PITTSBURGH, Pa. – A resident of McKees Rocks, Pennsylvania, has been sentenced in federal court to 17-and-a-half years in prison on his conviction of possessing a firearm as a convicted felon and violating his federal supervised release, Acting United States Attorney Troy Rivetti announced today.
Chief United States District Judge Mark R. Hornak imposed the sentence on Ernest Lee Terry, 46, on June 4, 2025.
According to information presented to the Court, on May 12, 2024, Terry opened fire on another individual in broad daylight in McKees Rocks. Based on recovered evidence and surveillance video, Terry fired at least seven rounds at a vehicle as it fled from him. Two days later, when arrested for the shooting, Terry had a firearm in his waistband, which was later confirmed to be the same firearm Terry used during the May 12 shooting. Terry was on federal supervised release for a prior federal firearms conviction at the time of the offense. Federal law prohibits possession of a firearm or ammunition by a convicted felon.
“After a 15-year federal prison sentence for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, and while still serving a term of supervised release for that conviction, defendant Terry pulled a gun and fired at least seven rounds at a fleeing individual,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Rivetti. “Upon his arrest two days later for this egregious conduct, Terry had the same gun tucked into his waistband. We commend the Allegheny County Police Department for their outstanding work in apprehending this dangerous felon. This sentencing demonstrates that we remain committed to working with our law enforcement partners at all levels to prosecute violent recidivist offenders like Terry to the fullest extent of the law.”
“ATF’s highest priority is reducing violent gun crime, and keeping guns out of the hands of dangerous career criminals like Ernest Terry is a key means to protect public safety,” said Eric DeGree, Special Agent in Charge of the ATF Philadelphia Field Division. “We work tirelessly with our local, state and federal partners to prosecute the criminals that endanger our communities.”
Prior to imposing sentence, Judge Hornak stated that Terry’s conduct was “exceptionally serious,” and emphasized Terry’s significant criminal history. Judge Hornak described Terry’s conduct in committing the shooting as “calculated” and observed that Terry had “engaged in conduct that created a high risk of serious harm or death to other people.”
Assistant United States Attorney Douglas C. Maloney prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.
Acting United States Attorney Rivetti commended the Allegheny County Police Department, McKees Rocks Police Department, and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives for the investigation leading to the successful prosecution of Terry.
RAPID CITY – United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that U.S. District Judge Karen E. Schreier sentenced a Porcupine, South Dakota, man convicted of Sexual Abuse of a Minor. The sentencing took place on May 30, 2025.
Chandler New Holy, age 28, was sentenced to two years in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.
New Holy was indicted by a federal grand jury in February 2024. He pleaded guilty on January 17, 2025.
The charge related to New Holy having a sexual relationship with a 14-year-old female. New Holy and the female lived in the same community and corresponded with each other over a social media platform. The female represented that she was 16 years old. New Holy told the female he was only 17, when in fact, he was 25 years old. A short while later, the female told New Holy she was only 14 years of age. Despite learning that the female had not reached the age of consent, New Holy continued the relationship, and they both attempted to keep their relationship a secret. The female was reported missing by her family members. Law enforcement later located the female with New Holy, which prompted the investigation.
This matter was prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office because the Major Crimes Act, a federal statute, mandates that certain violent crimes alleged to have occurred in Indian Country be prosecuted in Federal court as opposed to State court.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse, launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the DOJ’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc.
This case was investigated by the FBI. Assistant U.S. Attorney Megan Poppen prosecuted the case.
New Holy was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
RAPID CITY – United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that U.S. District Judge Camela C. Theeler has sentenced a Pine Ridge, South Dakota, man convicted of Involuntary Manslaughter and Possession of a Firearm by a Prohibited Person. The sentencing took place on June 2, 2025.
Daeshawn Poor Bear, 19, was sentenced to three years and one month in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release. He was ordered to pay restitution and $200 in special assessments to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.
Poor Bear was indicted for the charges by a federal grand jury in October 2024. He pleaded guilty on January 8, 2025.
Poor Bear, the victim, and two other friends consumed alcohol and edibles containing THC and smoked THC wax at an abandoned trailer in Pine Ridge on the evening of September 2, 2024. The victim and the other friends were all juveniles. The victim threw a firearm onto a bed near Poor Bear. Poor Bear picked up the firearm, pointed it at the victim, and pulled the trigger. The bullet struck the victim and killed him. Poor Bear and the other two friends ran to Poor Bear’s mother’s residence. Poor Bear’s mother called 911. The Oglala Sioux Tribe Department of Public Safety arrived at the abandoned residence and found that the victim had passed away. Poor Bear has a history of using THC, making him prohibited by law from possessing a firearm.
This matter was prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office because the Major Crimes Act, a federal statute, mandates that certain violent crimes alleged to have occurred in Indian Country be prosecuted in Federal court as opposed to State court.
This case was investigated by the Oglala Sioux Tribe Department of Public Safety and the FBI. Assistant U.S. Attorney Megan Poppen prosecuted the case.
Poor Bear was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
PITTSBURGH, Pa. – A resident of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, pleaded guilty in federal court to a charge of violating federal firearms laws, Acting United States Attorney Troy Rivetti announced today.
Morisee Williams, 41, pleaded guilty to Count One of an Indictment before United States District Judge Marilyn J. Horan.
In connection with the guilty plea, the Court was advised that, on May 7, 2024, the Federal Bureau of Investigation executed a search warrant at Williams’ residence in the Knoxville neighborhood of Pittsburgh. During that search, law enforcement recovered four firearms (two of which were stolen), approximately seven ammunition magazines, hundreds of rounds of ammunition, and a firearm mount and rifle grip. As a previously convicted felon, Williams is prohibited by federal law from possessing a firearm or ammunition.
Judge Horan scheduled sentencing for September 24, 2025. The law provides for a total sentence of up to 15 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, or both. Under the federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed is based upon the seriousness of the offense and the prior criminal history of the defendant.
Assistant United States Attorneys Katherine C. Jordan and Kelly M. Locher are prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation conducted the investigation that led to the prosecution of Williams.
This prosecution 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.
HARRISBURG – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Elvis Alfonso Lopez-Perez, age 32, Guatemalan National residing in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, was sentenced to eight months in prison by United States District Judge Keli M. Neary for illegally reentering the United States.
According to Acting United States Attorney John C. Gurganus, Lopez-Perez was removed from the United States on February 1, 2013. He illegally reentered the United States at an unknown time thereafter. On May 28, 2024, he was found in Cumberland County, Pennsylvania, without having first obtained legal permission to reenter the United States.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America (https://www.justice.gov/dag/media/1393746/dl?inline), a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
This matter was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Removal Operations. Assistant United States Attorney Michael Scalera prosecuted the case.
JOHNSTOWN, Pa. – A resident of Long Beach, California, pleaded guilty in federal court to charges of violating federal narcotics laws, Acting United States Attorney Troy Rivetti announced today.
Derrick Polk, 62, pleaded guilty before United States District Judge Marilyn J. Horan to Counts One and Three of the Superseding Indictment on June 4, 2025.
In connection with the guilty plea, the Court was advised that, from in and around April 2019 to July 2021, in the Western District of Pennsylvania, Polk conspired to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of a mixture of methamphetamine. Further, in and around April 2021, Polk possessed with the intent to distribute 500 grams or more of a mixture of methamphetamine. Polk was intercepted on a federal wiretap obtaining quantities of the drugs that he distributed to others.
Judge Horan scheduled sentencing for September 24, 2025. The law provides for a total sentence of not less than 10 years and up to life in prison, a fine of up to $10 million, or both. Under the federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed would be based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.
Assistant United States Attorney Maureen Sheehan-Balchon is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Laurel Highlands Resident Agency and Homeland Security Investigations conducted the investigation that led to the prosecution of Polk. Additional agencies participating in this investigation include the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Internal Revenue Service–Criminal Investigation, United States Postal Inspection Service, Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General, Pennsylvania State Police, Cambria County District Attorney’s Office, Indiana County District Attorney’s Office, Cambria County Sheriff’s Office, Cambria Township Police Department, Indiana Borough Police Department, Johnstown Police Department, Upper Yoder Township Police Department, Richland Police Department, Ferndale Police Department, and other local law enforcement agencies.
This prosecution 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.
WASHINGTON – Trevon Timothy Vines, 30, of Washington, D.C., pleaded guilty on June 3, 2025, to one count of illegal possession of a firearm following his arrest on March 15, 2025, in the District of Columbia.
According to court documents, on March 15, officers with the Metropolitan Police Department conducted a traffic stop in the vicinity of 1820 7th Street NW after observing a traffic infraction. It is alleged that during the course of the stop, officers observed several open containers of alcohol and requested that all occupants exit the vehicle.
Court documents say that Vines was seated in the front passenger seat and holding a cup consistent with the others observed. As officers attempted to place Vines in handcuffs, they felt what they immediately recognized to be a handgun on his person in a front left jacket pocket. Officers eventually recovered the firearm and discovered that it had been reported stolen from a gun dealer in White Plains, Maryland.
An investigation revealed that Vines is a convicted felon with multiple prior convictions. At the time of the incident, Vines was prohibited from possessing a firearm or ammunition under federal and D.C. law. He did not have a license to carry or own a firearm in the District of Columbia.
This case is being investigated by the FBI Washington Field Office, ATF Baltimore Field Office, and the Metropolitan Police Department. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Emory V. Cole.
This case is part of Make D.C. Safe and Beautiful, an executive order surging resources to reduce violent crime in the District of Columbia. This initiative was created to address gun violence in the District, prioritize federal firearms violations, pursue tougher penalties for offenders, and seek detention for federal firearms violators.
Defendant allegedly possessed more than 9,000 CSAM files including images of infants being sexually assaulted
BOSTON – A Wareham man has been indicted for allegedly possessing and receiving child sexual abuse material (CSAM).
Brandon Bendall, 49, was indicted on one count of possession of child pornography and one count of receipt of child pornography. He was arrested and charged by criminal complaint on May 2, 2028.
According to court documents, Bendall was allegedly a member of an online chat group in which members viewed and posted CSAM. During a search of Bendall’s residence and cell phone, approximately 9,400 images and videos of CSAM, including images of children as young as infants being sexually assaulted, were allegedly located.
The charges of receipt and possession of child pornography each provide for a sentence of at least five years and up to 20 years in prison, at least five years and up to a lifetime of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.
United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Kimberly Milka, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by the Massachusetts State Police and the Wareham, Marion and East Bridgewater Police Departments. Assistant U.S. Attorney David G. Tobin of the Major Crimes Unit is prosecuting the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse, launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the DOJ’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc.
The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Paul William Flett, age 44, from Humbolt, Iowa, was sentenced in federal court in Sioux City, Iowa, on June 3, 2025. Flett pled guilty January 23, 2025, to one count to sexual exploitation of a child.
Evidence in the case showed that Flett sent links and images of child pornography to underage girls and asked them to send images and videos of themselves to him. On June 6, 2024, law enforcement executed a search warrant at Flett’s home and in a consensual interview, Flett admitted to the conduct and that he threw his phone in a closet when law enforcement arrived because he knew they were there for him. Forensic analysis of Flett’s electronics and Kik account discovered a total of 16 videos and 60 images of child pornography including several that Flett had asked children to record of themselves. The images and videos contained material that portrayed sadistic or masochistic conduct, as well as prepubescent children, infants, and toddlers.
Sentencing was held before United States District Court Judge Leonard T. Strand. Flett was sentenced to 180 months’ imprisonment, ordered to pay $3,600 in restitution and assessments, and ordered to serve a term of supervised release of 5 years following imprisonment. There is no parole in the federal system. Flett remains in custody of the U.S. Marshals Service until he can be transported to a federal prison.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc. For more information about internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab “resources.”
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation Cyber-Crime Unit, and Webster County Sheriff’s Office in Missouri and was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kraig R. Hamit.
End-of-Mission press releases include statements of IMF staff teams that convey preliminary findings after a visit to a country. The views expressed in this statement are those of the IMF staff and do not necessarily represent the views of the IMF’s Executive Board. This mission will not result in a Board discussion.
The IMF mission held productive discussions with the Lebanese authorities on a comprehensive economic reform program. Discussions are expected to continue, both from IMF headquarters and through follow-up missions.
Bank restructuring remains a critical priority to restore the health of the banking sector, move away from the cash-based economy, restart credit to the private-sector, and protect depositors to the maximum extent possible.
Given Lebanon’s substantial reconstruction needs, limited fiscal space, and lack of capacity to borrow, the country will require significant support from external partners on highly concessional terms.
BEIRUT, Lebanon: At the authorities’ request, an International Monetary Fund (IMF) mission led by Ernesto Ramirez Rigo visited Lebanon from May 28 to June 5, 2025, to initiate discussions on policies and a reform program that could be supported by an IMF arrangement.
At the conclusion of the mission, Mr. Ramirez Rigo issued the following statement:
“The IMF mission held productive discussions with the Lebanese authorities on a comprehensive economic reform program aimed at restoring macroeconomic sustainability and supporting financing for reconstruction. These initial discussions covered several reform areas, including (i) restoring the viability of the banking sector and protecting depositors to the maximum extent possible, (ii) achieving fiscal and debt sustainability, while enhancing social safety nets and rebuilding institutional capacity, (iii) establishing credible monetary and exchange rate policy frameworks, (iv) strengthening governance and transparency, (v) enhancing the Anti-Money Laundering and Combating the Financing of Terrorism (AML/CFT) regime, and (vi) reforming state-owned enterprises.
It was agreed that the rehabilitation of the banking system remains a critical priority to rebuild confidence in banks, move away from the current cash-based economy, and restart credit to the private-sector, which is necessary for growth. The authorities have made some progress recently, including the amendment of the Bank Secrecy Law and submission of a new bank resolution law to Parliament. The next step is for Parliament to approve this legislation, which will establish powers to underpin the recovery of orderly banking intermediation, while safeguarding the public interest. The mission also engaged with the authorities on their emerging bank restructuring and deposit recovery strategy. More work in close cooperation with the authorities will be needed to ensure this strategy is aligned with international standards and debt sustainability requirements.
“The mission also discussed the 2026 Budget and the development of a medium-term fiscal framework. For the 2026 Budget, given the limited fiscal space and available financing, it is critical that any additional expenditures be fully offset by corresponding revenue efforts, including by strengthening enforcement and compliance in tax and customs administration. An ambitious medium-term revenue mobilization and expenditure rationalization strategy along with improved fiscal transparency and public financial management is needed to strengthen public finances and create space for increased social protection and capital expenditures. The medium-term fiscal framework should also support the restructuring of Eurobonds to restore debt sustainability. Given Lebanon’s substantial reconstruction needs, the authorities’ reform efforts will require significant support from external partners, preferably on highly concessional terms. Enhanced support to Lebanon is also needed to help the country shoulder the continued burden of hosting a large refugee population.
“Building on these key reform pillars, discussions on formulating a comprehensive reform program are expected to continue, both from IMF headquarters and through follow-up missions. The mission reaffirmed the Fund’s commitment to supporting Lebanon during this challenging period, consistent with its mandate and policies.
“The mission thanks the Lebanese authorities and all stakeholders for their cooperation and constructive engagement.”
TEL AVIV, Israel, June 05, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Noma Security, the unified AI security and governance platform, today announced a strategic partnership with Databricks, the Data and AI company, to address the challenge of balancing rapid enterprise AI innovation and adoption with robust AI security and governance.
Noma Security also announced today a strategic investment from Databricks Ventures. This investment comes after Noma Security launched from stealth with a $32M Series A funding round led by Ballistic Ventures and Glilot Partners.
“Many Databricks customers are already using Noma Security for security and governance across the AI lifecycle. The Noma Security platform directly addresses the AI security uncertainties that often hinder enterprise AI adoption,” said Andrew Ferguson, Vice President of Databricks Ventures. “Our partnership and investment underscore our commitment to equipping Databricks customers with trusted, secure AI solutions that accelerate innovation.”
The partnership integrates the Noma Security end-to-end AI security and governance platform directly into Databricks AI environments, creating a comprehensive solution that secures AI systems from initial development through production deployment. This integration helps Fortune 500 organizations accelerate AI adoption while maintaining security, compliance, and governance standards required by emerging regulations like the EU AI Act.
The integrated Noma Security and Databricks solution delivers value to innovative organizations and enterprise CISOs in these four categories:
AI discovery and governance for complete visibility into AI assets generating an AI bill of materials;
Secure AI by design through proactive vulnerability detection and automated policy enforcement through AI infrastructure and supply chain scanning, and AI red teaming;
AI runtime protection against prompt attacks and data leakage;
AI agent security covering complex AI agent architectures and MCP server scanning.
“As enterprise organizations race to deploy AI at scale, security and governance is at the top of every CISOs priority list,” said Niv Braun, CEO and co-founder of Noma Security. “Our partnership with Databricks creates a comprehensive and secure AI environment for enterprise organizations – from supply chain protection to runtime monitoring to AI agent governance. Together, we’re enabling confident and responsible AI innovation.”
The partnership also supports alignment with leading AI security frameworks including OWASP Top 10 for LLMs, MITRE ATLAS, and Databricks AI Security Framework (DASF 2.0), helping organizations prepare for evolving regulations such as the EU AI Act and achieve certifications like ISO 42001.
Connect at Databricks Data + AI Summit next week Join Noma Security and Databricks at the Databricks Data + AI Summit in San Francisco, June 9-12, 2025, to see the integrated solution in action. Contact us to schedule time with our experts on site or if you can’t attend in person, request a demo.
Attend the Databricks and Noma Security webinar on June 26 Learn the top best practices to secure and govern AI using Databricks and Noma Security by registering for this joint webinar titled, “AI Security Best Practices to Confidently Accelerate Enterprise AI Adoption.” Register today and join Databricks and Noma Security experts on Thursday, June 26, 2025, at 11:00pm Eastern.
About Noma Security Noma Security is the AI security and governance platform giving enterprise organizations the confidence to rapidly build and deploy AI at scale. Noma Security uniquely provides cybersecurity teams with control of AI risk through continuous discovery and inventory, supply chain security, red teaming, and runtime protection to ensure compliance and risk mitigation. Backed by Ballistic Ventures, Glilot Capital, Cyber Club London, Databricks Ventures and SVCI, Noma Security is widely adopted by Fortune 500 customers and has been recognized by Gartner as a leading AI TRiSM solution. For more information visit https://noma.security
About Databricks Databricks is the Data and AI company. More than 10,000 organizations worldwide — including Block, Comcast, Condé Nast, Rivian, Shell and over 60% of the Fortune 500 — rely on the Databricks Data Intelligence Platform to take control of their data and put it to work with AI. Databricks is headquartered in San Francisco, with offices around the globe, and was founded by the original creators of Lakehouse, Apache Spark™, Delta Lake and MLflow. To learn more visit www.databricks.com
BATON ROUGE, La. — U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, in collaboration with local, state and federal partners and the Violent Gun Reduction and Interdiction Program, arrested 15 gang members and seized 16 firearms and $44,000 in cash as part of the efforts to make local communities safer.
“Our communities are safer today because of Homeland Security Investigations and law enforcement partners working together to stop crime on our streets,” said ICE HSI New Orleans Special Agent in Charge Eric DeLaune.
The VGRIP is a multiagency, multijurisdictional approach to target violent gangs in East Baton Rouge Parish through the use of targeted enforcement operations focused on violent gangs and neighborhoods.
Partnering agencies in the program include the FBI, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Drug Enforcement Agency, East Baton Rough Parish Sheriff’s Office, Baton Rouge Police Department, Louisiana State Police, Louisiana Probation and Parole, Livingston Parish Sheriff’s Office, U.S. Customs and Border Protection Air and Marine Operations, Louisiana National Guard Air Support and the East Baton Rouge District Attorney’s Office.
The VGRIP will be working the entire summer of 2025 in the Baton Rouge Capitol Area, working to make local communities safer.
Members of the public with information about related crimes are encouraged to contact the ICE Tip Line at 866-DHS-2-ICE (866-347-2423) or submit information online via the ICE Tip Form.
For more information about ICE HSI New Orleans and its efforts to enhance public safety in Louisiana, Mississippi and Arkansas, follow us on X at @HSINewOrleans.
Two Royal Air Force Typhoon FGR4 aircraft were scrambled for the fourth time in seven days, from the 22nd Tactical Air Base, Malbork, Poland, to intercept unknown aircraft leaving Kaliningrad and close to NATO air space.
RAF Typhoons were scrambled on three separate occasions to intercept and identify a Russian Ilyushin Il-20M, as it left Kaliningrad air space. The Ilyushin Il-20M known by its NATO code name COOT-A, is a Communication and Electronic signals intelligence surveillance-reconnaissance aircraft.
On the fourth occasion NATO scrambled RAF Typhoons to intercept and identify a pair of Russian FLANKER H, transiting closer to NATO air space.
Aircrew from No. II (Army Co-operation) Squadron, part of 140 Expeditionary Air Wing (EAW), are currently conducting Quick Reaction Alert (QRA) as part of NATO enhanced Air Policing (eAP) when they were scrambled.
“Today was the fourth time in seven days that NATO have scrambled RAF assets stationed at Malbork, Poland. Today’s mission was to intercept and identify the unknown aircraft departing Kaliningrad air space. It was not communicating, nor did it file a flight plan which is required under international law. Once intercepted we escorted the aircraft to protect civilian air traffic in the immediate area, before handing it over to another pair of NATO aircraft.”
An EAW spokesperson.
Op Chessman is the UK contingent delivering the NATO eAP mission. RAF personnel are currently deployed at Malbork Airbase and are under the command of 140 EAW. The operation sees personnel from across the RAF deployed to Malbork alongside NATOs newest member Sweden.
This week, RAF Eurofighter Typhoons and Swedish Air Force JAS-39 Gripens conducted training together for the first time since the start of their joint deployment to Malbork, Poland.
The British Typhoons departed Malbork Air Base first to simulate an adversary formation, with the Swedish Gripens being scrambled to intercept the Typhoons, supported by a German Air Force A400M air-to-air refuelling aircraft.
This is a first for the detachment, however it is not the first time the RAF Typhoon and Swedish Air Force Gripen aircraft have trained together. Previously, the aircraft from the RAF and Swedish Air Force carried out joint training in October 2022 as part of the Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF) at Ravlunda Range in southern Sweden.
This week’s training sortie allowed pilots from No. II (Army Cooperation) Squadron and Swedish Air Force 211 and 212 Fighter Squadrons, to gain first-hand experience of working together. This will lead to a better understanding of capabilities and increased interoperability both in the air and amongst the ground crews.
“We work to the same rules and tactics, so it is important to train with other NATO members. As a pilot you are always learning, sharing experiences, exchanging tactics and ideas. Ultimately pilots are all growing and maturing with every mission we fly, whether it is a training sortie or live mission.
“Training with other nations and aircraft results in all involved learning new ideas and improving all nations interoperability, today was a great experience for all involved.”
Officer Commanding No. II (AC) Squadron
Conducting air-to-air refuelling from a German A400M was another first for pilots from No. II (AC) Squadron, further enhancing the squadrons capability whilst operating in the enhanced Air Policing mission.
“We are greatly experienced in refuelling from RAF Voyager aircraft and similar aircraft from other nations. However, refuelling from an A400M presents unique challenges due to subtle differences, such as refuelling airspeed, hose response and basket size and shape. The German crews were extremely professional, and it was a great experience working with them.”
RAF Typhoon pilot
Operation Chessman is the UK contingent delivering the NATO enhanced Air Policing mission. RAF personnel currently deployed at Malbork Airbase, are under the command of 140 Expeditionary Air Wing. Personnel from across the RAF are currently deployed to Malbork alongside NATO’s newest member, Sweden, until July 2025.
PIERRE – United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that U.S. District Judge Eric C. Schulte has sentenced a Saint Francis, South Dakota, man convicted of Prohibited Person in Possession of a Firearm. The sentencing took place on May 27, 2025.
Randy Harlan Arcoren Jr., age 42, was sentenced to two years and six months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.
Arcoren was indicted by a federal grand jury in June 2024. He pleaded guilty on February 26, 2025.
The conviction stems from an incident that occurred in January 2024 in the Rosebud Sioux Indian Reservation. On January 4, 2024, law enforcement was called to Arcoren’s home for an unrelated matter. Once inside the home, law enforcement located two firearms in Arcoren’s bedroom: a revolver and a shotgun. Law enforcement also found a small amount of methamphetamine and other drug paraphernalia in the bedroom.
Arcoren was convicted in U.S. District Court for the District of South Dakota of Robbery in 2006 and Prohibited Person in Possession of Ammunition in 2015. As a result of these felony convictions, it is illegal for Arcoren to possess firearms or ammunition. Arcoren will forfeit ownership of the firearms to the United States.
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.
This case was investigated by Rosebud Sioux Tribe Law Enforcement Services and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Assistant U.S. Attorney Meghan Dilges prosecuted the case.
Arcoren was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
ALEXANDRIA, Va. – The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia announced today the seizure of approximately 145 darknet and traditional internet domains, and cryptocurrency funds associated with the BidenCash marketplace. The operators of the BidenCash marketplace use the platform to simplify the process of buying and selling stolen credit cards and associated personal information.
BidenCash commenced operations in March 2022. BidenCash administrators charged a fee for every transaction conducted on the website. The BidenCash marketplace had grown to support over 117,000 customers, facilitated the trafficking of over 15 million payment card numbers and personally identifiable information, and generated over $17 million in revenue during its operations.
The BidenCash marketplace domains will no longer be operational and will be redirected to a U.S. law enforcement-controlled server, preventing future criminal activity on these sites. The marketplace also sold compromised credentials that could be used to access computers without proper authorization.
Between October 2022 and February 2023, the BidenCash marketplace published 3.3 million individual stolen credit cards for free to promote the use of their services. The stolen data included credit card numbers, expiration dates, Card Verification Value (CVV) numbers, account holder names, addresses, email addresses, and phone numbers.
According to court records, the United States obtained court authorization to seize cryptocurrency funds that BidenCash marketplace used to receive illicit proceeds from its illegal sales.
Erik S. Siebert, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; John Szydlik, Resident Agent in Charge of the U.S. Secret Service’s Frankfurt Resident Office; and Philip Russell, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Albuquerque Field Office, made the announcement.
This case was investigated by the U.S. Secret Service’s Frankfurt Resident Office, the U.S. Secret Service’s Cyber Investigative Section, and the FBI Albuquerque Field Office.
The Department of Justice thanks the Dutch National High Tech Crime Unit, The Shadowserver Foundation and Searchlight Cyber for their assistance with the investigation.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Zoe Bedell in these matters.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia.
ALBUQUERQUE – A Newcomb man pleaded guilty to assault resulting in serious injury following a violent knife assault outside a local grocery store.
According to court records, on November 12, 2024, Josiah Bodie, 23, an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation, assaulted John Doe with a knife outside Basha’s Grocery Store in Shiprock, New Mexico. As a result of the assault, John Doe suffered serious bodily injury.
At sentencing, Bodie faces a maximum of 10 years in prison. Upon his release from prison, Bodie will be subject to up to five years of supervised release.
U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison and Philip Russell, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Albuquerque Field Office, made the announcement today.
The Farmington Resident Agency of the FBI Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case with the assistance of the Navajo Nation Police Department and the Navajo Nation Department of Criminal Investigations. Assistant U.S. Attorney Caitlin L. Dillon is prosecuting the case.
Every year, massive data breaches harm the public. The targets are email service providers, retailers and government agencies that store information about people. Each breach includes sensitive personal information such as credit and debit card numbers, home addresses and account usernames and passwords from hundreds of thousands – and sometimes millions – of people.
When National Public Data, a company that does online background checks, was breached in 2024, criminals gained the names, addresses, dates of birth and national identification numbers such as Social Security numbers of 170 million people in the U.S., U.K. and Canada. The same year, hackers who targeted Ticketmaster stole the financial information and personal data of more than 560 million customers.
As a criminologist who researches cybercrime, I study the ways that hackers and cybercriminals steal and use people’s personal information. Understanding the people involved helps us to better recognize the ways that hacking and data breaches are intertwined. In so-called stolen data markets, hackers sell personal information they illegally obtain to others, who then use the data to engage in fraud and theft for profit.
The quantity problem
Every piece of personal data captured in a data breach – a passport number, Social Security number or login for a shopping service – has inherent value. Offenders can use the information in different ways. They can assume someone else’s identity, make a fraudulent purchase or steal services such as streaming media or music.
The quantity of information, whether Social Security numbers or credit card details, that can be stolen through data breaches is more than any one group of criminals can efficiently process, validate or use in a reasonable amount of time. The same is true for the millions of email account usernames and passwords, or access to streaming services that data breaches can expose.
This quantity problem has enabled the sale of information, including personal financial data, as part of the larger cybercrime online economy.
eg: In headline of the following chart, U.S. doesn’t need periods.
The sale of data, also known as carding, references the misuse of stolen credit card numbers or identity details. These illicit data markets began in the mid-1990s through the use of credit card number generators used by hackers. They shared programs that randomly generated credit card numbers and details and then checked to see whether the fake account details matched active cards that could then be used for fraudulent transactions.
As more financial services were created and banks allowed customers to access their accounts through the internet, it became easier for hackers and cybercriminals to steal personal information through data breaches and phishing. Phishing involves sending convincing emails or SMS text messages to people to trick them into giving up sensitive information such as logins and passwords, often by clicking a false link that seems legitimate.
One of the first phishing schemes targeted America Online users to get their account information to use their internet service at no charge.
Selling stolen data online
The large amount of information criminals were able to steal from such schemes led to more vendors offering stolen data to others through different online platforms.
In the late 1990s and early 2000s, offenders used Internet Relay Chat, or IRC channels, to sell data. IRC was effectively like modern instant messaging systems, letting people communicate in real time through specialized software. Criminals used these channels to sell data and hacking services in an efficient place.
In the early 2000s, vendors transitioned to web forums where individuals advertised their services to other users. Forums quickly gained popularity and became successful businesses with vendors selling stolen credit cards, malware and related goods and services to misuse personal information and enable fraud.
One of the more prominent forums from this time was ShadowCrew, which formed in 2002 and operated until being taken down by a joint law enforcement operation in 2004. Their members trafficked over 1.7 million credit cards in less than three years.
Forums continue to be popular, though vendors transitioned to running their own web-based shops on the open internet and dark web, which is an encrypted portion of the web that can be accessed only through specialized browsers like TOR, starting in the early 2010s. These shops have their own web addresses and distinct branding to attract customers, and they work in the same way as other e-commerce stores. More recently, vendors of stolen data have also begun to operate on messaging platforms such as Telegram and Signal to quickly connect with customers.
Cybercriminals and customers
Many of the people who supply and operate the markets appear to be cybercriminals from Eastern Europe and Russia who steal data and then sell it to others. Markets have also been observed in Vietnam and other parts of the world, though they do not get the same visibility in the global cybersecurity landscape.
Stolen data is usually available in individual lots, such as a person’s credit or debit card and all the information associated with the account. These pieces are individually priced, with costs differing depending on the type of card, the victim’s location and the amount of data available related to the affected account.
Vendors frequently offer discounts and promotions to buyers to attract customers and keep them loyal. This is often done with credit or debit cards that are about to expire.
Some vendors also offer distinct products such as credit reports, Social Security numbers and login details for different paid services. The price for pieces of information varies. A recent analysis found credit card data sold for US$50 on average, while Walmart logins sold for $9. However, the pricing can vary widely across vendors and markets.
Illicit payments
Vendors typically accept payment through cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin that are difficult for law enforcement to trace.
Bitcoin is often used as payment for elicit information because it’s difficult to trace. AP Photo/Charles Krupa
Once payment is received, the vendor releases the data to the customer. Customers take on a great deal of the risk in this market because they cannot go to the police or a market regulator to complain about a fraudulent sale.
Vendors may send customers dead accounts that are unable to be used or give no data at all. Such scams are common in a market where buyers can depend only on signals of vendor trust to increase the odds that the data they purchase will be delivered, and if it is, that it pays off. If the data they buy is functional, they can use it to make fraudulent purchases or financial transactions for profit.
The rate of return can be exceptional. An offender who buys 100 cards for $500 can recoup costs if only 20 of those cards are active and can be used to make an average purchase of $30. The result is that data breaches are likely to continue as long as there is demand for illicit, profitable data.
This article is part of a series on data privacy that explores who collects your data, what and how they collect, who sells and buys your data, what they all do with it, and what you can do about it.
Thomas Holt does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
Five of Detroit’s mayoral candidates discuss their ideas for the future of the city.Detroit PBS
Five of the nine candidates in Detroit’s mayoral contest debated on May 29, 2025, during the annual Mackinac Policy Conference.
When asked about outgoing Mayor Mike Duggan’s 11-year tenure, many of the candidates praised him for skillfully steering Detroit through bankruptcy and attracting new business investment.
But the candidates also saw an opportunity to do more.
“Without a doubt, we have to ensure that more investment comes back into our neighborhoods and that we’re activating our commercial corridors,” the race’s front-runner, Detroit City Council President Mary Sheffield, said.
And after experiencing the largest-ever municipal bankruptcy, the city boasts an investment-grade credit rating. For the past two years, the city has gained population after decades of losses. But many of the city’s neighborhoods, from Brightmoor to Jefferson-Chalmers, have not experienced the same economic surge as its booming downtown.
Many Detroiters are concerned the city’s boom might displace longtime residents if it causes housing prices to increase dramatically or removes affordable homes from the market.
Detroit’s voters will narrow the field to two candidates on Aug. 5. To help voters evaluate the candidates’ positions between now and then, here are some research-backed ideas for improving life in the city.
Make it easy to build
Detroit’s next mayor can make it easier to build new homes and businesses in the city’s neighborhoods.
Repopulating neighborhoods reduces visual blight, brings life to vacant areas and improves the city’s fiscal health by bringing in new tax revenue. Population growth also supports neighborhood businesses that create jobs and serve the community. And it will mitigate the city’s recent, steep growth in housing prices by adding new supply to the market.
Easing zoning and building rules is a good place to start. U.S. cities such as Minneapolis and Portland have recently reformed zoning laws to simplify housing construction. They’ve also modified single-family zoning citywide to allow multiplexes and accessory dwelling units. Those interventions have resulted in a small increase in new housing. Even more construction has taken place in cities such as Denver that have allowed higher-density development along major corridors – projects that can be more easily scaled and financed due to their larger size and attractiveness to investors.
To date, Detroit has not adopted any of these reforms.
Another way to spur building is to offer developers a predictable approval process. Even if cities maintain building height restrictions, setbacks and design requirements – things Detroit has maintained – predictable procedures reduce development costs and assure investors that projects can be completed on time. For example, cities can shorten the time it takes to review a project. They can also avoid city council or planning commission public hearings with subjective review criteria, which Detroit currently allows under its zoning laws.
Detroit’s initial efforts to update its zoning in 2018 stalled. Yet the city has an opportunity to become the nation’s easiest place to build, and doing so will ensure that it remains affordable while attracting investment.
Improve transit service
Detroit’s next mayor can aid its neighborhoods by improving transit service.
Without a regional transit system, southeast Michigan remains heavily car-dependent. Yet a 2017 study showed less than half of low-income Detroiters own cars. And of those who don’t own a car, 43% missed work, an appointment or something else due to a lack of transportation. Although this study is several years old, these statistics likely haven’t changed much due to rising costs of housing and car ownership.
Today, nearly one-third of Detroiters live in poverty – meaning, for a family of four, they earn less than US$32,000 per year – yet the national average annual cost of car ownership exceeds $12,000. Giving lower-income Detroiters a low-cost, reliable means to get to work would benefit the city’s neighborhoods, residents and businesses.
Expanding transit service has other benefits, too. Transit reduces traffic, encourages the healthy habit of walking to and from stops and improves air quality. Transit investments also increase land values around stations and brings new businesses to these neighborhoods. In addition to serving the needs of working Detroiters, more frequent and reliable bus service would increase neighborhood property values, according to research.
Although a rise in land values signals investor confidence in the city and benefits its homeowners, high prices limit Detroiters’ ability to afford housing, the wealth is not shared with everyone, and there is heightened risk of displacing low-income residents.
And, as candidates frequently mentioned during the debate, after more than 40 years of tax increases to make up for sliding property values, the city has one of the highest effective property tax rates in Michigan, over 2.8%, making housing even less affordable. Nevertheless, Detroit routinely abates taxes for major commercial developments such as Hudson’s Detroit and several downtown hotels, which some residents view as unfair.
Detroit’s next mayor has an opportunity to reduce the property tax burden for residents and businesses, improve the system’s fairness, and use increasing land prices and new development for public benefit.
Duggan proposed a land-value tax to replace the city’s property tax in 2023. Unlike property taxes, land-value taxes place a levy on the value of land, not structures on the land. These taxes create an incentive for owners to develop their properties for productive use rather than speculate on underutilized land.
In a city like Detroit, with thousands of vacant properties, a land-value tax would encourage development by limiting the benefits of long-term land speculation. For lower-income homeowners and renters, the city could avoid displacement through exemptions and other mechanisms.
Duggan’s proposal failed in the Michigan Legislature, which needs to approve changes to the property tax. But Detroit’s next mayor could revive this push.
The next mayor could also press the Legislature for other tools, such as the authority to levy development impact fees to build parks and schools or provide social services in neighborhoods affected by new development.
Michigan law allows the formation of special assessment districts, business improvement zones and other special taxing entities to provide public infrastructure. Expanding these tools may allow Detroit to leverage rising property values to provide public benefits such as streets or parks.
Importantly, the city can gain better public services and infrastructure while encouraging development. Tools such as the city’s community benefits ordinance, which requires developers of large projects to negotiate with neighbors for services and amenities, look good on paper but can delay projects or mistake individuals’ interests for community needs. Similarly, affordable housing mandates often lead to counterproductive results such as discouraging new development or raising costs on market-rate housing.
Brian J. Connolly does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
“Texas has agreed to end in-state tuition rates for undocumented immigrants.
The Department of Justice sued Texas on Wednesday over a long-standing state education policy, which it says illegally favors undocumented foreign students. The lawsuit accuses Texas of discriminating against out-of-state American students by offering in-state tuition rates to undocumented immigrants.
That same day, Attorney General Ken Paxton filed a joint motion along with the Trump administration to end the law.
It’s one of the latest efforts by the Trump administration to crack down on immigration into the country. President Trump issued two executive orders to prevent ‘benefits or preferential treatments’ from going to undocumented immigrants.”
Source: The Conversation – USA – By Diane Winston, Professor and Knight Center Chair in Media & Religion, USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism
Savannah Chrisley, left, spearheaded a campaign to pardon her mother, Julie, and father, Todd, right.Noel Vasquez/Getty Images
Both are admired by their fans for their brash personas and salty ripostes. Both enjoy lavish lifestyles: Trump is known for his real estate deals and rococo White House redecoration, and Chrisley for his entrepreneurial skill and acquisitionsof sprawling properties.
And maybe most importantly, both have run into legal trouble with Georgia prosecutors. In 2019, The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia indicted the Chrisleys for fraud and tax evasion, and the Fulton County district attorney filed charges against Trump in 2023.
After the Chrisleys went to prison, their daughter Savannah began campaigning for their release. Her efforts to win over prominent conservatives – including her outspoken support for Trump – led to a prime-time appearance at the 2024 Republican National Convention.
“My family has been persecuted by rogue prosecutors due to our public profile and conservative beliefs,” she told the delegates and a television audience of 15 million viewers.
Turning an insult into an accolade, she claimed prosecutors had called them the “Trumps of the South.”
Like Trump, who starred on “The Apprentice” for 11 years, the Chrisleys had their own reality television show.
“Chrisley Knows Best” aired on USA Network from 2014 to 2023. I’m familiar with the Chrisleys because I wrote about Todd in a 2018 book I co-edited on religion and reality television. The show was particularly popular among viewers in their 30s, who were fascinated by the Chrisleys’ extravagant lifestyle and Todd’s over-the-top personality.
The self-proclaimed “patriarch of perfection,” Todd flew twice a month to Los Angeles from Atlanta, and later Nashville, to have his hair cut and highlighted. He spoke freely about using Botox and invited viewers into his room-size closet where his clothes were organized by color. No matter the time of day, Todd was camera-ready: buffed, manicured and dressed in designer clothes.
The family enjoyed all the trappings of success: fancy cars, a palatial home and expensive vacations. Yet, in almost every episode, Todd made clear that his life, and theirs by extension, centered on family, religion and responsibility. In fact, many episodes revolved around Todd’s efforts to promote these values through his parenting lessons.
On the one hand, Todd tried to teach responsibility and the value of hard work to his five children. On the other hand, he bribed and cajoled them into doing what he wanted. Todd seemed to have it both ways: His strictness and traditional values appealed to Christian viewers, but his sass and cussing won over secular audiences.
But sometimes his words rang hollow. Todd talked a lot about work, but viewers rarely saw him at a job. He frequently quoted the Bible, but audiences seldom saw him in church. He extolled family, but a few years into the series, his two older children, Lindsie and Kyle, disappeared from the show.
In 2023, the series disappeared, too. By then, the Chrisleys were in prison.
Trump knows best
On the day of his inauguration, when Trump pardoned or commuted the sentences of the roughly 1,500 people involved in the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection, he vowed to “take appropriate action to correct past misconduct by the Federal Government related to the weaponization of law enforcement.”
According to the president, the imprisonment of Todd and Julie Chrisley and his pardoning of them is just that.
“Your parents are going to be free and clean and I hope that we can do it by tomorrow,” Trump told Savannah Chrisley in a recorded phone conversation. “They’ve been given a pretty harsh treatment based on what I’m hearing.”
Trump’s pardons, which have freed a number of conservatives convicted of fraud, may stem from his belief that he and many others have been falsely accused and persecuted by the elite, liberal establishment.
“We live in a nation founded on freedom, liberty and justice for all. Justice is supposed to be blind. But today, we have a two-faced justice system,” Savannah Chrisley said during her RNC speech. “Look at what they are doing to countless Christians and conservatives that the government has labeled them extremists or even worse.”
The lawyers who prosecuted the Chrisleys had a different perspective. They called Todd and Julie “career swindlers who have made a living by jumping from one fraud scheme to another, lying to banks, stiffing vendors and evading taxes at every corner,” and whose reputations were “based on the lie that their wealth came from dedication and hard work.”
The couple were ultimately found guilty of defrauding Atlanta-area banks of US$36 million by using falsified papers to apply for mortgages, obtaining false loans to repay older loans, and not repaying those loans. They also were convicted of hiding their true income from the IRS and owing $500,000 in back taxes.
Todd Chrisley holds a press conference on May 31, 2025, after his release from prison.
In the days since their release, the Chrisleys announced they were filming a new reality show, which will air on Lifetime. The series will focus on the couple’s legal struggles, imprisonment, pardon and reunification.
Thanks to the constitutional protections of the presidency, Trump’s reelection has shielded him from ongoing federal criminal prosecution. And now, thanks to the stroke of Trump’s pen, the “Trumps of the South” are back in business, too.
Diane Winston does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
In the race to develop artificial intelligence, large technology companies such as Google and Meta are trying to secure massive amounts of electricity to power new data centers. Electric utilities see the prospect of earning large profits by providing electricity to these power-hungry facilities and are competing for their business by offering discounts not available to average consumers.
In our paper Extracting Profits from the Public, we explain how utilities are forcing regular ratepayers to pay for the discounts enjoyed by some of the nation’s largest companies and identify ways policymakers can limit the costs to the public.
Shifting costs
In much of the U.S., utilities are monopolists. Within their service territories, they are the only companies allowed to deliver electricity to consumers. To fund their operations, utilities split the costs of maintaining and expanding their systems among all ratepayers – homeowners, businesses, warehouses, factories and anyone else who uses electricity.
Historically, a utility expanded its system to meet growing demand for electricity from new factories, businesses and homes. To pay for its expansion − new power plants, new transmission lines and other equipment − the utility would propose to raise electricity rates by different amounts for various types of consumers.
Public utility commissions are state agencies charged with ensuring that the public gets a fair deal. These commissions monitor how much money the utility spends to provide electric service and how its costs are shared among various types of ratepayers, including residential, commercial and industrial consumers. Ultimately, the public utility commission is supposed to approve any rate increases based on its assessment of what’s fair to consumers.
Splitting the utility’s costs among all consumers made perfect sense when population growth and economic development across the economy stimulated the need for new infrastructure. But today, in many utility service territories, most of the projected growth in electricity demand is due to new data centers.
Here’s the problem for consumers: To meet data center demand, utilities are building new power plants and power lines that are needed only because of data center growth. If state regulators allow utilities to follow the standard approach of splitting the costs of new infrastructure among all consumers, the public will end up paying to supply data centers with all that power.
An artist’s rendering of a proposed Meta data center in Richland Parish, La. Meta via Facebook
A big price tag
One particularly acute example is in Louisiana. A Meta data center under development in the northeastern corner of the state is projected to use, by our calculations, twice as much energy as the city of New Orleans.
Entergy, the regional monopoly utility, is proposing to build more than US$3 billion worth of new gas-fired power plants and delivery infrastructure to meet the data center’s energy demand. Rather than billing Meta directly for these costs, Entergy is proposing to include the costs in rates paid by all customers.
Entergy claims its contract with Meta will cover some portion of the $3 billion price tag and that will mitigate any increases in consumers’ bills. But Entergy has asked state regulators to keep key terms of the contract secret, and only a redacted version of its application is available online.
The public has no idea how much it might pay if the commission approves the contract. And if the Meta data center ends up using much less power than the company anticipates, the public does not know whether it would be on the hook to pay higher electricity rates for longer periods to guarantee Entergy a profit.
Our research, reviewing nearly 50 public utility commission proceedings about data centers’ power needs across 10 states, uncovered dozens of secretive contracts between utilities and data centers. Unlike Louisiana, most states require utilities to submit to the public utility commission their one-off deals with data centers, but they allow utilities to conceal the pricing terms from the public.
In normal rate-review cases, numerous parties advocate for their interests in a public proceeding, including members of the public, industry groups and the utility itself. But as our paper finds, utility commission reviews of data center contracts are based on confidential utility filings that are inaccessible to the general public. Few, if any, outsiders participate, and as a result the commission often hears only the utility’s version of the deal.
Because the pricing terms are secret, it is impossible to know whether the deal that a utility is offering to a data center is too low to cover the utility’s costs of providing power to the data center, which would mean that the public is subsidizing the deal. History shows, however, that utilities have a long history of exploiting their monopolies to shift costs to the public, including through secret contracts.
Electric utilities also charge customers for the costs of building and maintaining transmission networks. Jay L. Clendenin/Getty Images
Other public costs
Our paper also explores other ways that the public pays for data center energy costs. For instance, many high-voltage interstate transmission projects, which connect large power plants to local delivery systems, are developed through regional planning processes run by numerous utilities. These alliances have complex rules for splitting the costs of new transmission lines and equipment among their utility members.
Once a utility is charged its share, it spreads the costs of new transmission projects among its local ratepayers. Because some regions are building new transmission capacity to accommodate data centers, our analysis finds that the public has been forced to pay billions of dollars for data center growth.
Data center energy costs can also be shifted when data centers connect directly to existing power plants. Under what are called “co-location” deals, the power plant stops selling energy to the wider public and just sells to the data center. With less supply in the overall market, prices go up and the public faces higher bills as a result.
Many state legislatures are noticing these problems and working to figure out how to address them. Severalrecentbills would set new terms and conditions for future data center deals that could help protect the public from data center energy costs.
Ari Peskoe is the Director of the Electricity Law Initiative at the Harvard Law School Environmental and Energy Law Program (EELP). EELP receives funding from philanthropic foundations that support the clean energy transition.
Eliza Martin does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
Source: The Conversation – USA – By Charles J. Russo, Joseph Panzer Chair in Education and Research Professor of Law, University of Dayton
A selection of books that are part of the Supreme Court case Mahmoud v. Taylor are pictured on April, 15, 2025, in Washington.AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais
A century ago, the Supreme Court handed down one of its most important cases about education. On June 1, 1925, the court struck down an Oregon statute requiring all students to attend public school – a law critics argued was meant to limit faith-based schools, at a time when anti-Catholic bias was still common in parts of the United States.
The majority opinion in Pierce v. Society of Sisters of the Holy Name of Jesus and Mary included a now-famous dictum about parents’ rights to shape their children’s upbringing. According to the court, “the child is not the mere creature of the state; those who nurture him and direct his destiny have the right, coupled with the high duty, to recognize and prepare him for additional obligations.”
Soon, the Supreme Court is expected to release another decision around parental beliefs and education: Mahmoud v. Taylor. The plaintiffs are parents who want to excuse their children from public school lessons involving storybooks with LGBTQ+ characters – lessons they assert contradict their religious beliefs.
As someone who teaches education law, I believe this is perhaps the court’s most significant case on parental rights since Pierce. Mahmoud raises questions not only about religious freedom, but also about educators’ ability to determine curricula, and public education in a pluralistic society.
Picture-book debate
Controversy arose during the 2022-23 school year in Montgomery County, Maryland’s largest school district, when officials approved various storybooks with LGBTQ+-inclusive themes to be incorporated into the English language-arts curriculum for preschool and elementary students.
Some parents challenged the materials, including “Pride Puppy!”, a picture book the board later removed from use. Originally approved for preschool and pre-K, the story portrays a family whose puppy gets lost at a LGBTQ+ Pride parade, devoting a page to each letter of the alphabet. At the end of the book, a long “search and find” list of words for children to go back and look for in the pictures of the parade includes “[drag] queen” and “king,” “leather” and “lip ring.”
Other materials for older children included stories about same-sex marriage, a transgender child and nonbinary bathroom signs.
Parents who objected to the use of these materials on religious grounds sought to excuse their children from lessons using them. The parents basically argued that requiring their children to participate compelled or coerced them to go against their families’ religious beliefs.
A group of parents protest in Rockville, Md., on June 27, 2023, in an effort to opt out of books that feature LGBTQ+ characters in Montgomery County schools. Sarah L. Voisin/The Washington Post via Getty Images
Initially, officials agreed to allow opt-outs for elementary schoolers whose parents objected to the materials. However, a day later they changed their minds. Since then, school officials cited concerns about absenteeism, the feasibility of accommodating opt-out requests, and a desire to avoid stigmatizing LGBTQ+ students or families as reasons for their policy.
A group of Muslim, Orthodox Christian and Catholic families challenged the board’s refusal to excuse their children from lessons using the disputed materials.
The federal trial court, however, rejected the parents’ claim that having no opt-outs violated their right to due process.
Parents appealed, and the 4th Circuit affirmed in favor of the school board 2-1. The court added that officials had not violated the parents’ First Amendment rights to freely exercise their faith. “There’s no evidence at present that the Board’s decision not to permit opt-outs compels the Parents or their children to change their religious beliefs or conduct, either at school or elsewhere,” the panel concluded.
The dissenting judge stridently countered. Officials violated the parents’ free exercise rights by forcing them “to make a choice,” he wrote, between “either adher[ing] to their faith, or receiv[ing] a free public education for their children.” He also noted that the board’s opt-out policy was not neutral toward religion, because under Maryland regulations, children may be excused from sex-ed lessons.
In January 2025, the Supreme Court agreed to hear the parents’ appeal, addressing whether the schools are burdening parents’ free-exercise rights.
Court record
In their brief to the Supreme Court and oral arguments, the parents cited Wisconsin v. Yoder, a Supreme Court ruling from 1972. The court found that Amish parents did not have to send their children to school after the eighth grade, which the families argued would violate their religious beliefs. Amish communities descend from Anabaptist Christians who fled persecution in Europe and emphasize living simply, eschewing many modern technologies.
In Yoder, the justices agreed with the parents that their children received all the education they needed in their home communities. Under the First Amendment, parents have the right “to guide the religious future and education of their children,” the majority wrote, a matter “established beyond debate.”
During oral arguments for Mahmoud in April 2025, some justices briefly discussed another precedent: the Supreme Court’s 1943 judgment in West Virginia State Board of Education v. Barnette, resolved at the height of U.S. involvement in World War II. Here, three parents who were Jehovah’s Witnesses refused to have their children participate in public schools’ flag salute and Pledge of Allegiance because they viewed it as a form of idolatry contrary to their religious beliefs. Others objected
to the salute as “being too much like Hitler’s.”
The court reasoned that educators could not compel students to participate, because forcing children – or anyone – to engage in activities inconsistent with their beliefs is contrary to their First Amendment rights to the free exercise of religion and freedom of speech.
Viewed together, these cases highlight how the court has granted parents significant leeway to exempt their children from educational activities inconsistent with their religious beliefs.
Questions at court
During oral arguments, a majority of justices appeared to support the parents’ request to excuse children from lessons involving the books about LGBTQ+ characters.
The board’s attorney argued that students did not have to agree with the books’ messages, simply to participate in the lesson. Being exposed to an idea “does not burden free exercise,” he said.
Protesters in support of LGBTQ+ rights and against book bans outside the U.S. Supreme Court building on April 22, 2025, the day the court heard arguments in Mahmoud v. Taylor. Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images
Chief Justice John Roberts, however, queried whether it is realistic for 5-year-olds to understand that distinction. He asked, “Do you want to say you don’t have to follow the teacher’s instructions, you don’t have to agree with the teacher? I mean, that may be a more dangerous message than some of the other things.”
Other conservative justices also appeared skeptical of the idea that the lessons were merely exposing young children to ideas, but not instilling moral lessons. The storybooks do not simply explain that some people believe something and others do not, Justice Amy Coney Barrett suggested; they inform students that “this is the right view of the world.” Similarly, Justice Neil Gorsuch remarked that telling students that “some people think X, and X is wrong and hurtful and negative” is “more than exposure.”
“What is the big deal about allowing them to opt out of this?” Justice Samuel Alito asked.
Conversely, Justice Elena Kagan acknowledged that parents’ concerns were “serious,” but wondered how to draw limits on opt-out policies. Did the parents’ argument suggest that anytime “a religious person confronts anything in a classroom that conflicts with her religious beliefs or her parents’ that – that the parent can then demand an opt-out?”
Justice Sonia Sotomayor pressed the plaintiffs’ attorney on whether “the mere exposure to things that you object to” really counts as coercion. And Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson questioned why, even if opt-outs are not allowed, public schools teaching “something that the parent disagrees with” is coercive, given that homeschooling and private schools are legal.
Mahmoud raises challenging questions about curricular content, parental control and free exercise of religion – questions the court will hopefully resolve. A ruling is expected in June or early July 2025.
Charles J. Russo does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
Source: Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe – OSCE
Headline: OSCE-supported conference in Montenegro tackles challenges of transnational drug crime
(l-r) U.S. Ambassador Judy Rising Reinke, Special State Prosecutor Vladimir Novović, acting director of the Police Directorate Lazar Šćepanović, Head of the OSCE Mission to Montenegro Jan Haukaas and Security Co-operation and Governance Programme Manager Stephen Harmon at the opening of the three-day international conference in Budva, 4 June 2025. (OSCE/Marina Živaljević) Photo details
Transnational organized crime, specifically drug trafficking, remains a critical, shared threat that transcends national borders. It can only be effectively countered through co-ordinated, joint action grounded in international collaboration, sustained strategic commitment, and mutual trust.
This was emphasized at the opening of a three-day international conference “Connecting the Drugs: Challenges and Threats from Expanding Trans-Atlantic Collusion and Traffic in Drug Crime”, organized by the OSCE Mission to Montenegro and the Police Directorate of Montenegro, with support from the Embassy of the United States of America. The event is taking place from 4 to 6 June in Budva.
The conference brings together 70 regional law enforcement leaders, investigators, and prosecutors involved in organized crime investigations from countries of the Western Balkans region, Italy, Romania, Spain and the United States.
Opening the conference, acting director of the Police Directorate of Montenegro, Lazar Šćepanović, noted that the dominant criminal activity of high-risk organized crime groups from Montenegro continues to be cocaine smuggling at the international level, with these structures maintaining links to criminal groups across the Western Balkans. “Despite all the challenges, Montenegro has made significant progress in the fight against transnational organized crime and drug trafficking in the previous period, relying on strengthening police co-operation, adopting European standards, and intensive international co-ordination,” said director Šćepanović. He also emphasized that “the priority of the Montenegrin police will remain the strengthening and intensifying of international police co-operation”, which is one of the underlying themes of the conference.
Special State Prosecutor Vladimir Novović stated that he was proud that the Special State Prosecutor’s Office had developed relations and intensive co-operation with key international institutions. “Each of them, within their own jurisdiction, is dedicated to fighting this global problem,” said Special Prosecutor Novović. He further noted that this co-operation has already enabled the prosecution to achieve significant results, especially in terms of uncovering and prosecuting international drug trafficking rings.”
U.S. Ambassador Judy Rising Reinke highlighted that the fight against drug trafficking requires unwavering commitment, collaboration, innovation, and trust. “Montenegro has been an incredible partner in this fight, and their leadership in this regional event is testament to the effectiveness of the police and prosecutors who work tirelessly to dismantle criminal groups. The positive results are encouraging, but there is still so much more to be done. Thank you for joining us here today so that together we can degrade these criminal networks, protect our communities, and ensure a safer future,” said Ambassador Reinke.
Head of Mission Jan Haukaas stated that the OSCE’s regional presence and comprehensive mandate made it uniquely positioned to support cross-border co-operation. “The OSCE is well placed to facilitate trust among institutions, and promote holistic, cross-sectoral responses that address both the criminal, institutional, economic and societal risks posed by criminal networks. This conference can contribute to those efforts by bringing together law enforcement and prosecutorial institutions across Southeast Europe and beyond,” said Ambassador Haukaas.
This three-day conference provides a platform for participants to exchange regional and international expertise in combating drug crime, with a particular focus on emerging collusion between South East Europe and Latin American criminal organizations. It also explores challenges and threats criminal collaboration poses to the region and the rest of Europe. The event brings together representatives from leading international, regional, and national law enforcement and criminal justice agencies, with presentations by UNODC, INTERPOL, EUROPOL, EUDA, DEA and the FBI, among others. The conference also includes an in-depth expert presentation by the Vigilance Project on Latin American drug cartels and the threats they represent for Europe, including Southeast Europe.
The following is a guest post by Louis Gilbert and Stephania Alvarez, foreign law specialists at the Law Library of Congress. Louis has previously published the following post: “Wait, It Is Not About Wigs?” – The Story of Faso Dan Fani Court Robes in Burkina Faso, and “Join Us on 11/21 for a Foreign and Comparative Law Webinar titled “Review of Law Library of Congress Research Reports Published in 2024.” Stephania has previously published the following blog posts: FALQs: Guyana-Venezuela Territorial Dispute, and Law Library Publishes New Report, “Peru: Civic Space Legal Framework.”
Please join us on June 26, 2025, at 2:00 p.m. EDT, for another entry into our Foreign and Comparative Law Webinar series with our “Two Sides of the Same Coin: The Evolution of Surrogacy Law in France and Colombia” webinar. Surrogacy and the adoption of children born through this practice have been the focus of significant legislative and jurisprudential developments around the world. The evolution of surrogacy in France and Colombia has different legal implications in each country.
Register here.
In Colombia, surrogacy is neither explicitly regulated nor prohibited. Nevertheless, the Constitutional Court has addressed this topic in various rulings, in which it has established rules and requirements for surrogacy agreements and emphasized the need to protect the child’s fundamental rights.
On the other hand, surrogacy is forbidden in France, and the recognition of children born abroad is currently at the center of legal discussions. Recent developments in French jurisprudence have enabled numerous French citizens to resort to surrogacy agreements abroad. The questions of filiation and adoption are no longer framed solely around the legality or prohibition of certain practices but are increasingly approached from the perspective of the child’s fundamental rights.
Although France and Colombia adopt opposing approaches to surrogacy, their legal systems complement each other in safeguarding the best interests of the child. In Colombia, the severance of the legal bond between the surrogate and the baby allows for clear filiation between the intended parents and the child, which France now fully recognizes when it has been validly established abroad. Therefore, the absence of a specific legal framework prohibiting surrogacy in Colombia, in addition to the lower costs and greater accessibility compared to other countries, has made this country an increasingly common destination for surrogacy procedures.
Stephania Alvarez is a foreign law specialist at the Law Library of Congress. She conducts research and writes reports on a wide range of topics relating primarily to the laws of Central and South American jurisdictions. Stephania has a Bachelor of Laws from Icesi University in Colombia. She completed a dual degree program at Sciences Po in Paris, France, and Georgetown University Law Center, earning a master’s in environmental policy and a Master of Laws in environmental and energy law, respectively.
Louis Gilbert is a foreign law specialist at the Law Library of Congress. He conducts research and writes reports on topics relating to the laws of French-speaking jurisdictions. He holds a bachelor’s degree in law from the University of Essex, England, a master’s in comparative law from the Université Paris X, France, and a J.D. from American University.
To learn about other upcoming classes on domestic and foreign law topics, visit the Legal Research Institute. Please request ADA accommodations at least five business days in advance by contacting (202) 707-6362 or [email protected].
Subscribeto In Custodia Legis – it’s free! – to receive interesting posts drawn from the Law Library of Congress’s vast collections and our staff’s expertise in U.S., foreign, and international law.
McALLEN, Texas – A 20-year-old Edinburg man has been sentenced for attempting to coerce and entice the production of child sexual abuse material (CSAM) from a Finnish minor, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.
Brandon Roy Alvarez pleaded guilty Oct. 9, 2024.
U.S. District Judge Drew Tipton has now sentenced Alvarez to 210 months in federal prison. At the hearing, the court heard additional information including that Alvarez would collect child pornography and store it on multiple devices. He would then pose as a minor and utilize the CSAM he collected to entice his victims to produce more. Alvarez will serve 10 years on supervised release following completion of his prison term. During that time, he will have to comply with numerous requirements designed to restrict his access to children and the internet. Alvarez will also be ordered to register as a sex offender.
The investigation began after authorities discovered a 10-year-old minor victim residing in Finland had received sexually explicit messages and CSAM videos from an English-speaking individual through various social media and other applications. They identified Alvarez as that person.
He had attempted to entice the minor victim into sending him a nude photo and/or a video of the victim masturbating from on or about Sept. 17-20, 2023.
Alvarez admitted he used his accounts to meet underage children online. He said he would pretend to be a minor female child to gain the other user’s trust and then use child pornography he collected to lure minors into sending sexually explicit photographs and videos.
FBI conducted the investigation.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Alexa D. Parcell is prosecuting the case, which was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood (PSC), a nationwide initiative the Department of Justice (DOJ) launched in May 2006 to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section leads PSC, which marshals federal, state and local resources to locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children and identifies and rescues victims. For more information about PSC, please visit DOJ’s PSC page. For more information about internet safety education, please visit the resources tab on that page.
Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian – People’s Republic of China in Russian –
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
KABUL, June 5 (Xinhua) — Afghanistan has released a total of 1,559 prisoners and reduced the sentences of 950 more in a show of mercy and goodwill ahead of the Eid al-Adha (Eid al-Adha) holiday, the country’s Supreme Court announced on Wednesday.
According to the statement, the order was issued by Chief Justice and Chairman of the Supreme Court Sheikh Abdul Hakim Haqqani as part of a nationwide initiative to celebrate Eid al-Adha in the spirit of mercy and forgiveness.
The prisoners were pardoned and released from prisons in the provinces of Kabul, Nangarhar, Laghman, Panjshir, Parwan, Paktia, Khost and Nimroz, the statement said.
According to a prison official, there are currently 12,000 to 14,000 Afghan citizens, including women and children, held in prisons across the country.
Eid al-Adha is the biggest religious festival in Afghanistan. This year it will be celebrated from Saturday to Tuesday. –0–
RENO, Nev., June 05, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Bullet Blockchain, Inc. (OTC: BULT), a leading innovator in blockchain technology and digital asset management, today announced that its management will present live at the Blockchain and Digital Assets Virtual Investor Conference, hosted by VirtualInvestorConferences.com, on June 5, 2025, at 2:30 PM ET.
This will be a live, interactive online event where investors are invited to ask the company questions in real-time. If attendees are not able to join the event live on the day of the conference, an archived webcast will also be made available after the event.
It is recommended that online investors pre-register and run the online system check to expedite participation and receive event updates.
Attended the Bitcoin2025 Conference – Furthered opportunities across many key aspects of operations including: wallet security partnerships, expansion and implementation of hardware/software capabilities, negotiating new hires and strategic partnerships with crypto focused companies.
New C-Suite Executive – Appointed Eric Noveshen as the company’s Executive Vice President and interim-Chief Financial Officer.
Exclusive Cybersecurity Solution for Crypto ATMs – Executed exclusive partnership with Sailo Technologies CY Ltd., to integrate next-generation digital wallet security solutions into crypto ATMs—preventing fraud and affording users a seamless transaction experience.
Continued Growth – Began operations in QT2 2023 acquiring 26 ATM Kiosks; ending year with 74 crypto ATMs and $1.68M in Revenue (exceeding year’s projections). Closed 2024 year with 200 Crypto ATM Kiosks, operational in 6 states, and $2.21M in Revenue.
About Bullet Blockchain, Inc. Bullet Blockchain, Inc. (OTC: BULT), based in Las Vegas, Nevada, is a diversified blockchain and Web 3.0 technology company. Through its wholly owned subsidiary, First Bitcoin Capital LLC, Bullet holds exclusive rights to two foundational U.S. patents for Bitcoin ATMs—positioning it as the only U.S.-based company with this IP. Its Bitcoin ATMs, operated by licensed third parties, support real-time cash-to-Bitcoin transactions and are part of a growing national network focused on expanding crypto access across diverse communities.
The company is committed to accelerating blockchain innovation and driving shareholder value through strategic software development, licensing, and decentralized platform solutions. Material updates are shared via Bullet Blockchain’s website, OTC Markets disclosures, press releases, and social media channels.
About Virtual Investor Conferences® Virtual Investor Conferences (VIC) is the leading proprietary investor conference series that provides an interactive forum for publicly traded companies to seamlessly present directly to investors.
Providing a real-time investor engagement solution, VIC is specifically designed to offer companies more efficient investor access. Replicating the components of an on-site investor conference, VIC offers companies enhanced capabilities to connect with investors, schedule targeted one-on-one meetings and enhance their presentations with dynamic video content. Accelerating the next level of investor engagement, Virtual Investor Conferences delivers leading investor communications to a global network of retail and institutional investors.
Forward-Looking Statements: Statements in this press release that are not statements of historical or current fact constitute “forward-looking statements.” Such forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other unknown factors that could cause the Company’s actual operating results to be materially different from any historical results or from any future results expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. In addition to these factors, actual future performance, outcomes, and results may differ materially because of more general factors, including (without limitation) general industry and market conditions and growth rates, economic conditions, and governmental and public policy changes. The forward-looking statements included in this press release represent the Company’s views as of the date of this press release, and these views could change at some point in the future. However, the Company specifically disclaims any obligation to do so. These forward-looking statements should not be relied upon as representing the Company’s views as of any date subsequent to the date of the press release. In addition to statements that explicitly describe these risks and uncertainties, readers are urged to consider statements that contain terms such as “believes,” “belief,” “expects,” “expect,” “intends,” “intend,” “anticipate,” “anticipates,” “plans,” “plan,” to be uncertain and forward-looking.
CONTACTS:
Investor Relations Bullet Blockchain, Inc. Email: ir@bulletblockchain.com Tel: (775) 237-8856
Virtual Investor Conferences John M. Viglotti SVP Corporate Services, Investor Access OTC Markets Group (212) 220-2221 johnv@otcmarkets.com
Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments
Speech
Report by OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities, June 2025: UK and Canada joint statement to the OSCE
UK and Canada thank the OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities for his active start in the role and urge continued prioritisation of support for Ukraine against Russian aggression.
Thank you, Mister Chair. I am delivering this statement on behalf of Canada and the UK.
High Commissioner, dear Christophe, welcome back to the Permanent Council. Since this is your first report in this capacity, allow us officially to congratulate you on your appointment and for hitting the ground running. You have had a very active start to your tenure, as demonstrated by your comprehensive report today.
The UK and Canada are strong supporters of your mandate and the work of your office in promoting the rights of persons belonging to national minorities.
We commend your extensive engagement with – and visits to – a number of our participating States, including Moldova and Central Asia. We welcome the transparency around your activities, which you have achieved without undermining the “quiet diplomacy” that is an important characteristic of your mandate.
The UK and Canada greatly value your Office’s continued attention to the intersectionality of gender and national minorities. It is in all our interests that we fully support women’s and girls’ full, equal and meaningful participation in all aspects of public life, including in peace and security. We agree with you, High Commissioner, that greater gender equality in societies contributes to greater comprehensive security for us all.
We also welcome that you have prioritised support to Ukraine, including an early visit. We commend the strides that the Ukrainian authorities have made in strengthening the legal and policy frameworks for protecting national minorities and preparing the ground for inclusive education reforms. This progress provides a promising foundation for Ukraine’s post-conflict recovery.
High Commissioner, your office plays a crucial role which is as important today as it was when created more than 30 years ago. But like most of the OSCE’s tools, it can only play this role when the political will exists to permit it.
The situation in Ukraine is a case in point. Your predecessor noted prior to the full-scale invasion that Ukraine was “working to maintain the delicate balance between the interests and rights of all groups in society”. Rather than engage in good faith dialogue, Russia has weaponised the issue of minorities. And the irony is that those Ukrainians who Russia claimed to be protecting, have suffered greatly from its invasion.
The UK and Canada support your office’s continued focus on the situation in the areas of Ukraine’s sovereign territory temporarily under Russian control. We condemn Russia’s systematic attempt to erase Ukrainian identity in these areas, including forced passportisation and the deportation of children. The deeply concerning situation in Crimea, including widescale repression of Crimean Tatars, has been well documented by numerous independent organisations.
High Commissioner, dear Christophe, we thank you and your team for your considerable efforts in the period covered by your report. You can rely on the UK and Canada’s continued support for your institution in the years ahead. Thank you.
Twenty-five years since the six-day war in Kisangani in Democratic Republic of Congo in which hundreds of civilians were killed and thousands more injured, victims are still waiting for truth, justice and, for the most part, reparations, Amnesty International said in a new briefing today.
The briefing Is anyone moved by Congo’s pain? 25 years without justice for the six-day war in Kisangani, documents how there has not been a single criminal investigation or trial since the bloody conflict between Rwandan and Ugandan forces. During the fighting in the north-eastern city, which started on 5 June 2000, both armies engaged in intense and indiscriminate shelling of heavily populated civilian areas, intentionally killed civilians, raped women and pillaged houses.
It is utterly unacceptable that for 25 years, not a single person has been held to account for crimes perpetrated in Kisangani, not one.
Tigere Chagutah, Amnesty International’s Regional Director for East and Southern Africa
With the DRC courts’ failure to pursue justice and the International Criminal Court’s (ICC) lack of jurisdiction over crimes committed in DRC before 2002, those suspected of criminal responsibility for these crimes have never been prosecuted and punished.
“It is utterly unacceptable that for 25 years, not a single person has been held to account for crimes perpetrated in Kisangani, not one,” said Tigere Chagutah, Amnesty International’s Regional Director for East and Southern Africa. “This lack of criminal accountability for past crimes has led to a cycle of violence in the DRC, with similar actors, similar weapons and similar suffering. Justice cannot wait another 25 years. It is the responsibility of Congolese judicial authorities to investigate and, if there is sufficient admissible evidence, prosecute those suspected of criminal responsibility for crimes committed on DRC territory.”
In 2022, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ordered Uganda to pay reparations, following a case brought by the DRC against Uganda and Rwanda. The ICJ did not have jurisdiction over Rwanda. In 2024, some victims finally started to receive compensation, but the process by been wrought by complaints of mismanagement and embezzlement.
Amnesty International interviewed over 50 people, mostly survivors, as well as civil society organizations and justice sector officials.
The “Three-Day, One-Day and Six-Day wars” in Kisangani
The six-day war was one of a series of conflicts between the Ugandan and Rwandan armies in Kisangani between August 1999 and June 2000 that left behind a trail of death and destruction.
The first war – “the three-day war”, started on 14 June 1999, with the two armies exchanging indiscriminate fire and shelling, which killed more than 30 civilians and wounded more than 100.
After close to a year of relative quiet, fighting started again on 5 May 2000 and lasted only one day. Exactly a month later, the “six-day war”, which was more intense, started. Without differentiating between civilians and combatants, the two armies indiscriminately shelled Kisangani, killing several hundred civilians and injuring thousands.
A civil society activist who survived and reported on the three wars in Kisangani recounted:
“For six days there were only bombs falling, we did not know if we were going to live. There were a lot of fatalities…”
A woman who was seven at the time of the war, recalled:
“I was walking with my grandmother when I was struck by a bomb in my leg. I didn’t know how to get to hospitals, it was dangerous, so we were dealing with the injury at home, but the foot was rotting. On the fifth day I went to the hospital, but it was too late, they cut off my leg.
For six days there were only bombs falling, we did not know if we were going to live. There were a lot of fatalities.
Survivor, Kisangani
“A gentleman who could not go home until the war ended, returned at the end of the six days and found his wife and three children dead, their corpses decomposing. The house had been hit by bombs. “He went mad and died shortly after.”
People want truth, justice and reparations
Despite the lack of judicial criminal proceedings either in the DRC or internationally, the people’s demands for justice and reparations remain strong decades later.
A man, who also survived the wars, said: “My dearest wish was the establishment of courts. This is the wish of the Congolese people. Now we have a sense of frustration in the population. Why were there blockages? It is unclear why crimes that have already been documented have not been tried. Is there nobody emotionally moved by the crimes committed in Congo?”
At least 40 people interviewed told Amnesty International that there was no political will to institute criminal proceedings or deliver justice. Lack of judicial independence has also meant that without the support of political leaders, some of whom are former belligerents, judicial officials could not open investigations.
The complete lack of prosecutions has led to a loss of trust in the country’s justice system and the government.
With regards to reparation programmes, the Special Fund for the Distribution of Compensation to Victims of Uganda’s Illicit Activities in the DRC (FRIVAO), tasked to manage the millions of dollars Uganda has been ordered to pay for reparations by the ICJ, has been criticised for lack of transparency and adequate consultations with victims of the Kisangani wars.
Justice cannot wait another 25 years. It is the responsibility of Congolese judicial authorities to investigate and, if there is sufficient admissible evidence, prosecute those suspected of criminal responsibility for crimes committed on DRC territory
Tigere Chagutah
One activist said: “People have no decency; there has been bloodshed… and they are embezzling funds that were intended for public interest work and victims! That is not what we fought for.”
Tigere Chagutah said: “Amnesty International reminds DRC of its obligations to investigate and, if enough admissible evidence is found, to prosecute in fair trials those suspected of criminal responsibility for the serious crimes committed in the territory of the DRC for over 30 years, including the Kisangani war.”
“The government must also offer adequate, effective and prompt reparations to victims following genuine consultations with survivors and civil society.”
