Source: US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Note: The expiration time in the watch graphic is amended if the watch is replaced, cancelled or extended.Note: Click for Watch Status Reports. SEL2
URGENT – IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED Tornado Watch Number 382 NWS Storm Prediction Center Norman OK 105 AM CDT Sat Jun 7 2025
The NWS Storm Prediction Center has issued a
* Tornado Watch for portions of Northwest Arkansas Southern Kansas Extreme Southwest Missouri Northeast Oklahoma
* Effective this Saturday morning from 105 AM until 700 AM CDT.
* Primary threats include… A couple tornadoes possible Widespread damaging winds likely with isolated significant gusts to 85 mph possible Isolated very large hail events to 2 inches in diameter possible
SUMMARY…A fast-moving and intense bow echo along the Kansas/Oklahoma border will track east-southeastward across the watch through daybreak. Damaging wind gusts are the primary concern, along with a few tornadoes along the leading edge of the squall line.
The tornado watch area is approximately along and 60 statute miles north and south of a line from 25 miles west northwest of Enid OK to 35 miles east of Fayetteville AR. For a complete depiction of the watch see the associated watch outline update (WOUS64 KWNS WOU2).
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS…
REMEMBER…A Tornado Watch means conditions are favorable for tornadoes and severe thunderstorms in and close to the watch area. Persons in these areas should be on the lookout for threatening weather conditions and listen for later statements and possible warnings.
&&
OTHER WATCH INFORMATION…CONTINUE…WW 380…WW 381…
AVIATION…Tornadoes and a few severe thunderstorms with hail surface and aloft to 2 inches. Extreme turbulence and surface wind gusts to 75 knots. A few cumulonimbi with maximum tops to 500. Mean storm motion vector 28040.
…Hart
SEL2
URGENT – IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED Tornado Watch Number 382 NWS Storm Prediction Center Norman OK 105 AM CDT Sat Jun 7 2025
The NWS Storm Prediction Center has issued a
* Tornado Watch for portions of Northwest Arkansas Southern Kansas Extreme Southwest Missouri Northeast Oklahoma
* Effective this Saturday morning from 105 AM until 700 AM CDT.
* Primary threats include… A couple tornadoes possible Widespread damaging winds likely with isolated significant gusts to 85 mph possible Isolated very large hail events to 2 inches in diameter possible
SUMMARY…A fast-moving and intense bow echo along the Kansas/Oklahoma border will track east-southeastward across the watch through daybreak. Damaging wind gusts are the primary concern, along with a few tornadoes along the leading edge of the squall line.
The tornado watch area is approximately along and 60 statute miles north and south of a line from 25 miles west northwest of Enid OK to 35 miles east of Fayetteville AR. For a complete depiction of the watch see the associated watch outline update (WOUS64 KWNS WOU2).
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS…
REMEMBER…A Tornado Watch means conditions are favorable for tornadoes and severe thunderstorms in and close to the watch area. Persons in these areas should be on the lookout for threatening weather conditions and listen for later statements and possible warnings.
&&
OTHER WATCH INFORMATION…CONTINUE…WW 380…WW 381…
AVIATION…Tornadoes and a few severe thunderstorms with hail surface and aloft to 2 inches. Extreme turbulence and surface wind gusts to 75 knots. A few cumulonimbi with maximum tops to 500. Mean storm motion vector 28040.
…Hart
Note: The Aviation Watch (SAW) product is an approximation to the watch area. The actual watch is depicted by the shaded areas. SAW2 WW 382 TORNADO AR KS MO OK 070605Z – 071200Z AXIS..60 STATUTE MILES NORTH AND SOUTH OF LINE.. 25WNW END/ENID OK/ – 35E FYV/FAYETTEVILLE AR/ ..AVIATION COORDS.. 50NM N/S /22WNW END – 32ESE RZC/ HAIL SURFACE AND ALOFT..2 INCHES. WIND GUSTS..75 KNOTS. MAX TOPS TO 500. MEAN STORM MOTION VECTOR 28040.
LAT…LON 37369834 36879354 35139354 35629834
THIS IS AN APPROXIMATION TO THE WATCH AREA. FOR A COMPLETE DEPICTION OF THE WATCH SEE WOUS64 KWNS FOR WOU2.
Watch 382 Status Report Message has not been issued yet.
Note: Click for Complete Product Text.Tornadoes
Probability of 2 or more tornadoes
Mod (40%)
Probability of 1 or more strong (EF2-EF5) tornadoes
Low (10%)
Wind
Probability of 10 or more severe wind events
High (80%)
Probability of 1 or more wind events > 65 knots
Mod (30%)
Hail
Probability of 10 or more severe hail events
Mod (30%)
Probability of 1 or more hailstones > 2 inches
Mod (30%)
Combined Severe Hail/Wind
Probability of 6 or more combined severe hail/wind events
High (>95%)
For each watch, probabilities for particular events inside the watch (listed above in each table) are determined by the issuing forecaster. The “Low” category contains probability values ranging from less than 2% to 20% (EF2-EF5 tornadoes), less than 5% to 20% (all other probabilities), “Moderate” from 30% to 60%, and “High” from 70% to greater than 95%. High values are bolded and lighter in color to provide awareness of an increased threat for a particular event.
RED OAK, Iowa – U.S. Senator Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) recently traveled from Pottawattamie County to Scott County to meet with servicemembers, small business owners, farmers, and law enforcement officers on her River to River Tour – part of her ongoing commitment to hear from Iowans in every corner of the state.
Click HERE to download photos from Ernst’s visits.
As the first female combat veteran elected to the Senate who served in the Iowa National Guard, it was especially meaningful for Ernst to honor Iowa National Guard soldiers as they deploy to serve our country in the Middle East. She gave remarks at the send-off ceremonies for both the 1st Battalion, 168th Infantry Regiment in her hometown of Red Oak and 224th Brigade Engineer Battalion in Davenport. Learn more about the ceremony in Red Oak from KSOM, KMALand, The Red Oak Express, and KMTV. WQAD, KLJB,and the Quad-City Times detailed the event in Davenport.
To mark one year since devastating storms and tornados swept through southwest Iowa, Ernst visited Adair County where she toured an active Habitat for Humanity home construction site in Greenfield.Raccoon Valley Radio, KCCI, and WHO 13 joined the tour as she talked with the future homeowner about rebuilding and community recovery efforts.
In Scott County, KWQC covered Ernst’s visit to Davenport Guns & Shooting Club where she met with the store’s owner to discuss the importance of protecting lawful gun dealers from Biden’s ATF with herFIREARM Act. Ernst closed out the visit with some target practice on the shop’s range.
As Chair of the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, Ernst elevates the voices of Iowa small businesses and presented five outstanding entrepreneurs across the state with her Small Business of the Week award. The Wilton-Durant Advocate News and the Muscatine Journal both joined as she honored Lynn and Brenda Ochiltree, owners of The Candy Kitchen, a historic soda fountain in downtown Wilton.
As reported by Journal-Eureka, Ernst stopped by Boomerang Corporation in Jones County to learn more about how their team plans, designs, and oversees construction projects across eastern Iowa.
In Jackson County, Ernst was thrilled to present Air Force veteran Dr. Don Schwenker and his family with a Small Business of the Week award for all their hard work providing care for veterans and the Maquoketa community at Timber City Chiropractic. The Maquoketa Sentinel-Press featured the visit. Daily Nonpareiland KMTV highlighted Ernst’s work to cut red tape and help rural entrepreneurs thrive during her visit to PowerTech in Council Bluffs.
Iowa’s leadership in innovation for businesses both large and small was top of mind as Ernst gave remarks at an event hosted by Google in Cedar Rapids.
Ernst also spotlighted entrepreneurship and the needs of small business owners at her roundtable in Iowa City. As featured on KGAN, she gathered folks with growing small businesses and University of Iowa leadership to discuss her INNOVATE Act followed by a tour of a University of Iowa research laboratory.
Carroll Broadcasting and the Carroll Times Herald both featured Ernst’s roundtable with Iowa pork producers and cattlemen about her work to support Iowa farmers and producers, which includes fighting for a Farm Bill, pushing back against California’s Prop 12 overreach, and combatting foreign animal disease. Ernst also held a second roundtable in Dallas County to hear about the experiences and concerns of central Iowa law enforcement officers.
Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian – People’s Republic of China in Russian –
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
OTTAWA, June 6 (Xinhua) — Smoke from wildfires raging in northern Ontario and the Prairies of Canada caused poor air quality and reduced visibility in major Canadian cities including Toronto, Ottawa and Montreal on Friday.
Environment Canada issued a special air quality statement Friday in affected areas, warning that people most vulnerable to health impacts from air pollution should avoid strenuous outdoor work and seek medical attention if symptoms develop.
Environment Canada’s David Phillips told CTV News that air quality is deteriorating as wildfires spread across the country.
“We’ve certainly seen this week in Ontario that a lot of the smoke from the fires is going south,” he said.
“Only a few people see the flames, but millions smell the smoke,” added D. Phillips.
Toronto’s air quality was ranked the second worst in the world on Friday afternoon, data showed. -0-
In Case You Missed It— U.S. Secretary of Energy Chris Wright traveled to Alaska earlier this week, where he joined U.S. Department of the Interior Secretary Doug Burgum and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lee Zeldin to advance President Trump’s bold agenda to unleash Alaska’s extraordinary resource potential. In Anchorage and on the North Slope, Secretary Wright met with state, local and tribal leaders as well as Alaskan energy workers, held bilateral meetings with foreign energy ministers to advance American energy projects like Alaska LNG, and participated in a keynote fireside chat at the Alaska Sustainable Energy Conference.
“I was proud to join my colleagues, Doug Burgum and Lee Zeldin, in Alaska to help fulfill President Trump’s mission of unleashing Alaska to create a safe, prosperous, and opportunity-filled future,” said Secretary Wright. “Alaska has always been a big bold place, a big bold idea, full of big bold people. Unfortunately, the last administration especially and many before them sought to shut down Alaska in the name of climate nonsense. Those days are over. The Trump Administration is fully committed to restoring the rights and liberties of Alaskans, because when Alaska is unleashed, the entire country and world benefits.”
Click here to watch a highlight video of the trip and here to download and view photos from the visit.
Roundtable in Anchorage
On Sunday, Secretaries Wright and Burgum and Administrator Zeldin joined Alaska Governor Mike Dunleavy and Senator Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska) for a roundtable discussion in Anchorage with leaders from across Alaska’s resource development industry.
Town hall in Utqiagvik (Barrow), Alaska
The delegation then traveled to the capital of Alaska’s North Slope Borough, Utqiagvik, Alaska, for a town hall with the predominantly Alaska-Native community. The cabinet members heard from a variety of community leaders and residents from villages across the North Slope who described how President Trump’s agenda has positively impacted their future.
“The people of Kaktovik have been prisoners in our own ancestral homelands because the refuge was placed on top of us, restricting not just oil and gas development, but our movements. . . I’m so proud of our President because he made sure that our ancestral homelands weren’t going to be stolen… if the other guy would have won, there’s no doubt in my mind that our homeland would have been stolen and there’s nothing we could have done about it. But on day one, Trump had the heart and the wherewithal to be able to right this wrong and I’m extremely grateful for that. . . In the words of our commander in chief, President, Donald J. Trump, drill baby drill.” —Charles Lampe, resident of Kaktovik, Alaska, the only village in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR)
Tour of Trans-Alaska Pipeline System and meetings with industry leaders and international energy ministers in Prudhoe Bay
On Monday, the delegation visited Prudhoe Bay. They began at Pump Station 1 of the Trans-Alaska Pipeline System (TAPS) they met with energy workers and delivered remarks. Upon arrival, Secretary Wright and his colleagues greeted international dignitaries from South Korea, Taiwan, Japan, the Philippines, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) who joined for the day’s events.
“Today, oil is the largest source of energy on the planet and the fastest source of energy on the planet is natural gas. You have the big two right here: let’s double oil production, build the big, beautiful twin pipeline, and we will help energize the world, strengthen our country and strengthen our families.” –Secretary Wright
The delegation also held a roundtable discussion with foreign energy representatives and U.S. industry executives, focused on international investment, LNG demand, and energy security partnerships. They also toured the Hilcorp Central Gas Facility and visited the Prudhoe Bay Discovery Well—highlighting Alaska’s legacy and future as a cornerstone of American energy production.
Alaska Sustainable Energy Conference and bilateral energy meetings
At the 2025 Alaska Sustainable Energy Conference, Secretaries Wright and Burgum and Administrator Zeldin joined Governor Dunleavy for a keynote discussion on the Administration’s progress and future plans for expanding resource development in Alaska.
“The main thing we’re looking to get is people that want to buy Alaskan natural gas, and I think we’ve seen tremendous interest in that.” –Secretary Wright at the Alaska Sustainable Energy Conference
Secretary Wright also held bilateral meetings with the energy ministers from the Philippines and Taiwan.
Advancing President Trump’s ‘One Big Beautiful Bill’
Throughout the visit, Secretary Wright and the delegation also discussed the enormous potential of President Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill, which includes provisions to mandate lease sales in the Cook Inlet and ANWR with an increased cost-share for Alaska, initiate a de-risking program for LNG projects, enact energy permitting reforms, and deliver higher wages and lower energy costs for American families.
Source: US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Note: The expiration time in the watch graphic is amended if the watch is replaced, cancelled or extended.Note: Click for Watch Status Reports. SEL1
URGENT – IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED Tornado Watch Number 381 NWS Storm Prediction Center Norman OK 1005 PM CDT Fri Jun 6 2025
The NWS Storm Prediction Center has issued a
* Tornado Watch for portions of Western and Central Oklahoma and the Oklahoma Panhandle The Texas Panhandle
* Effective this Friday night and Saturday morning from 1005 PM until 600 AM CDT.
* Primary threats include… A couple tornadoes possible Scattered large hail and isolated very large hail events to 3 inches in diameter likely Scattered damaging winds likely with isolated significant gusts to 75 mph possible
SUMMARY…Multiple intense supercells will likely continue to pose a threat for large to very large hail this evening into the early overnight hours as they move generally southeastward. The largest hailstones may reach up to 2-3 inches in diameter. A couple of tornadoes will also be possible with these supercells, especially along/near a surface boundary draped northwest to southeast across the OK/TX Panhandles into western/central OK. Otherwise, scattered severe/damaging winds up to 65-75 mph will likely become an increasing concern as thunderstorms grow upscale into a cluster overnight.
The tornado watch area is approximately along and 65 statute miles north and south of a line from 35 miles south southwest of Guymon OK to 15 miles south southeast of Chandler OK. For a complete depiction of the watch see the associated watch outline update (WOUS64 KWNS WOU1).
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS…
REMEMBER…A Tornado Watch means conditions are favorable for tornadoes and severe thunderstorms in and close to the watch area. Persons in these areas should be on the lookout for threatening weather conditions and listen for later statements and possible warnings.
&&
OTHER WATCH INFORMATION…CONTINUE…WW 379…WW 380…
AVIATION…Tornadoes and a few severe thunderstorms with hail surface and aloft to 3 inches. Extreme turbulence and surface wind gusts to 65 knots. A few cumulonimbi with maximum tops to 550. Mean storm motion vector 30035.
…Gleason
SEL1
URGENT – IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED Tornado Watch Number 381 NWS Storm Prediction Center Norman OK 1005 PM CDT Fri Jun 6 2025
The NWS Storm Prediction Center has issued a
* Tornado Watch for portions of Western and Central Oklahoma and the Oklahoma Panhandle The Texas Panhandle
* Effective this Friday night and Saturday morning from 1005 PM until 600 AM CDT.
* Primary threats include… A couple tornadoes possible Scattered large hail and isolated very large hail events to 3 inches in diameter likely Scattered damaging winds likely with isolated significant gusts to 75 mph possible
SUMMARY…Multiple intense supercells will likely continue to pose a threat for large to very large hail this evening into the early overnight hours as they move generally southeastward. The largest hailstones may reach up to 2-3 inches in diameter. A couple of tornadoes will also be possible with these supercells, especially along/near a surface boundary draped northwest to southeast across the OK/TX Panhandles into western/central OK. Otherwise, scattered severe/damaging winds up to 65-75 mph will likely become an increasing concern as thunderstorms grow upscale into a cluster overnight.
The tornado watch area is approximately along and 65 statute miles north and south of a line from 35 miles south southwest of Guymon OK to 15 miles south southeast of Chandler OK. For a complete depiction of the watch see the associated watch outline update (WOUS64 KWNS WOU1).
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS…
REMEMBER…A Tornado Watch means conditions are favorable for tornadoes and severe thunderstorms in and close to the watch area. Persons in these areas should be on the lookout for threatening weather conditions and listen for later statements and possible warnings.
&&
OTHER WATCH INFORMATION…CONTINUE…WW 379…WW 380…
AVIATION…Tornadoes and a few severe thunderstorms with hail surface and aloft to 3 inches. Extreme turbulence and surface wind gusts to 65 knots. A few cumulonimbi with maximum tops to 550. Mean storm motion vector 30035.
…Gleason
Note: The Aviation Watch (SAW) product is an approximation to the watch area. The actual watch is depicted by the shaded areas. SAW1 WW 381 TORNADO OK TX 070305Z – 071100Z AXIS..65 STATUTE MILES NORTH AND SOUTH OF LINE.. 35SSW GUY/GUYMON OK/ – 15SSE CQB/CHANDLER OK/ ..AVIATION COORDS.. 55NM N/S /56N AMA – 45ENE OKC/ HAIL SURFACE AND ALOFT..3 INCHES. WIND GUSTS..65 KNOTS. MAX TOPS TO 550. MEAN STORM MOTION VECTOR 30035.
LAT…LON 37150174 36469672 34589672 35270174
THIS IS AN APPROXIMATION TO THE WATCH AREA. FOR A COMPLETE DEPICTION OF THE WATCH SEE WOUS64 KWNS FOR WOU1.
Watch 381 Status Report Message has not been issued yet.
Note: Click for Complete Product Text.Tornadoes
Probability of 2 or more tornadoes
Mod (40%)
Probability of 1 or more strong (EF2-EF5) tornadoes
Low (20%)
Wind
Probability of 10 or more severe wind events
High (70%)
Probability of 1 or more wind events > 65 knots
Mod (50%)
Hail
Probability of 10 or more severe hail events
Mod (60%)
Probability of 1 or more hailstones > 2 inches
Mod (60%)
Combined Severe Hail/Wind
Probability of 6 or more combined severe hail/wind events
High (90%)
For each watch, probabilities for particular events inside the watch (listed above in each table) are determined by the issuing forecaster. The “Low” category contains probability values ranging from less than 2% to 20% (EF2-EF5 tornadoes), less than 5% to 20% (all other probabilities), “Moderate” from 30% to 60%, and “High” from 70% to greater than 95%. High values are bolded and lighter in color to provide awareness of an increased threat for a particular event.
Source: United States Senator for New Hampshire Maggie Hassan
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Maggie Hassan (D-NH), a senior member of the Homeland Security Committee, and John Cornyn (R-TX) reintroduced a bipartisan bill to strengthen penalties on drug dealers and target international fentanyl trafficking through the dark web.
“The dark web is a hotspot for illegal drug trafficking, which helps fuel the fentanyl crisis that is devastating New Hampshire and communities across our country,” said Senator Hassan. “This bipartisan bill will strengthen penalties on drug traffickers who use the dark web, making it more difficult for criminals to hide behind a computer as they spread illegal drugs on our streets.”
“The dark web has become a marketplace for drug traffickers who exploit anonymity to flood our communities with deadly narcotics,” said Senator Cornyn. “This bill gives law enforcement the tools they need to crack down on these criminals by helping prosecutors hold bad actors accountable and by disrupting illicit drug sales on the dark web.”
The bipartisan Dark Web Interdiction Act would:
Strengthen criminal penalties on individuals convicted of trafficking illegal drugs on the dark web by directing the United States Sentencing Commission to enhance sentencing guidelines for those individuals.
Solidify the work of the Joint Criminal Opioid and Darknet Enforcement (J-CODE) task force that leads coordinated international, federal, state, and local efforts to combat drug trafficking on the dark web. Since its creation in 2018, J-CODE has led to hundreds of arrests worldwide, seizures of thousands of pounds of narcotics, and the closure of several dark web marketplaces.
Direct the Department of Justice, Department of Homeland Security, and Treasury Department to issue a report to Congress within one year detailing the use of cryptocurrency in the distribution of opioids on the dark web, as well as provide recommendations for how Congress can address the use of virtual currency for opioid trafficking on the dark web.
This bipartisan bill is part of Senator Hassan’s ongoing efforts to stop drug trafficking and support communities devastated by the fentanyl crisis. Senator Hassan helped introduce the bipartisan HALT Fentanyl Act to permanently classify fentanyl-related substances as Schedule I drugs under the Controlled Substances Act, which passed the U.S. Senate in March. Senator Hassan also helped advance the bipartisan DETECT Fentanyl and Xylazine Act, which was signed into law in December and is supporting law enforcement with enhanced tools to find and eliminate illegal substances such as fentanyl and xylazine. Additionally, Senator Hassan and her colleagues passed into law the bipartisan FEND Off Fentanyl Act, which targets the illicit fentanyl supply chain and imposes sanctions on traffickers. Senator Hassan also developed the END FENTANYL Act, signed into law last year, which helps strengthen Customs and Border Protection’s efforts to crack down on fentanyl trafficking at the border.
Source: United States Senator for Louisiana Bill Cassidy
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA) announced Louisiana will receive $14,199,138.08 from the U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) in reimbursement for building replacements, permanent repairs, and fire suppression efforts following Hurricanes Laura and Ida, and the Tiger Island Fire.
“When natural disasters threaten lives and homes, Louisiana pulls together,” said Dr. Cassidy, “These dollars support the people and places that keep our state running.”
Grant Awarded
Recipient
Project Description
$ 3,486,98.90
St. Nicholas Center for Children
This grant will provide federal funding for replacement of the main building following Hurricane Laura.
$3,436,062.30
City of Sulphur
This grant will provide federal funding for permanent repairs to the wastewater treatment plant generator system following Hurricane Laura.
$1,129,735.21
New Providence Baptist Church
This grant will provide federal funding for permanent repairs to the main building following Hurricane Laura.
$1,323,640.80
South Louisiana Electric Cooperative Association
This grant will provide federal funding for permanent repairs to the Houma Office Building following Hurricane Ida.
$2,712,732.84
South Louisiana Electric Cooperative Association
This grant will provide federal funding for replacement of the Houma Office Building following Hurricane Ida.
$1,041,069.96
Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport
This grant will provide federal funding for permanent repairs to Concourse B – East Terminal following Hurricane Ida.
$1,068,910.07
Louisiana Department of Public Safety
This grant will provide federal funding for fire suppression operations during the Tiger Island Fire.
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
These days, Beijing resident Xie Xiaoyang frequently shares photo collages of the city’s blue skies on his WeChat Moments — a stark contrast to the smoggy environment he remembers from his student days in the Chinese capital over 10 years ago.
“Social media was still in its infancy in China back then, with everyone eagerly sharing glimpses of their everyday routines,” Xie recalled. “Yet as autumn leaves fell and winter set in, the world outside dissolved into a murky haze. Posting enthusiasm waned, giving way to a citywide yearning for crisp blue skies.”
Beihai Park is decorated with lanterns in Beijing, capital of China, Jan. 19, 2025. (Photo by Li Menglan/Xinhua)
Over the past decades, air pollution has persisted as a major environmental challenge for China amid its rapid urbanization and economic development. In a landmark response, the Chinese government declared war against air pollution in 2013, launching its Air Pollution Prevention and Control Action Plan (APPCAP) — a comprehensive national policy framework targeting air quality improvement — and sought to find a better balance between economic growth and environment protection.
Following the introduction of the APPCAP, China became the first developing country in the world to impose large-scale efforts to reduce PM2.5 density, with Beijing taking the lead across Chinese cities by adopting scientific governance, institutional innovation and regional collaboration, contributing a new approach to global air pollution control. The United Nations Environment Programme has hailed the megacity’s achievements in improving air quality as the “Beijing Miracle.”
According to the Beijing Municipal Ecology and Environment Bureau, the capital reported steady progress in air quality in 2024. The average density of PM2.5, a key indicator of air pollution, during the year was 30.5 micrograms per cubic meter of air, down 6.2 percent year on year. The number of days with good air quality reached 290, an increase of 114 days compared with 2013 and the highest number on record. Notably, the number of heavily polluted days dropped from 58 in 2013 to just two in 2024, which was a reduction of 96.6 percent.
ARDUOUS CAMPAIGN
At this year’s “two sessions,” Minister of Ecology and Environment Huang Runqiu presented two filter membranes collected from Beijing’s atmospheric environment monitors. The sample from 2015 exhibited a grayish-black hue, while last year’s counterpart showed a grayish-white coloration.
“That grayish-black sample brings back memories of the days when my air purifier was working overtime,” Xie said, voicing a collective memory shared by Beijing residents who lived through the city’s smog-choked years.
“Beijing was then facing an acute air pollution crisis, making rigorous anti-smog measures an urgent imperative,” said Li Xiang, an official of the local ecological environment protection’s law enforcement authorities.
Building on the APPCAP, Beijing rolled out its clean air action plan from 2013 to 2017, launching a targeted campaign across four key battlefronts, including coal combustion control, vehicle emissions management, industrial pollution abatement and dust suppression.
“All relevant municipal authorities solemnly signed responsibility pledges, vowing to secure victory in this crucial pollution control campaign,” said Xie Jinkai, director of the atmospheric environment department of the Beijing Municipal Ecology and Environment Bureau.
This photo taken on Aug. 12, 2024 shows a view of the Shougang Park, a 3-square-kilometer industrial heritage site and a previous venue of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics, in Beijing, capital of China. (Xinhua/Zhang Chenlin)
Beijing used to rely primarily on coal for winter heating. The first PM2.5 source analysis conducted in the capital — spanning 2012 to 2013 — identified coal combustion as one of the dominant contributors to local air pollution, said Wang Zifa, a researcher at the Institute of Atmospheric Physics under the Chinese Academy of Sciences.
The megacity therefore made a resolute decision to launch a wide-ranging initiative to switch from coal to electricity for winter heating. Wang Yu, a senior engineer at the ecological environment bureau of Beijing’s Xicheng District who participated in the conversion project, recalled that the task was both complicated and arduous.
Environmental protection authorities and power supply companies conducted door-to-door surveys in target neighborhoods, addressing key challenges based on residents’ actual conditions while carrying out various tasks, including upgrading external power supply facilities.
By the end of 2015, the downtown Xicheng District became Beijing’s pioneer in achieving complete coal-free heating, a landmark transition that liberated residents from smoke-filled winters fueled by honeycomb briquettes. “Now our homes are warm and clean throughout winter. What a remarkable change,” said a longtime resident surnamed Bai who lives in the Niujie neighborhood of Xicheng District.
Beijing also established a rigorous regulatory framework to accelerate coal reduction. The municipal government has successively implemented emissions standards for various facilities, including stationary gas turbines and boilers, setting stringent new limits on pollutants. Meanwhile, authorities have intensified their work against violations such as excessive emissions and abnormal operations of facilities. Key coal-consuming enterprises now face enhanced supervision to ensure compliance, with mandatory requirements for continuous green upgrades.
Through coordinated actions from authorities, industries and communities, the capital’s plains achieved the fundamental status of being coal-free by the end of 2018, with coal-fired boilers virtually eliminated citywide.
According to Wang, Beijing’s follow-up PM2.5 source studies revealed that coal combustion’s contribution to PM2.5 dropped from 22.4 percent in 2013 to just 3 percent in 2017, eliminating its status as a major pollution source. And after five years of sustained efforts, Beijing saw its average annual density of PM2.5 decrease from nearly 90 micrograms per cubic meter to 58 micrograms per cubic meter, achieving its phased goal in curbing pollution.
PRECISION GOVERNANCE
In 2018, Beijing launched a “1 microgram initiative” to continuously improve air quality, shifting greater focus to sectors like vehicle emissions and fugitive dust, which demand refined control measures, and striving for even single microgram-per-cubic-meter improvements.
The year of 2021 marked a milestone in Beijing’s decade-long “blue skies” campaign, with its annual average PM2.5 concentration dropping to 33 micrograms per cubic meter — the lowest level since records began in 2013. The capital has since maintained compliant air quality standards for three consecutive years.
“‘Beijing blue’ has gradually become our new normal,” Huang Runqiu said at a press conference.
Thanks to aggressive renewable energy adoption and coal-replacement policies, Beijing’s energy mix has undergone a historic transformation. Its coal consumption plummeted from 21.8 million tonnes in 2012 to under 600,000 tonnes in 2024, now accounting for less than 1 percent of its total energy consumption, Yang Xiuling, director of the Beijing Municipal Development and Reform Commission, said recently.
Furthermore, Beijing has implemented structural optimization processes in its industrial and transport sectors. The city has closed over 3,000 manufacturing or polluting enterprises and rectified more than 12,000 scattered, disorganized or polluting businesses through categorized remediation. A total of over 3 million high-pollution vehicles have been phased out.
With its air quality having improved significantly, Beijing now faces more challenging pollution control targets that require increasingly scientific and refined measures. In 2025, the city elevated its air pollution governance to a new level of precision: its “0.1 microgram initiative.”
This photo taken on Oct. 17, 2024 shows new energy vehicle model SU7 produced by Chinese tech firm Xiaomi displayed during the 2024 World Intelligent Connected Vehicles Conference in Beijing, capital of China. (Xinhua/Chen Zhonghao)
“For instance, we will vigorously expand the adoption of new energy vehicles (NEVs), aiming for NEVs to comprise half of all registered vehicles by 2025,” Xie Jinkai said. “Through meticulous governance, we aim to consolidate and sustain emissions reduction achievements.”
According to the municipal government work report this year, the number of NEVs in the city has exceeded 1 million, and the proportion of green electricity in the city’s energy mix has reached 26 percent.
MULTI-LEVEL COOPERATION
According to Li Xiang, an illegal sand and gravel plant in Dashiwo Town of Beijing’s Fangshan District, which borders Zhuozhou City in Hebei Province, had once caused severe fugitive dust pollution in the local area.
“At that time, with Beijing and Hebei conducting separate law enforcement operations, the plant utilized vehicle-mounted mobile production equipment to shuttle across the provincial boundary, allowing the illegal operations to persist unchecked for an extended period,” Li said.
Since 2015, the ecological and environmental law enforcement agencies of Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei have formally established and continuously improved a joint environmental enforcement mechanism, creating coordinated systems that involve regular consultations, joint operations and collaborative inspections to collectively combat cross-regional environmental violations.
After three years, the plant was officially shut down through a joint enforcement operation conducted by Beijing and Hebei authorities. In 2019, the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region expanded its joint law enforcement mechanism to cover district and county levels.
Tourists visit the Tiantan (Temple of Heaven) Park in Beijing, capital of China, June 25, 2024. (Xinhua/Ju Huanzong)
Beijing has broadened its air quality governance collaboration from a domestic level to an international level in recent years. Beyond hosting an annual international forum on clean air and climate to facilitate exchanges among environmental experts, policymakers and businesses globally, the city also took a significant step earlier this year, when the Beijing Municipal Ecology and Environment Bureau signed a memorandum of understanding with the Environment Department of the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration to boost air quality monitoring and management cooperation.
Over the next three years, Beijing will share its proven expertise in air pollution control — particularly its PM2.5 monitoring and mitigation strategies — with Bangkok to support the Thai capital’s air quality improvement efforts.
However, Xie Jinkai noted that Beijing’s current air quality improvements remain fragile, with regional pollution spikes likely to recur during unfavorable meteorological conditions.
“Air quality improvement remains a long-term, complex and challenging mission. Beijing’s pollution control efforts will continue advancing to deeper, more precise stages,” Xie said.
“Our shared goal is to maintain lasting blue skies and fresh air, continuously meeting the people’s growing expectations for a beautiful environment,” she added.
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
Buildings are shrouded in smoke from wildfire in Toronto, Canada, on June 6, 2025. (Photo by Zou Zheng/Xinhua)
Smoke from wildfires burning in northern Ontario and the Prairies of Canada caused poor air quality and reduced visibility in major cities including Toronto, Ottawa and Montreal on Friday.
Environment Canada issued special air quality statements for these areas on Friday, warning that people most likely to suffer health effects from air pollution should avoid strenuous activities outdoors and seek medical attention if experiencing symptoms.
Environment Canada’s David Phillips said on CTV News that as wildfires ramp up across the country, air quality is deteriorating.
“What we’ve seen this week, of course, in Ontario is a lot of that smoke from fires has come south,” Phillips said.
“Only a few see the flames but millions smell the smoke,” he said.
According to data from Swiss air quality tracker IQAir, Toronto’s air quality was ranked the second worst in the world Friday afternoon.
Complete Incompetence at the Board Level Results in Fire Sale of Treasured MediPharm Asset, the Hope Facility, to a Competitor
Hope Facility was One of Canada’s Best Cultivation Assets Before it was Acquired by MediPharm, Grossly Mismanaged, and Ultimately Shut Down in 2024
MediPharm Labs’ Board is Pursuing its Worst Deal Yet: A Highly Dilutive NO CASH Sale of the Remaining Company
Apollo has a Concrete and Achievable Plan to Drive MediPharm’s Share Price from Nearly $0.06 to Over $1.00, Restoring Value to its Loyal Shareholders
SHAREHOLDERS ARE URGED TO VOTE THEGOLDCARD “FOR” APOLLO CAPITAL’S SIX DIRECTOR NOMINEES AND NOT VOTE MEDIPHARM’s GREEN CARD
TORONTO, June 06, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Apollo Technology Capital Corporation (“Apollo Capital”), one of MediPharm Labs’ (“MediPharm”) largest investors, warns MediPharm shareholders that the Company’s current leadership is continuing its pursuit of value destructive M&A, with the ultimate goal of a non-cash dilutive sale of the entire company. A sale of the Company which would trigger over $5M in change of control and other payments to current management.
“It’s a travesty for shareholders to have what is believed to be a $12M asset sold for just $4.5M, likely netting shareholders less than $4M after fees and expenses. Worse still, the acquirer will wisely use the facility to produce cannabis for export that will directly compete with MediPharm in Europe,” says Regan McGee of Apollo Capital.
“Yesterday’s fire sale announcement makes it crystal clear that MediPharm’s Board has no actual value creation strategy, just a desire to sell off MediPharm’s assets at shareholders’ expense to keep paying themselves at 500% above market norms. Is MediPharm pursuing growth facilities as a strategy or not? Is the Napanee facility the next fire sale we will see to a competitor?” questions Regan McGee of Apollo Capital.
Apollo expects the scaling of MediPharm’s Napanee facility to cost shareholders significantly more than what the buyer of the Hope Facility will spend to achieve real profitability. Apollo expects the scaling of MediPharm’s Napanee facility to cost between $3 million and $5 million and take 12 to 18 months to generate revenue. Apollo notes MediPharm’s management team does not have cultivation experience, which could result in millions of investment dollars needed before it provides a return, if ever.
The Hope Facility, formerly known as CannaFarms, was built by the highly respected Laflamme family to be one of the first licensed facilities in Canada. As exceptional visionaries, the Laflamme family built a world-class facility at immense personal cost to service patients in need, including military veterans. After nearly a decade of strong operational success as a positive driver for the community, MediPharm leadership not only failed to realize the value of its acquisition, but handed its assets to a competitor for well below market value.
This sale is a tragic outcome for MediPharm shareholders. CEO David Pidduck has sold off MediPharm’s Hope.
Apollo Capital asks:
Why did the Board fail to capitalize on the value of the operational and profitable Hope Facility, as MediPharm’s competitor plans to?
How will the MediPharm and its shareholders pay for ill-advised investments in cultivation?
How will MediPharm avoid insolvency, given CEO Pidduck’s current strategy?
Is the Board pursuing a highly dilutive sale of the Company that will destroy remaining shareholder value?
In the case of such a transaction, how many millions of dollars of the shareholders’ money will go directly to the compensation of management?
Apollo Capital has invested significant capital into MediPharm and nominated highly qualified director candidates who can drive the urgent change needed and propel share price over $1.00. For more information, see our strategic five-pillar plan at www.curemedipharm.com.
Apollo urges shareholders to save their investments and vote the GOLD CARD by June 13, 2025. Shareholders are urged to NOT sign or return the green proxy cards sent by the Company.
Contacts
For Shareholders: Carson Proxy North American Toll-Free Phone: 1-800-530-5189 Local or Text Message: 416-751-2066 (collect calls accepted) E: info@carsonproxy.com
This solicitation is being made by and on behalf of the Concerned Shareholder, who, as of the date of this Circular, beneficially owns or controls, directly and indirectly through its wholly-owned subsidiary, Nobul Technologies Inc., 12,491,500 common shares of the Company (“Common Shares”), representing approximately 3% of the total Common Shares issued and outstanding, and not by the management of the Company (“Management”).
Legal Disclosures Information in Support of Public Broadcast Exemption under Canadian Law In connection with the annual general and special meeting (the “Annual Meeting”) of shareholders of MediPharm, Apollo Capital has filed an amended and restated dissident information circular dated May 15, 2025 (the “Circular”), as amended and supplemented by an addendum to the Circular subsequently filed by the Concerned Stakeholder dated June 4, 2025 (the “Addendum” and together with the Circular, the “Amended Circular”), each in compliance with applicable corporate and securities laws. The Concerned Stakeholder has provided in, or incorporated by reference into, this press release the disclosure required under section 9.2(4) of NI 51-102 – Continuous Disclosure Obligations (“NI 51-102”) and the corresponding exemption under the Business Corporations Act (Ontario), and has filed the Amended Circular, available under MediPharm’s profile on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.ca. The Amended Circular contains disclosure prescribed by applicable corporate law and disclosure required under section 9.2(6) of NI 51-102 in respect of the Concerned Stakeholder’s director nominees, in accordance with corporate and securities laws applicable to public broadcast solicitations. The Amended Circular is hereby incorporated by reference into this press release and is available under MediPharm’s profile on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.ca. The registered office of the Company is 151 John Street, Barrie, Ontario, Canada L4N 2L1. SHAREHOLDERS OF MEDIPHARM ARE URGED TO READ THE AMENDED CIRCULAR CAREFULLY BECAUSE IT CONTAINS IMPORTANT INFORMATION. Investors and shareholders are able to obtain free copies of the Amended Circular and any amendments or supplements thereto and further proxy circulars at no charge under MediPharm’s profile on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.ca. In addition, shareholders are also able to obtain free copies of the Amended Circular and other relevant documents by contacting the Concerned Stakeholder’s proxy solicitor, Carson Proxy Advisors Ltd. (“Carson Proxy”) at 1-800-530-5189, local (collect outside North America): 416-751-2066 or by email at info@carsonproxy.com. Proxies may be revoked in accordance with subsection 110(4) of the Business Corporations Act (Ontario) by a registered shareholder of Company shares: (a) by completing and signing a valid proxy bearing a later date and returning it in accordance with the instructions contained in the accompanying form of proxy; (b) by depositing an instrument in writing executed by the shareholder or by the shareholder’s attorney authorized in writing; (c) by transmitting by telephonic or electronic means a revocation that is signed by electronic signature in accordance with applicable law, as the case may be: (i) at the registered office of the Company at any time up to and including the last business day preceding the day the Annual Meeting or any adjournment or postponement of the Annual Meeting is to be held, or (ii) with the chair of the Annual Meeting on the day of the Annual Meeting or any adjournment or postponement of the Annual Meeting; or (d) in any other manner permitted by law. In addition, proxies may be revoked by a non-registered holder of Company shares at any time by written notice to the intermediary in accordance with the instructions given to the non-registered holder by its intermediary. It should be noted that revocation of proxies or voting instructions by a non-registered holder can take several days or even longer to complete and, accordingly, any such revocation should be completed well in advance of the deadline prescribed in the form of proxy or voting instruction form to ensure it is given effect in respect of the Annual Meeting. The costs incurred in the preparation and mailing of any circular or proxy solicitation by the Concerned Stakeholder and any other participants named herein will be borne directly and indirectly by Apollo Capital. However, to the extent permitted under applicable law, Apollo Capital intends to seek reimbursement from the Company of all expenses incurred in connection with the solicitation of proxies for the election of its director nominees at the Annual Meeting. This press release and any solicitation made by the Concerned Stakeholder is, or will be, as applicable, made by such parties, and not by or on behalf of the management of the Company. Proxies may be solicited by proxy circular, mail, telephone, email or other electronic means, as well as by newspaper or other media advertising and in person by managers, directors, officers and employees of the Concerned Stakeholder who will not be specifically remunerated therefor. In addition, the Concerned Stakeholder may solicit proxies by way of public broadcast, including press release, speech or publication and any other manner permitted under applicable Canadian laws, and may engage the services of one or more agents and authorize other persons to assist it in soliciting proxies on their behalf. Apollo Capital has entered into an agreement with Carson Proxy for solicitation and advisory services in connection with the solicitation of proxies by the Concerned Stakeholder for the Annual Meeting, for which Carson Proxy will receive a fee from Apollo Capital not to exceed $250,000, together with reimbursement for reasonable and out-of-pocket expenses. Apollo Capital has also engaged Gasthalter & Co. LP (“G&Co”) to act as communications consultant to provide the Concerned Stakeholder with certain communications, public relations and related services, for which G&Co will receive, from Apollo Capital, a minimum fee of US$75,000 in addition to a performance fee of US$250,000 in the event that the Concerned Stakeholder’s nominees make up a majority of the board of directors of MediPharm (the “Board”) following the Annual Meeting, plus excess fees, related costs and expenses. Anteris Advisors, LLC (“Anteris”) has also been retained by Apollo Capital to act as strategic consultant to provide the Concerned Stakeholder with certain activism strategy, material creation and strategic communications services, for which Anteris will receive, from Apollo Capital, a minimum fee of US$100,000 in addition to a success fee of US$100,000 in the event that one or more of the Concerned Stakeholder’s nominees are appointed or elected to the Board following the Annual Meeting or as a result of any settlement or arrangement, plus excess fees, related costs and expenses. No member of the Concerned Stakeholder nor any of their respective associates or affiliates has or has had any material interest, direct or indirect, in any transaction since the beginning of the Company’s last completed financial year or in any proposed transaction that has materially affected or will or would materially affect the Company or any of the Company’s affiliates. No member of the Concerned Stakeholder nor any of their respective associates or affiliates has any material interest, direct or indirect, by way of beneficial ownership of securities or otherwise, in any matter to be acted upon at the Annual Meeting, other than setting the number of directors and the election of directors to the Board. Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains forward‐looking statements. All statements contained in this filing that are not clearly historical in nature or that necessarily depend on future events are forward‐looking, and the words “anticipate,” “believe,” “expect,” “estimate,” “plan,” and similar expressions are generally intended to identify forward‐looking statements. These statements are based on current expectations of the Concerned Stakeholder and currently available information. They are not guarantees of future performance, involve certain risks and uncertainties that are difficult to predict, and are based upon assumptions as to future events that may not prove to be accurate. All forward-looking statements contained herein are made only as of the date hereof and the Concerned Stakeholder disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any such forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances that subsequently occur, or of which the Concerned Stakeholder hereafter becomes aware, except as required by applicable law.
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
Liujiaxia hydropower plant increases average daily outflow of Liujiaxia Reservoir in China’s Gansu
Updated: June 7, 2025 07:41Xinhua
An aerial drone photo taken on June 6, 2025 shows a view of Liujiaxia Reservoir in Linxia Hui Autonomous Prefecture, northwest China’s Gansu Province. Liujiaxia hydropower plant has increased the average daily outflow of Liujiaxia Reservoir from 900 cubic meters per second to 1,100 cubic meters per second from June 6 to provide a solid guarantee for drought relief, irrigation and ecological water replenishment. [Photo/Xinhua]An aerial drone photo taken on June 6, 2025 shows a view of Liujiaxia Reservoir in Linxia Hui Autonomous Prefecture, northwest China’s Gansu Province. [Photo/Xinhua]
Source: United States Senator John Kennedy (Louisiana)
MADISONVILLE, La. – Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.), a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, today announced $18,901,177 in Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) grants for Louisiana.
“In the face of hurricanes and wildfires, Louisiana communities prove time and time again that they are the toughest and hardest working out there. This $18.9 million will help our state with the heavy costs of emergency response, mitigation efforts and crucial repairs and replacements,” said Kennedy.
The FEMA aid will fund the following:
$4,478,132 to the Office of Risk Management for the installation of five permanent generators.
$3,486,987 to the St. Nicholas Center for Children in Lake Charles, La. to replace its main building due to Hurricane Laura damage.
$3,436,062 to the city of Sulphur, La. to repair its wastewater treatment plant generator system and transfer switch due to Hurricane Laura damage.
$2,712,733 to the South Louisiana Electric Cooperative Association to replace its Houma, La. office building due to severe Hurricane Ida damage.
$1,323,641 to the South Louisiana Electric Cooperative Association for the digitization of Hurricane Ida-damaged documents and additional costs.
$1,129,735 to the New Providence Baptist Church for repairs to its main building due to Hurricane Laura damage.
$1,068,910 to the Louisiana Department of Public Safety for fire suppression operations taken during the Tiger Island Fire.
$1,041,070 to the Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport for repairs to its east terminal facilities, concourse B and its east terminal-adjacent rental car center due to Hurricane Ida damage.
$223,907 to the Office of Risk Management for management costs associated with generator installation.
RAPID CITY – United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that U.S. District Court Judge Karen E. Schreier has sentenced a Rapid City, South Dakota, man convicted of Conspiracy to Distribute a Controlled Substance.
Guillermo Calderon, a/k/a “Memo,” age 38, was sentenced on June 6, 2025, to 25 years in federal prison, five years of supervised release, and a special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund in the amount of $100.
“Methamphetamine is ravaging communities throughout South Dakota, leaving a trail of heartbreaking addiction in its path,” said U.S. Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell. “Calderon played a significant role in perpetuating this problem by trafficking methamphetamine into Rapid City and within the Pine Ridge Reservation. Thanks to our skilled federal and tribal law enforcement partners, Calderon will now spend serious time in federal prison.”
“Calderon led a dangerous operation that funneled large amounts of methamphetamine into Pine Ridge and Rapid City, bringing violence and addiction into vulnerable communities,” said Special Agent in Charge Alvin M. Winston Sr. of FBI Minneapolis. “Today’s sentencing reaffirms that those who bring cartel-linked drugs into our communities will be brought to justice. The FBI will continue to work with our federal, state, local, and tribal partners to disrupt drug trafficking networks and protect our communities from the devastating impact of cartel-sourced narcotics.”
Calderon was indicted by a federal grand jury in February 2024, and pleaded guilty on March 26, 2025. The investigation showed that Calderon and others distributed significant amounts of methamphetamine in Pine Ridge and Rapid City. Calderon was the leader of the conspiracy, trafficking significant amounts of methamphetamine into the community from Mexican cartel operatives. Calderon utilized firearms and threats of violence throughout his drug distribution scheme. In January 2024, Iowa law enforcement arrested Calderon while he was driving approximately 20 pounds of methamphetamine to South Dakota.
In sentencing Calderon, Judge Schreier denounced how Calderon’s actions severely damaged the South Dakota community, and found he was the most culpable and violent member of the drug conspiracy. Judge Schreier also noted the drugs Calderon distributed constituted 100% pure methamphetamine and came from a Mexican cartel.
This case was investigated by the Oglala Sioux Tribe Department of Public Safety, Bureau of Indian Affairs, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the FBI. Assistant U.S. Attorney Anna Lindrooth prosecuted the case.
Calderon was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service following sentencing.
Despite court order, failed to tell second company about prior conviction for wire fraud
Seattle – A 45–year-old former Kent, Washington, woman was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Seattle to an additional twelve months and one day in prison for stealing from her new employer while awaiting sentencing for stealing from a past employer, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Teal Luthy Miller. In 2023, Christin Guillory was sentenced to three years in prison for stealing more than $2.5 million from an Everett manufacturing company where she served as accounting manager. After pleading guilty to that crime, and while awaiting sentencing, she secretly stole tens of thousands of dollars from a second employer who did not know about her ongoing prosecution.
The court had ordered Guillory to notify her new employer of the prosecution and to provide the probation office with evidence she had done so. Guillory did not tell her employer about her prior fraud as required. Instead, Guillory falsely told the probation office she had informed her employer of the prosecution and had lost her employment as a result. Guillory provided probation with a falsified email to substantiate the false information. Guillory continued to work for, and embezzle funds from, her employer until she reported to prison to serve her sentence. The new employer learned of the prosecution only after Guillory failed to report for work without explanation when she reported to serve her sentence.
Guillory admitted to the second theft in February 2025, pleading to wire fraud and concealing material facts from the United States.
At the sentencing hearing, U.S. District Judge Ricardo S. Martinez said, “You lied to the court while the court was trying to determine if you were a danger to the community. . . . You are responsible for the actions you took, and those actions have consequences.”
“The defendant lied to the court, to the probation office, and to the second company that had unwittingly placed her in a position of trust,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Miller. “Instead of disclosing the truth about her federal conviction for embezzlement, Ms. Guillory lied to her employer and once again repeatedly stole money until the day she reported to prison.”
According to records filed in the case, after Guillory was fired for a $2.5 million theft from an Everett company, she began work for a company in Kent, Washington. By January of 2023, she was aware that her Everett embezzlement was being investigated by the FBI. She pleaded guilty to wire fraud in May 2023.
At the time of her guilty plea, the Magistrate Judge asked about her current employment. Through her attorney, Guillory claimed she had no access to bank accounts or checks. Nevertheless, the Magistrate Judge ordered Guillory to inform her employer of her conviction. Guillory later claimed to her pretrial services officer and other probation staff that she had been fired after informing the company. She claimed that the only employment she had, before reporting for prison, was as a nanny or receptionist.
In fact, Guillory never told her Kent employer about the conviction, and she had already begun embezzling from that company. Between January and August 2023, she attempted to steal some $60,000 by altering checks made out to vendors, manipulating the payroll system to increase her own paycheck, or simply writing checks to herself. On her last day at the office, she wrote a check to herself for $3,516. Guillory never told the company she was leaving. When she did not show up for work and they could not reach her, a web search revealed the prior embezzlement case.
In recommending that Guillory be sentenced to an additional year of imprisonment, prosecutors wrote to the court, “Guillory exploited her position of trust by secretly funneling tens of thousands of dollars to herself and then covering it up. The offense involved at least 25 transactions. This was particularly egregious because, at the time she was stealing from Victim 2, she was being prosecuted for (and supposedly had accepted responsibility for) the exact same type of conduct that she continued to engage in.”
The company was able to reverse some of the transactions but is still owed $42,000. That amount is now added on to the restitution from the earlier case. In 2023, Judge Martinez ordered restitution of $2,536,086 to the Everett company, and $590,850 to the U.S. Treasury for her failure to pay tax on the ill-gotten gain.
The cases were investigated by the FBI and the Internal Revenue Service: Criminal Investigation (IRS:CI) as well as U.S. Probation and Pretrial Services.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Seth Wilkinson.
BALTIMORE, June 06, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — A mysterious AI complex in Memphis is now being called the most powerful system of its kind — and it wasn’t supposed to be public knowledge.
In a newly released briefing, bestselling author and tech expert James Altucher reveals the details of a covert AI operation led by Elon Musk that, until now, has gone almost entirely unreported.
Known as Project Colossus, the facility was built by Musk’s AI company, xAI, and is allegedly housing the highest-density AI computing power in the Western Hemisphere.
“The AI Mothership”
Altucher says the project has quietly surpassed every major tech firm in the race for AI dominance — including OpenAI, Microsoft, Meta, and even Nvidia.
“Elon Musk has created the AI mothership… an innovation of such enormous proportion… that he has already surpassed all the leading AI developers.”
He adds that the complex is powered by 200,000 high-performance AI chips — and growing.
“Making it the most advanced AI facility known to man.”
Buried in a Warehouse. Unleashed by Policy.
According to Altucher, the project only became possible after a specific presidential action early in Trump’s second term.
“In one of his FIRST acts as President… Donald Trump overturned Executive Order #14110.”
That order had previously restricted advanced AI development in the name of safety and oversight. Its removal, Altucher says, opened the floodgates.
Not a Tool. A Turning Point.
Altucher warns that this isn’t just about AI doing tasks faster. This is a leap into self-operating systems that think, react, and solve.
“AI 2.0… gives that knowledge to intelligent machines that I believe will solve our problems for us.”
James Altucher is a computer scientist, entrepreneur, and bestselling author with four decades of experience in artificial intelligence and innovation. His past work includes contributions to IBM’s Deep Blue supercomputer and the early development of AI-driven market systems. His recent briefings focus on the intersection of AI, secrecy, and national acceleration.
While some communities are allowing residents to return, evacuation orders remain in many other places. Warm, dry and windy conditions across many parts of the province continue to elevate the fire danger and are driving active fire behaviour.
Current situation (as of 4pm, June 6)
There are 57 wildfires currently burning across Alberta in the Forest Protection Area, and three mutual aid fires.
22 are classified as out of control, 10 are being held and 25 are under control.
The two wildfires that make up the Swan Complex, the Hubert Lake Fire and Edith Lake Wildfire near Swan Hills, are now being held.
Since January 1, there have been 522 wildfires in the Forest Protection Area, burning more than 542,000 hectares.
More than 1,000 Alberta firefighters, contract firefighters and imported firefighters are currently battling wildfires across the province.
Resources currently being used include heavy equipment, airtankers, helicopters and night vision helicopters.
Alberta has imported firefighters and aircraft from British Columbia, Yukon, Quebec, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Washington State, Oregon and Idaho.
Information about wildfires can be found by visiting the Alberta Wildfire Status Dashboard.
Orders and alerts
Updates on evacuation orders are available on www.alberta.ca/emergency.
On June 5, the County of Grande Prairie No. 1 issued an evacuation order for everyone located north of Township Road 710 to Township Road 740, and east of the border with British Columbia to Range Road 130.
Registration centre at Hythe Community Library, 10013 100 Street, Hythe.
On June 5, the Town of Swan Hills lifted its evacuation order and allowed residents to return home. Residents must remain prepared to evacuate again if the situation changes.
On June 5, Westlock County lifted its evacuation order for the Hubert Lake Wildland Provincial Park area and allowed residents to return home.
On June 4, Lac La Biche County issued an evacuation order for the area of southern Winefred Lake and Grist Lake in Lac La Biche County.
The Dene Tha’ First Nation’s evacuation order for the community of Chateh remains in effect.
Registration centre at the Bushe River Administrative Office in High Level.
The Kee Tas Kee Now Tribal Council’s evacuation orders for Loon Lake 235, Peerless Lake and Trout Lake remain in effect.
Registration centre at 10451 170 Street, Edmonton.
The Municipal District of Opportunity No. 17’s evacuation order for Red Earth Creek remains in effect.
Reception centre at the Baytex Energy Centre, 9810 73 Avenue, Peace River.
The Municipal District of Opportunity No. 17’s evacuation order for Chipewyan Lake also remains in effect.
Reception centre at Lakeview Sports Centre, 102 Opportunity Drive, Wabasca-Desmarais.
Evacuation alerts are currently in effect for:
Conklin area – Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo
Hamlet of Marten Beach – Municipal District of Slave River
Hamlet of Peers and area – Yellowhead County
Hawk Hills area – County of Northern Lights
Township Road 710 to 700 east of the British Columbia border to Range Road 130, and north along the provincial border with British Columbia to Township Road 750 until Highway 43 – County of Grande Prairie No. 1
Town of Swan Hills
Alberta Emergency Alerts are issued by local authorities and are updated at their discretion. For the best source of information on the status of evacuation orders and alerts, residents are encouraged to follow their local authorities’ preferred communication channels for updates.
People living in Alberta are encouraged to download the Alberta Emergency Alert mobile app, which immediately pushes all alerts out to subscribers.
Eligibility for Emergency Evacuation Payments
Alberta’s government provides a one-time emergency evacuation payment to residents who had to leave their communities for seven or more days due to mandatory evacuation orders.
Eligible adults receive $1,250 and $500 for each dependent child under the age of 18.
Evacuees are encouraged to apply for these emergency payments online at evacuationpayment.alberta.ca, by calling the Alberta Supports Contact Centre at 1-877-644-9992 or by visiting an Alberta Supports office for assistance. Locations can be found at alberta.ca/alberta-supports.
Those in need of immediate emergency financial assistance can contact the Income Support Emergency Contact Centre at 1-866-644-5135. The contact centre operates 24/7.
The Edmonton Northgate, High Level and Peace River Alberta Supports Centres are offering extended hours of 8:15 a.m.-7 p.m. from June 5-6, and 10 a.m.-3 p.m. on June 7. Edmonton Northgate will also be open on June 8 from 10 a.m.-7 p.m.
The Westlock and Slave Lake Alberta Supports Centres are offering extended hours of 8:15 a.m.-7 p.m. from June 5-6.
Air quality
Visit Wildfire Smoke Information for air quality monitoring information to make informed decisions about outdoor activities to protect your health. While wildfire smoke is affecting air quality in parts of Alberta, the presence of smoke does not necessarily mean there is fire near your community. Find information about the status of active wildfires and wildfire updates at Alberta Wildfire.
Fire bans
A fire ban is in effect for the Forest Protection Area of Alberta.
Under this ban, all outdoor wood fires are prohibited, and existing fire permits are suspended.
Please confirm advisories, restrictions or bans for your area at alberta.ca/fire-bans.
Fire bans outside the Forest Protection Area are the responsibility of municipalities and counties.
Everyone has a role to play in wildfire prevention. Follow all fire bans and restrictions to avoid new fire starts. If you see smoke or flames in the forest, call 310-FIRE to report it.
Applying FireSmart principles to homes and property can mitigate the risk of wildfire damage. Removing flammable materials and vegetation around the property and preventing embers from accumulating can help protect your home from wildfires. To learn more, visit FireSmart Alberta.
Roads and highways
Highway 35 between the junctions with Highway 692 and Highway 695, north of Manning, is currently closed in both directions due to wildfire. Use Highway 88 as alternate route.
Highway 686 between Red Earth Creek and Trout Lake is currently closed due to a wildfire.
Highway 671/Kelly Lake Road at the Alberta/B.C. border to Range Road 130, southwest of Hythe, is closed due to a wildfire in BC.
511 Alberta is the best source of real time information as conditions change on our highways. Follow on X (formerly known as Twitter) @511alberta.
Alberta highways that are affected by the wildfires will open and close frequently depending on safety and weather conditions. Be patient and respect the staff at the closure/detour sites – they are there with your safety in mind.
Health
The Swan Hills Emergency Department is now open. The Swan Hills Healthcare Centre continues to work towards a full reopening.
For information about wildfire resources, including mental health, visit Wildfire Resources | Alberta Health Services
Education
Seven schools are currently closed in response to community evacuations:
Dene Tha’ Community School, in Chateh
Kateri School, in Trout Lake
Elizabeth Quintal Schools, in Peerless Lake
Clarence Jaycox School, in Loon Lake
Red Earth Creek School, in Red Earth Creek
Chipewyan Lake School, in Chipewyan Lake
Swan Hills School, in Swan Hills
Parents and guardians should reach out to local school authorities for the most current information on impacts to schooling.
All impacted school authorities had plans in place to ensure displaced students have access to educational programming.
Childcare:
One childcare centre is currently closed in response to community evacuations:
Opportunity Childcare, in Red Earth Creek
Licensed childcare programs are required to notify Child Care Connect if they close unexpectedly.
Parents and guardians should reach out to their childcare provider for information on closures.
Justice
The Chateh and Red Earth Creek courthouses are closed until further notice due to evacuations. Visit the Alberta Courts website for the most current information regarding court scheduling.
Emergency Preparedness
Get ready for emergencies and disasters by taking simple steps now. To be prepared, ensure you know what to do, where to go and have enough supplies for a week or more. Supplies include food, water, medications and important documents. Include supplies for pets as well.
Source: US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Note: The expiration time in the watch graphic is amended if the watch is replaced, cancelled or extended.Note: Click for Watch Status Reports. SEL9
URGENT – IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED Tornado Watch Number 379 NWS Storm Prediction Center Norman OK 455 PM CDT Fri Jun 6 2025
The NWS Storm Prediction Center has issued a
* Tornado Watch for portions of Eastern New Mexico The Oklahoma Panhandle West/Northwest Texas and the Texas Panhandle
* Effective this Friday afternoon and evening from 455 PM until 1100 PM CDT.
* Primary threats include… A few tornadoes and a couple intense tornadoes possible Scattered large hail and isolated very large hail events to 4 inches in diameter likely Scattered damaging winds and isolated significant gusts to 75 mph possible
SUMMARY…Multiple intense supercells will likely pose a threat for very large to potentially giant hail this afternoon and evening as they move generally east-southeastward. The largest hailstones may reach up to 3-4 inches in diameter. A few tornadoes will also be possible with any sustained supercells, mainly this evening as the low-level jet strengthens. Scattered severe/damaging winds with peak gusts up to 60-75 mph may become an increasing concern later this evening if thunderstorms can congeal into one or more bowing clusters.
The tornado watch area is approximately along and 85 statute miles east and west of a line from 50 miles west northwest of Guymon OK to 50 miles southeast of Hobbs NM. For a complete depiction of the watch see the associated watch outline update (WOUS64 KWNS WOU9).
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS…
REMEMBER…A Tornado Watch means conditions are favorable for tornadoes and severe thunderstorms in and close to the watch area. Persons in these areas should be on the lookout for threatening weather conditions and listen for later statements and possible warnings.
&&
OTHER WATCH INFORMATION…CONTINUE…WW 376…WW 378…
AVIATION…Tornadoes and a few severe thunderstorms with hail surface and aloft to 4 inches. Extreme turbulence and surface wind gusts to 65 knots. A few cumulonimbi with maximum tops to 600. Mean storm motion vector 28025.
…Gleason
SEL9
URGENT – IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED Tornado Watch Number 379 NWS Storm Prediction Center Norman OK 455 PM CDT Fri Jun 6 2025
The NWS Storm Prediction Center has issued a
* Tornado Watch for portions of Eastern New Mexico The Oklahoma Panhandle West/Northwest Texas and the Texas Panhandle
* Effective this Friday afternoon and evening from 455 PM until 1100 PM CDT.
* Primary threats include… A few tornadoes and a couple intense tornadoes possible Scattered large hail and isolated very large hail events to 4 inches in diameter likely Scattered damaging winds and isolated significant gusts to 75 mph possible
SUMMARY…Multiple intense supercells will likely pose a threat for very large to potentially giant hail this afternoon and evening as they move generally east-southeastward. The largest hailstones may reach up to 3-4 inches in diameter. A few tornadoes will also be possible with any sustained supercells, mainly this evening as the low-level jet strengthens. Scattered severe/damaging winds with peak gusts up to 60-75 mph may become an increasing concern later this evening if thunderstorms can congeal into one or more bowing clusters.
The tornado watch area is approximately along and 85 statute miles east and west of a line from 50 miles west northwest of Guymon OK to 50 miles southeast of Hobbs NM. For a complete depiction of the watch see the associated watch outline update (WOUS64 KWNS WOU9).
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS…
REMEMBER…A Tornado Watch means conditions are favorable for tornadoes and severe thunderstorms in and close to the watch area. Persons in these areas should be on the lookout for threatening weather conditions and listen for later statements and possible warnings.
&&
OTHER WATCH INFORMATION…CONTINUE…WW 376…WW 378…
AVIATION…Tornadoes and a few severe thunderstorms with hail surface and aloft to 4 inches. Extreme turbulence and surface wind gusts to 65 knots. A few cumulonimbi with maximum tops to 600. Mean storm motion vector 28025.
…Gleason
Note: The Aviation Watch (SAW) product is an approximation to the watch area. The actual watch is depicted by the shaded areas. SAW9 WW 379 TORNADO NM OK TX 062155Z – 070400Z AXIS..85 STATUTE MILES EAST AND WEST OF LINE.. 50WNW GUY/GUYMON OK/ – 50SE HOB/HOBBS NM/ ..AVIATION COORDS.. 75NM E/W /63ESE TBE – 24WNW MAF/ HAIL SURFACE AND ALOFT..4 INCHES. WIND GUSTS..65 KNOTS. MAX TOPS TO 600. MEAN STORM MOTION VECTOR 28025.
LAT…LON 36930080 32160116 32160407 36930388
THIS IS AN APPROXIMATION TO THE WATCH AREA. FOR A COMPLETE DEPICTION OF THE WATCH SEE WOUS64 KWNS FOR WOU9.
Watch 379 Status Report Message has not been issued yet.
Note: Click for Complete Product Text.Tornadoes
Probability of 2 or more tornadoes
Mod (50%)
Probability of 1 or more strong (EF2-EF5) tornadoes
Mod (30%)
Wind
Probability of 10 or more severe wind events
Mod (50%)
Probability of 1 or more wind events > 65 knots
Mod (40%)
Hail
Probability of 10 or more severe hail events
High (70%)
Probability of 1 or more hailstones > 2 inches
High (70%)
Combined Severe Hail/Wind
Probability of 6 or more combined severe hail/wind events
High (90%)
For each watch, probabilities for particular events inside the watch (listed above in each table) are determined by the issuing forecaster. The “Low” category contains probability values ranging from less than 2% to 20% (EF2-EF5 tornadoes), less than 5% to 20% (all other probabilities), “Moderate” from 30% to 60%, and “High” from 70% to greater than 95%. High values are bolded and lighter in color to provide awareness of an increased threat for a particular event.
David X. Sullivan, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that JOSE COLON, 37, of Wolcott, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Vernon D. Oliver in Hartford to 37 months of imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release, for a firearm offense.
According to court documents and statements made in court, on March 13, 2024, Waterbury Police arrested Colon after he discarded a privately made 9mm handgun (“ghost gun”) loaded with six rounds of ammunition during a foot pursuit.
Colon’s criminal history includes felony convictions in Connecticut for assault, weapon, and risk of injury offenses. It is a violation of federal law for a person previously convicted of a felony offense to possess a firearm or ammunition that has moved in interstate or foreign commerce.
Colon has been detained since his arrest. On February 20, 2025, he pleaded guilty to unlawful possession of ammunition by a felon.
This matter was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) and the Waterbury Police Department. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Kenneth L. Gresham through Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce gun violence and other violent crime, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. For more information about Project Safe Neighborhoods, please visit www.justice.gov/psn.
Source: United States Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives (ATF)
MADISON, WIS. – Timothy M. O’Shea, United States Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin, announced that Joshua L. Lake, 32, Stratford, Wisconsin, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge William M. Conley to 11 years in federal prison for conspiring to distribute over 500 grams of methamphetamine and possessing a firearm as a felon. This prison term will be followed by 5 years of supervised release. Lake pleaded guilty to these charges on February 26, 2025.
In early 2024, investigators with the Central Wisconsin Narcotics Task Force began investigating a group of individuals, led by Lake, who were distributing large quantities of methamphetamine and cocaine in the Marathon County area.
On February 26, 2024, Lake sold 118 grams of methamphetamine to a confidential informant at Lake’s residence in Stratford, Wisconsin. Other co-defendants completed additional controlled purchases of methamphetamine in March and April 2024. On April 15, 2024, Central Wisconsin Narcotics Task Force officers executed a search warrant at Lake’s residence. Officers found approximately 2 kilograms of methamphetamine, 1 kilogram of cocaine, 2 rifles, over $25,000 in cash, drug ledgers, and other drug trafficking paraphernalia during the search.
Further investigation revealed that between January 22, 2024, and April 15, 2024, Lake distributed approximately 23 kilograms of methamphetamine and 6 kilograms of cocaine. Lake also delivered a firearm to a drug cartel contact in exchange for drugs. Lake admitted receiving the firearm in exchange for methamphetamine. Lake is prohibited from legally possessing a firearm due to prior felony convictions.
At sentencing, Judge Conley described Lake’s conduct, including his drug trafficking and involvement with firearms, as egregious and said the quantity of almost pure methamphetamine found at his residence was stunning.
Three others were charged in connection with this drug trafficking organization. Mercadys Perkins was convicted of conspiracy to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine and sentenced to 6 years in federal prison on April 17, 2025. Dustin Brunker was convicted of conspiracy to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine and sentenced to 7 years in federal prison on April 24, 2025. Jessica Colby was convicted of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and sentenced to 2 ½ years in federal prison on May 1, 2025.
The charges against Lake were the result of an investigation conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Central Wisconsin Narcotics Task Force comprised of investigators from the FBI, Wisconsin State Patrol, Wisconsin Department of Criminal Investigation, Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office, Marathon County Sheriff’s Office, Portage County Sheriff’s Office, Mountain Bay Police Department, Wausau Police Department and Wisconsin National Guard Counter Drug Program. The ATF Madison Crime Gun Task Force also assisted with the case. The ATF Madison Crime Gun Task Force consists of federal agents from ATF and Task Force Officers from state and local agencies throughout the Western District of Wisconsin. The Marathon County District Attorney’s Office also assisted with the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Steven P. Anderson prosecuted this case.
This case has been brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), the U.S. Justice Department’s program to reduce violent crime. The PSN approach emphasizes coordination between state and federal prosecutors and all levels of law enforcement to address gun crime, especially felons illegally possessing firearms and ammunition and violent and drug crimes that involve the use of firearms.
Source: United States Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives (ATF)
SAN ANTONIO –United States Attorney Justin R. Simmons for the Western District of Texas announced today, that federal prosecutors in the district filed 410 new immigration and immigration-related criminal cases from May 30 through June 5.
Among the new cases, Mexican national Albert Sanchez-Jaimes was charged with one count of illegal re-entry in Austin. Sanchez-Jaimes was encountered at the Burnet County Jail, where he was booked for alleged charges of boating while intoxicated and marijuana possession. Sanchez-Jaimes has lengthy immigration and criminal records that include four prior removals, a deadly conduct conviction in 2020, multiple convictions for assault on a family member, and two prior convictions for illegal re-entry.
In Waco, the Immigration and Customs Enforcement Fugitive Operations Team arrested Mexican national Daniel Edgar Perez-Cortez on June 5as the result of an investigation stemming from a Waco Crime Stoppers referral. Perez-Cortez has a prior conviction for illegal re-entry in 2024, as well as convictions for Driving While Intoxicated and possession of prohibited weapons, and a conviction for deadly conduct discharging a firearm. He’s now federally charged with illegal re-entry and, if convicted, faces up to 20 years in prison.
Two Honduran nationals were arrested for illegal re-entry charges in Eagle Pass. U.S. Border Patrol agents arrested Ariel Antonio Lopez-Serrano on June 2. Lopez-Serrano was convicted in 2023 for human smuggling and was removed to Honduras through Houston on Feb. 28. On June 3, Jose Aparicio Diaz-Amaya was arrested by USBP agents, having been deported three times—the most recent removal being to Honduras on May 2 through Alexandria, Louisiana.
Multiple individuals were arrested and charged with human smuggling offenses in El Paso. On May 31, U.S. citizens Cynthia Guerrero and Berenice Stevens attempted to enter the U.S. through the Paso Del Norte Port of Entry, allegedly telling the Customs and Border Protection Officer that they were returning to El Paso from a baby shower in Juarez. A criminal complaint alleges that there were seven additional people inside the vehicle, including six children. After discussion about a stack of birth certificates Guerrero provided the CBP Officer, along with a handwritten note supposedly giving Guerrero permission to transport her alleged cousin’s children into the U.S., the officer referred the vehicle to a secondary inspection. At the secondary inspection, Guerrero allegedly told CBP Officers that she was smuggling three undocumented minors into the U.S. after she had been offered $1,900 to do so. The complaint also alleges that the minors had been given seven gummies of an unknown substance to make them sleep. Three of the six minors in Guerrero’s vehicle were found to be Mexican nationals. Both Guerrero and Stevens are charged with human smuggling charges and have been previously convicted. Guerrero Two Mexican nationals were charged in a human smuggling bust after Ysleta Border Patrol Station agents responded to a location where they apprehended five illegal aliens who had just crossed into the U.S. According to a criminal complaint, several of the individuals were continuously receiving calls on their cell phones, and one individual provided consent for the agents to view, search and utilize his phone. The communications led the agents to Jose Adan Meza-Marquez, who allegedly drove a vehicle to the area where the aliens had been apprehended and confirmed he was there to pick them up. Posing as the illegal aliens, USBP agents got in Meza-Marquez’s vehicle, which allegedly transported them to a stash house being used to harbor illegal aliens. A second individual, Jose Ramiro Chavez-Leal, allegedly opened the door. The criminal complaint alleges that agents found five additional illegal aliens present at the residence and both Meza-Marquez and Chavez-Leal admitted to smuggling illegal aliens on prior occasions.
Another human smuggling bust by Ysleta Border Patrol agents led to federal charges four Mexican nationals: Erasmo Ortiz-Arzola, Cesar Arturo Beltran-Rocha, Jesus Alberto Fernandez-Vazquez, and Kevin Alexis Morin-Lopez. During a knock and talk operation, agents allegedly observed 15 individuals in the living room area of an apartment, and an additional 14 elsewhere in the apartment. A criminal complaint indicates that subjects were questioned and determined to be illegal aliens from Guatemala, Mexico and El Salvador. During the arrests and subsequent investigation, the four defendants were identified as alleged pick-up drivers and caretakers.
A Mexican national and convicted felon, Rosendo Dominguez-Morales, was charged with illegal re-entry and two additional counts for entering the U.S. through the National Defense Area (NDA), west of the El Paso Port of Entry. Dominguez-Morales was previously removed from the U.S. to Mexico on Aug. 20, 2024 through Brownsville, two days after he was convicted in Lyon County for assault while displaying a dangerous weapon.
These cases were referred or supported by federal law enforcement partners, including Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations (ICE ERO), U.S. Border Patrol, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the U.S. Marshals Service (USMS), and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), with additional assistance from state and local law enforcement partners.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Texas comprises 68 counties located in the central and western areas of Texas, encompasses nearly 93,000 square miles and an estimated population of 7.6 million people. The district includes three of the five largest cities in Texas—San Antonio, Austin and El Paso—and shares 660 miles of common border with the Republic of Mexico.
These cases are 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).
Indictments and criminal complaints are merely allegations and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Source: United States Senator for North Carolina Thom Tillis
WASHINGTON, D.C. – With hurricane season officially underway, Senator Thom Tillis (R-NC) has introduced legislation to replenish the Disaster Relief Fund (DRF) to ensure FEMA has the financial resources it needs to respond to natural disasters in the months ahead.
Tillis’ legislation would provide $25 billion for the DRF, which would fulfill President Trump’s historic DRF funding request for Congress. Since last year, North Carolina has received roughly $4.45 billion from the DRF to respond and recover from Helene.
“With Western North Carolina still recovering from Helene and an above-normal hurricane season expected this year, we have to ensure that FEMA has the constant flow of resources it needs to help states respond to natural disasters,” said Senator Tillis. “Congress shouldn’t wait until the last minute, and I’m proud to lead the effort to replenish the DRF and ensure that President Trump’s request is fulfilled so FEMA can focus on its critical mission of helping states and local communities respond to emergencies.”
Read the bill HERE.
Background:
Senator Tillis has been pushing for federal assistance for Western North Carolina since the moment Helene made landfall.
On October 1, 2024, Senator Tillis led a bipartisan letter to Senate Appropriations Chair Patty Murray (D-WA) and Vice Chair Susan Collins (R-ME) on the devastation caused by Hurricane Helene and the urgent need to pass an appropriations package to support the millions of Americans affected by the storm.
On October 16, 2024, Senator Tillis led a bipartisan group of senators in urging the White House to rapidly submit a government funding request to Congress that will fully cover costs associated with clean-up and recovery following Hurricanes Helene and Milton so that affected communities could begin to heal. The Senators called for Congress to return to Washington from the October in-state work period to approve federal disaster relief legislation.
On October 23, 2024, The Hill published an op-ed by Senator Tillis addressed to members of Congress to step up and be proactive with long-term disaster recovery assistance.
On October 29, 2024, Senator Tillis and his colleagues announced plans to introduce legislation that would replenish the Small Business Administration (SBA) Disaster Loan Program with families and small businesses across WNC unable to get loans approved until then. The Senators outlined their plan to seek passage of the legislation when Congress returned to session.
On November 14, 2024, Senator Tillis attempted to pass legislation to replenish the SBA Disaster Loan Program through a unanimous consent request on the Senate floor, but was blocked by another Senator.
On November 15, 2024, Senator Tillis led a bipartisan letter to request that the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) immediately send a supplemental appropriation request to Congress to support the communities we represent, which were devastated after Hurricanes Helene and Milton. The OMB sent the request to Congress a few days later.
On November 18, 2024, Senator Tillis introduced the standalone RELIEF Act to provide Hurricane relief to small businesses impacted by Hurricane Helene.
On November 20, 2024, Senator Tillis called on Congress to quickly pass Hurricane Helene relief during his testimony to the Senate Appropriations Committee.
On November 21, 2024, Senator Tillis met with Governor Cooper, Governor-Elect Stein, members of the North Carolina Congressional Delegation and the North Carolina General Assembly, and local leaders from Western North Carolina to discuss efforts to provide federal assistance to North Carolinians affected by the devastation caused by Hurricane Helene.
On December 5, 2024, Senator Tillis joined Fox News’ Your World with Neil Cavuto where he discussed the urgent need for Congress to provide federal assistance to North Carolinians affected by the devastation caused by Hurricane Helene.
On December 10, 2024, Senator Tillis hosted N.C. Senate President Pro Tempore Phil Berger, N.C. House of Representatives Speaker-elect Destin Hall, State Senators Bill Rabon and Ralph Hise, and State Representative Dudley Greene to discuss efforts to provide immediate assistance to North Carolinians affected by Hurricane Helene’s devastation.
On December 18, 2024, Senator Tillis committed to filibustering any continuing resolution that did not include disaster aid for Western North Carolina.
On December 21, 2024, Senator Tillis voted to pass a bipartisan government funding bill that included more than $100 billion in disaster relief for states and communities hit by natural disasters, including North Carolina during Hurricane Helene.
On January 7, 2025 Senator Tillis announced $1.65 billion in Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) funds to help rebuild communities devastated by Hurricane Helene.
On January 24, 2025, Senator Tillis released a statement thanking President Trump for his visit to Western North Carolina to survey the devastation left behind by Helene.
On January 31, 2025, Senator Tillis introduced the Disaster Mitigation and Tax Parity Act of 2025, legislation that excludes from gross income, for income tax purposes, any qualified catastrophe mitigation payment made under a state-based catastrophe loss mitigation program.
On March 11, 2025, Senator Tillis reintroduced the Disaster Assistance Simplification Act, bipartisan legislation to simplify the application process for federal disaster recovery assistance.
On April 1, 2025, Senator Tillis sent a letter urging U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins to work with Congress to quickly distribute the more than $23 billion Congress passed in December to assist farmers, ranchers and rural Americans in responding to devastating natural disasters in 2023 and 2024.
On April 3, 2025, Senator Tillis (R-NC) introduced the FEMA Independence Act, bipartisan legislation to restore the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) as an independent cabinet-level agency and improve efficiency in federal emergency response efforts.
On April 24, 2025, Senator Tillis introduced the Helene Recovery Small Business Act and the Loans in Our Neighborhoods (LIONs) Act of 2025, legislation that would provide much-needed relief to small businesses as they work to recover from the devastation of Helene.
On June 4, 2025, Senator Tillis announced he helped secure approximately $1.45 billion in federal funding for disaster-impacted communities, including those in Western North Carolina affected by Helene.
In addition to Senator Tillis’ legislative efforts the Senator has met with local leaders, residents, and elected officials across Western North Carolina including in: Asheville, Black Mountain, Boone, Burnsville, Canton, Clyde, Fairview, Flat Rock, Hendersonville, Hot Springs, Marshall, Morganton, Spruce Pine, Swannanoa, Waynesville and Wilkesboro.
BISMARCK, N.D. – The U.S. Army of Engineers (USACE) announced a contract of $23,816,251 for dredging and the placement of riprap protection in support of the spillway at Garrison Dam near Riverdale. This work advances the Garrison Dam Spillway Approach Rehabilitation Project and is expected to be completed by April 28, 2028.
Built in 1953, the Garrison Dam is the second-most upstream project of six which were built on the mainstem of the upper Missouri River and has the largest reservoir storage capacity of all USACE projects in the nation. When combined with dams on the river’s tributaries, the projects reduce the risk of downstream flooding along the Missouri and Mississippi rivers. This mainstem system of dams is managed to balance hydropower generation, water supply, water quality, irrigation, fish and wildlife conservation, navigation, and recreation benefits.
Source: United States Small Business Administration
ATLANTA – The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) is reminding small businesses and private nonprofit (PNP) organizations in Minnesota of the July 7 deadline to apply for low interest federal disaster loans to offset economic losses caused by excessive rain and flooding occurring on May 26–July 31, 2024.
The disaster declaration covers the Minnesota counties of Beltrami, Clearwater, Marshall, Pennington, Polk, and Red Lake.
Under this declaration, the SBA’s Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) program is available to eligible small businesses, small agricultural cooperatives, nurseries, and PNPs with 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.
EIDLs are available for working capital needs caused by the disaster and are available even if the small business or PNP did not suffer any physical damage. The loans may be used to pay fixed debts, payroll, accounts payable, and other bills not paid due to the disaster.
“Through a declaration by the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, SBA provides critical financial assistance to help communities recover,” said Chris Stallings, associate administrator of the Office of Disaster Recovery and Resilience at the SBA. “We’re pleased to offer loans to small businesses and private nonprofits impacted by these disasters.”
The loan amount can be up to $2 million with interest rates as low as 4% for small businesses and 3.62% for PNPs, with terms up to 30 years. Interest does not 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 economic injury applications is July 7, 2025.
###
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.
An initiative aimed at empowering a new generation of peacebuilders has been launched by the Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Ronald Lamola.
The Minister launched the South African segment of the South Africa–Finland Youth Peace Mediators Mentoring Programme on Friday.
This innovative initiative, jointly implemented by the Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO) and the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland, aims to empower a new generation of peacebuilders in their efforts to promote global conflict resolution and achieve sustainable peace.
The one-year capacity-building initiative will establish a dynamic network of young peace mediators, providing them with practical tools to contribute effectively to peace negotiations, mediation, conflict resolution, and post-conflict reconstruction.
The programme directly supports the United Nations Security Council Resolution 2250, the African Union Agenda 2063, particularly its youth-focused governance, peace, and security pillars, and the inclusion of youth in formal peace processes worldwide.
Lamola stressed the importance of launching the programme during South Africa’s Youth Month, which honours the legacy of young activists in the fight against apartheid, particularly the heroes of the 1976 Soweto Uprising.
“We know too well that ethnic hatred poisons communities, that religious intolerance fractures societies, and that ideological fanaticism suffocates debate.
“When violence rises, freedoms crumble and the very light of democracy flickers under the storm of conflict. This is not some distant tragedy; it is the lived reality of women and children in Eastern DRC [Democratic Republic of Congo], Sudan, Gaza, and other places across our wounded world,” the Minister said.
By building bridges across continents, Lamola believes the world reaffirms that young people are not merely beneficiaries of peace, “but are essential agents of its creation.”
The department announced that 15 “exceptional” young peacebuilders were selected through a joint initiative by DIRCO’s Diplomatic Academy and Finland’s Centre for Peace Mediation.
These individuals will participate in various programmes, which include in-person workshops held in South Africa and Finland, study visits to the United Nations (UN) and African Union (AU) headquarters, and online sessions led by experts on specific themes related to peace mediation.
The participants come from conflict-affected and post-conflict societies, as well as nations that are leaders in global peacebuilding efforts.
This diverse group includes representatives from South Africa, Finland, Colombia, Egypt, Ethiopia, Haiti, India, Indonesia, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Nigeria, Qatar, South Sudan, Turkey, and Ukraine.
Strengthening international partnerships
Aligned with the South Africa-Finland Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), the programme will advance a strategic peace mediation partnership between the two countries.
The department said it will also foster networking and knowledge-sharing among young peace mediators and provide mentorship by seasoned international peace practitioners.
The Minister underscored South Africa’s role in shaping inclusive, youth-driven solutions to global challenges, ensuring that the voices of the next generation define the future of peace. – SAnews.gov.za
Source: United States Senator for Louisiana Bill Cassidy
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA) and Susan Collins (R-ME) today demanded the U.S. Railroad Retirement Board (RRB) immediately implement the Social Security Fairness Act. The Social Security Fairness Act, which fully repeals the two unfair Social Security provisions Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) and Government Pension Offset (GPO), was signed into law on January 5, 2025, after Cassidy successfully secured a vote on the U.S. Senate floor.
“The Social Security Fairness Act restores full railroad retirement annuities or earned Social Security benefits for railroad retirees, their spouses, and survivors who are receiving public pensions from work not covered by Social Security,” wrote the senators.
“We call for the immediate implementation of this legislation to provide prompt relief to railroad retirees and spouses impacted by WEP and GPO,” continued the senators.
Cassidy played a pivotal role in getting the Social Security Fairness Act signed into law on January 5, 2025. Cassidy successfully demanded a vote on the Social Security Fairness Act. In July and again in December, Cassidy spoke on the U.S. Senate floor urging Congress to repeal WEP and GPO as part of his “Big Idea” to save, strengthen, and secure America’s retirement system. In June, Cassidy entered a statement into the record urging the repeal of WEP and GPO ahead of the U.S. Senate Finance Subcommittee field hearing on Social Security.
Cassidy is a long-time cosponsor of the Social Security Fairness Act in the Senate, having been an original cosponsor since he became a Member of Congress in 2009. He led the introduction of the legislation in the 117th and 116th Congresses.
Cassidy led a bipartisan working group to preserve and protect Social Security. He released the inaugural Bill on the Hill video where he asked Capitol Hill visitors from across the country their thoughts on the looming benefit cuts to Social Security and presented his “Big Idea.”
Cassidy has discussed the “Big Idea” at a public forum with AARP on the future of Social Security, outlined his Social Security plan in a fireside chat with the Bipartisan Policy Committee, and authored op-eds in the Washington Examiner in July, the Wall Street Journal in March, and State Affairs and Washington Post in May.
As of June 4, 2025, the U.S. Social Security Administration has processed nearly 91% of payments, but retired railroad workers have not yet received the benefits granted to them by the Social Security Fairness Act.
Read the full letter here or below.
Dear Chairman Chorlé,
We write to you concerning the implementation of the Social Security Fairness Act (Public Law No: 118-273). This legislation passed Congress on an overwhelmingly bipartisan basis on December 21st, 2024 and was signed into law on January 5th, 2025.1 The Social Security Fairness Act restores full railroad retirement annuities or earned Social Security benefits for railroad retirees, their spouses, and survivors who are receiving public pensions from work not covered by Social Security.
The repeal of the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) and the Government Pension Offset (GPO) means that individuals who were previously affected by these reductions will retroactively have their full tier-I railroad retirement benefit amounts restored for months after December 2023, the effective date of the repeal, and for future monthly benefit payments. The Railroad Retirement Board’s (RRB) website currently states, in part:
The calculation and issuance of any retroactive payments, in addition to the processing of new railroad retirement annuity applications, will be delayed by the RRB’s need to significantly reprogram its computer systems to implement the SSFA. We anticipate that most individuals will begin receiving their new monthly annuity amount in July 2025 (for their June 2025 annuity). If an individual is due retroactive benefits as a result of the Act, they will receive a one-time retroactive payment, deposited into the bank account RRB has on file, by the end of July 2025.2
We call for the immediate implementation of this legislation to provide prompt relief to railroad retirees, their spouses, and survivors impacted by WEP and GPO. In the interim, we request monthly updates and briefings regarding the status of the Railroad Retirement Board’s progress towards implementing the Social Security Fairness Act.
The thousands of runners participating in the Comrades 2025 ultramarathon this weekend can expect predominantly mild to warm and windy conditions, with partly cloudy to cloudy skies.
On Sunday, 8 June, the 98th edition of the Comrades Marathon will take place between Pietermaritzburg and Durban with as many as 22 677 runners.
The South African Weather Service (SAWS) has cautioned runners about a cool change in the weather later in the day.
“… A coastal low and cold front are expected to move northwards up the KwaZulu-Natal coast, introducing colder, more moist conditions to the coast and adjacent interior.
“Moreover, there will be a risk of showers or thunderstorms developing over the Drakensberg, spreading to the coast in the evening,” SAWS said on Friday.
A particularly intense cut-off low system, associated with severe and extreme winter weather, is expected to affect South Africa in the coming days.
The weather service indicated that this system will begin affecting the Western and Northern Cape early on Saturday morning, 7 June 2025.
“By Monday, 9 June 2025 and Tuesday, 10 June 2025, this extensive and severe winter weather system will have shifted further east over South Africa, affecting the central and eastern provinces.
“A significant and dramatic drop in daytime temperatures can be expected over all provinces, with the possible exception of Limpopo. Consequently, farmers of small stock are strongly advised to implement appropriate measures to prevent stock losses due to exposure to bitter cold and wind,” the SAWS said on Thursday.
The weather service has warned of snowfall over almost every province, with the exception of Limpopo.
Some of these snowfalls will be disruptive, affecting traffic flow over mountain passes, for example, the N3 highway at Van Reenen’s pass on Monday, 9 June 2025 and Tuesday, 10 June 2025.
“Given the intensity of the COL system, there is a low probability that Gauteng and the highveld region of Mpumalanga may experience light snowfalls Monday night, 9 June 2025, extending into Tuesday, 10 June 2025. However, at this stage there is significant uncertainty amongst the various numeric weather prediction models in this regard.
“Heavy rainfall leading to localised flooding and infrastructure damage will be experienced over parts of the Eastern Cape coast and adjacent interior on Sunday, shifting to southern KwaZulu-Natal on Monday,” SAWS said.
As of Sunday, many provinces will experience bitterly cold daytime conditions, with maximum temperatures unlikely to exceed +10 C. These conditions will be exacerbated by strong, gusty winds.
Strong, damaging surface winds can be expected over large parts of the interior provinces from Sunday, leading to an elevated risk of wildfires, especially over the central and eastern interior, ahead of the cold change.
These extreme conditions are expected to persist over some of the eastern provinces until Wednesday.
“Strong to near-gale force coastal winds and very rough seas from Friday along the south-west coast, spreading to the south and east coasts during Saturday, and lasting until at least Tuesday along the east coast,” SAWS said. – SAnews.gov.za
Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Paul A Gosar DDS (AZ-04)
Washington, D.C. — Congressman Paul A. Gosar, D.D.S. (AZ-09), issued the following statement after reintroducing H.R. 3764, the Death Penalty for Dealing Fentanyl Act, legislation that would punish a defendant with the death penalty or life in prison if convicted of selling or distributing fentanyl that resulted in death:
“During the Biden administration, more than 80,000 pounds of fentanyl has flooded into our nation.The fentanyl crisis has strained our healthcare system and touched every community across the country, including in my great state of Arizona. For example, the largest single fentanyl bust in history recently took place in Arizona, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon and Utah. Those arrested included a leader of a Mexican drug cartel. Whether it’s from China or Mexico, the criminal networks are producing, transporting, and marketing these drugs and are poisoning America.
Unfortunately, according to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, fentanyl overdoses are the leading cause of death among Americans ages 18-44. More than 105,000 Americans died from drug poisonings in 2023 with nearly 70 percent of those deaths attributed to synthetic opioids, such as fentanyl.
I laud President Trump’s recent designation of deadly cartels trafficking drugs into our country as terrorist groups and calling for the death penalty for those who sell illicit drugs, including fentanyl. As a result of President Trump’s war against drug dealers, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention predicts a 26.5% national decline in drug overdose deaths from the previous year when Biden was last in office.
More should and can be done to support President Trump’s efforts to stem the flow of deadly drugs into the United States. That’s why I have once again reintroduced the Death Penalty for Dealing Fentanyl Act, legislation authorizing capital punishment or life imprisonment for any individual convicted of distributing, possessing with the intent to distribute, or manufacture fentanyl that resulted in death.
Fentanyl is so potent that even a very small parcel of the drug can cause many deaths and destruction to American families. We must get tough on those criminals that are responsible for this public health crisis. My legislation would punish anyone who knowingly traffics fentanyl with the death penalty or life in prison,” concluded Congressman Gosar.
Original Cosponsors:
Representatives Brecheen, Ezell, Higgins, Moore (AL), Luna, Ogles
Toronto, Ontario, June 6, 2025 — The Government of Canada is supporting the Estonian Arts Centre to construct a green roof through a combined investment of more than $1.6 million.
Enriching the experience of visitors to the KESKUS International Estonian Centre, the green roof will cap the Estonian Arts Centre’s vision to create an architecturally significant, cultural landmark. Reducing stormwater run-off, passively cooling the building and providing additional green space, the more than 8,000-square-foot rooftop garden and terrace will be a unique, beautiful and functional feature of the facility. The investment will support its construction, including installing irrigation, stormwater management systems, walkways, and lighting.
KESKUS will be a hub for people of all generations to connect, celebrate, and share Estonian culture and achievements. As a symbol of its interconnected relationship to the residents of Toronto, the green roof will be planted with trees and plantings that are native to both southern Ontario and Estonia.
WASHINGTON – Avery Taylor, 20, of Washington, D.C., was arrested by the U.S. Marshals Service on a bench warrant yesterday that was issued after the grand jury returned an indictment in May 2025, charging him with first degree murder while armed, armed robbery, possession of a firearm during a crime of violence and carrying a pistol without a license. The arrest was announced by U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro, U.S. Marshal Anthony Dixon and Chief Pamela Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).
Taylor was arraigned today before Superior Court Judge Rainey Brandt who ordered Taylor held without bond until a July 1, 2025 detention hearing.
On August 16, 2024, Rayon Davis Jr., 18, and Quintin Reed, 18 were also arrested and charged in connection in the incident. They are also being held without bond. An indictment, returned on May 7, 2025, charges all three men.
According to the court documents, defendants are members of a 7D crew located in the Woodland Terrance neighborhood that calls itself “On the Clock Gang” or “OCG.” On December 20, 2023, inside of a stairwell located at 2921 Knox Place SE, the three defendants shot Dwayne Barbour, 39, while they were robbing him of an authentic Rolex 36mm Datejust Gold/Stainless Steel watch, containing 15 carats in diamonds. Mr. Barbour had legally purchased the watch from a jewelry store for approximately $10,000. Mr. Barbour died eleven days later, on December 31, 2023.
This case is being investigated by the Metropolitan Police Department and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF). Valuable assistance was provided by U.S. Marshals Service. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ryan Sellinger and John Parron.
An indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.