Schubarth was sentenced in September 2024 to six months’ incarceration, followed by three years’ supervised release.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Office of Law Enforcement and the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks conducted the investigation.
United States v. Zackery Brandon Barfield
No. 5:25-CR-00011 (Northern District of Florida)
ECS Senior Trial Attorney Patrick Duggan
AUSA Joseph Ravelo
On February 12, 2025, Zachary Brandon Barfield pleaded guilty to three counts of poisoning and shooting dolphins in violation of the Marine Mammal Protection Act and the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (16 U.S.C. §§ 1372(a)(2)(A), 1375(b); 7 U.S.C. §§ 136j(a)(2)(G), 136l(b)(2)). Sentencing is scheduled for May 21, 2025.
Barfield is a charter and commercial fishing captain operating out of Panama City, Florida. In the summer of 2022, Barfield became frustrated with dolphins eating red snapper from the lines of charter fishing clients. Between June and August 2022, Barfield and others placed a commercial methomyl insecticide inside bait fish to feed to and poison the dolphins that surfaced near his boat.
While captaining another fishing trip in December 2022, Barfield saw dolphins eating snapper from fishing lines. This time, he used a 12-gauge shotgun to shoot and kill a dolphin that surfaced near his vessel. In the summer of 2023, while on a charter fishing trip, Barfield used the same shotgun to shoot a dolphin that surfaced near the lines of clients.
The National Marine Fisheries Service Office of Law Enforcement conducted the investigation with assistance from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
United States v. James H. Spencer
No. 23-CR-00015 (Western District of Virginia)
AUSA Michael Baudinet
On February 21, 2025, James Howard Spencer, the Mayor of Glen Lyn, Virginia, pleaded guilty to a felony violation of the Clean Water Act (CWA) (33 U.S.C. § 1319(c)(2)(A)). Spencer admitted to directing employees of the Town of Glen Lyn to illegally discharge raw sewage and other pollutants into the East River, a tributary of the New River, on three occasions- in the summer of 2019, December 2020, and June 2021.
The discharges occurred at a pump station located behind the Glen Lyn Post Office, which was not an authorized discharge point of the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit for the Glen Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant. The East River, a perennial stream and a tributary of the New River, is a protected waterway under the CWA.
Spencer knowingly violated multiple conditions of the NPDES permit, including discharges from unauthorized locations and failing to report the discharges to the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality.
The Environmental Protection Agency’s Criminal Investigation Division and the Virginia State Police conducted the investigation.
United States v. Liza Hash
No. 1:25-CR-20007 (Southern District of Florida)
AUSA Tom Watts-FitzGerald
On February 25, 2025, Liza Hash pleaded guilty to discharging oil into United States and contiguous zone waters, violating the Clean Water Act (CWA) (33 U.S.C. §§ 1319(c)(2), 1321(b)(3)). Sentencing is scheduled for May 21, 2025.
Hash was the owner and operator of the S/V Juliet, a sailing vessel used for multi-day scuba diving trips between Miami and the Bahamas. Over the course of approximately six years, Hash’s vessel carried up to 12 passengers per trip, along with the crew, between the U.S. and the Bahamas.
On June 16, 2023, U.S. Coast Guard investigators boarded the Juliet following its return from the Bahamas. After noticing an active oil sheen originating from the vessel, they conducted a safety examination.
During the inspection, they noted oily water in the bilge, and a pump connected to the vessel’s grey water tank, to facilitate illegal overboard discharges. Hash had used the vessel’s grey water tank (which is intended to hold liquid waste from the boat’s washer, dryer, sinks, and showers) to store oil-contaminated bilge water and discharge overboard.
Investigators estimate that Hash discharged approximately 26,000 gallons of oily water during the five-year period.
The United States Coast Guard conducted the investigation.
United States v. Old Dutch Mustard Company, Inc., d/b/a Pilgrim Foods Company, et al.
No. 1:25-CR-00002 (District of New Hampshire)
ECS Trial Attorney Ron Sarachan
AUSA Matthew Hunter
ECS Paralegal Tonia Sibblies
On February 24, 2025, The Old Dutch Mustard Company, d/b/a Pilgrim Foods Company (Old Dutch), and company owner and president Charles Santich, pleaded guilty to violating the Clean Water Act (33 U.S.C. §§ 1311(a), 1319(c)(2)(A)).
Old Dutch manufactured vinegar and mustard products, generating acidic wastewater during the process. Much of this wastewater consisted of spilled or leaked vinegar, or discarded vinegar that did not meet specifications. Old Dutch did not have a permit to discharge process wastewater. Instead, it stored the process wastewater in tanks and a trucking company hauled one or two truckloads of the wastewater off-site daily to the Rochester Publicly Owned Treatment Works (POTW). Old Dutch paid the trucking company for transporting each load. A second wastewater stream consisted of stormwater that became acidic after flowing through areas of the facility (especially the tank farm) where vinegar spilled. Old Dutch also paid the trucking company to haul the acidic stormwater to the POTW.
Santich decided to reduce costs by ordering workers to discharge some of the wastewater to a manmade ditch formed by an abandoned railroad bed at the top of a hill behind the facility, from which the wastewater would flow into the Souhegan River. In May 2017, Santich hired an excavation company to extend an underground pipe to the top of the hill behind the facility. He then directed an employee to repeatedly pump wastewater through the underground pipe to the abandoned railroad bed. Once the process wastewater or contaminated stormwater discharged at the top of the hill, it flowed to the river. Old Dutch did not have an NPDES or any other permit to discharge pollutants into the river.
In March 2021, Santich directed the same excavation company to install a sump at the corner of the tank farm area to collect the acidic stormwater and pump it directly up the hill through the buried pipe. Similarly, during the Fall of 2022, Santich hired the excavation company to clean out the undergrowth in the manmade ditch at the top of the hill and line it with riprap to create a better drainage ditch and facilitate the flow of wastewater to the river.
On August 2, 2023, EPA agents executed a search warrant at the Old Dutch facility and witnessed this illegal activity. Agents observed liquid that smelled like vinegar discharging from the end of the underground pipe into the riprap-lined ditch. The wastewater discharge had a pH of 3.6. The agents then conducted a dye test starting at the sump outside the corner of the tank farm area. The dye discharged from the underground pipe at the top of the hill and flowed along the riprap-lined drainage ditch and down to the river.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Criminal Investigation Division conducted the investigation, with assistance from the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services.
On February 26, 2025, Fabcon Precast LLC (Fabcon) pleaded guilty to willfully violating an Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) regulation (29 U.S.C. § 666(e)). The criminal charge is related to an incident where an employee was killed when a pneumatic door closed on his head.
Fabcon operates several facilities in the United States, including one in Grove City, Ohio, that manufactures precast concrete panels. At Fabcon, employees known as batch operators were responsible for the operation and cleaning of the facility’s only concrete mixer. Concrete was discharged from the bottom of the mixer through a pneumatic door. By design, the mixer had an exhaust valve that released the pneumatic energy powering the discharge door, rendering it inoperable. Some months prior to June 6, 2020, the handle that operated the valve broke off and was not replaced.
On June 6, 2020, Zachary Ledbetter, a batch operator since January 2020, was on duty when the discharge door failed to close after releasing a batch of concrete. Because the valve was broken, Ledbetter could not perform the proper procedure to make the door safe to work around. When he attempted to free the door it closed on his head, trapping him. Eventually, Ledbetter was freed and transported to a hospital where he died five days later.
The U.S. Department of Labor Office of Inspector General conducted the investigation.
No. 3:24-CR-00618 (Southern District of California)
ECS Assistant Chief Stephen DaPonte
On February 27, 2025, a court sentenced Vyacheslav I. Piglitsin to time served and to pay $4,355 in restitution. On March 2, 2024, Piglitsin drove over the border from Mexico with Mexican pesticides that he failed to present for inspection (19 U.S.C. §§ 1433 and 1436). Inspectors found seventy-two 1-liter bottles of “Bovitraz” in his vehicle.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Criminal Investigation Division and Homeland Security Investigations conducted the investigation.
Sentencings
United States v. Michael Hart
No. 3:24-CR-00383 (Southern District of California)
ECS Assistant Chief Stephen DaPonte
Former AUSA Melanie Pierson
AUSA Mark Pletcher
On February 3, 2025, a court sentenced Michael Hart to time served followed by one year of supervised release. Hart also will pay $1,500 in restitution. Hart pleaded guilty to conspiring to illegally import hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) into the United States from Mexico and sell them in violation of law (18 U.S.C. § 371). In addition, Hart admitted to conspiring to illegally import hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs), namely HCFC 22, which is banned under the Clean Air Act.
Between June and December 2022, Hart purchased refrigerants in Mexico and smuggled them into the United States in his vehicle, concealed under a tarp and tools. Hart posted the refrigerants for sale on OfferUp, Facebook Marketplace, and other sites, and sold them for a profit.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Criminal Investigation Division, Homeland Security Investigations, and Customs and Border Protection conducted the investigation.
United States v. Thalia Zambrano
No. 3:24-CR-01552 (Southern District of California)
ECS Assistant Chief Stephen DaPonte
On February 6, 2025, a court sentenced Thalia Zambrano to time served, after she pleaded guilty to conspiracy (18 U.S.C. § 371).
On June 28, 2024, authorities apprehended Zambrano when she drove into the United States at the San Ysidro Port of Entry with 18 bottles of undeclared “Taktic” (Amitraz) concealed beneath a blanket on the back seat her car. Regulators in the United States canceled this pesticide due to the high concentration of amitraz.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Criminal Investigation Division, Homeland Security Investigations, and Customs and Border Protection conducted the investigation.
United States v. Andrew Laughlin
No. 2:24-CR-00104 (Eastern District of California)
AUSA Kathryn Lydon
On February 10, 2025, a court sentenced Andrew Laughlin to pay a $5,000 fine, complete a two-year term of probation, and pay $4,209 in restitution into the Lacey Act Reward Fund. Laughlin pleaded guilty to one count of smuggling reptiles into the United States (18 U.S.C. § 545).
In 2017, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service agents identified Laughlin as part of a nationwide investigation into the smuggling of turtles from the United States to an individual in Hong Kong (Individual A). Individual A met and maintained contact with certain wildlife-smuggling associates via Facebook. Investigators identified Laughlin as a suspect in the wildlife smuggling ring from Individual A’s Facebook contacts and communications with covert agents. In addition to corresponding on Facebook, Laughlin also sent text messages to Individual A and co-conspirators.
Between March and April 2018, Laughlin acted as a “middleman” in an international amphibian smuggling ring. During a conversation with an undercover agent, Laughlin said that he participated in the ring in order to acquire hard-to-find newts. He shipped or received at least four packages of amphibians, including packages to or from individuals located in Hong Kong and Sweden. The packages were falsely labeled as items including a “toy car,” “rubber toys,” or “a ceramic art piece.” The boxes actually contained live animals, including eastern box turtles, spotted turtles, and a variety of newt species.
A search warrant executed at the defendant’s residence uncovered 80 live newts of various species. Some of them tested positive for a virulent fungus which originated in Asia and has spread throughout the illegal pet trade. The restitution covered expenses incurred to store and test the animals.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Office of Law Enforcement conducted the investigation.
Photo of newts seized from Laughlin’s residence; photo included in case press release at time of guilty plea
Nos. 1:22-CR-00131, 00132 (Eastern District of California)
AUSA Karen Escobar
On February 10, 2025, a court sentenced Jose Angel Beltran-Chaidez to 24 months incarceration, followed by two years of supervised release. Beltran-Chaidez pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute heroin in this multi-defendant case involving drugs and animal welfare violations (21 U.S.C. §§ 841 (a)(1), (b)(1)(A)).
Between March and April 2021, Jorge Calderon-Campos (who calls himself “Americano”) supplied 26 pounds of methamphetamine to co-defendants Mark Garcia and Alberto Gomez-Santiago, and an additional 60 pounds to Francisco Javier Torres Mora. Between January and April 2022, Calderon-Campos also possessed roosters he used to participate in an animal fighting venture.
During a search of his residence on April 26, 2022, law enforcement officers found numerous hens and roosters, various cockfighting implements (including razors and spurs) and six cockfighting trophies, including several with plates inscribed with “Team Amkno” (shorthand for “Team Americano”). At Calderon-Campos’s “stash house,” law enforcement officers found 14 hens and 77 roosters, cockfighting leashes, a cockfighting trophy, and a variety of syringes and pill bottles containing substances related to cockfighting supplements.
Jorge Calderon-Campos was sentenced in November 2024 to eight years and one month of incarceration. Calderon-Campos pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and heroin and to violating the Animal Welfare Act (21 U.S.C. §§ 841 (a)(1), (b)(1)(A)); 7 U.S.C. § 2156(b); 18 U.S.C. § 49(a)).
On August 26, 2024, a court sentenced Antonio Beltran-Chaidez to 46 months’ incarceration, followed by 24 months’ supervised release, after he pleaded guilty to possessing heroin with the intent to distribute (21 U.S.C. § 841(a)(1)).
In January 2024, co-defendant Gomez-Santiago was sentenced to four years and nine months incarceration, followed by 60 months supervised release. Mora was sentenced to four years and nine months incarceration. Horacio Ortega-Martinez, another associate of Calderon-Campos, was sentenced in April 2023 to 18 months incarceration, followed by 36 months supervised release, after pleading guilty to possessing gamecocks for an animal fighting venture (7 U.S.C § 2156 (b)).
Co-defendant Garcia pleaded guilty and was sentenced on March 3, 2025, to 24 months’ incarceration, followed by two years of supervised release. Byron Adilio Alfaro-Sandoval is scheduled for status conference June 18, 2025.
Homeland Security Investigations and the Drug Enforcement Administration conducted the investigation, with assistance from the U.S. Department of Agriculture Office of Inspector General, the U.S. Marshals Service, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the U.S. Secret Service, the Bureau of Land Management, the Kern County High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Task Force, the California Highway Patrol, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, the Kern County Sheriff’s Office, the Kern County Probation Department, and the Bakersfield Police Department.
On February 11, 2025, a court sentenced Christopher Lee Carroll to serve nine years of incarceration and to pay $3 million in restitution. A jury convicted Carroll in August 2024 of three counts of bank fraud, three counts of making false statements to a financial institution, one count of conspiracy to violate the Clean Air Act (CAA), 13 violations of the CAA, and two counts of threatening a witness (18 U.S.C. §§ 371, 2, 1014, 1512 (b)(3), 1344; 42 U.S.C. § 7413(c)(2)(C)).
Carroll and his business partner, George Reed, owned a time share exit company called Square One Group LLC. In April of 2020, they submitted a false and fraudulent application for a $1.2 million Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan. The loan application falsely stated that the spouses of Reed and Carroll owned the company to conceal Carroll’s status as a paroled felon, which would have precluded his company from receiving PPP funds. Carroll also used his wife’s name to avoid any potential liability for the fraud.
The PPP loan was supposed to help save businesses and jobs, but Carroll did not use the money to pay dozens of employees who were out of work or keep paying for health insurance for 17 of those employees. Instead, he used it to start a trucking company, Whiskey Dix Big Truck Repair LLC. Carroll and Reed then applied for loan forgiveness, falsely claiming that they’d spent the money on payroll and other permitted expenses. Additionally, Reed and Carroll later sought a second loan of more than $1.6 million, taking a total of $660,000 in “owner draws” from the company after the loan was approved.
From May 2020 through December 2021, Carroll and Whiskey Dix violated the CAA by unlawfully removing the emissions control systems from more than 30 diesel-fueled trucks. In January 2022, Carroll tried to pressure two employees to take responsibility for the emissions tampering. When one of the employees said he was going to talk to federal investigators, Carroll threatened to stop paying for the employee’s attorney.
The court sentenced Whiskey Dix to complete a three-year term of probation after the jury convicted the company on 16 CAA violations. Reed pleaded guilty to bank fraud in September of 2022 and was sentenced January 23, 2025, to time served, and five years of supervised release. Reed was held jointly liable for $3 million in restitution.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Criminal Investigation Division conducted the investigation.
On February 13, 2025, a court sentenced Jeffrey Radtke to 21 months’ incarceration, followed by three years of supervised release. Radtke pleaded guilty to conspiracy to create and distribute animal crush videos (18 U.S.C.§§ 371, 48(a)(2), (a)(3)).
Between June 2021 and August 2022, Radtke sent more than 40 payments (ranging from $1 through $300) he received from co-conspirators to pay videographers in Indonesia and other locations outside of the United States to create videos depicting the torture and deaths of juvenile macaque monkeys.
During the execution of a search warrant in April 2023, law enforcement found more than 2,600 videos and 2,700 images depicting animal crushing on Radtke’s computer.
Homeland Security Investigations conducted the investigation.
United States v. Jonathan Achtemeier
No. 3:24-CR-05072 (Western District of Washington)
AUSA Seth Wilkinson
AUSA Lauren Staniar
SAUSA Karla Perrin
On February 14, 2025, a court sentenced Jonathan Achtemeier to pay a $25,000 fine and serve four months’ incarceration, followed by one year of supervised release. Achtemeier pleaded guilty to conspiracy to violate the Clean Air Act (CAA) for his role in tampering with required monitoring devices on diesel trucks (18 U.S.C. § 371).
Between 2019 and 2022, Achtemeier modified the software on hundreds of trucks nationwide to prevent the monitoring devices from detecting the removal of emissions controls. Achtemeier conspired with mechanics and truck fleet operators, instructing them on how to remove or disable anti-pollution hardware on diesel trucks, a process known as “deleting.” Achtemeier tampered with the monitoring device on his clients’ trucks by connecting laptops to the trucks’ onboard computers and remotely “tuning” the vehicles’ computers, which rendered required monitoring devices inaccurate. This allowed the trucks to run without functioning emissions control systems and resulted in the trucks emitting significantly more pollution than legally allowed.
Achtemeier charged as much at $4,500 per truck for work that often took him two hours or less. He advertised his services on social media nationwide, doing business as Voided Warranty Tuning or Optimized Ag. Between 2019 and 2022 his company took in more than $4.3 million in gross profits.
The Environmental Protection Agency Criminal Investigation Division conducted the investigation.
Assistance from ECS Senior Counsel Elinor Colbourn
On February 18, 2025, a court sentenced Andres Alejandro Sanchez to complete a three-year term of probation to include six months’ home detention. Sanchez pleaded guilty to violating the Lacey Act for illegally importing a spider monkey into the United States (16 U.S.C. §§ 3372(a)(1), 3373(d)(2)).
On October 7, 2024, Sanchez travelled from Mexico to Laredo, Texas, and failed to declare a spider monkey he had in his vehicle to Customs and Border Protection officers as he attempted to cross the border.
The U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Homeland Security Investigations, and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Office of Law Enforcement conducted the investigation.
Case photo of baby spider monkey rescued by authorities
United State v. Jose Carrillo
No. 8:23-CR-00222 (Middle District of Florida)
ECS Senior Trial Attorney Matt Morris
AUSA Erin Favorit
ECS Paralegal Jonah Fruchtman
On February 18, 2025, a court sentenced Jose Carrillo to 84 months’ incarceration, followed by three years of supervised release. Carrillo pleaded guilty to conspiring to violate the Animal Welfare Act and knowingly possessing a firearm after a felony conviction (18 U.S.C. §§ 371, 922(g)(1) and 924(d)).
On June 7, 2023, authorities executed a search warrant at Carrillo’s residence, seizing a total of 10 pit bull-type dogs. Several of the dogs exhibited scarring consistent with dogfighting. Authorities also discovered a .22 caliber rifle, a bloodstained wooden dogfighting “pit,” syringes, veterinary medications, a skin stapler, break sticks used to separate fighting dogs, and other suspected dogfighting paraphernalia.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture Office of Inspector General conducted the investigation with assistance from the following agencies: Homeland Security Investigations; Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; U.S. Marshal Service; and the Pasco County (Florida) Sheriff’s Office.
Photo of dogs from Carillo’s home included in press release, link below.
Nos. 2:23-CR-00600, 2:24-CR-00890 (District of Arizona)
AUSA Glenn McCormick
On February 18, 2025, a court sentenced Eric T. Scionti to 47 months’ incarceration, followed by three years of supervised release. Scionti pleaded guilty to possession of a firearm and ammunition by a convicted felon and Animal Crushing in two separate cases (18 U.S.C. §§ 922(g)(1), 924(a)(8), 48(a)(1)).
In December 2022, federal authorities received an anonymous tip that Scionti, a convicted felon, possessed a number of handguns, as well as grenades and bullet-proof body armor. On January 18, 2023, agents executed a search warrant, seizing six firearms and 1,826 rounds of ammunition from areas of a residence controlled by the defendant. Scionti has multiple Arizona state felony convictions and was prohibited by federal law from possessing firearms or ammunition.
While researching the defendant’s online activities, agents found video evidence depicting Scionti torturing pigeons. Agents executed a subsequent search warrant on September 29, 2023, for records and information associated with Scionti’s email account. During that search, agents seized approximately 168 videos and 89 digital photographs depicting Scionti torturing and mutilating live pigeons.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation conducted the investigations in these cases.
On February 19, 2025, a court sentenced Manuel Domingos Pita to 48 months’ incarceration and to pay more than $55 million in restitution. Also, Pita will forfeit real estate and cash/bank accounts. Pita pleaded guilty to a wire fraud conspiracy, conspiracy to defraud the United States, and a willful violation of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration Act for causing the death of an employee (18 U.S.C. §§ 371, 1343; 29 U.S.C. § 666(e)).
Pita created and operated several shell construction companies, including one named Domingos 54 Construction, Inc. Pita used Domingos 54 to provide workers, including undocumented aliens, with construction jobs. However, Pita failed to secure the required workers compensation insurance coverage for these employees by falsifying the number of workers for which he sought coverage in worker’s compensation insurance applications. In addition, Pita failed to pay any federal employment taxes on the wages that these workers earned during the course of the scheme between 2018 and 2022.
Pita failed to disclose the number of workers he had. Had he properly disclosed the number of workers, he would have paid an additional $22.7 million+ in premiums. Additionally, Pita failed to pay to the IRS over $33.7 million in federal employment taxes on those workers’ wages.
Between February and July 2019, investigators with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) issued six citations to Domingos 54 for failure to provide fall protection to workers. Even after being cited for these violations, Pita continued to ignore OSHA requirements. In March 2020, Pita assigned a worker and three other carpenters to install sheeting on the roof of a residential home in windy conditions without providing the required fall-protection gear or ensuring its use. As a result, one of the workers was blown off the roof and died from his injuries.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation, Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation, Homeland Security Investigations, Florida Department of Financial Services’ Bureau of Insurance Fraud-Criminal Investigations, and the Department of Labor’s Office of Inspector General conducted the investigation.
Nos. 3:24-CR-00101, 00116 (Northern District of Florida)
ECS Deputy Chief Joe Poux
ECS Paralegal Jonah Fruchtman
On February 20, 2025, a court sentenced Fernando Cruz Rubio to time served. Rubio pleaded guilty to violating the Act to Prevent Pollution from Ships (APPS) for failing to maintain an oil record book (ORB) (33 U.S.C. § 1908(a)).
Rubio worked as a chief engineer on the M/V Suhar, a Panamanian-flagged ocean-going bulk carrier that routinely hauled cement from Tampico, Mexico, to Pensacola, Florida. The ship was managed by Gremex Shipping S.A. de C.V., which was responsible for the ship’s day-to-day operations, including hiring all crew, and ensuring compliance with all environmental and international regulations.
The Coast Guard inspected the ship when it arrived in Pensacola on August 25, 2023. Inspectors determined that the vessel’s crew regularly discharged untreated oily bilge water overboard, bypassing onboard pollution control equipment, and falsified the ship’s ORB to conceal these discharges. On various trips, between March 2021 through August 25, 2023, Rubio, as the Suhar’s chief engineer, failed to accurately maintain the ORB and did not record overboard bilge water discharges.
Gremex was sentenced in October 2024 to pay a $1.75 million fine, serve a four-year term of probation, and implement an environmental compliance plan. The shipping corporation also pleaded guilty to violating APPS.
The U.S. Coast Guard Investigative Service conducted the investigation.
United States v. Clancy Logistics, Inc., et al.
No. 3:24-CR-00344 (District of Oregon)
AUSA Andrew Ho
RCEC Gwendolyn Russell
On February 25, 2025, a court sentenced to Clancy Logistics, Inc., and owner Timothy C. Clancy, to each complete three-year terms of probation. They were also ordered to pay a fine of $101,510.00, jointly and severally. The defendants pleaded guilty to a felony count of tampering with a Clean Air Act monitoring device (42 U.S.C. § 7413(c)(2)(C)).
Between October 2019 and July 2023, Timothy C. Clancy tampered with the onboard diagnostic systems (OBDs) and caused others to tamper with the OBDs, of at least 13 Class 8 diesel semi-trailer trucks owned or operated by his companies, Clancy Transport, Inc., and Clancy Logistics, Inc. The defendants’ actions prevented the OBDs from detecting malfunctions caused by the deletion of the vehicles’ emission control systems, in violation of the Clean Air Act (42 U.S.C. § 7413(c)(2)(C)).
As part of this process, Clancy directed his employees to disable and remove the emissions hardware from his companies’ vehicles. This involved removing exhaust systems and their corresponding emissions control components from the vehicles, hollowing out the functioning portion of the devices so that only the casing remained, and re-installing the casing to create the appearance that the emissions controls were intact. The vehicles’ OBDs were then tuned so that they could no longer detect the removal of the control equipment.
Clancy and his companies tampered with the OBDs on their diesel semi-trailer trucks so that they could operate the vehicles with real or perceived increased performance and fuel efficiency and reduce or eliminate the cost and burden associated with maintaining the vehicles. As a result, a greater volume of pollutants was emitted from the vehicles.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Criminal Investigation Division conducted the investigation.
No. 5:24-CR-00028 (Western District of North Carolina)
AUSA Katherine T. Armstrong
On February 27, 2025, a court sentenced Robert G. Gambill to pay a $9,500 fine and to forfeit a rifle, scope, and ammunition for killing a bald eagle in violation of the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act (16 U.S.C. § 668(a)). As required under provisions of the Act, $2,500 of the fine will be apportioned equally between two witnesses who reported the shooting.
On June 5, 2024, Gambill set his firearm on a fencepost and targeted, shot, and killed a bald eagle that was perched in a tree near a bridge in Sparta, North Carolina. After killing the eagle, Gambill drove away from the scene, abandoning the carcass on the bank of the New River. Two witnesses recovered the carcass and turned it over to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS). The U.S. FWS forensic laboratory determined that injuries suffered by the bald eagle were consistent with a gunshot wound from a high-powered rifle.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Office of Law Enforcement conducted the investigation, with assistance from the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission and the Alleghany County Sheriff’s Office.
On February 28, 2025, a court sentenced Willie Russell to 24 months’ incarceration, followed by three years’ supervised release, after he pleaded guilty to conspiracy and exhibiting dogs in an animal fighting venture (7 U.S.C. § 2156(a)(1); 18 U.S.C. § 371). Russell is the fourteenth and final defendant to plead guilty in this federal dog fighting case. The other co-defendants are: Tamichael Elijah; Marvin Pulley, III; Brandon Baker; Christopher Travis Beaumont; Herman Buggs, Jr.; Terrance Davis; Timothy Freeman; Terelle Ganzy; Gary Hopkins; Cornelious Johnson; Rodrecus Kimble; Donnametric Miller; Willie Russell; and, Fredricus White.
On April 24, 2022, the defendants converged on a property in Donalsonville, Georgia, where they held a large-scale dog fighting event. They brought a total of 24 pit bull-type dogs to fight in a series of matches over that weekend. Law enforcement personnel who disrupted the event found numerous dogs inside crates in cars on the property.
The participants used their cars to store dogs who had already fought, as well as those awaiting their turn in the fighting pit. Some dogs were kept on chains on the property. Law enforcement rescued a total of 27 dogs, including a badly injured dog that later perished from its injuries. Dogs in the cars also bore recent injuries and scars.
All defendants but Freeman pleaded guilty to felony conspiracy to violate the animal fighting prohibition of the federal Animal Welfare Act. Defendants Beaumont and Miller also pleaded guilty to sponsoring or exhibiting (i.e., handling) a dog in a dog fight. Defendants Baker, Davis, Ganzy, Johnson, Pulley, and White further pleaded guilty to possessing and transporting a dog for purposes of using the dog in an animal fighting venture. Freeman pleaded guilty to spectating at an animal fight. Defendants Miller and Pulley also pleaded guilty to unlawfully possession of a firearm by a person with a prior felony conviction.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture Office of the Inspector General; and the Seminole County, Georgia, Sheriff’s Office conducted the investigation, with assistance from the Bay County, Florda, Sheriff’s Office.
CALGARY, Alberta, March 04, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Blueprint Digital Marketing, in collaboration with Trusted Experts, today unveiled key tips to help consumers safely choose home services and wellness providers. With scam reports on the rise in these industries, many homeowners and renters have fallen victim to fraudulent builders, unlicensed movers, and unqualified repair technicians. To address these concerns, industry experts from across North America have shared essential questions consumers should ask to ensure they hire reputable and trustworthy service providers.
A photo that says people should ask an expert
These practical tips from experienced professionals in home building, moving, appliance repair, and wellness services will help you spot potential scams before they happen. By knowing exactly which questions to ask—and recognizing when something doesn’t seem right—you can feel confident that you’re choosing a legitimate service provider, whether you’re moving across the country, repairing your appliances, buying a new home, or booking your next massage.
Fifth Avenue Homes (Calgary, Alberta)
Expert Tip: Always confirm a builder’s license and recent project references.
Detailed Advice: “Homebuyers often believe that once a project starts, it’s automatically guaranteed to be completed, but unfortunately, this isn’t always the case,” says a representative from Fifth Avenue Homes. “To safeguard yourself, always verify that your builder holds proper licensing, request examples or tours of recent projects, and check their registration with organizations like the Canadian Home Builders’ Association (CHBA) or Alberta’s New Home Warranty Program. Speaking directly with past clients about their experiences is also strongly recommended.”
M&M Best Movers (Edmonton, Alberta)
Expert Tip: Avoid paying large deposits up front. Legitimate movers typically ask for minimal deposits of 10% or less.
Detailed Advice: “One common scam involves movers asking for 50% or more as a deposit,” says M&M Movers. “A legitimate moving company won’t ask for significant sums up front. Unfortunately, we’ve encountered situations where customers lost over $1,000 to fraudulent movers.”
Pro Tips to Avoid Scams:
Insist on paying most of the bill upon job completion.
Always obtain a written contract detailing costs, inventory, and delivery timelines.
Walk away if the mover refuses to provide clear documentation.
Household Refrigeration & Appliance Service (Calgary, Alberta)
Expert Tip: Verify technician certifications and insist on a detailed work order before repairs start.
Detailed Advice: “A credible technician always provides a clear work order outlining required parts and labor before beginning work,” advises a representative from Household Refrigeration & Appliance Service. “Be cautious of ‘technicians’ who offer quotes over the phone without inspecting the appliance in person. Scammers frequently insist on cash payments to avoid accountability.”
Pro Tips:
Always request proof of industry-recognized credentials like Red Seal certification or provincial trade licenses.
Be cautious of any technician insisting on cash-only payments or who refuses to offer a printed or emailed quote.
All Appliance Tech & Repair (Ottawa, Ontario)
Expert Tip: Always require an in-person inspection before agreeing to a repair quote.
Detailed Advice: “Legitimate appliance repair companies won’t provide a quote without inspecting the appliance firsthand,” explains a representative from All Appliance Tech & Repair. “Avoid businesses that quote over the phone without seeing the issue. In-person inspections ensure accuracy and protect against hidden costs.”
Pro Tips:
Insist on clear explanations using simple, understandable language about the repairs required.
Request a written or emailed estimate detailing parts, labor, and costs before approving any repairs.
Maggie’s Therapeutic Massage (Calgary, Alberta)
Expert Tip: Always ask massage therapists to provide proof of Registered Massage Therapist (RMT) certification before booking appointments.
Detailed Advice: “Not every massage therapist is a Registered Massage Therapist (RMT),” says Maggie’s Therapeutic Massage. “Only certified RMTs are eligible for health insurance claims and adhere to professional quality standards.”
Be cautious if a therapist can’t or won’t provide proper certification, as this can impact insurance coverage and quality of care.
Stay Informed and Protected
Knowledge is the most effective tool for avoiding scams. Awareness of common red flags—such as excessive upfront payments, reluctance to provide licenses or certifications, refusal to offer detailed written estimates, or an unwillingness to explain their process—can protect you from significant losses and frustration.
If you encounter businesses or technicians who raise these concerns, trust your instincts and continue your search for a reputable provider.
With expert insights from Fifth Avenue Homes, M&M Best Movers, Household Refrigeration, All Appliance Tech & Repair, and Maggie’s Therapeutic Massage, homeowners, renters, and consumers can confidently make safe and informed decisions.
About Blueprint Digital Marketing
Blueprint Digital Marketing is a Calgary-based agency specializing in results-driven online growth strategies since 2012. With a flexible, no-contract model, the company adapts to evolving digital trends, helping businesses stay competitive and maximize opportunities in the local market.
Media Contact:
For media inquiries or interviews, please contact the experts directly:
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“PM-SYM will assure monthly pension for the enrolled unorganized sector workers during their old age. It is for the first time since independence that such a scheme is envisaged for the crores of workers engaged in the informal sector.”
– Prime Minister Narendra Modi
Introduction
Pradhan Mantri Shram Yogi Maandhan (PM-SYM), is a voluntary and contributory pension scheme launched by the Government of India to provide social security to unorganised workers. This scheme ensures a minimum monthly pension of ₹3,000 after the age of 60 for workers who belong to the unorganised sector and have a monthly income of up to ₹15,000. The scheme is a tribute to the workers in the Unorganized sectors who contribute around 50 per cent of the nation’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
Unorganized Workers are mostly engaged as home-based workers, street vendors, mid-day meal workers, head loaders, brick kiln workers, cobblers, rag pickers, domestic workers, washer men, rickshaw pullers, landless laborers, own account workers, agricultural workers, construction workers, beedi workers, handloom workers, leather workers, audio-visual workers or workers in similar other occupations. As per the e-Shram portal, there are over 30.51 crore unorganised workers registered, as on 31 December 2024.
PM-SYM was introduced in the Interim Budget 2019. The scheme is administered by the Ministry of Labour and Employment in collaboration with Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC) and Common Service Centres e-Governance Services India Limited (CSC SPV) for seamless implementation. LIC is the Pension Fund Manager and responsible for Pension pay out. The scheme is a part of the government’s broader social security initiatives and aligns with the vision of universal pension coverage for workers in the unorganised sector.
Key Features of PM-SYM
The Pradhan Mantri Shram Yogi Maandhan scheme provides numerous benefits, ensuring financial security in old age for unorganised sector workers.
Minimum Assured Pension: ₹3,000 per month after 60 years of age.
Government Contribution: The Government of India matches the worker’s contribution on a 1:1 basis.
Voluntary and Contributory: The scheme is voluntary, allowing workers to contribute based on their affordability and requirement.
Family Pension: If the beneficiary passes away, the spouse receives 50% of the pension amount as a family pension. Family pension is applicable only to spouse.
Exit Provisions: Participants can exit the scheme under specified conditions (detailed in section 9).
Easy Enrolment: Eligible workers can register at Common Service Centres (CSCs) or through the Maandhan portal.
Fund Management: The scheme is administered by LIC, ensuring financial stability and credibility.
Eligibility Criteria
To enroll in PM-SYM, individuals must meet the following eligibility conditions:
Age Requirement: 18 to 40 years.
Income Limit: Monthly income should be ₹15,000 or less.
Unorganised Sector Employment: Workers engaged in professions such as:
Street vendors, rag pickers, rickshaw pullers
Construction workers, daily wage labourers
Agricultural workers, beedi workers
Domestic workers, weavers, artisans, fishermen, leather workers, etc.
Exclusion Criteria:
Should not be covered under the Employees’ Provident Fund (EPF), Employees’ State Insurance Corporation (ESIC), or National Pension Scheme (NPS).
Should not be an income taxpayer.
Should not be receiving benefits from any other government pension scheme.
Documents Required:
Aadhaar Card
Savings bank account or Jan Dhan account details with IFSC
The contribution amount varies based on the age at the time of enrolment. The earlier a worker enrolls, the lower the monthly contribution.
Age at Entry
Monthly Contribution (by Worker)
Equal Contribution by Government
18 years
₹55
₹55
20 years
₹65
₹65
25 years
₹80
₹80
30 years
₹105
₹105
35 years
₹150
₹150
40 years
₹200
₹200
Upon reaching 60 years of age, beneficiaries start receiving a fixed pension of ₹3,000 per month for their lifetime.
Enrolment Process
Enrolment in PM-SYM is facilitated through Common Service Centres (CSCs) across India. The steps include:
Visit a CSC with Aadhaar and a savings bank account.
Provide biometric authentication using Aadhaar.
Fill the online registration form.
First subscription is to be paid in cash.
Choose the auto-debit facility from the bank account.
Receive a PM-SYM card upon successful enrolment.
Alternatively, eligible workers can enroll through the Maandhan portal (https://maandhan.in/).
All the Labour offices of State and Central Governments, all the branch offices of LIC, the offices of ESIC/EPFO will act as Facilitation Centres to give full information to the unorganised workers about the Scheme, its benefits and the procedure to be followed, at their facilitation desks/ help desks. Customer Care number 1800 2676 888 (available 24*7) and web portal has the facility for registering the complaints.
Implementation and Current Status
The steps taken by government to ensure that the benefits of the scheme reach the unorganized sector workers are:
Holding periodic review meeting with States/ UTs.
Regular meeting with state Common Services Centre (CSC) heads.
Launch of new features such as Voluntary Exit, Revival Module, Claim Status and Account Statement.
Extension of revival of dormant accounts from 1 year to 3 years.
Two-way integration of PM-SYM and e-Shram.
SMS campaign to create awareness.
Communication with Chief Secretaries of States/UTs regarding enrolment under PM-SYM scheme.
Launch of Donate-a-Pension Module to encourage the employer to pay the premium of their staff under PM-SYM pension scheme and increase the enrolment.
Interaction with Department of Financial Services, Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority, National Institute of Public Finance and Policy to increase the outreach of the pension scheme.
Exit and Withdrawal Provisions
Considering the hardships and erratic nature of employability of unorganised workers, the exit provisions of scheme have been kept flexible.
Exit Before 10 Years: If a worker exits the scheme before 10 years, the contributed amount is refunded with savings bank interest rate.
Exit After 10 Years but Before 60 Years: The beneficiary receives his/her share of contribution along with accumulated interest as actually earned by fund or at the savings bank interest rate, whichever is higher.
Death Before 60 Years or Permanent Disability caused by an accident:
The spouse can continue the scheme or
Withdraw the contributed amount with interest as actually earned by fund or at the savings bank interest rate whichever is higher.
Death After 60 Years: The spouse receives 50% of the pension as a family pension.
After the death of subscriber as well as his/her spouse, the entire corpus will be credited back to the fund.
Situation of Default: If a subscriber has not paid the contribution continuously, he/she will be allowed to regularize his contribution by paying entire outstanding dues, along with penalty charges, if any, decided by the Government.
Conclusion
PM-SYM is a landmark initiative that provides financial security to millions of unorganised workers. By ensuring a monthly pension of ₹3,000, it helps workers lead a dignified life post-retirement. With large number of enrolments and ongoing promotional efforts, PM-SYM aims to provide universal pension coverage, creating a more inclusive social security framework in India.
Following the opinion in 2012 of the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) on the health risks related to mercury in food[1] which concluded that the dietary exposure of EU consumers to mercury raises health concerns, the Commission established maximum levels (MLs) for mercury in fish.
In accordance with Article 2 of Regulation (EEC) 315/93[2], the MLs for contaminants in food are established on the basis of occurrence data, taking into account the ‘as low as reasonably achievable’ principle.
In 2022, the MLs for mercury in various fish species were lowered on the basis of the most recent occurrence data, which showed that there was no margin to further reduce the ML for tuna, and it was, therefore, maintained at 1.0 mg/kg[3]. At this stage no new data are available that would allow a further lowering of the ML for mercury in tuna.
The Commission is also not aware of any scientific information which would require an update of the conclusions of EFSA on the current health risks related to the exposure to mercury from food.
EFSA opinion includes the health benefits of seafood consumption in relation to health risks associated with the exposure to mercury.[4]
The Commission, while acknowledging that fish consumption has also beneficial health effects, has published on its website general consumption advice[5] related to fish contaminated with mercury and several Member States have issued further detailed consumption advice tailor made to the species which are consumed by their citizens.
Further measures on the restriction of tuna consumption for vulnerable consumers lie within the competence of the Member States.
[3] Regulation (EU) 2023/915 has codified all existing maximum levels including the one for mercury in fresh tuna. https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2023/915/oj
Our circadian rhythm – that internal biological clock – requires our internal body temperature to drop at night for quality sleep. The ideal room temperature for sleep is 15°C to 19°C.
Rising outdoor temperatures make this body temperature increasingly difficult to maintain, especially for those without air conditioning. Paradoxically, widespread air conditioning use further contributes to climate change by using fossil-energy, which creates emissions.**
Research shows the impact on our sleep is already measurable. Our 2023 study of 375 Australian adults found people lost 12 minutes per night on the hottest nights compared with the coldest (31°C vs 0.4°C overnight temperatures across the year).
Globally, scientists predict we could lose 50–58 hours of sleep annually per person by the end of the century if warming continues unchecked. This is one way climate change will make geographic inequalities worse.
Rising temperatures make it increasingly difficult to maintain your body’s circadian rhythm, especially for those without air conditioning. Antoniodiaz
2. Climate change is worsening air pollution
Hot and dry conditions typically tend to make air pollution worse. As climate change increases the number of hot days and frequency of heatwaves, the rate of wildfires will increase. This adds another source of air pollution, increasing emissions of harmful greenhouse gases and airborne particles.
Air pollution is linked with poorer health, increased risk of chronic illness and early death.
Air pollution also impacts our sleep through breathing issues, inflammation and potentially disrupting our nervous system’s ability to regulate sleep.
With these extreme events comes widespread upheaval in affected communities. From mass population displacement to loss of shelter, security and essential resources, sleep is likely way down the list of priorities when dealing with natural disasters.
However, sleep disturbances are common after these extreme events. A review of global research on wildfire survivors found two-thirds experienced insomnia and more than a third reported nightmares. These effects persisted up to 10 months after the disaster.
Two-thirds of wildfire survivors experienced insomnia and over a third reported nightmares. Toa55/Shutterstock
Research confirms these climate concerns are linked with sleep disturbances including difficulty falling asleep, insomnia and wakefulness. They occur across the age spectrum, affecting both younger and older adults.
If climate-related concerns or ongoing poor sleep are significantly impacting your life consider consulting a doctor or psychologist.
Tips for getting a good night sleep during hot nights
Fortunately, there are a few simple things you can do to improve your chances of getting a good night’s sleep. They cost nothing or very little and require just a small bit of pre-bedtime planning.
· sleep in the coolest room in the house (this may not be the bedroom)
· keep curtains closed during the day to limit heating from sunlight
· put on a fan – air flow can lower your perception of the temperature (by helping sweat evaporate faster) without actually cooling your room
· select light, breathable bedding (natural fibres work best)
· if outside temperatures drop at night, open the windows to encourage air circulation.
For your body:
· take a cool shower before bed to help lower body temperature
· timing your exercise is important: aim to exercise early in the day
· wear light natural-fibre clothing
· keep a damp towel or spray bottle by your bed to dampen your skin
· stay hydrated but avoid heavy meals before sleeping.
As we adapt to a changing climate, getting a good night’s sleep should be a top priority for our health.
With some practical adjustments to our environments and habits, we can adapt to these changes while advocating for the broader climate solutions that will ultimately help us all rest easier.
Ty Ferguson receives funding from the Medical Research Future Fund and the National Health and Medical Research Council
Carol Maher receives funding from the Medical Research Future Fund, the National Health and Medical Research Council, the National Heart Foundation, the SA Department for Education, Preventive Health SA, the Channel 7 Children’s Research Foundation, the South Australian Office for Sport, Recreation and Racing, Healthway, Hunter New England Local Health District, and the Central Adelaide Local Health Network.
Source: United States Senator for Maine Angus King
WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senators Angus King (I-ME), a member of the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources (ENR), and Ted Cruz (R-TX) have introduced bipartisan legislation to modernize mapping information on public oceans in an effort to improve public safety and provide navigation guidance through a user-friendly smartphone app. The bipartisan Modernizing Access to Our Public Oceans (MAPOceans) Act would require the federal government to standardize and digitize information about ocean recreation and navigation. This would create a one-stop shop that would help to ensure sportsmen and women can recreate in a safe and responsible manner.
“Maine’s Atlantic coastline is an incredible natural treasure and one that attracts outdoor enthusiasts from around the country. If you want to enjoy the water, there should be an app for that purpose,” said Senator King, Chair of the Congressional Sportsmen’s Caucus. “The bipartisan MAPOceans Act would combine all the available information about ocean recreation and navigation into a one-stop resource containing information about ocean recreation and navigation that you can hold in the palm of your hand. From deep-sea anglers to sailors and lobstermen, this legislation ensures that every person seeking adventure in Maine has the opportunity to do so safely and responsibly.”
“Many Texans and Americans enjoy recreational fishing and boating, but it can be difficult to find reliable information about access to waterways and restricted areas,” said Senator Cruz. “I am proud to lead the effort to ensure anglers, boaters, and other users have easy access to accurate information on fishery area closures, so they can focus on appreciating what America’s beautiful waterways have to offer instead of wading through confusing agency websites.”
Senator King is among the Senate’s leading voices for conservation of our nation’s outdoor treasures. In 2022, his bipartisan MAPLand bill to modernize park and public land mapping was signed into law. He also helped lead the passage the Great American Outdoors Act (GAOA) into law; the legislation includes the Restore Our Parks Act — a bill led by Senator King — and the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) Permanent Funding Act. The historic legislative package continues Senator King’s career-long focus on conservation efforts, dating back to his work prior to running for elected office through his years as Governor and his service in the Senate. Over the course of his time in the Blaine House, Governor King was responsible for conserving more land across Maine than all Governors before him combined.
Greenbelt, Maryland – On Friday, February 28, Newton Ofioritse Jemide, 47, a Nigerian national, pled guilty to a federal charge for wire fraud conspiracy. Jemide, who was recently extradited from France, was involved in a scheme to fraudulently obtain federal benefits.
Kelly O. Hayes, United States Attorney for the District of Maryland, announced the plea with Joseph V. Cuffari, Inspector General for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS); Acting Special Agent in Charge (SAC) Colleen Lawlor, Social Security Administration (SSA) Office of Inspector General – Philadelphia Field Division; and Special Agent in Charge Matt McCool, U.S. Secret Service – Washington Field Office.
“Mr. Jemide and his co-conspirators’ greed and utter disregard for the suffering of those who need national emergency assistance, by stealing from the government, will not be tolerated,” said United States Attorney Hayes. “The District of Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office and our partners will continue to hold those accountable who try to defraud our government through fraud, waste, and abuse during times of crisis.”
“Today’s guilty plea sends a clear message that individuals who defraud the federal government for their own personal gain will be identified and held accountable,” said U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Inspector General Joseph V. Cuffari, PhD. “DHS-OIG is grateful for our continued partnership with our law enforcement partners as we continue fighting waste, fraud, and abuse.”
During the timeframe covered by the indictment, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) provided emergency benefits and compensation for damages to victims affected by declared national emergency disasters, such as hurricanes and wildfires. Among other benefits, an individual in an area affected was immediately eligible for Critical Needs Assistance (CNA) to purchase life-saving or life-sustaining materials. Victims could decide how to receive assistance payments, which included deposits on prepaid debit cards.
According to the guilty plea, in 2016 and 2017, Jemide and others from Nigeria directed co-conspirators living in the United States to purchase hundreds of Green Dot Debit Cards. Co-conspirators living in Nigeria then registered the cards with Green Dot using stolen personal information from identity theft victims around the United States. Jemide and his co-conspirators used an encrypted messaging application and other means to communicate.
In 2017, following Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and Maria, and the California wildfires, Jemide, and other co-conspirators from Nigeria, used stolen personal information to apply online for FEMA and CNA benefits. FEMA dispersed $500 per claim on the Green Dot Debit Cards that co-conspirators purchased for a total of at least $8 million.
“Bringing these criminals to justice prevents further victimization of American taxpayers and abuse of the programs put in place as safety nets for the most vulnerable in our country,” said SAC McCool. “This investigation underscores the Secret Service’s global reach and steadfast commitment, in collaboration with our partner agencies, to combat cyber-enabled financial crimes and relentlessly pursue those committing them.”
In addition to filing false disaster-assistance claims with FEMA, Jemide and co-conspirators also submitted false online claims for Social Security benefits, IRS tax refunds, and other government benefits using stolen identities of multiple individuals, including names, addresses, social security numbers, and other personal identifiers.
“Newton Ofioritse Jemide and his co-conspirators misused Social Security numbers to steal government funds via SSA’s online services. The misuse of SSA’s e-Services to defraud SSA and rightful beneficiaries and recipients will not be tolerated at any level,” said Acting SAC Lawlor. “Our office will continue to investigate those who abuse SSA programs and operations, including its e-Services, for their own selfish gain. I thank our law enforcement partners for their assistance and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for prosecuting this complex case.”
As a result of fraudulent submissions, FEMA and the other federal agencies deposited benefits onto the Green Dot Debit Cards. The funds were deposited on the debit cards using multiple stolen identities, including identities different from the identities used to register the cards. Jemide and select co-conspirators informed other co-conspirators when the fraudulent funds became available on the debit cards and gave them information to cash out the funds from the cards in exchange for a commission. Additionally, the co-conspirators took steps to conceal their identities by enlisting others to make purchases and withdrawals; utilizing multiple store and bank locations and methods of withdrawal; and making money orders payable to other individuals and/or corporate entities.
Jemide faces a maximum sentence of 30 years in federal prison for conspiracy to commit wire fraud. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge determines sentencing after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. Sentencing is currently scheduled for July 1, 2025, at 9:30 a.m., before U.S. District Court Judge Deborah K. Chasanow.
United States Attorney Hayes commended DHS-OIG, SSA-OIG, and USSS for their work in the investigation and thanked the Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs and the United States Marshals Service for their valuable assistance in securing the extradition of Jemide to the United States. Ms. Hayes also thanked Assistant United States Attorneys Elizabeth Wright and Darren Gardner who are prosecuting the federal case.
As winter winds down, the Government of Saskatchewan is reminding anglers to remove their ice fishing shelters from provincial waterways before warming temperatures create unsafe ice conditions.
Shelters must be taken off the ice by March 15 in all areas south of Highway 16 and by March 31 in northern regions of Saskatchewan.
Spring weather can be unpredictable, and deteriorating ice conditions can make it dangerous to retrieve shelters later in the season. It is the responsibility of all anglers to ensure they remove their structures and any associated debris before these deadlines.
Failure to remove shelters by the deadlines can result in hefty fines and the confiscation of the structures and their contents. Abandoned shelters pose unnecessary risks to everyone who enjoys Saskatchewan lakes in the summer and to the wildlife who call our lakes home. Anglers are encouraged to properly dispose of waste and debris when dismantling shelters to help preserve Saskatchewan lakes.
Ice fishing shelters must be marked on the outside in legible letters of at least 2.5 cm high, displaying the owner’s complete name, address and phone number. Shelters cannot be left on the shore.
Be extremely cautious when travelling on ice, as thickness and strength can vary. Signs of unsafe ice include slush, pressure ridges and thermal cracks.
This year’s ice fishing season closes on March 31 in southern and central Saskatchewan and on April 15 in northern Saskatchewan. For more information, check the Anglers Guide online at saskatchewan.ca/fishing.
If you suspect wildlife, fisheries, forestry or environmental violations, please call Saskatchewan’s toll-free Turn In Poachers and Polluters (TIPP) line at 1-800-667-7561 or report online at saskatchewan.ca/tipp. You don’t have to give your name and you may be eligible for a cash reward from the SaskTIP Reward Program.
An event highlighting the vast network of organisations who are dedicated to the needs of the most vulnerable residents in the borough of Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon, was held recently at Lough Neagh Discovery Centre.
Over one hundred people from schools, businesses and organisations attended the ‘Beyond Crisis’ community support networking event, to share good practice across a wide range of services and show the excellent support that is available to those who need it most.
The event – themed ‘food and beyond’ – saw information presented on food insecurity, social supermarkets, suicide prevention, schools’ pastoral work, advice, debt management, social housing and more.It was a fantastic opportunity to show the extensive support that is in place to help those residents who find themselves in a difficult position – and that organisations working together is the way forward to achieve positive outcomes and solutions.
“We are committed to supporting and developing the ‘food and beyond’ support structure and establishing and delivering a range of initiatives aimed at helping those residents who are most in need,” commented the Lord Mayor of Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon, Councillor Sarah Duffy.
“Life can be challenging, especially with the ongoing cost of living crisis, so it is important that our residents know that help is available and where they can find it. We are so fortunate in our borough to have dedicated and skilled people who have formed a support network meaning we can confidently keep moving forward and beyond each crisis.”
The organisations taking part thoroughly enjoyed the day and new connections were made, ensuring that support continues to build and be available for those who need it.
Lord Mayor, Councillor Sarah Duffy at the PCSP stand with Annette Blaney
Lord Mayor, Councillor Sarah Duffy at the CYPSP stand with CYPSP Valerie Maxwell, Southern Health Trust Jessica Wiley, CYPSP Darren Curtis, Southern Health Trust Yvonne Neill and Southern Health Trust Bronwyn Campbell
Lord Mayor, Councillor Sarah Duffy pictured with Mark Ingham (NIHE)
Lord Mayor, Councillor Sarah Duffy at the PIPS stand with Lisa Daly and Siobhán Brennan
Lord Mayor, Cllr Sarah Duffy at the ABC Environmental Services with Dominic Marsden
Lord Mayor, Cllr Sarah Duffy at the SHSCT stand with Noel Harte and Agnieszka Judkiewicz-Kozak
Lord Mayor, Cllr Sarah Duffy with Samantha McCartney and Jordan Wilson from Café IncreABLE
Lord Mayor, Cllr Sarah Duffy with Via Wings Gail Redmond BEM and Marieanne Verhoeven – Taylor
Lord Mayor, Cllr Sarah Duffy, Deputy Lord Mayor Cllr Kyle Savage and CD Team members Ruth Allen, Allison Reilly, Boyd McClurg, Catherine Harris, Kelly Mallon, Nicola Mahood, and Department for Communities James Elliott.
Deputy Lord Mayor, Cllr Kyle Savage, Boyd McClurg, Nikki Cinnamond and Jennifer Fearon (Community Advice), Martin Stevenson (The Salvation Army) and Bernadette McNeice (St Vincent de Paul)
Deputy Lord Mayor, Cllr Kyle Savage with CD Team members Boyd McClurg, Kelly Mallon, Allison Reilly and Catherine Harris
Deputy Lord Mayor, Cllr Kyle Savage with Noella Murray and Susan Murphy from St John the Baptist College
NINR- Catherine Taylor, George Gillespie, Helen Tomb
Craigavon Area Food Bank Emma Beggs and Andrew Maguire, and Trusell – Denise Callaghan
Staff from Lurgan Junior High School, Cloughan Junior High School and Lurgan College
Community Advice ABC , Nikki Cinnamond (Chair of the Board), Lenard Breen, Jennifer Fearon, Donna Morris and Caroline Caesar.
March 4 marks one year since Cody Duane MacDonald was reported missing.
On February 29, 2024, 29-year-old Cody MacDonald was last seen at a home on Campbell Rd. in Grande Anse.
MacDonald is described as 5-foot-10, 145 lbs. He has brown hair and blue eyes.
Initially it was believed he was wearing an orange survival suit at the time of his disappearance. However, information and evidence gathered indicates he was last seen wearing a grey hat and green fisherman boots. Additional clothing descriptors are not known at this time.
A multi-day search of nearby areas, assisted by Strait Area Ground Search and Rescue, Sydney Ground Search and Rescue, RCMP Police Dog Services, and RCMP Air Services, was conducted in March of 2024.
Over the past twelve months, investigators have followed up on numerous tips. Police have continued to receive and follow up on new information. At this time, investigators are asking specifically for information about the hours and days leading up to Cody’s disappearance.
Anyone with information on the whereabouts of Cody Duane MacDonald is asked to contact Richmond County District RCMP at 902-535-2002. Should you wish to remain anonymous, call Nova Scotia Crime Stoppers, toll-free, at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477), submit a secure web tip at www.crimestoppers.ns.ca, or use the P3 Tips App.
Note: Photos of Cody Duane MacDonald are attached. The photo labelled “C.MacDonald_01” was taken of him earlier in the day on February 29, 2024, before he was last seen at a home in Grande Anse.
Flowing clockwise around Antarctica, the Antarctic Circumpolar Current is the strongest ocean current on the planet. It’s five times stronger than the Gulf Stream and more than 100 times stronger than the Amazon River.
It forms part of the global ocean “conveyor belt” connecting the Pacific, Atlantic, and Indian oceans. The system regulates Earth’s climate and pumps water, heat and nutrients around the globe.
But fresh, cool water from melting Antarctic ice is diluting the salty water of the ocean, potentially disrupting the vital ocean current.
Our new research suggests the Antarctic Circumpolar Current will be 20% slower by 2050 as the world warms, with far-reaching consequences for life on Earth.
The Antarctic Circumpolar Current is like a moat around the icy continent.
The current helps to keep warm water at bay, protecting vulnerable ice sheets. It also acts as a barrier to invasive species such as southern bull kelp and any animals hitching a ride on these rafts, spreading them out as they drift towards the continent. It also plays a big part in regulating Earth’s climate.
Unlike better known ocean currents – such as the Gulf Stream along the United States East Coast, the Kuroshio Current near Japan, and the Agulhas Current off the coast of South Africa – the Antarctic Circumpolar Current is not as well understood. This is partly due to its remote location, which makes obtaining direct measurements especially difficult.
Understanding the influence of climate change
Ocean currents respond to changes in temperature, salt levels, wind patterns and sea-ice extent. So the global ocean conveyor belt is vulnerable to climate change on multiple fronts.
Theoretically, warming water around Antarctica should speed up the current. This is because density changes and winds around Antarctica dictate the strength of the current. Warm water is less dense (or heavy) and this should be enough to speed up the current. But observations to date indicate the strength of the current has remained relatively stable over recent decades.
This stability persists despite melting of surrounding ice, a phenomenon that had not been fully explored in scientific discussions in the past.
What we did
Advances in ocean modelling allow a more thorough investigation of the potential future changes.
The model captures features others often miss, such as eddies. So it’s a far more accurate way to assess how the current’s strength and behaviour will change as the world warms. It picks up the intricate interactions between ice melting and ocean circulation.
In this future projection, cold, fresh melt water from Antarctica migrates north, filling the deep ocean as it goes. This causes major changes to the density structure of the ocean. It counteracts the influence of ocean warming, leading to an overall slowdown in the current of as much as 20% by 2050.
Far-reaching consequences
The consequences of a weaker Antarctic Circumpolar Current are profound and far-reaching.
As the main current that circulates nutrient-rich waters around Antarctica, it plays a crucial role in the Antarctic ecosystem.
Weakening of the current could reduce biodiversity and decrease the productivity of fisheries that many coastal communities rely on. It could also aid the entry of invasive species such as southern bull kelp to Antarctica, disrupting local ecosystems and food webs.
A weaker current may also allow more warm water to penetrate southwards, exacerbating the melting of Antarctic ice shelves and contributing to global sea-level rise. Faster ice melting could then lead to further weakening of the current, commencing a vicious spiral of current slowdown.
This disruption could extend to global climate patterns, reducing the ocean’s ability to regulate climate change by absorbing excess heat and carbon in the atmosphere.
Ocean currents around the world (NASA)
Need to reduce emissions
While our findings present a bleak prognosis for the Antarctic Circumpolar Current, the future is not predetermined. Concerted efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions could still limit melting around Antarctica.
Establishing long-term studies in the Southern Ocean will be crucial for monitoring these changes accurately.
With proactive and coordinated international actions, we have a chance to address and potentially avert the effects of climate change on our oceans.
The authors thank Polar Climate Senior Researcher Dr Andreas Klocker, from the NORCE Norwegian Research Centre and Bjerknes Centre for Climate Research, for his contribution to this research, and Professor Matthew England from the University of New South Wales, who provided the outputs from the model simulation for this analysis.
Taimoor Sohail receives funding from the Australian Research Council.
Bishakhdatta Gayen receives funding from Australian Research Council (ARC). He works at University of Melbourne as ARC Future Fellow and Associate Professor. He is also A/Prof. at CAOS, Indian Institute of Science.
Source: Moscow Government – Government of Moscow –
The Museum of Moscow will host a lecture entitled “Comparative Analysis of Grant Competitions for Filmmakers”. The meeting will discuss the grant system for supporting cinema: which competitions and funds provide funding, what are their key requirements and criteria for evaluating applications, how to correctly design a project so that it meets the expectations of experts, which aspects of the application are most significant and which mistakes can be critical.
The speaker is Natalia Kurbatova, an expert in grant support in the cultural sphere. She will conduct a comparative analysis of existing grant competitions for filmmakers, analyze their features and tell what opportunities are open to authors of short films, debut and documentary projects. Particular attention will be paid to the competition of the Fund for Support of Regional Cinematography of the Union of Cinematographers of Russia.
Please note: This information is raw content directly from the source of the information. It is exactly what the source states and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.
Please Note; This Information is Raw Content Directly from the Information Source. It is access to What the Source Is Stating and Does Not Reflect
