Source: US Department of Health and Human Services – 3
Burlington, Vermont – The Office of the United States Attorney for the District of Vermont announced that on February 3, 2025, Jeremy Brown, 55, of Simi Valley, California, was sentenced for introducing into interstate commerce new drugs not approved by the Food and Drug Administration (“FDA”) with the intent to defraud or mislead. The Honorable Christina Reiss, Chief United States District Judge, sentenced the defendant to one year of supervised release and ordered the defendant to pay $100,000 in forfeiture.
According to court records, between March 2019 and December 2023, Brown operated a company, Warrior Labz SARMs, and accompanying websites through which he sold unapproved versions of prescription drugs and other substances. Specifically, Brown sold Selective Androgen Receptor Modulators (“SARMs”), which are substances similar to anabolic steroids; unapproved versions of erectile-dysfunction drugs Viagra and Cialis; and unapproved versions of weight-loss drugs Ozempic, Wegovy, and Rybelsus.
Brown falsely claimed on his websites that the drugs offered for sale were for “research purposes only” and “not for human consumption.” Alongside those claims, however, were claims that the drugs would provide various benefits affecting the structure and function of the human body.
Brown obtained the bulk of the drugs he sold from China. Brown did not verify shipping or storage conditions, nor did he use a lab to verify the contents of the drugs he received from China. But he falsely claimed on his websites that his company used only the highest quality pharmaceutical grade ingredients and U.S. manufacturing practices.
After receiving a warning letter from the FDA in June 2023, Brown continued to sell unapproved drugs over the internet. Between August and December 2023, Brown made three sales of unapproved drugs to an undercover law enforcement account in Vermont.
Acting United States Attorney Michael P. Drescher commended the investigatory efforts of the Food and Drug Administration and the United States Postal Inspection Service.
The prosecutor is Assistant United States Attorney Corinne Smith. Brown is represented by Rick Collins, Esq. and Lisa Shelkrot, Esq.
Source: US Department of Health and Human Services – 3
Burlington, Vermont – The Office of the United States Attorney for the District of Vermont announced that on February 3, 2025, Nitin Mishra, 33, of Jaipur, India, was sentenced for conspiring to distribute controlled substances and distributing controlled substances, including the opioids Tapentadol and Tramadol, in connection with his involvement in an international drug trafficking operation. Mishra had been extradited from Albania to the United States to face these charges. United States District Judge William K. Sessions III sentenced Mishra, who had already spent approximately 28 months in custody, to time served and ordered the defendant to pay $7,300 in forfeiture.
According to court records, from around the beginning of 2019 through about June 2021, Mishra, who was based in India, conspired with two Vermont residents, among other individuals, to send multiple shipments of controlled substances, including opioids and misbranded drugs, into the United States. Mishra then worked with his co-conspirators to reship and distribute these drugs to individuals located throughout the United States. The investigation revealed that the conspiracy involved tens of thousands of pills, and included the Schedule II controlled substance Tapentadol, as well as the Schedule IV controlled substances, Tramadol, Carisoprodol, and Zolpidem.
Acting United States Attorney Michael P. Drescher commended the investigatory efforts of the Food and Drug Administration’s Office of Criminal Investigations, Homeland Security Investigations, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the United States Postal Inspection Service, and the Rutland City Police Department.
The prosecutor is Assistant United States Attorney Andrew C. Gilman. Mishra is represented by Robert L. Sussman, Esq.
Silver Spring, MD – ATU International President John Costa and ATU Canada President John Di Nino issued the following statement on tensions between the U.S. and Canadian governments.
“We find ourselves in difficult times and the tensions between the United States and Canadian governments are palpable and undeniable. The ATU reinforces its steadfast commitment to improving the lives of our members and all workers in both countries.
“The solidarity of workers transcends borders. Stronger together, we form a collective force that is both powerful and necessary to push back against the forces that seek to undermine our rights and diminish our hard-earned progress. Our joint efforts across North America will continue to lay the foundation for a better tomorrow, a better future.
“For over 150 years, Canada and the United States have stood side by side as partners, allies, friends, and neighbors. We cannot allow the actions of a single leader to cloud the relationship that has existed between our people. The bond between Canadian and American workers and our shared struggles is much stronger than any political rhetoric. We must resist the narrative that seeks to create division, especially from those who have little regard for the well-being of working people.
“This is a moment in history when unions are more essential than ever. Workers across both of our countries need to come together and fight against the harmful agendas seeking to weaken the labor movement. Our strength lies in our collective action, and the solidarity we have generated across borders is a beacon of hope in these times of uncertainty. Together, we can continue to move forward, building a future where the needs and dignity of working people come first. Don’t let them divide us. Stay strong. Stay united. We are Stronger Together!”
Four pharmacy owners have been sentenced for their roles in a conspiracy to commit health care fraud and wire fraud.
Pharmacist Raef Hamaed, of Maricopa County, Arizona, was sentenced on Jan. 8 to 10 years in prison; pharmacist Tarek Fakhuri, of Windsor, Ontario, Canada, was sentenced on Jan. 13 to seven years in prison; pharmacist Ali Abdelrazzaq, of Macomb County, Michigan, was sentenced on Jan. 15 to two years in prison; and pharmacist Kindy Ghussin, of Greene County, Ohio, was sentenced today to five years and five months in prison.
According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Hamaed, Fakhuri, Ghussin, and Abdelrazzaq billed Medicare, Medicaid, and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan for prescription medications that they did not dispense at five pharmacies they owned and operated: Eastside Pharmacy, Harper Drugs, and Wayne Campus Pharmacy in Michigan, and Heartland Pharmacy and Heartland Pharmacy 2 in Ohio. The defendants collectively caused over $13 million of loss to Medicare, Medicaid, and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan.
On Sept. 5, 2024, a federal jury convicted Hamaed, Fakhuri, Ghussin, and Abdelrazzaq of conspiracy to commit health care fraud and wire fraud. The jury also convicted Fakhuri of one count of health care fraud. Hamaed was sentenced for his role in the conspiracy at all five pharmacies; Fakhuri was sentenced for his role in the conspiracy at Harper Drugs, Wayne Campus Pharmacy, and Heartland Pharmacy; Ghussin was sentenced for his role in the conspiracy at Wayne Campus Pharmacy and both Heartland pharmacies; and Abdelrazzaq was sentenced for his role in the conspiracy at Wayne Campus Pharmacy.
Supervisory Official Antoinette T. Bacon of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, Special Agent in Charge Cheyvoryea Gibson of the FBI Detroit Field Office, and Special Agent in Charge Mario Pinto of the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG) made the announcement.
The FBI Detroit Field Office and HHS-OIG investigated the case.
Trial Attorneys Claire Sobczak Pacelli, Kelly M. Warner, and S. Babu Kaza of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section prosecuted the case.
The Fraud Section leads the Criminal Division’s efforts to combat health care fraud through the Health Care Fraud Strike Force Program. Since March 2007, this program, currently comprised of nine strike forces operating in 27 federal districts, has charged more than 5,800 defendants who collectively have billed federal health care programs and private insurers more than $30 billion. In addition, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, working in conjunction with HHS-OIG, are taking steps to hold providers accountable for their involvement in health care fraud schemes. More information can be found at www.justice.gov/criminal-fraud/health-care-fraud-unit.
PHOENIX, Ariz. – Jose Manuel Arellano-Noriega, 37, a Mexican national living in Phoenix, was arrested in Phoenix on Monday and charged with Possession with the Intent to Distribute More than 400 Grams of Fentanyl.
According to the complaint, investigators with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Phoenix East Valley Drug Enforcement Task Force were in the area of 43rd Avenue and McDowell Road in Phoenix when they observed a red Fiat 500 traveling approximately 55 miles per hour in a 45 mile per hour zone. Based on the traffic violation, investigators conducted a traffic stop. The driver of the vehicle was identified as Arellano-Noriega based on his Mexican passport. A police canine conducted an open-air sniff of the vehicle and alerted to the presence of narcotics in the vehicle.
Investigators searched the vehicle and located a black backpack which contained a black semi-automatic 9mm handgun with a loaded magazine. During a post-Miranda interview, Arellano-Noriega stated he was the owner of the handgun and informed investigators he was in possession of large amounts of fentanyl pills and fentanyl powder at his apartment. Arellano-Noriega provided investigators verbal and written consent to search his apartment and provided the exact locations of the pills and powder located at his apartment.
In Arellano-Noriega’s apartment, investigators seized seven bricks, weighing over 7,800 grams of a white powdery substance that field tested positive for fentanyl. Investigators also seized approximately 100,000 blue pills which weighed approximately 12,146 grams and that field tested positive for fentanyl.
Possession with the Intent to Distribute More than 400 grams of Fentanyl carries a mandatory minimum penalty of 10 years to life in prison and a fine of up to $10,000,000.
A criminal complaint is simply a method by which a person is charged with criminal activity and raises no inference of guilt. An individual is presumed innocent until evidence is presented to a jury that establishes guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
The DEA Phoenix East Valley Drug Enforcement Task Force conducted the investigation in this case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Stuart Zander, District of Arizona, Phoenix, is handling the prosecution.
CASE NUMBER: MJ-25-0964-PHX-ESW RELEASE NUMBER: 2025-013_Arellano-Noriega
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For more information on the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/az/ Follow the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, on X @USAO_AZfor the latest news.
Louisville, KY – A local man was sentenced this week to 8 years and 1 month for conspiracy to possess cocaine with intent to distribute, possession of cocaine with intent to distribute, and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.
U.S. Attorney Michael A. Bennett of the Western District of Kentucky, Special Agent in Charge R. Shawn Morrow of the ATF Louisville Field Division, and Chief Paul Humphrey of the Louisville Metro Police Department made the announcement.
According to court documents, Roger Bailey, 42, was sentenced to 8 years and 1 month in prison, followed by 3 years of supervised release, for conspiracy to possess cocaine with intent to distribute, possession of cocaine with intent to distribute, and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. Between April 9, 2024, and May 29, 2024, Bailey conspired with other persons to possess with intent to distribute cocaine by selling cocaine on four occasions. On May 29, 2024, a residential search warrant was executed on Bailey’s residence located at 441 South 29th Street, Louisville, Kentucky. During the search, cocaine, a Mossberg, Model MMR, 5.56 caliber rifle, a Glock, Model 19, 9-millimeter pistol, an American Tactical Imports, Model Omni Hybrid, multi-caliber pistol, and ammunition were found and seized.
There is no parole in the federal system.
This case was investigated by the ATF with assistance from the Louisville Metro Police Department.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Erwin Roberts is prosecuting the case.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
CLARKSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA – Anthony Allen, age 38, of Rosenberg, Texas, was sentenced today to 188 months in federal prison for conspiracy to distribute controlled substances.
According to court documents and statements made in court, Allen was the leader of a drug trafficking conspiracy, selling methamphetamine, cocaine base, cocaine hydrochloride, fentanyl, and heroin in Monongalia County. Allen was operating the organization from a townhouse in Morgantown and a storage unit in Star City. Allen’s drug supply came from California and was shipped via FedEx and USPS. The shipments totaled nearly 66 pounds of methamphetamine. Investigators also seized packages sent from California to Houston containing cocaine and fentanyl.
Allen will serve three years of supervised release following his prison sentence.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Zelda Wesley prosecuted the case on behalf of the government.
The FBI’s Northern West Virginia Drug Task Force in partnership with the Mon Metro Drug Task Force, a HIDTA-funded initiative, investigated. The Task Forces have members from the Federal Bureau of Investigation; the Drug Enforcement Administration; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; West Virginia State Police; Monongalia County Sheriff’s Office; and the Morgantown, WVU, Granville, and Star City Police Departments. The investigation was also assisted by the following law enforcement partners: the Monongalia County Prosecutor’s Office, the FBI in Houston, Texas; the Houston Police Department’s Multi-Agency Gang Initiative; the United States Postal Inspection Service in Houston; and the FBI and DEA in Los Angeles, California.
This case is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.
Chief U.S. District Judge Thomas S. Kleeh presided.
BOSTON – An Indian national living in Chelsea, Mass. was sentenced yesterday in federal court in Boston for making false statements in an application for a U.S. passport and making false statements to federal agents.
Sharn Parzival, 25, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Richard G. Stearns to time served (approximately five months) and one year of supervised release. Parzival is subject to deportation. In December 2024, Parzival pleaded guilty to an Information.
On Jan. 31, 2023, Parzival submitted an application for a U.S. passport at a post office in Somerville, Mass. In the application he claimed to have been born in Maryland and declared under penalty of perjury that he was a citizen or national of the United States. As proof of identity and citizenship, Parzival submitted copies of a Massachusetts driver’s license and a purported Maryland birth certificate. The investigation revealed, however, that Parzival had entered the country in 2021 from India on a non-immigrant student Visa but had thereafter been expelled by the school he was attending. Further investigation revealed that the birth certificate was fraudulent and that Maryland had never issued a birth certificate in Parzival’s name.
On April 26, 2023, Parzival went to the office of the U.S. Department of State (DOS) in Boston to inquire about the status of his passport application. He agreed to be interviewed by DOS agents and made a number of false statements, including that he had been born in Maryland, that he had no affiliation with India and that he had never applied for a Visa. A fingerprint analyst subsequently compared Parzival’s fingerprints to fingerprints that he provided when he applied for the Visa in India and concluded that they matched.
United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Matthew O’Brien, Special Agent in Charge of U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service, Boston Field Office made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert E. Richardson of the Major Crimes Unit prosecuted the case.
Four pharmacy owners have been sentenced for their roles in a conspiracy to commit health care fraud and wire fraud.
Pharmacist Raef Hamaed, of Maricopa County, Arizona, was sentenced on Jan. 8 to 10 years in prison; pharmacist Tarek Fakhuri, of Windsor, Ontario, Canada, was sentenced on Jan. 13 to seven years in prison; pharmacist Ali Abdelrazzaq, of Macomb County, Michigan, was sentenced on Jan. 15 to two years in prison; and pharmacist Kindy Ghussin, of Greene County, Ohio, was sentenced today to five years and five months in prison.
According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Hamaed, Fakhuri, Ghussin, and Abdelrazzaq billed Medicare, Medicaid, and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan for prescription medications that they did not dispense at five pharmacies they owned and operated: Eastside Pharmacy, Harper Drugs, and Wayne Campus Pharmacy in Michigan, and Heartland Pharmacy and Heartland Pharmacy 2 in Ohio. The defendants collectively caused over $13 million of loss to Medicare, Medicaid, and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan.
On Sept. 5, 2024, a federal jury convicted Hamaed, Fakhuri, Ghussin, and Abdelrazzaq of conspiracy to commit health care fraud and wire fraud. The jury also convicted Fakhuri of one count of health care fraud. Hamaed was sentenced for his role in the conspiracy at all five pharmacies; Fakhuri was sentenced for his role in the conspiracy at Harper Drugs, Wayne Campus Pharmacy, and Heartland Pharmacy; Ghussin was sentenced for his role in the conspiracy at Wayne Campus Pharmacy and both Heartland pharmacies; and Abdelrazzaq was sentenced for his role in the conspiracy at Wayne Campus Pharmacy.
Supervisory Official Antoinette T. Bacon of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, Special Agent in Charge Cheyvoryea Gibson of the FBI Detroit Field Office, and Special Agent in Charge Mario Pinto of the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG) made the announcement.
The FBI Detroit Field Office and HHS-OIG investigated the case.
Trial Attorneys Claire Sobczak Pacelli, Kelly M. Warner, and S. Babu Kaza of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section prosecuted the case.
The Fraud Section leads the Criminal Division’s efforts to combat health care fraud through the Health Care Fraud Strike Force Program. Since March 2007, this program, currently comprised of nine strike forces operating in 27 federal districts, has charged more than 5,800 defendants who collectively have billed federal health care programs and private insurers more than $30 billion. In addition, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, working in conjunction with HHS-OIG, are taking steps to hold providers accountable for their involvement in health care fraud schemes. More information can be found at www.justice.gov/criminal-fraud/health-care-fraud-unit.
The Dassault Falcon 2000EX Aircraft Was Used by Venezuela’s State-Owned Oil and Natural Gas Company and Illegally Maintained and Serviced Using Parts from the United States
The Justice Department announced today that Dominican Republic authorities seized a Dassault Falcon 2000EX aircraft used by Petroleos de Venezuela, S.A. (PdVSA), the sanctioned Venezuelan state-owned oil and natural-gas company, at the request of the U.S. government based on violations of U.S. export control and sanctions laws.
“The use of American-made parts to service and maintain aircraft operated by sanctioned entities like PdVSA is intolerable,” said Devin DeBacker, head of the Justice Department’s National Security Division. “The Justice Department, along with its federal law enforcement partners, will continue to safeguard our national security by identifying, disrupting, and dismantling schemes aimed at procuring American goods in violation of our sanctions and export control laws.”
“Today’s announcement — the seizure of a sanctioned aircraft used by the Maduro regime — clearly shows that sanctions and export control laws have teeth,” said Acting Assistant Secretary for Export Enforcement Kevin J. Kurland of the Department of Commerce Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS). “BIS will continue to aggressively investigate and hold accountable those who violate our regulations.”
“The seizure of the Dassault Falcon 2000EX aircraft provides yet another example of this office’s commitment to enforcing America’s export control laws against Venezuelan-owned PdVSA and other sanctioned entities,” said U.S. Attorney Hayden O’Byrne for the Southern District of Florida. “Asset forfeiture is a powerful law enforcement tool, which we will continue to use aggressively to deter, disrupt, and otherwise combat criminal activity.”
“This seizure demonstrates HSI’s unwavering commitment to enforcing U.S. export control and sanctions laws around the globe,” said Edwin F. Lopez, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Santo Domingo Country Attaché. “By working closely with our partners in the Dominican Republic and across the U.S. government, we successfully prevented the violation of U.S. laws designed to protect national security and foreign policy interests. HSI will continue to use its global reach and investigative expertise to target those who seek to evade justice and undermine the rule of law.”
In August 2019, President Trump issued Executive Order (EO) 13884, which, among other things, prohibits U.S. persons from engaging in transactions with persons who have acted or purported to act directly or indirectly for or on behalf of PdVSA. Pursuant to the EO, on Jan. 21, 2020, the Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) identified 15 aircraft as blocked property of U.S. law that generally prohibit transactions by U.S. persons within (or transiting) the United States that involve any property or interests in blocked property.
According to the U.S. investigation, in July 2017, PdVSA purchased the Dassault Falcon 2000EX aircraft from the United States and exported it to Venezuela where it was registered under tail number YV-3360. Following the imposition of sanctions on PdVSA and identification of the Dassault Falcon 2000EX aircraft as blocked property of PdVSA, the aircraft was serviced and maintained on multiple occasions using parts from the United States. The servicing included a brake assembly, electronic flight displays, and flight management computers: all in violation of U.S. export control and sanctions laws.
According to a public statement issued by OFAC, since at least January 2019, the Dassault Falcon 2000EX aircraft has transported Venezuelan Oil Minister Manuel Salvador Quevedo Fernandez, who is also sanctioned by the U.S. government, to an Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) meeting in the United Arab Emirates and has been used to transport senior members of the Maduro regime in a continuation of the regime’s misappropriation of PdVSA assets.
The Justice Department previously announced in September 2024 the seizure of a Dassault Falcon 900EX aircraft in the Dominican Republic that was owned and operated for the benefit of Nicolás Maduro Moros and persons affiliated with him in Venezuela.
The BIS Miami Field Office is investigating the case with assistance from HSI Santo Domingo.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jorge Delgado and Joshua Paster for the Southern District of Florida and Trial Attorney Ahmed Almudallal of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section are handling the matter. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jonathan D. Stratton and Ajay J. Alexander for the Southern District of Florida also provided assistance.
The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs and HSI El Dorado Task Force Miami provided significant assistance. The United States thanks the Dominican Republic for its assistance in this matter.
The burden to prove forfeitability in a forfeiture proceeding is upon the government.
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“Will you be pulling up? I hope so,” he says, plugging his forthcoming appearance on one of the world’s biggest stages, where the cultural stakes can be as high as the athletic ones. “Wear your best dress too, even if you’re watching from home.”
The casual yet evocative scene was classic Kendrick.
As a world-renowned Grammy- and Pulitzer Prize-winning artist, Lamar stands in a league of his own. His unflinching critiques of racial injustice, systemic inequality and the exploitation of Black culture have made him a boundary-pushing artist and cultural visionary.
My work examines how race and racism are constructed, represented and challenged in mass media, particularly in news, music and sports. I think the NFL’s complicated history with social justice makes his participation even more significant.
With a discography expansive enough to eclipse the time constraints of Sunday’s game, I’m eager to see whether Lamar will weave his lyrical masterpieces into a performance that entertains, educates and challenges viewers.
The tradition of playing the national anthem before sporting events is but one example: The song is rooted in wartime sorrow and serves as a call to patriotism.
Yet, acts of protest often incite backlash, and the NFL has haphazardly tried to police political speech.
Kaepernick’s protests sparked a national debate about ideas of patriotism and the appropriateness of protest on the playing field. At the same time, NFL owners appeared to effectively blacklist him from the league.
Kansas City Chiefs Chairman and CEO Clark Hunt has donated to Republican politicians and causes, even as the league tries to muzzle players’ political speech. Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images
During Beyoncé’s 2016 appearance alongside headliner Bruno Mars, she paid homage to the Black Panthers, Malcolm X and the Black Lives Matter movement. U2’s act during the 2002 Super Bowl provided a moment of collective mourning and hope for a country still reeling from the 9/11 terrorist attacks. More recently, Dr. Dre’s 2022 performance celebrated hip-hop’s rise from a marginalized genre to a dominant cultural force. Eminem, who also participated in that performance, took a knee on stage to critique the NFL’s treatment of Black athletes and activists.
Rapper Eminem takes a knee as he performs during the halftime show of Super Bowl 56 on Feb. 13, 2022. Valerie Macon/AFP via Getty Images
To me, Lamar’s Super Bowl appearance symbolizes a broader reckoning with how the NFL handles the tension between politics and corporate entertainment.
That’s because Kendrick Lamar’s artistry is more than just music. It’s activism.
From his Grammy award-winning album “To Pimp a Butterfly” to the raw, introspective, Pulitzer Prize-winning album “DAMN.,” Lamar has consistently confronted themes of systemic oppression, racial injustice and Black life in America.
Tracks like “DNA.” are unapologetic celebrations of Blackness and generational resilience:
I got loyalty, got royalty inside my DNA
Quarter piece, got war and peace inside my DNA
I got power, poison, pain and joy inside my DNA
I got hustle, though, ambition flow inside my DNA
“The Blacker the Berry” delves into the complexities of Black identity and confronting systemic racism:
I said they treat me like a slave, cah me Black
Woi, we feel whole heap of pain cah we Black
And man a say they put me inna chains cah we Black
And “XXX.” confronts the greed, violence and hypocrisy at the core of American life.
Hail Mary, Jesus and Joseph
The great American flag
Is wrapped and dragged with explosives
Compulsive disorder, sons and daughters
Barricaded blocks and borders, look what you taught us
It's murder on my street
Your street, back streets, Wall Street
Unlike many mainstream artists, Lamar seems to have mastered the delicate balance between commercial success and politically charged content. His genius lies in his ability to write songs that transcend race, gender and class.
Lamar has never hesitated to confront uncomfortable truths through his music. He has a unique opportunity to merge art, activism and a critique of the nation. I expect this moment will be no exception.
Will you be pulling up? I will.
Christina L. Myers is affiliated with the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ).
Source: United States Senator John Hickenlooper – Colorado
Hickenlooper: “It’s time to use every tool at our disposal to disrupt what Mr. Vought and his Project [2025] are trying to do.”
Senate Democrats held the Senate floor overnight to oppose Vought’s nomination
WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senator John Hickenlooper spoke on the Senate floor against the nomination of Russell Vought, President Trump’s pick to lead the Office of Budget and Management (OMB). Hickenlooper’s remarks come ahead of the final confirmation vote, where he will vote “No” on Vought.
“If confirmed, Mr. Vought and Project 2025 could have devastating consequences for Colorado,” Hickenlooper said on the Senate floor.
“…At a time when grocery prices are rising on everything from eggs to meat, Project 2025 is going to make life harder for Colorado farmers and ranchers – and more risky,” he continued. “Project 2025 would cut safety nets for our Ag producers when they have a bad season…Hanging small farmers out to dry does nothing to lower grocery prices for [Americans].”
“…I will oppose every nominee that poses a genuine threat to Coloradans. That’s why I’m here on the floor and will vote “No” on Mr. Vought today.”
“…It’s time to use every tool at our disposal to disrupt what Mr. Vought and his Project [2025] are trying to do.”
The OMB oversees the performance of federal agencies and administers the federal budget. Vought previously served as acting OMB director during President Donald Trump’s first term and was a primary architect of Project 2025, which details MAGA Republicans’ far-right agenda to dismantle the federal government under a Trump administration.
Last week, in response to an executive order from President Trump, the OMB ordered a freeze on all federal grants and loans. The pause threatened hundreds of millions of dollars in federal funding, which would have impacted thousands of organizations in Colorado and hurt millions of Americans.
On Monday, a federal court issued a restraining order against the Trump administration, extending a temporary pause on the President’s plan.
More information about how a freeze would impact Coloradans is available HERE.
Yesterday, Hickenlooper posted a video to social media where he commits to use every tool at his disposal, including opposing any nominees who will harm Colorado, to disrupt the administration’s illegal actions. This morning, Hickenlooper joined Democrats in holding the Senate floor overnight to oppose Trump’s nominee.
To download a full video of Hickenlooper’s remarks, click HERE. A full transcript of his remarks is available below:
“Mr. President,
“I take to the floor today to urge my colleagues to vote “No” on President Trump’s nominee to the Office of Budget and Management, Russell Vought.
“Some remember Mr. Vought from when he served as the head of the same agency during President Trump’s first term. He is one of the very few “repeat” appointments – clearly a reflection of his loyalty.
“You may also know him for his leadership – his authoring – of Project 2025, that far-right agenda that the President – during the campaign – swore up and down he had no idea about.
“And I believe that, although I think he understood many discussions, perhaps outlined the framework.
“Project 2025 would gut our longstanding and globally admired framework of checks and balances. It would gut them. It would ensure civil servants would be hired and fired on the basis of political loyalty – something that this country has struggled for many decades to get rid of.
“It would truly weaponize our system of justice. Again something that almost everyone works towards keeping nonpartisan.
“It lays out in detail a plan to dramatically change our American system of government – perhaps for a very long time.
“It’s really not a question of “if” anymore. The plan and the people putting it in place are disregarding laws and norms dating back to the Constitution. They are throwing everything at the wall to see what sticks.
“This means firing or pushing out vast swaths of the federal workforce of civil servants. These are career civil servants, many of whom have devoted their lives to keeping our government running – from processing social security checks, and keeping our weather systems afloat, or helping to stop waste, fraud and abuse.
“Some would say our federal workers don’t do anything. But they are honest, hard-working Americans.
“Project 2025 is just getting started. If confirmed, Mr.Vought and Project 2025 could have devastating consequences for Colorado.
“Deep in Project 2025 are plans to heavily restrict access to contraceptives and abortion medication, denying women and families the freedom to make their own reproductive decisions.
“Plans to make health care more expensive by repealing policies that empower Medicare to negotiate prescription drug prices and drive down the cost of health care for seniors.
“Plans to make Colorado less resilient to these increasingly frequent disasters caused by extreme weather.
“And they’re already reinstating cruel immigration policies, and threatening to come after the LGBTQ+ community.
“At a time when grocery prices are rising on everything from eggs to meat, Project 2025 is going to make life harder for Colorado farmers and ranchers – and more risky.
“Project 2025 would cut safety nets for our Ag producers when they have a bad season. It includes plans to gut essential crop insurance. Project 2025 even wants government to get involved in the specific techniques our ranchers use to farm.
“Now, our Colorado farmers know their land better than anyone else. Hanging small farmers out to dry does nothing to lower grocery prices for America.
“We’ve been hearing in our offices from producers across the state who are very concerned about what this Project 2025 means to them. We have over 38,000 farm operations in Colorado. Some harvest wheat, some raise meat or poultry, some specialize in dairy. All of them help support our rural communities and play an essential role in feeding families really all across the country.
“We don’t have to speculate about what Mr.Vought would do to the Office of Management and Budget – he’s really laid it all out in Project 2025. He wrote Project 2025 to a large extent himself.
“One of his finest contributions: a section championing the Executive Branch’s ability to overreach and “impound funds.”
“Let’s not mince words: This is, by all historic measures, blatantly unconstitutional.
“Congress alone has the authority to decide how the government spends its money.
“This isn’t an opinion. It says explicitly in Article I, Section 9, Clause 7: “No Money shall be drawn from the Treasury, but in Consequence of Appropriations made by Law.”
“Made by law, designated by Congress.
“And again in Article I, Section 8, Clause 1: “Congress shall have Power To lay and collect Taxes, Duties, Imposts and Excises, to pay the Debts and provide for the common Defence and general Welfare of the United States.”
“We got a taste of how Mr. Vought would attempt to execute something like this last week.
“In a truly chaotic late-night, two-page memo, the Trump administration halted all federal grants and loans. We’re talking about hundreds of millions of dollars in federal spending for a staggering number of programs. Programs that provide Americans health care, food, nutrition, housing, child care, so much else.
“The memo stemmed from an executive order calling on federal agencies to review and eliminate spending on “woke” ideologies or “The [Green New] Deal” – both things that aren’t clearly defined and don’t in any specific way exist.
“In this rush to create chaos and jumbled policy, the implementors didn’t bother to specify which programs would continue and which programs would end.
“Our office and staff were immediately flooded with calls. Hundreds and then thousands of calls. We heard from folks in every corner of Colorado – big cities, small towns – asking ‘what does this mean’ for them and their families. There was real fear, real worry, and for good reason.
“The Trump administration tried to walk back the original memo to clarify that the freeze wouldn’t affect individual payments, like Social Security or food stamp benefits.
“But that didn’t clear up too much. And it certainly didn’t help that the White House Press Secretary couldn’t answer specific questions like pertaining to specific government programs like Medicaid, whether they were going to be affected. Frustrating as it is – and I get how frustrating it is – there are reasons why government moves slowly.
“All of this, if implemented as requested, would’ve had a devastating impact on Colorado. A devastating impact.
“Federal programs and funds make up roughly 25 percent of our state’s effort to build transportation and infrastructure, provide needed services for the most needy in our state.
“Head Start, a truly vital service for over 9,000 low-income kids in Colorado, would be forced to shutter its operations that provide for these low-income kids of all communities with the early childhood education, health, and nutrition that they need. Even as we speak, there are reports that Head Start providers around the nation are not able to access funds.
“If implemented it would cut off 83,000+ low-income Colorado families from the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), which helps heat their homes in the cold winter. These are folks that in many cases are unable to pay their heating bills or wouldn’t be able to heat their homes without this assistance.
“Our public safety and law enforcement would be weakened. The pause would strip funding that helps our local agencies prevent terrorism, helps them crack down on drug trafficking, and prevent crimes and provide services for those who have been victimized by crime.
“Colorado has one of the largest veteran populations in the country, something we’re very proud of. But this funding [pause] would cut resources for those vets. It would cut resources for community-based suicide prevention efforts, organizations that provide care for veterans experiencing homelessness, and services for veterans living with disabilities – many of them taken in the defense of our nation. Hard to be cruel to those who have given their country so much.
“Before entering public service, I was in the restaurant business. At our brewpub in downtown Denver, we’d cook, pack, and donate meals every year to Meals on Wheels to feed seniors throughout the Metro Denver area. I’ve seen firsthand the difference this makes, the relief it provides to seniors who need it. Many of them don’t leave the house, and are so grateful to have someone come and they can talk to as they get their meal.
“But the federal funding freeze left Meals on Wheels in Colorado, but all across the country, unsure of how and whether they’ll be able to continue serving meals. Over 25,000 Coloradan seniors everyday rely on Meals on Wheels to access food. Why would we leave our seniors hungry and unsure of where their next hot lunch is going to come?
“Our office also heard directly from a Colorado rural health organization about how this federal funding freeze would have life-or-death effects on Coloradans in 47 rural counties.
“When we’re in towns like Cortez or Hugo or Julesburg, we hear all the time about how our rural hospitals, clinics, and community health centers are already strained by workforce shortages, by rising costs.
“These medical providers are on the frontlines of dealing with our nation’s mental health and opioid crisis. And we’re cutting their ability to provide these services.
“These folks in rural Colorado, and in suburbs around every city in Colorado, are watching their friends, family, and neighbors struggle with mental health issues that rose up after the pandemic.
“This funding freeze wouldn’t just strip funding from these programs. It would force our critical rural hospitals to lay off staff or turn away patients at a time when they need it the most.
“We should be fighting to increase access to quality, affordable health care no matter where people live – not take it away.
“The federal funding freeze has already been blocked by the courts several times because it is blatantly illegal. It makes no sense.
“But make no mistake, Mr. Vought and the Trump administration will keep poking and prodding our courts and our Constitution until they get their way.
“All of these actions serve a sinister purpose: to completely transform our government into one that gives enormous, enormous tax cuts, largely directed at those who don’t need them – and in many cases in Colorado don’t want them – and puts working-class Americans out to pasture.
“The federal funding freeze is just one of many chaotic actions that Mr.Vought and the administration are pushing. We see Project 2025 come into clarity in this administration’s illegal attempts to dismantle agencies without congressional approval, or their attempts to access Americans’ sensitive data.
“Look, I’m all for cutting government waste. If you want to seriously look at how we spend money and where we can cut actual fraud, waste, and abuse – I’m game. A more efficient government will help us all, but that’s not what’s happening.
“I’ve worked as hard as I could to find ways to work across the aisle, and that’s not going to change. When I was Mayor of Denver, when I was Governor of Colorado, we balanced the budget every year and we worked hard to try and streamline government processes. Just like every mayor and every governor in this country.
“You can’t just shove working families under the bus or violate the law to do it.
“We’ll fight these attempts in the courts, on the floor of the Senate – like now – and everywhere else we can to defend Colorado and the Constitution.
“It’s time to use every tool at our disposal to disrupt what Mr. Vought and his Project [2025] are trying to do. We’ve supported these lawsuits, opposed executive actions, and voted against nominees.
“But if we need to hold the Senate floor like we’re doing now, vote all night, disrupt business as usual, we’ll do that too.
“I will oppose every nominee that poses a genuine threat to Coloradans. That’s why I’m here on the floor and will vote “No” on Mr. Vought today.
“Coloradans sent us to Washington to solve problems, not to create more. Project 2025, it’s a brutal plan to wreak havoc on our nation, and really change the way our government operates, the way our democracy functions.
“I hope people all over the state emulate that old movie “Network”, that they can shout out on every corner, “I’m mad as hell, and I’m not going to stand for it!”
“Let’s hope they get so loud that they can’t be drowned out.
Zeinaba Mahr Aouad, a 24-year-old woman from Djibouti, remembers the day when, as a ten-year-old, an unexpected visitor came to her house: “She had a syringe, a razor blade and bandages.”
The woman was there to carry out a brutal, unnecessary and – since 1995 in the Horn of Africa country – illegal operation known as female genital mutilation, which involves sewing up a girl’s vagina and cutting out her clitoris.
Even as Zeinaba’s traumatic experience has clouded her memories of that day, she still remembers the sensation of intense pain once the effects of the anaesthetic had worn off.
Difficult to walk
“I had trouble walking and when I urinated, it burned,” she said.
Her mother told her it was nothing to worry about and spoke of the degrading procedure in terms of the importance of tradition.
Like many victims of FGM, Zeinaba came from a vulnerable and poor background, living in a single room with her mother and two sisters in a rundown neighbourhood of Djibouti City.
“There was just a TV, suitcases where we stored our clothes and mattresses on which we slept,” she remembered.
Her mother sold flatbread to passersby, while Zeinaba played with a skipping rope with friends. “We also just played in the dirt.”
Zeinaba Mahr Aouad, 24, a resident of Djibouti, survied female genital mutilation when she was 10. Now a volunteer for the “Elle & Elles” network, with the support of UNFPA, she canvasses her neighborhood and others to convince residents to end the practice.
Some 230 million women and girls worldwide have undergone mutilations according to data released by the UN’s sexual and reproductive health agency, UNFPA, and it is on the increase as ever younger children, sometimes below five years old, go under the knife.
“A baby doesn’t talk,” explainedDr. Wisal Ahmed, an FGM specialist at UNFPA.
It’s often thought of as a one-time procedure, but in reality, it involves a lifetime of painful procedures that continue into adulthood.
“The woman is cut again to have sex, then sewn back together, then reopened for childbirth and closed again to narrow the orifice once more,” saidDr. Ahmed.
Tackling harmful traditions
UNFPA and its international partners have worked to put a definitive end to FGM and although these efforts have contributed to a steady decline in the rates at which the procedure is performed over the past 30 years, the global increase in population means the number of women affected is actually growing.
UNFPA continues to work with communities that still engage in the practice about the short and long-term effects.
The agency’s work has been supported across the world over a number of years by the US Government, which has recognized FGM as a human rights violation.
It is not a problem which affects just developing countries. According to US State Department figures, in the US itself, approximately 513,000 women and girls have undergone or are at risk of FGM.
Support from men
In Djibouti, in 2023, the US provided around $44 million in foreign assistance.
UNFPA confirmed that FGM programmes supported by the United States have not yet been impacted by the current stop work orders, adding that “US support to UNFPA over the last four years resulted in an estimated 80,000 girls avoiding female genital mutilation.”
UNFPA supports awareness raising campaigns about FGM in Africa, including in Somalia (pictured).
Local networks
Zeinaba Mahr Aouad now works as a volunteer for a local network launched by UNFPA in 2021, which numbers over 60 women and provides support to local women’s health and rights activists.
She also visits underprivileged areas of Djibouti to raise awareness among young people and future parents, both women and men, of the harmful effects of FGM.
“Because it’s not just the woman who participates in these practices: without the agreement of the man by her side, it couldn’t be done”, she said.
More than 12,000 critically ill and injured patients, including at least 5,000 children, urgently need to be evacuated from Gaza, amid the crumbling health system, the UN World Health Organization (WHO)’s top official in the region said on Thursday.
Speaking from Gaza, WHO Representative Rik Peeperkorn described a scene of widespread destruction, overwhelmed medical facilities and growing mental health needs, as the population in the enclave gradually returns to what is left of their homes after nearly 16 months of conflict.
“Everyone in Gaza is affected…stress, anxiety, depression, and loneliness. It’s everywhere,” he said, highlighting the psychological toll on both residents and health workers.
WHO Representative Peeperkorn speaking to the press via video link.
Hospitals barely operational
Before the war, Gaza had more than 3,500 hospital beds. Today, only 1,900 remain, and very few intensive care units (ICUs) and incubators for newborns, leaving medical staff struggling to treat critical cases.
Even before the war, mental health services were limited, with just one psychiatric hospital, six community centres, and an NGO network providing support. Now, those facilities are either destroyed or non-functional.
The situation is particularly concerning in northern Gaza, where only two psychiatrists remain. In addition, only one hospital remains partly functional in the region, and the remaining either destroyed or severely damaged.
“Jabalya is like a wasteland. The destruction…is beyond belief,” he added.
Evacuations painfully slow
Dr. Peeperkorn further stated that medical evacuations of critically ill and injured patients have begun, with 35 to 40 patients transferred daily.
“It is incredibly important that we expedite this and speed this up,” he said, emphasising that, according to WHO estimates, between 12,000 to 14,000 patients need to be evacuated from Gaza, including at least 5,000 children.
Among the total estimated patients, about half suffer from trauma-related injuries while others need urgent treatment for chronic conditions such as cancer and cardiovascular disease.
Dr. Peeperkorn called for the urgent re-opening of additional medical corridors, especially the “traditional referral pathway” of the West Bank and East Jerusalem, where facilities are ready to receive patients.
UN News
Critical infrastructure, including electricity networks, has suffered extensive damage across the Gaza Strip.
Wider humanitarian situation
Beyond the dire health crisis, the broader humanitarian situation in Gaza remains critical, with severe shortages of clean water, food, and essential services.
UN Emergency Relief Coordinator Tom Fletcher visited the enclave on Thursday, as UN agencies and partners continue responding to immense needs, a UN spokesperson said.
“In northern Gaza, Mr. Fletcher toured two hospitals – Al Shifa in Gaza City and Al Awda in Jabalya – where he met with patients, staff and management,” Farhan Haq, Deputy UN Spokesperson, told journalists at a news briefing in New York.
“Leaving the Al Awda hospital, he spoke with survivors and returnees in Jabalya who are trying to rebuild their lives amid the rubble.”
Acute shortages
Mr. Haq further reported that water shortages remain particularly acute. The only operational water well in north Gaza, run by the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), serves as a crucial lifeline for clean drinking water.
However, widespread infrastructure destruction has left many residents without reliable access. Humanitarian partners are distributing 2,500 cubic metres of safe drinking water daily, reaching about 411,000 people, but this remains far below the actual needs.
A partner organization is also providing cleaning and sanitation services at 17 displacement sites in northern Gaza, benefiting nearly 12,000 displaced individuals.
“Water, sanitation and hygiene partners are carrying out assessments in locations across the Strip to repair water wells, install dosing pumps, and set up water filling points,” Mr. Haq said, adding: “while some repairs are already underway, further progress hinges on teams being able to clear debris and carry out assessments of explosive hazards.”
Challenges in the West Bank
Meanwhile in the West Bank, Israeli military operations have intensified in Jenin, Tulkarm, and Tubas, severely restricting Palestinian access to essential aid, including water, food, medicine and supplies for infants.
In Tubas governorate, Israeli forces have been operating in the El Far’a refugee camp for five consecutive days, Mr. Haq reported.
“They have imposed a curfew, reportedly prohibiting residents from leaving their homes. They also bulldozed roads and damaged water networks, forcing residents to rely on collecting rainwater.”
Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey has officially marked the start of a new peer support service at Auckland City Hospital’s Adult Emergency Department today. Minister Doocey says the service will not only help better support people presenting in mental distress, but potentially improve wait times. “Sitting in an ED in times of mental distress can be a very challenging place for people. Having someone who has lived experience in the area and can understand what you are going through can be a huge comfort,” Mr Doocey says. “This is one of New Zealand’s busiest EDs and we know this initiative can have a big and positive impact on better patient outcomes. “Early feedback from people presenting at Middlemore Hospital’s ED, where the first trial of this initiative started more than four months ago, has been positive. In total, eight EDs across New Zealand will trial this initiative over two years, with Waikato, Wellington and Christchurch hospitals due to start their new services in coming months. “Since I’ve become New Zealand’s first Minister for Mental Health, I have heard from many in the sector who want to see Peer Support Specialists playing a greater role in helping to address some of the challenges faced by our mental health services. “One of my top priorities is addressing the significant mental health workforce shortages. Peer Support Specialists play a vital role within this workforce, and I believe the expertise and empathy Peers can bring to the workforce has been previously undervalued and underutilised. “This new workforce has people who have lived experience of mental distress or addiction, have experienced recovery and have been trained how to support others going through similar experiences on their journey to wellness. “This initiative aligns with the Government’s priorities of increasing access to mental health and addiction support for New Zealanders and growing the workforce.” Note for editors:A $1 million workforce fund over two years has also been set up to provide Level 4 NZ Certificate in Health and Wellbeing (Peer Support) training and specific training for working in emergency departments.
OAKLAND — California Attorney General Rob Bonta today joined a coalition of 12 attorneys general in releasing the following statement in response to the U.S. Department of the Treasury granting Elon Musk and his so-called “Department of Government Efficiency” (DOGE) staffers access to sensitive payment systems containing Americans’ personally identifiable information:
“In the past week, the U.S. Department of the Treasury has given Elon Musk access to Americans’ personal private information, state bank account data, and other information that is some of our country’s most sensitive data.
“As the richest man in the world, Elon Musk is not used to being told ‘no,’ but in our country, no one is above the law. The President does not have the power to give away our private information to anyone he chooses, and he cannot cut federal payments approved by Congress.
“This level of access for unauthorized individuals is unlawful, unprecedented, and unacceptable. DOGE has no authority to access this information, which they explicitly sought in order to block critical payments that millions of Americans rely on – payments that support health care, childcare, and other essential programs.
“In defense of our Constitution, our right to privacy, and the essential funding that individuals and communities nationwide are counting on, we will be filing a lawsuit to stop this injustice.”
Joining Attorney General Bonta in releasing this statement are the attorneys general of New York, Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Minnesota, Nevada, Rhode Island, and Vermont.
On February 1, 2025 at approximately 2:20 p.m., Yorkton RCMP received a report of a serious assault at a residence on Waterloo Road in Yorkton.
Officers and EMS responded. Investigation determined an adult male assaulted a child, who is under the age of 6, who was transported to hospital with serious injuries. We are unable to provide an update on the child’s condition, due to privacy considerations.
The adult male was arrested at the scene.
As a result of continued investigation, 41-year-old Frederick Stewart from Saltcoats, SK is charged with:
– one count of attempted murder, Section 239(b), Criminal Code;
– one count, aggravated assault, Section 268(2), Criminal Code;
– one count, assault by choking, Section 267(c), Criminal Code; and
– one count, fail to comply with probation order, Section 733.1(1).
He is scheduled to appear in Yorkton Provincial Court on February 7, 2025.
DUBLIN, Feb. 06, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — via IBN — Fusion Fuel Green PLC (Nasdaq: HTOO) (“Fusion Fuel” or the “Company”), a leading provider of comprehensive energy engineering, advisory, and supply solutions, today announced that the Nasdaq Hearings Panel has found the Company in compliance with Nasdaq Listing Rule 5550(b)(1), requiring minimum stockholders’ equity of $2,500,000, and granted the Company’s request for an exception to evidence compliance with other applicable criteria for continued listing on The Nasdaq Stock Market LLC.
On or before June 29, 2025, the Company will be required to demonstrate compliance with Nasdaq Listing Rule 5620(a) requiring the Company to hold an annual shareholder meeting. In addition, on or before July 28, 2025, the Company will be required to demonstrate compliance with Nasdaq Listing Rule 5550(a)(2) requiring the Company to have a minimum bid price of $1.00 (the “Minimum Bid Price Requirement”). To evidence compliance with the Minimum Bid Price Requirement, the Company’s Class A Ordinary Shares must have a closing bid price at or above $1.00 per share for a minimum of 10 consecutive business days. The Nasdaq hearing on the matter was held on January 7, 2025.
About Fusion Fuel Green plc
Fusion Fuel Green PLC (NASDAQ: HTOO) is an emerging leader in the energy services sector, offering a comprehensive suite of energy engineering and advisory solutions through its Al Shola Gas and BrightHy brands. Al Shola Gas provides full-service industrial gas solutions, including the design, supply, and maintenance of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) systems, as well as the transport and distribution of LPG to a broad range of customers across commercial, industrial, and residential sectors. BrightHy, the Company’s newly launched hydrogen solutions platform, focuses on delivering innovative engineering and advisory services that enable decarbonization across hard-to-abate industries.
This press release includes “forward-looking statements.” Forward-looking statements may be identified by the use of words such as “estimate,” “plan,” “project,” “forecast,” “intend,” “will,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “believe,” “seek,” “target”, “may”, “intend”, “predict”, “should”, “would”, “predict”, “potential”, “seem”, “future”, “outlook” or other similar expressions (or negative versions of such words or expressions) that predict or indicate future events or trends or that are not statements of historical matters. These forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance, conditions or results, and involve a number of known and unknown risks, uncertainties, assumptions and other important factors, many of which are outside the Company’s control, that could cause actual results or outcomes to differ materially from those discussed in the forward-looking statements. Fusion Fuel has based these forward-looking statements largely on its current expectations. Such forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties (including those set forth in Fusion Fuel’s Annual Report on Form 20-F for the year ended December 31, 2023, filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission) which could cause actual results to differ from the forward-looking statements.
TYLER, Texas, Feb. 06, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — The Board of Directors of Southside Bancshares, Inc., (NYSE:SBSI), parent company of Southside Bank, declared a regular quarterly cash dividend of $0.36 per common share. The cash dividend of $0.36 is scheduled for payment on March 6, 2025, to common stock shareholders of record on February 20, 2025.
About Southside Bancshares, Inc.
Southside Bancshares, Inc. is a bank holding company headquartered in Tyler, Texas, with approximately $8.52 billion in assets as of December 31, 2024, that wholly-owns Southside Bank. Southside Bank currently operates 53 branches and a network of 72 ATMs/ITMs throughout East Texas, Southeast Texas and the greater Dallas/Fort Worth, Austin and Houston areas. Serving customers since 1960, Southside Bank is a community-focused financial institution that offers a full range of financial products and services to individuals and businesses. These products and services include consumer and commercial loans, mortgages, deposit accounts, safe deposit boxes, treasury management, wealth management, trust services, brokerage services and an array of online and mobile services.
To learn more about Southside Bancshares, Inc., please visit our investor relations website at https://investors.southside.com. Our investor relations site provides a detailed overview of our activities, financial information and historical stock price data. To receive email notification of company news, events and stock activity, please register on the website under Resources and Investor Email Alerts. Questions or comments may be directed to Lindsey Bailes at (903) 630-7965, or lindsey.bailes@southside.com.
KANSAS CITY, Mo., Feb. 06, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — H&R Block, Inc. (NYSE: HRB) (the “Company”) today announced that its Board of Directors declared a quarterly cash dividend of $0.375 cents per share, payable April 3, 2025, to shareholders of record as of March 4, 2025. H&R Block has paid quarterly dividends consecutively for over sixty years since the Company became public in 1962.
Since 2016, the Company has grown the dividend 88%1 and has returned more than $4.4 billion to shareholders through dividends and share repurchases.
About H&R Block H&R Block, Inc. (NYSE: HRB) provides help and inspires confidence in its clients and communities everywhere through global tax preparation services, financial products, and small-business solutions. The company blends digital innovation with human expertise and care as it helps people get the best outcome at tax time, and be better with money using its mobile banking app, Spruce. Through Block Advisors and Wave, the company helps small-business owners thrive with year-round bookkeeping, payroll, advisory, and payment processing solutions. For more information, visit H&R Block News.
1 Dividend growth is calculated as percentage growth from the April 2016 dividend.
Source: United States Senator for Wisconsin Tammy Baldwin
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) is demanding answers from the Trump Administration on why half of Wisconsin’s Head Start programs, whichprovide childcare and preschool education to children, were unable to access previously approved federal funding, forcing at least one program to shutter. After the Trump Administration illegally ordered a pause on previously Congressionally approved federal grants and loans, half of Wisconsin Head Start programs were locked out of systems they use to pay staff and keep operations running.
“Head Start is a critical lifeline for families,” wrote Senator Baldwin in a letter to the Acting Secretaries of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and Head Start. “Disruptions in services impact entire communities – from the children who are unable to be in the classroom, to the parents who are unable to work due to the lack of childcare, and Head Start professionals who love their jobs but are unable to be in their classrooms. I am also deeply concerned about the impact this chaos will have on the recruitment and retention of staff at Head Start centers.”
Last week, the Trump Administration sent a letter from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) directing a pause on virtually all federal grants and loans, with minimal details on what programs would and would not be impacted. While the memo was later rescinded, eight Head Start programs around the state have continued to experience issues accessing their federal funding, forcing one Head Start Center in Waukesha to close last week and leaving more than 250 families without childcare.
“It is clear that funding issues persisted even after the Administration attempted to backtrack on the OMB memo and clarify that it did not apply to Head Start programs and following federal court orders that blocked the implementation of the memo,” wrote Senator Baldwin. “I am still hearing from Head Start grantees in Wisconsin who are continuing to have problems accessing their funds. I request your immediate attention to resolve any outstanding issues for Head Start payment systems.”
In her letter, Senator Baldwin asked Dorothy A. Fink, M.D., Acting Secretary at the Department of Health and Human Services, and Tala Hooban, Acting Director of the Office of Head Start, to immediately respond with the following:
A full accounting of the directives your department and agency received from the Trump Administration regarding the initial freeze of federal funds in the OMB memo.
A full accounting of the directives received from the Trump Administration regarding the disbursement of federal funds after the clarification that the freeze did not apply to Head Start programs and after federal court orders were issued blocking implementation of the OMB memo.
The number of Head Start grantees who were unable to access or experienced difficulties in accessing the Payment Management System – the system used to access their federal funding – on or after January 28 and the dates in which they were unable to access the system.
Detail the reasons as to why these users were unable to access the Payment Management System.
Information on what resources you need, funding or otherwise, to ensure these issues do not happen in the future.
A full version of this letter is available here and below.
Dear Acting Secretary Fink and Acting Director Hooban:
I write to you out of concern for what is happening at Head Start programs in Wisconsin during the first few weeks of the Trump Administration. After the Administration ordered a pause on federal grants and loans, half of Wisconsin Head Start programs were locked out of systems they use to pay staff and keep operations running. A Head Start Center in Waukesha closed last week and left more than 250 families without childcare. Still today, Head Start programs in Wisconsin are having problems accessing their funds, which raises continued uncertainty about their ability to keep their doors open. This is unacceptable and requires your immediate attention.
There has been a long bipartisan history of providing federal funding for Head Start. For Fiscal Year 2024, as Chair of the Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations subcommittee, I was proud to work with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to provide $12.3 billion for Head Start in the Further Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2024 which was signed into law by President Biden on March 23, 2024. This carefully negotiated and bipartisan appropriation was a $275 million increase over Fiscal Year 2023 levels, which was celebrated in both red and blue states.
Despite this history of strong bipartisan support and a clear Congressional directive, on January 28th President Trump’s Office of Management and Budget (OMB) released a memorandum (M-25-13) ordering a halt to all federal grants and loans. This memo caused widespread chaos and confusion across the federal government and impacted every state in our nation. While I understand the Trump Administration sought to clarify that they did not intend for Head Start to be included in the funding freeze, the reality for Head Start across the country and in Wisconsin was an inability to access funding that had already been approved by Congress.
In the wake of this chaos, I met with and heard from Head Start programs across Wisconsin about the devastating impact the unlawful federal funding freeze had on their individual programs and in our communities. About half of the Head Start programs in Wisconsin experienced prolonged issues in accessing their funds. When attempting to draw down these federal dollars, these programs were met with only a response that the funding was ‘pending.’
Head Start is a critical lifeline for families. Disruptions in services impact entire communities –
from the children who are unable to be in the classroom, to the parents who are unable to work due to the lack of child care, and Head Start professionals who love their jobs but are unable to be in their classrooms. I am also deeply concerned about the impact this chaos will have on the recruitment and retention of staff at Head Start centers. Head Start programs have continued to endure staffing shortfalls which has resulted in a reduction in slots for children and the number of families being served. Disruption and uncertainty only serves to compound staffing recruitment challenges.
The years before a child reaches kindergarten are among the most critical in their life. Research has shown participating in early childhood education programs helps better prepare children for their future and can result in better grades, higher school completion rates, reduction in the criminal justice system, and greater economic self-sufficiency as adults. This is why programs like Head Start enjoy broad bipartisan support and are so critical in ensuring that our youngest children will be prepared to succeed later in their educational careers. We know these long-term benefits make early childhood education programs a cost-effective way to strengthen society as a whole.
It is clear that funding issues persisted even after the Administration attempted to backtrack on the OMB memo and clarify that it did not apply to Head Start programs and following federal court orders that blocked the implementation of the memo. I am still hearing from Head Start grantees in Wisconsin who are continuing to have problems accessing their funds. I request your immediate attention to resolve any outstanding issues for Head Start payment systems.
Additionally, I ask you to provide the following:
A full accounting of the directives your department and agency received from the Trump Administration regarding the initial freeze of federal funds in M-25-13 OMB memo.
A full accounting of the directives received from the Trump Administration regarding the disbursement of federal funds after the clarification that the freeze did not apply to Head Start programs and after federal court orders were issued blocking implementation of the M-25-13 OMB memo.
The number of Head Start grantees who were unable to access or experienced difficulties in accessing the Payment Management System on or after January 28 and the dates in which they were unable to access the system.
Detail the reasons as to why these users were unable to access the Payment Management System.
Information on what resources you need, funding or otherwise, to ensure these issues do not happen in the future.
Source: United States Senator for Wisconsin Tammy Baldwin
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) led thirteen of her colleagues in introducing the Carried Interest Fairness Act to eliminate a tax loophole that benefits wealthy money managers on Wall Street. The current carried interest loophole allows investment managers to often pay almost half the tax rate compared to most other Wisconsin workers.
“Wall Street investors should not be paying less in taxes than Wisconsin firefighters, teachers, and small business owners. But right now, the wealthiest Americans are gaming our tax system to get out of paying their fair share, passing their tax burden onto working Wisconsinites,” said Senator Baldwin. “Closing the carried interest loophole will ensure super-wealthy Americans do their part, reducing the deficit and increasing fairness in our tax code. As President Trump has previously said, this loophole is ‘unfair to American workers’ and I look forward to working with him to finally close it.”
The carried interest loophole allows investment managers to pay the lower 23.8 percent capital gains tax rate on income received as compensation, rather than the ordinary income tax rates of up to 40.8 percent that they would pay for the same amount of wage income. The Carried Interest Fairness Act requires carried interest income to be taxed at ordinary wage rates. According to the Treasury proposal, closing this loophole will raise $6.5 billion in revenue over 10 years.
Despite President Donald Trump previously saying, “…we will eliminate the carried interest deduction and other special interest loopholes…” during the 2016 election, his 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act “failed to eliminate [the] key deduction used by wealthy investment firms that Trump had vowed to kill,” leading PolitiFact to rate this a “Promise Broken.” Senate Republicans rejected an amendment to the tax bill by Senator Baldwin to close the loophole, which all Senate Democrats supported in 2017.
The bill is co-sponsored by Senators Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Patty Murray (D-WA), Brian Schatz (D-HI), Ed Markey (D-MA), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Tim Kaine (D-VA), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Jack Reed (D-RI), Peter Welch (D-VT), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), and Mazie Hirono (D-HI). Representative Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (D-WA-03) also introduced this bill today in the U.S. House of Representatives.
The legislation is endorsed by Communications Workers of America, Americans for Tax Fairness, the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), Public Citizen, American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), Alliance for Retired Americans, Americans for Financial Reform, Take on Wall Street, Patriotic Millionaires, 20/20 Vision, Main Street Alliance, American Federation of Government Employees, Small Business Minority, Economic Policy Institute, and the National Women’s Law Center.
“The carried interest loophole is an expensive subsidy of the billionaire executives who are raiding the public purse right now to pay for their next private island,” said Porter McConnell, Senior Director of Take on Wall Street at Americans for Financial Reform. “We commend Senator Baldwin for her leadership on closing this egregious loophole so that working families can stop subsidizing ultra wealthy hedge fund and private equity executives.”
“The carried interest loophole is an unfair Wall Street tax break that enriches billionaires who end up paying lower tax rates than teachers, nurses, and firefighters.” said Oscar Valdés Viera, research manager at Americans for Financial Reform. “We applaud Senator Baldwin for her unwavering leadership in introducing the Carried Interest Fairness Act and urge the Senate to swiftly move on this legislation.”
“The carried interest loophole gives a class of the wealthy elite – hedge fund managers and executives – an enormous and unfair advantage by allowing them to pay a significantly lower tax rate on their compensation than working- and middle-class Americans. Senator Baldwin’s Carried Interest Fairness Act would work to close this loophole, enhancing tax fairness, narrowing the growing wealth gap, and providing crucial revenue for investments in the American people,” said Casey Conroy, Senior Fiscal Policy Analyst at 20/20 Vision.
“Small business owners work hard every day to keep their doors open, staff on payroll and shelves stocked. Meanwhile, investment managers pay a lower tax rate than Main Street because of a ridiculous loophole. Main Street Alliance and our 30,000 members strongly support Senator Baldwin’s Carried Interest Fairness Act. Our tax code should focus on supporting the 20 million new small business owners who have started since 2020, not glitzy hedge funds,” said Richard Trent, Main Street Alliance Executive Director.
“There are a lot of economically and morally unjustifiable tax loopholes that disproportionately benefit wealthy people like me, but the carried interest loophole may just take the cake. Ultra-wealthy hedge fund managers should not receive a tax break on the income they earn managing other people’s money, as the last time I checked, nurses don’t get a tax break on the money they make ‘managing’ people’s lives with their blood, sweat, and tears. It’s time for lawmakers to pass the Carried Interest Fairness Act and close this egregious loophole once and for all,” said Morris Pearl, Chair of the Patriotic Millionaires and a former Managing Director at BlackRock.
“The carried interest tax loophole stands as one of the most glaring examples of how the ultra-wealthy exploit and rig our broken tax system to their advantage,” said David Kass, executive director of Americans for Tax Fairness. “It’s common sense—Wall Street hedge fund managers shouldn’t pay lower federal tax rates than nurses, teachers, and most working Americans. This change is long overdue and represents a critical step toward a fairer tax system that ensures these uber-wealthy individuals pay their fair share like everyone else.”
“There is no reason that private equity managers, some of the wealthiest people in the country, should get away with paying lower tax rates than average families, especially as the care crisis continues to strain family budgets. Closing the carried interest loophole is an important step towards making sure the wealthiest are paying their fair share and that our tax code works for all of us, not just those at the top,” said Melissa Boteach, Vice President for Income Security and Child Care/Early Learning at the National Women’s Law Center.
A one-pager on this legislation is available here. Bill text of this legislation is available here.
Source: United States Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.)
Padilla, Judiciary Democrats Condemn Trump’s Unfit Nominee for FBI Director Kash Patel
WATCH: Padilla urges Republicans to reject Patel based on alarming and radical record
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, joined his Democratic colleagues on the Committee in speaking out against Kash Patel’s dangerous nomination to lead the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). During this morning’s Judiciary Committee business meeting, Padilla objected to Patel’s nomination and urged his Republican colleagues to do the same ahead of the Committee’s vote next week.
Padilla raised significant concerns regarding Patel’s lack of judgement, independence, and preparedness — flaws made clear both during his nomination hearing and throughout his career. He highlighted Patel’s troubling record, including his publication of a political enemies list, threats to prosecute journalists, and his stated plan to “shut down the FBI Hoover Building on Day 1 and reopen it the next day as a museum of the ‘deep state.’”
Padilla also denounced Patel’s reckless actions as Senior Director for Counterterrorism at the National Security Council, where he put the lives of U.S. military personnel at risk by providing false information during a high-stakes hostage rescue operation. He also slammed Patel’s opposition to background checks and his apparent support for civilian ownership of machine guns.
The Senators reiterated calls for an additional hearing to address Patel’s misleading testimony and his involvement in the removals and investigations of career FBI employees. During Patel’s nomination hearing last week, Senator Padilla raised serious concerns about his fitness to lead the FBI independently.
Key Excerpts:
In addition to a lot of the specific concerns about Kash Patel and how he would be as an FBI director, I feel compelled to remind us of the moment that we are in right now in the first few weeks of the second Trump administration — the chaos that has been created.
In times of chaos and crisis like this, the public deserves to see trusted leaders in the most important positions of our federal government, trusted leaders who will stand up and say “no” to a president trying to blow through the very guardrails put in place by the Constitution. So it’s in that context that makes the nomination and potential confirmation of Kash Patel even more alarming.
When I asked him about his thoughts on what should be commonsense gun safety policies and protocols, what his position was on things like universal background checks, he either failed to answer or chose not to answer. Poor judgment, clear lack of preparation for the position of FBI director that oversees our background check system for a reason.
Let alone his lack of ability or lack of willingness to serve independently. It’s not just the Department of Justice. It’s been the FBI specifically that has performed at its best when it serves the people, when it honors the Constitution, and respects the rule of law. Clearly, Kash Patel puts that secondary to his loyalty to Donald Trump.
It’s up to the Senate to either confirm this nominee or not. It’s clear where Senate Democrats stand. I think my biggest question is, where are Senate Republicans going to stand at this important moment in history? Will they choose the rule of law? Will they choose the Constitution? Will they choose to stay loyal to the very oath of office they’ve taken and their important advice and consent role? Or will they choose loyalty to a reckless president?
Source: United States Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.)
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senators Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), and Cory Booker (D-N.J.) introduced a Senate Resolution to declare racism a public health crisis. The resolution calls on Congress to establish a nationwide strategy to address health disparities and inequities across all sectors in society.
“Racism and its compounding impacts have harmed the health and well-being of communities of color across America for generations,” said Senator Padilla. “Declaring racism as a public health crisis is an initial step to bring more attention to these deep-rooted inequities, but we have much more work to do to address these disparities and deliver justice for millions of Americans.”
“This resolution is an important step toward recognizing that communities of color, particularly Black, Indigenous, and Latino communities, face disproportionate rates of chronic illness, shorter life expectancies, and increased barriers to quality health care,” said Senator Booker. “These disparities are not accidents. They are the direct result of decades of unjust policies and systems that determine whether your air or water is clean, or how close your family is to a toxic waste site. I remain committed to working with my colleagues to dismantle the systemic injustices that continue to impact the health outcomes of communities of color across America.”
“Racism is deadly for people of color, adversely impacting access to health care resources and disproportionately exacerbating health outcomes of marginalized communities including life expectancy, infant mortality, maternal morbidity, risk of cancer, and more,” said Senator Hirono. “The first step in addressing a crisis is naming it, which is why I am proud to reintroduce this resolution recognizing the impacts of systemic racism on the health of minority groups, and reaffirming our commitment to addressing health disparities and inequity across all communities.”
The resolution acknowledges the history of racism and discrimination within health care and the systemic barriers that people of color continue to face when seeking care. It also highlights the effects of systemic racism on the health and wellness of communities of color, resulting in shorter life expectancy, worsened health outcomes, and increased exposure to harmful or dangerous environments. Additionally, the resolution encourages concrete action to address health disparities and inequity across all sectors in society.
Additionally, the resolution calls on the United States Congress to:
Dismantle systemic practices and policies that perpetuate racism.
Advance reforms to address years of neglectful and apathetic policies that have led to poor health outcomes for members of racial and ethnic minority groups.
Promote efforts to urgently address the social determinants of health for all racial and ethnic minority groups in the United States.
In addition to Padilla, Booker, and Hirono, the resolution was cosponsored by U.S. Senators Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Andy Kim (D-N.J.), and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.).
Representatives Jahana Hayes (D-Conn.-05) and Delia C. Ramirez (D-Ill.-03) introduced a companion resolution in the House.
To ensure rapid permitting and robust regulation of renewable energy projects, the Province will introduce legislation in spring 2025 allowing the regulation of renewable energy projects, such as wind and solar, to move under the authority of the BC Energy Regulator (BCER). Adrian Dix, Minister of Energy and Climate Solutions, made the announcement in the presence of successful First Nations and clean-energy partners who gathered to celebrate the signing of their electricity purchase agreements (EPAs) with BC Hydro, which will generate between $5 billion and $6 billion in private capital spending throughout the province.
The legislation will also enable the BCER to be the primary regulatory authority for authorizations associated with the construction of the North Coast Transmission Line (NCTL) and other high-voltage electricity transmission projects. This will help accelerate the expansion of British Columbia’s electricity grid and meet the demand in growth arising from critical mineral and metal mining, port electrification, hydrogen and fuel processing, and shipping projects under consideration.
“Along with other natural resources projects, these critical projects have been identified by the Province as priorities that are ready to move forward, with the potential to generate significant employment to support our economy in the face of potential tariffs by the U.S. government,” said Dix. “Now, with electricity purchase agreements signed by all of the wind and solar projects selected in the recent BC Hydro Call for Power and the BC Energy Regulator poised to be regulator for permitting these projects, British Columbia is on a clear trajectory to deliver the clean, affordable and reliable power people and industry need, and meaningfully grow and diversify our economy.”
This announcement builds on the Province’s intent to exempt all future wind projects from the environmental assessment process, including the nine wind projects that are now under signed electricity purchase agreements with BC Hydro. It will create a single-window permitting process for renewable energy projects. The BC Energy Regulator will take a staged approach, focusing initially on the North Coast Transmission Line and other prescribed high-voltage transmission lines, and the wind and solar projects.
The new legislation, to be introduced by the Ministry of Energy and Climate Solutions, will extend the BC Energy Regulator’s existing legal authorities and responsibilities to the new development activities relevant to the different energy projects.
The BC Energy Regulator is an experienced organization that has demonstrated expertise at getting projects moving quickly, while providing robust regulatory oversight through the lifecycle of projects. This is a natural evolution of the BC Energy Regulator’s role, which initially focused on oil, gas and geothermal development, then expanded to include hydrogen, ammonia and methanol, and now to renewable energy. The BC Energy Regulator will bring its expertise and capacity to the province’s broader stewardship efforts for water, land and resources.
“The BC Energy Regulator is committed to permitting efficiency and robust regulatory oversight of B.C.’s oil, gas and other energy resources,” said Michelle Carr, commissioner and chief executive officer, BC Energy Regulator. “With our single-window approach to permitting through the full lifecycle of development, commitment to operational excellence and stewardship in the public interest, commitment to First Nation consultation and management of land-owner interests, the BC Energy Regulator is well positioned to apply that expertise to renewables and to support the province’s transition to low-carbon energy.”
The Province is committed to working in co-operation with First Nations partners, and is engaging with Nations across the province on the approach to the proposed legislation.
“Designating the BCER as the single regulator for renewables helps ensure B.C. can meet its growing electricity demand and bring renewable energy projects online sooner,” said Kwatuuma Cole Sayers, executive director, Clean Energy Association of British Columbia. “In the 2024 Call for Power, 11 CEBC members, including First Nations and industry leaders, were selected as successful proponents for both wind and solar projects, demonstrating how meaningful partnerships drive major projects and deliver sustainable energy solutions. An effective regulatory framework must foster investment in these collaborations, uphold Indigenous rights and title, and maintain B.C.’s world-class environmental standards. We look forward to working alongside government, First Nations and industry to shape a clean-energy future that benefits all British Columbians.”
The BC Energy Regulator has a team of more than 300 professionals in seven offices located throughout B.C. Subject-matter experts include biologists, engineers, hydrologists, agrologists, compliance and enforcement officers, First Nations liaison officers, heritage conservation officers and archeologists. The BC Energy Regulator will hire additional staff and subject-matter experts as authorities are added.
Quick Facts:
Under the Clean Energy Act, a renewable or clean resource means biomass, biogas, geothermal heat, hydro, solar, ocean, wind (small scale) or any other prescribed resource.
The new act would provide an enabling framework for government to extend the various powers and authorities of the BC Energy Regulator under the Energy Resource Activities Act through new regulations that would apply to specified transmission and generation projects.
Government is not contemplating other changes to the environmental assessment triggers for renewable energy projects.
Environmental assessments will still be required for projects that exceed thresholds identified in the Reviewable Projects Regulation.
Learn More:
To learn more about the BC Energy Regulator, visit: https://www.bc-er.ca/
Fire and Emergency New Zealand has declared a restricted fire season for parts of the Manawatū-Whanganui district from 8am on Friday 7 February until further notice.
A restricted fire season means anyone who wants to light an outdoor fire will need to go towww.checkitsalright.nzto apply for a permit authorised by Fire and Emergency.
Manawatū-Whanganui District Manager Nigel Dravitzki says the restrictions apply to Horowhenua, Manawatū/Palmerston North, Rangitikei, and Whanganui areas.
The coastal area is already in a restricted season. The Ruapehu area remains unchanged for now, although conditions there are being closely monitored.
“At this time of year, we do start to see more fires escaping from controlled burns, and starting large wildfires which can take days to put out,” Nigel Dravitzki says.
“Most of the vegetation in this district is pasture grass, crops, commercial forests, or unused scrub, and fire can spread very quickly through this vegetation when it’s so dry.
“As we’ve had very little rain, and hot, dry winds are continuing, the fire risk is much higher than usual right now.
“That’s why we’re restricting the use of open-air fires, including burn piles for rubbish or slash.
“If you’re thinking about lighting a fire, go tocheckitsalright.nz, which tells you what the restrictions are for your location, and provides safety guidance to keep our people and property safe.”
Source: US House of Representatives – Democratic Caucus
The following text contains opinion that is not, or not necessarily, that of MIL-OSI –
February 06, 2025
WASHINGTON, D.C.— Today, House Democratic Caucus Chair Pete Aguilar joined Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, Democratic Whip Katherine Clark and Representatives Sean Casten and Haley Stevens to introduce the Taxpayer Data Protection Act, which would prevent unelected billionaires from gaining unlawful access to the Department of Treasury payment system and from illegally cutting programs to help pay for their own tax cuts.
CHAIRMAN AGUILAR: Thank you, Whip Clark and Leader Jeffries, and I want to thank the leadership of Haley Stevens and Sean Casten for introducing this bill because House Democrats will not sit by as an unelected billionaire with controversial ties to China is given access to the most sensitive personal data about the American people—and to potentially use that data to illegally cut programs that are vital to our national security just to help pay for tax cuts to benefit his own bottom line.
We will not stay silent as House Republicans surrender Congress’ constitutional power in order to allow MAGA extremists and conspiracy theorists to continue. We know that our colleagues on the other side of the aisle are just as outraged as we are, but they have to keep quiet out of fear of retribution from the MAGA extremists. We only need three Republicans with the courage of their convictions to join our efforts to protect the American people from this extreme and illegal overreach.
Today, they’re illegally gutting USAID, which prevents China and adversaries from expanding their influence. But, tomorrow, it’s your health insurance. The next day, it’s your mother’s Social Security check. This is not what the American people voted for.
The Taxpayer Data Protection Act will rein in the corruption we’re seeing in the White House and put an end to the chaos.
Video of the full press conference and Q&A can be viewed here.
INDEPENDENCE, Missouri – The U.S. Army’s Joint Program Executive Office for Armaments and Ammunition, along with the Joint Munitions Command, officially broke ground on a new 6.8 mm ammunition production facility in support of the Next Generation Squad Weapon Program at the Lake City Army Ammunition Plant on Wednesday, Feb. 5. The 6.8 mm family of ammunition, set to be produced at the new facility, will play a vital role in advancing the Army’s modernization priorities.
The U.S. Army’s Joint Program Executive Office for Armaments and Ammunition, along with the Joint Munitions Command, officially broke ground on a new 6.8 mm ammunition production facility in support of the Next Generation Squad Weapon Program at the Lake City Army Ammunition Plant on Wednesday, Feb. 5. The 6.8 mm family of ammunition, set to be produced at the new facility, will play a vital role in advancing the Army’s modernization priorities. (Photo Credit: Courtesy: Olin Corporation) VIEW ORIGINAL
Developed collaboratively by the JPEO A&A, the U.S. Army’s Combat Capabilities Development Command’s Armaments Center, and the Army Research Laboratory, the 6.8 mm family of ammunition is specifically engineered to maximize the performance of the XM7 Rifle and the XM250 Automatic Rifle. When fired through these Next Generation Squad Weapons, 6.8 mm rounds deliver increased range, improved accuracy, and enhanced lethality, ensuring Soldiers maintain overmatch on the battlefield.
“It is not lost on me that victory on the battlefield begins in our production facilities,” said Maj. Gen. John T. Reim, Joint Program Executive Officer for Armaments and Ammunition. “Lake City has been central to our nation’s ammunition production since 1941, and this new facility builds on that proud and historic legacy.”
The cutting-edge facility, which will be operated by Olin Winchester, is the culmination of an 18-month design process led by JPEO A&A with support from a diverse team of U.S. government and commercial contractors.
Spanning 450,000 square feet, the facility will feature modern manufacturing systems
capable of producing all components of 6.8 mm ammunition. This includes cartridge case and projectile manufacturing, energetic operations for loading and charging ammunition, product packaging, process quality controls, testing laboratories, maintenance operations and administrative areas.
With 90% of the work supported by industries in the Kansas City region and nearly 50 local businesses involved in the construction, the new facility will strengthen the defense industrial base, create well-paying jobs, and will drive economic growth in the local community.
Once operational, the facility will have an annual production capacity of 385 million cases, 490 million projectiles and 385 million load-assemble-pack operations for 6.8 mm ammunition. This enhanced capacity will significantly bolster U.S. munitions production, ensuring the Army maintains its readiness and ability to serve as a credible deterrent to would-be adversaries.
JPEO A&A and the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Command Armaments Center are headquartered at Picatinny Arsenal, New Jersey. Together, they play a critical role in developing, procuring and fielding cutting-edge armaments and ammunition, ensuring the readiness and modernization of the U.S. Army and its international partners.