DU QUOIN, Ill. – To educate seniors in southern Illinois on the latest scams targeting them online and over the phone, the U.S. Attorney’s Office is partnering with the Du Quoin Public Library to host a fraud prevention seminar.
“Fraudsters are inundating our phones and computers with calls, texts and emails making deceitful claims like posing as federal agents to manipulate seniors and scare them into handing over their money,” said U.S. Attorney Steven D. Weinhoeft. “Unfortunately, in southern Illinois, we’ve prosecuted scammers who have defrauded seniors out of most of their life savings. To educate the public on the current fraud schemes and tips to avoid becoming a victim, prosecutors with experience charging these scammers will be in Du Quoin to give an interactive and informational presentation.”
The presentation highlights information on online scams, fraud schemes targeting seniors and details on federal cases prosecuted in the Southern District of Illinois. The event will start at 11:30 a.m. on Thursday, May 15 at the Du Quoin Public Library, located at 28 S. Washington St. in Du Quoin.
Attendees will receive tips to help detect scams and advice on how to contact law enforcement if they feel like they have been victimized by a scam.
Jay Clayton, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York and Christopher G. Raia, the Assistant Director in Charge of the New York Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”), announced today the unsealing of a Complaint charging CARSEN MANSFIELD with extortionate interstate communications. MANSFIELD was arrested on Tuesday, April 29 in Newburgh, New York, and was presented before U.S. Magistrate Judge Judith C. McCarthy in White Plains federal court.
U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton said: “As alleged Carsen Mansfield used Discord to track down and exploit the minor female victim. Protecting our children is central to our mission, and we will prosecute those who victimize them to the fullest extent of the law.”
FBI Assistant Director in Charge Christopher G. Raia said: “Carsen Mansfield allegedly extorted and threatened a minor in another state to provide sexually explicit images. Mansfield’s alleged actions violated a vulnerable victim’s privacy to satiate his personal disturbing desires. The FBI remains committed to protecting any minor from those who wish to inflict sexual harm, regardless of where they are located.”
On or about August 4, 2024, MANSFIELD, using the communication platform Discord, contacted a minor female victim (“Victim-1”) and sent her a series of photographs that Victim-1 recognized as nude photographs of her that she had taken previously. MANSFIELD proceeded to threaten to send the nude photographs of Victim-1 to her friends and family if she did not send him more nude or otherwise sexually explicit materials, writing “Well I have these pictures and if you don’t send me more I’m going to send them to your friends and family . . . Your [sic] my slut now Andy [sic] failure to make me happy will end up exposed to your friends and family.”
Any individuals with information concerning CARSEN MANSFIELD and any individuals who may have encountered someone using the Discord username “noname45.#0” or the X (formerly Twitter) username “expogirlsss” please contact the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324) or https://tips.fbi.gov.
* * *
MANSFIELD, 23, of Newburgh, New York, is charged with one count of extortionate interstate communications, which carries a statutory maximum sentence of two years in prison.
The maximum potential sentence in this case is prescribed by Congress and provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the judge.
Mr. Clayton praised the outstanding investigative work of the FBI’s Hudson Valley Safe Streets Task Force and Detroit Field Office, as well as the Town of Newburgh Police Department.
This case is being handled by the Office’s White Plains Division. Assistant U.S. Attorney Margaret N. Vasu is in charge of the prosecution.
The charges contained in the Complaint are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
[1] As the introductory phrase signifies, the entirety of the text of the Complaint and the description of the Complaint set forth herein constitute only allegations, and every fact described should be treated as an allegation.
Source: The Conversation – USA – By Daniel B. Oerther, Professor of Environmental Health Engineering, Missouri University of Science and Technology
Tatooine’s moisture farming equipment stands in the desert of Tunisia, where parts of the ‘Star Wars’ movie series were filmed.Véronique Debord-Lazaro via Flickr, CC BY-SA
Just 48 short years ago, movie director George Lucas used the phrase “A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away” as the opening to the first “Star Wars” movie, later labeled “Episode IV: A New Hope.” But at least four important aspects of the “Star Wars” saga are much closer – both in time and space – than Lucas was letting on.
And we, an environmental health engineer and a civil engineer, know there are at least three more elements of these ancient, distant Lucas stories that might seem like science fiction but are, in fact, science reality.
Moisture farming
In that first movie, “Episode IV,” Luke Skywalker’s Uncle Owen was a farmer on the planet of Tatooine. He farmed water from air in the middle of a desert.
Each day, a human needs to consume about the equivalent of 0.8 gallons of water (3 liters). With more than 8 billion people living on the planet, that means engineers need to produce nearly 2.6 trillion gallons (10 trillion liters) of clean drinking water every year. Taken globally, rainfall would be enough, but it’s distributed very unevenly – including landing in the oceans, where it immediately becomes too salty to drink safely.
Researchers at places such as Berkeley have developed solar-powered systems that can produce clean drinking water from thin air. In general, they use a material that traps water molecules from the air within its structure and then use sunlight to condense that water out of the material and into drinkable liquid. But there is still a ways to go before they are ready for commercial distribution and available to help large numbers of people.
Researchers can harvest water from air in the desert, in a process powered only by the Sun.
Space debris
When the second Death Star was destroyed in “Return of the Jedi,” it made a huge mess, as you would expect when blowing to smithereens an object at least 87 miles across (140 kilometers). But the movie’s mythology helpfully explains a hyperspace wormhole briefly opened, scattering much of the falling debris across the galaxy.
As best as anyone can tell, a hyperspace wormhole has never appeared near Earth. And even if such a thing existed or happened, humans might not have the technology to chuck all our trash in there anyway. So we’re left with a whole lot of stuff all around us, including in space.
According to the website Orbiting Now, in late April 2025 there were just over 12,000 active satellites orbiting the planet. All in all, the United States and other space-faring nations are trying to keep track of nearly 50,000 objects orbiting Earth. And there are millions of fragments of space debris too small to be observed or tracked.
Just as on Earth’s roads, space vehicles crash into each other if traffic gets too congested. But unlike the debris that falls to the road after an Earth crash, all the bits and pieces that break off in a space crash fly away at speeds of several thousand miles per hour (10,000 to 30,000 kph) and can then hit other satellites or spacecraft that cross their paths.
Engineers at NASA, the European Space Agency and other space programs are exploring a variety of technologies – including a net, a harpoon and a laser – to remove the more dangerous pieces of space junk and clean up the space environment.
There are many different kinds of mitochondria, and medical professionals are learning how to transplant mitochondria from one cell to another just like they transplant organs from one person’s body to another. Maybe one day a transplant procedure could help people find the light side of the Force and turn away from the dark side.
May the Fourth – and the Force – be with you.
Daniel B. Oerther is affiliated with the American Academy of Environmental Engineers and Scientists.
William Schonberg occasionally receives funding from NASA.
DALLAS, May 01, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — CSW Industrials, Inc. (Nasdaq: CSWI) (the “Company” or “CSW”) today announced the Company has completed the previously announced acquisition of Aspen Manufacturing for approximately $313.5 million in cash, utilizing cash on hand and borrowings under the existing $500 million revolving credit facility while maintaining sufficient liquidity and a strong balance sheet. The purchase price is approximately 11x Aspen Manufacturing’s 2024 adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization (EBITDA) of $28.5 million.
This strategic acquisition expands CSW Industrial’s HVAC/R product offering with the incorporation of Aspen Manufacturing’s market leading evaporator coils and air handlers. By leveraging CSW’s deep experience in the HVAC/R market, strong distribution channels, successful go-to-market strategy, and demonstrated track record of industrial manufacturing, this acquisition is expected to drive market and customer share of wallet gains, while providing an enhanced service offering and maximizing channels to market.
Aspen Manufacturing’s current product suite includes a vast range of high-quality residential and light commercial evaporator coils, blowers, and air handling units for single-family, multi-family, and manufactured homes. Based in Humble, TX, all of Aspen’s products are designed, engineered, and assembled in the United States.
Joseph B. Armes, Chairman, President, and Chief Executive Officer of CSW Industrials, commented, “We are pleased to have consummated the Aspen Manufacturing acquisition and to welcome approximately 350 new colleagues to the CSW Industrials family. By adding Aspen Manufacturing, CSW expects to further drive above-market growth through the expansion of our highly profitable and resilient HVAC/R product portfolio thereby enhancing long-term value for all of CSW’s shareholders.”
For additional information about CSW Industrials’ acquisition of Aspen Manufacturing, please visit the previously released transaction documents, including the March 18, 2025 press release and investor presentation, which are both available on the Company’s website at https://cswindustrials.gcs-web.com.
Safe Harbor Statement This press release includes forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, which are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, as amended. Words or phrases such as “may,” “should,” “expects,” “could,” “intends,” “plans,” “anticipates,” “estimates,” “believes,” “forecasts,” “predicts” or other similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements, which include, without limitation, earnings forecasts, effective tax rate, statements relating to our business strategy and statements of expectations, beliefs, future plans and strategies and anticipated developments concerning our industry, business, operations, and financial performance and condition.
The forward-looking statements included in this press release are based on our current expectations, projections, estimates, and assumptions. These statements are only predictions, not guarantees. Such forward-looking statements are subject to numerous risks and uncertainties that are difficult to predict. These risks and uncertainties may cause actual results to differ materially from what is forecast in such forward-looking statements, and include, without limitation, the risk factors described from time to time in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including our Annual Report on Form 10-K.
This press release contains estimated results of Aspen Manufacturing for the calendar year 2024 (the “estimated results”). The estimated results are forward-looking statements based on Aspen Manufacturing’s management’s preliminary, unaudited results as of the date hereof, and Aspen Manufacturing’s actual results may be materially different from the estimated results. We assume no obligation to update any forward-looking statement as a result of new information, future events or other factors. Accordingly, you should not place undue reliance on the estimated results. Our independent registered public accounting firm has not audited, reviewed or performed any procedures with respect to the estimated results and does not express any opinion or any other form of assurance with respect thereto.
All forward-looking statements included in this press release are based on information currently available to us, and we assume no obligation to update any forward-looking statement except as may be required by law.
About CSW Industrials CSW Industrials is a diversified industrial growth company with industry-leading operations in three segments: Contractor Solutions, Specialized Reliability Solutions, and Engineered Building Solutions. The Company provides niche, value-added products with two essential commonalities: performance and reliability. The primary end markets we serve with our well-known brands include: HVAC/R, plumbing, electrical, general industrial, architecturally-specified building products, energy, mining, and rail transportation. For more information, please visit www.cswindustrials.com.
Source: United States Senator for New Mexico Martin Heinrich
WASHINGTON — During a Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee hearing, U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), Ranking Member of the Committee, questioned Trump Administration nominees on upholding the law, protecting public lands from large scale sales, and ensuring Tribal nations are consulted during the permitting process. The nominees considered by the Committee today include Mr. Tristan Abbey for Energy Department Administrator of the Energy Information Agency, Ms. Leslie Beyer for Interior Department Assistant Secretary for Lands and Mineral Management, Mr. Theodore J. Garrish for Energy Department Assistant Secretary for Nuclear Energy, and Dr. Andrea Travnicek for Interior Department Assistant Secretary for Water and Science.
During his opening remarks, Heinrich sought commitments from the nominees to follow the law as enacted by Congress and support and defend — rather than demolish — the offices and programs entrusted to their oversight, especially amid unprecedented attacks on career federal workers.
VIDEO: U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) Demands Answers from Pending Trump Administration Nominees on Protecting Public Lands, Upholding the Law, and Ensuring Tribal Nations Are Consulted in Permitting Reform, April 30, 2025.
Heinrich began his line of questioning by asking Leslie Beyer, nominee for Interior Department Assistant Secretary for Lands and Mineral Management, about her support of divesting from public lands, “As Assistant Secretary you will oversee management of more than 245 million acres of public land. This land belongs to all Americans— including every single one of my constituents. Americans highly value their ability to access these lands for hunting, fishing, and other recreational uses. Do you support the large-scale divestment of our public lands?”
Ms. Beyer avoided directly answering whether or not she supports public lands divestment, “Sir, only Congress has the ability to dispose of any public lands. But I believe that our public lands have multiple use mandates, and they can be used for energy production, recreation, any number of other uses, for the benefit of all Americans.”
Heinrich turned to Dr. Andrea Travnicek to clarify the Trump Administration’s intentions with recent actions decreasing the timeline of National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) reviews, which will inevitably harm meaningful consultations with Tribal nations, “Dr. Travnicek, you’ve been on staff for several months now and I appreciate many of our conversations, but [your role] gives you specific insights in the decisions that have already been made in the Department. The new guidance for NEPA projects that the Secretary announced for energy projects does not make any mention of Tribal consultation. However, it requires all reviews to be done within 14-28 days. I have personally never seen meaningful Tribal consultation completed in that time frame. My question is: Is the Administration proposing to eliminate Tribal consultation for these projects?”
Dr. Travnicek responded, “Thank you Senator Heinrich and I appreciate the conversations that we have had already. So, we know that there’s been a lot of conversations for a long tome related to trying to streamline the permitting processes, right? I think we’ve all been frustrated by that. We’ve seen some of these discussions here within this Committee as well. So, we are really just trying to figure out how we can move forward while still meeting the different requirements as well. We know that the Endangered Species Act (ESA) was mentioned in there, and the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA). Also, we know that we will have to engage with Tribes. So, at the same time, how do we get permits out the door, get the infrastructure in place, develop the resources we need? So, it’s going to be trying to work on all the above, working with ESA, NHPA, and also engaging with the Tribes.”
Heinrich pushed back, “As someone who strongly supported permitting reform, and a majority of members on this Committee did— I think we largely support getting to yes or no faster. I really want to urge you to make sure that the Tribal consultation process is not a ‘check the box’ exercise, and that it is meaningful.”
Heinrich returned to questioning Beyer to address arbitrary stop work orders on permitted projects and the job losses it is creating, “Let me quote back something that you said a few minutes ago: ‘If our companies can’t get permits, we will be behind.’ I agree with that sentiment. Two weeks ago, Secretary Burgum sent a letter to the Acting Director of OEM, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, ordering an unprecedented stop work order to Equinor’s empire wind project off the coast of New York. That’s a fully permitted project. It has undergone rigorous review. It’s already under construction. And it would power half a million homes. Cancelling this project is a job killer for the skilled trades. And my concern is that it will squash any faith that the private sector has in the federal permitting process. If we do this to one project of one energy type, you can do it to another of a different energy type. So, if fully permitted projects are subjected to arbitrary stop work orders, how can we expect the private sector to commit capital to permit those large, expensive projects?”
Beyer replied, “Senator, thank you for that question. As you know, I have not been confirmed so I did not participate in that decision making-”
Heinrich redirected her answer, “Speak to the larger issue. Not to the specificity of that issue.”
Beyer answered, “Right. We need all forms of energy that we can get our hands on. There is a premium to secure, reliable, and affordable energy. I’m from Texas; we have a lot of wind energy there. I appreciate that it’s additive. But there is a premium to secure, affordable, and reliable energy that is not weather dependent in my view. And I will adhere to the guidance of the Secretary if I am confirmed.”
Heinrich clarified her answer, “In your view, should permitting be transparent and predictable?”
Beyer responded, “Yes sir.”
Heinrich wrapped his questions, “Thank you.”
Projects across the country to receive a share of funding.
Eleven projects designed to accelerate Scotland’s hydrogen economy are set to benefit from a share of £3.4 million funding.
The Scottish Government funding will help develop green hydrogen production, improve the hydrogen supply chain, and enhance hydrogen transport and storage infrastructure.
Opening a parliamentary debate on Scotland’s hydrogen future, Acting Net Zero Cabinet Secretary Gillian Martin said:
“Hydrogen stands as a critical pillar of Scotland’s route to net zero by 2045, but also, alongside the development of our offshore wind capacity, as one of Scotland’s greatest industrial opportunities since the discovery of oil and gas in the North Sea.
“A just transition remains at the heart of our approach, and we are determined that no community, particularly those which have powered our economy for generations, will be left behind as we move away from burning fossil fuels towards a low carbon energy system.
“We are working to build a hydrogen economy in which the benefits of our energy transition are shared, and which harnesses the full potential of our skilled people, our worldclass industries, and our natural resources.”
In September 2024 the Scottish Government invited projects to apply for a match-funding grant award of up to 50%, to the maximum value of £2 million.
Shortlisting saw 18 projects invited to submit a full application to delivery partner Scottish Enterprise, with funding ultimately provided to 11 successful projects.
. Pillen Announces Chairperson Cotton’s Retirement from Parole Board
LINCOLN, NE – Today, Governor Jim Pillen announced the retirement of Rosalyn Cotton from the Board of Parole. Cotton has served on the board since 2005. She was first appointed as chairperson in 2015 and again in 2020. Her current term was set to expire next year.
“Chairperson Cotton served under three governors in a highly challenging and sometimes difficult role. She has been a strong collaborator with the Department of Corrections and provided solid leadership when implementing changes in law and bringing on new board members,” said Gov. Pillen. “I wish Ros the very best in her future endeavors, and I thank her for her dedication to public service.”
Cotton, in her letter to Gov. Pillen, said she enjoyed what was an extremely rewarding career, and that she looked forward to retirement and spending time with her family.
Cotton’s last day will be June 6. Gov. Pillen will announce an interim chairperson for the board at a later date.
Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) State Crime Alerts (c)
GREAT FALLS – Two individuals accused of murdering a man on the Fort Peck Indian Reservation were arraigned today, U.S. Attorney Kurt Alme said.
Abrianne Lillian Deserly, 24, and Calvin Florin Lester, 35, both of Wolf Point, pleaded not guilty to an indictment charging both defendants with second degree murder. If convicted of the charge contained in the indictment, the defendants each face a maximum term of imprisonment of life, a $250,000 fine, and five years of supervised release.
U.S. Magistrate Judge John Johnston presided. Both defendants were detained pending further proceedings.
The indictment alleges that on February 26, 2025, near Wolf Point, the defendants unlawfully and with malice aforethought, that is recklessly with extreme disregard for human life, killed John Doe, and aided and abetted the same.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Kalah Paisley is prosecuting the case. The FBI, BIA, Fort Peck Tribes Department of Law & Justice, and Roosevelt County Sheriff’s Office conducted the investigation.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
The charging documents are merely accusations and defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
PACER case reference. 25-45.
The progress of cases may be monitored through the U.S. District Court Calendar and the PACER system. To establish a PACER account, which provides electronic access to review documents filed in a case, please visit http://www.pacer.gov/register.html. To access the District Court’s calendar, please visit https://ecf.mtd.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/PublicCalendar.pl.
Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) State Crime Alerts (c)
BILLINGS – A Lame Deer man who distributed methamphetamine on the Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservation was sentenced today to 24 months in prison to be followed by 6 years of supervised release, U.S. Attorney Kurt Alme said.
Shannon Tyrone Seminole, 50, pleaded guilty in October 2024 to one count of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine.
U.S. District Judge Susan Watters presided.
The government alleged in court documents that in the spring of 2022, law enforcement received reports that Shannon Seminole was selling methamphetamine on the Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservation. Agents arranged two controlled purchases from Seminole, one in December 2022 and the other in September 2023. Following the second buy, agents executed a search of Seminole’s residence. During the search, agents seized an airsoft pistol and an AR-15 upper receiver and bolt.
In an interview, Seminole admitted to providing methamphetamine to the many drug users that helped him with his work. He admitted selling methamphetamine starting when he was released from jail three years prior. His source provided him with a regular supply of meth that he would sell.Seminole also admitted he carried firearms when selling drugs.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Julie Patten prosecuted the case, and the investigation was conducted by the FBI.
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. For more information about Project Safe Neighborhoods, please visit Justice.gov/PSN.
Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) State Crime Alerts (b)
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A Stillwell, Ks., man was sentenced in federal court on April 29, 2025, for bankruptcy fraud related to his healthcare company.
William L. Said, 62, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Greg Kays to 21 months in prison without parole. The court also ordered Said to pay $85,000 in restitution, which was paid at the time of sentencing.
On Oct. 1, 2024, Said plead guilty to one count of bankruptcy fraud. Said admitted that he fraudulently transferred and concealed assets in a bankruptcy case.
Said was the owner, president, and officer in charge of Restorative Brain Clinic, Inc., which provided Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation services. Restorative Brain Clinic, Inc. filed a voluntary bankruptcy case in July 2021. A debtor-in-possession account was established as part of the bankruptcy. Restorative Brain Clinic’s operating funds were stored in the debtor-in-possession account and Said was the only authorized person who had access to the account.
In Sept. 2021, the United States Trustee for Region 13, which includes the Western District of Missouri, filed a motion to convert Restorative Brain Clinic’s bankruptcy to a Chapter 7 liquidation case based on gross mismanagement of the estate and a continuing loss or diminution of assets of the estate. On Oct. 14, 2021, U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Dennis R. Dow presided over an evidentiary hearing on the conversion motion. At the conclusion of evidence, Judge Dow granted the motion to convert the case to a Chapter 7 bankruptcy and found there was mismanagement of assets, self-dealing, and inadequate corporate controls, among other issues. Judge Dow ordered the United States Trustee to appoint a Chapter 7 trustee to identify assets to pursue for unsecured creditors. The hearing concluded at 4:12 p.m.
Minutes after the conversion hearing, where Said was displaced as the fiduciary of the bankruptcy estate and the Bankruptcy Court ordered that Said no longer had control over Restorative Brain Clinic’s assets, Said initiated several wire transfers of money from the debtor-in-possession account. At 4:16 p.m., Said wired $5,000 to his own bank account from the debtor-in-possession account. At 4:25 p.m., Said initiated a wire transfer for $12,400 from the debtor-in-possession account to the bank account of a shareholder in Restorative Brain Clinic. Said also wired $16,300 to a medical staffing company and attempted to wire $5,760 to Restorative Brain Clinic’s landlord. The debtor-in-possession account was frozen before the funds to pay the landlord left the account.
Said also admitted to selling leased medical equipment. Restorative Brain Clinic leased medical equipment manufactured by AB Sciex, LLC in 2018. Said was also the owner of Cox Scientific, which sold medical equipment. In 2019, Cox Scientific agreed to sell AB Sciex medical equipment to a California company. Said sent an electronic invoice to the owner of the California company. The invoice contained a description of the equipment Said was selling along with an itemized list of the equipment’s components, which included a unique serial number for each component. The list of components Said sent to the California company were the same components leased by Restorative Brain Clinic. Said admitted that he scratched out and altered serial numbers on the AB Sciex equipment to conceal he was selling equipment through Cox Scientific that was being rented by Restorative Brain Clinic, Said. Then, Said used the altered serial numbers on the invoice to the California company.
The California company paid $85,000 for the AB Sciex equipment that Said sold to them and which Said did not own.
This case was prosecuted by Special Assistant U.S. Attorneys Bradley Cooper and Adam Miller. It was investigated by the FBI and the United States Trustee for Region 13.
Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation FBI Crime News (b)
ALBUQUERQUE – A Shiprock man was sentenced to 4 years in prison for a brutal attack that left the victim with life-threatening injuries.
There is no parole in the federal system.
According to court documents, on January 1, 2024, Tyrell Jordan Benally, 26, an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation, assaulted Jane Doe at a residence in Shiprock, New Mexico. Benally repeatedly struck Jane Doe with a closed fist and strangled her until she lost consciousness. As a result, Jane Doe suffered serious bodily injury, including life-threatening injuries from the strangulation.
Upon his release from prison, Benally will be subject to three years of supervised release.
U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison and Raul Bujanda, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Albuquerque Field Office, made the announcement today.
The Farmington Resident Agency of the FBI Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case with assistance from the Navajo Police Department and Department of Criminal Investigations. The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of New Mexico is prosecuting the case.
Headline: One year of Phi: Small language models making big leaps in AI
Microsoft continues to add to the conversation by unveiling its newest models, Phi-4-reasoning, Phi-4-reasoning-plus, and Phi-4-mini-reasoning.
A new era of AI
One year ago, Microsoft introduced small language models (SLMs) to customers with the release of Phi-3 on Azure AI Foundry, leveraging research on SLMs to expand the range of efficient AI models and tools available to customers.
Today, we are excited to introduce Phi-4-reasoning, Phi-4-reasoning-plus, and Phi-4-mini-reasoning—marking a new era for small language models and once again redefining what is possible with small and efficient AI.
Reasoning models, the next step forward
Reasoning models are trained to leverage inference-time scaling to perform complex tasks that demand multi-step decomposition and internal reflection. They excel in mathematical reasoning and are emerging as the backbone of agentic applications with complex, multi-faceted tasks. Such capabilities are typically found only in large frontier models. Phi-reasoning models introduce a new category of small language models. Using distillation, reinforcement learning, and high-quality data, these models balance size and performance. They are small enough for low-latency environments yet maintain strong reasoning capabilities that rival much bigger models. This blend allows even resource-limited devices to perform complex reasoning tasks efficiently.
Phi-4-reasoning and Phi-4-reasoning-plus
Phi-4-reasoning is a 14-billion parameter open-weight reasoning model that rivals much larger models on complex reasoning tasks. Trained via supervised fine-tuning of Phi-4 on carefully curated reasoning demonstrations from OpenAI o3-mini, Phi-4-reasoning generates detailed reasoning chains that effectively leverage additional inference-time compute. The model demonstrates that meticulous data curation and high-quality synthetic datasets allow smaller models to compete with larger counterparts.
Phi-4-reasoning-plus builds upon Phi-4-reasoning capabilities, further trained with reinforcement learning to utilize more inference-time compute, using 1.5x more tokens than Phi-4-reasoning, to deliver higher accuracy.
Despite their significantly smaller size, both models achieve better performance than OpenAI o1-mini and DeepSeek-R1-Distill-Llama-70B at most benchmarks, including mathematical reasoning and Ph.D. level science questions. They achieve performance better than the full DeepSeek-R1 model (with 671-billion parameters) on the AIME 2025 test, the 2025 qualifier for the USA Math Olympiad. Both models are available on Azure AI Foundry and HuggingFace.
Figure 1. Phi-4-reasoning performance across representative reasoning benchmarks spanning mathematical and scientific reasoning. We illustrate the performance gains from reasoning-focused post-training of Phi-4 via Phi-4-reasoning (SFT) and Phi-4-reasoning-plus (SFT+RL), alongside a representative set of baselines from two model families: open-weight models from DeepSeek including DeepSeek R1 (671B Mixture-of-Experts) and its distilled dense variant DeepSeek-R1 Distill Llama 70B, and OpenAI’s proprietary frontier models o1-mini and o3-mini. Phi-4-reasoning and Phi-4-reasoning-plus consistently outperform the base model Phi-4 by significant margins, exceed DeepSeek-R1 Distill Llama 70B (5x larger) and demonstrate competitive performance against significantly larger models such as Deepseek-R1.Figure 2. Accuracy of models across general-purpose benchmarks for: long input context QA (FlenQA), instruction following (IFEval), Coding (HumanEvalPlus), knowledge & language understanding (MMLUPro), safety detection (ToxiGen), and other general skills (ArenaHard and PhiBench).
Phi-4-reasoning models introduce a major improvement over Phi-4, surpass larger models like DeepSeek-R1-Distill-70B and approach Deep-Seek-R1 across various reasoning and general capabilities, including math, coding, algorithmic problem solving, and planning. The technical report provides extensive quantitative evidence of these improvements through diverse reasoning tasks.
Phi-4-mini-reasoning
Phi-4-mini-reasoning is designed to meet the demand for a compact reasoning model. This transformer-based language model is optimized for mathematical reasoning, providing high-quality, step-by-step problem solving in environments with constrained computing or latency. Fine-tuned with synthetic data generated by Deepseek-R1 model, Phi-4-mini-reasoning balances efficiency with advanced reasoning ability. It’s ideal for educational applications, embedded tutoring, and lightweight deployment on edge or mobile systems, and is trained on over one million diverse math problems spanning multiple levels of difficulty from middle school to Ph.D. level. Try out the model on Azure AI Foundry or HuggingFace today.
Figure 3. The graph compares the performance of various models on popular math benchmarks for long sentence generation. Phi-4-mini-reasoning outperforms its base model on long sentence generation across each evaluation, as well as larger models like OpenThinker-7B, Llama-3.2-3B-instruct, DeepSeek-R1-Distill-Qwen-7B, DeepSeek-R1-Distill-Llama-8B, and Bespoke-Stratos-7B. Phi-4-mini-reasoning is comparable to OpenAI o1-mini across math benchmarks, surpassing the model’s performance during Math-500 and GPQA Diamond evaluations. As seen above, Phi-4-mini-reasoning with 3.8B parameters outperforms models of over twice its size.
For more information about the model, read the technical report that provides additional quantitative insights.
Phi’s evolution over the last year has continually pushed this envelope of quality vs. size, expanding the family with new features to address diverse needs. Across the scale of Windows 11 devices, these models are available to run locally on CPUs and GPUs.
As Windows works towards creating a new type of PC, Phi models have become an integral part of Copilot+ PCs with the NPU-optimized Phi Silica variant. This highly efficient and OS-managed version of Phi is designed to be preloaded in memory, and available with blazing fast time to first token responses, and power efficient token throughput so it can be concurrently invoked with other applications running on your PC.
It is used in core experiences like Click to Do, providing useful text intelligence tools for any content on your screen, and is available as developer APIs to be readily integrated into applications—already being used in several productivity applications like Outlook, offering its Copilot summary features offline. These small but mighty models have already been optimized and integrated to be used across several applications across the breadth of our PC ecosystem. The Phi-4-reasoning and Phi-4-mini-reasoning models leverage the low-bit optimizations for Phi Silica and will be available to run soon on Copilot+ PC NPUs.
Safety and Microsoft’s approach to responsible AI
At Microsoft, responsible AI is a fundamental principle guiding the development and deployment of AI systems, including our Phi models. Phi models are developed in accordance with Microsoft AI principles: accountability, transparency, fairness, reliability and safety, privacy and security, and inclusiveness.
The Phi family of models has adopted a robust safety post-training approach, leveraging a combination of Supervised Fine-Tuning (SFT), Direct Preference Optimization (DPO), and Reinforcement Learning from Human Feedback (RLHF) techniques. These methods utilize various datasets, including publicly available datasets focused on helpfulness and harmlessness, as well as various safety-related questions and answers. While the Phi family of models is designed to perform a wide range of tasks effectively, it is important to acknowledge that all AI models may exhibit limitations. To better understand these limitations and the measures in place to address them, please refer to the model cards below, which provide detailed information on responsible AI practices and guidelines.
Source: United States of America – Department of State (video statements)
Secretary of State Marco A. Rubio meets with French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot at the Department of State on May 1, 2025.
———-
Under the leadership of the President and Secretary of State, the U.S. Department of State leads America’s foreign policy through diplomacy, advocacy, and assistance by advancing the interests of the American people, their safety and economic prosperity. On behalf of the American people we promote and demonstrate democratic values and advance a free, peaceful, and prosperous world.
The Secretary of State, appointed by the President with the advice and consent of the Senate, is the President’s chief foreign affairs adviser. The Secretary carries out the President’s foreign policies through the State Department, which includes the Foreign Service, Civil Service and U.S. Agency for International Development.
Get updates from the U.S. Department of State at www.state.gov and on social media!
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Premier David Eby has issued the following statement in recognition of International Workers’ Day:
“On International Workers’ Day, we honour all those whose labour built the world we live in, and who struggled so that we can enjoy family-supporting paycheques, weekends off and safe workplaces. It is also a day to honour and celebrate the workers’ movements here in British Columbia and around the world that continue to organize for a better future.
“Without those struggles, many of the rights we cherish – from overtime pay to parental leave, from a minimum wage to health benefits – would not be available to workers today.
“Working people continue to fight to improve wages and conditions at a time when affordable housing and a rising cost of living persist as challenges. Unfair and unjustified tariffs imposed by the United States hurt working people on both sides of the border.
“Our government will continue to take action to address these challenges by building more housing, by offering more education and training to prepare for the jobs of tomorrow, and by ensuring all British Columbians can access public health care when they need it.
“We stand in solidarity with the workers of British Columbia. You have helped make British Columbia the place it is today, a dynamic, diverse province where we know we are stronger together.”
Jennifer Whiteside, Minister of Labour, said:
“On International Workers’ Day, we honour the people whose hard work has built our province. As we reflect on the contributions made by workers in British Columbia, we remain committed to ensuring safe workplaces for all and to the fight for dignity, equity and opportunity for everyone.”
Niki Sharma, Attorney General, has released the following statement in celebration of Asian Heritage Month:
“Each May, people in British Columbia come together to celebrate Asian Heritage Month, a time to recognize and honour the many diverse communities of Asian descent who call our province home. I am heartbroken that this year’s festivities began in tragedy, with the brutal act of violence at last weekend’s Lapu Lapu Day event in Vancouver.
“Our sense of grief over this senseless, horrific incident is only made more profound by the fact that Filipinos have given so much to B.C. From law and politics to health care, education and entrepreneurship, Filipinos have been integral in shaping the culture of our province. We are proud to be home to the second-largest Filipino diaspora in the country.
“The response we have already seen from people in British Columbia to this tragedy reminds us of the core message of Asian Heritage Month, resiliency. From East to South Asia, from Southeast Asia to the Middle East, people of Asian heritage have contributed immeasurably to the social, cultural, economic and political landscape of B.C.
“Chinese workers helped build our railways, Filipinos have been the backbone of our health-care system, Japanese Canadian families on the coast were pivotal to our fishing industries, South Asian farmers have kept us nourished – the list goes on. Most importantly, our ancestors did all of this in the face of tragedy, systemic discrimination, colonial policies, internment and racial violence.
“Let us honour their memories and efforts by recommitting ourselves to building a province where everyone, regardless of race, background or heritage, can live with dignity, in safety and have equal opportunity. Let us take our cue from those before us who never wavered in their commitment to building community, advocating for justice and believing in a better future, no matter what obstacle they faced.
“Let us not only honour the past but look forward, with hope and resolve. Happy Asian Heritage Month, B.C.”
Source: US Department of Health and Human Services – 2
News Release Thursday, May 1, 2025
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the National Institutes for Health (NIH) today announced the development of the next-generation, universal vaccine platform, Generation Gold Standard, using a beta-propiolactone (BPL)-inactivated, whole-virus platform. This initiative represents a decisive shift toward transparency, effectiveness, and comprehensive preparedness, funding the NIH’s in-house development of universal influenza and coronavirus vaccines, including candidates BPL-1357 and BPL-24910. These vaccines aim to provide broad-spectrum protection against multiple strains of pandemic-prone viruses such as H5N1 avian influenza and coronaviruses including SARS-CoV-2, SARS-CoV-1, and MERS-CoV. “Our commitment is clear: every innovation in vaccine development must be grounded in gold standard science and transparency, and subjected to the highest standards of safety and efficacy testing,” said HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. The program realigns BARDA’s operations with its statutory mission under the Public Health Service Act—to prepare for all influenza viral threats, not just those currently circulating. “Generation Gold Standard is a paradigm shift,” said NIH Director Dr. Jay Bhattacharya. “It extends vaccine protection beyond strain-specific limits and prepares for flu viral threats – not just today’s, but tomorrow’s as well – using traditional vaccine technology brought into the 21st century.” Generation Gold Standard, developed exclusively by NIH’s National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID):
Recalibrates America’s pandemic preparedness. Unlike traditional vaccines that target specific strains, BPL-inactivated whole-virus vaccines preserve the virus’s structural integrity while eliminating infectivity. This approach induces robust B and T cell immune responses and offers long-lasting protection across diverse viral families. Moreover, the intranasal formulation of BPL-1357 is currently in Phase Ib and II/III trials and is designed to block virus transmission—an innovation absent from current flu and COVID-19 vaccines. Embodies efficient, transparent, and government-led research. The BPL platform is fully government-owned and NIH-developed. This approach ensures radical transparency, public accountability, and freedom from commercial conflicts of interest. Marks the future of vaccine development. In addition to influenza and coronavirus, the BPL platform is adaptable for future use against respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), metapneumovirus, and parainfluenza. It also offers the unprecedented capability to protect against avian influenza without inducing antigenic drift—a major step forward in proactive pandemic prevention.
Clinical trials for universal influenza vaccines are scheduled to begin in 2026, with Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval targeted for 2029. The intranasal BPL-1357 flu vaccine, currently in advanced trials, is also on track for FDA review by 2029. About the National Institutes of Health (NIH): NIH, the nation’s medical research agency, includes 27 Institutes and Centers and is a component of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. NIH is the primary federal agency conducting and supporting basic, clinical, and translational medical research, and is investigating the causes, treatments, and cures for both common and rare diseases. For more information about NIH and its programs, visit www.nih.gov. NIH…Turning Discovery Into Health® ###
WASHINGTON, April 30, 2025 – Hundreds gathered outside Union Station on Tuesday, April 29, to honor and thank federal employees at an energizing celebration hosted by the IAM Union (International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers) and the National Federation of Federal Employees (NFFE-IAM).
FEDERAL RALLY PHOTOS
The event, held during the IAM Union Legislative Conference week, brought together union members, labor allies, and elected officials in a show of unity and appreciation for the vital work of federal employees.
Massive rally takes place in Washington DC for fired federal workers marking Trump’s 100th day MSNBC
U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) and U.S. Representatives Steny Hoyer (D-Md.), Jamie Raskin (D-Md.), Sydney Kamlager-Dove (D-CA), and Glenn Ivey (D-Md.) delivered powerful remarks, praising the commitment and service of federal workers across the country. Their attendance underscored the strong support in Congress for the civil servants who uphold essential government functions every day.
“Our federal workforce represents the very best of our nation,” said IAM Union International President Brian Bryant. “Our members keep our country safe, serve our veterans, protect our public lands, and so much more. I want to thank our elected officials who stand with us in this fight to protect our federal heroes.”
Throughout the event, IAM Union members and allies held signs to celebrate federal workers turning Union Station into a rallying place for hundreds of supporters.
“We must continue to stand up for our members rights and recognize their contributions,” said NFFE-IAM Union President Randy Erwin. “We are proud to host this event to celebrate the contributions of federal workers and to let them know that their union has their back. Events like these remind the nation who keeps our nation running and who’s ready to defend their rights.”
The event also highlighted the recently launched “Rise Up: Federal Workers Legal Defense Network,” a powerful legal initiative supporting current and former federal workers who have faced retaliation or unjust treatment. The program, created in partnership with AFL-CIO, We The Action, Democracy Forward, and others, continues to offer vital legal resources. More information is available at workerslegaldefense.org.
As federal workers continue to face challenges, the IAM, NFFE-IAM, and their allies remain committed to advocating for their rights and celebrating their vital role in our democracy.
Social Media Roundup from the event:
The IAM Union (International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers) is one of North America’s largest and most diverse industrial trade unions, representing approximately 600,000 active and retired members in the aerospace, defense, airlines, railroad, transit, healthcare, automotive, and other industries.
For the ninth consecutive time, UConn’s John Dempsey Hospital holds the highest mark for hospital safety, according to an independent national nonprofit watchdog.
The Leapfrog Group issues its Hospital Safety Grades semi-annually to general hospitals across the country based on more than 30 measures of accidents, error, injuries, and infections, as well as the systems hospitals have in place to prevent them.
Dr. Scott Allen is UConn Health’s chief medical officer and the UConn John Dempsey Hospital medical director of clinical effectiveness and safety. (Tina Encarnacion/UConn Health photo)
“Our continued letter grade ‘A’ for hospital patient safety by Leapfrog is a reflection of our ongoing commitment to being a high-reliability organization, from leadership to front-line staff,” says Dr. Scott Allen, UConn Health’s chief medical officer and the hospital’s medical director of clinical effectiveness and safety. “Keeping patients safe from harm is just one aspect of the overall excellence in care received at UConn Health.”
John Dempsey Hospital has maintained an ‘A’ grade from Leapfrog every six months since first earning it in the spring of 2021.
“Achieving an ‘A’ Hospital Safety Grade reflects enormous dedication to patient safety,” says Leah Binder, president and CEO of The Leapfrog Group. “I extend my congratulations to UConn’s John Dempsey Hospital, its leadership, clinicians, staff and volunteers for creating a culture where patients come first.”
Leapfrog describes its Hospital Safety Grade as the only hospital ratings program focused solely on preventable medical errors, infections and injuries. The program is peer-reviewed, fully transparent and free to the public.
ATLANTA – Governor Brian P. Kemp, joined by First Lady Marty Kemp, Technical College System of Georgia (TCSG) leadership, and members of the Georgia General Assembly signed legislation strengthening the state’s workforce pipeline at the TCSG Leadership Summit. Building on recent measures that connect Georgians with career opportunities, each of the bills signed by the Governor further opened pathways for learners of all ages to receive the skills and knowledge they need to succeed.
“As the No. 1 state for business, Georgia has seen record-breaking jobs and investment come to communities in every part of the state,” said Governor Brian Kemp. “With the bills I signed today, we’re taking further steps to prepare Georgians to walk through those open doors. I’m proud to sign these bills with so many of the men and women whose work every day is building the workforce of tomorrow.”
Governor Kemp signed three pieces of legislation included below:
HB 217, sponsored by Representatives Soo Hong and Chuck Martin and carried in the Senate by Senator Bo Hatchett, is TCSG agency legislation that reforms the Dual Achievement Program and extends the pilot an additional five years. It also includes Georgia Student Finance Commission (GSFC) agency legislation on granting the agency the ability to use DOR’s data to verify income for Promise Scholarship applicants and a fix on the enrollment count reference date for the school board elections nepotism clause. The Governor is also grateful for the leadership of Speaker Pro Tem Jan Jones, TCSG Commissioner Greg Dozier, and GSFC Presidents Lynne Riley and Chris Green on this legislation.
SB 180, sponsored by Senator Clint Dixon and carried in the House by Representative Matt Dubnik, enables apprenticeship sponsors in addition to employer sponsors to participate in the High Demand Apprenticeship Program and receive funding for the successful completion of apprenticeships.
SB 193, sponsored by Senator Matt Brass and carried in the House by Representative Houston Gaines, establishes an adult workforce high school diploma program within TCSG to award diplomas to individuals between the ages of 21 and 40.
Governor Kemp extends his appreciation to all of those whose diligent work and efforts led to him being able to sign these bills today.
BURLINGTON, Mass., May 01, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Ascend Learning, a leading healthcare and learning software company, has acquired myTIPreport, a platform that modernizes medical education feedback and competency tracking. myTIPreport will be integrated into Ascend’s MedHub brand, enabling medical education institutions to more efficiently and conveniently track the performance of both medical trainees and programs. With this enhanced offering, medical training institutions and programs can ensure the next generation of clinicians have the training and clinical competencies needed to deliver best-in-class care for the growing patient population.
By incorporating the myTIPreport technology into the MedHub portfolio of products and services, alongside curriculum and assessment technology, Ascend provides medical education institutions with comprehensive solutions to track trainee, program, and institutional performance and effectiveness. myTIPreport offers a suite of features enabling:
Real-time feedback for streamlined evaluation processes benefitting educators and trainees
Increased engagement via mobile notifications and gamification, building a positive culture around feedback across institutions
Comprehensive evaluation and tracking via class summary reports and tools for rotation assessments
Streamlined milestone reporting
Data visualization and increased understanding via reporting and analytics dashboards
“myTIPreport is a vital tool for numerous medical education programs and specialty boards worldwide, many of which are also clients of MedHub,” said Mike DeSimone, VP of Product, Medicine and Workforce Solutions at Ascend Learning. “Through these offerings, we’re enhancing our capabilities to help institutions efficiently manage learner, program, and institutional processes and data.”
“Since its inception in 2014, myTipReport has grown organically, driven by users who find genuine value in its ability to solve critical feedback challenges in medical training. Allowing MedHub to carry myTIPreport into the future is a natural progression for us, as they bring a deep understanding of the medical education landscape, robust technical capabilities, and the reach to expand our impact across multiple specialties,” said Taylor Lafrinere, Creator of myTIPreport. “Together, both companies aim to enhance competency-based training and foster a culture that values the essential process of giving and receiving feedback, ultimately contributing to the development of better healthcare professionals.”
About Ascend Learning Ascend Learning is a leading healthcare and learning technology company. With products that span the learning continuum, Ascend Learning focuses on high-growth careers in a range of industries, with a special focus on healthcare and other licensure-driven occupations. Ascend Learning products, from testing to certification, are used by physicians, emergency medical professionals, nurses, allied health professionals, certified personal trainers, financial advisors, skilled trades professionals and insurance brokers. Learn more at www.ascendlearning.com.
About MedHub MedHub is a leading provider of healthcare education management solutions for graduate and undergraduate medical education and advanced practice healthcare institutions. MedHub consolidates disparate data into one platform, providing an integrated approach to healthcare education management. Its focus is boosting overall program efficiencies, including daily programmatic and workflow processes, so that curriculum, coursework, scheduling, assessments, site management, task distribution, and other program facets can live in a single platform.
PUBLIC OPENING POSITION DISCLOSURE/DEALING DISCLOSURE BY A PERSON WITH INTERESTS IN RELEVANT SECURITIES REPRESENTING 1% OR MORE Rule 8.3 of the Takeover Code (the “Code”)
1.KEY INFORMATION
(a)Full name of discloser:
Rathbones Group Plc
(b)Owner or controller of interests and short positions disclosed, if different from 1(a): The naming of nominee or vehicle companies is insufficient. For a trust, the trustee(s), settlor and beneficiaries must be named.
(c)Name of offeror/offeree in relation to whose relevant securities this form relates: Use a separate form for each offeror/offeree
GlobalData Plc
(d)If an exempt fund manager connected with an offeror/offeree, state this and specify identity of offeror/offeree:
(e)Date position held/dealing undertaken: For an opening position disclosure, state the latest practicable date prior to the disclosure
30/04/2025
(f)In addition to the company in 1(c) above, is the discloser making disclosures in respect of any other party to the offer? If it is a cash offer or possible cash offer, state “N/A”
No
2.POSITIONS OF THE PERSON MAKING THE DISCLOSURE
If there are positions or rights to subscribe to disclose in more than one class of relevant securities of the offeror or offeree named in 1(c), copy table 2(a) or (b) (as appropriate) for each additional class of relevant security.
(a)Interests and short positions in the relevant securities of the offeror or offeree to which the disclosure relates following the dealing (if any)
Class of relevant security:
0.01p Ord
Interests
Short positions
Number
%
Number
%
(1)Relevant securities owned and/or controlled:
14,813,136
1.83%
(2)Cash-settled derivatives:
(3)Stock-settled derivatives (including options) and agreements to purchase/sell:
TOTAL:
14,813,136
1.83%
All interests and all short positions should be disclosed.
Details of any open stock-settled derivative positions (including traded options), or agreements to purchase or sell relevant securities, should be given on a Supplemental Form 8 (Open Positions).
(b)Rights to subscribe for new securities (including directors’ and other employee options)
Class of relevant security in relation to which subscription right exists:
Details, including nature of the rights concerned and relevant percentages:
3.DEALINGS (IF ANY) BY THE PERSON MAKING THE DISCLOSURE
Where there have been dealings in more than one class of relevant securities of the offeror or offeree named in 1(c), copy table 3(a), (b), (c) or (d) (as appropriate) for each additional class of relevant security dealt in.
The currency of all prices and other monetary amounts should be stated.
(a)Purchases and sales
Class of relevant security
Purchase/sale
Number of securities
Price per unit
0.01p Ordinary Shares
Purchase
1,680
147.8p
0.01p Ordinary Shares
Sale
3,320
171.61p
0.01p Ordinary Shares
Sale
2,600
170.03p
0.01p Ordinary Shares
Sale
1,680
146.1p
(b)Cash-settled derivative transactions
Class of relevant security
Product description e.g. CFD
Nature of dealing e.g. opening/closing a long/short position, increasing/reducing a long/short position
(d)Other dealings (including subscribing for new securities)
Class of relevant security
Nature of dealing e.g. subscription, conversion
Details
Price per unit (if applicable)
4.OTHER INFORMATION
(a)Indemnity and other dealing arrangements
Details of any indemnity or option arrangement, or any agreement or understanding, formal or informal, relating to relevant securities which may be an inducement to deal or refrain from dealing entered into by the person making the disclosure and any party to the offer or any person acting in concert with a party to the offer: Irrevocable commitments and letters of intent should not be included. If there are no such agreements, arrangements or understandings, state “none”
None
(b)Agreements, arrangements or understandings relating to options or derivatives
Details of any agreement, arrangement or understanding, formal or informal, between the person making the disclosure and any other person relating to: (i)the voting rights of any relevant securities under any option; or (ii)the voting rights or future acquisition or disposal of any relevant securities to which any derivative is referenced: If there are no such agreements, arrangements or understandings, state “none”
None
(c)Attachments
Is a Supplemental Form 8 (Open Positions) attached?
No
Date of disclosure:
01/05/2025
Contact name:
Chinwe Enyi – Compliance Department
Telephone number:
0151 243 7053
Public disclosures under Rule 8 of the Code must be made to a Regulatory Information Service.
The Panel’s Market Surveillance Unit is available for consultation in relation to the Code’s disclosure requirements on +44 (0)20 7638 0129.
AUSTIN, Texas, May 01, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — AutoScheduler.AI, an innovative Warehouse Orchestration Platform and WMS accelerator, recently participated in a podcast on Supply Chain Now, the voice of supply chain. AutoScheduler CEO Keith Moore discussed how disjointed tech wreaks havoc on distribution with hosts Scott Luton and Jake Barr, who used AutoScheduler when he worked at P&G.
“Distribution centers and warehouses have no shortage of challenges, including labor shortages, increased demand, and disparate automation and technology that doesn’t integrate well,” says Keith Moore, CEO of AutoScheduler.AI. “For enterprises serious about efficiency and resource maximization, AutoScheduler delivers dynamic orchestration tailored to warehouse complexities, ensuring every asset and process is optimized to support production, boost throughput, and drive profitability.”
On the podcast “The Logistics Problem No One Talks About: How Disjointed Tech is Wreaking Havoc on Distribution,” AutoScheduler highlighted:
The real cost of scattered data and disconnected workflows.
Many companies build buffers to account for the disjointed information, resulting in excess inventory, additional labor, and underutilized automation. Adding more space and crew also adds unnecessary costs.
AutoScheduler improves the quality of work by eliminating the endless firefighting cycle of ensuring the right products arrive at the right place at the right time.
“These buffers, costs, and challenges that exist because of the disjointed nature of systems wouldn’t exist in a perfect world because everything would just get where it needs to go,” adds Moore. “You would have optimized service at optimized cost. For example, a production schedule changes by the minute, so companies need to know what raw materials need to be brought to what line at what time. This must be perfectly orchestrated to get everything there so production continues running.”
Why traditional WMS and ERP solutions aren’t enough anymore.
The traditional WMS is not designed to optimize a facility’s overall constrained flows. An ERP doesn’t plan in size buckets for less than a day, but most changes in the warehouse occur in minutes, not days.
To meet customer delivery requirements, businesses need to know where inventory is, what inventory is going on which truck, how many pick processes are needed to get the inventory, and the capacity limits that the dock or production line can handle at a particular time. This can only be done with advanced mathematics like AI that can think further than the next 5, 10, or 20 minutes into the future.
“The snowball effect that as all these changes, dilemmas, and delays add up, so we need to take a smarter, better, forward-looking approach with available technology, rather than using the very limiting traditional platforms that are out there,” adds Moore.
How visibility and orchestration eliminate operational silos.
Step one is to have a single pane of glass showing all the ingested data from the siloed units so you can pull together the threads that hold the data together and show how they will impact each other. AutoScheduler allows companies to have all the data in one place by integrating the data across platforms, giving businesses a single view of information, which enhances decision-making.
Step two is predictivity—being able to examine the data, examine known boundaries and conditions inside your facility, and start to predict what will happen.
Step three is “prescriptivity”—or orchestration—where you make decisions to optimize future outcomes.
“With orchestration, we take all the data, do scenario modeling to figure out where the world’s going to break and where my bottlenecks are going to be, and then start to make tradeoffs to optimize outcomes – and at the end of the day, that optimized outcome is some combination of maximized service, minimized cost,” adds Moore.
AI’s role in integrating, predicting, and optimizing distribution workflows.
It creates calm out of the chaos because you have taken the prescriptive steps to create a cadence of activities where the people running the operations know what to execute next without stopping and waiting.
AI is evaluating all the different potential options for running a facility, not just for the next five minutes but for the next day or two, based on all known information.
What an intelligent, dynamic logistics platform looks like in action.
It harmonizes the data across all systems.
It continuously and dynamically runs and understands exactly how each site needs to operate.
It’s configurable so that when we model a site inside our platform, it is tuned to that site to understand how it operates and runs.
Identifies where the bottlenecks are – telling the who, what, where, and when.
“With AutoScheduler.AI, people inside of facilities can spend their valuable time on fighting actual fires and not on the management of overall orchestration of work,” says Moore.
About AutoScheduler.AI
AutoScheduler.AI empowers you to take full control of your warehouse with a cloud-based solution that seamlessly integrates with your existing WMS/LMS/YMS or any other solution. We automate critical tasks like labor scheduling, dock management, and task sequencing, ensuring everything runs smoothly and efficiently. You’ve already invested in the software to run your warehouse—what we do is provide the orchestration layer that ties it all together to make real-time data driven decisions. With AutoScheduler.AI, you get smart orchestration for a smarter, more agile warehouse. For more information, visit: http://www.autoscheduler.ai.
Virginia Giuffre, one of the most prominent accusers of sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, has died at age 41. Her family said she died by suicide at her farm in Australia.
Giuffre had long accused Prince Andrew of sexually assaulting her when she was a teenager. She brought a civil sexual assault case against him, which Andrew ultimately settled out of court for an undisclosed sum. He has denied all claims against him. But the accusations and his friendship with Epstein ultimately led to Andrew’s partial withdrawal from public life.
Giuffre’s story is a poignant reminder of the great consequences to anyone who speaks out about their abuse, especially someone who speaks out against the powerful.
Giuffre was not just a victim of Epstein’s crimes, she was also the focus of brutal tabloid media coverage in the UK and around the world. That’s not to say there weren’t moments of great reporting. But those were often overshadowed by sensationalising and stereotyping that regularly accompany reporting on those who come forward with allegations of sexual abuse.
A search for Virginia Giuffre on news database Factiva yields over 25,000 results. It’s hard to imagine carrying the weight of so much attention, positive or negative.
News coverage was a mix of support and scrutiny, starting almost 15 years ago and then intensifying in the last six years, when Epstein was arrested. He died while in jail, awaiting trial for sex trafficking charges.
The first wave of news coverage on Giuffre dates back to early 2011. The tabloids and broadsheets often referred to Giuffre (known as Virginia Roberts then) as a “masseuse” or more explicit terms, while also reporting that she was a minor when she was first allegedly sexually exploited and abused by Epstein and only 17 when she first met Prince Andrew. Coverage largely included one-word quotes from Giuffre, but nothing that humanised her to readers.
The Times and other publications reported on Andrew’s friendly connection to Epstein – though there was no direct accusation against him at that time.
There was a breezy tone to coverage that focused on catchy wordplay headlines between the prince and the “pervert” Epstein. Epstein was already a registered sex offender in 2008, but there was little reflection on his horrendous actions that led him to that title.
More glaringly, there was little to no concern for Giuffre or other survivors. They were salacious fodder. There was little empathy for what they experienced and the risks they took speaking publicly. The main focus was on the apparent embarrassment of Andrew’s friendship with Epstein, which eventually led to the prince stepping down from his trade envoy role.
The important men and their roles were the news angles. Giuffre was only a supporting character.
The second wave of news coverage on Giuffre happened in 2019, when Epstein was arrested for accusations of child sex trafficking. She was named in court documents and noted as a victim of Epstein in media, but was again overshadowed by Epstein’s connections to other powerful men such as Donald Trump or Bill Clinton (both deny knowing of Epstein’s crimes).
None of this is to imply that those linked to Epstein shouldn’t be named and investigated. But, as my research shows, when powerful men are accused, the coverage largely revolves around those powerful men and the monetary or career consequences to them. The survivors and the abuse and trauma they experience are a footnote.
Research shows that how journalists evaluate the newsworthiness of a story often values power structures, men’s perspectives and celebrity status. Therefore, when someone like Giuffre does come forward, her story and voice come secondary to the more powerful accused.
Changing headlines
A shift in the tone of coverage came in 2020, when Giuffre and others were the focus of a Netflix docuseries on Epstein’s crimes. Watching the detailed accounts from so many humanised Giuffre and others, while showing the tremendous weight put on survivors when they come forward. Their stories elicited empathetic responses from viewers.
News coverage has made some progress in the last decade due to the ##MeToo movement and survivors speaking out. However, this has since been tempered by a backlash to #MeToo – and problematic attitudes persist within news and entertainment industries. Threats of legal action from those accused can leave journalists hesitant to report on sexual abuse.
In February 2022, Andrew settled a civil sexual assault case with Giuffre for an undisclosed amount. The coverage was more sensitive to Giuffre than a decade prior – the mislabelling and scandalising were mostly left out – but still lacked survivors’ perspectives. Andrew was stripped of his royal and military titles at the time but appears to remain in standing with the royal family unofficially.
There has also been compassion in the coverage of Giuffre’s death, particularly in interviews with her family and friends. There are calls for accountability from Andrew, as well as the usual, terrible tabloid coverage exploiting the situation.
One limitation of reporting on sexual abuse cases is that often survivors don’t want to speak publicly to news media because of the tremendous risks and consequences they face. Survivors face backlash when telling friends and family in their private circles because they are blamed, or are not believed. These consequences are intensified when survivors go public.
Several organisations have provided guidelines to news organisations on how to report more fairly and accurately on sexual abuse.
Many people who experience sexual abuse never come forward. Giuffre did, and repeatedly spoke to media for over a decade. While some news organisations learned how to be more sensitive, the focus has never been enough on her story, her life and her determination.
If any of the content in this piece affects you or someone you know, resources are available.
In the UK: Samaritans are available by phone, for free, at 116 123, or by email at jo@samaritans.org. Further resources can also be found here.
If you are in crisis in the US, please call, text or chat with the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 988, or contact the Crisis Text Line by texting TALK to 741741.
Lindsey Blumell receives funding from City St George’s, University of London
Ukraine has finally signed its minerals agreement with the US. The deal states that Washington will eventually receive a share of the profits from the sale of Ukrainian natural resources, providing an economic incentive to continue investing in Ukraine’s defence and reconstruction.
The US treasury secretary, Scott Bessant, says the deal demonstrates the Donald Trump administration’s commitment to peace in Ukraine.
On the surface, there is nothing surprising about the deal. The idea that natural resource extraction can play a role in building peace has been around for a decade or two, and has been promoted by the World Bank, the UN and the mining industry itself.
But what is surprising is how the conversation about mining and peace has changed. It used to be about increasing prosperity in war-torn countries, rather than the “who gets what” that has been associated with this deal.
The idea that mining can contribute to peace emerged somewhat paradoxically from the demonstrated capacity of natural resources to drive conflict in places like Afghanistan, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Sierra Leone. The theory is that mining can also lead to development – and therefore peace – if it is managed properly.
If local communities are consulted, revenues are shared fairly, harms are minimised, and if there is transparency and accountability, a mine can play a role in lifting countries out of the economic, environmental and social mess war brings.
In reality, things are more complicated. The idea that mining can bring about positive change suffers from the same top-down and externally led approach to building peace as the wider peacebuilding model in which it sits. It doesn’t necessarily take local realities and aspirations into account.
But over the past two decades, natural resources in conflict-affected areas have attracted an enormous amount of attention from UN agencies. The United Nations Environmental Programme (Unep), for example, established an initiative in 2008 aimed at understanding the risks and opportunities presented by high-value natural resources.
It developed policies and practices related to mining intended to be part of the UN’s peace and security architecture. These included guidance for UN staff working in post-conflict countries that are rich in resources.
In Sierra Leone, Unep identified the inability of the Environmental Protection Agency to monitor environmental performance and force compliance as a significant risk to the sustainable development of the mining industry. The agency had become overwhelmed by the number of environmental impact assessments submitted for review as the sector expanded after the end of the civil war in 2002.
A dedicated project to build capacity in Sierra Leone was set up by the UN to remedy this. The project team report that the environmental impact assessment process itself provided an opportunity for dialogue and trust-building between those involved.
Around the same time, a raft of initiatives were was developed for the extractive sector itself to encourage responsible mining. These included the Kimberley Process, a UN-mandated certification scheme designed to eliminate the trade in conflict diamonds. Sierra Leone has been a member since it was launched in 2003.
The Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI), an Oslo-based organisation of government, industry and civil society representatives was also established in 2003. Its aim is to promote the good governance of oil, gas and mineral extraction through the reporting of revenues and payments.
The concept of good governance has been expanded to include promoting the participation of women, as well as the disclosure of information relating to the environmental impact of a mine. Over 50 countries now implement the EITI Standard.
All these initiatives and processes can be criticised. But the point is that natural resources in conflict zones have, to a degree at least, been understood as sites for negotiation and dialogue for some time.
Lowering the bar
The natural resources beneath Ukraine have become sites for something else – a conflict-riven back-and-forth over their control. And it’s not just in Ukraine. The US is reportedly considering a minerals-for-security deal in the DRC, where Rwandan-backed rebels are currently seizing resource-rich territory in the east.
The bar appears to have dropped substantially where mining and peacebuilding is concerned. In the heyday of the liberal peacebuilding project, metal and mineral deposits in war-torn countries, like the copper beneath Afghanistan, promised a more positive future, albeit with caution. That optimism now seems misplaced.
In Afghanistan, this is because the country has fallen back under the control of the Taliban. Mines are quickly being developed to take advantage of the country’s mineral wealth. But the technical, financial and environmental checks associated with mining are reportedly being bypassed. There are concerns that any revenues won’t benefit the population in the way they should.
In Ukraine, it’s something different. The mineral deposits there are being used to prop up geopolitical ambitions that reflect the dangerous, transactional and increasingly extractive world we now seem to live in. Specifically, the Ukrainian mineral deposits are bringing an authoritarian, Trumpian version of peace to life.
It is a peace that comes through the geopolitical expression of power by the operation of mines, the acquisition of territory, the expulsion of citizens from certain places, and the top-down transformation of other people’s space.
This has already expressed itself in Trump’s vision for the US to take over the Gaza Strip, which prompted the UN’s secretary-general, António Guterres, to warn against ethnic cleansing.
I have written about the problem of natural resource-related peacebuilding before. Whether liberal or illiberal, this problem is the same: geological resources are non-renewable.
There is a profound paradox here. Whatever we want these resources to do for us, they can’t do it indefinitely. And we are heading for even more trouble if we think they can.
Expecting a voracious Trump administration or a beleagured Ukrainian one to think about this is expecting too much. But therein lies the tragedy of current peacebuilding endeavours.
They are fixated on the here-and-now, in the hope that the social, environmental, ecological and geological future will take care of itself. Unfortunately, it won’t.
Bridget Storrie 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.
The Vatican’s College of Cardinals will soon gather in Rome to elect a new head of the Catholic Church following the death of Pope Francis.
As the church prepares for the papal conclave, the world is assessing Francis’s legacy and his stance on the role of women in the church, LGBTQ+ rights and the needs of migrants and refugees.
In many ways, it’s a remarkable document. At once rational and urgent, it calls on all of us — “every person living on this planet” — to think about what we are doing to the only planet we have.
Our common home, Francis wrote, “is like a sister with whom we share our life and a beautiful mother who opens her arms to embrace us.” And yet, we “have come to see ourselves as her lords and masters, entitled to plunder her at will.”
Unlike the IPCC report, however, Francis didn’t pull his punches. “The Earth, our home,” he wrote, “is beginning to look more and more like an immense pile of filth.”
Francis didn’t hold back
A few months after the publication of Laudato Si’, the world gathered in Paris to draft a new climate treaty. It too is a remarkable document. However, if the authors of the Paris Agreement couldn’t mention the economic roots of the climate crisis – they couldn’t even use the term fossil fuels — the pope could and did.
Francis relentlessly called out our “models of growth which have proved incapable of ensuring respect for the environment,” our “irrational confidence in progress and human abilities” and our “blind confidence in technical solutions.”
He was critical of “current models of production and consumption” and our faith in “the invisible forces of the market,” as well as our “misguided anthropocentrism” and our “throwaway culture.”
Francis pointed a finger at obstructionism and denial. He worried about the rise of social media, which has led to disconnection from each other and from nature. And he was critical of “the idea of infinite or unlimited growth.”
Although terribly “attractive to economists, financiers, and experts in technology,” it’s a fantasy based on the lie “that there is an infinite supply of the Earth’s goods.” There isn’t, and the planet is “being squeezed dry beyond every limit.”
Using ironic quotation marks, he even criticized “green” rhetoric, so fashionable in eco-capitalist circles.
It wasn’t the first time Francis talked about a global economy that doesn’t work. A few years earlier, in 2012, he caused a minor fit in some circles with the publication of Evangelli Gaudium. Wealth moves up, not down, he argued, while the poor are excluded and grow in number.
The late American pundit Rush Limbaugh called it “pure Marxism.” Undeterred, Francis went further in Laudato Si’ when he linked the climate crisis to an economy premised on constant consumption.
Of course, Francis had stuck to his knitting in one important way: on at least four separate occasions in Laudato Si’, he singled out abortion — or, in his words, “eliminating children” — as part of the climate problem. He wrote:
“Thinking that we enjoy absolute power over our own bodies turns, often subtly, into thinking that we enjoy absolute power over creation.”
No, it doesn’t. Moreover, empowering women through access to birth control and abortion care is part of the solution to poverty in both the Global South and the Global North, something Francis cared deeply about, like his namesake St. Francis of Assisi.
In 2023, Francis published Laudate Deum, a short followup to Laudato Si’. At the same time as he urged the world to act, he condemned those who blame climate change on the poor for having so many children and who “attempt to resolve the problem by mutilating women in less developed countries.”
Still, Laudato Si’ invites all of us to connect the dots between growth, consumption, poverty and climate breakdown. One doesn’t need to be Catholic, or even religious, to read Pope Francis’s encyclical on climate change for what it is: a powerful and deeply moral reminder that the climate is not something separate from us.
To quote Francis, it’s a “common good” that belongs to all of us.
Donald Wright 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.
The Bank of Canada is pleased to announce this year’s recipients of its scholarship awards for students with disabilities, Indigenous students, LGBTQ2S+ students, francophones and students who identify as a woman or as a member of a racialized group. We know that the inclusion of diverse identities and ideas fosters innovative thinking and better policy outcomes for Canadians. It’s core to our success as a leading central bank. That is why our scholarships are designed to encourage Canadians from diverse backgrounds to further their education and consider employment in fields related to the work of the Bank.
The 2024-25 award recipients are as follows:
Abigail Meloche, pursuing a Bachelor of Economics at Carleton University
Allison Tsypin, pursuing a Bachelor of Mathematics at McGill University
Andy Duan, pursuing a Bachelor of Arts in Economics at Princeton University
April Quill, pursuing a Bachelor of Science with major in Statistics at University of Manitoba
Wendy Liao, pursuing a bachelor’s degree in computer science and business at Western University
Elliot Thordarson, pursuing a Bachelor of Commerce at I.H. Asper School of Business (University of Manitoba)
Katherine Brennan, completed a bachelor’s degree in economics and statistics at University of Toronto, with plans to pursue a master’s degree in economics
Katherine Karapetrovic, pursuing a Bachelor of International Economics at University of British Columbia
Laila Virani, pursing a bachelor’s degree in business at University of British Columbia
Linda Nidale-Sadeck, pursuing a Bachelor of Economics at Carleton University
Manahil Malik, completed a bachelor’s degree in economics at University of Toronto, with plans to pursue a master’s degree in economics
Manuel Fernandez, pursuing a Bachelor of Commerce, Management, Economics and Finance at University of Guelph
Melody Johnson, pursuing a college diploma in Protection, Security and Investigation at Conestoga College
Rand Al-Nauimi, pursuing a Bachelor of Commerce with option in Business Technology Management at Telfer School of Management (University of Ottawa)
Rosana Gao, pursuing a Bachelor of Applied Science in Engineering Science at University of Toronto
Simeon Muepu, pursuing a Bachelor of Finance at Université de Montreal
Xavier Desroches Borelly, pursuing a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Science at Western University
Yeo Eun Chi, completed a bachelor’s degree in business administration with specialization in finance at University of Toronto, with plans to pursue a master’s degree in economics
The 2024–25 recipients of the Bank’s Scholarship Award for Post-Secondary Students receive Can$8,000. The award is intended to assist the following students with tuition at an accredited academic institution:
students with disabilities
Indigenous students
LGBTQ2S+ students
francophones
students who identify as a woman
students who identify as a member of a racialized group
Successful candidates may be offered a work opportunity at the Bank, with mentorship by a Bank employee.
Recipients of the Master’s Scholarship Award for Women in Economics and Finance must have completed or be in the final two years of an undergraduate degree at a Canadian university and self-identify as a woman. In addition to the award of Can$10,000, successful candidates may be offered a work opportunity at the Bank, with mentorship by a Bank employee.
For more information on all opportunities for students, please visit our webpage.
WASHINGTON — Congressman Morgan Luttrell (R-TX) released the following statement after the House Homeland Security Committee and the House Armed Services Committee advanced major reconciliation packages that deliver on President Trump’s “Promises Made, Promises Kept” agenda, which secures America’s borders, rebuilds our military, and restores American strength on the world stage.
“House Republicans followed through on our commitment to the American people. We’re bringing law and order back to our border, and we’re rebuilding American strength around the world.
We’re building the wall, expanding Border Patrol forces, investing in the advanced technology, and taking the fight to the cartels and stopping the flow of drugs and human trafficking into our communities,”said Congressman Luttrell.
Luttrell continue, “We’re also making a generational investment to secure America’s future. We’re rebuilding our Navy, ramping up production of munitions and advanced weapons, modernizing our nuclear deterrent, accelerating our capabilities in cyber warfare and hypersonic weapons, building the Golden Dome missile defense shield to protect our country, enhancing forces to deter Communist China in the Pacific, and ensuring our servicemembers have the housing, healthcare, and support they have earned.
We are restoring American deterrence, defending American sovereignty, and securing the American Dream for generations to come. Promises made, promises kept.”
The Homeland Security Committee reconciliation package includes:
$46.5 billion to complete 701 miles of primary border wall, 900 miles of river barriers, and 629 miles of secondary barriers, integrating cutting-edge surveillance and technology.
$5 billion to modernize and expand CBP facilities.
$4.1 billion to hire 8,200 new CBP personnel, including Border Patrol agents, customs officers, and air and marine agents.
$2 billion for CBP workforce retention and recruitment incentives.
$2.7 billion to expand border surveillance and counter-drone technologies.
$1.076 billion to strengthen non-intrusive inspection systems at ports of entry.
$625 million for security planning for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, with Houston as one of the host cities.
The Armed Services Committee reconciliation package includes:
$9 billion to improve Servicemember Quality of Life including housing, healthcare, and family support.
$34 billion for Shipbuilding and the Maritime Industrial Base to strengthen the Navy and invest in autonomous technologies.
$25 billion to develop the “Golden Dome” missile defense shield and counter hypersonic threats.
$21 billion to replenish America’s arsenal and expand production of critical minerals and munitions.
$14 billion to expedite innovation, scaling game-changing technology to the warfighter.
$13 billion to modernize and strengthen America’s nuclear deterrent.
$12 billion to enhance military readiness, including improving depots and shipyards.
$11 billion to expand Pacific deterrence and improve readiness.
$7 billion to reverse fighter force declines and accelerate next-generation air superiority.
$5 billion for Department of Defense (DoD) border security operations supporting Department of Homeland Security efforts.
$400 million to ensure fiscal responsibility through a historic clean audit initiative at DoD.
Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Randy Feenstra (IA-04)
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Rep. Randy Feenstra (R-Hull) announced that his office will host two in-person passport fairs in Council Bluffs and Sioux City.
Iowans interested in attending must register beforehand by either emailing our office atIA04passports@mail.house.govor calling our office at 202-225-4426.
“I’m excited to announce that our office will hold two passport fairs in Council Bluffs and Sioux City. These events are a great opportunity for Iowans to have their questions answered by professionals and submit applications to get a new passport or renew an existing passport,” saidRep. Feenstra. “I encourage anyone who needs help with their passport to attend one of our passport fairs, and as always, I urge Iowans who need assistance with federal agencies to contact our office online at Feenstra.House.Gov or by phone at 202-225-4426.”
Constituents who wish to get a new passport or renew an existing passport must come with a completed application, government-issued ID, proof of citizenship, a State Department approved 2”x 2” printed passport photo, and method of payment (money order, credit card, or check; cash will not be accepted).
The passport fair in Council Bluffs will be held on Tuesday May 13th from 9 AM – 4 PM at the Council Bluffs Chamber of Commerce office. The address is 149 West Broadway Council Bluffs, IA 51503.
The passport fair in Sioux City will be held on Wednesday May 14th from 9 AM – 4 PM at the Sioux City Public Library in the Gleeson Room. The address is 529 Pierce Street Sioux City, IA 51101.
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WASHINGTON — Throughout May, the Department of Veterans Affairs’ National Cemetery Administration is joining forces with non-profit organizations Carry The Load, Travis Manion Foundation and Victory for Veterans to pay homage to Veterans interred in VA National Cemeteries through a series of events, volunteer opportunities and shared stories.
Through coordination between the National Cemetery Administration, Carry The Load, the Travis Manion Foundation and Victory for Veterans there will be over 70,000 anticipated volunteers visiting 54 VA national cemeteries throughout Memorial May. NCA has collaborated with Carry the Load for eight years, the Travis Manion Foundation for four years and Victory for Veterans for two years on Memorial May activities. Volunteers can learn more about events remembering and honoring military service members interred in VA’s 156 national cemeteries at the organization links below and on the NCA Memorial May webpage.
“These collaborations allow us to express our collective appreciation for Veterans’ service and sacrifice,” said Acting Under Secretary for Memorial Affairs Ronald Walters. “Through shared efforts, we honor their legacy and ensure their stories are never forgotten.”
Carry The Load Memorial May Activities
Beginning May 1, Carry The Load volunteers will visit 17 VA national cemeteries, traveling thousands of miles along three routes culminating in CTL’s signature May 25-26 Dallas Memorial March along the historic Katy Trail. Marchers carry signs, banners and American flags honoring a fallen friend or family member. Those who want to participate should register in advance.
Travis Manion Foundation Memorial May Activities
This year’s Travis Manion Foundation’s The Honor Project will be the largest in its history with 2,500 volunteers visiting over 50 cemeteries in more than 25 states throughout Memorial Day weekend. Family and friends are invited to submit a Fallen Heroes request and a foundation volunteer will visit the gravesite, lay a hand-crafted commemorative token and pause for a moment of reflection.
Victory for Veterans Memorial May Activities
Volunteers with Victory for Veterans will recognize Veterans by placing a flower on every Veteran’s grave. Since 2021, the program has expanded operations to place flowers at 10 VA national cemeteries. It’s expected that this year may exceed 390 volunteers with over 27,000 flowers placed. Visit the list of partnering VA national cemeteries, if you’d like to participate.
Over 5.4 million people — including 4.1 million Veterans from the Revolutionary War to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan — are buried in VA national cemeteries. NCA honors eligible Veterans, active-duty service members, and eligible family members with final resting places in national shrines and with lasting tributes that commemorate their service and sacrifice to our Nation.
VA also encourages all Americans to use the Veterans Legacy Memorial to share memories and stories about Veterans they’ve loved and lost. VLM is the nation’s largest online memorial space dedicated to Veterans, with more than 10 million interactive pages where family, friends, and others can submit written tributes, photos, biographies, documents, and other information.
For information about VA burial benefits, visit any one of VA’s 156 national cemetery locations, visit online at VA burial benefits and memorial items or call toll-free at 800-827-1000. To pre-plan a burial for you and your family, visit NCA’s pre-need eligibility website.
Reporters and media outlets with questions or comments should contact the Office of Media Relations at vapublicaffairs@va.gov
Veterans with questions about their health care and benefits (including GI Bill). Questions, updates and documents can be submitted online.
Contact us online through Ask VA
Veterans can also use our chatbot to get information about VA benefits and services. The chatbot won’t connect you with a person, but it can show you where to go on VA.gov to find answers to some common questions.
Learn about our chatbot and ask a question
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FRANKFORT, Ky. – A Harrodsburg, Ky., man, Wayne Jerome Johnson, 46, was sentenced on Monday by U.S. District Judge Gregory Van Tatenhove to 300 months in prison for possession with intent to distribute cocaine, possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
According to court documents, on November 17, 2021, law enforcement observed Johnson distributing drugs out of two rooms at the Economy Inn in Harrodsburg and conducted an authorized search of those rooms, finding over 50 grams of a methamphetamine, heroin, and fentanyl mixture, as well as 32 grams of cocaine in separate bags. Law enforcement also found a loaded pistol, ammunition, magazines, cash, and other drug trafficking paraphernalia. Johnson admitted to possessing the drugs with intent to distribute and possessing the firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking. Also, Johnson was aware at the time of his arrest that he had prior felony convictions and was prohibited from possessing a firearm.
Johnson had previously been convicted of two counts of trafficking in a controlled substance first degree in Mercer Circuit Court in October 2000, and one count of trafficking in a controlled substance first degree in Mercer Circuit Court in 2018.
Under federal law, Johnson must serve 85 percent of his prison sentence. Upon his release from prison, he will be under the supervision of the U.S. Probation Office for eight years.
Paul McCaffrey, Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky; John Nokes, Special Agent in Charge, ATF, Louisville Field Division; Phillip J. Burnett, Jr., Commissioner of the Kentucky State Police, and Chief Scott Elder, Harrodsburg Police Department, jointly announced the sentence.
The investigation was conducted by ATF, KSP, and Harrodsburg Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Roger West is prosecuting the case on behalf of the United States.