Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Jim Costa Representing 16th District of California
WASHINGTON – Congressman Jim Costa (CA-21) released the following statement after voting against the partisan Republican budget, H.R. 1 – One Big Beautiful Bill Act, also known as the Big-Ugly Bill. “Republicans had six months to work with Democrats on a bipartisan, responsible budget. Instead, they’ve chosen to put billionaires and big corporations first at the expense of the people of the San Joaquin Valley. Healthcare is essential as the majority of the people that I represent rely on Medicaid, Medicare and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). These vital safety nets ensure families can access food, healthcare, and stable housing. But this bill guts those services and puts rural hospitals at risk of closure, while adding $4 trillion to the deficit. That’s not fiscal responsibility—it’s a direct attack on the communities I represent,” said Congressman Costa. BACKGROUNDThe Senate passed its version of the bill despite bipartisan opposition by a vote of 51-50, advancing legislation originally passed by House Republicans in May 2025. The budget bill is moving through budget reconciliation, a fast-track process that allows Congress to pass fiscal legislation with a simple majority in the Senate.The Senate’s bill goes even further in slashing vital support for American families. It strips more than $1.3 trillion from Medicaid, SNAP, and subsidies under the Affordable Care Act (ACA), while adding an estimated $4 trillion in debt to the deficit. According to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO), the bill will cause 17 million Americans to lose their coverage and increase costs for low-income Medicaid recipients.Data from the Joint Economic Committee (JEC) and House Budget Democrats found that the One Big-Ugly bill threatens the well-being and health of the people of the San Joaquin Valley:
End health coverage for millions — Slashes over $1.1 trillion from Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act, resulting in at least 17 million Americans losing their insurance.
51,233 people in Costa’s district will lose Medicaid (Medi-Cal) coverage, including seniors, children, and those with disabilities. Costa’s district is the second-highest dependent congressional district in California. 9,700 people in Costa’s district will lose their health insurance through the Affordable Care Act (ACA).
Cut SNAP at historic levels — Cuts nearly $200 billion from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), the largest cut in the program’s history.
35,000 people in Costa’s district will lose SNAP benefits – the highest dependent congressional district in California.
Put rural hospitals and clinics at risk — Cuts funding for community health centers, nursing homes, and hospitals like Community Medical Centers (CMC) and Adventist Health that rely heavily on Medicaid to serve low-income and elderly patients. Defund Planned Parenthood – Strips all federal funding from Planned Parenthood, leaving many women with nowhere to go for cancer screenings and prenatal care.
Congressman Costa introduced multiple amendments to protect Valley families—proposals to preserve year-round Medicaid coverage for 775,000 children, restore wildfire prevention funding, preserve SNAP benefits, and ensure that those on SNAP can still receive assistance to pay their home energy bills through the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP). Every Republican voted against it.
Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Jim Costa Representing 16th District of California
WASHINGTON – Congressman Jim Costa (CA-21) released the following statement after voting against the partisan Republican budget, H.R. 1 – One Big Beautiful Bill Act, also known as the Big-Ugly Bill. “Republicans had six months to work with Democrats on a bipartisan, responsible budget. Instead, they’ve chosen to put billionaires and big corporations first at the expense of the people of the San Joaquin Valley. Healthcare is essential as the majority of the people that I represent rely on Medicaid, Medicare and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). These vital safety nets ensure families can access food, healthcare, and stable housing. But this bill guts those services and puts rural hospitals at risk of closure, while adding $4 trillion to the deficit. That’s not fiscal responsibility—it’s a direct attack on the communities I represent,” said Congressman Costa. BACKGROUNDThe Senate passed its version of the bill despite bipartisan opposition by a vote of 51-50, advancing legislation originally passed by House Republicans in May 2025. The budget bill is moving through budget reconciliation, a fast-track process that allows Congress to pass fiscal legislation with a simple majority in the Senate.The Senate’s bill goes even further in slashing vital support for American families. It strips more than $1.3 trillion from Medicaid, SNAP, and subsidies under the Affordable Care Act (ACA), while adding an estimated $4 trillion in debt to the deficit. According to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO), the bill will cause 17 million Americans to lose their coverage and increase costs for low-income Medicaid recipients.Data from the Joint Economic Committee (JEC) and House Budget Democrats found that the One Big-Ugly bill threatens the well-being and health of the people of the San Joaquin Valley:
End health coverage for millions — Slashes over $1.1 trillion from Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act, resulting in at least 17 million Americans losing their insurance.
51,233 people in Costa’s district will lose Medicaid (Medi-Cal) coverage, including seniors, children, and those with disabilities. Costa’s district is the second-highest dependent congressional district in California. 9,700 people in Costa’s district will lose their health insurance through the Affordable Care Act (ACA).
Cut SNAP at historic levels — Cuts nearly $200 billion from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), the largest cut in the program’s history.
35,000 people in Costa’s district will lose SNAP benefits – the highest dependent congressional district in California.
Put rural hospitals and clinics at risk — Cuts funding for community health centers, nursing homes, and hospitals like Community Medical Centers (CMC) and Adventist Health that rely heavily on Medicaid to serve low-income and elderly patients. Defund Planned Parenthood – Strips all federal funding from Planned Parenthood, leaving many women with nowhere to go for cancer screenings and prenatal care.
Congressman Costa introduced multiple amendments to protect Valley families—proposals to preserve year-round Medicaid coverage for 775,000 children, restore wildfire prevention funding, preserve SNAP benefits, and ensure that those on SNAP can still receive assistance to pay their home energy bills through the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP). Every Republican voted against it.
As Africa contends with escalating insecurity, unconstitutional transitions, and protracted conflicts, parliamentary leaders are increasingly stepping into central roles in peace building and conflict resolution across the continent.
The upcoming Extraordinary General Assembly of the Conference of Speakers and Presidents of African Legislatures (CoSPAL), scheduled for 19 to 20 July in Kampala, is expected to consolidate these efforts by providing a platform for Speakers to advance legislative-led responses to Africa’s security challenges.
Speaking during a special pre-conference briefing held on Thursday, 03 July 2025, at the Parliament of Uganda for diplomats of African countries accredited to Uganda, Hon. Geofrey Ekanya, the Member of Parliament for Tororo North County, delivered a statement on behalf of the Speaker of Parliament, Anita Among.
He described the conference as “a crucial opportunity for African legislative leaders to come together and seek solutions to the myriad challenges affecting peace and security on the continent.”
The summit builds on recent initiatives by the Forum of Parliaments of the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region (FP-ICGLR), including a fact-finding mission to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) led by Speakers from member states.
Speaker Among and her Zambian counterpart, Rt Hon. Nelly Mutti, were part of the DRC mission.
“To further enrich their understanding of the conflict,” Among said, “the team met H.E. the President of the Republic of Uganda, who shared with them the historical perspective of the conflict and possible opportunities to find a lasting solution.”
The Speaker added that President Yoweri Museveni also offered insights into the causes of conflict in other African countries and ways these might be resolved.
The findings from that mission were later adopted during the 15th Plenary Assembly of FP-ICGLR in Angola in April 2025.
“In the final communiqué of this Assembly under Resolution Number 15, it was agreed to request the Conference of Speakers and Presidents of African Legislatures to convene an extraordinary meeting to consider the proposals by FP-ICGLR to address matters of peace and security on DRC and the African continent at large,” Speaker Among said.
The Government of Uganda accepted the request to host the event, which will take place at the Munonyo Commonwealth Resort, Kampala.
“This extraordinary conference provides a unique opportunity for Speakers and Presidents of African legislatures to convene, collaborate, and commit to actionable strategies for fostering peace and security on the continent,” she added.
The conference will aim to deepen understanding of contemporary security threats such as terrorism, electoral violence, unconstitutional transitions, and organised crime.
It will also focus on strengthening legislative oversight, promoting parliamentary diplomacy, sharing best practices, and fostering inter-parliamentary cooperation. “The theme is intended to bring African legislatures at the centre of conflict resolution because of their representative role,” Among noted.
Expected outcomes include a resolution calling for ceasefires in conflict-affected countries, support for regional peace efforts led by bodies like the African Union; ECOWAS; EAC; SADC; ICGLR; IGAD; and the Arab Maghreb Union and the establishment of a permanent African Speakers Centre on Peace and Security to be hosted in Uganda.
“The centre will serve as a permanent body for coordinating Speakers and Presidents of African Legislatures’ efforts across Africa in promoting peace, conflict resolution, and legislative actions,” she said.
The Government of Uganda has committed to providing all necessary logistical support, including VIP immigration clearance, airport transfers, and security for delegates.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Parliament of the Republic of Uganda.
Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Brittany Pettersen (Colorado 7th District)
Today, U.S. Representative Brittany Pettersen (CO-07) released the following statement after voting against Republicans’ disastrous budget bill:
“It’s hard for me to hold back tears when trying to articulate how bad this bill truly is and what it will do to families and communities across this country. We only needed a few Republicans to stand up and do the right thing for their constituents, but unfortunately too many caved to Trump’s threats.
“Today, I’m thinking of people like my mom who work low-wage jobs and wouldn’t be able to survive without Medicaid. I’m thinking of the thousands of Coloradans who have reached out to my office, terrified about what this means for their kids, people with disabilities, seniors who live on a fixed income, and families in need.
“It threatens to shutter rural hospitals and nursing homes, fire frontline health workers, and destroy the behavioral health system we’ve spent years building – one that’s saved countless lives, including my mom’s, through addiction treatment and recovery services.
“When I served in the state legislature, we always said the budget is a moral document. This one makes Trump’s priorities crystal clear: he doesn’t care about us, and he never has. He only values the 33 billionaires in our country and big corporations who will be on the receiving end of the largest transfer of wealth in U.S. history on the backs of middle-class families.
“I’m crushed, and I know you are too. I promise to never stop fighting alongside you because we deserve a government that works for everyone – not just the rich and powerful. Please don’t stop showing up, telling your story, and speaking out. We need you now more than ever.”
WASHINGTON, D.C.– Today, U.S. Representative Gabe Vasquez (NM-02) issued the following statement in response to the passage of the Republican reconciliation bill, which slashes programs that support working families, children, seniors, and rural communities across New Mexico in order to pay for tax cuts for billionaires.
“Republicans just chose to pass a bill that will make life harder and more expensive for the American people. They chose the billionaire class over the working class. The pain this will cause will echo for generations,” saidVasquez. “When millions lose their health care, local hospitals close, utility bills skyrocket, and kids are left hungry, New Mexicans will remember today as the day Republicans sold them out to billionaires.”
What this bill means for NM-02:
Over 110,000 New Mexicans at Risk of Losing Health Care :This Republican bill will cut support for Medicaid, jeopardizing benefits for more than 110,000 patients across New Mexico – 40,000 of those in Rep. Vasquez’s district.
Eight Rural Hospitals Serving Residents of NM-02 at Risk of Closing:Carlsbad Medical Center, Socorro General Hospital, Mimbres Memorial Hospital, Covenant Health Hobbs Hospital, Lincoln County Medical Center, and three other nearby hospitals that serve residents of Rep. Vasquez’s district are at risk of having to reduce services or close their doors completely due to health care provisions in the Big Ugly Bill. Expectant mothers in Hatch will go without critical prenatal support, grandparents in Silver City will lose access to long-term care, and kids in Hobbs will need to travel farther for emergency surgeries.
More Kids Will Go Hungry:Republicans have chosen to slash $180 billion from SNAP and nutrition assistance benefits, meaning over 175,000 New Mexicans could lose access to vital food assistance programs as a result.
Utility Bills to Soar by 25% Annually: The cuts to clean energy tax credits imposed by this bill could force New Mexicans to pay more than $500 more per year to keep the lights on.
Supporters of the bill say it will usher America into an age of fiscal responsibility, but it won’t. It will increase the national debt by as much as $5 trillion dollarsto fund tax cuts to the wealthy.
Additional Republican priorities at the expense of New Mexicans’ health care:
Special tax exemptions for whaling-boat captains
Tax exemptions to purchase firearm silencers
Spending $85 million for a pet project to move Space Shuttle Discovery to Texas
An unreasonable tax increase for poker players, legal sports bettors, and casino patrons
Rescinds tax credit for lowering air pollution near schools
As a first-generation Mexican-American who was raised along the border, Rep. Vasquez knows firsthand how these cuts will make life harder for working class people across New Mexico as they try to make ends meet each month. He will continue to advocate for a fair economy and government that works for everyone — not just the ultra-wealthy.
WASHINGTON, D.C.– Today, U.S. Representative Gabe Vasquez (NM-02) issued the following statement in response to the passage of the Republican reconciliation bill, which slashes programs that support working families, children, seniors, and rural communities across New Mexico in order to pay for tax cuts for billionaires.
“Republicans just chose to pass a bill that will make life harder and more expensive for the American people. They chose the billionaire class over the working class. The pain this will cause will echo for generations,” saidVasquez. “When millions lose their health care, local hospitals close, utility bills skyrocket, and kids are left hungry, New Mexicans will remember today as the day Republicans sold them out to billionaires.”
What this bill means for NM-02:
Over 110,000 New Mexicans at Risk of Losing Health Care :This Republican bill will cut support for Medicaid, jeopardizing benefits for more than 110,000 patients across New Mexico – 40,000 of those in Rep. Vasquez’s district.
Eight Rural Hospitals Serving Residents of NM-02 at Risk of Closing:Carlsbad Medical Center, Socorro General Hospital, Mimbres Memorial Hospital, Covenant Health Hobbs Hospital, Lincoln County Medical Center, and three other nearby hospitals that serve residents of Rep. Vasquez’s district are at risk of having to reduce services or close their doors completely due to health care provisions in the Big Ugly Bill. Expectant mothers in Hatch will go without critical prenatal support, grandparents in Silver City will lose access to long-term care, and kids in Hobbs will need to travel farther for emergency surgeries.
More Kids Will Go Hungry:Republicans have chosen to slash $180 billion from SNAP and nutrition assistance benefits, meaning over 175,000 New Mexicans could lose access to vital food assistance programs as a result.
Utility Bills to Soar by 25% Annually: The cuts to clean energy tax credits imposed by this bill could force New Mexicans to pay more than $500 more per year to keep the lights on.
Supporters of the bill say it will usher America into an age of fiscal responsibility, but it won’t. It will increase the national debt by as much as $5 trillion dollarsto fund tax cuts to the wealthy.
Additional Republican priorities at the expense of New Mexicans’ health care:
Special tax exemptions for whaling-boat captains
Tax exemptions to purchase firearm silencers
Spending $85 million for a pet project to move Space Shuttle Discovery to Texas
An unreasonable tax increase for poker players, legal sports bettors, and casino patrons
Rescinds tax credit for lowering air pollution near schools
As a first-generation Mexican-American who was raised along the border, Rep. Vasquez knows firsthand how these cuts will make life harder for working class people across New Mexico as they try to make ends meet each month. He will continue to advocate for a fair economy and government that works for everyone — not just the ultra-wealthy.
Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian – People’s Republic of China in Russian –
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
CHICAGO, July 3 (Xinhua) — Four people were killed and 14 others were wounded in a drive-by shooting that occurred outside a private album release party in downtown Chicago on Wednesday evening, local police said.
The attack occurred shortly before midnight as guests were leaving an event hosted by local rapper Mello Buckzz in the River North neighborhood. A black SUV pulled over and several shooters opened fire before fleeing the scene.
Of the 18 victims, two men and two women died. Several people remain in critical condition. The suspects have not yet been arrested, and police are investigating possible motives for the attack. –0–
Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian – People’s Republic of China in Russian –
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
TBILISI, July 3 (Xinhua) — A delegation of the Military Police of the Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Azerbaijan led by Major General Elgun Aliyev paid an official visit to Georgia to discuss bilateral cooperation in the military sphere, the Georgian Defense Ministry said on Thursday.
The members of the delegation were received by the Chief of the Military Police Department of Georgia, Major General of Defense Shalva Shengelia. During the working meeting, the parties discussed issues of bilateral cooperation and further plans to deepen relations.
During the visit, representatives of the Azerbaijani military police inspected weapons and equipment, and observed live-fire exercises, including operations in buildings and activities to protect high-ranking officials.
The visit took place within the framework of a bilateral agreement on cooperation in the defense sector. –0–
Ancient wooden tools found at a site in Gantangqing in southwestern China are approximately 300,000 years old, new dating has shown. Discovered during excavations carried out in 2014–15 and 2018–19, the tools have now been dated by a team of archaeologists, geologists, chronologists (including me) and paleontologists.
The rare wooden tools were found alongside an assortment of animal and plant fossils and stone artifacts.
Taken together, the finds suggest the early humans at Gantangqing were surprisingly sophisticated woodworkers who lived in a rich tropical or subtropical environment where they subsisted by harvesting plants from a nearby lake.
The location of the Gantangqing site and excavation trenches. Liu et al. / Science
Why ancient wooden tools are so rare
Wood usually decomposes relatively rapidly due to microbial activity, oxidation, and weathering. Unlike stone or bone, it rarely survives more than a few centuries.
Wood can only survive for thousands of years or longer if it ends up buried in unusual conditions. Wood can last a long time in oxygen-free environments or extremely dry areas. Charred or fire-hardened wood is also more durable.
At Gantangqing, the wooden objects were excavated from low-oxygen clay-heavy layers of sediment formed on the ancient shoreline of Fuxian Lake.
Wooden implements are extremely rare from the Early Palaeolithic period (the first part of the “stone age” from around 3.3 million years ago until 300,000 years ago or so, in which our hominin ancestors first began to use tools). Indeed, wooden tools more than even 50,000 years old are virtually absent outside Africa and western Eurasia.
As a result, we may have a skewed understanding of Palaeolithic cultures. We may overemphasise the role of stone tools, for example, because they are what has survived.
What wooden tools were found at Gantangqing?
The new excavations at Gantangqing found 35 wooden specimens identified as artificially modified tools. These tools were primarily manufactured from pine wood, with a minority crafted from hardwoods.
Some of the tools had rounded ends, while others had chisel-like thin blades or ridged blades. Of the 35 tools, 32 show marks of intentional modification at their tips, working edges, or bases.
Two large digging implements were identified as heavy-duty digging sticks designed for two-handed use. These are unique forms of digging implements not documented elsewhere, suggesting localised functional adaptations. There were also four distinct hook-shaped tools — likely used for cutting roots — and a series of smaller tools for one-handed use.
Nineteen of the tools showed microscopic traces of scraping from shaping or use, while 17 exhibit deliberately polished surfaces. We also identified further evidence of intensive use, including soil residues stuck to tool tips, parallel grooves or streaks along working edges, and characteristic fracture wear patterns.
The tools from Gantangqing are more complete and show a wider range of functions than those found at contemporary sites such as Clacton in the UK and Florisbad in South Africa.
The team used several techniques to figure out the age of the wooden tools. There is no way to determine their age directly, but we can date the sediment in which they were found.
Using a technique called infrared stimulated luminescence, we analysed more than 10,000 individual grains of minerals from different layers. This showed the sediment was deposited roughly between 350,000 and 200,000 years ago.
Dating the different layers of sediment excavated at the site produced a detailed timeline. Liu et al. / Science
We also used different techniques to date a mammal tooth found in one of the layers to roughly 288,000 years old. This was consistent with the mineral results.
Next we used mathematical modelling to bring all the dating results together. Our model indicated that the layers containing stone tools and wooden implements date from 360–300,000 years ago to 290–250,000 years ago.
What was the environment like?
Our research indicates the ancient humans at Gantangqing inhabited a warm, humid, tropical or subtropical environment. Pollen extracted from the sediments reveals 40 plant families that confirm this climate.
Plant fossils further verify the presence of subtropical-to-tropical flora dominated by trees, lianas, shrubs and herbs. Wet-environment plants show the local surroundings were a lakeside or wetlands.
Animal fossils also fit this picture, including rhinoceros and other mammals, turtles and various birds. The ecosystem was likely a mosaic of grassland, thickets and forests. Evidence of diving ducks confirms the lake must have been at least 2–3 metres deep during human occupation.
The site contained evidence of plants such as storable pine nuts and hazelnuts, fruit trees such as kiwi, raspberry-like berries, grapes, edible herbs and fern fronds.
There were also aquatic plants that would have provided edible leaves, seeds, tubers and rhizomes. These were likely dug up from shallow mud near the shore, using wooden tools.
These findings suggest the Gantangqing hominins may have made expeditions to the lake shore, carrying purpose-made wooden digging sticks to harvest underground food sources. To do this, they would have had to anticipate seasonal plant distributions, know exactly what parts of different plants were edible, and produce specialised tools for different tasks.
Why the Gantangqing site is important
The wooden implements from Gantangqing represent the earliest known evidence for the use of digging sticks and for the exploitation of underground plant storage organs such as tubers within the Oriental biogeographic realm. Our discovery shows the use of sophisticated wood technology in a very different environmental context from what has been seen at sites of similar age in Europe and Africa.
The find significantly expands our understanding of early hominin woodworking capabilities.
The hominins who lived at Gantangqing appear to have lived a heavily plant-based subsistence lifestyle. This is in contrast to colder, more northern settings where tools of similar age have been found (such as Schöningen in Germany), where hunting large mammals was the key to survival.
The site also shows how important wood – and perhaps other organic materials – were to “stone age” hominins. These wooden artifacts show far more sophisticated manufacturing skill than the relative rudimentary stone tools found at sites of similar age across East and Southeast Asia.
The excavation, curation, and research of the Gantangqing site were supported by
National Cultural Heritage Administration (China), Yunnan Provincial Institute of
Cultural Relics and Archaeology, Yuxi Municipal Bureau of Culture and Tourism,
Chengjiang Municipal Bureau of Culture and Tourism, Australian Research Council
(ARC) Discovery Projects, Strategic Priority Research Program of the Chinese
Academy of Sciences, Hong Kong Research Grants Council (RGC), National Natural
Science Foundation of China (NSFC).
Noon Briefing by Stéphane Dujarric, Spokesperson for the Secretary-General.
Highlights:
Secretary-General/Trip Announcement
Deputy Secretary-General
Gaza
Occupied Palestinian Territory
Lebanon
Cyprus
Ukraine
Russia
Senior Personnel Appointment
Yemen
Global Risk Report
International Days
Financial Contribution
SECRETARY-GENERAL/TRIP ANNOUNCEMENT
The Secretary-General will be arriving in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, to attend the 17th Summit of the BRICS countries.
The Secretary-General has been invited to speak at an outreach session on “Strengthening multilateralism, economic-financial affairs and artificial intelligence”, that will take place on Sunday, 6 July. On Monday, 7 July, he will address a second outreach session, on “Environment, COP30 and global health.”
During his visit, the Secretary-General will also be having meetings with various leaders who are attending the BRICS Summit and we will share those readouts with you.
DEPUTY SECRETARY-GENERAL
Our Deputy Secretary-General, Amina Mohammed, returned to Seville today for the closing of the Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development (FFD4).
At the closing with Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez of Spain, she underscored the consensus around the Seville Agreement as a demonstration of multilateralism in action — with actions to close the SDG financing gap, address the debt crisis, and reform the international financial architecture. She recognized the more than 100 initiatives launched on the Sevilla Platform for Action, including solidarity levies on private jets and first-class travel to generate new resources for sustainable development.
She said that the UN will be operationalizing a Seville Forum on Debt to help countries learn from one another and coordinate their approaches in debt management and restructuring; that forum will be supported by Spain.
She called for FFD4 to be remembered not only as a conference that responded to crisis, but as the moment the world chose cooperation over fragmentation, unity over division, and action over inertia.
Tomorrow, she will travel to Praia, Cabo Verde, to take part in celebrations marking the 50th anniversary of the country’s independence.
GAZA
The Secretary-General is appalled by the deepening humanitarian crisis in Gaza. Multiple attacks in recent days hitting sites hosting displaced people and people trying to access food have killed and injured scores of Palestinians. The Secretary-General strongly condemns the civilian loss of life.
In just one day this week, Israeli orders to relocate forced nearly 30,000 people to flee, yet again, with no safe place to go and clearly inadequate supplies of shelter, food, medicine or water.
International humanitarian law is unambiguous: civilians must be respected and protected, and the needs of the population must be met.
With no fuel having entered Gaza in more than 17 weeks, the Secretary-General is gravely concerned that the last lifelines for survival are being cut off. Without an urgent influx of fuel, incubators will shut down, ambulances will be unable to reach the injured and sick, and water cannot be purified. The delivery by the United Nations and partners of what little of our lifesaving humanitarian aid is left in Gaza will also grind to a halt.
He once again calls for full, safe and sustained humanitarian access so aid can reach people who have been deprived of the basics of life for far too long. The UN has a clear and proven plan, rooted in the humanitarian principles, to get vital assistance to civilians – safely and at scale, wherever they are.
The Secretary-General reiterates that all parties must uphold their obligations under international law. He renews his call for an immediate permanent ceasefire and for the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages held by Hamas and other groups.
Full Highlights:
https://www.un.org/sg/en/content/noon-briefing-highlight?date%5Bvalue%5D%5Bdate%5D=03%20July%202025
Fighting between warring parties is creating a desperate situation for civilians in El Fasher, Sudan, and its surrounding areas.
MSF’s new report exposes systematic patterns of violence in the area, that includes looting, mass killings, sexual violence, abductions, and starvation.
MSF urges the warring parties to spare civilians and grant access for humanitarian organisations to provide critical aid to people in need.
Mass atrocities are underway in Sudan’s North Darfur region, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) warned in a report today, urging the warring parties of the conflict in Sudan to halt indiscriminate and ethnically targeted violence and facilitate an immediate large-scale humanitarian response. While daily fighting in El Fasher is already putting lives at risk, MSF is extremely concerned about the threats of a full-blown assault on the hundreds of thousands of people in the city.
As fighting has intensified in the area since May 2024, civilians have continued to be the main victims. The report, Besieged, Attacked, Starved, outlines a desperate situation for civilians in and around El Fasher that requires immediate attention and response.
“People are not only caught in indiscriminate heavy fighting between the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and their respective allies – but also actively targeted by the RSF and its allies, notably on the basis of their ethnicity,” says Michel Olivier Lacharité, MSF head of emergencies.
Based on MSF data, direct observations and over 80 interviews conducted between May 2024 and May 2025 with patients and people who were displaced from El Fasher and nearby Zamzam camp, the report exposes systematic patterns of violence that includes looting, mass killings, sexual violence, abductions, starvation and attacks against markets, health facilities, and other civilian infrastructure.
“As patients and communities tell their stories to our teams and asked us to speak out, while their suffering is hardly on the international agenda, we felt compelled to document these patterns of relentless violence that have been crushing countless lives in general indifference and inaction over the past year,” says Mathilde Simon, MSF’s humanitarian affairs advisor.
Besieged, Attacked, Starved also details how the RSF and their allies conducted a large-scale ground offensive in April on Zamzam camp for displaced people, located outside of El Fasher, which caused an estimated 400,000 people to flee in less than three weeks in appalling conditions. A large portion of the camp’s population fled to El Fasher, where they remained trapped, out of reach of humanitarian aid and exposed to attacks and further mass violence. Tens of thousands more escaped to Tawila, about 60 kilometres away, and to camps across the Chadian border, where hundreds of survivors of violence received care from MSF teams.
“In light of the ethnically motivated mass atrocities committed on the Masalit in West Darfur back in June 2023, and of the massacres perpetrated in Zamzam camp in North Darfur, we fear such a scenario will be repeated in El Fasher. This onslaught of violence must stop,” says Simon.
Several witnesses report that RSF soldiers spoke of plans to ‘clean El Fasher’ of its non-Arab community. Since May 2024, the RSF and their allies have besieged El Fasher, Zamzam camp, and other surrounding localities, cutting communities off from food, water, and medical care. This has contributed to the spread of famine and debilitated the humanitarian response.
Repeated attacks on healthcare facilities forced MSF to end our medical activities in El Fasher in August 2024 and in Zamzam camp in February 2025. In May 2024 alone, health facilities supported by MSF in El Fasher endured at least seven incidents of shelling, bombing or shooting by all warring parties. Indiscriminate airstrikes conducted by the SAF had devastating consequences.
“The SAF bombed our neighbourhood by mistake, then came to apologise. SAF planes sometimes bombed civilian areas without any RSF [presence], I saw it in different places,” says one woman.
The harrowing level of violence on the roads out of El Fasher and Zamzam means that many people are trapped or take life-threatening risks when fleeing. Men and boys are at high risk of killing and abduction, while women and girls are subjected to widespread sexual violence. Most witnesses also report increased risks for Zaghawa communities.
“Nobody could get out [of El Fasher] if they said they were Zaghawa,” says a displaced woman.
Another man tells us that RSF and its allies were “asking people if they belonged to the Zaghawa, and if they did, they would kill them”.
“They would only let mothers with small children under the age of five through,” says a woman about her journey fleeing to eastern Chad. “Other children and adult men didn’t go through. Men over fifteen can hardly cross the border [into Chad]. They take them, they push them aside and then we only hear a noise, gunshots, indicating that they are dead, that they have been killed […] Fifty families came along with me. Not even one boy of 15 years old or above was among us.”
The catastrophic nutrition situation continued deteriorating as the siege tightened on Zamzam camp.
“[Three months ago] in Zamzam, we sometimes had three days a week without eating,” one man tells our teams.
“Children died from malnutrition. We were eating ambaz [residue of peanuts ground for oil], like everyone, although usually it’s used for animals,” says a displaced woman.
“Zamzam was completely blocked,” another displaced person tells us. “Water wells depend on fuel and there was no access to fuel, so all of them stopped working. Water was very limited and very expensive.”
MSF urges the warring parties to spare civilians and respect their obligations under international humanitarian law. The RSF and their allies must immediately stop ethnic violence perpetrated against non-Arab communities, lift the siege of El Fasher, and guarantee safe routes for civilians fleeing violence. Safe unrestricted access to El Fasher and its surroundings must be granted for humanitarian agencies to provide critically needed assistance.
International actors, including UN institutions and members states, and states who provide support to the warring parties must urgently mobilise and exert pressure to prevent further mass violence and allow emergency aid delivery. The recent unilateral announcements of a possible local ceasefire have not yet been translated into concrete change on the ground, and time is running out.
quick, wind-driven fire in Umatilla County prompted the Oregon State Fire Marshal to mobilize four task forces and an incident management team. The Cold Springs Fire was reported on Wednesday afternoon and raced to more than 1,000 acres as of late afternoon, according to Umatilla County Fire District 1. The Umatilla County Sheriff’s Office has issued levels 1, 2, and 3 evacuation notices for those living near the fire.
The Oregon State Fire Marshal initially sent help through immediate response on Wednesday afternoon, with two structural task forces from Clackamas and Washington counties and air support through agreements with the Oregon Department of Forestry. To provide additional help, the agency is mobilizing its Green Incident Management Team and two more task forces.
The OSFM Green Incident Management Team will take command of the fire Thursday at 9 a.m.
“The latest wildfire forecast for July and August is extremely concerning,” State Fire Marshal Mariana Ruiz-Temple said. “Over the last 48 hours, we saw thousands of lightning strikes across the state, and Red Flag Warnings issued for critical fire danger. I’m calling on everyone to pay attention to the conditions and take the necessary steps to prevent sparking a human-caused fire.”
For fire updates until the Green Incident Management Team takes command, please follow the Umatilla County Fire District 1. For evacuation information, please follow the Umatilla County Sheriff’s Office.
This is the third time the Emergency Conflagration Act has been invoked in 2025, and the third immediate response for the Oregon State Fire Marshal.
Source: United States Senator Peter Welch (D-Vermont)
KILLINGTON, VT — This week in Killington, Ludlow, and Weston, U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.) unveiled his new bill, the Disaster Assistance Improvement and Decentralization (AID) Act, and met with flood-impacted Vermonters and community members to discuss the importance of reforming FEMA’s long-term recovery process, supporting hazard mitigation, and protecting recovery funding.
“The Disaster AID Act was inspired by towns and cities in Vermont that are still recovering from the 2023 and 2024 floods. These folks know firsthand the strengths and weaknesses of FEMA. I’m determined to help improve the long-term recovery process—both for Vermonters, and for communities across America hurt by climate disasters,” said Senator Peter Welch. “I am always thankful to hear how Washington can work better for Vermont, and I use these stories and experiences to shape the legislation I introduce.”
The Disaster AID Act will cut red tape and empower state and local governments, make the delivery of disaster aid more efficient and effective, provide assistance to small towns and communities impacted by natural disasters, and block the White House from withholding funding for disaster recovery. Senator Welch will officially introduce the Disaster AID Act next week, coinciding with the anniversary of the floods.
Killington: In Killington, Senator Welch joined town officials to tour view East Mountain Road, which was heavily damaged in July 2023 and has since been rebuilt. The Senator also held a Listening Session with flood-impacted Vermonters and community leaders to discuss the state’s long-term recovery from the July 2023 and July 2024 floods, and ways the Disaster AID Act will small and rural communities across the state.
Photo Caption: Abbie Sherman, Public Works Director for Killington (middle) and Will Austin, Assistant Town Planner for Killington (right) show Senator Peter Welch (left) a map with flood damage in Killington.
Photo Caption: Senator Peter Welch views a photo of the flood damage on East Mountain Road. Left to right: Senator Peter Welch; Rebecca Ellis, State Director for Senator Peter Welch; Will Austin, Assistant Town Planner for Killington; Abbie Sherman, Public Works Director for Killington.
Photo Caption: Senator Peter Welch discusses flood recovery and other issues with Vermonters at the Killington Welcome Center.
Photo Caption: Senator Peter Welch discusses flood recovery with Joseph Gaudiana, Brendan McNamara, and Justin Hyjek at Ludlow’s wastewater treatment facility, which is located near the Black River.
Ludlow: Senator Welch joined Ludlow town officials to view flooding damage to the village wastewater treatment facility, located on the Black River, and discuss progress on relocating the facility out of the flood plain. The Senator highlighted how the Disaster AID Act would help to simplify and expedite the relocation of critical infrastructure out of flood-prone areas.
Photo Caption: Senator Peter Welch discusses flood recovery and other issues with Vermonters in Weston.
Weston: In Weston, Senator Welch joined community leaders to view and discuss the Weston Mill Dam removal project, which will substantially lower the flood elevation level in the village. Senator Welch nominated for the project for Congressionally Directed Spending (CDS). Senator Welch also met with town officials to discuss the importance and need for municipal technical assistance in flood recovery and mitigation planning. He was joined by members of the Weston Playhouse on the Green, which still requires major repairs following the floods.
Senator Welch has been outspoken in opposing any attempt by the Trump Administration to dismantle FEMA. Earlier this year, Senator Welch published a guest essay in The New York Times entitled: “Don’t Kill FEMA. Fix It.” In his piece, Senator Welch outlined why President Trump’s actions to undermine and potentially dissolve FEMA are misguided—but also committed to working with the President on good faith efforts to reform the agency’s long-term recovery process.
In December 2024, Senator Welch helped shape and pass a comprehensive disaster aid package, which delivered more than $100.4 billion of relief for states like Vermont recovering from climate disasters. The disaster aid package contained many of Senator Welch’s top priorities for the State: dedicated help for Vermont’s flood-impacted farmers, flexible spending through the Community Development Block Grant-Disaster Relief fund, money for FEMA’s Disaster Relief Fund, and support for businesses, among many other important provisions.
NEW ORLEANS – Acting U.S. Attorney Michael M. Simpson announced that SHAWN ROUSELL (“ROUSELL”),age 30, was indicted on June 26, 2025, for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 922(g)(1).
According to the indictment, ROUSELL, possessed a Glock Model 27, .40 caliber semi-automatic handgun, loaded with ammunition. ROUSELL is a convicted felon and, as such, is prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition under federal law. If convicted, ROUSELL faces up to 15 years’ imprisonment, up to a $250,000 fine, up to three years of supervised release, and a mandatory special assessment fee of $100.
Acting U.S. Attorney Simpson reiterated that an indictment is merely a charge and that the guilt of the defendant must be proven beyond a reasonable doubt.
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and New Orleans Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Tiwana Wright of the Financial Crimes Unit is in charge of the prosecution.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, 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).
Whitehorse, Yukon, July 3, 2025 — Communities in southern Yukon will reduce their wildfire risk after a combined investment of more than $17 million from the federal and Yukon governments.
The funding was announced by Dr. Brendan Hanley, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Northern and Arctic Affairs and Member of Parliament for Yukon, on behalf of the Honourable Gregor Robertson, Minister of Housing and Infrastructure and Minister responsible for Pacific Economic Development Canada, along with the Honourable Rebecca Alty, Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations, and the Honourable Nils Clarke, on behalf of Richard Mostyn, Minister of Community Services, for the Government of Yukon.
Funding for the Government of Yukon’s Wildland Fire Management branch will decrease fire risk in the communities of Whitehorse, Teslin, and Haines Junction—communities which are part of the northern boreal forest region and prone to aggressive wildfire behaviour.
This region relies on Wildland Fire Management to protect life, critical infrastructure, and property from the impacts of wildfire while facilitating the creation of wildfire-resilient places to live. Funding will support different treatment phases, which include both retreatment and new fuel break construction. With new forest regrowth and new FireSmart standards, previous risk reduction efforts may become less effective over time. Retreatment includes increasing spacing between trees and removing live or dead vegetation that could allow fires to climb the landscape or trees from the forest floors. New treatment will include reducing or managing materials that are flammable or combustible in the wildland-urban interface. These measures follow national standards set out by FireSmart Canada and will increase the wildfire resilience of these three communities.
Zimbabwe is making significant progress in shifting from reactive to proactive disaster risk management, with support from the European Union Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid (ECHO), FAO, IFRC and WFP. This week, over 50 stakeholders from government, UN agencies, NGOs, and communities gathered in Bulawayo to reflect on the achievements, challenges and lessons learned from the two-year ECHO-funded anticipatory action project.
Implemented between 2023 and 2025, the project aimed to enhance institutional systems and community capacities to prepare for and respond to climate-induced hazards, particularly in the wake of the 2023–2024 El Niño-induced drought, the worst in over four decades.
The project established harmonized multi-stakeholder frameworks, developed and tested impact-based forecasting triggers, and scaled up disaster risk financing analysis. These efforts contributed to more coordinated and timely early warning and anticipatory responses, helping protect lives, livelihoods, and food and nutrition security.
Judith Ncube, Minister of State for Provincial Affairs and Devolution for Bulawayo, said the drought tested every system but also revealed the strength of partnerships.
“The 2023–2024 El Niño drought brought untold hardship to our communities. Yet in the face of empty rivers, cracked fields and hunger, we saw something extraordinary; communities, government and aid agencies standing together. This workshop is not just about what went wrong, but how ordinary people’s resilience helped shape extraordinary responses.”
The project’s key achievements include the establishment of the Anticipatory Action Community of Practice (CoP), a collaborative platform that has brought together government departments, humanitarian organizations and technical agencies to strengthen multi-sectoral coordination. Through this platform, Zimbabwe has institutionalized anticipatory action subcommittees at national, provincial and district levels, linking local decision-making to national systems.
Edward Kallon, UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Zimbabwe, underscored the shift in how Zimbabwe prepares for shocks.
“Anticipatory action is not just a technical process; it is a lifeline. It is about the mother in Chiredzi who received early warnings and planted drought-tolerant crops just in time. It is about a child in Tsholotsho who did not go hungry because food assistance came before the crisis hit. This is the future of disaster response.”
At the peak of the drought crisis, the Government of Zimbabwe launched a US$3.3 billion appeal—US$2 billion for emergency response and US$1.3 billion for resilience-building. Supported by early warnings issued in mid-2023, the government swiftly rolled out a national Blitz Food Distribution Programme targeting the most vulnerable populations, including the elderly, people with disabilities, child-headed households and the chronically ill.
Minister of Local Government and Public Works, Daniel Garwe emphasized the importance of UN support, stating that 33 percent of the funds raised came from UN agencies. This helped the government to institute a people-first approach in responding to the crisis.
“Behind the numbers are real people. The elderly, children in child-headed households, persons with disabilities—these were not forgotten. Through the Blitz Food Distribution Programme, Zimbabwe ensured food reached the most vulnerable. This is what human-centred disaster response looks like: swift, inclusive and built on compassion.”
Key outputs of the ECHO-funded project – such as the national Anticipatory Action Roadmap, flood simulation exercises (SIMEX), and impact forecasting models – are now serving as templates for broader disaster risk management in the region. Testimonies from farmers, community videos and field visits to Matobo and Beitbridge showcased the results at the local level.
The project also reinforced the importance of pre-arranged financing to enable faster response. “Pre-arranged financing is a game changer. It means help is not delayed by paperwork when disaster looms,” said Edward Kallon. “Zimbabwe’s anticipatory action frameworks, built around pre-agreed triggers and activities are delivering faster, smarter support.”
Patrice Talla, FAO Subregional Coordinator for Southern Africa, affirmed that Anticipatory Action is not merely a humanitarian tool, but a transformative model of governance. He highlighted how the recent ECHO-supported initiative in Zimbabwe laid critical foundations, such as hazard mapping, institutional roadmaps, and community-ready structures that enabled timely and life-saving interventions during the 2023–2024 El Niño drought.
Patrice Talla further emphasized that Zimbabwe’s approach is no longer a pilot, but a prototype for national systems, and called for its institutionalization through policy integration, pre-positioned finance, local capacity building, and cross-border coordination. “Forecasts, should no longer be warnings; they should be the first lines of defense,” he asserted.
As the learning event concluded, partners called for sustained investment in anticipatory action and a continued shift toward resilience-building. Participants emphasized that as climate risks intensify, early action must be integrated into national systems and financing structures to safeguard development gains.
“Let us act not only in response but in anticipation,” said Minister Daniel Garwe. “Because the future belongs to those who prepare for it.”
The ECHO-funded initiative has demonstrated that with the right partnerships, financing and community engagement, Zimbabwe can move from crisis response to long-term resilience.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO): Regional Office for Africa.
The Secretary-General is appalled by the deepening humanitarian crisis in Gaza. Multiple attacks in recent days hitting sites hosting displaced people and people trying to access food have killed and injured scores of Palestinians. The Secretary-General strongly condemns the loss of civilian life.
In just one day this week, orders to relocate forced nearly 30,000 people to flee, yet again, with no safe place to go and clearly inadequate supplies of shelter, food, medicine or water.
International humanitarian law is unambiguous: civilians must be respected and protected, and the needs of the population must be met.
With no fuel having entered Gaza in more than 17 weeks, the Secretary-General is gravely concerned that the last lifelines for survival are being cut off. Without an urgent influx of fuel, incubators will shut down, ambulances will be unable to reach the injured and sick, and water cannot be purified. The delivery by the United Nations and partners of what little of our lifesaving humanitarian aid is left in Gaza will also grind to a halt.
He once again calls for full, safe and sustained humanitarian access so aid can reach people who have been deprived of the basics of life for far too long. The UN has a clear and proven plan, rooted in the humanitarian principles, to get vital assistance to civilians – safely and at scale, wherever they are.
The Secretary-General reiterates that all parties must uphold their obligations under international law. He renews his call for an immediate permanent ceasefire and for the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages.
Source: United States Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives (ATF)
TALLAHASSEE, FLORIDA – Fredricus White, 38, and Cornelious Johnson, 41, of Panama City, Florida, pleaded guilty to charges of possessing fighting dogs, while White also pleaded guilty to a charge of possessing firearms and ammunition as a previously convicted felon. The convictions were announced by John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.
According to court records, White and Johnson entered into a conspiracy to violate the Animal Welfare Act from 2018 through February 2024, by participating in organized dog fighting, to include breeding fighting dogs, participating in gambling involving illegal dog fights, and training dogs to participate in dog fights. White and Johnson were previously arrested in Georgia on state charges of participating in a dog fight in 2022. Federal arrest warrants in February 2024 for the Georgia dog fight led to the discovery of two rural Panama City area properties where White and Johnson had continued to keep, breed, and train fighting dogs. White’s residence was also searched, and three firearms were found. White was prohibited from possessing firearms due to felony convictions in 2009 and 2012.
U.S. Attorney Heekin said: “These defendants engaged in cruel and continued mistreatment of animals, but now they will find themselves locked in a cell for their crimes. I deeply appreciate the dedicated work of our state and federal law enforcement partners to dismantle this heinous enterprise of animal cruelty, which unsurprisingly often increases violence in the community. My office is firmly committed to ensuring the safety of all individuals and ending the cruel infliction of pain on animals purely for sport and financial gain in the Northern District of Florida.”
The convictions were the result of a joint investigation by the Bay County Sheriff’s Office, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), and the United States Department of Agriculture Office of the Inspector General and assisted by the United States Marshals Service. The case was prosecuted by attorneys from the Criminal Division of the Tallahassee office with assistance from the Environmental and Natural Resources Division of the Department of Justice. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Meredith L. Steer.
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).
The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices that serve as the nation’s principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General. To access public court documents online, please visit the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida website. For more information about the United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/fln/index.html.
Growing conditions in Saskatchewan were variable this past week. Thunderstorms swept across parts of the province, bringing moisture to crops along with some hail. Producers in areas that received hail will be assessing crop damage over the next week to determine the impact on yields. Many areas in the southern regions of the province received limited rainfall which continues to stress crops and accelerate crop development.
However, some areas of the province received significant rainfall last week. The most rainfall recorded was 115 millimetres (mm) in the Archerwill area, followed closely by the Beatty area with 85 mm. There was also notable rainfall in the Kinistino and Middle Lake areas with 75 mm and 65 mm, respectively.
Despite rainfall in certain areas, provincial topsoil moisture conditions declined from last week. Provincial cropland topsoil moisture is rated at two per cent surplus, 66 per cent adequate, 23 per cent short and nine per cent very short. For hay crops, topsoil moisture levels are two per cent surplus, 53 per cent adequate, 28 per cent short and 17 per cent very short. Finally, pasture topsoil moisture levels in the province currently sit at one per cent surplus, 44 per cent adequate, 32 per cent short and 23 per cent very short.
Crops developed swiftly over the last week. All crop types are further ahead of normal stages than they were last week. Fall cereal crops are the most advanced, followed closely by spring cereal and pulse crops. Oilseed and annual forage crops are the furthest behind their normal stages this year but are significantly further ahead than last year. In the southwest and northwest, crops are the most advanced in the province due to persistent hot and dry conditions this year. On the other hand, crops in the central regions are the furthest behind.
Crop conditions vary across the province, largely due to the amount and timing of rainfall so far this year. Approximately half of fall and spring cereal crops are in good condition, with most of the other half in fair to poor condition. For pulses, half to two-thirds of crops are in good condition, with most of the rest in fair condition. Finally, most oilseed crops are in fair to good condition at the end of June.
Most livestock producers have started their first cuts of hay this year. Currently, 10 per cent of hay crops in the province have been cut, 84 per cent are still standing and six per cent have been baled or silaged. Hay quality varies greatly throughout the province. Twelve per cent of hay is excellent quality, 43 per cent is good, 34 per cent is fair and 11 per cent is poor quality. Producers are hoping for timely rain in the coming weeks to produce good second cuts.
There were numerous sources of crop damage throughout the province last week. Producers are reporting that dry conditions combined with heat and wind are causing the most widespread damage to crops in the province. As an additional consequence of these conditions, grasshopper and flea beetle activity are causing minor damage in dry areas. In certain areas of the west-central, east-central and northeast regions, producers are reporting minor damage from excess moisture in low spots due to abundant rainfall over the past few weeks. Many regions experienced thunderstorms last week which brought varying levels of hail damage to crops in certain areas of the province.
With in-crop herbicide applications largely complete, producers are shifting their focus on scouting crops and spraying for insects and disease when necessary. Livestock producers are busy cutting hay crops and checking fences as livestock are in the pasture. More timely rain will be needed throughout July and August to sustain yield potential to harvest.
This can be a stressful time of year for producers as weather conditions can be unpredictable. The Farm Stress Line can help by providing support for producers toll free at 1-800-667-4442.
A complete, printable version of the Crop Report is available online: download Crop Report.
Follow the 2025 Crop Report on X/Twitter at @SKAgriculture.
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico – A federal grand jury returned a two-count indictment charging Jeffrey Omar Delgado-López with possession of a machinegun and with being a felon in possession of firearms and ammunition, announced W. Stephen Muldrow, United States Attorney for the District of Puerto Rico. The Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) is in charge of the investigation under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Devin J. Kowalski.
According to the Government’s allegations, on June 1, 2025, Delgado-López possessed a Glock pistol model 19 loaded with 31 rounds of ammunition and an additional 42 rounds of 9mm ammunition, as a convicted felon.
The indictment also alleges that Delgado-López possessed a machinegun, specifically a Glock pistol model 19 modified to fire automatically more than one shot without manually reloading by a single function of the trigger.
“Fighting gun violence remains a top priority for our office and the Justice Department and, as this case shows, we are steadfast in our commitment to prosecute those who violate federal firearms laws,” said W. Stephen Muldrow, U.S. Attorney for the District of Puerto Rico.
“Jeffrey Omar Delgado-López was under federal supervised release, and he chose to break the law again–arming himself illegally in the streets of Mayagüez. This is unacceptable,” said Devin J. Kowalski, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s San Juan Field Office. “Crushing violent crimes also means preventing them. We will not allow armed felons to operate in our communities.”
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Carlos J. Romo-Aledo and Alberto R. Lopez Rocafort, Chief of the Gang Section, are in charge of the prosecution of the case. If convicted, the defendant faces a sentence of up to fifteen years in prison.
An indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Source: United States Senator for Wyoming Cynthia Lummis
Washington, D.C. – Senator Cynthia Lummis (R-WY), Chair of the Senate Western Caucus, today celebrated the passage of the One Big Beautiful Bill, highlighting numerous provisions that she and other Senate Western Caucus members championed that will benefit Wyoming and western states.
“The Senate passage of the One Big Beautiful Bill represents a tremendous victory for the west,” said Lummis. “As Chair of the Senate Western Caucus, I’m proud that our members’ relentless efforts secured critical wins that will further unleash American energy, strengthen rural economies, simplify coal leases, foster healthy forests, enhance wildfire prevention, increase on and offshore oil and gas production, and bring practical approaches back to federal land oversight. President Trump understands that a strong America starts with a strong American West – I’m looking forward to seeing him sign this bill into law.”
Background:
In January, Senate Western Caucus Chair Cynthia Lummis sent a letter to Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) about the critical importance of addressing western priorities in any potential upcoming budget reconciliation legislation, along with a list of member priorities to include in the bill.
The Senate Western Caucus is composed of 29 Senators west of the Mississippi committed to upholding the fundamental western principles of self-reliance, local decision-making, love of the land and the pioneer spirit.
Senate Western Caucus Wins:
Energy and Natural Resources
Expands onshore and offshore oil and gas leasing with mandatory minimum lease sales and extends drilling permit validity from 3 to 4 years.
Mandates six lease sales over ten years in the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska.
Increases revenue sharing from offshore drilling for Gulf of America states.
Enhances revenue sharing from Cook Inlet oil and gas leases for Alaska.
Land Management and Conservation
Strengthens wildfire management and prevention capabilities through expanded timber sales on public lands.
Introduces optional expedited environmental review process under NEPA, allowing project sponsors to pay fees for faster timelines (one year for Environmental Impact Statements, six months for Environmental Assessments).
Agricultural Support
Provides reimbursement programs for livestock losses due to predator attacks.
Expands producer access to the livestock forage disaster assistance program.
Extends and enhances estate tax exemptions with higher thresholds and permanent provisions to facilitate intergenerational transfer of family ranches.
Allows full expensing of certain business property, enabling ranchers to immediately deduct equipment and infrastructure investments.
Provides special depreciation allowances for qualified production property, offering larger and accelerated deductions for ranch growth and resilience investments.
Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments
News story
UK and Peru hold sixth iteration of bilateral Political Consultations Mechanism in London
The Minister for International Development, Latin America and Caribbean and Peruvian Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs co-chaired the 6th session of the Peru-UK Political Consultations in London on 3 July.
The Rt. Hon Baroness Chapman of Darlington, Minister for International Development, Latin America and Caribbean welcomed Peruvian Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Felix Denegri to London on 3 July, where the two Ministers co-chaired the 6th session of the Peru-UK Political Consultations.
A historic relationship rooted in shared values dating back over 200 years, the UK and Peru reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening their modern partnership.
Successes celebrated since the last meeting include the successful ratification of the UK’s CPTPP accession; the signing of a Double Taxation Agreement; and signing a new Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on Climate Change. The two countries celebrated the culmination of the 200-year anniversary of Peru-UK relations in 2023 and numerous high-level visits both ways.
On security and defence, the parties reaffirmed their commitment to a rules-based international order and willingness to jointly tackle global insecurity. The UK and Peru agreed to drive collaboration through a Memorandum of Understanding on Security cooperation, addressing transnational drug trafficking, illicit financial flows, corruption and environmental crime.
On growth, the parties celebrated the strengthening of bilateral trade and investment, supported by a growing framework of trade and government-to-government agreements (G2Gs). Peru acknowledged the UK’s valuable contribution to Peru’s infrastructure on health, education and flood defences. This includes the UK’s position as the largest foreign direct investor in mining in Peru. The UK also presented its recently launched Industrial Strategy and the two sides discussed collaboration on Peru’s clean energy transition, including unlocking green hydrogen potential.
The parties highlighted their joint efforts to address climate change, protect the Amazon Rainforest, promote green investment and tackle environmental crime. They celebrated the recent signing of a Memorandum of Understanding on Climate and Biodiversity and discussed Peru’s leadership as a key partner in Latin America ahead of COP30. The UK offered to continue supporting Peru in developing a National Bioeconomy Strategy by 2026.
Lastly, the UK and Peru stressed the value of shared cultural experiences as a foundation to the bilateral relationship. They celebrated the promotion of English Language learning through the British Council and academic excellence through the UK’s Chevening scholarships programme. The parties will soon drive this further through the signing of two Memorandum’s of Understanding to collaborate on quality higher education in Peru delivered by the British Council.
Speaking after the Consultations, Baroness Chapman said:
The UK and Peru share a warm and historic friendship – over 200 years strong, grounded in our values, mutual respect and common ambitions.
Today we are working closer than ever for shared growth and prosperity. The UK is already Peru’s largest foreign investor and I had a fantastic discussion with Ambassador Denegri today on how we can build on this, from trade, to climate and security.
Vice minister of Foreign Affairs of Peru, Félix Denegri said:
We had very fruitful discussions with Baroness Chapman, in which we ratified our commitment to continuously expand and strengthen our bilateral agenda, based on our shared principles, values and interests.
I am greatly satisfied with the level of bilateral engagement between Peru and the UK, shown in reciprocal ministerial, vice-ministerial and high authorities visits in the last two years. We both highlighted the continuity of our Political Consultations Mechanism, being this the sixth since its establishment in 2018.
We look forward to welcome Baroness Chapman for our next round of Consultations, in Peru.
The UK and Peru will continue to strengthen bilateral ties across security, growth, climate and education, invigorated through their new agreements and MOUs. The parties agreed to reconvene in Peru in 2026.
Source: United States Small Business Administration
SACRAMENTO, Calif. – The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) is reminding eligible small businesses, nonprofits, and residents in Oklahoma of the Aug. 5 deadline to apply for low interest federal disaster loans to offset physical damage caused by severe storms, tornadoes, straight-line winds and flooding occurring May 19.
The disaster declaration covers the Oklahoma counties of Atoka, Coal, Haskell, Hughes, Latimer, McIntosh, Pittsburg and Pushmataha.
Small businesses and nonprofits are eligible to apply for business physical disaster loans and may borrow up to $2 million to repair or replace disaster-damaged or destroyed real estate, machinery and equipment, inventory, and other business assets.
Homeowners and renters are eligible to apply for home and personal property loans and may borrow up to $100,000 to replace or repair personal property, such as clothing, furniture, cars, and appliances. Homeowners may apply for up to $500,000 to replace or repair their primary residence.
Applicants may also be eligible for a loan increase of up to 20% of their physical damage, as verified by the SBA, for mitigation purposes. Eligible mitigation improvements include strengthening structures to protect against high wind damage, upgrading to wind rated garage doors, and installing a safe room or storm shelter to help protect property and occupants from future damage.
“One distinct advantage of SBA’s disaster loan program is the opportunity to fund upgrades reducing the risk of future storm damage,” said Chris Stallings, associate administrator of the Office of Disaster Recovery and Resilience at the SBA. “I encourage businesses and homeowners to work with contractors and mitigation professionals to improve their storm readiness while taking advantage of SBA’s physical damage loans.”
SBA’s Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) program is available to eligible small businesses, small agricultural cooperatives, nurseries and private nonprofit (PNP) organizations impacted by financial losses directly related to this disaster. The SBA is unable to provide disaster loans to agricultural producers, farmers, or ranchers, except for aquaculture enterprises.
Interest rates can be as low as 4% for small businesses, 3.62% for PNPs, and 2.81% for homeowners and renters with terms up to 30 years. Interest does not begin to accrue, and payments are not due until 12 months from the date of the first loan disbursement. The SBA sets loan amounts and terms, based on each applicant’s financial condition.
To apply online, visit sba.gov/disaster. Applicants may also call SBA’s Customer Service Center at (800) 659-2955 or email disastercustomerservice@sba.gov for more information on SBA disaster assistance. For people who are deaf, hard of hearing, or have a speech disability, please dial 7-1-1 to access telecommunications relay services.
The deadline to return physical damage applications is Aug. 5.
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About the U.S. Small Business Administration
The U.S. Small Business Administration helps power the American dream of business ownership. As the only go-to resource and voice for small businesses backed by the strength of the federal government, the SBA empowers entrepreneurs and small business owners with the resources and support they need to start, grow, expand their businesses, or recover from a declared disaster. It delivers services through an extensive network of SBA field offices and partnerships with public and private organizations. To learn more, visit www.sba.gov.
The FBI and our interagency partners have been long-committed to using vetted teams to stay ahead of the TOC threat.
The Bureau created its first two TOC-West vetted teams in Colombia and the Dominican Republic more than 10 years ago. Our partners at the Drug Enforcement Administration and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security have their own versions of vetted teams, too.
Eric Geressy, a U.S. Army veteran and current senior Defense Department civilian official who has conducted training exercises with vetted teams for years, called TOC-West’s iteration “a finishing force” in the U.S. government’s pursuit of some of the worst offenders.
“For DOD, like the FBI and all interagency partners, we see the joint training efforts as critical to everyone’s success and survival—it needs to be hard and realistic, so we’re all ready to go whenever we’re called on,” Geressy said. “Training and working together is how we can best protect the people of the United States and all our partner nations.”
The FBI trains its TOC-West vetted teams as much as possible because it is critical to their safety and our shared success.
Vetted team training exercises—hosted on the ground in partner countries and conducted in Spanish by bilingual instructors—educate our international law enforcement partners on how the FBI approaches investigations and conducts related activity. Trainings also review critical skillsets that can save their lives when they’re on the job.
Medical care under fire is a prominent part of the training. The U.S. Department of Defense developed the training based on lessons learned from combat, Mike explained, and the Bureau and other federal law enforcement have adopted it. This training aims to empower vetted teams to keep injured individuals alive until they can be treated by a doctor or at a hospital. And, Mike recalled from his FBI Academy training, the quicker someone can get an injured person to a trauma center, the more likely they are to survive.
For this reason, he added, every vetted team member receives a medical kit—the kind of resource that our international law enforcement partners might not otherwise have access to. “This helps everybody have the best chance possible to go home alive,” he said.
The training exercises also cover the basics of firearms safety, marksmanship, and building good instincts to make split-second decisions wisely—such as how to react if someone unexpectedly draws a gun and starts shooting at you. “We make it individualized and vary the training by country and to make sure we’re hitting the right training points” for each team’s needs, Mike said of this portion of the training.
Additionally, vetted team members learn basic hand-to-hand combat skills—both to help them defend themselves without the use of a weapon and to empower them to more easily apprehend individuals who might resist arrest—and how to respond to attacks on vehicles they might be riding in.
The instruction at these international training exercises is a team effort between Bureau personnel and U.S. Special Operations Command troops from the U.S. Army’s 7th Special Forces Group.
“We’ve been very appreciative and grateful for the opportunity to work with U.S. Southern Command and the Department of Defense,” Mike said. “They do annual joint training internationally—one training in Central America, one in the Caribbean, and another one in South America. And so, we’ve partnered up with them since 2023 to bring our vetted teams and instructors to their exercises to cross-train our teams with other teams; to work with the 7th Special Forces Group; and to do firearms, tactics, and medical care together.”
And for the past two years, the Bureau has brought TOC-West vetted-team partners to the United States for a collective training opportunity at Quantico, Virginia, known as the Basic Investigator Course. The TOC-West Operations Unit hopes to continue this training annually.
“It’s important for interoperability that the training we provide is the same for everybody because we don’t know when we’re all going to be working together,” he said.
The need for this kind of interoperability training was underscored by real-life tragedy when a member of the TOC-West vetted team in the Dominican Republic was killed in the line of duty while responding to an attempted robbery alongside FBI agents. He died while working to defend them and other civilians, Mike recalled. More recently, in 2024, two members of the Bureau’s vetted team in Colombia were ambushed, with one officer killed and the other wounded. Last month, representatives of IOD and CID presented the fallen officer’s family with the FBI Medal of Valor.
“It’s not just for camaraderie,” he said. “We don’t know when we’re all going to find ourselves in the same fight at the same time.”
Source: United States Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives (ATF)
TUCSON, Ariz. – Damien Jax Schaffer, 45, of Tucson, was arrested on June 24, 2025, by Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) special agents, and charged by criminal complaint for Engaging in the Business of Dealing in Firearms without a License and Possession of an Unregistered Firearm. Schaffer appeared in court today for his initial appearance.
According to the complaint, from May 8, 2025, through June 24, 2025, ATF monitored Schaffer and learned that he had manufactured and sold 15 illegal machinegun conversion devices. These devices are used to allow semi-automatic firearms, like Glocks, to expel more than one projectile with a single press of the trigger, effectively converting a semi-automatic firearm into a machinegun.
Machinegun conversion devices are required to be registered with ATF in the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record. After learning of Schaffer’s activities, ATF agents queried that record and determined that his devices were not registered to anyone. Agents also learned that Schaffer does not possess a federal license to sell firearms.
This case was part of Operation Take Back America, 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).
A criminal complaint is simply a method by which a person is charged with criminal activity and raises no inference of guilt. An individual is presumed innocent until evidence is presented to a jury that establishes guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
ATF is conducting the investigation in this case. The United States Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, Tucson is handling the prosecution.
CASE NUMBER: 25-MJ-09160 RELEASE NUMBER: 2025-109_Schaffer
Source: United States Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives (ATF)
MONTGOMERY, Ala. – A Montgomery County man has been sentenced for illegally possessing a Glock switch, announced U.S. Attorney Prim F. Escalona.
Middle District of Alabama U.S. District Court Judge Myron H. Thompson sentenced Da’Quarious Lamarion Dudley, 21, of Montgomery, Alabama, to 20 months in prison. In March, Dudley pleaded guilty to illegal possession of a machinegun.
According to court documents, on February 9, 2024, officers with the Montgomery Police Department were alerted to a sighting of a stolen Mercedes Benz. Officers responded to the area and caught up with Dudley, the driver of the stolen vehicle. Dudley attempted to make a U-turn. Another officer blocked Dudley, preventing him from driving further. Dudley got out of the vehicle and fled on foot. During the chase, he grabbed a firearm in his waistband and threw it. Officers recovered a Glock 17 9mm pistol that had been converted to a machinegun using a machinegun conversion device, commonly referred to as a “Glock switch.” A search warrant of Dudley’s Facebook page revealed that he was regularly in possession of “switches” and even agreed to procure switches for other individuals in the Montgomery area.
ATF Nashville Division investigated the case along with the Montgomery Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Benjamin A. Keown, Sr. prosecuted the case.
Source: United States Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives (ATF)
SOUTH BEND – Yesterday, James E. Burch II, 38 years old, of South Bend, Indiana, was sentenced by United States District Court Judge Cristal C. Brisco after pleading guilty to being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm, announced Acting United States Attorney M. Scott Proctor.
Burch was sentenced to 46 months in prison followed by 2 years of supervised release.
According to documents in the case, in August 2024, police were summoned to a residence where Burch was both seen and photographed pointing a .357 caliber revolver. When police arrived, they located the firearm and arrested Burch. Burch’s criminal history includes three prior felony conviction, any one of which prohibit him from possessing the firearm in this case.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives with the assistance of the South Bend Police Department. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Joel Gabrielse.
This case was also 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.
Source: United States Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives (ATF)
BOSTON – An associate of the D Street Projects gang in the South Boston area has been arrested and charged for allegedly selling a firearm and fentanyl to an undercover law enforcement agent.
Junior Martinez-Perello, 25, was charged with one count of possession with intent to distribute, and distribution of, fentanyl. Martinez-Perello was arrested this morning and, following an initial appearance in federal court in Worcester, was ordered detained pending trial.
According to the charging documents, Martinez-Perello communicated with undercover law enforcement about selling 100 grams of fentanyl and a firearm. It is alleged that Martinez-Perello agreed to meet on May 30, 2025 in Boston for the drug and gun deal. On that date, Martinez-Perello allegedly informed the undercover agent that he would always have firearms available and not to be concerned about purchasing firearms from him, and that he would be able to obtain and distribute half-kilogram quantities of fentanyl in the near future.
It is further alleged that, during the controlled purchase, Martinez-Perello explained how the safety feature worked on the firearm. At one point, Martinez-Perello allegedly pointed the loaded firearm towards the ground, manipulated the firearm in a fashion that was consistent with rendering the firearm safe and attempting to remove the live ammunition from the firearm. During this process, Martinez-Perello disengaged the safety mechanism on the firearm and fired one round into the floor.
The charge of possession with intent to distribute, and distribution of, fentanyl provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, at least three years and up to a lifetime of supervised release and a fine of up to $1 million. 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 Scott Riordan, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives, Boston Field Division made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney John T. Dawley of the Organized Crime & Gang Unit is prosecuting the case.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, 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.
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.
Source: United States Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives (ATF)
One defendant has prior convictions of drug distribution and assault with intent to murder
BOSTON – Two Lynn men have been indicted by a federal grand jury in Boston on drug trafficking and firearm offenses.
Lexus Perez, 30, and Denys Gonzalez Hernandez, 32, were indicted on charges of possession with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl, 28 grams or more of cocaine base, and methamphetamine. The defendants are also charged with possessing a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking. Perez is separately charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition. The defendants were previously arrested and charged by criminal complaint in March 2025.
According to the charging documents, during a February 2025 search of Perez and Gonzalez Hernandez’s shared apartment in Lynn, it is alleged that two loaded firearms, 465 grams of fentanyl, 34 grams of cocaine base (commonly known as crack cocaine) and 21 grams of methamphetamine were seized. Following the search, Gonzalez Hernandez was located outside the apartment and taken into custody. During a search of his person, 16 baggies of cocaine and two baggies of fentanyl were allegedly located in Gonzalez Hernandez’s sock.
Several days later, Perez was located in a hotel room in Saugus. It is alleged that when law enforcement knocked on the hotel room to execute a search warrant, the sound of a toilet flushing could be heard. He was immediately taken into custody.
Before these charges, Perez had been convicted in state court for drug distribution and armed assault with intent to murder resulting in state prison sentences.
The charge of possession with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl, 28 grams or more of cocaine base, and methamphetamine provides for a sentence of at least 10 years and up to life in prison, at least five years and up to a lifetime supervised release and a fine of $5 million. Perez is subject to enhanced sentencing due to his prior criminal history. Perez faces at least 25 years and up to life in prison, at least 10 years and up to a lifetime supervised release and a fine of $20 million. The charge of possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking carries a sentence of at least five years consecutive to any other term of imprisonment. The charge of being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition provides for a sentence of up to 15 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $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; Scott Riordan, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives, Boston Field Division; Essex County District Attorney Paul F. Tucker; and Christopher P. Reddy, Chief of the Lynn Police Department made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Philip C. Cheng of the Organized Crime & Gang Unit is prosecuting the case.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, 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).
The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Source: United States Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives (ATF)
One defendant has prior convictions of drug distribution and assault with intent to murder
BOSTON – Two Lynn men have been indicted by a federal grand jury in Boston on drug trafficking and firearm offenses.
Lexus Perez, 30, and Denys Gonzalez Hernandez, 32, were indicted on charges of possession with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl, 28 grams or more of cocaine base, and methamphetamine. The defendants are also charged with possessing a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking. Perez is separately charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition. The defendants were previously arrested and charged by criminal complaint in March 2025.
According to the charging documents, during a February 2025 search of Perez and Gonzalez Hernandez’s shared apartment in Lynn, it is alleged that two loaded firearms, 465 grams of fentanyl, 34 grams of cocaine base (commonly known as crack cocaine) and 21 grams of methamphetamine were seized. Following the search, Gonzalez Hernandez was located outside the apartment and taken into custody. During a search of his person, 16 baggies of cocaine and two baggies of fentanyl were allegedly located in Gonzalez Hernandez’s sock.
Several days later, Perez was located in a hotel room in Saugus. It is alleged that when law enforcement knocked on the hotel room to execute a search warrant, the sound of a toilet flushing could be heard. He was immediately taken into custody.
Before these charges, Perez had been convicted in state court for drug distribution and armed assault with intent to murder resulting in state prison sentences.
The charge of possession with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl, 28 grams or more of cocaine base, and methamphetamine provides for a sentence of at least 10 years and up to life in prison, at least five years and up to a lifetime supervised release and a fine of $5 million. Perez is subject to enhanced sentencing due to his prior criminal history. Perez faces at least 25 years and up to life in prison, at least 10 years and up to a lifetime supervised release and a fine of $20 million. The charge of possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking carries a sentence of at least five years consecutive to any other term of imprisonment. The charge of being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition provides for a sentence of up to 15 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $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; Scott Riordan, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives, Boston Field Division; Essex County District Attorney Paul F. Tucker; and Christopher P. Reddy, Chief of the Lynn Police Department made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Philip C. Cheng of the Organized Crime & Gang Unit is prosecuting the case.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, 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).
The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
