Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Al Green (TX-9)
(Houston, TX) — On Saturday, April 12, 2025, Congressman Al Green will proudly launch the inaugural TX-09 Codefest, an exciting event aimed at inspiring and empowering middle and high school students at the start of their coding journey. Participants will have the opportunity to create new software, enhance existing programs, showcase their technical creativity, collaborate with peers, and explore ways to revolutionize the software industry. This event will take place at Houston Community College South in the Willie Gay Hall at 1990 Airport Boulevard, Houston, Texas 77051, from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. CT.
The TX-09 Codefest will serve as a valuable precursor to the 2025 Congressional App Challenge (CAC). The CAC is dedicated to encouraging young minds in the Ninth Congressional District to explore the world of STEM, develop coding skills, and discover promising careers in computer science. The CAC is set to commence in early to mid-May, with applications accepted through October 30, 2025. For more information, you can visit the Congressional App Challenge website by clicking here.
Congressman Al Green stated, “I am proud to host the TX-09 Codefest, a powerful example of how we can invest in the next generation of STEM leaders. The Congressional App Challenge competition offers students invaluable hands-on experience in coding and app development. By supporting competitions like this, we encourage STEM education and empower young people to address real challenges in their communities through innovation and critical thinking while cultivating a diverse pipeline of driven innovators.”
Click here to watch the Facebook live stream of the event.
Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Al Green (TX-9)
(Houston, TX) — On Thursday, April 17, 2025, Congressman Al Green will address statements made by a dozen Republicans addressed to House leadership indicating that they will not make significant cuts to Medicaid. Although, this is vindication of Congressman Green’s taking a stand and speaking out during the Joint Session of Congress, it does not ameliorate the necessity to employ vigilance during the budgetary process. Congressman Al Green, alongside non-profits, Healthcare for the Homeless and The Arc of Harris County, expressed strong support for the Medicaid Matters Day of Action. The following statements come in response to the recently proposed Republican budget resolution, which threatened to impose a staggering minimum of $880 billion in cuts to essential healthcare services overseen by the Energy and Commerce Committee:
Kathryn Rogers, Executive Vice President of Healthcare for the Homeless, stated, “At Healthcare for the Homeless – Houston, we witness firsthand how Medicaid is a lifeline. For people experiencing homelessness, it’s often the only access point to medical care, whether it’s addressing an urgent health crisis, managing a chronic condition, or connecting with behavioral health and housing support. Any cuts to Medicaid would disrupt these critical pathways, increase strain on emergency services, and make it harder for people to find stability. Preserving and strengthening Medicaid isn’t just about healthcare – it’s about public safety, economic impact, and creating a healthier future for everyone in our community.”
Janniece Sleigh, Executive Director of The Arc of Harris County, stated, “Texas is home to more than 500,000 adults and children with a disability (In Community Every Day: Supporting People with Intellectual Disabilities). There are an estimated 225,667 people with IDD (Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities) and autism in Harris County alone, making Medicaid a vital source of support for people with IDD. Medicaid waivers, for example, offer people with IDD and autism an opportunity to seek housing, work, and socialization with support provided by service and advocacy organizations such as ours. Medicaid helps to support everyday needs. These are the same goals that everyone strives for in life: to live, work, and socialize in their communities. It is no different for people with disabilities. Medicaid waivers help to support these endeavors so people with IDD and autism can be productive members and contribute to their communities. Unfortunately, Texas has one of the highest Medicaid waiver waitlists in the nation, at 16-17 years. Organizations cannot provide the vital services and support to strengthen quality of life for people with IDD and autism without Medicaid waivers.”
Congressman Al Green stated, “Proposed cuts to Medicaid pose a significant threat to the health and dignity of our most vulnerable communities. Medicaid is a vital lifeline for children, people with disabilities, and individuals experiencing homelessness. In Texas’s 9th Congressional District alone, over 127,000 people were enrolled in Medicaid and CHIP as of October 2024, including more than 91,000 children. Medicaid makes it possible for children with developmental delays and people with intellectual and developmental disabilities to receive therapy, medical equipment, and community-based services. It also connects people experiencing homelessness to critical life-saving healthcare, offering stability, recovery, and a path forward. We must stand united in advocating for the preservation of Medicaid, which millions of Americans rely on — and millions more are waiting to get on.”
Click here to watch the Facebook live stream of the event
Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Al Green (TX-9)
(Houston, TX)—On Thursday, April 24, 2025, Congressman Al Green responded to growing calls from the press and interested parties after announcing he had filed H.R. 2983 – the Original Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Safeguarding Eligible Clients Under Reimbursement Enforcement (SNAP SECURE) Act of 2025. This legislation aims to reinstate a program that would compensate victims of theft of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits, among other purposes. A copy of the legislation is accessible by clicking here.
According to recent data, 32,322 reports of SNAP benefits were stolen in Texas in the past two years. As of March, the Texas Health and Human Services SNAP Statistics pagereports that over 3.5 million Texans were eligible for these benefits, amounting to more than $615 million loaded onto Lone Star cards. This theft not only harms affected families but also deepens food insecurity for children, seniors, and low-income communities who rely on these essential resources for nutritious meals.
Congressman Al Green stated, “I intend to turn this legislation into a modified amendment to the next appropriations bill. If accepted, this legislation would ensure that those who have had their SNAP benefits stolen will be able to feed themselves and their families. Once the amended legislation is available, we will circulate it for cosponsors.”
Source: US State of California Department of Justice
LOS ANGELES – California Attorney General Rob Bonta today announced filing of felony charges against three people involved in a suspected identity theft mill, where stolen identities were utilized in an organized retail crime scheme. The scheme involved suspects applying for store credit cards using stolen identities, then using those credit lines to purchase merchandise with no intention to pay them back. The scheme was carried out in Los Angeles, Orange, San Bernardino, Riverside, Alameda, San Mateo, and Santa Clara Counties.
“I am committed to using the full force of the California Department of Justice to fight organized retail crime both in the field and in the courtroom,” said Attorney General Rob Bonta. “This was not a one-off shoplifting offense, it was a malicious, coordinated scheme. These crimes hurt our businesses and pose a serious threat to our communities. I am thankful to Signet Jewelers as well as our local and state law enforcement partners for their collaboration in the battle against organized retail crime. We will not give up until we put a stop to this criminal activity all together.”
“The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department is deeply committed to tackling organized retail crime through strategic multiagency collaboration, intelligence sharing, and targeted enforcement,” said Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department Detective Division Chief Joe Mendoza. “By working closely with our local, state, and federal partners, we continue to strengthen our efforts, disrupt criminal networks, protect both businesses and our communities, while holding individuals accountable.”
“These arrests are the result of excellent collaboration between HSI, private industry, state and local law enforcement partners,” said HSI Orange County Assistant Special Agent in Charge Christopher Bracken. “HSI will work tirelessly with our partners in California to ensure that those who commit fraud will be held accountable.”
From March 2023 to July 2023, the defendants fraudulently obtained over $100,000 worth of merchandise from high end retail stores and Harbor Freight retailers.This investigation began with a referral from a Signet Jeweler’s Corporate Fraud Investigator, and was led by the California Department of Justice (DOJ) with collaboration form Homeland Security Investigations, Santa Maria Police Department, Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, California Highway Patrol and Westminster Police department.
As a result of the investigation, a 34-count felony complaint was filed against three defendants by DOJ. The charges include organized retail theft, grand theft, and identity theft of 13 victims. The Attorney General has made fighting organized retail crime a top priority and asks the public to submit complaints and tips at https://oag.ca.gov/bi/retail-crime.
A copy of the criminal complaint in today’s case is available here.
Photos related to this investigation can be found here, here and here.
Back in 1998, Steven Spielberg’s Saving Private Ryan was widely acclaimed for the bloody realism of its opening scenes. In Warfare, co-directors Ray Mendoza and Alex Garland have achieved something very similar for the Iraq war (2003-2011).
This time, however, the assault on the senses lasts for almost the entire duration of the film – around 95 mins. The result is an unrelenting depiction of 21st-century battle which both invokes and disrupts the generic conventions of the combat film.
Warfare begins by staking a claim to authenticity. The opening credits tell us that it is based entirely on the memories of those who were there: the members of a US Navy Seal platoon involved in an operation in the immediate aftermath of the 2006 Battle of Ramadi.
In pre-release interviews, Mendoza – a Seal veteran and former member of the platoon – explained that Warfare was made as a purposeful attempt to provide a visual account of what happened for a comrade (Elliott Miller, played in the film by Cosmo Jarvis) who lost his memory after a horrific battlefield injury.
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It is by no means the only war film to find inspiration in the memories of veterans. From The Best Years of Our Lives (1946) to Lone Survivor (2013), traumatic first-hand experiences have long informed Hollywood’s depictions of war and its aftermath.
But in Warfare this framing has a very deliberate consequence. It telescopes the action so that questions of broader political context are necessarily sidelined in favour of the visceral experiences of those on the ground. The Seals are there because they are there – no other rationale for their mission is offered.
Towards the start, Warfare also follows some well-trodden ground when it pointedly lingers on the boredom before battle. This is reminiscent of another work of filmic war memoir, 2005’s Jarhead.
The Seals sweat and swear until, suddenly, chaos is catalysed. What follows is among the most intense depictions of combat ever seen on the big screen. Besieged by an ever-present, yet largely out-of-sight enemy, the embattled soldiers fight to protect one another, rescue their wounded and escape. As they do so, the fog of war descends.
This is where the film most clearly reveals its debt to the war film genre. Indeed, for all the originality of its screenplay Warfare actually invokes several familiar generic motifs of the combat film. The most obvious is the focus on a platoon, but two others also stand out.
The trailer for Warfare.
One concerns the film’s narrative centre: a band of isolated and outnumbered American warriors battling heroically against the odds. A popular motif in American culture since at least the 1836 Battle of the Alamo (during the Texas Revolution), it has been used and reused over the years in countless westerns and war films, perhaps most explicitly in 2016’s 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi. In its underlying structure, the story told by Warfare is informed by this very same trope.
A second familiar motif is the film’s Shakespearean meditation on the brotherhood of battle. Like 2001’s HBO mini-series Band of Brothers (about a company of second world war paratroopers), this is a story of men at war. Blood is shed and unbreakable bonds are forged.
It is here though that Garland and Mendoza also disrupt. For where Henry V offers his “happy few” a validating cause, no such higher purpose reveals itself in Warfare.
In fact, these undoubtedly brave warriors are clearly unwelcome invaders. The fraught interactions with the frightened (and unnamed) Iraqi civilians whose home they have occupied makes this obvious, as do the persistent attempts by Iraqi insurgents to kill them.
Whatever happens, therefore, one thing is certain: these Seals, unlike their second world war predecessors, will not be greeted as liberators by flag-waving locals casting garlands of flowers.
This is where Warfare reveals that for all its telescoped focus it is not apolitical after all. Quite the contrary; the film is inescapably a product of its moment.
The fighting “out there”, says Warfare, offered no redeeming purpose and so for veterans all that is left are memories of the love and the loyalty between those who went into battle, together.
Seen like this, Warfare’s place in the genre also now becomes clear. This is a Band of Brothers for those who fought the war on terror. It’s a point made especially apparent in the closing credits which feature photos of the real Seal veterans next to those of the actors who played them (not unlike how each episode of Band of Brothers included veterans’ testimony).
Warfare’s structure, focus, and elisions speak volumes about the chasm in American culture – particularly in the eyes of veterans – that separates the “good war” of the 1940s from the far less popular conflicts of the early 21st century.
Sam Edwards has previously received funding from the ESRC, the US-UK Fulbright Commission, the US Army Military History Institute, and the US Naval War College. Sam is a Trustee of The D-Day Story (Portsmouth) and of Sulgrave Manor (Northamptonshire), he is a Governor of The American Library (Norwich), he is Co-Editor of the British Journal for Military History, and he is Vice-Chair of the Transatlantic Studies Association.
Politicians and economists have been pretty vocal in their response to the ongoing saga of Donald Trump’s tariffs. But much less has been heard from the world’s poorest workers about how they will be affected.
For when the US president first set out his reciprocal tariffs – later paused for 90 days – some of the highest rates were for countries like Vietnam (46%), Bangladesh (37%) and Cambodia (49%).
These are places that make huge amounts of the clothes we wear, and even the reduced 10% tariff could be a big blow to their economies – and the people who depend on them.
Because aside from the well known sweatshop conditions suffered by many workers in these places, brands and manufacturers often offset new costs by passing them on to workers in the form of lower wages and higher demands.
And those working conditions are already challenging. The minimum wage for one of Cambodia’s 1 million garment workers (from a total population of 16 million) is just US$208 (£155.50) per month.
Around 80% of those workers are women, whose wages often support children and elderly parents, who don’t have the security of a state pension safety net.
It is these workers and their families who may end losing the most in Trump’s trade war. But they are used to geopolitics affecting their everyday lives, having suffered the impact of tariffs fairly recently – from the EU.
In 2020, Cambodia’s duty-free, quota-free access to the EU market (usually granted to developing countries) was partially revoked as a punitive response to human rights concerns. Tariffs averaging 11% were added to some product lines, mostly clothing and footwear, which covered about 20% of Cambodia’s total exports to the EU.
The Cambodian government immediately responded by cutting public holidays and workplace benefits to try offset any increase in costs.
It has since slowed the rate of minimum wage growth to below inflation. Both actions slashed real wages and made the challenge of economic survival even harder for those who depend on the industry.
Now, as Trump’s latest tariffs take hold – even at the lower rate of 10% – many garment and footwear industry workers will fear for their jobs.
But even those “lucky” enough to keep them will face mounting pressures to produce more, and more quickly, to offset rising costs – at the direct expense of their own financial security and wellbeing.
The idea that tariffs will ultimately bring jobs back to the US ignores that fact that these jobs – precarious, underpaid and frequently dangerous – are not the kind of jobs that any American would want.
And the evidence suggests that if even if they did want them, international manufacturing supply chains are more deeply embedded than people might think.
After the EU imposed its tariffs on Cambodia for example, brands could have looked to circumvent those added costs by relocating production. As it turned out, the volume of trade between Cambodia and the EU has remained steady since – because sometimes there’s no alternative.
With Cambodia, companies have not been willing or able to shift production to competitors like Bangladesh, Myanmar or Sri Lanka, partly due to the political volatility in those countries.
Added to this is the fact that clothes production has become highly specialised geographically. Cambodia’s distance from the EU means it focuses mainly on seasonal fashion “basics” such as T-shirts and knitwear.
Closer countries like Turkey and Morocco concentrate on the latest fast fashion trends, as their shorter shipping routes mean they can be quicker to respond to changing tastes.
It is not that easy to unsettle the systems and markets that are already in place.
As a result, in the global garment industry at least, Trump’s tariffs may not trigger a complete restructuring of the world’s supply chains. In the short term, they are instead likely to cause great uncertainty, reducing investors’ appetite for long-term planning, and reducing their confidence.
Orders may slow and prices may rise. And Cambodians making the world’s T-shirts and trainers will face even more pressure on their wages and working conditions.
Sabina Lawreniuk receives funding from UKRI through a Future Leaders Fellowship (grant ref MR/ W013797/1).
Source: The Conversation – UK – By Eva Marquis, Research Fellow in Critical Minerals and Circular Economy, University of Exeter
On February 18, contamination in the Kafue river, Zambia, led to a mass death of fish. Its water turned a deathly grey and adjacent farmland was poisoned. The drinking water it supplied to half a million residents of the town of Kitwe was suddenly cut off.
Reports suggest that this catastrophe was caused by the failure of the Chambishi tailings storage facility. Tailings are mixed liquid-solid mine wastes that remain after the valuable materials are removed from the crushed ores.
But tailings storage facilities can and do fail. The Chambishi failure was caused by a break in a wall between two tailings ponds containing acidic water. Fifty million litres of this water, equivalent to 20,000 Olympic swimming pools, spilled into a tributary of the Kafue river, and then into the river itself.
The Kafue is a lifeline, flowing through 990 miles (1,600km) of Zambia, providing water for around 5 million people and supporting fishing and agriculture. That lifeline is still threatened by the ongoing damage of this failure.
Tailings are a produce of society’s voracious appetite for metals and materials. With growing demand for technologies for the energy transition, digitalisation and development, production of metals and materials and the volumes of tailings are set to vastly increase.
Identifying suitable sites for safe storage is likely to become more challenging. Space will become more of a premium as more tailings are produced, and risks will evolve with changing climate and growing global population. For instance, storage facility plans developed before mining begins may no longer be suitable for their intended use over the life of the operation.
The ability to safely store and manage tailings is a key factor in the development of metals projects. By extension, that’s fundamental to enabling an equitable and responsible energy transition.
A broad range of technical, social and environmental uncertainties have been linked to the management of tailings storage facilities. These uncertainties, combined with financial practices such as discounting future costs, can result in future costs (such as long-term tailings management and rehabilitation) being underestimated in mining project cash flows, and sizeable costs for future generations.
Without a fully understanding of the true long-term costs, making the economic case for improved tailings management becomes that much harder.
Reducing risks and improving outcomes
Improved mechanisms for quantifying the cost of tailings in the short, medium and long term, whether tailings storage facilities fail or not, are essential for adequately financing these long-term legacies of mining. Mechanisms to reduce volumes of waste produced not only have the potential to improve project economics over the lifetime of a mine but can also enhance social and environmental outcomes both during and beyond the life of a mine.
Tailings can be used as sources of aggregate materials for construction and critical metals for the green transition, and for carbon capture and storage. These opportunities will be context specific, however, and there will not be a one-size-fits-all approach to tailings reduction and responsible management.
Innovations in tailings storage, like using tailings to fill worked-out underground mining tunnels, can remove tailings from the surface environment, eliminating risk from landslides, dust, seepages and other hazards. Even with these efforts, tailings storage facilities will continue to be used and will need to be managed.
Reducing, reclaiming and regenerating the environments that have been negatively affected by tailings will require collaborative approaches. Financing is a clear barrier to responsible tailings management. Without knowing the true social, environmental and economic costs of tailings legacies, the ability to overcome this barrier to responsible management is hampered.
Don’t have time to read about climate change as much as you’d like?
Eva Marquis receives funding from EPSRC, NERC, and Innovate UK.
Karen Hudson-Edwards receives funding from NERC, BBSRC, EPSRC, the Technology Strategy Board (Innovate UK), the Royal Society and the EU Horizon 2020 programme.
However, when asked in the same survey what proportion of others in their country would be willing to do the same, the average estimate was only 43%. This underestimation of others’ concern is known as pluralistic ignorance.
This fuels a vicious cycle: silence begets silence. People hesitate to advocate for policies like cycle lanes or meat taxes, fearing social isolation, while politicians avoid championing measures seen as “career-limiting”. The result is a democracy trapped by unspoken consensus.
Research on UK MPs reveals how this plays out. Even climate-conscious politicians frame low-carbon lifestyles such as avoiding flying or eating meat as extreme, wary of hypocrisy accusations if their personal choices fall short. This “greenhushing” isn’t just political caution – it’s a failure to recognise that most people are primed to follow bold examples.
When leaders visibly adopt low-carbon behaviour, they can help address pluralistic ignorance. For instance, MPs who cycle or opt for the train instead of taking short-haul flights don’t just reduce emissions; they signal that such choices are normal, desirable, and shared.
The invisible transition
While individual actions matter, systemic change requires policies to steer collective transformation. Consider the UK’s early phase-out of inefficient lightbulbs: a 1.26 million tonne annual CO₂ reduction achieved not through personal sacrifice, but by banning the sale of halogen bulbs that emitted more heat than light.
Progress on lightbulbs, renewable electricity or more efficient fridges are all part of an “invisible transition” towards a lower-carbon society – a series of changes already woven into our economy that often go unnoticed by the public. Reframing these achievements as collective victories – your home insulation, our renewable grid – can build momentum for tougher measures.
For decades, fridges got bigger yet became more efficient and used less electricity. Prostock-studio / shutterstock
Building on progress
Public willingness to make sacrifices for climate action is closely tied to perceptions of fairness and necessity. Crucially, people want to see that their own efforts are being matched by others, especially those with larger carbon footprints. This is why leaders and other high-profile people should visibly lead by example, demonstrating commitment and helping to establish new social norms.
Research shows that public support for subsidies for heat pumps, solar panels, electric vehicles and other low-carbon technologies often depends on whether these subsidies are perceived as fair and inclusive.
Most agree that subsidies must help ensure that all households, especially those with lower incomes, can be involved. This makes it especially important for wealthy and high profile people to lead by example.
Coalitions of the visible: uniting everyday leaders
Leaders who take low-carbon actions are seen as more credible, not less. The most effective leadership frames climate action as pragmatic and rooted in everyday life, rather than as a test of virtue.
Research by the NGO Climate Outreach demonstrates that shared, relatable stories – such as parents campaigning for solar panels at their children’s schools – can shift social norms and build momentum for collective action. These “narrative workshops” have shown that people respond most strongly when climate solutions are presented through the lens of their own values and aspirations, rather than as abstract technical fixes.
The Green Salon Collective’s Mirror Talkers initiative is another creative example: by placing climate conversation prompts on salon mirrors, hairdressers are empowered to spark everyday discussions with clients. This kind of grassroots engagement helps normalise climate conversations in places you wouldn’t expect.
Overcoming pluralistic ignorance requires leaders to articulate a new story – one that acknowledges the “invisible transition” already underway while inviting everyone to help finish the job.
This means equipping leaders at every level with the tools and confidence to adopt and advocate for low-carbon choices. It also means normalising the reality that climate leadership is not about perfection, but about consistency and transparency.
Figures like Clover Hogan, founder of Force of Nature, and Christiana Figueres, former UN climate chief, openly share their own “climate confessions” – acknowledging the challenges, contradictions and imperfect choices that come with striving for a low-carbon life. By embracing and communicating their imperfections, they demonstrate that visible, relatable climate leadership is about honesty and persistence, helping to shift expectations and inspire others to take action in their own lives.
Authentic climate leadership can transform public understanding of climate solutions. By illuminating the transition already in progress – and their own part in it – leaders can transform pluralistic ignorance into pluralistic action.
The task is not to convince people to care about climate change, but to show them that they already do, and to make visible the collective progress that is often hidden in plain sight.
Sam Hampton receives funding from the Economics and Social Research Council. He is affiliated with the University of Oxford and University of Bath.
Tina Fawcett currently receives funding from UKRI.
Source: United States Senator for Colorado John Hickenlooper
Republicans’ national budget will gut SNAP benefits, increase prices for Coloradans, increase the deficit, and give tax cuts to the ultra-wealthy
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator John Hickenlooper and his Democratic Senate colleagues recently sounded the alarm about the Republican Budget proposal to slash nutrition programs working Americans rely on to pay for a $4 trillion tax cut for the ultra-wealthy.
“Congress should not give tax breaks to the wealthiest Americans by taking away food assistance from millions of Americans,” the senators wrote.
“At a time when people across the country are struggling with the high cost of groceries, a cut of this magnitude could result in an immediate increase in food costs, dropping the annual, per person SNAP benefit by over $500 per year per person,” they continued.
One in ten Coloradans rely on SNAP benefits to afford their groceries. The majority of SNAP recipients in Colorado are families with children.
Earlier this year, Republicans, who control both the Senate and House, passed budget bills that open the door for substantial cuts to programs that help Americans afford groceries. Specifically, the House budget bill requires at least $230 billion in cuts to the committee that oversees the budget for SNAP. The Senate bill sets a floor of $1 billion in cuts.
Hickenlooper recently voted against the Republican budget proposal after Republicans voted down critical Democratic-led amendments to protect working Americans including lowering the cost of living and preventing cuts to Medicaid, Social Security, and veterans’ benefits.
The senators also outlined how potential cuts to SNAP would harm the economy stating: “Taking away SNAP would also hurt the farmers who grow our food, the manufacturers that package it, truckers who distribute it, and small businesses in our communities that sell it.”
Full text of the letter is available HERE and below:
The Trump Administration and Congressional Republicans are planning to give another round of tax handouts to the ultra-wealthy and corporations paid for by gutting the food assistance that helps American families pay for groceries at a time when they are struggling to afford food, health care, housing, and other household basic needs. If enacted, cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) will have severe consequences for millions of veterans, seniors, children, and hard-working farmers.
We write to make our position on this legislation perfectly clear: Congress should not give tax breaks to the wealthiest Americans by taking away food assistance from millions of Americans.
Earlier this year, both the House and the Senate passed budget bills that pave the way for deep cuts to SNAP. The House budget bill would require at least $230 billion in cuts. The Senate bill sets a floor of $1 billion in cuts with nothing to prevent it from going as high as the House bill. This would be a more than 20 percent cut to a program that helps millions of struggling families afford groceries.
SNAP supports 42 million Americans, including nearly 8 million seniors, 16 million children, 4 million people with disabilities, and 1.2 million veterans, in putting food on their tables each month. Cuts of this magnitude—or anything close to it—would be devastating to American families in every state. SNAP benefits currently average only $6.20 per person per day. At a time when people across the country are struggling with the high cost of groceries, a cut of this magnitude could result in an immediate increase in food costs, dropping the annual, per person SNAP benefit by over $500 per year per person.
Congressional Republicans might claim that their plan is to merely require states to pay for a portion of food benefits for the first time.2 In truth, such an unprecedented cost shift could force states to cut benefits, severely restrict program eligibility, or both. If combined with a similar Medicaid cost shift, these unfunded mandates could decimate state budgets and cut healthcare and food assistance for millions of Americans.
Taking away SNAP would also hurt the farmers who grow our food, the manufacturers that package it, truckers who distribute it, and small businesses in our communities that sell it. Each SNAP dollar stimulates the economy: every $1.00 in food assistance provided by the program in a weak economy generates an additional $1.50 in economic activity.3 Because adequate nutrition is so important for children’s health and development, the long-term return on investment is even greater: every $1.00 invested in SNAP for children returns $62 in value.4 In 2020 alone, SNAP supported 200,000 grocery industry jobs and created nearly 45,000 new jobs in supporting industries, including agriculture, manufacturing, transportation, and municipal services.
Republicans are writing the most consequential tax and budget legislation in decades entirely behind closed doors. That’s because Trump and Congressional Republicans must hide the ugly truth—their legislation feeds corporate and wealthy individuals’ greed by taking food assistance away for tens of millions of Americans. You, your family, and your neighbors deserve far better. Democrats are fighting to protect American’s ability to feed their families from Republican cuts. Join us and keep up the fight.
Source: United States Small Business Administration
WASHINGTON –The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) announced the availability of low interest federal disaster loans for Indiana small businesses, private nonprofits, and residents affected by the severe storms and tornadoes occurring March 15. The SBA issued a disaster declaration in response to a request received from Gov. Mike Braun on April 10.
The disaster declaration covers the primary counties of Harrison and Orange, which are eligible for both physical damage loans and Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDLs). The declaration covers the adjacent counties of Crawford, Dubois, Floyd, Lawrence, Martin and Washington in Indiana, and as well as Hardin, Jefferson, Meade in Kentucky.
Small businesses and private nonprofits are eligible to apply for business physical disaster loans and may borrow up to $2 million to repair or replace disaster-damaged or destroyed real estate, machinery and equipment, inventory, and other business assets.
Homeowners and renters are eligible to apply for home and personal property loans and may borrow up to $100,000 to replace or repair personal property, such as clothing, furniture, cars, and appliances. Homeowners may apply for up to $500,000 to replace or repair their primary residence.
Applicants may also be eligible for a loan increase of up to 20% of their physical damage, as verified by the SBA, for mitigation purposes. Eligible mitigation improvements include strengthening structures to protect against high wind damage, upgrading to wind rated garage doors, and installing a safe room or storm shelter to help protect property and occupants from future damage.
“One distinct advantage of SBA’s disaster loan program is the opportunity to fund upgrades reducing the risk of future storm damage,” said Chris Stallings, associate administrator of the Office of Disaster Recovery and Resilience at the SBA. “I encourage businesses and homeowners to work with contractors and mitigation professionals to improve their storm readiness while taking advantage of SBA’s mitigation loans.”
SBA’s EIDL program is available to small businesses, small agricultural cooperatives and private nonprofit (PNP) organizations with financial losses directly related to the disaster. The SBA is unable to provide disaster loans to agricultural producers, farmers, or ranchers, except for small aquaculture enterprises.
EIDLs are for working capital needs caused by the disaster and are available even if the business did not suffer any physical damage. They may be used to pay fixed debts, payroll, accounts payable, and other bills not paid due to the disaster.
Interest rates are as low as 4% for small businesses, 3.625% for PNPs, and 2.75% for homeowners and renters, with terms up to 30 years. Interest does not begin to accrue, and payments are not due until 12 months from the date of the first loan disbursement. The SBA sets loan amounts and terms based on each applicant’s financial condition.
Beginning Monday, April 28, SBA customer service representatives will be on hand at the Disaster Loan Outreach Centers in Harrison and Orange counties to answer questions about SBA’s disaster loan program, explain the application process and help individuals complete their application. Walk-ins are accepted, but you can schedule an in-person appointment in advance at appointment.sba.gov.
The DLOC hours of operation are listed below:
Disaster Loan Outreach Center (DLOC)
Harrison County
Harrison Government Center
245 Atwood St.
Corydon, IN 47112
Opening: Monday – April 28, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Hours: Monday – Friday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Saturday, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Closed: Sunday
Permanently Closing: Saturday, May 10, 2 p.m.
Disaster Loan Outreach Center (DLOC)
Orange County
Orleans Town Hall
161 E Price Ave.
Orleans, IN 47452
Opening: Monday – April 28, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Hours: Monday – Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Saturday, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Closed: Sunday
Permanently Closing: Saturday, May 10, 2 p.m.
Disaster survivors should not wait to settle with their insurance company before applying for a disaster loan. If a survivor does not know how much of their loss will be covered by insurance or other sources, SBA can make a low-interest disaster loan for the total loss up to its loan limits, provided the borrower agrees to use insurance proceeds to reduce or repay the loan.
To apply online, visit sba.gov/disaster. Applicants may also call SBA’s Customer Service Center at (800) 659-2955 or email disastercustomerservice@sba.gov for more information on SBA disaster assistance. For people who are deaf, hard of hearing, or have a speech disability, please dial 7-1-1 to access telecommunications relay services.
The filing deadline to return applications for physical damage is June 23, 2025. The deadline to return economic injury applications is January 22, 2026.
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About the U.S. Small Business Administration
The U.S. Small Business Administration helps power the American dream of business ownership. As the only go-to resource and voice for small businesses backed by the strength of the federal government, the SBA empowers entrepreneurs and small business owners with the resources and support they need to start, grow or expand their businesses, or recover from a declared disaster. It delivers services through an extensive network of SBA field offices and partnerships with public and private organizations. To learn more, visit www.sba.gov.
Source: United States Small Business Administration
WASHINGTON – The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) announced the availability of low interest federal disaster loans for Indiana small businesses, private nonprofits, and residents affected by the severe storms and tornadoes occurring March 19. The SBA issued a disaster declaration in response to a request received from Gov. Mike Braun on April 10.
The disaster declaration covers the primary counties of Bartholomew and Lake, which are eligible for both physical damage loans and Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDLs). The declaration covers the adjacent counties of Brown, Decatur, Jackson, Jasper, Jennings, Johnson, Newton, Porter, and Shelby in Indiana as well as Cook, Kankakee, and Will in Illinois.
Small businesses and private nonprofits are eligible to apply for business physical disaster loans and may borrow up to $2 million to repair or replace disaster-damaged or destroyed real estate, machinery and equipment, inventory, and other business assets.
Homeowners and renters are eligible to apply for home and personal property loans and may borrow up to $100,000 to replace or repair personal property, such as clothing, furniture, cars, and appliances. Homeowners may apply for up to $500,000 to replace or repair their primary residence.
Applicants may also be eligible for a loan increase of up to 20% of their physical damage, as verified by the SBA, for mitigation purposes. Eligible mitigation improvements include strengthening structures to protect against high wind damage, upgrading to wind rated garage doors, and installing a safe room or storm shelter to help protect property and occupants from future damage.
“One distinct advantage of SBA’s disaster loan program is the opportunity to fund upgrades reducing the risk of future storm damage,” said Chris Stallings, associate administrator of the Office of Disaster Recovery and Resilience at the SBA. “I encourage businesses and homeowners to work with contractors and mitigation professionals to improve their storm readiness while taking advantage of SBA’s mitigation loans.”
SBA’s EIDL program is available to eligible small businesses, small agricultural cooperatives, nurseries, and PNPs with financial losses directly related to this disaster. The SBA is unable to provide disaster loans to agricultural producers, farmers, or ranchers, except for aquaculture enterprises.
EIDLs are for working capital needs caused by the disaster and are available even if the business did not suffer any physical damage. They may be used to pay fixed debts, payroll, accounts payable, and other bills not paid due to the disaster.
Interest rates are as low as 4% for small businesses, 3.625% for PNPs, and 2.75% for homeowners and renters, with terms up to 30 years. Interest does not begin to accrue, and payments are not due until 12 months from the date of the first loan disbursement. The SBA sets loan amounts and terms based on each applicant’s financial condition.
Beginning Monday, April 28, SBA customer service representatives will be on hand at the Disaster Loan Outreach Centers in Bartholomew and Lake counties to answer questions about SBA’s disaster loan program, explain the application process and help individuals complete their application. Walk-ins are accepted, but you can schedule an in-person appointment in advance at appointment.sba.gov.
The DLOC hours of operation are listed below:
Disaster Loan Outreach Center (DLOC)
Bartholomew County
United Way Bartholomew County
1531 13th St.
Columbus, IN 47201
Opening: Monday – April 28, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Hours: Monday – Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Saturday, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Closed: Sunday
Permanently Closing: Saturday, May 10, 2 p.m.
Disaster Loan Outreach Center (DLOC)
Lake County
Monroe Center
4101 Washington St.
Gary, IN 46408
Opening: Monday – April 28, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Hours: Monday – Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Saturday, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Closed: Sunday
Permanently Closing: Saturday, May 10, 2 p.m.
Disaster survivors should not wait to settle with their insurance company before applying for a disaster loan. If a survivor does not know how much of their loss will be covered by insurance or other sources, SBA can make a low-interest disaster loan for the total loss up to its loan limits, provided the borrower agrees to use insurance proceeds to reduce or repay the loan.
To apply online, visit sba.gov/disaster. Applicants may also call SBA’s Customer Service Center at (800) 659-2955 or email disastercustomerservice@sba.gov for more information on SBA disaster assistance. For people who are deaf, hard of hearing, or have a speech disability, please dial 7-1-1 to access telecommunications relay services.
The filing deadline to return applications for physical property damage is June 23, 2025. The deadline to return economic injury applications is January 22, 2026.
###
About the U.S. Small Business Administration
The U.S. Small Business Administration helps power the American dream of business ownership. As the only go-to resource and voice for small businesses backed by the strength of the federal government, the SBA empowers entrepreneurs and small business owners with the resources and support they need to start, grow or expand their businesses, or recover from a declared disaster. It delivers services through an extensive network of SBA field offices and partnerships with public and private organizations. To learn more, visit www.sba.gov.
Headline: Copilot+ PCs add more AI features that empower you every day
Windows has always been the place where computing innovation happens first. This was the case when we introduced Copilot+ PCs last May – the fastest, most intelligent and most secure Windows PCs ever built, and continues today with the general availability (GA) of exclusive AI experiences like Recall (preview), Click To Do (preview) and improved Windows Search across Copilot+ PCs.1
Copilot+ PCs have blazed a trail in personal computing, redefining what it means to be a premium PC with unparalleled features, performance and security out of the box.
We’ve been blown away by the early reception – we’ve never seen a faster adoption of a new category. As we shared in January, 15% of premium-priced laptops in the U.S. during the holiday quarter were Copilot+ PCs, and we expect the majority of the PCs sold in the next several years to be Copilot+ PCs.
Starting as low as $599, Copilot+ PCs deliver exceptional value within the diverse portfolio of our Windows ecosystem, catering to a wide range of needs at accessible price points.
How Copilot+ PCs stack up:
Deliver up to 13% faster performance than the MacBook Air M42 amongst top performing devices, with unmatched AI experiences in market.
Up to 5x faster than a 5-year-old Windows device,2 with enhanced security features that make them the most secure Windows PCs we’ve ever built.
Provide the longest lasting battery amongst Windows PCs, with Up to 22 hours of video playback and up to 15 hours of web browsing, so you can go all day on a single charge.3
With an edge in performance, speed, efficiency and security, Copilot+ PCs are the ultimate personal computer. But beyond being a better PC, we also continue to deliver with differentiated features available only on these devices.
AI is no longer a buzzword – it’s changing how we tackle problems, with as many as 76% of consumers today using AI to get help with hard tasks.4
We are meeting this demand with AI experiences that are intuitive, fast and built-in, no subscriptions required, to help you be your most productive self.
Today, customers can experience features like Cocreator in Paint, Restyle Image and Image Creator in Photos to bring their ideas to life in seconds. With Windows Studio Effects, live translations with Live Captions and flexible commands in Voice Access, it’s never been easier to collaborate and communicate more effectively across any application.
Now, with the availability of Recall, improved Windows search and Click to Do, we’re adding even more AI benefits, making it easier to pick up where you left off, find what you’re looking for and do more with less time and hassle.
At a time when many are talking about the benefits of AI, we are excited to be delivering them on Copilot+ PCs. Let’s explore the exclusive Copilot+ PC features available starting today.
What’s newly available on Copilot+ PCs
Recall. Fly back in time. Find it, instantly.
When we introduced Recall, we set out to address a common frustration: picking up where you left off. Whether it’s a project from last week or one of the countless browser tabs open while online shopping, tracking it down often means relying on vague memories while searching through folders, websites or endless emails.
Recall transforms how you search for and rediscover content on your PC. With 69% of consumers feeling overwhelmed by too much information, it’s now more important than ever to help customers find the right info that they are looking for.4 Recall retrieves your digital memory, allowing you to retrace your steps in seconds to quickly and securely find and get back to an app, website, image or document. Simply scroll through your timeline or describe the content you remember. With Recall on Copilot+ PCs it can take up to 70% less time to find and reengage with your PowerPoint presentation – just use your own words, no digging required.5
Recall is an opt-in experience with a rich set of privacy controls to filter content and customize what gets saved for you to find later. We’ve implemented extensive security considerations, such as Windows Hello sign-in, data encryption and isolation in Recall to help keep your data safe and secure. Recall data is processed locally on your device, meaning it is not sent to the cloud and is not shared with Microsoft and Microsoft will not share your data with third parties. Learn more here: Update on Recall security and privacy architecture.
For commercial customers and partners, advanced IT controls are available with an active E3 subscription, giving organizations management over their systems. These controls provide a robust framework for overseeing data access, user permissions and security settings, empowering businesses to maintain a secure and efficient digital environment. Learn more about features for business and how to use them to build a stronger, more secure IT environment here: AI innovations grounded in transparency and control.
You are always in control and can choose to remove Recall completely from your device by following these steps (under “Recall as an optional component.”). With removing any feature, Windows may keep temporary copies of non-executable binaries of the feature that are eventually removed over time.
Learn more about Recall (preview) on Copilot + PCs, and our approach to Responsible AI and Trustworthy Innovation on Windows.
Improved Windows search.Describe it. Find it, like magic.
Gone are the days of trying to memorize and remember file names or exact words. With improved Windows search, you can simply describe what you’re looking for and Windows will understand and find it for you. This means more time doing, and less time searching.
Improved Windows search can understand the contextual meaning of words or phrases, making search more natural and intuitive. This capability is made possible locally due to the 40+ TOPS (trillion operations per second) neural processing unit (NPU).
Whether you’re using File Explorer, the Windows Search box or Settings, you can describe in your own words what images, documents or settings you are looking for, and improved Windows Search will comb through files and data to find it for you.
On Copilot+ PCs, it can take up to 70% less time to find an image and copy it to a new folder using improved Windows search than using traditional search on a Windows 10 device.5
Learn more about improved Windows Search on Copilot + PCs.
Click to Do.One click, more action.
Why bounce between apps when you can stay in the flow? Click to Do provides contextual shortcuts to relevant actions like summarizing, rewriting or simply copying any text or images you see on screen. With image actions, it can take up to 55% less time to remove an object from an image you see in a PDF file.5
Using Click to Do is simple and seamlessly integrates into your workflow. Just prompt with Win+Click, swipe from the right on a touchscreen device, or look for the Click to Do icon in popular Windows tools like Start, Snipping Tool and Print Screen. It will reveal which actions are available based on the content on your screen, allowing you to interact in real-time with images and text, and easily move between tasks.
Click to Do image actions are available now on all Copilot+ PCs while Copilot text actions will begin rolling out on Snapdragon X Series-powered devices today, with AMD Ryzen- and Intel-powered devices coming in the next few months.
Learn more about Click to Do (preview) on Copilot + PCs.
Empowering AI experiences for everyone
In addition to today’s launch features, Copilot+ PCs continue to evolve. Last month, we announced the expansion of Copilot+ PC experiences across silicon, and today we continue that momentum.Live Captions now support real-time translations in Chinese (Simplified) across 27 languages for audio and video content during virtual meetings, podcasts or video playback.
Learn more about how machine learning and AI models are driving more accessible features with our blog on Multimodal Phi Silica.
How to get these updates
These exclusive experiences for Copilot+ PCs are available via the April 2025 Windows non-security preview update.6 Over the next month, we will be gradually rolling out these new features via controlled feature rollout (CFR) to consumers.7
Looking ahead
At Microsoft, we are committed to empowering every customer with the tools and technology they need to succeed.
The AI experiences we’re delivering are designed to simplify the hard tasks, so you can focus more on what you love – and this is just the start.
As Windows 10 reaches End-of-Support on Oct. 14, 2025, now is the time to upgrade to a modern, more secure Windows 11 or Copilot+ PC. After this date, Windows 10 PCs will no longer receive security or feature updates.
Copilot+ PCs offer incredible value with turbocharged performance, all-day battery life and next-gen AI features – making right now the smartest time to buy a new PC. Explore the latest Windows 11 and Copilot+ PCs at our global retail partners, including Amazon, Best Buy, Boulanger, Costco, Currys, Elkjøp, Fnac, Harvey Norman, JB Hi-Fi, JD.com, MediaMarkt & SATURN, Officeworks, Sharaf DG and Walmart.
You can also reach out directly to device manufacturers for the latest Copilot + PCs from Acer, Asus, Dell, HP, Lenovo and Samsung. They are ready to help choose the devices that best suit your needs and interests and direct you to available PC recycling programs and trade-in credits for a brand-new Windows 11 PC.
For business customers, resellers such as Bechtle, CDW, ComputaCenter, SCC and more stand ready to support your upgrade path with scalable solutions.
For a full list of features available via Windows Update, learn more here.
1Copilot+ PC experiences vary by device and market and may require updates continuing to roll out through 2025; Recall and Click to Do will be coming to European Economic Area later in 2025; timing varies. See aka.ms/copilotpluspcs
2Based on Microsoft-commissioned testing conducted by Principled Technologies. Cinebench 24 Multi-Core benchmark. Performance will vary significantly by device. See aka.ms/cpclaims
3Based on Microsoft-commissioned testing conducted by Principled Technologies. Battery will vary significantly by devices and with usage, settings and other factors. See aka.ms/cpclaims
4Based on Microsoft-commissioned online study of U.S. consumers ages 13 years of age or older conducted by Edelman DXI and Assembly, 1,000 participants, March 2025.
5Based on Microsoft-commissioned testing conducted by Principled Technologies, March 2025. Testing compared traditional manual workflows on Windows 10 PC to workflows using pre-release versions of Improved Windows Search, Recall and Click to Do on Copilot+ PCs. Actual performance may vary depending on device specifications, configuration, usage and other factors.Additional details here
6Requires the November 2024 non-security preview update.
7 Consumers with Copilot+ PCs can be among the first to experience these new features by going to: Settings > Windows Update and turning on “Get the latest updates as soon as they’re available.” Then select “Check for Updates” to download and install the April non-security preview release.In some cases, features may be provided via a separate update.
If you’ve been unfortunate enough to scroll through TikTok lately, the algorithm may have convinced you that cortisol, your body’s main stress hormone, is ruining your life.
Yes, according to social media content creators, stress is giving you a repulsive “cortisol belly” and puffing up your sad “cortisol face.” And, of course, this is what’s holding us all back from achieving the full influencer, ideal dream life. If it weren’t for my raging cortisol levels, I’m sure I’d be knee-deep in Lamborghinis and beating off admirers with a stick by now.
But is there any scientific evidence behind the cortisol craze? After all, this is just the latest in a long line of reasons social media has given us to believe we are inferior to the living gods of TikTok. Or maybe, just maybe, this is another grift designed to harvest likes, sell dodgy merch and drive engagement. Surely not.
Cortisol is a natural hormone produced by your adrenal glands, located just above your kidneys. For millennia, humans have relied on cortisol – in fact, we can’t survive without it. Most of the time, it helps regulate our daily rhythms and behaviour.
And yes, it’s true that stress (whether caused by an approaching sabre toothed tiger or having a high-pressure job) rapidly and reliably triggers cortisol release. But this isn’t bad. Cortisol isn’t trying to ruin your summer body, it’s trying to keep you alive and give you the energy to run or fight.
So yes, cortisol has its downsides – but then again, so does everything in excess. Even TikTok.
Research shows that people with sustained high cortisol levels tend to store more fat in the abdominal area and around the face. This was first described nearly a century ago – in 1932, by neurosurgeon Harvey Cushing (don’t bother looking him up, he’s not on socials).
But this applies to Cushing’s disease, a rare medical disorder. The cortisol released from everyday stress doesn’t even come close to the levels or duration seen in Cushing’s.
Also, let’s not pretend your face or belly fat is solely cortisol’s fault. Fat distribution is the result of a complex mix of genetics, diet, sleep, exercise and hormones. Blaming one hormone for everything is like blaming the rise of air fryers for global warming.
Chill out about cortisol
If you’re genuinely concerned about stress or its effects on your health, I have good news: you don’t need to buy anything or follow the “cortisol detox” advice of social media influencers.
Here are some stress-reducing tips. They are simple. They are boring. And they work:
“Cortisol belly” and “cortisol face” might sound catchy, but they reduce incredibly complex biological processes into bite-sized insecurities. Social media’s obsession with cortisol isn’t about health, it’s about content and clicks.
Stress is real, but don’t let a billionaire influencer who wakes up at 3:53am to mainline turmeric tell you your face is “hormonal” and your stomach is “inflamed”.
You don’t need to fix yourself with trendy hacks. Just put the phone down and chill. Which, ironically, might be the most effective cortisol-lowering advice of all.
Craig Doig has received funding from The Physiological Society, Society for Endocrinology and the Defence Medical Services.
India has taken the highly significant step of suspending the 1960 Indus waters treaty, which governs water sharing with Pakistan, as part of its response to the April 22 terrorist attack in Kashmir that killed at least 26 people.
India’s foreign secretary, Vikram Misri, said that “the Indus Waters Treaty of 1960 will be held in abeyance with immediate effect, until Pakistan credibly and irrevocably abjures its support for cross-border terrorism”.
India holds Pakistan responsible for the attack, and has responded by putting in place several other measures including telling Pakistani nationals to leave the country.
The attack happened in Pahalgam in the part of Kashmir controlled by India. Both India and Pakistan claim the region, which has been the site of several military conflicts since 1947 and a long-running insurgency since the 1990s.
The thorny question of shared rivers — a legacy of the partition of India and Pakistan at independence from British rule in 1947 — is now entangled with the larger, and escalating, dispute between the counties.
A formal letter from India’s water resources ministry cited both “sustained cross border terrorism by Pakistan” and Pakistan’s refusal to renegotiate the terms of the treaty as key reasons for its suspension.
The treaty suspension could harm Pakistani agriculture in the short term, and seriously disrupt downstream irrigation water supplies to farmers. Significantly, the decision abruptly changes the treaty’s status from an agreement that has been largely (if not fully) insulated from the decades-long conflict between India and Pakistan.
The 1960 treaty splits the management of the transnational Indus River basin between the two countries. India gained full rights over the Ravi, Beas and Sutlej, three tributaries of the Indus River known collectively as the eastern rivers. Pakistan gained most of the rights over three western rivers – the Indus main stem and two more tributaries, the Jhelum and Chenab.
More recently, growing disagreement has stemmed from India’s right to build some hydropower plants on the western rivers. Pakistan has objected to Indian project designs, arguing that they breach the terms of the treaty. India has accused Pakistan of intransigence in blocking its projects.
Since 2023, when India demanded amendments to the treaty, the two countries have held inconclusive talks. The suspension of the treaty is a new move, but also a logical development of increasing bilateral tensions over the treaty, which was kept separate from security issues for decades.
Indian politicians threatened to reduce water supplies to Pakistan in response to terrorist attacks in 2016 and 2019. The threat to punish Pakistan is likely to play well in India while public shock and anger over the attack is fresh. It also distracts attention from questions about possible Indian intelligence failures.
But previous threats stopped short of putting the Indus waters treaty into abeyance, so the suspension now needs to be taken seriously.
The impact will vary depending on how long it lasts. With the treaty suspended, India could change the way it operates existing water-control infrastructure on the western rivers.
Its engineers could flush sediment out of the reservoir of the upstream Kishenganga hydroelectric project and then refill the reservoir over a period of days. Previously, under the treaty, this could only be done during the peak monsoon period when water levels are highest.
It could now happen earlier, refilling reservoirs just when downstream farmers in Pakistan, who depend heavily on river water for irrigation, need a plentiful supply at the beginning of the crop-sowing season. India could also stop sharing water-flow data with Pakistan, making it harder for the latter to plan the management of its own hydropower and flood-control infrastructure.
Longer term, India could construct bigger projects on the western rivers that do not need to comply with the Indus waters treaty’s restrictions, more seriously reducing water availability in Pakistan. It would take years, though, for India to build these projects.
What does India hope to gain?
India stands to gain from using the treaty as leverage. The demand that Pakistan “abjure its support for cross-border terrorism” holds the resumption of water cooperation hostage to progress on a wider point of bilateral conflict, and strengthens India’s hand in renegotiating the treaty.
Internationally, treaty suspension may seem a comparatively measured response by India. Other forms of signalling displeasure, such as nuclear posturing, are too reputationally risky for a country that has worked hard to project itself as a responsible nuclear-armed state.
But Indian leaders will be aware that stopping the flow of the Indus waters is a potential red line for Pakistan and that Indian decisions about water sharing could goad Pakistan into nuclear threats.
India’s decision to suspend the water treaty has already predictably pushed Pakistan to make a subtle nuclear threat on April 24. It suggested that blocking or diverting water allocated to Pakistan under the treaty would be an “act of war,” and that it would consider the “complete spectrum of national power” as a response.
An escalation of rhetoric has already ensued between the two countries, with Pakistan announcing that it would “exercise the right to hold all bilateral agreements with India… in abeyance”, including the Simla agreement that ended the 1971 war between India and Pakistan.
Fears of escalation
There are fears that the current crisis could follow the path of the dangerous escalation seen in 2019, when Indian prime minister, Narendra Modi, authorised an airstrike on Pakistani soil following a terror attack that killed dozens of Indian security personnel. Pakistan responded with airstrikes on Indian-administered Kashmir before both sides found a way to deescalate the situation.
Today, the US, a traditional mediator between these two nations at crisis moments, may play a hands-off role. However, new facilitators such as China, Saudi Arabia and the UAE seemingly played a part in winding down tensions in 2019, and could step in again.
On concluding the Indus waters negotiations in 1960, then Indian prime minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, spoke of the treaty as “a happy symbol not only in this domain of the use of the Indus valley waters, but in the larger co-operation between the two countries”. The logic is now reversed. The current Indian government has woven water sharing and conflict back together.
Daniel Haines has received funding from United Kingdom Research and Innovation (UKRI) for his work on South Asian history and water politics via a British Academy Postdoctoral Fellowship and an AHRC-ESRC-FCO Knowledge Exchange Fellowship.
Kate Sullivan de Estrada 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 Jordanian authorities have banned the Muslim Brotherhood, the largest opposition movement in the kingdom, in a major new crackdown. On Wednesday April 23, security forces raided Brotherhood offices, confiscating assets and property, and outlawed all of the group’s activities.
One week earlier, 16 Brotherhood members were arrested for allegedly plotting attacks on targets inside Jordan using rockets and drones. The Brotherhood, whose members Jordanian interior minister Mazen al-Faraya says “operate in the shadows and engage in activities that could undermine stability and security”, has denied any links to the attack plots.
The ban on the Brotherhood, an Islamist movement that wants a greater role for religion in public life, comes at a time when the Jordanian government is facing intense pressure over the war in Gaza.
The Brotherhood organised months of demonstrations in solidarity with Palestinians. It has also been vocal in its support for the Palestinian armed group Hamas, and has demanded the cancellation of Jordan’s peace treaty with Israel.
At the same time, Jordan’s King Abdullah II has come under heavy pressure from the Donald Trump administration in the US to resettle Palestinians from the occupied Gaza Strip and West Bank. If he were to agree, the move would risk being seen as a betrayal of the Palestinian cause.
The Jordanian authorities have had an uneasy relationship with the Brotherhood since the late 1980s, when the kingdom’s political system opened up. They have looked to curb its influence.
In 2016, the Brotherhood’s headquarters in the capital, Amman, was closed and its assets were transferred to a new organisation called the Association of the Society of the Muslim Brotherhood, known as the “permitted” Muslim Brotherhood. As ideological splits emerged in the movement, the authorities have tried to exploit internal divisions.
The latest crackdown represents a striking repressive turn. It marks a shift away from containing the movement to excluding it from public life.
Yet the Brotherhood remains popular. In September 2024, the Islamic Action Front, the political party affiliated with the movement, surprised observers by winning parliamentary elections. It took 31 seats in the 138-seat parliament, securing victory in constituencies across the country in its best election performance in more than three decades.
Its success was largely down to the Brotherhood’s demonstrations in support of Palestinians. These demonstrations resonated in Jordan, where around half the population is of Palestinian origin. The party also benefited from changes in the electoral laws prior to the election, which gave more weight to political parties and less to independent candidates.
But under Jordan’s authoritarian system, the king holds most of the power, especially in internal security and foreign affairs. The palace tightly controls political life. So the Islamic Action Front was not invited to join the new government, which is made up of pro-monarchy parties.
The key question now is whether the authorities will also ban the Islamic Action Front, despite its electoral gains.
Conflict with the crown
Even before the latest crackdown, Islamists in Jordan feared a confrontation with the authorities. Many suspected the palace wanted to close the Brotherhood movement and leave a weakened party that might be more easily contained.
During a visit to Jordan shortly after the elections in September, one senior Islamic Action Front figure told me: “They [the monarchy] just want a party in a superficial form. A party without any presence.”
Although the Brotherhood had been under pressure, it was still able to operate most of its activities. Senior party members even took part in a royal committee on “political modernisation” in 2021, which drew up reforms to change the electoral laws to strengthen political parties.
Yet many in the Brotherhood feared a confrontation with the palace was coming. One senior Brotherhood figure told me in October 2024: “The Brotherhood is a vast, widespread organisation with a social and a political presence. A clash between the state and the Brotherhood would have negative effects on society and on the legitimacy of the political system.”
Jordan’s Brotherhood is not alone in facing a crisis. Other Islamist organisations across the region are experiencing political setbacks, more than a decade after the 2011 Arab Spring uprisings seemed to offer them new opportunities.
In Tunisia, where a democratic transition has been sharply reversed since 2021, dozens of leaders from the Islamist Ennahda party have been jailed.
The arrests were part of a broad wave of repression against regime critics, including politicians, judges, lawyers and human rights activists. Ennahda, which spent a decade in government between 2011 and 2021, has suffered internal splits.
In Morocco, the Justice and Development party, an Islamist party which also spent a decade in government from 2011, suffered a heavy defeat in the most recent elections in 2021.
The party’s losses were partly a result of restrictions at the time of the vote. These included new rules about how seats were apportioned and the fact that some party candidates were disqualified from running.
But the losses were also because of internal disputes after Prime Minister Saadeddine Othmani signed a normalisation agreement with Israel in 2020 to avoid a confrontation with the monarchy, which controls foreign affairs.
In Kuwait, parliament was suspended in 2024 because the ruling emir, Sheikh Meshal al-Ahmad al-Sabah, complained about political gridlock. This kept all opposition parties, including Islamists, out of the political process. And in Algeria, Islamist parties have been co-opted or marginalised since the bitter civil war of the 1990s.
Opinion polls show that many people in the Middle East want to see a significant role for religion in public life. But rulers across the region are increasingly wary of Islamist parties, which want not only to introduce a more conservative social agenda but to challenge undemocratic regimes.
Rory McCarthy receives funding for his academic research from the British Academy and the Leverhulme Trust.
Source: The Conversation – UK – By Dafydd Townley, Teaching Fellow in US politics and international security, University of Portsmouth
Throughout the 2024 presidential election campaign, Donald Trump denied claims he intended to shape his second administration’s policies around Project 2025, the Heritage Foundation’s blueprint for a renewed conservative America. But despite his repeated denials, Trump 2.0 has adopted much of Project 2025 into the White House’s agenda.
The Heritage Foundation, the right-wing Washington think tank which published Project 2025, has provided policy guidance for Republican presidents since the Reagan administration. Despite the foundation’s longevity, Project 2025 has met with opposition from many quarters.
The 900-page publication, Mandate for Leadership: the Conservative Promise, was published in 2023. It went largely under the radar until Democrats and civil liberty champions established Stop Project 2025 during the presidential campaign. Essentially, Project 2025 consists of policy recommendations for each department of the executive branch.
The project has several broad objectives. It aims to reassert presidential power by removing federal agencies’ independence and appointing political loyalists rather than career civil servants. It sets out to dismantle the administrative state by cancelling initiatives and projects that do not match conservative aims.
It reinforces traditional conservative family values and rolls back on LGBTQ+ and reproductive rights. It removes regulatory constraints aligned with climate and environmental protections and weakens consumer protection laws. And it calls for increased deportations of illegal aliens and the imposition of harsh immigration restrictions.
Even before he had taken office, Trump and his team sought to replace career-long specialists in federal agencies with those that matched his own beliefs. His transition team used Project 2025 to guide its appointment of officials for the forthcoming administration. Reports quoting insiders within Trump’s team say that the team consulted a database of Trump loyalists created by the Heritage Foundation to fill vacancies.
Contributors to Project 2025 were also appointed to key roles. These have included including border tsar, Tom Homan, and CIA director John Ratcliffe. Brendan Carr, the Trump-appointed chairman of the Federal Communications Committee, wrote a chapter of Project 2025 on the committee.
The principal author of Project 2025, Russ Vought, has been appointed as director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) – the nerve centre of the federal government’s expenditure. Vought’s influence within the administration has led one journalist to call him “the real mastermind behind Trump’s imperial presidency”.
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The alignment of Trump’s policy decisions and Project 2025’s objectives continued after he was inaugurated on January 20. The raft of executive orders issued by Trump during the first few weeks reflected many of Project 2025’s ambitions.
CNN analysed the 53 executive orders signed by Trump in his first week as president and concluded that 36 of those orders mirrored proposals within the Heritage Foundation’s brief. The alignment spread across numerous departments.
Trump’s controversial reciprocal tariffs on US imported goods match Project 2025’s desire for free trade and its belief that the World Trade Organization’s most favoured nation principle is unfair. Although both Trump tariffs and Project 2025 have a foundation in economic nationalism, Trump has favoured a broad and aggressive approach compared to Project 2025’s more targeted aims.
The savings to federal expenditure proposed by Doge, the unofficial Department of Government Efficiency led by Elon Musk, are also broadly covered within the paper. A theme running throughout Project 2025 is ensuring value for taxpayers by reducing unnecessary government expenditure.
But while a large amount of Project 2025 has already been incorporated into the administration’s policies, there is still a significant number of recommendations and initiatives that remain to be implemented.
What’s still to come?
While Trump has already ended the use of federal taxpayer dollars to fund or promote elective abortion through Executive Order 14182, Project 2025 calls for stronger initiatives to support a pro-life position by threatening to withhold funding to states if they fail to adhere to new guidelines. These penalties could be incurred through states failing to report to the Center for Disease and Control Prevention (CDC) data on how many abortions take place within the state, for example.
The administration has also not yet matched Project 2025’s calls for increasing the defence budget to 5% of GDP. Earlier this month, however, Trump and his defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, promised that their next budget proposal would include a $1 trillion defence budget. Hegseth posted on X that the money would be spent on ‘lethality and readiness.’
Trump’s recent criticisms of the refusal by Federal Reserve chair, Jerome Powell, to lower interest rates might suggest that he agrees with Project 2025’s criticism of the Federal Reserve and its recommendation that it be abolished. But the market’s negative reaction to Trump’s attack on Powell looks likely to end any prospect of eradicating the Fed.
Perhaps a greater concern to Americans is Project 2025’s designs for social security. As part of the focus on fiscal stability, the authors of Project 2025 have recommended that the retirement age be increased from 67 to 69. Social security reforms have been discussed by the administration but yet to be put into place.
When questioned, Republican legislators have stopped short of telling constituents that Social Security is safe from change. After all, Trump maintained that he has no plans to either reduce social security payments or increase the retirement age.
However, just this week, Trump and Doge have announced cuts to the Social Security Administration (SSA), the body that administers payments. This has led to concerns for the former SSA director, Martin O’Malley, who suggested that the cuts would mean that future payments of vital benefits might be delayed.
Where the administration turns next is unclear. There are hundreds of policy recommendations within the 900-page document, some of which have been implemented in full, others only in part.
Nonetheless, Project 2025 has acted as a blueprint for much of the new Trump administration’s policies, even though the White House has shown some reluctance to incorporate all of the recommendations within the project.
There are signs, however, that the administration has not yet finished with Project 2025 and that the conservative wishlist continues to influence the administration’s policymaking decisions.
Dafydd Townley does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Jennifer McClellan (Virginia 4th District)
Washington, D.C. –Today, Congresswoman Jennifer McClellan (VA-04)announced the winners of the Second Annual Women of Excellence Awards. The awards recognize outstanding women or women’s organizations residing, studying, working, or serving Virginia’s Fourth District that have made a profound impact on the district and have meaningfully contributed to their communities.
“I am excited to recognize the work these incredible women have done to make Virginia’s Fourth District a better place,”said Congresswoman McClellan. “Women shaped our Commonwealth — and our nation — from the beginning, even when they have gone unseen and unnoticed. This year’s award recipients uplift our communities every day. They inspire me and remind us all that women can achieve.”
Businesswoman of the Year – Monica Mueller
Monica Mueller is Chief Strategy Officer of Softensity, a leading provider of software development and IT consulting services. As Softensity’s EVP, she spent five years transforming multiple departments, leveraging technology to streamline operations and improve performance.
Non-Profit of the Year – Little Hands VA
Little Hands Virginia’s mission is to ensure children in Central Virginia have essentials from birth to improve outcomes for life. They support families by providing items, like diapers, pack n’ plays for safe sleep, and strollers, to children newborn to three years old in need in Central Virginia.
The Women of Impact in Education Award – Kayla Diaz
Kayla Diaz is a Spanish-language interpreter for Colonial Heights Public Schools. While serving as a family resource coordinator at Colonial Heights Public Schools, she successfully advocated for the creation of a dedicated interpreter position translating conversations between school staff and families with developing English skills.
Women in Action Volunteer Award – Fatima Smith
Fatima M. Smith is the founder of FMS Speaks, LLC, a platform through which she facilitates crucial conversations within institutions, government, and educational settings. She has committed herself to interpersonal violence prevention, child advocacy and more.
The Dr. Gladys West Women in STEM Award – Pamela Bingham
Pamela R. Bingham is a “social impact” environmental engineer and currently the Operations Manager for The Health, Environmental, and Economic Justice Lab in the University of Maryland School of Public Health.
Law and Government Champion Award – Gray Montrose
Gray Montrose is currently the Deputy Director of Land Conservation with the Capital Region Land Conservancy, a nonprofit land trust currently stewarding over fifteen thousand acres of priority forest, farm, and park land in central Virginia. Her role involves providing legal counsel to the organization and providing critical support to the development of new projects.
Media and Communications Champion Award – Claudia Massey
Claudia R. Massey is the co-founder of Patience for Patients, LLC, a non-medical homecare agency that provides personal care and companionship services to the geriatric population. She is a columnist forDiva Dynasty Magazine, a best-selling author, a radio host, and a TV host at Preach the Word Worldwide Network where she serves as their brand ambassador.
Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Gus Bilirakis (FL-12)
Washington, D.C. – Representatives Gus Bilirakis (R-FL), Congressman Paul Tonko (D-NY), Dan Crenshaw (R-TX), Ro Khanna (D-PA), Scott Peters (D-CA) and Sam Liccardo (D-CA) are proud to announce the re-launch of the Congressional Caucus for Longevity Science. The Longevity Science Caucus aims to educate Members about the growing field of aging and longevity biotechnology, and to promote initiatives aimed at increasing the healthy average lifespan of all Americans. As the population continues to age, proactive investment can significantly reduce the long-term economic and healthcare burdens on society. By investing in research that delays aging and prevents chronic diseases, the government can promote healthier citizens, lower healthcare costs, and extend the productive years of life. Supporting longevity science is a forward-thinking strategy that benefits both individuals and the broader economy.
Congressman Bilirakis serves as a senior Member on the House Energy and Commerce Committee and is a Co-Chair of this Caucus along with Representative Tonko. Bilirakis noted, “Increasing life expectancy and promoting positive health outcomes are important priorities, and the formation of this caucus is an important step toward achieving those goals. I believe in promoting individual responsibility and supporting innovation in the pursuit of scientific discoveries that will enable Americans to live happier and longer lives. I am honored to co-chair this bipartisan effort with my colleague, Congressman Tonko. We will work with our colleagues in an effort to make a significant impact on the future health and wellness for our constituents.”
Tonko, who is also a member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, added, “With life expectancy in the United States at its lowest in decades, we in Congress need to come together to address this decline and support science and research that will enable people to live fuller and healthier lives. We’re doing just that with the Longevity Caucus. I am grateful for the partnership of Congressman Bilirakis in leading this Caucus and look forward to working in strong bipartisan fashion to help improve our quality and longevity of life, particularly in the fight against neurodegenerative diseases with aging as the greatest risk factor.”
Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Jimmy Panetta (D-Calif)
Monterey, CA – On Earth Day,United States Representative Jimmy Panetta (CA-19) authored and introduced the Central Coast of California Conservation Act of 2025. This legislation would prohibit any new leasing for the exploration, development, or production of oil or natural gas in the Central California Planning Area, which extends all along California’s 19th Congressional District, including from the northern border of San Luis Obispo County to the northern border of Santa Cruz County. The bill would ensure protections up to Mendocino County. Rep. Panetta introduced this legislation as part of a collaborative, coordinated package of bills to permanently protect the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans from the dangers of fossil fuel drilling.
As this Administration attempts to repeal environmental protections, the Central Coast of California Conservation Act would take proactive action to protect California’s 19th Congressional District’s coastal economies and marine ecosystems. These waters are teeming with biodiversity, boasting at least 26 marine mammal species, 94 seabird species, four sea turtle species, more than 340 fish species, thousands of invertebrate species, and more than 450 marine algae species. California’s coast supports tourism, recreation, agriculture, fisheries, and shipping, contributing $44 billion to California’s GDP each year.
“Our oceans, economy, and way of life of coastal communities in California’s 19th Congressional District must continue to be protected from any effort to expand offshore oil and gas drilling,” said Rep. Panetta. “The Central Coast of California Conservation Act would prevent new drilling before it starts, protecting the biodiversity of our waters and the businesses and communities that rely on them. On Earth Day, and every day, we must take action to ensure we are living up to the legacy of our home to protect the incredible beauty and bounty that our ocean provides for the next generation.”
U.S. coastal counties support 54.6 million jobs, $10 trillion in goods and services, and pay $4 trillion in wages. Under President Joe Biden, more than 625 million acres of U.S. ocean waters were permanently protected from offshore oil and gas drilling. This Administration is trying to roll back those protections, attempting to illegally reopen those same areas to drilling. The first Trump Administration proposed a sweeping plan to open 47 offshore oil and gas lease areas across nearly every U.S. coastline, from California to New England.
“Monterey Bay Aquarium applauds our California representatives for consistently championing the protection of our ocean and our coastal communities from the devastating impacts of oil pollution and offshore oil development,” said Monterey Bay Aquarium Executive Director Julie Packard. “Californians experienced too many times the heartbreaking impacts of these spills and know that thriving coastal communities and their economies depend on a healthy, vibrant ocean. These important bills would enshrine in law the essential protections from the hazards of offshore drilling and take decisive action on behalf of the people of California.”
“California’s spectacular marine life — including complex kelp forests and charismatic sea otters — and vibrant coastal economies rely on healthy ecosystems. This legislation could, once and for all, block offshore drilling activities along the continental shelf, and protect critical marine habitats along California’s iconic Pacific Coast,” said Defenders of Wildlife California Program Director Pamela Flick.
Rep. Panetta introduced this legislation as part of a suite of offshore drilling legislation alongside House Natural Resources Ranking Member Jared Huffman (CA-02), House Energy and Commerce Ranking Member Frank Pallone (NJ-07), Senators Alex Padilla (D-CA), Cory Booker (D-NJ), and Jack Reed (D-RI), and five other United States Representatives. Additional legislation includes:
The West Coast Ocean Protection Act (Rep. Huffman)
The COAST Anti-Drilling (Rep. Pallone)
The Florida Coast Protection Act (Rep. Castor)
New England Coastal Protection Act of 2025 (Rep. Magaziner)
Defend our Coast Act (Rep. Ross)
California Clean Coast Act of 2025 (Rep. Carbajal)
Southern California Coast and Ocean Protection Act (Rep. Levin)
“It’s time to end the threat of expanded drilling off America’s coasts forever,” said Oceana Campaign Director Joseph Gordon. “Oceana applauds these Congressional leaders for reintroducing pivotal legislation that would establish permanent protections from offshore oil and gas drilling for millions of acres of ocean. Earth Day is an important reminder that every coastal community deserves healthy oceans and oil-free beaches. This bill is part of a national movement to safeguard our multi-billion-dollar coastal economies from dirty and dangerous offshore drilling. Congress must swiftly pass these bills into law and reject any expansion of drilling to protect our coasts.”
“Protecting these waters puts coastal communities and wildlife above polluters and brings us closer to a world where our waters are free from oil spills, endangered whale populations are free from seismic blasting, and local economies can thrive,” said NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council) Director of Ocean Energy Taryn Kiekow Heimer. “Now more than ever, we need leadership from Congress to protect our oceans from an industry that only cares about its bottom line – and a Trump administration willing to do anything to give those oil billionaires what they want.”
“We believe our coasts are far too valuable to risk for short-term fossil fuel gains,” said Save Our Shores Executive Director Katie Thompson. “Permanently protecting offshore areas from oil and gas leasing is a critical step toward safeguarding marine ecosystems, coastal communities, and our climate future. These bills reflect the will of the people to prioritize ocean health and long-term sustainability over polluting industries of the past.”
“This suite of legislation is a critical move to safeguard our marine resources against Trump and his Big Oil agenda,” said Center for Biological Diversity ocean specialist Rachel Rilee. “It’s been 15 years since the Deepwater Horizon oil disaster devastated coastlines and killed hundreds of thousands of marine animals. Our oceans and the incredible ecosystems they support are counting on us. Congress must pass these bills and then get right back to work protecting marine life and coastal communities from every manmade danger and every Republican attack.”
“Fifteen years ago this week, the Deepwater Horizon spill dumped 210 million gallons of oil into the ocean; and with every new offshore oil and gas lease, we’re gambling with the possibility of another disaster,” said Ocean Conservancy senior director of climate policy Anna-Marie Laura. “This suite of bills will help protect American waters, from Alaska to Florida, from the daily leaks, massive spills, and extreme air and water pollution that comes with offshore oil and gas drilling. Ocean Conservancy implores Congress to listen to the voices of millions of Americans who want to end offshore oil and gas production and move toward responsible, renewable energy sources, and pass these bills.”
A 17-year-old boy has been jailed for life for murdering teenager Deshaun James-Tuitt.
The boy, who cannot be named for legal reasons was previously found guilty on Wednesday, 5 February following a trial at the Old Bailey.
On Friday, 25 April, a judge at the same court jailed the teenager for life, with a minimum term of 15 years in prison.
Just before 21:00hrs on Thursday, 4 August 2022, officers encountered the victim in Highbury Fields, Islington. He ran towards them, saying: “Officer, I’ve been stabbed.”
Despite the efforts of emergency services to save him, Deshaun, 15 died in hospital later that night.
On the night he died, Deshaun had been at a birthday celebration at Highbury Fields with a large group of friends.
The defendant – then aged 15 – travelled with a group of boys to the park on public transport. He wore a face covering, and was armed with a knife. His journey was documented on CCTV footage obtained by investigating officers.
The defendant was seen robbing people in the park, resulting in an argument between him and Deshaun. The boy then stabbed Deshaun before running from the scene. A murder investigation was launched within Met Police’s Specialist Crime Command.
Detective Chief Inspector Joanna Yorke, of the Met’s Specialist Crime Command said:
“We carried out extensive CCTV enquiries in a bid to identify the youth who had travelled to Highbury Fields that night. Identifying him was a long and complex task.”
“The boy was arrested on Wednesday, 10 August, 2022. A mobile phone was forensically downloaded and investigators recovered a chat from 8 August 2022, where he spoke of stabbing ‘Huntz’ – Deshaun’s nickname.
DCI Yorke added: “The boy denied stabbing Deshaun, but it was clear that he had travelled to Highbury Fields that night, with a covered face, armed and looking for trouble.
“There is no verdict that can give Deshaun back to his family. I sincerely hope that they find some comfort in today’s verdicts – my thoughts are with them.”
The maternal side of Deshaun’s family said: “He [the victim] was my firstborn, and he would have been 18 years old. All my friends that I went to school with have their firstborn children – except me. To the person involved in the stabbing and taking his life: he didn’t deserve to die like that. I had a mental breakdown, and I will never be able to get over this.
“I want you to know that Deshaun was a son, a brother, a grandson, a great grandson, a nephew and a cousin to so many on both sides of the family, so I want you to realise that he was a valuable member of our family. We won’t forgive or forget.
“Deshaun, you can now rest in peace. Hopefully, justice will be served. Not only is Deshaun’s life lost, they who have done the crime will serve the time.”
Source: US International Brotherhood of Boilermakers
Boilermakers have voted to ratify a tentative agreement with the National Carriers’ Conference Committee (NCCC) with 82% voting in favor of the agreement. The union also ratified the CSX agreement with a vote of 72%.
The National Railway Labor Conference (NRLC) is an association representing all U.S. Class I freight railroads and many smaller freight and passenger lines. Through its NCCC, the NRLC leads national negotiations with the 12 major rail labor organizations.
Director of Railroad Services John Mansker said that just leaves two railroads to vote on, Union Pacific and Canadian Pacific Kansas City.
TULSA, Okla. – Eight Guatemalan nationals were indicted in court for allegedly being paid to smuggle illegal aliens into the United States from Guatemala, Mexico, and other countries in Central or South America, including Asia. The activity is alleged to have occurred over the past four years. Once across the Mexico border, the defendants would further help conceal and harbor aliens illegally across more than 24 states.
“For the past four years, this illegal alien smuggling group has operated and laundered proceeds in the Northern District of Oklahoma,” said U.S. Attorney Clint Johnson. “These defendants would not be in custody today without federal and state law enforcement working collaboratively, with prosecutors across the United States. The arrest and ongoing investigation surrounding these Guatemalan Nationals, and their conspirators not only protects the citizens in the Northern District of Oklahoma but also further protects lawful citizens across the United States.”
“ICE is committed to pursuing human smugglers regardless of their location or attempts to evade arrest,” said Travis Pickard, Special Agent in Charge of ICE Homeland Security Investigations Dallas. “This indictment indicates the extensive nature of our human smuggling investigations and role in immigration enforcement. HSI’s special agents across several field offices have worked relentlessly to trace those transporting and harboring aliens from their countries of origin to their final destinations, effectively dismantling their illegal smuggling operations and money laundering schemes.”
Cidia Marleny Lima Lopez, 39, and Ottoniel Castro Argueta, 33, were arrested today in Charlotte, North Carolina; Veronica Maribel Lima Lopez, 33, and Esvin Alexander Rodriguez Luis, 26, were arrested in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; Ariz Obdulio Argueta, 28, and Cesar Rodolfo Garcia Argueta, 20, were arrested in Clarksville, Arkansas; Pedro Cucul Gualna, 25, was arrested in Sallisaw, Oklahoma; Carlos Enrique Ramos Caal, 30, was arrested in Flagstaff, Arizona. All are charged with conspiring to bring, transport, and conceal aliens in the United States.
Ottoniel Castro Argueta and Cidia Marleny Lima Lopez are further charged with engaging in monetary transactions with the proceeds from the conspiracy.
During the investigation, law enforcement discovered that the aliens being helped across the border did not have prior authorization to enter and reside in the United States. Once inside the United States, the defendants would help harbor the aliens in Oklahoma, Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Illinois, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, Missouri, Nebraska, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, and Washington.
The indictment alleges that several associates in Central and South America accepted various forms of payment from the aliens to be brought into the United States illegally. While the investigation is still ongoing, the indictment shows that aliens paid roughly $5,000 per alien to enter the United States. Proceeds from the illegal aliens were laundered through mobile applications and banks across the United States, including the Northern District of Oklahoma.
The Tulsa, Oklahoma City, Dallas, Flagstaff, and Charlotte Homeland Security Investigations field offices; the Tulsa, McAlester and Greensboro, North Carolina Drug Enforcement Administration field offices; the Tulsa and Oklahoma City IRS field offices; the Tulsa and Oklahoma City U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Removal Operations field offices; and the U.S. Marshals offices in the Northern District of Oklahoma, Western District of Oklahoma, Eastern District of Oklahoma, the Middle District of North Carolina, and the Western District of Arkansas are investigating the case with the assistance of several state law enforcement agencies.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Adam McConney and David Nasar are prosecuting the case with assistance from the Eastern District of Oklahoma and the Western District of Oklahoma.
An indictment is merely an allegation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless convicted through due process of law.
This case was investigated and prosecuted as part of Operation Take Back America. The Homeland Security Task Force, which were established by President Trump in Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion, are joint operations led by the Department of Justice and the Department of Homeland Security. Operation Take Back America is a nationwide federal 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, 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 and Project Safe Neighborhood.
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.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A Kansas woman was indicted by a federal grand jury for interstate transportation of solen goods. Amanda Rutherford, 45, was indicted on one count of interstate transportation of stolen goods for traveling across the state line to sell stolen coins. Rutherford traveled to Missouri to sell over $100,000 in gold and silver coins that belonged to an elderly couple who resided in Kansas. The Dickinson County, Kansas Sheriff’s Office received a report in 2022 that several items, including firearms and collector coins, were stolen from the farm of an elderly couple. Rutherford lived on their property and claimed to be a caregiver for the couple. In early 2024, the Sheriff’s Office received a tip that Rutherford had sold gold coins to a jewelry store in Clay County, Missouri and had received several checks totaling $100,000. The Sheriff’s Office was able to confirm this information and served a search warrant on her vehicle soon after she cashed those checks at the bank. In conjunction with Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the Sheriff’s Office found newly purchased merchandise, the remainder of the bundled currency, and other coins belonging to the victims in the vehicle. The victims identified the remainder of the coins as part of those that were stolen from their farm in 2022. Under federal law, it is illegal to transport stolen goods across state lines. If convicted, Rutherford faces a prison sentence of up to 10 years and a fine of up to $250,000.
The charges contained in this indictment are simply accusations, and not evidence of guilt. Evidence supporting the charges must be presented to a federal trial jury, whose duty is to determine guilt or innocence.
This case is being prosecuted by Special Assistant United States Attorney Amanda Hanson. It was investigated by the Dickinson County, Kansas Sheriff’s Department and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).
Santos Filed Fraudulent FEC Reports, Embezzled Funds from Campaign Donors, Stole Identities, Charged Credit Cards Without Authorization, Obtained Unemployment Benefits Through Fraud, and Lied in Reports to the U.S. House of Representatives
Former Congressman George Anthony Devolder Santos was sentenced today by United States District Judge Joanna Seybert at the federal courthouse in Central Islip to 87 months in prison for committing wire fraud and aggravated identity theft. As part of the sentence, Santos was ordered to pay restitution to his victims in the amount of $373,749.97 and $205,002.97 in forfeiture. Santos pleaded guilty in August 2024.
John J. Durham, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York; Matthew R. Galeotti, Head of the Department of Justice’s Criminal Division; Christopher G. Raia, Assistant Director in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office (FBI); Harry T. Chavis, Jr., Special Agent in Charge, Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation, New York (IRS-CI New York); and Anne T. Donnelly, Nassau County District Attorney announced the sentence.
“Today, George Santos was finally held accountable for the mountain of lies, theft, and fraud he perpetrated. For the defendant, it was judgment day, and for his many victims including campaign donors, political parties, government agencies, elected bodies, his own family members, and his constituents, it is justice,” stated U.S. Attorney Durham. “To Mr. Santos and other dishonest individuals of that ilk, who lie, steal identities and commit frauds to get elected to public office, this prosecution speaks to the truth that my Office is committed to aggressively rooting out public corruption and that public officials who criminally abuse our electoral process will end up in a federal prison.”
Mr. Durham expressed his appreciation to the U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General and the New York State Department of Labor, for their assistance.
FBI Assistant Director in Charge Raia stated, “Today, former United States Congressman George Santos is held accountable for his repeated criminal dishonesty – financing his election campaign with ill-obtained funds, stealing COVID unemployment benefits, and providing materially false information in his financial disclosure. Santos abused his authority to garner illicit donations and campaign support; ultimately betraying the public’s trust and violating our democratic systems. May today’s sentencing emphasize the FBI’s continued commitment to dismantling any fraudulent scheme designed to unlawfully benefit those in positions of power.”
“George Santos blatantly disregarded campaign finance laws and abused the trust of his constituents and contributors. While he may have made a mockery of his position in public office, today’s sentencing is justice for those he has wronged. CI New York proudly worked with the Eastern District of New York, the FBI and Nassau County DA’s office to ensure that Santos faces the consequences of his years of deception,” stated IRS-CI New York Special Agent in Charge Chavis.
“George Santos spent his brief career in public service conning his donors and constituents until the deceit caught up to him and he was exposed as an opportunist and a fraud. Today’s lengthy prison sentence is a just ending for a weaver of lies who believed he was above the law,” stated Nassau County District Attorney Donnelly. “Being elected to represent any community is accepting a solemn responsibility and a position of great trust. George Santos failed the people he was elected to represent in Nassau County and Queens. He broke that trust and traded in his integrity for designer clothes and a luxury lifestyle. I will continue to work with my partners to root out public corruption and ensure that the crucial standards to which we hold our elected officials and public institutions are upheld.”
The counts to which Santos pled guilty relate to the following criminal scheme, as set forth in the superseding indictment:
The Party Program Scheme
During the 2022 election cycle, Santos was a candidate for the United States House of Representatives in New York’s Third Congressional District. Nancy Marks, who pleaded guilty on October 5, 2023 to related conduct, was the treasurer for his principal congressional campaign committee, Devolder-Santos for Congress. During this election cycle, Santos and Marks devised and executed a fraudulent scheme to obtain money for the campaign by submitting materially false reports to the Federal Election Commission (FEC), in which they inflated the campaign’s fundraising numbers for the purpose of misleading the FEC, a national party committee, and the public.
The purpose of the scheme was to ensure that Santos and his campaign qualified for a program administered by the national party committee to provide financial and logistical support to Santos’s campaign. To qualify for the program, Santos had to demonstrate, among other things, that his congressional campaign had raised at least $250,000 from third-party contributors in a single quarter.
To create the public appearance that his campaign had met that financial benchmark and was otherwise financially viable, Santos and Marks agreed to falsely report to the FEC that at least 11 of their family members had made significant financial contributions to the campaign. In fact, Santos and Marks both knew that these individuals had neither made the reported contributions nor given authorization for their personal information to be included in such false public reports. In addition, Santos and Marks knew that the national party committee relied on FEC fundraising data to evaluate candidates’ qualification for the program, and agreed to falsely report to the FEC that Santos had loaned the campaign significant sums of money, when, in fact, Santos had not made the reported loans and, at the time the loans were reported, did not have the funds necessary to make such loans. These falsely reported loans included one for $500,000 when in fact Santos had less than $8,000 in his personal and business bank accounts.
Through the execution of this scheme, Santos and Marks ensured that Santos met the necessary financial benchmarks to qualify for the program administered by the national party committee. As a result of qualifying for the program, the congressional campaign received significant financial support.
As part of his plea agreement, Santos stipulated that he had engaged in the following additional criminal conduct, as set forth in the superseding indictment and other court filings, and agreed that this criminal conduct would be considered by the Court at the time of sentencing:
The Credit Card Fraud Scheme
Between approximately July 2020 and October 2022, Santos devised and executed a fraudulent scheme to steal the personal identity and financial information of contributors to his campaign. He then repeatedly charged contributors’ credit cards without their authorization. Because of these unauthorized transactions, funds were transferred to Santos’s campaign, to the campaigns of other candidates for elected office, and to his own bank account. To conceal the true source of these funds and to circumvent campaign contribution limits, Santos falsely represented in FEC filings that some of the campaign contributions were made by other persons, such as his relatives or associates, rather than the true cardholders. Santos did not have authorization to use their names in this way. In furtherance of the scheme, Santos sought out victims he knew were elderly persons suffering from cognitive impairment or decline.
Fraudulent Political Contribution Solicitation Scheme
Beginning in September 2022, during his successful campaign for Congress, Santos operated a limited liability company (Company #1) through which he defrauded prospective political supporters. Santos enlisted a Queens-based political consultant (Person #1) to communicate with prospective donors on Santos’s behalf. Santos directed Person #1 to falsely tell donors that, among other things, their money would be used to help elect Santos to the House, including by purchasing television advertisements. In reliance on these false statements, two donors (Contributor #1 and Contributor #2) each transferred $25,000 to Company #1’s bank account, which Santos controlled.
Shortly after the funds were received into Company #1’s bank account, the money was transferred into Santos’s personal bank accounts—in one instance laundered through two of Santos’s personal accounts. Santos then used much of that money for personal expenses. Among other things, Santos used the funds to make personal purchases, including of designer clothing, to withdraw cash, to discharge personal debts, and to transfer money to his associates.
Unemployment Insurance Fraud Scheme
Beginning in approximately February 2020, Santos was employed as a Regional Director of a Florida-based investment firm (Investment Firm #1). By late March 2020, in response to the outbreak of COVID-19 in the United States, new legislation was signed into law that provided additional federal funding to assist out-of-work Americans during the pandemic.
In mid-June 2020, although he was employed and not eligible for unemployment benefits, Santos applied for government assistance through the New York State Department of Labor (NYS DOL), claiming falsely to have been unemployed since March 2020. From that point until April 2021—during which time Santos was working and receiving a salary on a near-continuous basis, and throughout his first unsuccessful run for Congress—he falsely affirmed each week that he was eligible for unemployment benefits when he was not. As a result, Santos fraudulently received more than $24,000 in unemployment insurance benefits.
False Statements to the House of Representatives
Santos, like all candidates for the House, had a legal duty to file with the Clerk of the United States House of Representatives a Financial Disclosure Statement (House Disclosures) before each election. In his House Disclosures, Santos was personally required to give a full and complete accounting of his assets, income, and liabilities, among other things. He certified that his House Disclosures were true, complete, and correct.
In September 2022, in connection with his second campaign for election to the House, Santos filed a House Disclosure in which he vastly overstated his income and assets. In this House Disclosure, he falsely certified that during the reporting period:
He had earned $750,000 in salary from the Devolder Organization LLC, a Florida‑based entity of which Santos was the sole beneficial owner;
He had received between $1,000,001 and $5 million in dividends from the Devolder Organization LLC;
He had a checking account with deposits of between $100,001 and $250,000; and
He had a savings account with deposits of between $1 million and $5 million.
These assertions were false: Santos had not received from the Devolder Organization LLC the reported amounts of salary or dividends and did not maintain checking or savings accounts with deposits in the reported amounts. Further, Santos failed to disclose that, in 2021, he received approximately $28,000 in income from Investment Firm #1 and more than $20,000 in unemployment insurance benefits from the NYS DOL.
The government’s case is being handled by the Office’s Public Integrity Section and the Criminal Section of the Office’s Long Island Division, along with the Public Integrity Section of the Department of Justice’s Criminal Division. Assistant United States Attorneys Ryan Harris, Anthony Bagnuola, and Laura Zuckerwise, along with Trial Attorney John Taddei, are in charge of the prosecution, with assistance from Paralegal Specialists Rachel Friedman and Dinora Orozco.
The Defendant:
GEORGE ANTHONY DEVOLDER SANTOS Age: 36 Queens, New York
The Met is preparing for a busy weekend across London with a number of parallel public and ceremonial events, sporting fixtures and protests.
Officers will be deployed both in central London and across the city in communities and at key venues.
Saturday sees events to mark St George’s Day, the first of two FA Cup semi-finals, boxing at the Tottenham Stadium and a pre-planned protest by Just Stop Oil in Westminster.
Sunday will see thousands of runners take part in both the mini marathon and the full London Marathon, as well as the second FA Cup semi-final.
Deputy Assistant Commissioner Andy Valentine, who is leading the policing operation this weekend, said: “This is the sort of weekend where London comes to life as millions make plans to enjoy the city and the many events taking place.
“Our role is to provide a reassuring presence, to ensure that events and other gatherings take place safely and securely, and to respond to any incidents or offences.
“Where we’re dealing with protest we will intervene decisively if individuals cross the line into criminality. We will be keeping a close eye on any attempt to cause serious disruption and dealing swiftly with those intent on doing so.
“I’d like to remind anyone attending an event this weekend to stay alert and keep your eyes and ears open. Report anything that doesn’t feel right, no matter how insignificant it might be, to a steward or an officer. If you’re in any doubt, please act.
“I would like to thank the police officers and other members of the emergency services who will be on duty over the coming days. They are there to keep you safe. If you need help or have any concerns, please don’t hesitate to speak to them.”
Further information on how to watch the London Marathon, including details of transport options, can be found in this guide for spectators.
Marc H. Silverman, Acting United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that CANYON BEASLEY, 21, of Gresham, Oregon, waived his right to be indicted and pleaded guilty today before U.S. District Judge Sarah F. Russell in Bridgeport to a child exploitation offense involving his engaging in an online relationship and unlawful sexual activity with a minor in Connecticut.
According to court documents and statements made in court, beginning in approximately January 2023, Beasley began communicating with a minor victim in Connecticut primarily through text messaging and Snapchat. In July 2023, he began requesting sexually explicit images and videos from the minor victim. In August 2023, he learned that the minor victim was 13 years old. For more than a year, Beasley and the minor victim exchanged sexually explicit images through these online platforms. In June 2024, Beasley traveled to Connecticut to engage in sexual activity with the minor victim, and recorded the sexual activity using his phone.
Beasley was arrested on September 30, 2024.
Beasley pleaded guilty to receipt of child pornography, which carries a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of five years and a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years.
Beasley is released on a $250,000 bond pending sentencing, which is not scheduled.
This matter is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation with the assistance of the Cheshire Police Department and the Connecticut State Police. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher Lembo.
This prosecution is part of the U.S. Department of Justice’s Project Safe Childhood Initiative, which is aimed at protecting children from sexual abuse and exploitation. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
LEXINGTON, Ky. – A Mexican national residing in Kentucky, Miguel Angel Paez-Aguinaga, 53, was sentenced on Friday to 54 months in prison by U.S. District Judge Karen Caldwell, for one count of conspiracy to produce fraudulent identification documents and two counts of aggravated identity theft.
According to his plea agreement, Paez-Aguinaga conspired with others, through social media applications and texts, to make fraudulent Social Security cards, state ID cards, and U.S. Permanent Resident Alien cards. Paez-Aguinaga frequently used improperly obtained means of identification that he knew belonged to real people. Paez-Aguinaga would then send these cards out via the U.S. mail to recipients in other states, and hand deliver sets of cards for individuals without legal status to use for employment purposes. In return, the recipients paid him in cash or through Zelle payments. Paez-Aguinaga admitted that from October 1, 2022, until his arrest in July 2024, he produced and transferred over 100 sets of fraudulent identification documents. Paez-Aguinaga admitted to receiving more than $233,000 from the fraudulent scheme during that same time period.
Under federal law, Aguinaga 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 three years. Aguinaga was also ordered to pay a $233,433.67 money judgement.
Paul McCaffrey, Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky; Lesley Allison, Special Agent in Charge, United States Postal Inspection Service, Pittsburgh Field Division; and Gail Ennis, Inspector General, Social Security Administration – Office of the Inspector General, jointly announced the sentence.
The investigation was conducted by USPIS and SSA-OIG. Assistant U.S. Attorney Emily Greenfield prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States.
TYLER, Texas – Two former laboratory sales executives were sentenced to federal prison for conspiring to violate the Anti-Kickback Statute, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Abe McGlothin, Jr.
Stephen Kash, 51, of Winnie, was sentenced to 18 months in federal prison and ordered to forfeit $779,773.70 in criminal proceeds. Courtney Love, 46, of Dallas, was sentenced to 12 months and one day in federal prison and ordered to forfeit $217,268.75 in criminal proceeds. The sentences were imposed by U.S. District Judge Jeremy D. Kernodle on April 24, 2025.
On September 22, 2022, Christopher Grottenthaler, 46, of Dorado, Puerto Rico; Blake Whitaker, 54, of Frisco; Stephen Kash; Chrissy Alfaro, 39, of Frisco; Courtney Love; Charles Dickens, 45, of Beaumont; Marty Flores, 67, of Montgomery; and Frederick Brown, 52, of Missouri City, were indicted for conspiring to commit illegal remunerations in violation of the Anti-Kickback Statute. The statute prohibits offering, paying, soliciting, or receiving remuneration to induce referrals of items or services covered by Medicare, Medicaid, and other federal health care programs. The defendants were charged for their roles in a conspiracy through which physicians were incentivized to make referrals to rural hospitals and an affiliated lab in exchange for kickbacks which were disguised as investment returns; and in which marketers were incentivized to arrange for or recommend the ordering of services from rural hospitals and an affiliated lab.
Two rural Texas hospitals, Little River Healthcare (LRH) based in Rockdale, and Stamford Memorial Hospital based in Stamford, partnered with True Health Diagnostics (THD), a clinical laboratory based in Frisco, Texas, that specialized in advanced cardiovascular lipid testing. For a fee, THD processed the blood tests while the hospitals billed the tests to insurers as hospital outpatient services, with the hospitals charging insurers a much higher rate than THD could receive as a clinical laboratory. The hospitals utilized a network of marketers who in turn operated management services organizations (MSOs) that offered investment opportunities to physicians throughout the State of Texas. In reality, the MSOs were simply a means to facilitate payments to physicians in return for the physicians’ laboratory referrals. Pursuant to the kickback scheme, the hospitals paid a portion of their laboratory revenues to marketers, who in turn kicked back a portion of those funds to the referring physicians who ordered THD tests. THD executives and sales force personnel leveraged the MSO kickbacks to gain and increase referrals and, in turn, to increase their revenues, bonuses, and commissions.
On July 14, 2022, Kash was also indicted for conspiring to commit money laundering for his involvement in a conspiracy to launder the proceeds of the kickback conspiracy.
This case was investigated by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General, and the U.S. Department of Defense – Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS) with assistance from the U.S. Secret Service and the U.S. Department of Commerce – Export Enforcement. It was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Adrian Garcia, Nathaniel C. Kummerfeld, Lucas Machicek, and Robert Austin Wells.
The conspirators used stolen personally identifiable information from identity theft victims located in Maryland
Greenbelt, Maryland – Today, U.S. District Judge Deborah K. Chasanow sentenced Jerome Brown, 42, of Detroit, Michigan, to five years in federal prison for his role in laundering money stolen from federal and North Carolina state-tax refunds. Additionally, Brown was ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $604,889.64. On January 28, 2022, Brown pled guilty to conspiracy to commit money laundering.
Kelly O. Hayes, U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland, announced the sentence with Special Agent in Charge Kareem A. Carter, Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI), Washington, D.C. Field Office; Special Agent in Charge Matt McCool, U.S. Secret Service (USSS) – Washington Field Office; Joseph V. Cuffari, Inspector General for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS-OIG); and Acting Special Agent in Charge Colleen Lawlor, Social Security Administration (SSA-OIG) Office of Inspector General – Philadelphia Field Division.
In his guilty plea, Brown acknowledged that from February through August 2020, he conspired with individuals in Nigeria and Michigan to launder wire-fraud proceeds. The co-conspirators placed the wire-fraud proceeds on Green Dot pre-paid debit cards. Brown laundered the fraudulent funds by depositing them into bank accounts and cashing them out through ATM withdrawals and purchasing money orders and cryptocurrency.
These fraudulent proceeds were comprised of stolen funds from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and the North Carolina Department of Revenue (NCDOR). The IRS and NCDOR administer federal and North Carolina state-revenue laws, respectively, and pay “tax refunds” to individuals who are entitled to them under the law. At the time, these funds could be paid onto pre-paid debit cards. Brown and his co-conspirators regularly cashed out these funds soon after the government agencies added funds to a card.
Through the fraudulent scheme, one of Brown’s co-conspirators, who was working from Nigeria, and others, caused funds to be placed on the pre-paid debit cards. The co-conspirators registered the cards with Green Dot using stolen personally identifiable information (PII) from identity theft victims around the country, including in Maryland.
Co-conspirators purchased the pre-paid debit cards in the United States and then sent the associated card information to the co-conspirator in Nigeria to receive the stolen government funds. The co-conspirators aided the fraudulent scheme by using stolen PII to file for false IRS tax refunds. Additionally, the co-conspirators applied for NCDOR tax refunds and state unemployment insurance payments.
The federal and state agencies then deposited the proceeds through ACH transfers directly onto the pre-paid debit cards. After the funds were placed onto the pre-paid debit cards, the co-conspirator in Nigeria informed others, including Brown, that the funds were available on the cards. In exchange for a commission, Brown and the other co-conspirators facilitated the cashing out of the cards and returned the remaining funds to the co-conspirator in Nigeria.
Brown and the other co-conspirators took steps to conceal their identities, the money laundering conspiracy, and scheme to defraud. The co-conspirators attempted to hide the fraudulent scheme by enlisting others to make withdrawals from the cards, withdrawing from multiple locations, converting funds into cash rather than depositing them into bank accounts, and making money orders payable to other individuals.
The defendant cashed out at least approximately $540,975.80 from pre-paid debit cards as part of the scheme. Brown kept approximately 40 percent of the proceeds, for a total of $216,390.36, and sent approximately $324,585.44 in Bitcoin to his co-conspirator in Nigeria. The co-conspirators used the pre-paid debit cards to apply for at least approximately $1,255,761 in benefits from the IRS and $588,716 in benefits from the NCDOR.
U.S. Attorney Hayes commended the IRS-CI, USSS, DHS-OIG, SSA-OIG, and U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS) – Detroit Division for their work in the investigation. Ms. Hayes also thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Elizabeth Wright and Darren Gardner who prosecuted the federal case.
