KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A Mexican national has been indicted by a federal grand jury for Illegal Possession of a Firearm.
Jose Montero-Barradas, 34, was charged in a one-count indictment returned by a federal grand jury in Kansas City, Mo.
Today’s indictment charges that Montero-Barradas, a citizen of Mexico, knew he was present in the United States illegally and unlawfully, when he knowingly possessed two firearms on March 23, 2025. According to an affidavit previously filed in support of a federal criminal complaint against Montero-Barradas, members of the Kansas City, Missouri Police Department were dispatched to a residential area in Kansas City following a report of shots fired. Officers arriving on the scene observed Montero-Barradas walking into a residence with two firearms, which were later recovered. Witnesses stated Montero-Barradas and another male had been firing shots into the air and the ground, and provided a cell phone video showing, among other things, Montero-Barradas holding firearms.
Under federal law it is illegal for an alien to possess a firearm or ammunition.
The charge contained in this indictment is simply an accusation, and not evidence of guilt. Evidence supporting the charge must be presented to a federal trial jury, whose duty is to determine guilt or innocence.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Sean Foley. It was investigated by the Kansas City, Missouri Police Department.
Operation Take Back America
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
Sierra Pacific Industries (SPI) has agreed to pay $204,284.42 to resolve the United States’ claim for damages resulting from a 2021 wildfire that burned about 29 acres, including National Forest System lands on the Eldorado National Forest, Acting U.S. Attorney Michele Beckwith announced today.
The wildfire, known as the “Cold Fire,” ignited on Jan. 19, 2021, on SPI land in El Dorado County. U.S. Forest Service fire investigators determined that the fire originated from one of SPI’s timber slash piles that escaped containment during a wind event.
“Our office will continue to hold individuals and corporations responsible for damages caused by wildfires,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Beckwith. “Every fire impacting federal lands, no matter the size, is a priority.”
“These settlements are essential in restoring our landscapes after wildfires,” said U.S. Forest Service Pacific Southwest Acting Regional Forester Jason Kuiken.
The investigation was conducted with the U.S. Forest Service. Assistant U.S. Attorney Tara Amin handled the case for the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
The claims resolved by the settlement are allegations only and there has been no determination of liability.
Source: United States Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives (ATF)
Memphis, TN – A federal judge has sentenced a Memphis man to more than 16 years in federal prison for his involvement in an armed drug trafficking operation. Jeffery “Bud B” Sevier, 48, of Memphis, was sentenced to 198 months in federal prison for conspiring to distribute cocaine. U.S. District Court Judge Mark S. Norris also ordered Sevier to serve four years of supervised release upon completion of his prison term. Interim United States Attorney Joseph C. Murphy, Jr. announced the sentence today.
According to information presented at trial and the sentencing hearing, while looking into drug trafficking activity by members of the Memphis Mob, investigators identified a North Memphis home from which narcotics were being sold. On March 4, 2019, someone allegedly stole narcotics from the house which led to shots being fired. A Memphis police officer responded and witnessed someone with a gunshot wound to the head running away from the house. Surveillance video from the house showed Sevier at the location, with co-conspirators firing into a vehicle occupied by five people including a minor child. One person was injured from the shooting but survived. Sevier was arrested on the scene and provided false information to the police.
In addition, the surveillance video showed Memphis Mob members distributing narcotics from the North Memphis house daily until the shooting, after which the group relocated operations.
In July 2022, Sevier was convicted of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine. At sentencing, the Court held Sevier responsible for 4.5 kilograms of cocaine, holding a leadership role in the Memphis Mob directing others to sell narcotics on the gang’s behalf, and maintaining control over the gang’s drug distribution house.
There is no parole in the federal system.
Acting Special Agent in Charge Jason Stankiewicz stated, “The ATF will continue to use its resources to combat illegal firearm possession, drug distribution, and violent acts of crime. We will continue to work closely with our local, state, and federal law enforcement partners to ensure public safety in the communities that we serve.”
This prosecution is part of an extensive investigation by the Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF). OCDETF is a joint federal, state, and local cooperative approach to combat drug trafficking organizations and organized criminal enterprises, targeting national and regional level drug trafficking organizations, and coordinating the necessary law enforcement entities and resources to disrupt or dismantle the targeted criminal organization and seize their assets.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA), the Memphis Police Department, and the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office.
Assistant United States Attorneys Greg Allen and Michelle Kimbril-Parks prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.
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For more information, please contact the media relations team at USATNW.Media@usdoj.gov. Follow the U.S. Attorney’s Office on Facebookor on Xat @WDTNNews for office news and updates.
Source: United States Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives (ATF)
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA –TIERON PRICE (“PRICE”), age 22, was sentenced on May 20, 2025 U.S. District Judge Darrel J. Papillion to 106 months in prison followed by five years of supervised release, and a $400 mandatory special assessment fee, after previously pleading guilty to two counts of possessing a machinegun, in violation of 18 U.S.C. §§ 922(o) and 924(a)(2); possession with intent to distribute tapentadol, in violation of 21 U.S.C. §§ 841(a)(1) and 841(b)(1)(C); and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 924(c)(1)(A)(i).
According to court documents, on May 22, 2023, PRICE was driving a stolen vehicle in New Orleans. When Louisiana State Police troopers attempted to pull him over, PRICE led troopers on a seven-minute car chase, during which PRICE ran several red lights, disregarded stop signs, and drove the wrong way on one-way streets at high speeds. The chase ended when PRICE struck a vehicle stopped at a red light. PRICE and two other occupants fled but were caught. Inside a backpack carried by one of the other occupants, there was a Glock Model 17, nine-millimeter caliber pistol, equipped with a Glock auto-sear, making the firearm a fully-automatic machinegun. The machinegun had a bullet in the chamber and was loaded with an extended magazine containing 23 rounds of ammunition. PRICE’s DNA was on the firearm and he later admitted ownership.
PRICE was arrested after the car chase but subsequently released on bond. On January 19, 2024, New Orleans Police Department detectives executed a search warrant at PRICE’s residence in connection with an auto theft investigation. During the search, officers found a Glock Model 19, nine-millimeter caliber pistol, a black Glock auto-sear hidden in a baby bassinet, and a drum magazine loaded with 49 rounds. PRICE had been observed on a social media app the day before the search with the same gun equipped with the auto-sear, and the drum magazine attached. During the search officers also found over $6,000 in cash and 95 tapentadol pills that PRICE intended to distribute.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
The case was investigated by Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, the Louisiana State Police, and the New Orleans Police Department. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney David Berman of the Violent Crime Unit.
eBay’s first union, TCGunion-CWA Local 1123, condemns the company for illegal action to avoid union contract bargaining; CWA files unfair labor practice charge in response to abrupt closure
Syracuse, N.Y. – This morning, eBay subsidiary TCGplayer abruptly announced plans to shut down its authentication center in Syracuse, N.Y., eliminating the jobs of hundreds of union workers who have been bargaining their first contract with the company. In response, the Communications Workers of America (CWA) has filed an unfair labor practice charge with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) alleging that the company has terminated its union employees to evade its bargaining obligations and to keep the company union-free.
“We are outraged. Since we launched our union, eBay has waged a relentless campaign to silence us and stop our efforts to make TCGplayer better for everyone, including card enthusiasts and sellers,” said Eric Tillotson, a member of TCGunion-CWA Local 1123. “Like other tech giants and oligarchs, eBay and TCGplayer think that they can disregard workers’ rights under the current administration by deploying illegal tactics to silence us and put an end to contract negotiations. They should realize by now that we will never stop fighting.”
TCGplayer CEO Rob Bigler called a meeting to announce the news at 8:30 a.m. ET this morning, and workers were then ordered by security to vacate the building until Saturday. Bigler did not take any questions.
The news comes just days after eBay and TCGplayer cancelled this week’s meeting with members of the bargaining committee to finalize a fair, first contract. The collective bargaining agreement would cover authentication center workers who are responsible for ensuring that every shipment in and out of TCGplayer matches quality standards. The workers, who are the first group from eBay to form a union, have been fighting for a contract for over 600 days.
“Many of us decided to organize because we wanted to do something about the unlivable wages and economic hardship we’ve experienced while working at TCGplayer. Now, in just a few months, we will be without jobs and will have to scramble to find employment,” said
Matthew Schlicht, a member of TCGunion-CWA Local 1123. “I love working at TCGplayer. Instead of respecting our union efforts, TCGplayer is upending our livelihoods.”
Last year, TCGunion-CWA Local 1123 released a “Tapped Out at TCGplayer” report, providing shocking evidence that eBay workers are struggling to make ends meet financially. The majority of authentication center workers earn less than a living wage in Syracuse, and a majority of survey respondents have to rely on friends, family, and the government to make ends meet. TCGplayer is one of the largest online marketplaces for verification services, card games, and collectible trading cards.
“This decision is blatant retaliation against the union organizing and a slap in the face to those who built TCGplayer from the ground up,” said Douglas Johnson, former TCGplayer seller and owner ofCardgarden. “It’s clear that they value profits over people. Sellers should think hard about whether or not they should continue using TCGplayer’s services.”
According to eBay’s most recent proxy statement, eBay CEO Jamie Iannone’s total compensation was $21 million in 2024, which is 536 times the median annual wage for a TCGunion-CWA member in Syracuse earning $18.25 an hour. Iannone’s compensation has also increased 48% since 2022, the year that TCGplayer workers formed their union. The growing disparity between the backbone of the workplace and the oligarchs who take advantage of their labor was further emphasized in a recent Economic Policy Institute report showing that Americans’ sentiment toward unions continues to become more positive, while sympathy for large corporations is at a record low.
“For a company that makes billions of dollars off the backs of hard-working employees, it is a shame that eBay has decided to close the sole authentication center in Syracuse. This extreme action is the result of the company’s single-minded obsession with preventing workers from having a voice on the job,” said CWA Local 1123 President James A. Leone Jr. “I am proud of the Local 1123 members at TCGplayer who are continuing to fight for a seat at the table. They deserve a voice at work and in their future.”
“eBay and TCGplayer have spent years resisting our members’ good faith efforts to reach an agreement on a fair contract. Rather than engaging in a transparent process to find solutions that meet the needs of their employees and customers, eBay’s leaders gathered behind closed doors and decided to fire their entire workforce in Syracuse. It’s abominable,” said CWA District 1 Vice President Dennis Trainor.
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About CODE-CWA
The Campaign to Organize Digital Employees (CODE-CWA) is a network of worker-organizers and their staff working every single day to build the voice and power necessary to ensure the future of the tech, game, and digital industries in the United States and Canada. CODE-CWA is a project of the Communications Workers of America, which represents hundreds of thousands of workers throughout tech, media, telecom, and other industries who stand together to fight for justice on the job and in our communities.
About CWA: The Communications Workers of America represents working people in telecommunications, customer service, media, airlines, health care, public service and education, manufacturing, tech, and other fields.
Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation FBI Crime News (b)
The April 9 search and arrest of four subjects—led by the FBI’s Joint Criminal Opioid and Darknet Enforcement (JCODE) team and carried out by FBI Los Angeles and the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA)—was part of a coordinated operation across four continents that has seized more than $200 million in currency and digital assets and over 1,500 kilograms of drugs, including fentanyl.
In Operation RapTor, participating law enforcement agencies in the U.S., Europe, South America, and Asia arrested 270 darknet vendors, buyers, and administrators. (The darknet is a portion of the internet that is not indexed by traditional search engines and is only accessible through specialized software.) The results of the operation were announced today.
More than 144 kilograms (approximately 317 pounds) of fentanyl or fentanyl-laced narcotics were seized in this year’s operation, which included arrests in Austria, Brazil, France, Germany, the Netherlands, South Korea, Spain, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the U.S. Just one kilogram of fentanyl has the potential to kill 500,000 people, according to the DEA. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says synthetic opioids like fentanyl are the primary driver of overdose deaths in the U.S.
The FBI, which established JCODE in 2018 to target drug trafficking—particularly of fentanyl and other opioids—on the darknet, has coordinated global law enforcement operations like RapTor every year since the initiative’s inception.
“By cowardly hiding online, these traffickers have wreaked havoc across our country and directly fueled the fentanyl crisis and gun violence impacting our American communities and neighborhoods,” said FBI Director Kash Patel. “But the ease and accessibility of their crimes ends today.”
NAPLES, Italy – U.S. 6th Fleet Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyers USS Thomas Hudner (DDG 116) and USS Bulkeley (DDG 84) conducted two separate live-fire events as part of exercise At Sea Demonstration (ASD) / Formidable Shield (FS) 25. U.S. Navy destroyers are equipped with the Aegis weapons systems designed for ballistic missile defense.
GOLDEN/WHEAT RIDGE/DENVER – Today, Governor Polis signed bills into law to ensure workers are paid the wages they have earned, protecting workers and supporting Colorado’s workforce.
Governor Polis signed HB25-1001 – Enforcement Wage Hour Laws, sponsored by Representatives Duran and Froelich, and Senators Danielson and Kolker.
“This new law will help ensure that every Coloradan is paid fairly. I am proud to sign this bill into law today to strengthen our protections for workers and want to thank the sponsors for their work on this new law,” said Governor Polis.
Governor Polis also signed SB25-053 – Protect Wild Bison, sponsored by Senator Jessie Danielson, and Representatives Junie Joseph and Elizabeth Velasco and HB25-1283 – Wild Horse Project Management & Immunocontraception, sponsored by Representatives Monica Duran and Ty Winter, and Senators Janice Marchman and Larry Liston.
“Wild bison and horses are important parts of Colorado’s wildlife, culture, and history. These new laws will provide us better tools to protect these iconic Colorado animals. Let’s ensure that wild horses and bison will remain symbols of Colorado’s strong, healthy, and wild future, not just our past,” said Governor Polis.
“Colorado is a State rich with natural wonders, a place where we understand the value of protecting what is wild and being a part of nature. That is our ethos, and wild horses and bison are its embodiment. With these important new laws, Colorado continues to lead the way in advocating for the care and dignity of the majestic wild horses and bison with whom we share the land and I want to thank all the sponsors and strong advocates who worked so hard on these bills,” said First Gentleman Marlon Reis.
Governor Polis also signed HB25-1207 – Pet Ownership Residential Housing Structures, sponsored by Representatives Javier Mabrey and Monica Duran, and Senators Faith Winter and Tony Exum.
“We are laser-focused on saving Coloradans money on housing, and this new law ensures that families will not be forced to decide between beloved furry family members and housing. This bill strikes the right balance on making sure Colorado can continue to promote more housing now and keep families together with their pets,” said Governor Polis.
“Our pets are more than just indoor animals. They are family. This new law honors that bond by keeping Colorado families together with their beloved pets when they search for housing,” said First Gentleman Marlon Reis.
To make Colorado the best state for four-legged and furry family members and friends, Governor Polis also signed HB25-1180 – Prohibiting Pet Animal Sales in Public Spaces, sponsored by Representatives Monica Duran and Ryan Armagost, and Senators Scott Bright and Dylan Roberts and HB25-1299 – Animal Protection Fund Voluntary Contribution, sponsored by Representatives Monica Duran and Ryan Armagost, and Senators Dylan Roberts and Rod Pelton.
“We want Colorado to be the best state in the country for Coloradans and pets to live and thrive. These bills will help animal shelters and rescues and increase support for enforcing high animal welfare standards across the state. Coloradans love our animals, and through the new income tax check-off, anyone can donate while filing taxes to protect pets and farm animals from cruelty, neglect, and during emergencies like fires and floods,” said Governor Polis.
“The work of protecting animals is, by nature, teamwork. It happens at the community level. It means standing up and speaking out for animals when they’re in trouble and can’t defend themselves. It means looking at every possible avenue by which we can support and uplift animals – and that’s exactly what these bills do,” said First Gentleman Marlon Reis.
Governor Polis also signed HB25-1168 – Housing Protections for Victim-Survivors, sponsored by Representatives Mandy Lindsay and Cecelia Espenoza, and Senator Mike Weissman.
“I am committed to making Colorado one of the top ten safest states, and this includes providing the necessary support for victims of crime. Victims of domestic violence can often feel forced to stay in an unsafe situation because of a lack of other housing options, and this new law will expand financial and physical protections to help victims stay safe, get back on their feet, and live in a healthy and safe community,” said Governor Polis.
Finally, Governor Polis signed the following bills to help create a Colorado For All:
HB25-1239 – Colorado Anti-Discrimination Act, sponsored by Representatives Yara Zokaie and Andrew Boesenecker, and Senators Lindsey Daugherty and Mike Weissman
HB25-1017 – Community Integration Plan, sponsored by Representatives Chad Clifford and Meg Froelich, and Senators Dafna Michaelson Jenet and Judy Amabile
HB25-1154 – Communication Services People with Disabilities Enterprise, sponsored by Representatives Kyle Brown and Meg Froelich, and Senators Iman Jodeh and Judy Amabile
“In our Colorado For All, everyone, no matter who you are, can live, work, and thrive. I am proud to continue this effort today by signing laws to protect Coloradans from discrimination, ensure access to the community-based, long-term care that Coloradans with disabilities need, fund initiatives that support deaf, hard-of-hearing, and deafblind Coloradans, and save Coloradans with disabilities money when they plan ahead for future needs,” said Governor Polis.
“Colorado is proud to be the best home for individuals with disabilities and these bills will continue to advance these efforts,” said Lt. Governor and Director of the Office of Saving People Money on Health Care, Dianne Primavera. “They reflect our shared belief that every person, of every ability, deserves to live with dignity, access, and opportunity. I’m proud that Colorado is choosing to move forward, not backward, in building a state where everyone is seen, supported, and empowered to thrive.”
Source: The Conversation – USA – By Iain Boyd, Director of the Center for National Security Initiatives and Professor of Aerospace Engineering Sciences, University of Colorado Boulder
Posters that President Donald Trump used to announce Golden Dome depict missile defense as a shield.AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein
President Donald Trump announced a plan to build a missile defense system, called the Golden Dome, on May 20, 2025. The system is intended to protect the United States from ballistic, cruise and hypersonic missiles, and missiles launched from space.
Trump is calling for the current budget to allocate US$25 billion to launch the initiative, which the government projected will cost $175 billion. He said Golden Dome will be fully operational before the end of his term in three years and will provide close to 100% protection.
The Conversation U.S. asked Iain Boyd, an aerospace engineer and director of the Center for National Security Initiatives at the University of Colorado Boulder, about the Golden Dome plan and the feasibility of Trump’s claims. Boyd receives funding for research unrelated to Golden Dome from defense contractor Lockheed Martin.
Why does the United States need a missile shield?
Several countries, including China, Russia, North Korea and Iran, have been developing missiles over the past few years that challenge the United States’ current missile defense systems.
These weapons include updated ballistic missiles and cruise missiles, and new hypersonic missiles. They have been specifically developed to counter America’s highly advanced missile defense systems such as the Patriot and the National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile System.
For example, the new hypersonic missiles are very high speed, operate in a region of the atmosphere where nothing else flies and are maneuverable. All of these aspects combined create a new challenge that requires a new, updated defensive approach.
So it’s reasonable to think that, to ensure the protection of its homeland and to aid its allies, the U.S. may need a new missile defense capability.
Ukrainian forces are using the U.S.-made Patriot missile defense system against Russian ballistic missiles.
What are the components of a national missile defense system?
Such a defense system requires a global array of geographically distributed sensors that cover all phases of all missile trajectories.
First, it is essential for the system to detect the missile threats as early as possible after launch, so some of the sensors must be located close to regions where adversaries may fire them, such as by China, Russia, North Korea and Iran. Then, it has to track the missiles along their trajectories as they travel hundreds or thousands of miles.
These requirements are met by deploying a variety of sensors on a number of different platforms on the ground, at sea, in the air and in space. Interceptors are placed in locations that protect vital U.S. assets and usually aim to engage threats during the middle portion of the trajectory between launch and the terminal dive.
The U.S. already has a broad array of sensors and interceptors in place around the world and in space primarily to protect the U.S. and its allies from ballistic missiles. The sensors would need to be expanded, including with more space-based sensors, to detect new missiles such as hypersonic missiles. The interceptors would need to be enhanced to enable them to address hypersonic weapons and other missiles and warheads that can maneuver.
Does this technology exist?
Intercepting hypersonic missiles specifically involves several steps.
First, as explained above, a hostile missile must be detected and identified as a threat. Second, the threat must be tracked along all of its trajectory due to the ability of hypersonic missiles to maneuver. Third, an interceptor missile must be able to follow the threat and get close enough to it to disable or destroy it.
The main new challenge here is the ability to track the hypersonic missile continuously. This requires new types of sensors to detect hypersonic vehicles and new sensor platforms that are able to provide a complete picture of the hypersonic trajectory. As described, Golden Dome would use the sensors in a layered approach in which they are installed on a variety of platforms in multiple domains, including ground, sea, air and space.
These various platforms would need to have different types of sensors that are specifically designed to track hypersonic threats in different phases of their flight paths. These defensive systems will also be designed to address weapons fired from space. Much of the infrastructure will be multipurpose and able to defend against a variety of missile types.
In terms of time frame for deployment, it is important to note that Golden Dome will build from the long legacy of existing U.S. missile defense systems. Another important aspect of Golden Dome is that some of the new capabilities have been under active development for years. In some ways, Golden Dome represents the commitment to actually deploy systems for which considerable progress has already been made.
Is near 100% protection a realistic claim?
Israel’s Iron Dome air defense system has been described as the most effective system of its kind anywhere in the world.
But even Iron Dome is not 100% effective, and it has also been overwhelmed on occasion by Hamas and others who fire very large numbers of inexpensive missiles and rockets at it. So it is unlikely that any missile defense system will ever provide 100% protection.
The more important goal here is to achieve deterrence, similar to the stalemate in the Cold War with the Soviet Union that was based on nuclear weapons. All of the new weapons that Golden Dome will defend against are very expensive. The U.S. is trying to change the calculus in an opponent’s thinking to the point where they will consider it not worth shooting their precious high-value missiles at the U.S. when they know there is a high probability of them not reaching their targets.
CBS News covered President Donald Trump’s announcement.
Is three years a feasible time frame?
That seems to me like a very aggressive timeline, but with multiple countries now operating hypersonic missiles, there is a real sense of urgency.
Existing missile defense systems on the ground, at sea and in the air can be expanded to include new, more capable sensors. Satellite systems are beginning to be put in place for the space layer. Sensors have been developed to track the new missile threats.
Putting all of this highly complex system together, however, is likely to take more than three years. At the same time, if the U.S. fully commits to Golden Dome, a significant amount of progress can be made in this time.
What does the president’s funding request tell you?
President Trump is requesting a total budget for all defense spending of about $1 trillion in 2026. So, $25 billion to launch Golden Dome would represent only 2.5% of the total requested defense budget.
Of course, that is still a lot of money, and a lot of other programs will need to be terminated to make it possible. But it is certainly financially achievable.
How will Golden Dome differ from Iron Dome?
Similar to Iron Dome, Golden Dome will consist of sensors and interceptor missiles but will be deployed over a much wider geographical region and for defense against a broader variety of threats in comparison with Iron Dome.
A second-generation Golden Dome system in the future would likely use directed energy weapons such as high-energy lasers and high-power microwaves to destroy missiles. This approach would significantly increase the number of shots that defenders can take against ballistic, cruise and hypersonic missiles.
Iain Boyd receives funding from the U.S. Department of Defense and Lockheed-Martin Corporation, a defense contractor that sells missile defense systems and could potentially benefit from the implementation of Golden Dome.
Source: United States Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.)
Padilla, Schiff, Murray, Cantwell Call Out Trump’s Outrageous, Partisan Decision to Slash Flood Protection Funding for Blue States
Army Corps work plan zeroes out hundreds of millions of dollars for key California and Washington waterway construction projects, among others — steering hundreds of millions to red states
WATCH: Padilla, Schiff blast the gutting of critical California water infrastructure funding
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senators Alex Padilla and Adam Schiff (both D-Calif.), members of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, joined the Washington state Senate delegation for a press conference calling out President Trump’s outrageous, overtly political decision to zero out critical funding for Army Corps of Engineers construction projects in blue states like California and Washington while steering hundreds of millions more to red states.
Senators Padilla, Schiff, Patty Murray (D-Wash.), and Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) criticized the Army Corps’ plan released late last week that announced their intention to zero out all Army Corps construction funding for California ($126 million), as well as cut $500 million for the Howard Hanson Dam in Washington state. This funding was included in the Corps’ Fiscal Year (FY) 2025 budget request, in the Senate’s bipartisan draft FY 2025 funding bill, and even in House Republicans’ draft FY 2025 funding bill. But the Trump Administration — using the new discretion afforded by the yearlong continuing resolution House Republicans drafted that was signed into law — ignored the draft bills and instead apportioned funding on a brazenly political basis.
The four California flood control projects losing Army Corps funding include the American River Common Features Levee Improvement Project, the Pajaro River Flood Risk Management Project, the Lower San Joaquin River Project, and the West Sacramento Project. These projects will protect some of the most at-risk areas in the nation, including Sacramento County, which the Corps considers the most at-risk region for catastrophic flooding in the United States.
“When anyone takes the oath of office, even Donald Trump as President of the United States, you become the president for all Americans — not just for red states or for blue states, but for every state and every community equally,” said Senator Padilla. “Yet, since the minute Donald Trump returned to office, he’s set out to politicize the office he holds, now trying to take hundreds of millions of dollars in flood prevention funding away from the states that happened to not vote for him and redirect them to projects in states that supported his election. It’s absolutely wrong. In California, that means cutting every last dollar of funding that was allocated for certain flood control projects. For a president so obsessed with fighting waste, fraud, and abuse, I know where he can find it. He just has to look in the mirror. Communities up and down California — including farmers and farm workers in the Central Valley and Pajaro — will now be at a higher risk of flooding because Donald Trump’s playing politics with federal funding.”
“Natural disasters don’t discriminate based on whether a state is red or blue, and the administration and Congress shouldn’t either when it comes to protecting communities from natural disasters. This puts us on a very dangerous path, a path where anything can be on the chopping block for a partisan reason. Today, it’s funding for these projects. Tomorrow, it could be another form of funding meant to save lives. There will be a domino effect of threats aimed at blue states. When you’re elected to be president of the United States. You’re not a half president. You’re not president for only half of the country, not if you do the job right. These baseless attacks threaten millions of people from both parties whose lives are endangered by floods,” said Senator Schiff.
Overall, the Army Corps’ plans would steer roughly $258 million more in construction funding to red states while ripping away roughly $437 million in construction funding for blue states, relative to the Corps’ FY 2025 request, which was fully funded in the draft FY 2025 bills that were produced on a bipartisan basis in the Senate and by Republicans in the House. These requests have historically been fully funded. Trump’s work plan steers two thirds of all Army Corps construction funding to red states while the budget request and House and Senate bills would have split that funding evenly to red and blue states.
Padilla and Schiff voted against the continuing resolution earlier this year, which cut the Army Corps’ construction account by 44 percent.
Senator Padilla has fought tirelessly for California communities devastated by atmospheric river flooding. Last spring, he urged the Biden Administration to prioritize sustained federal investment in the Pajaro River Flood Risk Management Project to protect disadvantaged communities along the central coast of California. In 2023, he met with families, small business owners, and farmers in Watsonville and Pajaro impacted by extreme storms after he and Representative Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.-18) successfully led the California Congressional delegation in urging the Biden Administration to approve a Major Disaster Declaration.
Additionally, Padilla successfully pushed for the inclusion of a study on the impact of extreme weather on Army Corps dams and levees in the Water Resources Development Act of 2024.
Video of Senator Padilla’s full remarks is available here, and Senator Schiff’s full remarks can be viewed here.
Source: Police investigating after shots fired at Hastings house
Ruahine Forest Park’s majestic beech forests and delicate understories are home to taonga species, yet these ecosystems are under pressure from browsing wild deer. But a new approach is taking root—one that brings communities, iwi, hunters and conservationists together to restore this cherished place.
The issue is that our national monitoring and reporting system show introduced wild browsing animals like deer are increasing in number, contributing to a decline in common tree species and changing the make-up of forests.
This is threatening the habitats where many of our native species live.
Localised monitoring in Ruahine Forest Park indicated relatively high numbers of ungulates (primarily deer) compared to national averages. Important understory plants, which help a forest regenerate and stabilise slopes, are disappearing.
This is not good!
What we saw was that taller plants preferred by deer and goats were very rare, while plants they avoid were common. This suggests that wild deer, goats, and pigs may have affected forest composition. Previously common plants like kamahi, broadleaf, mahoe, pate and tree fuchsia are now rare in Ruahine Forest Park.
The Plan: Adaptive Management
To address these very negative impacts, alongside local iwi/hapū, we are taking an adaptive management approach.
Basically, we’re taking a flexible, science-based approach.
And what this really means is trying different solutions, monitoring their effectiveness, and adjusting as we learn more, ensuring actions are guided by real-time insights.
Ruahine Forest Park presents unique challenges, including rugged terrain and a high risk of reinvasion by wild deer from surrounding areas. At the same time, the park is deeply valued by a wide range of users, from those who enjoy the outdoors and nature, to community restoration & conservation groups, adjoining landowners, recreational and commercial hunters.
Hunting for kai/food and sport have a long history here – common since red deer were first established in the park, with around 5,000-6,000 hunters visiting the Park annually.
So, the health of Ruahine Forest Park is our shared responsibility.
What we’re aiming to do is to enhance the effectiveness of deer removal efforts, to reduce the browsing impact of wild deer. To achieve this, together with our Treaty Partners we will focus on better aligning our work, the aspirations of iwi, wild animal recovery operations, recreational hunting, and work of other stakeholders.
Trevor Gratton, the New Zealand Deerstalkers Association’s Lower North Island Board Rep & Hutt Valley Branch President says, “As hunters, we value the opportunity to hunt in Ruahine Forest Park, but we also understand the need to manage deer numbers to protect the forest. A healthy forest ensures a sustainable habitat for all wildlife and preserves this special place for future generations.”
The adaptive management approach seeks to find solutions that addresses the conservation and management challenges of the park and maintains cultural and recreational values.
📷: Iwi visit to Ruahine Forest Park to discuss deer impacts. – DOC
Te Ao Māori: A Deep Connection to the Land
According to Māori kōrero tuku iho – stories passed from generation to generation – the range is part of the spine of the ika/fish Māui hauled up, known as Te Ika-a-Māui/the North Island. The Park holds significant value to tangata whenua, with deep connections through pā punanga/refuges, mahinga kai/food-gathering sites, the whakapapa/genealogy to the land that comes with place names, stories and wāhi tapu/sacred places. Kaitiakitanga/guardianship of the ngāhere/forest and the taonga/treasured flora and fauna is central to the role of tangata whenua.
Why Now?
When we assumed responsibility for the park in 1987, deer numbers were relatively low due to active commercial aerial hunting through the 1970’s to 1980’s. Since then, deer control has relied largely on recreational and commercial hunting, which has been declining over time. Thanks to additional funding, we are now expanding efforts to reduce deer numbers and monitor the effects on the forest. This builds on successful goat control programs and complements predator control projects happening in the park.
Together with local iwi/hapū we are drafting a deer management plan and getting advice from a newly established Community Deer Advisory Group.
Trial actions are taking place this autumn, and findings will help inform our longer-term management approach:
NZ Deerstalkers Association hunt: We worked with the Lower Hutt Branch to make it easier for hunters to fly by helicopter into the Western/Central area of Ruahine Forest Park. The hunt took place on 14-17 March 2025. Around 80 deer were removed. Hunters targeted hinds and the branch will provide DOC with track logs and kill way points, and hunter observations. This will help us assess the effectiveness of the hunt.
DOC aerial management: In May and June, we will carry out aerial control in the remote and hard to access North-West deer Management Unit (MU) – an area of 12,056 hectares. This work also complements possum and rat control being carried out in the Northern Ruahine’s high priority ecosystem unit, an area which contains a rich and diverse range of habitats and species. Where practical and within budget limitations, we will work with community to harvest meat from this operation.
Industry/WARO incentivisation: We have contracted the commercial venison industry to harvest 300 deer, operating under normal WARO permit conditions. Lower weight deer harvest is being incentivised. The work will start May 2025 and finish when the harvest target is met.
All three actions combined, make a start in addressing Ruahine deer impacts. We’ll continue working with the community to assess the effectiveness of each action and refine the deer management approach.
Stay tuned for updates on this exciting collaboration. In the meantime, explore the beautiful Ruahine Forest Park this summer and consider getting involved in community conservation projects.
Ruahine Forest Park’s future depends on all of us. Together, with adaptive deer management and a commitment to te taiao/the environment, we can ensure this precious ecosystem thrives for generations to come.
The Government is tackling the spread of wilding pines and backing rural resilience with a 20 per cent increase in funding this year – taking the total direct investment this coming year to $12 million. Agriculture and Forestry Minister Todd McClay, and Biosecurity Minister Andrew Hoggard says the Government is focused on protecting the productive heart of New Zealand’s economy. “Wilding pines cost the rural community significantly and are often the bane of farmers lives, we have an obligation to work with them to control their spread, and reduce on farm burden,” Mr McClay says. “This additional $2 million funding ensures those working to contain wildings over the next year can stay ahead of the spread. It’s a smart investment in rural productivity, land management, and our long-term rural resilience.” More than two million hectares are affected by wilding infestations, with untreated areas expanding by an estimated five per cent each year. Left unchecked, the economic impact could reach $3.6 billion over 50 years. Biosecurity Minister Andrew Hoggard says wilding pines threaten our farmland, water catchments, native biodiversity, and increase the risk of wildfires. They take over productive land, drain vital groundwater, and choke out native species. “Since 2016, the Government has invested more than $150 million into the National Wilding Conifer Control Programme, alongside more than $33 million contributed by partners and communities,” Mr Hoggard says. “This year’s investment continues to support the people doing the work – regional councils, iwi, farmers, researchers, and volunteers – who are making a real difference across ten priority regions. “We’ve pushed back some of the worst infestations and protected key landscapes. This funding keeps that momentum going and gives landowners the tools to protect and restore productive land.” The programme is led by Biosecurity New Zealand and delivered in partnership with councils, landowners, iwi, industry, and community groups.
When KiwiSaver was introduced in 2007 it was built on a stark reality: New Zealand Super alone will not be enough for most people to retire with dignity.
As the population ages and the cost of superannuation continues to climb, the gap between what the state provides and what retirees actually need is only going to grow. KiwiSaver was designed to bridge that gap – to give New Zealanders a fighting chance at financial independence in retirement.
But changes to KiwiSaver laid out in this year’s budget undermine what was already an underperforming scheme.
Despite 17 years of operation, KiwiSaver balances remain shockingly low. As of mid-2024, the average sits around NZ$37,000. That’s barely enough for a couple of years’ worth of modest top-ups, let alone funding a comfortable retirement.
For many nearing retirement, balances are even lower. And about 40% of members aren’t actively contributing. That includes people on contribution holidays, in irregular work, or who opted out altogether. Many accounts are effectively dormant “ghost accounts” created by auto-enrolment and never activated.
Let’s be blunt: a retirement savings scheme that doesn’t result in meaningful savings for the majority of its members isn’t working.
The 2025 Budget from the National Party, ACT and NZ First, included changes to the KiwiSaver scheme. Hagen Hopkins/Getty Images
Small cuts, big consequences
KiwiSaver’s design isn’t its only problem. Political decisions have steadily chipped away at the scheme’s effectiveness. Every tweak and cut might seem minor on its own. But together they’ve eroded the core engine of the scheme: compounding contributions over time.
Take the $1,000 kick-start payment from the state, scrapped in 2015. Left invested in a growth fund for 40 years, that single payment could have grown to over $8,000.
Or look at the member tax credit – an annual payment made by the government to eligible members. The reduction from $1,042 to $521.43 might seem modest, but over a working life, that change alone could shave more than $70,000 off your KiwiSaver balance. This year’s budget has cut it further to $260.72.
Then there’s the tax on employer contributions – the amount paid into KiwiSaver by employers. For someone earning $80,000 a year, that tax can reduce total contributions by around 1% of salary annually. Over 40 years, that means nearly $100,000 less at retirement.
These aren’t just numbers on a spreadsheet. They’re the difference between retiring with options and retiring with anxiety. The $200,000 that past policy changes have stripped from the average KiwiSaver balance could have provided an extra $170 a week in retirement – enough to cover basics like food, power or transport.
By eroding those balances now, we’re not saving money. We’re simply passing the bill to future governments and taxpayers who will have to pick up the slack.
The worst time to weaken saving
There’s never a good time to undermine a long-term savings scheme, but doing it during a cost-of-living crisis is especially reckless. People are already struggling to keep up with everyday expenses. Contributions to KiwiSaver – despite their long-term benefits – are one of the first things households cut when budgets are tight.
If people start to believe KiwiSaver won’t be there for them – or that it’s not worth the effort – they’ll opt out or reduce contributions. And the scheme, already struggling with engagement, will lose even more ground.
Which brings us to the current budget.
The changes to the member tax credit will undermine the core purpose of KiwiSaver, reducing the amount people will retire with by another $35,000 for someone investing for 40 years in a growth fund.
Income-testing the member tax credit, coming into effect on July 1 this year, is pitched as targeting support where it’s needed. But that assumes income is a good proxy for need. It isn’t. Plenty of people have high incomes now but low KiwiSaver balances due to career gaps, home purchases or starting late.
If we want to better target support, base it on balances, not income. That would help those with low savings regardless of their current salary – and encourage rebuilding after big life expenses, such as buying a first home.
Raising the minimum contribution rate from 3% to 4% of gross salary sounds promising. Nudging people into saving more is smart policy – in theory. Plus requiring higher employer contributions is a welcome benefit.
But with households stretched thin, there’s a real risk people will just cease contributing at all. The danger is we end up with a headline policy that looks bold but delivers little – or worse, backfires.
The bottom line
The bigger issue? These are tweaks around the edges. They don’t address the fundamental problem: KiwiSaver is not set up to deliver retirement security at scale.
Plenty of experts have put forward good ideas to improve it. But right now, the urgent priority isn’t invention – it’s protection. Every time we reduce incentives, chip away at contributions or confuse the message, we undermine the very idea that long-term saving is worth it.
A retirement savings scheme only works if people trust it. That means policy stability. That means recognising KiwiSaver not as a cost, but as a commitment – a promise that if you put money aside during your working life, the system will have your back when you stop.
KiwiSaver is at a crossroads. It can continue its slow drift into irrelevance –eroded by short-term thinking and piecemeal reform. Or it can be treated as the critical infrastructure it is: a tool for ensuring financial independence in retirement and relieving future pressure on the public purse.
Budget decisions should honour KiwiSaver’s original promise. We owe future retirees – and future taxpayers – nothing less.
Aaron Gilbert does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
A displaced boy stands by a tent among the rubble of a destroyed building in the seaport area of western Gaza City, on May 21, 2025. [Photo/Xinhua]
The first aid in 11 weeks delivered to Gazans includes nutrition supplies, flour, medicines and other critical goods, UN humanitarians said Thursday.
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said about 90 trucks loaded at the Kerem Shalom/Karem Abu Salem checkpoint headed for multiple destinations, carrying the supplies to Gazans facing the threat of famine.
OCHA said nearly 20 truckloads, carrying about 500 pallets of nutrition supplies, were safely offloaded in UNICEF’s warehouse in Deir al Balah. The material delivered includes ready-to-use therapeutic food and lipid-based nutritional supplements. The life-saving supplies are being unpacked and repackaged into smaller loads to dozens of distribution points.
A handful of bakeries in southern and central Gaza, supported by the World Food Programme, have resumed bread production, the office said.
These bakeries are now operational, distributing bread through community kitchens. However, after nearly 80 days of a total blockade of humanitarian assistance, families still face a high risk of famine, and far more aid is needed across all of Gaza, it said.
OCHA stressed that the shipment is limited in quantity and nowhere near sufficient to meet the scale and scope of the needs of Gaza’s 2.1 million people. Other supplies as basic as fresh food, hygiene items, water purification agents, and fuel to power hospitals have not been let in for over 80 days.
Stephane Dujarric, chief spokesman for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, said it is important for commercial trucking to resume to supply markets with fresh fruits and vegetables.
He said the latest analysis from the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification committee concluded that people across Gaza are at risk of famine, with nearly 500,000 people teetering on the edge of starvation.
The spokesman said humanitarian workers in Gaza going to and from the Kerem Shalom crossing have to travel through an Israeli-militarized area.
“This means that our teams need to wait, often for hours, for military activities to pause for their safety for a green light to be given by the Israeli authorities to proceed,” he told a regular briefing. “We also need to ensure the use of secure routes from Kerem Shalom onward into Gaza, as we did last (Wednesday) night and hope to do again today (Thursday).”
The spokesman also reminded reporters that military operations continue across the Gaza Strip, with reports of strikes, shelling and fresh ground incursions.
“In recent days, our colleagues on the ground report that attacks have struck tents and buildings where people are sheltering, causing scores of casualties,” he said.
OCHA said Israeli authorities must facilitate the movement of humanitarian convoys, including from southern Gaza to the north, so that all supplies can reach people in need wherever they are across the Gaza Strip.
The office said Al Awda Hospital of North Gaza caught fire on Thursday, reportedly after being attacked. Through coordination with Israeli authorities, OCHA facilitated access for Palestinian Civil Defense to the area, where they spent hours fighting the fire. According to initial reports, the medicine warehouse was heavily damaged.
OCHA also said water wells in some areas of Gaza are shutting down as they remain out of reach or lack fuel. It said Israeli authorities continue to deny attempts to retrieve fuel from areas where coordination is required.
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
An investigation group of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) got down to a “full-scale investigation” into the serious destroyer launch accident which occurred at the Chongjin Shipyard on Wednesday, the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said Friday.
The accident investigation group included a public prosecutors organ and relevant experts, said the KCNA report.
“Detailed underwater and internal inspection of the warship confirmed that, unlike the initial announcement, there were no holes made at the warship’s bottom, the hull starboard was scratched and a certain amount of seawater flowed into the stern section through the rescue channel,” the KCNA said, citing the investigation result.
Experts estimated that “it will take two or three days to keep the balance of the warship by pumping up the seawater from the flooded chamber and making the bow leave the slipway and 10-odd days to restore the warship’s side,” according to the KCNA.
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
This photo taken on May 13, 2025 shows a product displayed in the exhibition hall at the headquarters of BYD Company Limited in Shenzhen, south China’s Guangdong Province. [Photo/Xinhua]
In south China’s Shenzhen, people from across the country are often seen lining up to visit the headquarters of BYD Company Limited. As the world’s top-selling new energy vehicle (NEV) manufacturer in 2024, BYD not only displays its impressive electric vehicles but also offers a glimpse into its “enigmatic” cultural elements.
Many of its car models incorporate traditional Chinese elements. Some bear distinctively Chinese names such as “Han” and “Tang,” which are inspired by the two glorious ancient Chinese dynasties. One of the company’s sub-brand logos is inspired by the ancient oracle bone script character for “electricity.”
“We don’t change these features when selling overseas, because they are Chinese-made cars. Buyers also appreciate them as they bring with them the charm of Eastern civilization,” said a BYD representative.
BYD was founded in 1994. In 2022, the company’s operating revenue exceeded 10 billion yuan (about 1.39 billion U.S. dollars) for the first time. Last year, the company sold over 4.27 million NEVs.
“Within the company, there has been an unwavering belief from the chairman to employees that to improve global ecology and benefit humanity, we must embrace green energy. This belief aligns with China’s philosophy of harmony between man and nature,” he said.
A visitor at the headquarters shared a similar sentiment, telling Xinhua that in China, it’s common for several generations to live together. When traveling, elderly family members often prefer to sit in the back seat, and BYD’s newly launched business vehicle thoughtfully caters to this aspect of Chinese family values, she said.
An “engineer culture” is also a hallmark of BYD. As the representative put it, it means “focusing on solving real problems based on real-world situations.” Such a culture is further enriched through broad interaction and exchange with diverse segments of society, drawing inspiration from a wide range of sources.
BYD Chairman Wang Chuanfu himself is an engineer. To address urban traffic congestion, he envisioned a new energy-based rail system called “SkyShuttle,” which costs much less than building a subway system and is already operating in several cities.
The company currently employs more than 120,000 research and development (R&D) personnel and holds over 59,000 patent applications, mastering a number of core technologies across the NEV industrial chain. The new generation of its independently developed “blade battery” can ensure a driving range of 1,000 kilometers and boasts strong fire resistance.
Previously, BYD had invited 11 Chinese science fiction writers to its headquarters to brainstorm with engineers. The result of that experience, a sci-fi short story collection titled “The Dream Builders,” was published earlier this month. It envisions the future of human transportation.
“The spirit of the engineer is like the divine spark of creation in science fiction. As a sci-fi writer, I feel privileged to witness this transformative force,” said sci-fi author Wanxiangfengnian.
“We saw that BYD’s team is young, vibrant, and full of upward momentum. They have R&D in their blood, and the perseverance they’ve shown over time is incredibly touching,” said Ji Shaoting, head of the sci-fi agency Future Affairs Administration.
“This is the secret behind the success of China’s smart manufacturing,” she said.
Volcano Watch is a weekly article and activity update written by U.S. Geological SurveyHawaiian Volcano Observatoryscientists and affiliates. Today’s article is by RCUH geophysicist Maddie Hawk.
This spectrogram shows four hours of USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory data streams across six seismic stations at Kīlauea’s summit on May 6, 2025. Each panel is 10 minutes of data. Over the four-hour period, an earthquake, pulsing, and eruptive tremor are visible.
For Island of Hawaiʻi residents, the recent eruptive episodes at Kaluapele (Kīlauea’s summit caldera) generously offer many chances to view the mesmerizing lava fountains. Opposed to other recent eruption locations like Kīlauea’s East or Southwest Rift Zone, the summit caldera eruptions are accessible to the public. A ride down Crater Rim Drive and a one-mile walk offers one of the best viewing areas near Keanakākoʻi Crater, though other areas along the caldera rim also offer stunning views from farther away.
Prior to the onset of this eruption in December 2024, Island of Hawaiʻi earthquake counts had reached some of the highest levels in recorded history here. Just last summer, some weekly tallies exceeded 2,000 earthquakes across the island. Some of these earthquakes are magma creating new pathways in the volcano, breaking rocks along the way. When magma erupts, this process of rock breaking stops, and earthquake counts dwindle as a result. In the last five months, Island of Hawaiʻi weekly earthquake counts have rarely exceeded 500.
Though there aren’t as many earthquakes around Kīlauea summit during the ongoing eruption, the ground below Kaluapele is not exactly quiet. During an eruptive episode, the roar of lava fountains shows up on seismic data channels as eruptive tremor. It is a constant, loud, unmistakable signal shared across eruptions and it is associated with large volume fluid movement. Though tremor increases with the onset of each fountaining episode, it has not completely disappeared with each pause. The signal is persistent between episodes.
Between fountaining episodes, the persistent tremor can vary in intensity due to the vent geometry, gas emissions, magma depth, and other factors. Recent pauses have exhibited periods of cyclical low frequency pulsing within the tremor often correlated with the rise and fall of lava in the vent. This process of lava filling the vents and then draining, repeatedly, prior to a new eruptive episode has been visible USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory livestream cameras.
Pulsing tremor can indicate magma movement and/or gas transfer within the volcanic system, and it has varied in rhythm, duration, and intensity. One example is the cycle leading up to eruptive episode 20. Pulsing began in earnest about nine hours before lava fountaining appeared on May 6, just before 5:30 p.m. HST. Each pulse lasted around 3 minutes, at a rate of about 8 pulses per hour.
However, the pause between episodes 17 and 18 displayed pulses that were closer to 10 minutes long, with only 2-3 occurring every hour. Though pulsing is common immediately before or after an eruptive episode, it is not consistent. Unlike the onset of episode 20, episode 19 began without being immediately preceded by tremor pulsing. Also, we cannot assume that the pulsing ceases during eruptive episodes, as the loud tremor would cover up any weaker signals.
Recognizing seismic patterns, or lack thereof, can contribute to our understanding of what is happening below the surface. Studying these patterns alongside geodetic data (how the Earth contracts and expands with volcanic activity), changes in gas emissions, and changes in magma compositions gives us the best chance to understand the complex volcanic system beneath our feet.
Volcano Activity Updates
Kīlauea has been erupting episodically within the summit caldera since December 23, 2024. Its USGS Volcano Alert level is WATCH.
Episode 22 of the Kīlauea summit eruption in Halemaʻumaʻu crater occurred on May 16, with approximately 8 hours of fountaining primarily from the north vent. Strong glow visible in both the north and south vents and summit region inflation since the end of episode 22 suggests that another episode is possible. Sulfur dioxide emission rates are elevated in the summit region during active eruption episodes. No unusual activity has been noted along Kīlauea’s East Rift Zone or Southwest Rift Zone.
Mauna Loa is not erupting. Its USGS Volcano Alert Level is at NORMAL.
Two earthquakes were reported felt in the Hawaiian Islands during the past week: a M3.2 earthquake 22 km (13 mi) WSW of Hāwī at 21 km (13 mi) depth on May 21 at 2:18 a.m. HST and a M4.2 earthquake 18 km (11 mi) SE of Pāhala at 32 km (20 mi) depth on May 20 at 9:37 a.m. HST.
HVO continues to closely monitor Kīlauea and Mauna Loa.
Please visit HVO’s website for past Volcano Watch articles, Kīlauea and Mauna Loa updates, volcano photos, maps, recent earthquake information, and more. Email questions to askHVO@usgs.gov.
Source: United States Senator for Connecticut – Chris Murphy
May 22, 2025
WASHINGTON—U.S. Senators Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) joined six of their Senate colleagues in reintroducing the Connecticut River Watershed Partnership Act (CRWPA), which would formalize a partnership between federal, state, local and private entities to promote conservation, restoration, education and recreation efforts in the Watershed and establish a voluntary grant program to facilitate these activities. This collaborative effort will benefit fish and wildlife habitats, protect drinking water sources, enhance flood resilience and help promote access to the Watershed’s public spaces, particularly for excluded and marginalized communities. U.S. Representative Jim McGovern (Mass.-02) leads a companion bill in the House of Representatives.
“The Connecticut River is one of our state’s greatest natural resources and a major economic driver for the communities it runs through. It’s also a really important part of a healthy Long Island Sound ecosystem,” said Murphy. “This legislation would help make sure organizations working on the ground have the support they need from federal, state, and local government to keep the watershed healthy and thriving for years to come.”
“The Connecticut River is a cherished treasure in our state. This legislation bolsters conservation efforts, protects fish and wildlife, supplies clean drinking water, and enhances recreation so that many generations of Connecticut residents can enjoy this natural resource. I’m proud to join my New England colleagues in supporting this initiative,” said Blumenthal.
The Connecticut River, New England’s longest river, drains a 7.2-million-acre watershed across five New England states: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Vermont. The Watershed is home to 396 communities and provides multiple environmental and economic benefits to diverse stakeholders and industries, including fisheries, farming, hunting, recreation, boating and tourism. The Silvio O. Conte National Fish and Wildlife Refuge encompasses the entire Watershed and is the only refuge of its kind in the National Wildlife Refuge System.
Specifically, the CRWPA would:
Require the Secretary of Interior to establish a non-regulatory Watershed Partnership Program intended to identify, prioritize and implement restoration and protection activities within the Watershed in consultation with federal, state, local and non-profit stakeholders;
Create a grant and technical assistance program for state and local governments; tribal organizations; nonprofit organizations; institutions of higher education; and other eligible entities for activities in the Watershed;
Implement a 75% Federal cost share for the grant program, except where the Secretary determines a larger cost share is appropriate; and
Ensure other activities conducted by the Secretary in the Watershed would supplement, not supplant activities carried out by the partnership program.
The legislation is supported by a broad coalition of more than 50 public and private organizations throughout New England, including the Connecticut River Watershed Partnership. U.S. Senators Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.), Ed Markey (D-Mass.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Peter Welch (D-Vt.) also cosponsored the legislation.
To enhance the capacity of professionals from the Directorate of Antiquities and Archaeology, Sindh, in safeguarding one of Pakistan’s World Heritage Sites – Historical Monuments at Makli, Thatta, UNESCO organized a three-day workshop from 12 to 14 May 2025 on the effective restoration and conservation techniques for protecting the site.
The workshop focused on enhancing the knowledge and understanding on key heritage management topics, including the World Heritage Convention and Outstanding University Value, ensuring authenticity in restoration projects, and ethical considerations of authenticity, reversibility and minimum intervention. The workshop also provided an opportunity to share the best practices and experiences with the professionals from the Directorate of Antiquities and Archaeology, Sindh.
Mr. Antony Kar Hung Tam, Officer-in-Charge of the UNESCO Office in Pakistan, underscored UNESCO’s enduring commitment to protecting cultural heritage through local empowerment, international collaboration, and sustainable conservation practices. UNESCO, with the support of the Netherlands Funds-in-Trust, has been and will continue putting its efforts to the conservation of the Historical Monuments at Makli, Thatta, addressing the damage caused by the monsoon floods in 2022.
Mr. Abdul Fateh Shaikh, Director General of Antiquities and Archaeology, Sindh, praised the support provided by UNESCO and expressed deep appreciation to the Government of the Netherlands for their continued commitment to heritage preservation.
Makli Necropolis, located near Thatta in Pakistan’s Sindh province, is among the largest and most extraordinary funerary sites in the world. Situated around 140 kilometers from Karachi, this necropolis is one of the largest burial quarters in the world with graves, tombs and mausoleums of saints, poets, noblemen, governors, princes, kings and queens. Extending over 10 square kilometers, the Historical Monuments at Makli, Thatta possess around half a million tombs and graves. The architectural styles reflect a rich confluence of Muslim, Hindu, Persian, Mughal, and Gujarati influences. These tombs are particularly renowned for their distinctive, blue-glazed tiles, intricate stone engravings, refined calligraphic inscriptions, and mesmerizing geometric motifs, testifying to the creative and spiritual expressions of vibrant civilization that once flourished in the region.
Thatta, being a thriving center of knowledge, arts and culture from 14th to 17th centuries, played a pivotal role in shaping the cultural heritage of the Sindh region. In recognition of its exceptional universal value and artistic legacy, the Makli Necropolis was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1981.
Over the past few decades, the site has faced natural and human hazards. In response, UNESCO has been working closely with the Government of Sindh, to provide technical support in addressing conservation and management issues, deploying reactive monitoring missions and executing conservation and capacity building initiatives. Following the damage caused by the 2022 monsoon, UNESCO mobilized local and international experts, within the framework of World Heritage Emergency Assistance, to undertake damage assessments, capacity building initiatives and immediate remedial measures for emergency stabilization of the site.
The impact assessment revealed severe structural vulnerabilities in the Shaikh Jyio Tomb and an adjacent unknown tomb from the Samma period (1351–1524). To address these critical issues, UNESCO initiated a restoration project under the Netherlands Funds-in-Trust, in collaboration with the Directorate of Antiquities and Archaeology, Sindh.
UNESCO’s team of international and local experts followed international standards and procedures required for the restoration work, undertook thorough documentation and condition assessment of both tombs, collected historical evidences through archival and archaeological research and material identification and testing to evaluate the suitability of the stones for conservation and restoration work. All these steps helped to appropriately inform the ongoing restoration work at the unknown tomb.
Source: United States Senator for Washington State Patty Murray
Work plan released by Army Corps zeroes out hundreds of millions of dollars for key WA, CA waterway construction projects, among others—steering hundreds of millions to red states
***WATCH: WA, CA Senators hold press conference calling out Trump’s decision***
Washington, D.C. — Today, the Senate delegations from Washington state and California joined together to call out President Trump’s outrageous, nakedly-political decision to zero out critical funding for Army Corps of Engineers construction projects in blue states like Washington and California while steering hundreds of millions more to red states.
U.S. Senators Patty Murray (D-WA), Vice Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, Maria Cantwell (D-WA), Alex Padilla (D-CA), and Adam Schiff (D-CA) blasted the Trump administration’s plans, released late last week, detailing how the Army Corps intends to zero out all Army Corps construction funding for the state of California, as well as $500 million for the Howard Hanson Dam in Washington state. California was set to receive well over $100 million in funding for projects, and the Howard Hanson Dam in Washington state was set to receive $500 million—in the Corps’ fiscal year 2025 budget request, in the Senate’s bipartisan draft fiscal year 2025 funding bill, and even in House Republicans’ draft fiscal year 2025 funding bill. But the Trump administration—using the new discretion afforded by the yearlong CR House Republicans drafted that was signed into law—ignored the draft bills and instead apportioned funding on a nakedly political basis.
On Tuesday, a top Army Corps official testifying before the House failed to provide any justification for the decision and noted that the ultimate decision rested with Trump’s Office of Management and Budget (OMB), headed by Russ Vought.
“We are here for a simple reason: Trump is robbing our states in broad daylight, and we are not going to be quiet about this,” said Senator Murray. “Last year, we worked across the aisle to hammer out a bipartisan understanding about what projects needed Army Corps construction funding. But President Trump is ripping up the roadmap we all agreed on—even House Republicans— and turning the Army Corps construction fund into his personal political slush fund. I don’t know how you get more obviously partisan than cutting California, the most populous state in the country, out of Army Corps construction funding entirely, and I just don’t know how you get more blatantly corrupt than zeroing out half a billion dollars for Washington state and completely shafting major work at the Howard Hanson Dam—work to address dam safety, water supply issues, and more.”
“The Ports of Seattle and Tacoma received $45.4 million less in this budget,” said Senator Cantwell. “This is a huge problem for the next five years. We want to stabilize our ports. We want the Army Corps to do their investment on important waterway issues. We want to grow economic opportunity at an age when the Pacific economy is continuing to grow. We want to be on the doorstep of that access and to be efficient about delivering it, not giving those jobs away to Canada and Mexico.”
“When anyone takes the oath of office, even Donald Trump as President of the United States, you become the president for all Americans — not just for red states or for blue states, but for every state and every community equally,” said Senator Padilla. “Yet, since the minute Donald Trump returned to office, he’s set out to politicize the office he holds, now trying to take hundreds of millions of dollars in flood prevention funding away from the states that happened to not vote for him and redirect them to projects in states that supported his election. It’s absolutely wrong. In California, that means cutting every last dollar of funding that was allocated for certain flood control projects. For a president so obsessed with fighting waste, fraud, and abuse, I know where he can find it. He just has to look in the mirror. Communities up and down California — including farmers and farm workers in the Central Valley and Pajaro — will now be at a higher risk of flooding because Donald Trump’s playing politics with federal funding.”
“Natural disasters don’t discriminate based on whether a state is red or blue, and the administration and Congress shouldn’t either when it comes to protecting communities from natural disasters. This puts us on a very dangerous path, a path where anything can be on the chopping block for a partisan reason,” said Senator Schiff. “Today, it’s funding for these projects. Tomorrow, it could be another form of funding meant to save lives. There will be a domino effect of threats aimed at blue states. When you’re elected to be president of the United States, you’re not a half president. You’re not president for only half of the country, not if you do the job right. These baseless attacks threaten millions of people from both parties whose lives are endangered by floods.”
Overall, the Army Corps’ plan would steer roughly $258 million dollars more in construction funding to red states while ripping away roughly $437 million dollars in construction funding for blue states, relative to the fiscal year 2025 request—which, historically, has been fully funded and was fully funded in the draft fiscal year 2025 bills produced on a bipartisan basis in the Senate and by House Republicans in the House. Trump’s work plan steers two-thirds of all Army Corps construction funding to red states while the budget request and House and Senate bills would have split that funding roughly evenly to red and blue states.
Supporting the Howard Hanson Dam has been a longtime priority for Senator Murray, and she has pressed the Army Corps to prioritize funding for the Dam for years. Under the last administration, Senator Murray was able to secure critical funding boosts for Howard Hanson Dam, including $220 million in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and $50 million to begin construction of a new facility in the funding bills for fiscal year 2024 that Murray wrote as then-Chair of the Appropriations Committee. Back in 2010, Murray secured $44 million in badly needed emergency funds for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to repair the Howard Hanson Dam. In the draft fiscal year 2025 appropriations bill she cleared unanimously out of Committee last year, Senator Murray secured $500 million for the dam, which would support fish passage and address dam safety and water supply issues for cities like Tacoma and Covington. $500 million was also included in the House’s draft fiscal year 2025 appropriations bill. The funding is needed to execute a construction option on the contract for the project, which would have allowed construction to begin in 2026 as scheduled.
Congress typically provides specific, detailed instructions in its annual appropriations bills on how the Army Corps (and so many other agencies) must spend funding provided by Congress. Annual appropriations bills note exactly what Army Corps projects must be funded and at what levels. But instead of working with Democrats to pass full-year appropriations bills that deliver for communities across America, Republicans in Congress put forth a yearlong continuing resolution (CR) that failed to include hundreds of specific directives on how funding must be spent. For months, Senator Murray warned of the dangers of passing Republicans’ slush fund CR, noting, for example, that it would allow the administration to zero out funding for Army Corps projects.
Senator Murray’s remarks, as delivered, are below:
“We are here for a simple reason: Trump is robbing our states in broad daylight, and we are not going to be quiet about this.
“We are not going to stop fighting for our communities, and we are going to make every single person understand what is happening—and what it means for our states, for our communities, and for this democracy.
“Last year, we worked across the aisle to hammer out a bipartisan understanding about what projects needed Army Corps construction funding. And ‘we’—isn’t just the four of us here. It includes our Republican counterparts and even our House colleagues.
“But President Trump is ripping up the roadmap we all agreed on—even the House Republicans—and turning the Army Corps construction funds into his personal political slush fund.
“To give you a sense of how blatantly political this is, consider the fact that the Corps’ budget request last year, the bipartisan Senate bill my committee passed unanimously, and the House bill—yes the Republican House bill—all split this funding just about evenly—every one of them split it just about 50-50 between red and blue states.
“Now compare that to Trump’s partisan takeover. This thing is totally lopsided—roughly two-thirds goes to red states and one-third for blue states.
“This is not how it should work—an out-of-control Republican president punishing blue states and rewarding his friends instead.
“I don’t know how you get more obviously partisan than cutting California, the most populous state in the country, out of Army Corps construction funding entirely. Trump slashed over $100 million for projects that reduce flooding for crying out loud! I mean who is pro-flooding?
“And I just don’t know how you get more blatantly corrupt than zeroing out half a billion dollars for Washington state and completely shifting major work at the Howard Hanson Dam—work to address dam safety, water supply issues, and more.
“This is a project years in the making, and it is being slashed at the stroke of one careless pen, at the will of one corrupt President alone.
“So why does President Trump think our constituents don’t need a safe water supply?
“Why does President Trump think our constituents don’t need to be protected from floods?
“It’s clear he simply doesn’t care.
“But it’s actually worse than what I just laid out—because Trump is not just taking hundreds of millions of dollars from blue states for projects that we all agreed on. He is actually shoveling this money to projects that were not funded by either bill in either chambers—and that is nakedly political.
“Suddenly, projects in or near his allies’ districts are funded.
“So we need answers. And more than that, we need accountability.
“Yesterday, a top Army Corps official testified before the House, and let me tell you: she had absolutely no acceptable—or even half-convincing—justification for these decisions.
“In fact, she very explicitly stated that OMB—not the experts at the Corps—called the final shots.
“That should raise everyone’s eyebrows—Russ Vought calling the shots for your constituents.
“So we’re here to call this out—and we are going to fight tooth and nail to make this right, and make these critical projects whole.
“I will tell you right now: I will not let defunding Howard Hanson Dam stand in any future bipartisan spending bill.
“And, I will continue warning my colleagues about passing another partisan CR, which gave this administration that power to pick winners and losers like this in the first place.
“I warned about exactly this before I voted against the CR—I warned that Trump could, and would, abuse the discretion in a slush fund
CR to rob our communities. And now, here we are.
“So every single member needs to pay close attention to what is happening here—and needs to speak out.
“Because it may not be your state today but what happens when your governor disagrees with the President? What happens when you vote against him and your state loses out on funding?
“Take my word—you don’t want to find out. We have to put a stop to this, and push back now.”
Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian – People’s Republic of China in Russian –
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
NANNING, May 23 (Xinhua) — Mountain floods and mudslides hit a village in Longsheng County, capital of Guilin City, early Friday morning. According to preliminary estimates by local authorities, eight people are believed to be missing after landslides and 10 houses were damaged.
CLEVELAND – A federal grand jury in the Northern District of Ohio has returned a 29-count indictment against 19 members and associates of a Cleveland drug trafficking ring. Those charged are Derek Brantley, 41, Cleveland Heights; Juan Johnny Colon, 42, Cleveland; Luis Joel Rondon, 44, Cleveland; Sydney Anthony, 25, Parma Heights; Ryan Bell, 39, Brunswick; Mark Byrd, 44, Cleveland; Nicholas Calvert, 37, Avon Lake; Jocelyn Dolan, 22, Newton Falls; Antonio Greenlee, 37, Cleveland; Andre Jenkins, 43, Cleveland; Melanie Crespo, 32, Elyria; Jordan Marsh, 27, Cleveland; Nicholas Malusky, 38, Parma; Sean Masters, 54, Fort Pierce, Florida; Brandon Payne, 32, Cleveland; Lee Pomales, 38, Cleveland; Mason Pulvino, 28, North Ridgeville; Martha Rios, 68, Cleveland; and Kalem Watts, 45, Cleveland.
Federal and local law enforcement agents and officers made the apprehensions in a series of coordinated arrests.
According to court documents, from October 2023 to December 2024, the defendants charged were alleged to have trafficked various controlled substances but were mostly dealing cocaine. Although based in Cleveland, the ring operated throughout Northeast Ohio and as far away as Fort Bragg, North Carolina. Their operations also included attempts to infiltrate the Ohio prison system.
Throughout the investigation, authorities seized thousands of dollars in cash and a number of illegal drugs that included cocaine, methamphetamine, and fentanyl. Several illegally possessed firearms were also confiscated throughout the investigation.
During the investigation, several locations in Cleveland were found to be used as stash houses to store and package cocaine and methamphetamine, as well as store firearms.
An indictment is merely an allegation. Defendants are presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial in which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
If convicted, each defendant’s sentence will be determined by the Court after review of factors unique to the case, including each defendant’s prior criminal record, if any, their role in the offense, and the characteristics of the violation. In all cases, the sentence will not exceed the statutory maximum, and, in most cases, it will be less than the maximum.
This prosecution is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) Strike Force Initiative, which provides for the establishment of permanent multi-agency task force teams that work side-by-side in the same location. This co-located model enables agents from different agencies to collaborate on intelligence-driven, multi-jurisdictional operations to disrupt and dismantle the most significant drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations.
The specific mission of the OCDETF Cleveland Strike Force is to disrupt and dismantle major criminal organizations and subsidiary organizations, including criminal gangs, transnational drug cartels, racketeering organizations, and other groups engaged in illicit activities that present a threat to public safety and national security and are related to the illegal smuggling and trafficking of narcotics or other controlled substances, weapons, humans, or the illegal concealment or transfer of proceeds derived from such illicit activities in the Northern District of Ohio. The OCDETF Cleveland Strike Force is composed of agents and officers from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms (ATF), and Explosives, Homeland Security Investigations, United States Marshals Service (USMS), U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Internal Revenue Service, and U.S. Border Patrol, along with task force officers from numerous local law enforcement agencies, including the Cleveland Division of Police. Prosecutions are led by the Office of the United States Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio.
This case was investigated by the FBI Cleveland Division.
Assistant United States Attorney Robert F. Corts for the Northern District of Ohio is leading the prosecution in this case.
National Senior Fraud Awareness Day is May 15, and FBI Philadelphia wants to remind families, friends, and caregivers, of the fraud schemes that target older Americans.
In April, the FBI released the annual Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) Elder Fraud report. This annual publication provides statistics about incidents of elder fraud—or fraud that explicitly targets older Americans’ money or cryptocurrency—that are reported to IC3. The goal of this report is to inform the public of the scams impacting the country and prevent future and repeat incidents.
In 2024, those over the age of 60 filed over 147,000 complaints to the IC3, with over $4.8 billion in reported losses, a 43% increase in losses from 2023. Across the nation, phishing and spoofing schemes were the most reported scams impacting older Americans, with over 23,000 complaints. Investment fraud resulted in the most reported victim losses, with about $1.8 billion in losses.
“Criminals continue to launch calculated and deliberate attacks against a uniquely vulnerable population, our senior citizens. Threat actors systematically prey on their savings, their identity, and their sense of security,” said FBI Philadelphia Assistant Special Agent in Charge Nicole Sinegar. “National Senior Fraud Awareness Day is a critical reminder of the growing threat that financial scams and frauds pose to our older citizens. We urge families, friends, and caregivers to have an open and continuous dialogue about the scams threatening older Americans and empower them to report suspected schemes to law enforcement.”
Ways to protect yourself include:
Recognize scam attempts and end all communication with the perpetrator.
Search online for the contact information (name, email, phone number, addresses) and the proposed offer. Other people have likely posted information online about individuals and businesses trying to run scams.
Resist the pressure to act quickly. Scammers create a sense of urgency to produce fear and lure victims into immediate action. Call the police immediately if you feel there is a danger to yourself or a loved one.
Be cautious of unsolicited phone calls, mailings, and door-to-door service offers.
Never give or send any personally identifiable information, money, jewelry, gift cards, checks, or wire information to unverified people or businesses.
Make sure all computer anti-virus and security software and malware protections are up to date. Use reputable anti-virus software and firewalls.
Be careful what you download. Never open an email attachment from someone you don’t know, and be wary of email attachments forwarded to you.
If you or someone you know may have been a victim of elder fraud, contact FBI Philadelphia at (215) 418-4000, or submit a tip online at tips.fbi.gov. If the suspected fraud was Internet-facilitated, you can also file a complaint with the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center at ic3.gov.
Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian – People’s Republic of China in Russian –
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
LOS ANGELES, May 22 (Xinhua) — At least two people were killed and eight others were injured when a small plane crashed into a residential area in the southwestern U.S. city of San Diego early Thursday, local authorities said.
The San Diego Police Department reported on social media site X that the crash damaged about 10 buildings in the area.
Local authorities confirmed that a small Cessna plane crashed in the Murphy Canyon area at around 04:00 local time.
Several homes and cars caught fire as a result of the crash, city fire spokesman Dan Eddy told the media.
“There is jet fuel everywhere. We have hazmat specialists on site now and we have requested additional resources for that,” Eddy said.
He said all the victims were on the plane, which could hold up to 10 people. Officials do not yet know how many people were on board.
About 100 local residents were evacuated after the crash. Authorities confirmed that the damaged residential buildings were in a military town. –0–
Joint Operation Involving Federal and Local Law Enforcement Results In More Than 450 Arrests of Illegal Immigrants and Suspected Drug Criminals Across Arkansas
LITTLE ROCK—The largest collaborative police effort to enforce federal immigration laws in Arkansas’s history resulted in the arrest of 219 illegal immigrants over the past three weeks. Jonathan D. Ross, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas, and Clay Fowlkes, United States Attorney for the Western District of Arkansas, announced the culmination of “Operation Enforce and Remove,” an arrest operation across the state that involved all federal law enforcement agencies operating in Arkansas, as well the Arkansas State Police and all 19 Arkansas Judicial Drug Task Forces, who coordinated and organized the overall operation. In addition to assisting with immigration enforcement, these task forces also arrested 253 individuals suspected of committing drug crimes and seized nearly 15,000 pounds of illegal drugs worth millions of dollars and 43 guns.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents collaborated with the Federal Bureau Investigation (FBI), Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), and the U.S. Marshals Service, as well as the Drug Task Forces and Arkansas State Police, to arrest 219 illegal immigrants during the three weeks of this enforcement operation, which began February 5. In total, since January 21, when President Donald Trump issued executive orders designed to prioritize the enforcement of immigration laws, 375 illegal immigrants have been arrested in Arkansas.
“On January 21, the Department of Justice issued a memo to all Department components, to include all U.S. Attorney’s Offices, the DEA, FBI, ATF, and U.S. Marshals, instructing each agency to partner with the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to focus our resources and attention to immigration-related investigations and prosecutions at the federal, state, and local level,” U.S. Attorney Ross said.
“The memo outlined policy changes in response to the President’s day one Executive Orders and provided guidance critical to the Department’s mission to combat three of the most serious threats facing the American people: First, cartels and other transnational criminal organizations which have created unsafe borders and huge flows of illegal immigration in violation of U.S. law. Second, brutal and intolerable violent crime by members of these organizations and illegal aliens. Third, the fentanyl crisis and opioid epidemic that are poisoning our communities and have inflicted an unprecedented toll of addiction, suffering, and death.
“Because the Justice Department must and will work to eradicate these threats, the U.S. Attorney’s Offices in Arkansas along with each of our federal law enforcement partners will continue to prioritize working with ICE to aggressively enforce the immigration and drug-and-violent crime laws enacted by Congress. When these efforts are combined with our partnerships with our outstanding state and local law enforcement officials, we are confident that this first operation will lead to additional successful operations in the days ahead.”
“Our commitment to safeguarding communities in western Arkansas remains steadfast as we implement increased immigration enforcement efforts,” U.S. Attorney Fowlkes said. “We are dedicated to upholding the law and ensuring public safety while maintaining the highest standards of law enforcement and prosecution. Through collaboration with our federal law enforcement partners, we will address the challenges of illegal immigration and protect our communities from criminals who seek to illegally enter the United States and subject our communities to their criminal activities and associated violence.”
In preparation for “Operation Enforce and Remove,” ICE, working with other federal and local partners, developed intelligence related to the locations of known illegal immigrants. The individuals these agents sought to arrest and remove had previous encounters with law enforcement, and therefore had known addresses in various databases. Some offenders were previously convicted of crimes, while others had some type of prior contact with law enforcement. All were in the country illegally and will be deported. Of the 219 arrests of illegal immigrants during the enforcement operation, 127 individuals were processed through the ICE Enforcement and Removal office in Little Rock, 57 were processed through the Fayetteville office, 23 through the Fort Smith office, and 17 individuals through the Texarkana office.
The illegal immigrants located in Arkansas came from 23 different countries. The crimes some of these individuals were previously convicted of include: battery, aggravated assault, robbery, drug possession and distribution, domestic violence, sexual assault, illegal firearm possession, running an illegal casino, forgery, hit-and-run, indecent exposure, and sexual assault against a minor.
“We will continue to use every tool and resource available to identify, locate and apprehend those criminal aliens that threaten public safety,” said Larry Adams, ICE Assistant Field Office Director. “Our enforcement efforts are unwavering and our dedication to protecting our communities remains stronger than ever.”
At the same time that ICE was engaged in immigration operations, Drug Task Force officers were conducting numerous drug investigations that involved highway interdiction, controlled purchases of narcotics, the execution of search warrants, and other methods aimed at arresting individuals known to be involved in drug trafficking. In addition to the 253 drug-related arrests and 43 guns seized, officers across the state seized the following drugs: 225 pounds of methamphetamine, 65 pounds of cocaine, 14,542 pounds of marijuana, and 2,681 fentanyl pills and 90 grams of fentanyl powder. The street value of these drugs, broken down to a user level, is potentially hundreds of millions of dollars. These individuals will be prosecuted at either the state or federal level, depending on the particular case.
The 472 arrests announced today are the culmination of the first, but not last, collaborative federal and state law enforcement effort designed to carry out the Department of Justice’s mission, and help keep all Arkansans safe.
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Additional information about the office of the
United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas, is available online at
More than $100,000 and 19 guns also seized during investigation.
LITTLE ROCK—Twenty-seven defendants accused of distributing large amounts of fentanyl, as well as methamphetamine and cocaine, in central Arkansas are in custody after federal and state authorities made a series of arrests in Pulaski County this morning as part of an ongoing drug-trafficking investigation. Jonathan D. Ross, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas, and Warner Benson, Assistant Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Little Rock Field Office, announced today’s arrests.
According to a federal superseding indictment that was unsealed today following the arrests, the large-scale drug organization in central Arkansas is headed by Eric Dillard, 44, and Jimmie McDaniels, 49, both of Little Rock. A team of law enforcement agencies in the area coordinated to arrest 27 of the 29 defendants listed in the indictment this morning. Dillard was already in federal custody based on a federal indictment filed against him on September 11, 2024.
The superseding indictment was returned by a federal grand jury on March 4, 2025. The defendants were charged with a series of drug and gun crimes, including conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute fentanyl, methamphetamine, and cocaine, felon in possession of a firearm, and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug-trafficking crime. A financial investigation also led to money laundering charges, including conspiracy, against six defendants.
“The lethality of fentanyl requires our continued resolve to prioritize these types of investigations,” Ross said. “We will also keep our focus on other deadly drugs such as methamphetamine, which remains the most abused drug in our state, and cocaine, both of which were involved this case.”
The arrests stem from an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force, or OCDETF, investigation that began in September 2023. Most the defendants listed in the indictment are from Little Rock and surrounding towns. The investigation, which was headed by the DEA, involved numerous controlled purchases of fentanyl from members of the conspiracy, as well as the seizure of 19 firearms and approximately a pound of fentanyl. According to information learned throughout the investigation, it is believed this organization has trafficked hundreds of pounds of fentanyl to people in Arkansas.
Additionally, during the investigation law enforcement agents intercepted numerous phone calls in which the conspiracy members discussed trafficking fentanyl and layering profits through various channels to disguise the source of the proceeds. Throughout the investigation more than $100,000 in illegal proceeds was seized by law enforcement.
“This morning’s arrest operation represents a significant blow to a criminal network that was flooding our communities with deadly fentanyl,” said DEA Assistant Special Agent in Charge Warner Benson. “Along with our federal, state, and local partners, we are committed to dismantling these organizations and protecting the citizens of Central Arkansas from the devastating consequences of drug trafficking.”
This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
Those arrested today will be arraigned before United States Magistrate Judge Jerome T. Kearney on Thursday. Today’s arrests are the result of a joint investigation between the DEA Little Rock District Office; DEA New Orleans Field Division, DEA Houston, FBI, U.S. Marshal Service, North Little Rock Police Department, Arkansas State Police, Sherwood Police Department, Cabot Police Department, Arkansas Community Corrections, Central Arkansas Drug Task Force, Faulkner County Sheriff’s Office, Arkansas Attorney General’s Office, U.S. Postal Service; and the Arkansas National Guard Counter Drug Task Force. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Lauren Eldridge.
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Additional information about the office of the
United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas, is available online at
Special Agents Durant and O’Hare relied heavily on the Mobile Biometrics Application (MBA) and Special Processing Center (SPC) teams to expedite the identification of victims. These specialized units, operating out of the FBI’s Criminal Justice Information Services Division in West Virginia, provided agents in the field with real-time support, often pulling fingerprints and running them through reference files within minutes. In some cases, results were returned in as little as 15 to 20 minutes, streamlining the identification process during critical moments.
The MBA team, in particular, played a vital role by swiftly processing prints, actively monitoring quality control, and troubleshooting more difficult cases. When automated systems didn’t yield a match, the SPC team took over, applying manual processes to assist with identification. This seamless coordination between field agents and the FBI’s lab-based experts highlights the Bureau’s ability to deploy advanced technology in disaster zones, ensuring that victims’ families receive answers as quickly as possible.
While working to bring closure to grieving families, the agents have also felt the storm’s personal impact. O’Hare’s daughter and grandchildren evacuated from North Carolina to stay with her in Upper East Tennessee after being displaced by power loss. “I joined the FBI to help people,” O’Hare said. “In situations like this, that’s why I am doing my very small part to try to provide some closure for the families of the victims.”
As the FBI and its partners work to support communities impacted by Hurricane Helene, the Bureau issued a warning about scammers looking to exploit survivors and mislead charitable donors. Learn to spot the red flags of disaster fraud at fbi.gov/DisasterFraud.
David X. Sullivan, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that BRANDON SPENCE, also known as “Spun,” 37, of East Hartford, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Kari A. Dooley in Bridgeport to 56 months of imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release, for distributing fentanyl and cocaine.
According to court documents and statements made in court, on February 5, 2019, Spence was sentenced in Hartford federal court to 24 months of imprisonment and three years of supervised release for unlawfully possessing a firearm as a felon. He was released from federal prison in February 2020. On December 7, 2020, Hartford Police surveillance cameras captured Spence and another individual engaged in a dispute. Spence pulled out a firearm, shot the individual in the leg, and then stole the victim’s vehicle. On May 28, 2021, Spence was sentenced to an additional 24 months of imprisonment for violating the conditions of his federal supervised release.
In March and April 2024, the FBI’s Northern Connecticut Gang Task Force made controlled purchases of fentanyl and crack cocaine from Spence. Spence was arrested on April 3, 2024. On that date, a court-authorized search of his residence and vehicles revealed distribution quantities of fentanyl, crack cocaine, and marijuana.
On January 28, 2025, Spence pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute, and distribution of, cocaine and fentanyl. He has been detained since his arrest.
This investigation was conducted by the FBI’s Northern Connecticut Gang Task Force and the Hartford Police Department. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Shan Patel.
David X. Sullivan, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that LUIS CRUZ, also known as “Goldo,” 27, of Waterbury, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Kari A. Dooley in Bridgeport to 97 months of imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release, for his participation in both a violent carjacking and a Waterbury-based narcotics trafficking ring.
According to court documents and statements made in court, in the early morning hours of June 18, 2023, two all-terrain vehicles (“ATVs”) were stolen from a Waterbury residence. After the theft, Cruz posted on Facebook offering $5,000 to anyone providing information about the location of the stolen vehicles. Cruz and others then mistakenly identified an individual (“Victim 1”), who they incorrectly believed was involved in the theft. Later that night, Victim 1’s friend, (“Victim 2”), picked up Victim 1 from work and drove him home. As they arrived at Victim 1’s residence, three vehicles followed them and surrounded the victims. Cruz and his associates, one of whom carried an assault-style rifle, exited the vehicles and approached the victims. Cruz and his associates demanded the return of the stolen ATVs, threatened to kill the victims, and physically assaulted them. Cruz, who was recovering from a leg injury, used a crutch to repeatedly strike one of the victims.
Cruz and his associates then stole Victim 2’s vehicle, which was owned by Victim 2’s relative, and other items and cash belonging to the victims.
Also in 2023, Cruz was one of 17 individuals charged with federal offenses as a result of an investigation into two drug trafficking organizations based in the city of Waterbury. One organization operated in the area of William Street and the other operated in the area of Maple Avenue. The investigation, which included court-authorized wiretaps on multiple phones, video surveillance, GPS tracking of vehicles, and numerous controlled purchases of narcotics, revealed that the two organizations distributed cocaine, crack, and fentanyl through a network of sellers. The organizations shared sources of supply and worked together to further their operations.
During the investigation, Cruz, who was involved in the William Street organization, was intercepted multiple times over a wiretap discussing the distribution of narcotics. Cruz distributed cocaine, and also stored narcotics for the organization at various hotels.
Cruz and several codefendants were arrested on November 29, 2023. In association with the arrests, investigators executed multiple search warrants and seized approximately 700 grams of crack cocaine, more than 900 vials (“caps”) of crack, approximately 200 grams of loose fentanyl, more than 1,600 dose bags of fentanyl/heroin, two stolen firearms, numerous rounds of ammunition, and more than $39,000 in cash.
On September 10, 2024, Cruz pleaded guilty to carjacking resulting in serious bodily injury, and conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute controlled substances.
Cruz has been detained since his arrest.
These investigations were led by the FBI’s Northern Connecticut Gang Task Force and Waterbury Safe Streets Gang Task Force, and the Waterbury Police Department. The carjacking case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Nathan J. Guevremont and David T. Huang, and the narcotics trafficking case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Natasha M. Freismuth and Shan Patel through the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) Program. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
LOS ANGELES – A South Bay man was sentenced today to 300 months in federal prison for leading a ring that committed 12 armed robberies of Los Angeles County businesses – mostly chain-store pharmacies – during a six-week crime spree in 2023.
Makai Yusef Sanders, 23, a.k.a. “Muk Muk,” of Hawthorne, was sentenced by United States District Judge R. Gary Klausner, who also ordered him to pay $48,490 in restitution.
Sanders, who has been in federal custody since October 2023, pleaded guilty in November 2024 to one count of conspiracy to interfere with commerce by robbery, one count of interference with commerce by robbery (Hobbs Act), and one count of brandishing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence.
In August and September of 2023, Sanders “personally victimized countless employees and customers in armed robberies of nine pharmacies and two…restaurants,” prosecutors argued in a sentencing memorandum, noting that during one robbery Sanders “[held] a victim by the neck and [dragged] him around the store, while brandishing a handgun in his other hand.”
The targeted businesses included Rite Aid stores in Long Beach, Bellflower, North Hollywood, Whittier, and South Los Angeles, and Walgreens stores in Pasadena, Lakewood, Monterey Park, and Glendale. Sanders and his co-conspirators also targeted Wingstop restaurants in Lynwood and Whittier.
The ring’s co-leader, Kenyatta Kamar Jones, 23, a.k.a. “Yatta,” of Hawthorne, pleaded guilty in November 2024 to one count of conspiracy to commit Hobbs Act robbery, one count of Hobbs Act robbery, and one count of brandishing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence. On April 28, Judge Klausner sentenced Jones to 25 years in federal prison and ordered him to pay $48,490 in restitution.
Co-defendants Diavion Deshawna Mouton, 23, of Carson, and Rodney Darrin Maxwell Evans, 23, of South Los Angeles, are scheduled to be sentenced on June 9. In December 2024, Mouton and Evans were each found guilty by a jury of one count of conspiracy to commit Hobbs Act robbery, two counts of Hobbs Act robbery, and two counts of brandishing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence. Mouton and Evans participated in two armed robberies during the six-week crime spree.
Co-defendant Adrian Timothy Bedran, 24, of Rosemead, pleaded guilty on September 9 to one count of Hobbs Act robbery. He is scheduled to be sentenced on September 8. Co-defendant DeAngel Daryl Alvarez, 23, a.k.a. “Macc,” of the Athens area of South Los Angeles, pleaded guilty on February 24 to one count of Hobbs Act robbery and is scheduled to be sentenced on July 2. Co-defendant Kevin Antwon Gadley, 21, a.k.a. “One Shot,” of San Fernando, was transferred from state to federal custody on April 28, and is currently scheduled to stand trial on June 24, for one count of conspiracy to commit Hobbs Act robbery, one count of Hobbs Act robbery, and one count of brandishing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence.
The FBI; the Glendale Police Department; the Los Angeles Police Department; the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department; the Inglewood Police Department; the Long Beach Police Department; the Pasadena Police Department; the Monterey Park Police Department; the Whittier Police Department; and the Burbank Police Department investigated this matter.
Assistant United States Attorneys Kevin J. Butler and Jena A. MacCabe of the Violent and Organized Crime Section and Juan M. Rodriguez of the Public Corruption and Civil Rights Section are prosecuting this case.
