A joint South Australia and Northern Territory Police Taskforce has charged a man with historical child abuse offences against young people from the Northern Territory that occurred in South Australia.
Taskforce Artemis was launched in October 2023, shortly after a now 65-year-old man was arrested by SA Police for two historical child abuse offences allegedly committed in South Australia.
The charges relate to 30 victims, with the alleged offending occurring between 1990 to 2023 in South Australia.
SA and NT Police, along with South Australian ODPP Witness Assistance officers have continued to engage with all victims and witnesses to provide support and assistance.
The 65-year-old man is currently on remand and has now been charged with:
* 12 counts of sexual abuse of a child
* 8 counts of indecent assault
* 6 counts of unlawful sexual intercourse
* 4 counts of assault
* 3 counts of aggravated indecent assault
* 3 counts of possess child exploitation material
* 2 counts of aggravated incite or procure child to commit indecent act
* 2 counts of aggravated assault
* 1 count of aggravated compelled sexual manipulation
* 1 count of attempt indecent assault
* 1 count of attempt aggravated incite or procure child to commit indecent act
* 1 count of gross indecency
He appeared in the SA District Court today.
South Australian Police Acting Assistant Commissioner Crime Service Catherine Hilliard said, “Operation Artemis has been a complex and incredibly confronting investigation.
“The SA Police have been working closely with the NTPF as we conduct investigations into this offending.
“The privacy and safety of the victims remains our number one priority. We have been providing updates, along with support, to everyone effected.”
Northern Territory Police Force Assistant Commissioner Michael White said, “While the scale of the alleged offending discovered during investigations by Task Force Artemis is disturbing, it is important the community be aware that these investigations have been methodical and not resulted in any other person being charged with respect to the alleged offending.
“The NTPF is working closely with those effected.”
Members of the public who have any information about people involved in child abuse and exploitation are urged to call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or https://crimestopperssa.com.au/ You can remain anonymous.
You can also make a report online by alerting the Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation via the ‘Report Abuse’ button at www.accce.gov.au/report
The City of Wanneroo shares our respects following the passing of a pioneering figure in our local business community, Bill Meredith, at the age of 91 years old.
A founding member and former Vice President of the Wanneroo Business Association and a true local business legend, Bill played a key role in laying the foundation for the dynamic business landscape we see in our City today.
Even if you did not know Bill personally, chances are you knew of him – his Landsdale-based business, Bill’s Machinery, is a local landmark, instantly recognisable thanks to the big red plane out the front.
This symbol is also a testament to Bill’s entrepreneurial spirit and adaptability – qualities that contributed to his longevity and continued success as a businessman.
Throughout his life, Bill achieved so much, including being named the City of Wanneroo Mayor’s Visionary Businessperson Award in 2008.
His passion, mentorship and unwavering commitment to his community will leave a lasting legacy and be remembered for many years to come.
We extend our deepest condolences to his family, friends, and all who knew and admired him.
Queenstown Police would like to speak to the victim of a seemingly unprovoked assault in late May.
The assault happened about 2.40am on Sunday 25 May 2025, at a taxi rank near Searle Lane and Camp Street.
At the time, the victim was looking down at his phone and walking in the direction of the Cookie Time shop when he was punched by one of three men who had left a bar in Searle Lane.
After the incident, a member of the public briefly spoke to the victim, handing back his beanie, which fell off during the assault.
Detective Lisa Watt says Police discovered the incident while investigating an assault moments before, in a Searle Lane bar.
“The alleged offender for the first incident has been arrested, but we would like to speak with the victim of the assault that happened on the footpath near the Cookie Time shop, the passerby, or any other witnesses.
“The victim is described to have a black beard, and was wearing a black puffer jacket, blue jeans, white shoes, and black beanie. If that was you, please contact us so we can understand what happened and hold the person responsible to account.”
If you have information that may assist, please contact Police online at 105.police.govt.nz, clicking “Update Report”, or call 105.
One of seven people transferred to mainland France almost a year ago, following the May 2024 riots in New Caledonia, has been allowed to return home, a French court has ruled.
Frédérique Muliava, a former Congress staffer, was part of a group of six who were charged in relation to the riots.
Under her new judicial requirements, set out by the judge in charge of the case, Muliava, once she returns to New Caledonia, is allowed to return to work, but must not make any contact with other individuals related to her case and not take part in any public demonstration.
Four days after their arrest in Nouméa in June 2024, Muliava and six others were transferred to mainland France aboard a chartered plane.
They were charged with criminal-related offences (including being a party or being accomplice to murder attempts and thefts involving the use of weapons) and have since been remanded in several prisons across France pending their trial.
In January 2025, the whole case was removed from the jurisdiction of New Caledonia-based judges and has since been transferred back to investigating judges in mainland France.
This article is republished under a community partnership agreement with RNZ.
Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Grace Meng (6th District of New York)
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Rep. Grace Meng (D-NY) announced that she reintroduced her Menstrual Equity for All Act, a bold, whole-of-government approach to eradicating period poverty and improving access to menstrual products.
Menstruation is a natural part of life for roughly half of the world’s population at one point or another. Yet, today, millions of people in the United States continue to experience period poverty. In fact, one in three American adults who menstruate report struggling to afford menstrual products, and one-third have missed school or work because they could not access these products. An estimated 86% of people who menstruate use tampons, up to 72% use pads, and 75% use panty liners. Most of them use these products on a monthly basis. It is estimated that an individual will spend over $6,000 on menstrual products in their lifetime.
“Period products are essential for millions of people who menstruate,” said Congresswoman Meng. “Access to these products is not only a health care right, but also a human right. It is unacceptable that they are still out of reach for more than half the population. This legislation takes critical steps toward ending period poverty by expanding access to menstrual products for individuals across a range of populations, such as in schools and universities, workplaces, and correctional and detention facilities, and through existing federal programs like the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, and Social Services Block Grants. Without it, women, girls, and menstruators will continue to miss out on educational and career opportunities simply because they cannot afford period products. We must keep fighting for them.”
Specifically, Meng’s Menstrual Equity for All Act would:
Give states the option to use federal grant funds to provide students in elementary and secondary schools with free menstrual products;
Incentivize institutions of higher education to create pilot programs that provide free menstrual products to students;
Ensure incarcerated individuals and detainees in federal, state, and local facilities (including immigration detention centers), have access to free menstrual products;
Allow homeless assistance providers to use grant funds that cover shelter necessities (such as blankets and toothbrushes) to also use those funds to purchase menstrual products;
Require Medicaid to cover the cost of menstrual products;
Direct large employers (with 100 or more employees) to provide free menstrual products for their employees in the workplace;
Require all public federal buildings to provide free menstrual products in the restrooms;
Provide states and localities with funds through the Social Services Block Grant program to support free menstrual products programs;
Eliminatethe federal sales tax on period products; and
Create a pilot program within the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program to help families in need access menstrual products.
“We know that period supplies are basic essentials that all people who menstruate require to participate in daily life – going to work, school, and engaging in everyday events,” said Joanne Goldblum, CEO of the Alliance for Period Supplies. “The Menstrual Equity for All Act ensures equitable access to period supplies so that millions of people can earn, learn, and thrive. We thank Congresswoman Meng for championing the Menstrual Equity for All Act and fully support the bill as it offers a comprehensive solution to a major public health issue. Its passage is long overdue.”
“The fact of the matter is that nearly 1 in 4 students across the country are unable to afford period products and a quarter of students are unable to do their schoolwork due to a lack of access to these products,” said Michela Bedard, Executive Director of PERIOD. “The Menstrual Equity for All Act will improve student success in and out of the classroom through expanded menstrual health education and period product access.”
“Women’s Voices for the Earth applauds Congresswoman Meng for her longstanding commitment and leadership on menstrual equity,” said Debra Erenberg, Co-Executive Director, Women’s Voices for the Earth. All people who menstruate need and deserve access to safe and healthy intimate care products. We look forward to working with the Congresswoman to pass this groundbreaking piece of commonsense legislation.”
Meng originally introduced her Menstrual Equity for All Act in 2017. Since then, she has led numerous efforts to improve access to menstrual products and promote menstrual health. Earlier this month, she introduced a resolution to designate May as “National Menstrual Health Awareness Month.” The resolution recognizes the impact that the stigmatization of menstruation has on the lives of women, girls and people who menstruate.
This legislation was introduced with 61 cosponsors. It is supported by the Alliance for Period Supplies, The Center for Baby and Adult Hygiene Products, Days for Girls, The Flow Initiative, Helping Women Period, ISSA – The Worldwide Cleaning Industry Association, Mass NOW, Mujeres and Menstruators United, National Federation of Business and Professional Women’s Clubs, Period Education Project, PERIOD., and Period Law.
Attributable to Tasman District Road Policing Manager, Acting Inspector Nathan Snell.
From Wednesday 28 May to Sunday 1 June 2025, Tasman Police delivered an operation focused on anti-social road users.
This was in response to an increase in complaints from the local community.
Two search warrants were executed, resulting in a stolen firearm being located and three vehicle impounds for sustained loss of traction and driver licence offences.
Further Police activities occurred across the district with Tasman Police staff supported by the Anti-Social Road User team from Christchurch.
The team deployed across Nelson Bays and Marlborough resulting in over 50 vehicles being inspected and deemed unsafe or defective.
Five more vehicles were impounded for Land Transport Act offences.
Over 100 Infringement notices were issued for speeding, restraint and distraction offences amongst many others.
Following the operation, Police have laid charges against multiple individuals for unlawful possession of a firearm, unlawful possession of ammunition, sustained loss of traction, driving whilst suspended, driving whilst disqualified and threatening behaviour. Further charges are being considered.
Police’s newest recruitment advertising campaign is now mobile across Tāmaki Makaurau with five double-decker buses wrapped in Police livery.
Commissioner Richard Chambers says: “This campaign represents another positive step toward delivering our target of 500 additional officers.
“These newly decorated double-decker buses seat 500 people, which is exactly the number we want to recruit.
“Auckland has always been a key recruitment area for us, and we are keen to be highly visible and advertise far and wide. We know that the buses are ideal for reaching the whole of the city.”
The ‘police’ buses will be in public circulation for over three months.
The cost to wrap the buses totalled $119,800 including print, installation and 12 weeks of media advertising.
“The new Auckland training campus at Albany will also help make a career with the Police a reality for those who cannot relocate to Wellington for the full 20-week course.
“That campus is set to welcome its first intake from the start of July. That is a significant development in our recruitment and training,” Commissioner Chambers says.
Applications remain open in all districts across the country, except for Canterbury. Recruitment efforts continue to ramp up and applications are trending upwards with a spike in applications in 2025 and total application numbers reaching the highest seen in 10 years.
Source: Northern Territory Police and Fire Services
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DENVER – Today, Governor Polis bills into law to support members of the military, veterans, and military connected families.
Governor Polis signed the following bills into law:
SB25-279 – Colorado Code of Military Justice Updates, sponsored by Senators Matt Ball Byron Pelton, and Representatives Monica Duran and Andrew Hartsook
SB25-282 – Protections for Veterans Seeking Benefits, sponsored by Senators Matt Ball and Byron Pelton, and Representatives Lisa Feret and Ryan Armagost
HB25-1083 – Vehicle Transactions Deployed Military Families, sponsored by Representatives Eliza Hamrick and Marry Bradfield, and Senators Lisa Frizell and Dafna Michaelson Jenet
“Military families and veterans have long called Colorado home, and we are committed to continuing our work to expand resources for military connected Colordans by protecting veterans benefits, creating more transportation options for military families, and ensuring mission readiness for active military personnel,” said Governor Polis.
Governor Polis also signed SB25-304 – Measures to Address Sexual Assault Kit Backlog, sponsored by Representatives Willford and Froelich, and Senator Weissman.
“Everyone who has experienced sexual assault deserves justice and this new law moves us closer to ensuring that. I thank the bill sponsors for their work to address this urgent situation and help hold perpetrators accountable,” said Governor Polis.
Governor Polis also signed the following bills into law administratively:
HB25-1031 – Law Enforcement Whistleblower Protection, sponsored by Representatives Bacon and Clifford, and Senators Roberts and B. Pelton
HB25-1198– Regional Planning Roundtable Commission, sponsored by Representatives Froelich and Brown, and Senator Winter
HB25-1313 – Modify Laws Within Purview of the Capital Development Committee, sponsored by Representatives Story and Lindsay, and Senators Mullica and Hinrichsen
HB25-1322 – Enforce Insurer Compliance Requests Insurance Policy, sponsored by Representatives Carter and Espenoza, and Senators Exum and Roberts
HB25-1329 – Foreign Third-Party Litigation Financing, sponsored by Representatives Mabrey and Soper, and Senators Frizell and Gonzales
SB25-083 – Limitations on Restrictive Employment Agreements, sponsored by Senators Daugherty and Frizell, and Representatives Brown and Garcia Sander
SB25-142 – Changes to Wildfire Resiliency Code Board, sponsored by Senators Baisley and Cutter, and Representative Velasco
SB25-145 – Online Cancellation of Automatic Renewal Contracts, sponsored by Senator Kipp, and Representative Lindsay and Zokaie
SB25-147 – Modify Board Management Public Employees’ Retirement Association, sponsored by Senators B. Pelton and Kolker, and Representatives Garcia Sander and Lukens
SB25-165 – Licensure of Electricians, sponsored by Senators B. Pelton and Daugherty, and Representatives Lindstedt and Woog
SB25-193 – Sunset Primary Care Payment Reform Collaborative, sponsored by Senators Ball and Mullica, and Representatives Garcia Sander and McCormick
SB25-214 – Healthy School Meals Program For All, sponsored by Senators Bridges and Amabile, and Representatives Sirota and Taggart
SB25-262 – Changes to Money in the Capital Construction Fund, sponsored by Senators Amabile and Kirkmeyer, and Representatives Bird and Taggart
SB25-268 – Changes to Money in the Marijuana Tax Cash Fund, sponsored by Senators Bridges and Kirkmeyer, and Representatives Bird and Sirota
SB25-271 – Repeal Obsolete Family & Medical Leave Study, sponsored by Senators Ball and Rich, and Representatives Espenoza and Luck
SB25-274 – Amend Delivery Requirements Wine Direct Shipping, sponsored by Senators Rodriguez and Lundeen, and Representatives Lindstedt and Hartsook
SB25-275 – Nonsubstantive Relocation of Definitions in Colorado Revised Statutes, sponsored by Senators Ball and Catlin, and Representatives Luck and Espenoza
SB25-287 – Capitol Building Advisory Committee Modifications, sponsored by Senator Michaelson Jenet and Representative Lindstedt
SB25-291 Division Criminal Justice Spending Authority Community Corrections, sponsored by Senators Amabile and Kirkmeyer, and Representatives Sirota and Taggart
SB25-293 – Transfers from License Plate Cash Fund, sponsored by Senators Bridges and Kirkmeyer, and Representatives Bird and Sirota
SB25-307 – Decarbonization Tax Credits Administration Cash Fund, sponsored by Senators Amabile and Bridges, and Representatives Sirota and Bird
SB25-311 – Inactive Cash Funds, sponsored by Senators Amabile and Kirkmeyer, and Representatives Bird and Taggart
SB25-314 – Recovery Audit Contractor Program, sponsored by Senators Kirkmeyer and Bridges, and Representatives Bird and Sirota
SB25-320 – Commercial Motor Vehicle Transportation, sponsored by Senators Bridges and Kirkmeyer, and Representatives Bird and Taggart
SB25-321 – Motor Vehicle Emissions Inspection Facilities, sponsored by Senators Kirkmeyer and Rodriguez, and Representatives Joseph and Gonzalez
SB25-317 – Transfer Cash Fund Investment Earnings to General Fund, sponsored by Senators Kirkmeyer and Bridges, and Representatives Bird and Taggart
HB25-1038 – Postsecondary Credit Transfer Website, sponsored by Representatives Hamrick and Johnson, and Senators Marchman and Baisley
HB25-1121 – Permanent Trailer Registration, sponsored by Representatives Suckla and Lukens, and Senators R. Pelton and Marchman
HB25-1189 – Motor Vehicle Registration Reform & Fees, sponsored by Representatives Mauro and Weinberg, and Senator Wallace
HB25-1014 – Increasing Efficiency Division of Water Resources, sponsored by Representatives Johnson and Lukens, and Senators Roberts and Simpson
HB25-1236 – Residential Tenant Screening, sponsored by Representatives Lindsay and Zokaie, and Senators Weissman and Jodeh
HB25-1249 – Tenant Security Deposit Protections, sponsored by Representatives Ricks and Bacon, and Senators Exum and Danielson
HB25-1289 – Metropolitan District Leases & Property Tax Exemptions, sponsored by Representatives Zokaie and Richardson, and Senators Weissman and Frizell
HB25-1333 – Legislative Human Resources Division, sponsored by Speaker McCluskie and Majority Leader Duran, and Senate President Coleman and Majority Leader Rodriguez
HB25-1335 – Tax Credit Availability, sponsored by Representatives Sirota and Taggart, and Senators Bridges and Kirkmeyer
SB25-018 – Online Search of Sales & Use Tax, sponsored by Senators Bridges and Kipp, and Representative Taggart
SB25-026 – Adjusting Certain Tax Expenditures, sponsored by Senator Mullica, and Representatives Marshall and Joseph
SB25-027 – Trauma-Informed School Safety Practices, sponsored by Senators Marchman and Representatives Joseph and Gonzalez
SB25-037 – Coal Transition Grants, sponsored by Senators Roberts and Kirkmeyer, and Representatives Taggart and Mauro
HB25-1149 – Comprehensive Black History & Culture Education in K-12, sponsored by Representative English, and Senator Exum
HB25-1117 – Vehicle Immobilization Company Regulation, sponsored by Representatives Joseph and Boesenecker, and Senators Gonzales and Weissman
SB25-297 – Implementation of Colorado Natural Medicine Initiative, sponsored by Senator Ball, and Representative Feret
HB25-1209 – Marijuana Regulation Streamline, sponsored by Representatives Lindstedt and Willford, and Senator Gonzales and Majority Leader Rodriguez
HB25-1245 – Heating Ventilation & Air Conditioning Improvement Projects in Schools, sponsored by Representatives Lieder and Hamrick, and Senators Kipp and Danielson
HB25-1130 – Labor Requirements for Government Construction Projects, sponsored by Representative Carter and Majority Leader Monica Duran, and Senators Danielson and Kolker
HB25-1284 – Regulating Apprentices in Licensed Trades, sponsored by Majority Leader Duran and Senator Sullivan
SB25-048 – Diabetes Prevention & Obesity Treatment Act, sponsored by Senators Michaelson Jenet and Mullica, and Representatives Brown and Mabrey
HB25-1208 – Local Governments Tip Offsets for Tipped Employees, sponsored by Representatives Woodrow and Valdez, and Senators Amabile and Daugherty
HB25-1330 – Exempting Quantum Computing Equipment Right to Repair, sponsored by Representatives Titone and Soper, and Senators Hinrichsen and Baisley
HB25-1274 – Healthy School Meals for All Program, sponsored by Representative Garcia, and Senators Michaelson Jenet and Wallace
Source: United States Senator Tommy Tuberville (Alabama)
WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) joined U.S. Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) and 25 senate colleagues in introducing a resolution declaring June as “Life Month” to recognize the historic overturning of Roe v. Wade by the U.S. Supreme Court in June 2022.
“Ever since I got to Washington, I have been a champion for the unborn,” said Senator Tuberville. “If we are going to dedicate entire months to recognizing every group under the sun, the least we can do is dedicate June to protecting the most vulnerable among us. Now that Republicans control the White House, Senate, and House, we have to send a strong message: Republicans are the party that stands up for life.”
Joining Senators Tuberville and Cruz in introducing the resolution are U.S. Sens. John Cornyn (R-TX), Mike Lee (R-UT), Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Josh Hawley (R-MO), John Kennedy (R-LA), Ted Budd (R-NC), Pete Ricketts (R-NE), Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-MS), James Lankford (R-OK), Roger Marshall (R-KS), Lindsey Graham (R-SC), Rick Scott (R-FL), Thom Tillis (R-NC), Todd Young (R-IN), Joni Ernst (R-IA), Jim Risch (R-ID), Bill Cassidy (R-LA), John Hoeven (R-ND), Eric Schmitt (R-MO), Kevin Cramer (R-ND), Tim Scott (R-SC), Bill Hagerty (R-TN), Mike Rounds (R-SD), Jim Justice (R-WV), and Cynthia Lummis (R-WY).
This resolution is supported by ADF, Heritage Action, SBA Pro-life, National Right to Life, Human Coalition, Heartbeat International, Family Research Council, Students for Life, Americans United for Life, Family Policy Alliance, Concerned Women for America, Catholic Vote, March for Life, 40 Days for Life, National Pro-Life Alliance, NIFLA, Citizens for Life, Christian Broadcasting Network, Focus on the Family, Liberty Counsel Action, and Eagle Forum.
Full text of the resolution can be found here.
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.
A prolific Tauranga shoplifter has been sentenced to two years in prison after being convicted of 37 shoplifting charges dating back to 2024.
Police Commissioner Richard Chambers said it was the result of outstanding investigative work by an officer in the Tauranga Retail Crime Unit.
The officer began his investigation based on a single shoplifting report that came through Auror, with no offender identified and no real lines of enquiry.
From that single report, the officer was able to build a picture of a serial shoplifter, who was offending on an almost daily basis.
A 45-year-old woman was arrested in February 2025, and charged with offending dating back to September 2024. She appeared in Tauranga District Court on 21 May and was sentenced to two years’ imprisonment.
“This was the result of meticulous and painstaking work by the officer in the Tauranga Retail Crime Unit,” Commissioner Chambers said.
“The exceptional work of the officer has meant a serial shoplifter has been held to account for her actions. It highlights the importance of monitoring and following up on what might initially seem like low-level offending.
“We know how devastating this type of offending is for our retail community, and holding people to account for shoplifting and retail theft remains a priority for NZ Police.
“The convictions in this case were a result of not only outstanding investigative work, but also of the great rapport that the officer has built with local retailers.
“Each region is different and policing Districts much continue to have the leeway to decide how their resources are best used, and what their priorities need to be.
“However, the case does highlight just how effective the dedicated retail crime unit in Tauranga can be.
“It provides a good model for other Districts to consider when deciding how to tackle retail crime.”
Two men arrested and youths spoken to after drug dog patrols in Glenorchy
Wednesday, 4 June 2025 – 9:34 am.
Tasmania Police continues to focus on reducing anti-social behaviour and retail crime in the Glenorchy municipality with high visibility patrols supported by police dog handlers yesterday afternoon resulting in several arrests and formal directions being made. Sergeant Iain Shepherd from the Tasmania Police Dog Handlers Unit said that during the patrols, dog handlers searched 12 people resulting in the seizure of drugs such as methylamphetamine and cannabis, and three people were found in possession of knives or other weapons. “A 48-year-old man from Bridgewater wanted on stealing charges was located and interviewed and another 48-year-old man from Bridgewater was arrested for consuming alcohol and engaging in disorderly conduct.” “The man was bailed before being arrested again a short time later for attempted stealing.” “He was banned from entering all Coles stores for one year and will appear in court at a later date.” “Five other individuals also received formal directions to leave the Glenorchy CBD due to their behaviour.” “In addition, several youths were spoken to, and those found in possession of drugs will be dealt with through youth diversion programs,” said Sergeant Shepherd. Police would like to thank the community for their support and assistance, and encourage anyone with information about drugs and anti-social behaviour to contact police at 131 444 or Crime Stoppers Tasmania at 1800 333 000 or via crimestopperstas.com.au. Information can be provided anonymously.
Source: The Conversation – Canada – By James Horncastle, Assistant Professor and Edward and Emily McWhinney Professor in International Relations, Simon Fraser University
The drone attacks by Ukrainian Operation Spider’s Web forces on Russian airfields have called into question Russia’s supposed military strength.
Russian authorities have acknowledged damage from the June 1 attacks — an unusual admission that suggests the strikes were probably effective, given Russia’s usual pattern of downplaying or denying the success of Ukrainian operations.
The operation’s most significant target was the Belaya air base, north of Mongolia. Belaya, like the other bases targeted, is a critical component in the Russian Air Force’s strategic strike capabilities because it houses planes capable of long-range nuclear and conventional strikes.
It’s also in Irkutsk, approximately 4,500 kilometres from the front lines in Ukraine.
Ukraine’s ability to successfully strike Belaya — an attempted strike at the even more distant Ukrainka air base failed — probably won’t have much of a military impact on the war. But along with successful attacks on other Russian airfields and the strike at the Kerch Bridge in Crimea, Operation Spider Web’s successes could play a strategic role in the conflict.
These attacks could shift what has become increasingly negative media coverage and public perception about Ukraine’s chances in the war over the last year. In a war of attrition, which the conflict in Ukraine has become, establishing a belief in victory is a pre-condition for success.
Explosions hit the Kerch Bridge in Russia on June 3, 2025. (The Independent)
Increased pessimism
Policymakers and pundits, instead of recognizing their expectations of a Ukrainian victory in 2023 were unrealistic, have often declared that the war is unwinnable for Ukraine.
This perspective was even more prevalent following United States President Donald Trump’s resumption of power in January 2025. In the Oval Office spat Trump had with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in late February, he declared Ukraine did not “have the cards” to defeat Russia.
This turned out to be false. Ukraine’s army may possess significantly less military hardware and fewer soldiers than Russia’s, but war is often a continuation of politics. Politically, Russia faces several issues that could derail its war efforts.
Russian vulnerabilities
Russia’s military capabilities are important to Russian nationalists, who make up Russian leader Vladimir Putin’s core constituency. Russian military forces have advanced along nearly all fronts in Ukraine over the last year.
These advances, however, have largely been insignificant. Furthermore, they have emphasized Russia’s military weakness, which is an ongoing affront to Russian nationalists.
Not only have Russian military advances over the last year not changed the war in a strictly military sense, but the pace of advance has been incredibly slow. Over the last year, Russian forces have captured 5,107 square kilometres of Ukrainian territory. This territory represents less than one per cent of Ukraine’s pre-war territory.
In exchange for what amounts to negligible gains, Russian armed forces have suffered significant casualties.
Both Russia and Ukraine carefully guard the number of casualties their forces have suffered in the war. The British Ministry of Defence, however, estimates that Russia will have suffered more than a million casualties in the war by the end of this month. The Russian casualty rate is also accelerating, with an estimated 160,000 casualties in the first four months of 2025.
Russia attempts to compensate for this battlefield devastation in two ways.
First, it’s isolated Ukraine by manipulating Trump’s desire for political wins and business deals. Russia, in appearing to seek an end to the conflict while offering no concessions, has stoked tensions between Zelenskyy and Trump, where there was little love lost between the two to begin with.
Second, Russia has increased its attacks on Ukrainian civilian infrastructure. Large-scale bombing does little to help Russia on the battlefield. The attacks, in fact, put its forces at a disadvantage by redirecting munitions from military targets.
Attacks on civilians
The attacks on civilian infrastructure, however, are more about instilling fear in the Ukrainian population and demonstrating American impotence to a Russian audience.
Russia’s attacks on Ukrainian cities also highlight Russia’s trump card: nuclear weapons. Russia, and specifically former Russian president Dimitry Medvedev, has repeatedlythreatened nuclear war in an attempt to dissuade Ukraine’s supporters.
By bombing Ukrainian cities, albeit with conventional munitions, Russia seeks to demonstrate its ability to deploy even more destructive weapons should the situation call for it.
These Russian military missteps, combined with a Russian economy that is structurally unsound, means that Russia’s war effort is increasingly fragile.
Weakening Asian alliances
Ukraine’s attack on Belaya also signals Russian weakness to its nominal allies in Asia.
Since the start of hostilities, Russia has relied on the tacit consent of China. This support has taken the form of China purchasing Russian crude oil to maintain the Russian economy and Chinese citizens unofficially fighting for Russia.
Belaya has been a vital element of Russia’s deterrence strategy in Asia, which has come to rely more heavily on the Russian strategic nuclear threat. The inability of Russia to protect one of its key strategic assets from a Ukrainian drone attack, combined with the weakness of Russian conventional forces in Ukraine, erodes its ability to position itself as a key ally to China.
In fact, some Russian authorities continue to view China as a major threat.
At the same time, Operation Spider’s Web gives hope to the Ukrainian people. It may also cause Trump — who prefers to back winners — to ponder whether it’s Putin, not Zelenskyy, who lacks the cards to win the war.
James Horncastle does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
Source: United States Small Business Administration
Click Here to View the Original U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) Press Release
Angelo Stephen, 33, a former Federal Bureau of Prisons Correctional Officer, and George Arestuche, 47, a former Miami-Dade County Aviation Department employee, were sentenced in separate cases after pleading guilty to defrauding COVID-19 relief programs.
Angelo Stephen
On May 22, Stephen was sentenced to four months in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release and ordered to pay $75,513 in restitution by Chief U.S. District Judge Cecilia M. Altonaga. Chief Judge Altonaga also entered a forfeiture money judgment against Stephen in the additional amount of $71,166. The sentence follows Stephen’s conviction for wire fraud in connection with his fraudulent applications for two Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans and one Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL), as well as his participation in two bank account takeover schemes.
During his change of plea hearing, Stephen admitted that on August 4, 2020, he submitted a false and fraudulent EIDL application in his own name to the Small Business Administration (SBA), claiming to be an independent contractor and the sole owner of a business that provided event planning and entertainment services with 10 employees. The EIDL application falsely certified that for the applicable 12-month period, the business had approximately $62,018 in gross revenue and a cost of goods sold of $0. Based on his false and fraudulent application, Stephen received $20,000 in EIDL proceeds from the SBA.
Stephen additionally admitted to fraudulently obtaining two PPP loans. On April 24, 2021, Stephen submitted a first-draw PPP loan application, claiming to be the sole proprietor of a non-existent business with $106,554 in gross income in 2020. In support of the application, Stephen submitted a fraudulent IRS Form 1040 Schedule C. Based on his false and fraudulent application, Stephen received $20,833 in PPP loan proceeds from an SBA-approved lender. On May 11, 2021, Stephen submitted a second-draw PPP loan application, making the same false claims about his nonexistent business that was supported by submission of the identical false Schedule C. Based on his false and fraudulent application, Stephen obtained $20,833 in PPP loan proceeds from a different SBA-approved lender.
Stephen also admitted to taking part in two bank account takeover schemes. On March 30, 2023, Stephen received a $20,000 wire transfer from the account of an unsuspecting victim in Virginia. Stephen quickly withdrew all illegally obtained money through a series of cash withdrawals and Zelle transfers to others. In the second takeover scheme, Stephen and his accomplices obtained new checks from the credit union account of a different unsuspecting victim. Stephen subsequently used one of those checks to obtain $8,500 in cash that he was not entitled to.
George Arestuche
On May 28, Arestuche was sentenced by Senior U.S. District Judge Paul C. Huck to five years of probation to include 210 days in home detention and ordered to pay $114,679 in restitution, plus community service. The sentence follows Arestuche’s conviction for conspiracy to commit wire fraud in connection with his fraudulent application for an EIDL.
According to the facts admitted at the change of plea hearing, Arestuche and a co-conspirator devised a scheme to defraud the SBA by submitting a false and fraudulent application for Arestuche to obtain an EIDL and EIDL advance. As part of the conspiracy, Arestuche agreed to pay the co-conspirator a large fee.
On July 9, 2020, Arestuche’s co-conspirator submitted a false and fraudulent EIDL application to the SBA on behalf of Arestuche, claiming that Arestuche was an independent contractor and the sole owner of an automotive repair business with 10 employees. The EIDL application falsely certified that for the applicable 12-month period, the business had $600,000 in gross revenue and a cost of goods sold of $184,000. In reality, Arestuche was not an independent contractor and did not own any type of business. The EIDL application was supported by a fraudulent IRS Form 1040 Schedule C. As a result of this false and fraudulent EIDL application, Arestuche obtained $149,900 in EIDL proceeds and a $10,000 EIDL advance from the SBA. Arestuche subsequently paid his co-conspirator $17,275 for helping him fraudulently obtain the money from the SBA. Since pleading guilty, Arestuche has paid $50,000 in advance restitution payments.
U.S. Attorney Hayden P. O’Byrne for the Southern District of Florida; acting Special Agent in Charge Amber Howell of the Department of Justice Office of Inspector General’s Fraud Detection Office (DOJ-OIG); Special Agent in Charge Amaleka McCall-Brathwaite, U.S. Small Business Administration Office of Inspector General (SBA OIG), Eastern Region; acting Special Agent in Charge Brett D. Skiles of FBI Miami; and Inspector General Felix Jimenez of the Miami-Dade County Office of Inspector General (MDC-OIG) made the announcement.
DOJ-OIG and SBA-OIG investigated the Stephen case. SBA-OIG and the FBI’s Miami Area Corruption Task Force, which includes task force officers from the MDC-OIG, investigated the Arestuche case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Edward N. Stamm prosecuted both cases.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Annika Miranda is handling forfeiture matters in the Stephen case.
In March 2020, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act was enacted. It was designed to provide emergency financial assistance to the millions of Americans suffering the economic effects caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Among other sources of relief, the CARES Act authorized and provided funding to the SBA to provide EIDLs to eligible small businesses, including sole proprietorships and independent contractors, experiencing substantial financial disruptions due to the COVID-19 pandemic to allow them to meet financial obligations and operating expenses that could otherwise have been met had the disaster not occurred. EIDL applications were submitted directly to the SBA via the SBA’s on-line application website, and the applications were processed and the loans funded for qualifying applicants directly by the SBA.
On May 17, 2021, the Attorney General established the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force to marshal the resources of the Department of Justice in partnership with agencies across government to enhance efforts to combat and prevent pandemic-related fraud. The Task Force bolsters efforts to investigate and prosecute the most culpable domestic and international criminal actors and assists agencies tasked with administering relief programs to prevent fraud by, among other methods, augmenting and incorporating existing coordination mechanisms, identifying resources and techniques to uncover fraudulent actors and their schemes, and sharing and harnessing information and insights gained from prior enforcement efforts. For more information on the Department’s response to the pandemic, please visit https://www.justice.gov/coronavirus.
On September 15, 2022, the Attorney General selected the Southern District of Florida’s U.S. Attorney’s Office to head one of three national COVID-19 Fraud Strike Force Teams. The Department of Justice established the Strike Force to enhance existing efforts to combat and prevent COVID-19 related financial fraud. For more information on the department’s response to the pandemic, please click here.
Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline at 866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at: https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.
Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov, under case numbers 25-cr-20014 (Stephen) and 25-cr-20001 (Arestuche).
Two boys have been arrested and charged over an alleged assault in the Devonport CBD as police continue to focus on anti-social behaviour in the city precinct. The male youths have been bailed to appear at the Devonport Youth Justice Court at a later date. Tasmania Police is aware of recent reports of anti-social behaviour in the Devonport CBD and is continuing with a high-visibility police presence in the area to deter this disruptive behaviour. “Members of the public and those working in the Devonport CBD have a right and expectation to feel safe. Tasmania Police are committed to ensuring public safety and will not tolerate any disruptive or harmful behaviour from anyone,” Devonport Police Acting Inspector Luke Negri said. “Offenders, including youths, will be held to account for their actions and behaviour.” Anyone who witnesses concerning activity is encouraged to report it to police on 131 444 or call triple zero (000) if it is an emergency. You can also report anonymously to Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or online at crimestopperstas.com.au
Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Hakeem Jeffries (8th District of New York)
Know Your Immigration Rights
If you or a loved one encounter immigration enforcement officials, it is essential that you know your rights and have prepared your household for all possible outcomes.
Ask for a warrant: The Fourth Amendment of the Constitution protects you from unreasonable search and seizure. You do not have to open your door until you see a valid warrant to enter your home or search your belongings.
Your right to remain silent: The Fifth Amendment protects your right to remain silent and not incriminate yourself. You are not required to share any personal information such as your place of birth, immigration status or criminal history.
Always consult an attorney: You have a right to speak with an attorney. You do not have to sign anything or hand officials any documents without speaking to an attorney. Try to identify and consult one in advance.
The New York City Office of Civil Justice and the Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs (MOIA) support a variety of free immigration legal services through local nonprofit legal organizations. To access these resources, dial 311 and say “Action NYC,” call the MOIA Immigration Legal Support Hotline at 800-354-0365 Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. or visit MOIA’s website.
Learn more here: KNOW YOUR IMMIGRATION RIGHTS – Congressman Hakeem Jeffries
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) introduced a resolution to designate June as “Life Month” to mark the Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade in June 2022.
Upon introduction Sen. Cruz said, “Every human life is worthy of protection, and it is especially incumbent upon Americans and lawmakers to protect the most vulnerable among us. Designating June as Life Month is a recommitment to the American principle that every life has dignity. I call on my colleagues in the Senate to swiftly pass this resolution.”
The resolution is cosponsored by Sens. John Cornyn (R-Texas), Mike Lee (R-Utah), Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), John Kennedy (R-La.), Ted Budd (R-N.C.), Pete Ricketts (R-Neb.), Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.), James Lankford (R-Okla.), Roger Marshall (R-Kan.), Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), Rick Scott (R-Fla.), Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), Todd Young (R-Ind.), Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.), Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), Jim Risch (R-Idaho), Bill Cassidy (R-La), John Hoeven (R-N.D.), Eric Schmitt (R-Mo.), Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.), Tim Scott (R-S.C.), Bill Hagerty (R-Tenn.), Mike Rounds (R-S.D.), Jim Justice (R-W.Va.), and Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.).
A companion resolution was introduced in the House by Rep. Chris Smith (R-N.J.-04).
Upon introduction Rep. Smith said, “For decades abortion advocates have gone to extraordinary lengths to ignore, trivialize, and cover up the battered baby victim, fostering a culture of denial, disrespect, and bias against the unborn. This resolution designating June as Life Month highlights our moral imperative to protect innocent children’s lives from extermination. It calls our nation to reject willful blindness to the realities of abortion—brutally dismembering helpless babies with sharp knife-like curettes or poisoning babies with pills that literally starve them to death and often result in their bodies being flushed down a toilet. This resolution affirms that the cruel injustice of abortion need not be forever: instead we must defend the unborn and show love and compassion to both mother and child through meaningful assistance and support.”
Read the resolution text here.
This resolution is supported by ADF, Heritage Action, SBA Pro-life, National Right to Life, Human Coalition, Heartbeat International, Family Research Council, Students for Life, Americans United for Life, Family Policy Alliance, Concerned Women for America, Catholic Vote, March for Life, 40 Days for Life, National Pro-Life Alliance, NIFLA, Citizens for Life, Christian Broadcasting Network, Focus on the Family, Liberty Counsel Action, and Eagle Forum.
Kristen Waggoner, CEO, President, and General Counsel of Alliance Defending Freedom said, “Life is the first and most fundamental human right. Without it, no other right can exist. So it’s fitting to commemorate the historic Supreme Court ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization. For nearly half a century, America lived under the shadow of Roe v. Wade, which prevented efforts to protect the unborn and ensure women have the support they need. That shameful era ended on June 24, 2022, when the Court rightly found: ‘The Constitution does not confer a right to abortion.’ America must now take the next step forward. After more than 60 million lives lost to abortion and countless women harmed by the proliferation of dangerous abortion drugs, we must urgently work to restore a deeply rooted reverence for human life and expand access to life-affirming healthcare for women. I’m grateful for congressional leaders who are working toward that goal, and I commend Sen. Ted Cruz and Rep. Chris Smith for their longtime leadership in defending the sanctity of all human life.”
Janae Stracke, Vice President of Heritage Action said, “Heritage Action commends Senator Ted Cruz for his bold and historic proposition to designate June as “Life Month.” While life is a gift we each get to celebrated daily, designating June as “Life Month” is more than appropriate to honor the thousands of lives saved by the historic Supreme Court Dobbs case decision to reverse decades of legalized abortion under Roe. Overturning Roe v. Wade emphasized that abortion was never a federal right, affirmed that every innocent human being has a right to life, and allowed many pro-life state laws to immediately take effect.
Hon. Marilyn Musgrave, VP of Government Affairs at SBA Pro-Life America said, “The landmark Dobbs victory rightly restored power to protect unborn children in the law to the people and their elected representatives. Thank you, Sen. Cruz and Rep. Smith, for your resolution that celebrates this pivotal moment and underscores the need to protect every life and support women, children and families across our nation — not only for the June anniversary of Dobbs but year-round.”
Carol Tobias, President of National Right to Life said, “The U.S. Supreme Court rightfully overturned the horrendous Roe v. Wade decision on June 22. In memory of all the children lost to abortion, it is fitting that June be recognized as Life Month. We are grateful to Sen. Cruz for spearheading this effort.”
Headline: Texas Man Sentenced to 26 Months in Prison for Making Threats of Violence Against Employees of Sikh Nonprofit Organization
A Dallas County, Texas man was sentenced to 26 months in prison for a federal hate crime and for making violent interstate threats against various individuals based on their religion, including the employees of a Sikh nonprofit organization located in New Jersey, Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division and U.S. Attorney Alina Habba for the District of New Jersey announced today.
A Dallas County, Texas man was sentenced to 26 months in prison for a federal hate crime and for making violent interstate threats against various individuals based on their religion, including the employees of a Sikh nonprofit organization located in New Jersey, Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division and U.S. Attorney Alina Habba for the District of New Jersey announced today.
An ACT MP becoming Deputy Prime Minister has seemed impossible for most of the Party’s history. Now it is real. David Seymour’s first speech since becoming Deputy PM has been described by Mike Hosking as ‘uplifting’ We agree. He thanks supporters who helped the party ‘through the wicked old days, when we went it alone’ and you can read it or watch it here. Seymour will also be debating at Oxford Union at 7:30am Friday morning NZT streamed on YouTube here. Seymour will be opposing the moot ‘nobody can be illegal on stolen land.’
Meanwhile ACT MP Laura McClure’s campaign against deepfake pornography has gone ‘global,’ with her video covered in the UK press and videos of her speech to Parliament attracting tens of millions of views. The Party’s Deputy is rolling out reforms to WorkSafe this week. After months of travelling and listening to the people affected by regulations, Brooke van Velden is reforming WorkSafe to help people be safe instead of scaring them into paying consultants an arm and a leg. Road cones are the visible example of this problem. Without clear guidance, the simple way to show your commitment to safety is to pay for another cone.
ACT is Changing the Media
ACT’s ‘David vs the Media’ series is a simple idea. When David (or other ACT MPs) interview journalists, the Party independently films the whole exchange and posts it online. This has made journalists very upset. They have even tried to have it stopped, which is odd for people who are supposed to be in the truth business.
They may be upset because it is rating better than many of their own efforts. A good David vs Media is watched 60,000 times, better than some TV and radio shows. This is most obvious when the journalists put their own content on YouTube, on a level playing field they struggle to compete.
We know they’re upset by the comments. People see inanity of them trying to catch politicians out by asking the same question ten different ways, and they pile on in the comments. The journos seem genuinely upset to receive a fraction of the abuse heaped on politicians, often because of the image media have created of them.
However we believe there’s a much deeper reason David vs Media is upsetting them, it manifests something that’s been happening for a long time, but is becoming unignorable. Moore’s Law means the fall of the media monopoly, and monopolists hate competition.
Moore’s Law says that the number of transistor gates on an integrated circuit will double every eighteen months. It’s usually expressed more simply as ‘available computer power will double every 18 months.’ Intel co-founder Gordon Moore predicted the law in the 1970s and it has been amazingly durable.
In practice it means the cost of capturing, storing, transmitting, and displaying text, photos, and video has fallen through the floor. Now anybody can do for a few hundred dollars what used to cost millions.
Once upon a time you needed to a TV studio with cameras and lights, and massive rooms filled with film or tape. You needed cables going up hills to transmission towers, projecting the one or two available channels down on to people’s roofs. Now anyone can compete with their mobile phone.
Journalists are losing the power to decide what people see. For one example, A TV journalist recently interviewed three people in Newmarket who didn’t like David Seymour. This was presented on the news as the view of the electorate. Epsom has elected Seymour four times with up to 50 per cent of the vote, so one of three things has happened. Either there’s been a major change of views, the journalist is incompetent, or the journalist is abusing their power to give viewers a false impression.
The tide is going out on such incompetence and treachery. Fewer and fewer people, and almost nobody under 40, is watching the 6 o’clock news. If rumours are to be believed, we may be back to one channel by the end of the year.
Meanwhile, journalists are forced to put up more ‘raw’ content themselves. Guyon Espiner’s show 30’ is what it sounds like, a 30-minute uncut interview. At one level it’s extraordinary to see someone who commanded an audience of half a million with monopoly power barely eke out the views of David vs the Media on his best days.
At another level, we are seeing the seeds of journalists trying to actually inform their audiences and make up their own minds. Espiner’s highest rating videos are the ones where he genuinely tries to help his audience understand what the interviewee has to say.
Another example is John Campbell, who was apoplectic when David Seymour showed up to an interview with his own microphone and camera. The full 42 minutes is gold: “You’re a real star on ACT’s YouTube channel!” “Marvellous!” “That’s not a good thing, John.”
Campbell ended up putting the whole interview on TVNZ’s website himself, not something you’d normally see. The shorter, edited version was edited surprisingly well, would this have happened if it was not for the knowledge that the whole video might get more views than his edit anyway?
Campbell has written a long, too long, meditation on whether Seymour is too combative to win people over. What he’s missed is that he’s having to change himself because of the transparency ACT is bringing.
The problems with our media won’t be solved by subsidies, taxes, or any other approach. What will change is technology, competition and innovation. Who would have thought the ACT Party would be helping save the media?
A man has died this morning, following a crash on No 3 Road, Te Puke last night.
Police were called to an address in Te Puke this morning after a man was located deceased. It was later discovered that he was involved in a crash last night.
Enquiries into the circumstances of the crash and the death are ongoing.
The Government is welcoming a report which shows facial recognition technology is an effective way of combatting retail crime, Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith says.
“The Privacy Commission today announced it has found the live facial recognition technology model trialled by Foodstuffs North Island, is compliant with the Privacy Act.
“It found the technology is effective at reducing harmful behaviour towards retailers, especially serious violent incidents.
“This is great news for businesses that are considering using the technology as a means to protect their livelihoods.
“The report notes that privacy concerns must be carefully safeguarded.
“I expect our Ministerial Advisory Group will continue to look at this technology as an option to be used more widely and engage with the sector on it.
“I’ll be encouraging the MAG to take this report into serious consideration.”
Police Commissioner Richard Chambers has welcomed an Office of the Privacy Commissioner report into the trial of facial recognition technology by a major supermarket chain, saying such technology is a valuable tool for fighting crime.
“I welcome the OPC’s comments about the potential benefits of facial recognition technology and the finding that, in the case of the Foodstuffs trial, it was effective at reducing incidences of serious repeat offending.”
“The value of technology such as facial recognition is that it is fair and accurate. It has an important role to play in policing.
Facial recognition technology is valuable for deterring, detecting and resolving crime. While there are many benefits to using technology it is crucial to have appropriate guidance in place.”
“I welcome the clear guidelines from the OPC on how retailers can use it effectively and the safeguards that are required. It offers useful guidance on whether its use is appropriate, what the privacy risks are and how those can be minimised.”
Commissioner Chambers said the use of facial recognition technology as a crime prevention tool was a decision for retailers to make for themselves and their businesses.
“Police is supportive of retailers using tools like this to enhance safety for their staff and communities, as long as it is done lawfully and ethically.
I am very enthusiastic about the opportunity to better use technology to help achieve positive outcomes.
One of the biggest opportunities we have as a country is to embrace technology when it comes to fighting crime.”
A Mexican man wanted for a 2013 murder in Los Angeles was returned to the United States from Mexico over the weekend by members of the FBI’s Fugitive Task Force.
The man, Luis Alberto Gutierrez Tejeda, 33, a Mexican national whose most recent U.S. address was in Sylmar, was arrested last year in Guadalajara, Mexico, by authorities there who were working with the FBI’s Legal Attaché in Mexico City and the FBI’s Fugitive Task Force in Los Angeles. Since his arrest, Tejeda has been incarcerated in Mexico awaiting formal extradition to the United States.
Tejeda was wanted for a 2013 murder in the Arleta neighborhood of Los Angeles’ San Fernando Valley during which the victim was shot while in his vehicle. Detectives with the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) who are investigating the homicide, identified Tejeda as the shooter responsible. Once it became known that Tejeda fled the United States, LAPD Detectives contacted the FBI’s Fugitive Task Force and requested assistance in locating and apprehending Tejeda. The FBI obtained a federal warrant charging Tejeda with Unlawful Flight to Avoid Prosecution.
Tejeda was taken into custody by Mexican authorities in October 2024. In May, the Fugitive Task Force received notification that the Mexican Attorney General would relinquish custody of Tejeda to American authorities on May 30, 2025. Tejada was escorted by task force members to Los Angeles on Friday and was turned over to the custody of the LAPD. The federal UFAP charge is expected to be dismissed.
The FBI’s Fugitive Task Force in Los Angeles is a collaborative effort involving the FBI, the Los Angeles Police Department, and the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation to apprehend fugitives, including those who’ve fled from Los Angeles and those who flee to Los Angeles from other jurisdictions. The task force works to locate and arrest individuals who are wanted for various crimes, including violent crimes, and often collaborates with Mexican authorities to return fugitives to the United States. Mexican authorities and the FBI’s Legal Attaché in Mexico City provided considerable assistance, as did the Department of Justice – Office of International Affairs.
Headline: Advisory Council for Student Safety and Well-Being Publishes First Report
Advisory Council for Student Safety and Well-Being Publishes First Report lsaito
Raleigh, NC
Governor Josh Stein’s Advisory Council for Student Safety and Well-Being, established by an executive order in April 2025, recommends that North Carolina school systems establish policies that eliminate the use of personal communication devices, including cell phones, from the start to the end of the school day. To support school systems as they develop and implement local policies to make schools cell phone-free, the Advisory Council today published its Best Practices Guide for North Carolina Public Schools Units (PSUs) Establishing Personal Communication Device Policies.
“When students can spend their school day focused on their learning and engaged with friends and teachers, they have the opportunity to learn better and fully engage with others,” said Governor Josh Stein. “I am proud that North Carolina is taking the lead in helping schools improve student academic achievement, well-being, and safety by working to address cell phones in schools.”
“North Carolina’s children deserve to learn in environments that support their growth—not just academically, but emotionally and socially,” said Senate Democratic Leader Sydney Batch, Advisory Council Co-Chair. “Over the past 15 years, we’ve seen a persistent and troubling decline in student mental health, and we owe it to our children to respond with the clarity and urgency this moment demands. The guide developed by our Advisory Council on Student Safety and Well-Being provides school systems with evidence-based tools to build more focused classrooms and healthier schools. It reflects our commitment to swift, thoughtful action—and I’m excited to see how local leaders will use it to make the right decisions for their students and communities.”
“On average, teenagers use their smartphones for more than four hours per day, receiving more than 230 notifications per day,” said Deputy Secretary William Lassiter, Advisory Council Co-Chair. “We know that the increased use of personal communication devices during the past 15 years has also coincided with a drastic deterioration of student mental health. This plan outlines a whole-of-community approach that includes students, teachers, school administrators, and parents in creating an environment where youth can put down their phones for eight hours a day to focus on academic success, mental well-being and building interpersonal relationships.”
“As North Carolina Teacher of the Year, I see every day how powerful learning can be when students are fully engaged,” said 2024 NC Teacher of the Year Heather Smith, Advisory Council Co-Chair. “When we remove distractions like personal communication devices during instructional time, we’re not just enforcing a rule—we’re creating space for deeper focus, stronger relationships, and better outcomes. The advisory council recommends that school systems establish a policy that eliminates the use of personal communication devices from the beginning to the end of the school day. This recommendation is about prioritizing student success, supporting teachers, and making classrooms places where every moment counts.”
Governor Stein commissioned the best practices guide as the Advisory Council’s first priority to support school systems in creating healthy learning environments that increase academic achievement and student well-being. The guide is intended to support school systems in implementing a personal communication device policy by providing relevant topics of consideration.
The Advisory Council’s guide draws on research on how personal communication devices, including cell phones, are affecting children. Nearly all teenagers have their own smartphone, using them for nearly four and a half hours and receiving 237 notifications per day. As cell phone usage has increased over the last 15 years, student mental health has deteriorated. Between 2009 and 2019, the number of high school students reporting persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness has increased by 40%; those considering attempting suicide increased by 36%; and the amount creating a suicide plan increased by 44%. The Advisory Council also garnered feedback directly from students to inform its recommendations.
In Executive Order 13, Governor Josh Stein established the Advisory Council with a mission of advancing North Carolina’s commitment to safe, welcoming, and inclusive schools. The Council will propose and implement solutions to promote school safety and improve students’ physical, social, and emotional well-being. It will continue to develop recommendations, provide guidance to state agencies, work with local communities, and share best practices.
The Advisory Council is co-chaired by Sydney Batch, Senate Democratic Leader; William L. Lassiter, Deputy Secretary of the Division of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, Department of Public Safety; and Heather Smith, a Haywood County teacher and the 2024 North Carolina Teacher of the Year.
Headline: NC Health and Human Services Secretary Dev Sangvai Visits Walter B. Jones Alcohol and Drug Abuse Treatment Center and Longleaf Neuro-Medical Treatment Center
NC Health and Human Services Secretary Dev Sangvai Visits Walter B. Jones Alcohol and Drug Abuse Treatment Center and Longleaf Neuro-Medical Treatment Center jawerner
North Carolina Health and Human Services Secretary Dev Sangvai today visited two state operated healthcare facilities, Longleaf Neuro-Medical Treatment Center (NTC) and Walter B. Jones Alcohol and Drug Abuse Treatment Center (ADATC), dedicated to providing critical specialized care to people in eastern North Carolina.
Secretary Sangvai’s first stop was Longleaf NTC in Wilson, one of three state operated healthcare facilities which serves adults with chronic and complex medical conditions that co-exist with neurodevelopmental, and/or neurocognitive disorders and/or a diagnosis of severe and persistent mental illness. He was joined by State Health Director and Chief Medical Officer Dr. Lawrence Greenblatt; Deputy Secretary for Licensing and Facilities Karen Burkes; Deputy Chief Medical Officer and Chief Psychiatrist Dr. Carrie Brown; and Longleaf NTC leadership. During the visit, they toured a resident hall and two recently completed renovation projects in the kitchen and outdoor verandah.
The facility faces several challenges including staffing shortages and retention, particularly with nursing positions. Currently, the overall staffing vacancy rate is more than 43% with over 200 open positions. Longleaf NTC relies heavily on contract staffing to support staff shortages, and long-term investments are needed to help further support the workforce.
“The health care workforce in North Carolina is vital to the health of our communities,” said NC Health and Human Services Secretary Dev Sangvai. “Together we will work toward solutions, like increased pay and retention efforts, to fill these critical positions and ensure people continue to receive the care they need.”
Leadership also highlighted successes including the facility’s return to normal operations after taking in residents of Black Mountain Neuro-Medical Treatment Center who were displaced during Hurricane Helene.
Secretary Sangvai then toured and met with staff at Walter B. Jones ADATC in Greenville, one of two substance use disorder treatment centers operated by the NCDHHS Division of State Operated Healthcare Facilities (DSOHF). They visited a newly opened residential unit, cafeteria and Opioid Treatment Center at the facility.
Walter B. Jones ADATC leaders cited hiring and recruitment challenges among their top concerns, including the inability to offer competitive wages. Currently, the staffing vacancy rate is more than 38% with over 55 open positions. These workforce challenges limit the facility’s operating capacity which is currently at 35 beds out of 42 total.
“State operated healthcare facilities are the backbone to providing critical and complex services to some of the most vulnerable people in North Carolina,” said Secretary Sangvai. “If we want to create a healthier North Carolina, we must retain positions to attract and maintain staff and providers in these vital facilities.”
Current North Carolina House and Senate budget proposals eliminate hundreds of NCDHHS positions. Any reductions in the workforce at NCDHHS DSOHF facilities would limit the ability to staff and operate more beds and could permanently reduce the number of patients able to be served if it becomes law.
Source: United States Senator for Illinois Tammy Duckworth
May 29, 2025
[SINGAPORE] – Today, U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL)—who served in the Reserve Forces for 23 years and is a member of both the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC) and U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee (SFRC)—and U.S. Senator Pete Ricketts (R-NE) are leading a bipartisan Congressional Delegation to Singapore to this year’s International Institute for Strategic Studies’ Shangri-La Dialogue, which is one of Asia’s premier global international security and defense summits, to reaffirm the United States’ strong bipartisan commitment to our partners and allies in the Indo-Pacific region. Their arrival in Singapore comes immediately after Senator Duckworth completed a successful visit to Taiwan where she voiced her support for the Taiwanese people and our partnership with them. While in Singapore, the Delegation plans to meet with a number of defense and foreign affairs officials representing several of our partners in the Indo-Pacific region to discuss her efforts to increase cooperation in areas of mutual interest, including strengthening our cultural, economic and military partnerships across the region.
“I’ve always believed that if America wants to remain a global leader, we have to show up and support our partners and allies—and that means our leadership in the Indo-Pacific must continue for the long term,” said Senator Duckworth. “The United States has long been a major Pacific power but, if we abandon our Indo-Pacific partners, we’d be leaving a vacuum that the PRC both can—and likely will—take advantage of, making it harder for America to compete with China and weakening our standing on the global stage all while giving our adversaries and competitors an easy path to overtaking us. So I’m proud to be back for this year’s Shangri-La Dialogue, where Senator Ricketts and I will be working to strengthen our relationships with several of our Indo-Pacific partners and send a strong, bipartisan message to our allies—and our competitors—that the United States is here for the long haul.”
“Increasing aggression from Communist China continues to threaten peace and stability across the Indo-Pacific. In the Senate, I am working with my colleagues to make sure all aspects of our government are ready to respond to Beijing’s malign influence and hostilities in the region,” said Senator Ricketts. “What we’re seeing from America’s friends in the Indo-Pacific is a renewed emphasis on strengthening their defense capabilities. I’m looking forward to participating in this year’s Shangri-La Dialogue with Senator Duckworth. We stand shoulder-to-shoulder with our allies and partners to deter Communist China’s aggression and counter its threats to our collective interests.”
While in Singapore, the Duckworth-Ricketts Delegation intends to meet with Singapore Prime Minister Lawrence Wong, Singapore Minister of Defence Chan Chun Sing, Republic of Korea Defense Minister for Policy Cho Chang-rae, Singapore Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan, INDOPACOM Commander Admiral Samuel Paparo, Australian Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles, German Deputy Defense Minister Dr. Nils Schmid, Thailand Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister Phuntham Wechayachai, Philippines Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro, UK Ministry of Defense Minister of State Lord Coaker, Commander of United Nations Command (UNC) Xavier Brunson and more.
This trip comes after Duckworth successfully led a bipartisan delegation to the Shangri-La Dialogue alongside U.S. Senator Dan Sullivan (R-AK) last year. Duckworth is a proven leader when it comes to strengthening our relations with Indo-Pacific nations and improving security in the region—which she has done while successfully securing significant international investments in Illinois. In the Fiscal Year (FY) 2025 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) that was signed into law, Duckworth successfully secured a modified version of her Access to Care for Overseas Military Act to improve medical readiness in the Indo-Pacific. This provision established a program to accredit foreign medical facilities to help ensure our nation’s servicemembers as well as their families have access to quality patient care throughout the Indo-Pacific region—where they often must travel long distances to receive care—both during peacetime and in the event of a conflict abroad.
In 2023, Duckworth led an official visit to Japan and Indonesia as part of her continuing efforts to strengthen ties and reinforce support between allies and partners in the Indo-Pacific region and the United States. And last summer, Duckworth led another official visit to the Indo-Pacific region again, visiting Thailand, Indonesia and the Philippines to meet with government and business leaders and discuss opportunities that would increase cooperation in areas of mutual interest, such as economic investments, regional stability and national security.
In 2022, Duckworth traveled to South Korea and Taiwan where she met with business, government and trade leaders, which helped lead to a joint venture between Illinois’s ADM and South Korea’s LG Chem, as well as a commitment from Taiwan to purchase an estimated $2.6 billion of our Illinois’s corn and soybeans. In 2021, Duckworth, Sullivan and Coons also travelled to Taiwan to announce that the United States’ would donate 750,000 COVID-19 vaccines to Taiwan as part of President Biden’s plan to provide vaccines to our global partners in need. Duckworth also successfully included a modified version of her Strengthen Taiwan’s Security Act in the Fiscal Year (FY) 2023 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) to help Taiwan strengthen its military defenses. In 2019, Duckworth led a bipartisan delegation to Japan and Singapore. In 2018, Duckworth visited South Korea and Japan.
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Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy arrive at the Elysee Palace in Paris in 2019.Ian Langsdon/Pool Photo via AP
Delegations from Ukraine and Russia met for a second time in Istanbul in a month on June 2, 2025. Missing, again, were the country’s two leaders.
For a fleeting moment ahead of the first meeting in mid-May 2025, there existed the faintest prospect that Presidents Vladimir Putin of Russia and Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine would join, sitting down in the same room for face-to-face talks.
But it didn’t happen; few expected it would. On that occasion, Putin refused Zelenskyy’s offer of face-to-face talks in Istanbul.
Even though neither leader met in the Istanbul summits, they have met before.
The talks continued periodically until 2022, when Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Until that point, most of the discussion was framed by two deals, the Minsk accords of 2014 and 2015, which set out the terms for a ceasefire between Kyiv and the Moscow-armed rebel groups and the conditions for elections in Donetsk and Luhansk.
By the time of the sixth meeting in December 2019, the only time Zelenkyy and Putin have met in person, some still hoped that the Minsk accords could form a framework for peace.
His electoral campaign had centered on the promise of putting an end to the unrest in Donbas, which had been rumbling on for years. The increasing role of Russia in the conflict, through supporting rebels financially and with volunteer Russian soldiers, had complicated and escalated fighting, and many Ukrainians were weary of the impact of internally displaced people that it caused.
By all accounts, Zelenskyy went into Paris believing that he could make a deal with Putin.
“I want to return with concrete results,” Zelenskyy said just days before meeting Putin. By then, the Ukrainian president’s only contact with Putin had been over the phone. “I want to see the person and I want to bring from Normandy understanding and feeling that everybody really wants gradually to finish this tragic war,” Zelenskyy said, adding, “I can feel it for sure only at the table.”
But the Russian president also wanted to keep Russia’s smaller neighbor under its influence. Ukraine gained independence after the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991. But in the early years of the new century, Russia began to exert increasing influence over the politics of its neighbor. This ended in 2014, when a popular revolution ousted pro-Russian Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych and ushered in a pro-Western government.
Those desires – Ukraine’s to end the war in Donbas, and Russia’s to curb the West’s involvement in Ukraine – formed the parameters for the Normandy talks.
And for some time, there appeared to be momentum to find compromise. French President Emmanuel Macron said that the 2019 Paris talks had broken years of stalemate and relaunched the peace process. Putin’s assessment was that the peace process was “developing in the right direction.” Zelenskyy’s view was a little less enthusisastic: “Let’s say for now it’s a draw.”
Talking past each other
Yet the Putin-Zelenskyy meeting in 2019 ultimately ended in failure. In retrospect, both sides were talking past each other and could not reach agreement on the sequencing of key parts of the peace plan.
Zelenskyy wanted the security provisions of the Minsk accords, including a lasting ceasefire and the securing of Ukraine’s border with Russia, in place before proceeding with regional elections on devolving autonomy to the regions. Putin was adamant that the elections come first.
The success of the Normandy talks were also hindered by Putin’s refusal to acknowledge that Russia was a party to the conflict. Rather, he framed the Donbas conflict as a civil war between the Ukrainian government and the rebels. Russia’s role was simply to push the rebels to the negotiating table in this take – a view that was greeted with skepticism by Ukraine and the West.
As a result, the Normandy talks stalled. And then in February 2022, Russian launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Way forward today?
The nascent negotiations between Ukraine and Russia that began in Istanbul in May 2025 represent the first real attempt to bring high-level delegations of both sides together since 2019.
Many of the same challenges remain. The talks still revolve around the issues of security, the status of Donetsk and Luhansk, and prisoner exchanges – that last point being the only one in which common ground appears to be found, both in 2019and now.
But there are major differences – not least, three years of actual direct war. Russia can no longer deny that it is a party of the conflict, even if Moscow frames the war as a special military operation to “denazify” and demilitarize Ukraine.
And three years of war have changed how the questions of Crimea and the Donbas are framed.
In the Normandy talks, there was no talk of recognizing Russian control over any Ukrainian territory. But recent U.S. efforts to negotiate peace have included a “de-jure” U.S. recognition of Russian control in Crimea, plus “de-facto recognition” of Russia’s occupation of nearly all of Luhansk oblast and the occupied portions of Donetsk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia.
Another major difference between the negotiation process then and now is who is mediating.
The Normandy negotiations were led by European leaders – German Chancellor Angela Merkel and President Macron of France. Throughout the whole Normandy talks process, only Germany, France, Ukraine and Russia were involved as active participants.
Today, it is the United States taking the lead.
And this suits Putin. A constant issue for Putin of the Normandy talks was that Germany and France were never neutral mediators.
In President Donald Trump, Putin has found a U.S. leader who, at least at first, appeared eager to take on the mantle from Europe.
But like the Europeans involved in the Normandy talks, Trump too is encountering similar barriers to any meaningful progress.
The Istanbul negotiations on May 16, 2025, were less productive than many people hoped. A proposed 30-day ceasefire agreement didn’t come to fruition; instead the parties agreed on a prisoner-exchange deal. Follow-up talks on June 2 ended after barely an hour, according to Turkish officials. Again, one point agreed on was a prisoner swap.
The Paris peace talks, too, led to a prisoner exchange – but little more. It appears that getting the leaders of Ukraine and Russia to agree on anything more ambitious is as elusive now as it was when Putin and Zelenskyy met in 2019.
The views expressed in this article represent the personal views of the author and are not necessarily the views of the Department of Defense or of the Department of the Air Force.