Washington, DC – A Baton Rouge, Louisiana, man added to the U.S. Marshals Service (USMS) 15 Most Wanted fugitive List in December 2023 remains at large, and the agency is offering up to $25,000 as a reward for information that leads investigators to his location.
Leethel White aka “Lee Lee,” 47, is wanted by the East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff’s Office for first-degree murder and attempted murder.
White is alleged to have shot two female associates at close range, killing one and severely injuring the other in a January 2016 incident in the Gardere area of Baton Rouge.
White is 5 feet 10 inches tall, weighs approximately 215 pounds, and has black hair and brown eyes. He has tattoos on both arms, his chest and his back. He should be considered armed and dangerous.
“I urge anyone with information that can help us find Mr. White or his remains and close this investigation to come forward and help us bring closure to the victims and their families,” said William Travis Brown Jr., U.S. Marshal for the Middle District of Louisiana.
While the USMS does not not usually offer rewards in cases in which the fugitive is deceased, in rare situations, if there is uncertainty about a fugitive’s status, the agency may offer a reward for information to confirm a death to close the case. Anyone with information regarding White’s whereabouts or the location of his remains is urged to contact the U.S. Marshals 24-hour tip line at 1-877-WANTED2 or send information via the USMS Tips App.
Created in 1983, the USMS 15 Most Wanted fugitive program draws attention to some of the country’s most dangerous and high-profile fugitives. These fugitives tend to be career criminals with histories of violence who pose a significant threat to public safety. Generally, 15MW fugitives are considered the “worst of the worst” and can include murderers, sex offenders, major drug kingpins, organized crime figures and individuals wanted for high-profile financial crimes. Since the program began in 1983, more than 250 15MW fugitive cases have been closed.
The USMS has a long history of providing assistance and expertise to other federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies in support of their fugitive investigations. Working with authorities at the federal, state, tribal, and local levels, USMS-led fugitive task forces arrested more than 74,000 fugitives and cleared nearly 89,000 warrants in FY 2024.
NEW YORK, Feb. 13, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — StepStone Group Inc. (Nasdaq: STEP), a leading global private markets investment firm responsible for approximately $698 billion in total capital, including $65 billion in private debt, announced it received approval to launch a Private Debt-based European Long-Term Investment Fund (“ELTIF”).
“As part of our continued expansion into the European private wealth market, this milestone marks yet another chapter in our story of delivering private markets strategies to more investors with the mission of convenience, efficiency, and transparency,” said Neil Menard, Partner and President of Distribution, StepStone Private Wealth. “With these approvals in place, we will now be able to deliver institutional-grade investments better tailored to the dynamics of European wealth platforms.”
ELTIFs are designed to channel investments in Europe that support economic growth and job creation. StepStone plans to initially market ELTIFs in Italy, Spain, Germany, France, and the Nordic and Benelux regions, focusing on investing in private credit assets in the European Union.
“We believe that this offering provides unique advantages and is very differentiated to all other solutions in the market. The Firm’s sourcing network can provide significant selectivity and diversification to investors in a market that is otherwise highly fragmented,” said Marcel Schindler, Head of StepStone Private Debt. “Both institutional and individual investors alike are seeking efficient solutions such as this one. StepStone is well positioned to meet these expectations.”
StepStone also received approval to convert their current RAIF funds into UCI Part II vehicles, allowing professional investors and semi-professional investors greater access to the private markets, including private equity, infrastructure, and real estate. Funds set to be converted include StepStone Private Markets Fund Lux (SPRIM Lux), StepStone Private Venture and Growth Fund Lux (SPRING Lux) and StepStone Private Infrastructure Fund Lux (STRUCTURE Lux). These funds are currently available on a variety of platforms, including Allfunds, FundsPlace, and offer a digital subscription through Goji.
About StepStone
StepStone Group Inc. (Nasdaq: STEP) is a global private markets investment firm focused on providing customized investment solutions and advisory and data services to its clients. As of December 31, 2024, StepStone was responsible for approximately $698 billion of total capital, including $179 billion of assets under management. StepStone’s clients include some of the world’s largest public and private defined benefit and defined contribution pension funds, sovereign wealth funds and insurance companies, as well as prominent endowments, foundations, family offices and private wealth clients, which include high-net-worth and mass affluent individuals. StepStone partners with its clients to develop and build private markets portfolios designed to meet their specific objectives across the private equity, infrastructure, private debt and real estate asset classes.
RYE, N.Y., Feb. 13, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — The Board of Directors of The Gabelli Multimedia Trust Inc. (NYSE:GGT) (the “Fund”) reaffirmed and satisfied its 10% distribution policy by declaring a $0.22 per share cash distribution payable on March 24, 2025 to common stock shareholders of record on March 17, 2025.
The Fund intends to pay a minimum annual distribution of 10% of the average net asset value of the Fund within a calendar year or an amount sufficient to satisfy the minimum distribution requirements of the Internal Revenue Code for regulated investment companies. The average net asset value of the Fund is based on the average net asset values as of the last day of the four preceding calendar quarters during the year. The net asset value per share fluctuates daily.
Each quarter, the Board of Directors reviews the amount of any potential distribution from the income, realized capital gain, or capital available. The Board of Directors will continue to monitor the Fund’s distribution level, taking into consideration the Fund’s net asset value and the current financial market environment. The Fund’s distribution policy is subject to modification by the Board of Directors at any time, and there can be no guarantee that the policy will continue. The distribution rate should not be considered the dividend yield or total return on an investment in the Fund.
All or part of the distribution may be treated as long-term capital gain or qualified dividend income (or a combination of both) for individuals, each subject to the maximum federal income tax rate for long term capital gains, which is currently 20% in taxable accounts for individuals (or less depending on an individual’s tax bracket). In addition, certain U.S. shareholders who are individuals, estates or trusts and whose income exceeds certain thresholds will be required to pay a 3.8% Medicare surcharge on their “net investment income”, which includes dividends received from the Fund and capital gains from the sale or other disposition of shares of the Fund.
If the Fund does not generate sufficient earnings (dividends and interest income, less expenses, and realized net capital gain) equal to or in excess of the aggregate distributions paid by the Fund in a given year, then the amount distributed in excess of the Fund’s earnings would be deemed a return of capital. Since this would be considered a return of a portion of a shareholder’s original investment, it is generally not taxable and would be treated as a reduction in the shareholder’s cost basis.
Long-term capital gains, qualified dividend income, investment company taxable income, and return of capital, if any, will be allocated on a pro-rata basis to all distributions to common shareholders for the year. Based on the accounting records of the Fund currently available, the current distribution paid to common shareholders in 2025 would be deemed 100% from paid-in capital on a book basis. This does not represent information for tax reporting purposes. The estimated components of each distribution are updated and provided to shareholders of record in a notice accompanying the distribution and are available on our website (www.gabelli.com). The final determination of the sources of all distributions in 2025 will be made after year end and can vary from the quarterly estimates. Shareholders should not draw any conclusions about the Fund’s investment performance from the amount of the current distribution. All individual shareholders with taxable accounts will receive written notification regarding the components and tax treatment for all 2025 distributions in early 2026 via Form 1099-DIV.
Investors should carefully consider the investment objectives, risks, charges, and expenses of the Fund before investing. For more information regarding the Fund’s distribution policy and other information about the Fund, call:
Carter Austin (914) 921-5475
About The Gabelli Multimedia Trust The Gabelli Multimedia Trust Inc. is a non-diversified, closed-end management investment company with $198 million in total net assets whose primary investment objective is long-term growth of capital. The Fund is managed by Gabelli Funds, LLC, a subsidiary of GAMCO Investors, Inc. (OTCQX: GAMI).
NYSE: GGT CUSIP – 36239Q109
Investor Relations Contact: Carter Austin (914) 921-5475 caustin@gabelli.com
Source: United States Senator for Colorado John Hickenlooper
Legislation will cut reliance on China for critical materials essential to our national security, energy, and emerging tech
WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senator John Hickenlooper, Lindsey Graham, Chris Coons, and Todd Young reintroduced the bipartisan Critical Materials Future Act to establish a pilot program for the Department of Energy to financially support domestic critical material processing projects.
“American energy independence is a bipartisan goal,” said Hickenlooper. “The U.S. could be a global leader in critical materials, but we need to shore up our domestic supply chains to strengthen our national security. Let’s get to work.”
“China maintains dominant control over critical mineral processing, which poses significant risks to our national security. It’s important for us to build better and more resilient processing capabilities here at home,” said Graham.
“Critical minerals are essential to manufacturing the most advanced energy and defense technologies, but the production, processing, and recycling of these materials is dominated by China,” said Coons. “This bipartisan bill will spur the investment we need to regain American control of our critical mineral supply chains.”
“Our reliance on global supply chains for critical materials poses a significant national security threat, especially as the Chinese Communist Party continues to manipulate this market,” said Young. “Our bill will take innovative steps to identify opportunities for American leadership and investment in critical material projects, strengthen domestic supply chains, and boost our economic and global competitiveness.”
The U.S. critical minerals list contains 50 minerals – including graphite, nickel, and cobalt – that are essential to our economy, infrastructure, and military capability. Critical minerals are used in smartphones, electric vehicle batteries, solar panels, wind turbines, and more.
This December, China announced that they would immediately block the export of three critical minerals: gallium, germanium, and antimony to the U.S. China currently controls 90% of the global processing capacity for rare earth elements and over 80% of the processing for other critical minerals like cobalt, gallium, and graphite. Experts have become increasingly concerned with U.S. dependence on China for critical materials, arguing it poses a significant risk to national security.
The Critical Materials Future Act supports critical material processing projects in the United States by granting the Secretary of Energy the authority and funding to deploy innovative financial mechanisms, such as contracts for differences and advanced market commitments, within this sector.
The bill also requires the Secretary of Energy to conduct a comprehensive study on the impact of these financial tools on market dynamics and processing projects within the critical materials sector, and to provide recommendations for expanding their use to strengthen America’s processing capabilities.
In the 119th Congress, Hickenlooper has reintroduced his bipartisan STRATEGIC Minerals Act to foster critical minerals trade with our international allies, and the bipartisan Unearth Innovation Act to establish a DOE program for critical minerals innovation.
The Critical Materials Future Act is supported by the Colorado School of Mines, the Bipartisan Policy Center, the National Wildlife Federation, the Society for Mining, Metallurgy, and Exploration, the Key Minerals Forum, Citizens for Responsible Energy Solutions, Employ America, MineTech Ventures, Alta Resource Technologies, the Chamber of Progress, U.S. Critical Minerals, Nyrstar, the Alabama Mobility and Power Center (University of Alabama), South32 Hermosa, Alliance for Mineral Security, South Star Battery Metals Corp, the American Critical Minerals Association, and the Federation of American Scientists. For their statements of support, click HERE.
Full text of the Critical Materials Future Act is available HERE. A one-pager explanation on this bill is available HERE.
Source: United States Senator for Colorado John Hickenlooper
Unearth Innovation Act would create a Department of Energy program to drive responsible domestic critical mineral production, develop our energy workforce
WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senators John Hickenlooper and Thom Tillis reintroduced their bipartisan Unearth Innovation Act to spur American innovation and drive responsible production of domestic critical minerals with less environmental impact.
“We need critical minerals for our clean energy future and national security, but we can’t rely on China or others for them,” said Hickenlooper. “U.S. research and innovation will set a global example for critical minerals sourcing and help develop our energy workforce of tomorrow.”
“This legislation promotes innovative technologies that will make mining safer, cleaner, and more efficient,” said Tillis. “By collaborating with agencies and experts, we can create high-quality jobs, enhance safety, and equip the next generation with the skills and training needed to strengthen our critical minerals supply chains.”
The legislation would establish a Mining and Mineral Innovation Program within the Department of Energy (DOE) to increase research, development, and commercialization of advanced mining, recycling, and processing technologies that would reduce environmental and human impacts.
The U.S. critical minerals list contains 50 minerals – including graphite, nickel, and cobalt – that are essential to our economy, infrastructure, and military capability. Critical minerals are used in smartphones, electric vehicle batteries, solar panels, wind turbines, and more. Currently, the U.S. is largely dependent on China for importing these minerals, which creates supply chain instability and threats to national security.
Specifically, the Unearth Innovation Act would:
Support research and development of technologies for identifying, mining, recycling, and processing minerals and to reclaim, remediate, and reuse existing mines
Promote responsible mining practices that minimize human and environmental impact
Engage with communities and consult with tribal nations to support strategies to increase the prosperity of mining communities
Allow DOE to coordinate with federal agencies on mining safety innovations
Partner with academic institutions and the mining industry to accelerate new mining technologies and create a pipeline into the critical minerals workforce
In the 119th Congress, Hickenlooper has reintroduced his bipartisan STRATEGIC Minerals Act to foster critical minerals trade with our international allies and the bipartisan Critical Materials Future Act to establish a pilot program to finance domestic critical minerals production.
The Unearth Innovation Act is supported by the Colorado School of Mines, the Bipartisan Policy Center, the National Wildlife Federation, the Society for Mining, Metallurgy, and Exploration, SAFE’s Center for Critical Minerals Strategy, the Key Minerals Forum, the Zero Emission Transportation Association, Citizens for Responsible Energy Solutions, Employ America, MineTech Ventures, Alta Resource Technologies, the Chamber of Progress, U.S. Critical Minerals, Nyrstar, the Alabama Mobility and Power Center (University of Alabama), South32 Hermosa, Alliance for Mineral Security, South Star Battery Metals Corp, the American Critical Minerals Association, and the Federation of American Scientists. For their statements of support, click HERE.
A one-pager explanation of the bill can be found HERE.
Full text of the bill is available HERE.
Montpelier, Vt. – Governor Phil Scott and the Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) today announced $4,764,010 in Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funding to benefit 15 projects in 14 communities. Projects include supporting the creation of the regional Orange County Parent Child Center in Randolph, renovating the Abenaki Nation of Missisquoi headquarters in Swanton which includes a food pantry that serves the entire region, and increasing home ownership services provided by the Windham and Windsor Housing Trust.
“These investments are transformational for rural Vermont and will help revitalize communities,” said Governor Phil Scott. “Without this support, many of these projects would not get across the finish line. I want to thank our Congressional delegation for their support of this important program.”
There is a total of nine of the projects that will receive a CDBG grant:
Town of Braintree– Subgrant to Green Mountain Economic Development Corporation to develop property in Randolph to become Orange County Parent Child Center which will accommodate 88 childcare slots, workforce training, education, and other services.
Town of Hardwick– Subgrant to Heartbeet Lifesharing, Inc. to hire at least three full-time staff to support three Vermonters living with developmental and/or physical impairment.
Town of Randolph– Subgrant to Randolph Area Community Development Corporation for design and rehabilitation of 25 existing affordable housing units and construction of seven at three different properties.
Town of Swanton– Subgrant to Maquam Bay of Missisquoi to renovate the Abenaki Nation of Missisquoi’s headquarters in Swanton. The building serves all members of the public with cultural and community services, programs and events including the Abenaki Food Pantry, health and wellness workshops, and preservation and enrichment of indigenous cultural knowledge.
Town of Bennington– Subgrant to Shires Housing for integration, technical expertise, and coordination necessary for the merger of Shires Housing, Housing Trust of Rutland County, and NeighborWorks of Western Vermont.
Town of Fair Haven– Planning feasibility study to determine if a vacant industrial building can be redeveloped so it can again produce HUD approved Manufactured Homes.
Town of Hancock– Conduct feasibility study, develop architectural and engineering plans for construction of housing, and conduct an environmental review at 50 Taylor Meadow.
Town of Stowe– Subgrant to Downstreet Housing & Community Development to plan for the merger of the Lamoille Housing Partnership and Downstreet Housing and Community Development.
Town of West Rutland– Subgrant to NeighborWorks of Western Vermont to fund merger of Housing Trust of Rutland County, NeighborWorks of Western Vermont, and Shires Housing in Bennington.
Click here for a full list of awards.
Six other projects which received CDBG funding in the past are awarded CDBG Enhancement grants in this round. For more details about these latest awards and previous CDBG grants,please visit the DHCD website.
CDBG is funded by U.S. Housing and Urban Development and administered by the Vermont Community Development Program at DHCD. Seventy percent of CDBG funds must primarily benefit low- and moderate-income households.
RYE, N.Y., Feb. 13, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — The Board of Trustees of The Gabelli Dividend & Income Trust (NYSE:GDV) (the “Fund”) approved the continuation of its policy of paying fixed monthly cash distributions. The Board of Trustees declared cash distributions of $0.14 per share for each of April, May, and June 2025.
The Board of Trustees increased the annual distribution 27% to $1.68 per share, which will be paid $0.14 per share monthly, commencing with the January 2025 monthly distribution.
Distribution Month
Record Date
Payable Date
Distribution Per Share
April
April 15, 2025
April 23, 2025
$0.14
May
May 15, 2025
May 22, 2025
$0.14
June
June 13, 2025
June 23, 2025
$0.14
Additionally, the Board of Trustees continues to evaluate potential strategic opportunities for the Fund in what we believe to be an attractive environment to invest in the broader equity markets.
Each quarter, the Board of Trustees reviews the amount of any potential distribution from the income, realized capital gain, or capital available. The Board of Trustees will continue to monitor the Fund’s distribution level, taking into consideration the Fund’s net asset value and the financial market environment. If necessary, the Fund will pay an adjusting distribution in December which includes any additional income and net realized capital gains in excess of the monthly distributions for that year to satisfy the minimum distribution requirements of the Internal Revenue Code for regulated investment companies. The Fund’s distribution policy is subject to modification by the Board of Trustees at any time, and there can be no guarantee that the policy will continue. The distribution rate should not be considered the dividend yield or total return on an investment in the Fund.
All or part of the distribution may be treated as long-term capital gain or qualified dividend income (or a combination of both) for individuals, each subject to the maximum federal income tax rate for long term capital gains, which is currently 20% in taxable accounts for individuals (or less depending on an individual’s tax bracket). In addition, certain U.S. shareholders who are individuals, estates or trusts and whose income exceeds certain thresholds will be required to pay a 3.8% Medicare surcharge on their “net investment income”, which includes dividends received from the Fund and capital gains from the sale or other disposition of shares of the Fund.
If the Fund does not generate sufficient earnings (dividends and interest income, less expenses, and realized net capital gain) equal to or in excess of the aggregate distributions paid by the Fund in a given year, then the amount distributed in excess of the Fund’s earnings would be deemed a return of capital. Since this would be considered a return of a portion of a shareholder’s original investment, it is generally not taxable and would be treated as a reduction in the shareholder’s cost basis.
Long-term capital gains, qualified dividend income, investment company taxable income, and return of capital, if any, will be allocated on a pro-rata basis to all distributions to common shareholders for the year. Based on the accounting records of the Fund currently available, each of the distributions paid to common shareholders in 2025 would include approximately 3% from net investment income, 4% from net capital gains and 93% would be deemed a return of capital on a book basis. This does not represent information for tax reporting purposes. The estimated components of each distribution are updated and provided to shareholders of record in a notice accompanying the distribution and are available on our website (www.gabelli.com). The final determination of the sources of all distributions in 2025 will be made after year end and can vary from the monthly estimates. Shareholders should not draw any conclusions about the Fund’s investment performance from the amount of the current distribution. All individual shareholders with taxable accounts will receive written notification regarding the components and tax treatment for all 2025 distributions in early 2026 via Form 1099-DIV.
Investors should carefully consider the investment objectives, risks, charges, and expenses of the Fund before investing. For more information regarding the Fund’s distribution policy and other information about the Fund, call:
Carter Austin (914) 921-5475
About The Gabelli Dividend & Income Trust The Gabelli Dividend & Income Trust is a diversified, closed-end management investment company with $3.0 billion in total net assets whose primary investment objective is to provide a high level of total return with an emphasis on dividends and income. The Fund is managed by Gabelli Funds, LLC, a subsidiary of GAMCO Investors, Inc. (OTCQX: GAMI).
NYSE – GDV CUSIP – 36242H104
THE GABELLI DIVIDEND & INCOME TRUST
Investor Relations Contact: Carter Austin (914) 921-5475 caustin@gabelli.com
RYE, N.Y., Feb. 13, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — The Board of Trustees of The Gabelli Global Small and Mid Cap Value Trust (NYSE:GGZ) (the “Fund”) declared a $0.16 per share cash distribution payable on March 24, 2025 to common shareholders of record on March 17, 2025.
The Fund intends to pay a quarterly distribution of an amount determined each quarter by the Board of Trustees. In addition to the quarterly distributions, and in accordance with the minimum distribution requirements of the Internal Revenue Code for regulated investment companies, the Fund may pay an adjusting distribution in December which includes any additional income and net realized capital gains in excess of the quarterly distributions for that year.
Each quarter, the Board of Directors reviews the amount of any potential distribution from the income, realized capital gain, or capital available. The Board of Directors will continue to monitor the Fund’s distribution level, taking into consideration the Fund’s net asset value and the current financial market environment. The Fund’s distribution policy is subject to modification by the Board of Directors at any time, and there can be no guarantee that the policy will continue. The distribution rate should not be considered the dividend yield or total return on an investment in the Fund.
All or part of the distribution may be treated as long-term capital gain or qualified dividend income (or a combination of both) for individuals, each subject to the maximum federal income tax rate for long term capital gains, which is currently 20% in taxable accounts for individuals (or less depending on an individual’s tax bracket). In addition, certain U.S. shareholders who are individuals, estates or trusts and whose income exceeds certain thresholds will be required to pay a 3.8% Medicare surcharge on their “net investment income”, which includes dividends received from the Fund and capital gains from the sale or other disposition of shares of the Fund.
If the Fund does not generate sufficient earnings (dividends and interest income, less expenses, and realized net capital gain) equal to or in excess of the aggregate distributions paid by the Fund in a given year, then the amount distributed in excess of the Fund’s earnings would be deemed a return of capital. Since this would be considered a return of a portion of a shareholder’s original investment, it is generally not taxable and would be treated as a reduction in the shareholder’s cost basis.
Long-term capital gains, qualified dividend income, investment company taxable income, and return of capital, if any, will be allocated on a pro-rata basis to all distributions to common shareholders for the year. Based on the accounting records of the Fund currently available, the current distribution paid to common shareholders in 2025 would be deemed 100% from paid-in capital on a book basis. This does not represent information for tax reporting purposes. The estimated components of each distribution are updated and provided to shareholders of record in a notice accompanying the distribution and are available on our website (www.gabelli.com). The final determination of the sources of all distributions in 2025 will be made after year end and can vary from the quarterly estimates. Shareholders should not draw any conclusions about the Fund’s investment performance from the amount of the current distribution. All individual shareholders with taxable accounts will receive written notification regarding the components and tax treatment for all 2025 distributions in early 2026 via Form 1099-DIV.
Investors should carefully consider the investment objectives, risks, charges, and expenses of the Fund before investing. For more information regarding the Fund’s distribution policy and other information about the Fund, call:
Bethany Uhlein (914) 921-5546
About The Gabelli Global Small and Mid Cap Value Trust The Gabelli Global Small and Mid Cap Value Trust is a diversified, closed-end management investment company with $136 million in total net assets whose primary investment objective is to achieve long-term capital growth of capital. Under normal market conditions, the Fund will invest at least 80% of its total assets in equity securities (such as common stock and preferred stock) of companies with small or medium sized market capitalizations. The Fund is managed by Gabelli Funds, LLC, a subsidiary of GAMCO Investors, Inc. (OTCQX: GAMI).
Headline: Progress and lessons learned on the road to 2030 climate goals
2025 is a notable year in the world’s continued efforts toward a more sustainable future. It marks the five-year countdown to 2030, the end of the timeline for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). 2025 will also be the 30thconvening of the UN Climate Change Conference—also known as COP30—and it is taking place in Brazil, both a symbolically and strategically important nation in the world’s fight against climate change and environmental degradation.
It is also a notable year for Microsoft. In addition to celebrating the 50thanniversary of our company’s founding, it is the midpoint of our own sustainability journey. In 2020 we announced our ambitions to be carbon negative, water positive, and zero waste by 2030, all while protecting ecosystems. We have made tremendous progress over the past five years, and we are proud of what we’ve accomplished. We’ve also learned lessons along the way, lessons that constantly inform and shape our path toward 2030 and beyond.
The goals that we set in 2020 reflected what we believed we needed to do in order to help push the world toward a net-zero economy. I joined Microsoft on this journey two years ago—becoming our Chief Sustainability Officer in January 2023—and I continue to be impressed by the work of employees across the company in their relentless pursuit of these goals.
In June 2020, we announced our largest power PPA to date at the time—a 500MW PPA with Sol Systems. Today, we are one of the largest carbon-free energy buyers in the world, with a 34-gigawatt (GW) contracted renewable energy portfolio across 24 countries to date. We are bringing more carbon-free electricity onto the grids where we operate, and we continue to advocate for the expansion of clean energy solutions around the world.
A key component of our water positive goal is to replenish more water than we consume across our global operations. We’ve grown our replenishment portfolio to 90 projects in over 40 locations around the world.
On our journey to become zero waste, we’re finding opportunities to keep electronics in circulation. The repairability of our current portfolio of Surface devices has evolved significantly from our first field-repairable product in 2019. This is also true of Xbox,which recently announcedhow they’re working to expand the number of ways players can get support to repair their consoles and accessories.
We exceeded our land protection goal, with 15,849 acres of protected land and surpassed our initial target of 11,000 acres by more than 40%.
This is only a snapshot of the real progress we’ve made over the last 5 years. We have a longstanding commitment to sustainability, and our experience shows us that the investments and innovations we’ve focused on are good for our company, our customers, the economy, and our planet. Every investment has also been a learning opportunity, a chance to test our assumptions and adjust as needed.
While we are proud of these achievements, we know that our work is far from over, and that the path ahead has gotten harder. The world is not on track to meet critical climate goals and we see many of these challenges reflected in our own journey.
In 2020, Microsoft leaders referred to our sustainability goals as a “moonshot,” and nearly five years later, we have had to acknowledge that the moon has gotten further away. However, the force creating this distance from our goals in the short term is the same one that will help us build a bigger, faster, and more powerful rocket to reach them in the long term: artificial intelligence (AI). This is not hyperbole. Already, we are seeing AI make a positive impact on the planet, and in the coming years, this technology will begin to rapidly accelerate climate solutions at a scale we’ve not yet seen. In November 2023, we introduced ourAI and Sustainability Playbook, which highlights five foundational enabling conditions needed to unlock AI’s full transformative potential for accelerating sustainability progress. In January, weshared a reportthat highlights our progress and the innovations that have advanced each of those five pillars.
Building the AI economy of the future is a top priority for our business, but we are also in the business of sustainability. As CSO, it is my job to ensure that these dual mandates are working together.
To achieve this, we need to run our sustainability initiatives like we run the rest of our business: ensuring that our focus is on the highest-impact interventions that truly move the needle when it comes to planetary impact.
Carbon Neutrality
Microsoft announced that it was carbon neutral in 2012, several years ahead of our ambitious goal to be carbon negative by 2030. Microsoft’s prior years achieving carbon neutrality were based on a common combination of environmental attributes purchased with funds from our corporate-wide carbon fee and our overall carbon emissions reduction efforts. This is a prime example of where we have learned and adjusted along our journey. While we continue to apply the carbon fee to investments in emissions reductions, we have ceased purchasing non-additional, unbundled renewable energy certificates. We are refocusing the use of these funds on more long-term, higher-impact investments across carbon reduction, carbon removal, and clean electricity procurement. These interventions are expected to more effectively help us achieve our goal of becoming carbon negative by 2030 and may take us out of carbon-neutral position.
We will also continue to invest in innovative climate solutions through our $1BClimate Innovation Fund (CIF). Since launching the CIF in 2020, Microsoft has committed nearly $800M to solutions ranging from sustainable fuels and low-carbon building materials to carbon dioxide removal, water innovation, and circular economy technologies. We now have a portfolio of 63 investees that we’re helping to scale. Going forward, we will extend this strategy and continue to invest our capital to build new markets and increase the market supply of emerging sustainable technologies to address carbon, water, and waste.
We are proud to continue making decisions that drive positive environmental impact in the market and deliver high-integrity investments. We remain resolute in our commitment to our climate goals and to empowering others with the technology needed to build a more sustainable future.
In my first year with Microsoft, I wrote a piece on LinkedIn:Removing Roadblocks in the Race to Net Zero, where I compared reaching our sustainability goals to training for a marathon, noting that “it will take focus, planning, and perseverance to reach the finish line.” Today—and now two years into my role—I would like to add another comparison, to an African proverb that says the following: “If you want to travel fast, travel alone; if you want to travel far, travel together.”
In 2025, the moon is further away, so we all must travel together and do more if we are going to reach it. We will continue to work in close collaboration with our employees, customers, suppliers, industry peers, partners, and with policymakers to maximize our impact in pursuit of our shared goals.
Tags: COP30, net zero, sustainability, Sustainable Development Goals, UN Climate Change Conference
Now, 85 years later, many people know “Cap” best from his depiction in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). The first film to bring the character to the big screen was Captain America: The First Avenger, in 2011. The film establishes what is probably the best known iteration of Captain America, a mantle taken up by the second world war “super-soldier” Steve Rogers (Chris Evans).
Each iteration of Captain America correlates to the real US of their time. For Trump’s America, that iteration is played by Anthony Mackie. His MCU character, Sam Wilson, formerly known as Falcon, takes up the mantle in Avengers: Endgame (2019). Mackie now appears in his first standalone film in the role, Captain America: Brave New World.
Looking for something good? Cut through the noise with a carefully curated selection of the latest releases, live events and exhibitions, straight to your inbox every fortnight, on Fridays. Sign up here.
Joe Simon and Jack Kirby, the creators of Captain America, conceived him explicitly as the antithesis to Hitler. By draping Steve Roger in stars and stripes and giving him the name Captain America, their superhero became the symbol of a nation.
With his origins in the second world war, the Steve Rogers iteration of Captain America is a fairly uncomplicated piece of propaganda, representing the righteousness of the US and its fight against Nazism. Captain America is the archetype of the nationalist superhero. He’s embodiment of the nation state and therefore represents and defends the ideal version of it.
However, as cultural geographer Jason Dittmer points out in his book Captain America and the Nationalist Superhero (2013), the state and the nation are not necessarily the same thing. The state is the governmental apparatus while the nation is the identity of its people.
Erskine explains why Rogers was chosen as a super-solder.
This difference is articulated, to an extent, in Captain America: The First Avenger (2011). The creator of the super-soldier serum, Abraham Erskine (Stanley Tucci) explains that the weak, sickly Rogers was chosen to become the first super-soldier because he understands the value of power. Having never had it, Erskine argues, he would not be corrupted by it. Rogers is not a perfect soldier, but he is a good man and that is more important.
If we map this onto the US, the implication is that America as a nation is fundamentally good and just, and therefore separate from any potentially problematic policies set by America the state.
As Rogers’ arc progresses across successive movies, the character becomes increasingly disillusioned with state power and control. His relationship with his own identity as Captain America fluctuates, with his ambivalence often symbolised by his either giving up or reclaiming the shield.
Enter Sam Wilson
In one of the closing scenes of Avengers: Endgame (2019), an aged Steve Rogers passes his shield to Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie), the African-American superhero known as the Falcon.
In the world of the MCU, Captain America’s shield has never just been a shield – it is a symbol of heroism, of moral values and of “American-ness”. It can be read as a symbol of what America is, and what it could be.
Captain America: Brave New World is Anthony Mackie’s first standalone film in the role.
The legacy of Steve Rogers’ Captain America was explored in the TV show The Falcon and the Winter Soldier (2021). The series interrogated topics such as race, patriotism and American identity through the story arcs of two versions of Captain America: the Rogers-approved Wilson and the state-sponsored John Walker (Wyatt Russell). The series explores the concept of heroism and links it to questions of race.
In American Masculinities: A Historical Encyclopedia (2003), associate professor of American studies Holly Allen argues that: “The basis of American notions of both heroism and manliness has been a tension between virtuous devotion to a higher cause and the quest for personal achievement.”
This tension is palpably played out in the narrative arc of Rogers and in some ways resolved across the course of his films. His personal achievement (thanks to the super-soldier serum) is put in service of a higher cause, first during the second world war, later with the Avengers and finally in passing the shield to Wilson.
The state-sponsored shield
Despite his disillusionment, Rogers is positioned as being the living embodiment of the American dream, rather than a tool of the state. The same cannot be said of Walker, the white, blond, blue-eyed, highly decorated soldier selected to be the next Captain America by the US government.
Rogers’ Captain America was conceived of to fight against and be ideologically opposed to fascism. But Walker’s short-lived tenure sees him – with the backing of the “Global Repatriation Council” – carrying out raids on safe houses and refuges. He angrily demands that the people he is brutalising show him respect purely because he is Captain America.
Walker becomes, effectively, the public face of the Global Repatriation Council. Armed with the shield and dubbed the new “Star Spangled Man”, he embodies a particularly American brand of aggressive insertion into global politics. This can be interpreted as a critique of the positioning of America as “the world’s policeman”.
Wilson’s speech in The Falcon and The Winter Soldier.
During the show, Walker’s murder of an unarmed dissident brings his stint as Captain America to an end. The shield, mantle and title of Captain America therefore return to Wilson, whose climatic speech in the series’ finale articulates the hostility and judgment he faces as a black man wearing the stars and stripes.
During the recent promotional tour for Brave New World, Mackie stated that Captain America was a man with “honour, dignity and integrity”, noting that these are virtues not currently embodied by America the state.
He added that while Cap represents many things, “America” as it currently is should not be one of them. It looks likely then that Wilson’s Captain will return the character to the ideal of the nation as it should be, rather than a tool of state propaganda and repression.
Unsurprisingly, Mackie has faced enormous backlash to his comments – despite them being almost identical to sentiments expressed by Evans in 2011. Whatever the future of the character in the MCU, ideas around heroism, patriotism and race will be central to the continuing evolution of Captain America.
Laura Crossley 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.
As a nine-year-old, I loved singing and took every chance to do so enthusiastically during school assemblies and end-of-year shows. I developed a bit of a reputation, so much so that one day, a classmate asked me to serenade him and a girl. Cut to me belting Donna by 10CC from behind a bush outside his bedroom window.
My classmate was lacking in musical or lyrical abilities to write and perform his own song. However, if he found himself in a similar position this Valentine’s Day, he could get a little help from AI, and so can you.
Suno’s Valentine’s Day Experience is a tool to create personalised love songs in response to a three-question prompt. Keenan Freyberg, one of Suno’s co-founders, noted that their generator is similar to a mixtape, a curated collection of songs that can reflect the compiler’s feelings and intentions.
Music and dance have long served as mediators in matters of love. A British music publisher, writing in 1912, recounted in Pete Doggett’s Electric Shock, noted that music was essential at the start of a courtship, with song lyrics needing to be a blend of directness and obliqueness. This balance should allow the message to be understood while providing a safe way to ignore it if the sentiment is not reciprocated.
Looking for love this Valentine’s Day? Whether you want to improve your relationship with others or with yourself, The Quarter Life Glow-up can help.
This six-week newsletter course from The Conversation will bring you research-backed advice and tools to help improve your relationships, your career, your free time and your mental health – no supplements or skincare required.
So, for instance, if you send someone At Last by Etta James you can plausibly deny that it meant anything. You were just sharing a great song. If, however, they share the sentiment and hear a ring of reciprocal feeling in James’s voice then you can bond in a burgeoning romance where “life is like a song”.
Many of us have probably been guilty of doing this and there are so many love songs out there that there is quite possibly one to help convey every sort of romantic feeling.
A recent survey by the UK’s Performing Rights Society of 2,000 British respondents identified All of Me by John Legend as the UK’s favourite love song. The song was prompted by an old friend of Legend’s who suggested that he write one for his future-wife, Chrissy Teigen, that conveyed a similar message as Billy Joel’s She’s Always A Woman To Me. The idea that you could love someone, flaws and all, is a pretty powerful and universal sentiment.
In the US, a similar chart compiled by Billboard of the top 50 songs with love in their title, spanned hits from 1958 to 2011. The top track was Endless Love by Diana Ross and Lionel Richie, a true classic about undying feelings and commitment.
The most recently released song in the list was Rhianna’s We Found Love featuring Calvin Harris from 2011. The song’s lyrics and central hook, “We found love in a hopeless place,” were written by Calvin Harris and conveys perhaps a more youthful, possibly hedonistic message of love in a club based track.
All of these songs have really strong sentiments, but they aren’t quite the same as expressing your unique thoughts and feelings for your intended yourself. But if, like my 10CC-loving friend, you lack the skill, AI could help you craft something a bit more specific for your intended.
Suno’s love song generator asks for you to plug in your love interest’s name, where you met and something nice about them. The product is a personalised love song. While you might not be able to hide your feelings in the words of others with this AI-generated song, there is something brave and worthy about being so forthright.
Such a direct show of emotion might not be for you but this new development in AI makes clear that music and words have long been essential in the expression of love through the ages. As my experience at the tender age of nine confirms, providing the right words, with a suitable melody, at crucial moments mitigates the awkwardness of males, of all ages, where matters of the heart are concerned. Even in the age of AI.
Hussein Boon 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.
We may never know if St Valentine, a martyr beheaded for officiating the forbidden weddings of persecuted Christians, was keen on chocolate and flowers. But we do know that millions of people around the world will be using those very items to celebrate his name on February 14.
In the UK, it is estimated that 60% of the population will celebrate Valentine’s Day this year, each spending around £52 on gifts and other romantic gestures. The total spend in the US will be about US$27 billion (£22 bilion), including roughly $US500 million on roses.
So the tradition of spending money on your romantic partner on February 14 seems fairly well established. But it is hard to know exactly when the link began.
Up until the late 14th century, Valentine’s Day was solely a commemoration of his martyrdom. The shift toward an association with romantic love emerged in the Middle Ages, and is often attributed to the poet Geoffrey Chaucer, who linked Valentine’s Day to romance in his poem Parliament of Fowls.
But it was the 19th century industrial revolution which brought about the mass production of romantic gifts. Cadbury was the first chocolate maker to commercialise the association between romance and confectionery by producing heart-shaped boxes of chocolates for Valentine’s Day in 1868. These boxes were decorated with images of Cupid, roses and hearts, and would sometimes be kept to store romantic letters and mementos.
And while Hallmark did not invent the occasion, it played a big part in bolstering its popularity by selling Valentine’s Day postcards in 1910, and then printing its own greetings cards from 1916.
Now in the US, around 145 million Valentine’s Day cards are exchanged each year, making it the second largest annual occasion for card giving (after Christmas).
But it’s not just car sellers, florists and chocolate-makers who seek to benefit from the commercial opportunities Valentine’s Day provides. This year for example, IKEA has partnered with a dating app to give nine British couples a “once-in-a-lifetime” first date in an Ikea store, where they will share a meatball dinner for two in bed.
Lego has launched a travelling campaign in major cities around the world to show off its floral designs, and Coca-Cola has teamed up with a fast-food brand to create a Valentine-themed drive-thru experience.
Chocolate and marshmallows
These kinds of one-off marketing campaigns are only possible thanks to a long history of Valentine’s traditions, which vary around the world.
In Japan for example, it is a two-part celebration. On February 14, women often give “Giri-choco” (“obligation chocolate”) to friends and colleagues, while “home-choco” (“true-feeling chocolate”) is reserved for romantic partners. On March 14, known as White Day, men reciprocate by giving jewellery and less-expensive gifts that are white (marshmallows are a popular choice).
Celebrations in South Korea are similar to those in Japan, but with the addition of Black Day on April 14 when single people gather at restaurants to eat black noodles (jajangmyeon). In the Philippines, Valentine’s Day is marked by mass weddings organised by the government.
In Finland and Estonia, Valentine’s Day is known as “Friend’s Day” with the focus on celebrating non-romantic love and friendship. A similar idea, “Galentine’s Day”, which featured in a 2010 episode of the US sitcom Parks and Recreation, has become a popular way of celebrating female friendship.
Love for sale
Of course, not all consumers enjoy Valentine’s Day rituals. For many, there is pressure attached to romantic shopping, while for others it is just an unwelcome reminder of their single status.
But there is a market for that too. Anti-Valentine’s day sentiment has inspired other ways to (not) celebrate, including a box of chocolates aimed at single people.
And it can be a very valuable day for businesses, large and small. With high levels of participation and spending, Valentine’s Day brings a major surge in revenue for sectors including retail, hospitality and entertainment.
So although it might not sound very romantic, it’s worth remembering that while money can’t buy you love, love can provide a significant boost to the economy.
Sameer Hosany 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: The Conversation – UK – By Louise Gentle, Principal Lecturer in Wildlife Conservation, Nottingham Trent University
In Canada, male bears are becoming more nocturnal and overlapping less with females. Erik Mandre / shutterstock
Frustrated with which dating app to use? Unable to find “the one”? Spare a thought for some of the animal kingdom, where humanity has hampered their efforts to find a mate.
Humans have destroyed or polluted animal habitats. But perhaps the most obvious way that we have affected animals is by placing barriers, such as roads, between populations, making it hard for individual animals to reach each other. In response to this habitat fragmentation, reptile and bird species have increased the distances they move by 35% and 50% respectively.
Here are five more ways that humans have scuppered the love lives of animals.
Noise pollution causes animals to sing louder
Song is hugely important for birds and some other animals, as it indicates their fitness – those who sing louder, or more elaborately, are better able to defend territories against rivals and attract higher quality mates. But city-living great tits have to sing at a higher frequency than those in rural areas, in order to be heard over the sound of low frequency urban noises, such as traffic and machinery. They also sing faster, shorter songs.
Songbirds have learned to survive in a noisy world. Bildagentur Zoonar GmbH / shutterstock
And its not just terrestrial animals that have changed their behaviour in response to humans. As oceans are largely dark, most marine animals rely on non-visual cues, such as sound, to help them find food, navigate and attract mates. Although some whale song can be over 180 decibels in volume – comparable to the sound of a rocket launch – and heard thousands of miles away, ocean noises caused by humans can be even louder.
Not only does noise pollution make it much harder to communicate to potential mates, it has also been linked to more frequent strandings, reduced growth and low fertility in whales and dolphins. Narwhals, for example, have even responded to loud noises by diving deeper into the oceans, using up vital resources that they could be putting into reproducing.
Human disturbance makes mammals more nocturnal
Given that humans are daytime dwellers, it’s not surprising that some animals have developed nocturnal habits to avoid coming into contact with us. Animals often practice this sort of risk avoidance, but typically they move in space – away from us. With a reduction in available space, animals are also moving in time.
Mammals have been found to become more nocturnal in response to human disturbance. This disturbance could be anything from hiking to hunting: animals tend to view all human activity as threatening, whether it is or not.
For example, large male brown bears become more nocturnal when humans are present. But this creates less competition for food during the day. Consequently, the females stick to their daytime activity, essentially separating the males and females in time, and making it increasing difficult to find a mate that won’t fall asleep on them.
Introduced species hybridise with locals
Species that are introduced to areas where they are not usually found, whether on purpose or by accident, often wreak havoc on the native animals, spreading disease and out-competing, or even preying, on them.
The white headed duck is endangered, thanks to hunting, habitat loss, and the new thread of interbreeding with ruddy ducks. smutan / shutterstock
The ruddy duck was unintentionally introduced to Great Britain from North America around 75 years ago, and quickly spread throughout western Europe. After finding their way to Spain, they mated with the endangered white-headed duck, managing to produce fertile offspring and a new hybrid duck. This is pushing the white-headed duck to extinction – not good if you are a white-headed duck looking for love.
Chemical pollution turns males into females
Imagine searching for a reproductive partner only to find none of the opposite sex. This is the unfortunate situation some fish have found themselves in.
Some streams, containing wastewater or effluents, are polluted with synthetic oestrogens from birth-control pills. A study on fathead minnow fish found that increased levels of synthetic oestrogens caused males to have less developed testicles and early-stage eggs. The fish that developed these intersex traits – both male and female characteristics – were found to have fewer and less mobile sperm, which reduced their fertilisation success. This can lead to less sustainable populations, ultimately resulting in extinctions – hardly a good way to find love.
A rubbish Valentine’s Day gift
Animals often ingest plastic and other rubbish, or becoming tangled in it. But rubbish isn’t entirely bad news for all animals.
For instance, birds often use human-made materials when building nests, implying that some species are intentionally using rubbish to show off to members of the opposite sex. One particular species, the satin bower bird, constructs highly ornate bowers – stages where the males show off to the females – decorated with blue items. The more complex the bower, the better the mating success.
Bower building, with blue plastic litter. Ken Griffiths / shutterstock
But, as there are relatively few blue items in nature, the males now decorate their bowers with as many bright blue items of human rubbish as possible, including bottles tops, crisp packets, pegs and even blue condom wrappers. So, although humans are making it increasingly difficult for animals to survive and reproduce, for this particular bird, beauty really is in the eye of the beholder.
Louise Gentle works for Nottingham Trent University
The run up to February 14 is a good time for selling certain products. And alongside the jewellery and flowers, advertisers also try to sell us something broader: a notion of what we should consider romantic.
This might involve an idyllic and perfectly filmed holiday destination, or the casting of a glamorous Hollywood star to represent a particular perfume. For research has shown that advertising can shape our expectations of what love should look like – from the perfect partner to the things we should buy for them.
It’s become a familiar tactic for all kinds of advertising. And it fits with an idea explored by the French literary theorist Roland Barthes in his 1957 collection of essays, Mythologies: that if a message is repeated enough, it becomes true.
Advertisers seem to have embraced this notion, and we see the same kind of messages repeated year after year, telling potential customers what they should aspire to – and invest in – to achieve their best and most romanticised ideals.
Whether those ideals are realistic or not is not the goal here. Advertising generates money for brands by creating a commercially driven view of what love should look like.
There are various techniques available to advertisers to shape those expectations. Emotional appeals, for example, try to evoke feelings of passion and desire.
Google did this effectively in a simple video which tells a love story through the medium of an online search tool.
“Social proof” is a different advertising approach which involves relaying a specific message about what consumers can achieve if they turn to a particular brand. You too can be happy if you drink coffee with your new partner at a local branch of McDonalds for example.
This kind of marketing is designed to appeal to people’s need for social validation. It is advertising which implies that using certain products will lead to a fulfilling romantic life, and that your partner will really love you if you buy them a Toblerone this Valentine’s Day.
“Targeted marketing” is a method which focuses on creating personalised campaigns for specific audiences. This strategy has become more common as we spend more time online, providing big tech with plenty of data about our likes and dislikes.
And with online dating still growing in popularity, targeted marketing is applied through apps like Tinder and Hinge, which are able to provide valuable insights into users’ preferences, enabling advertisers to tailor their messages to specific demographics.
Match up
Marketing can also apply pressure to consumers to purchase gifts or experiences as a way of demonstrating affection. This could be anything from a box of chocolates to an engagement ring.
And who came up with the idea that one of those rings should cost the proposer the equivalent of two months’ salary? It was the jewellery company, De Beers.
In fact, it was only after the company’s 1947 advertising campaign with the slogan “A diamond is forever”, that diamond rings became an engagement tradition at all.
But depictions of diamonds and perfect lifestyles can lead to feelings of inadequacy or low self-esteem when people compare themselves to idealised portrayals in the media. Research suggests that how we process these romantic ideals is affected by our own attachment styles – the patterns of bonding that we learn as children and carry into our adult relationships.
Feelings of inadequacy have also inspired alternative Valentine’s Day celebrations. For instance, an Indian chocolate bar created a campaign to “destroy Valentine’s Day” using the assumption that as soon as uncles join a trend, such as celebrating February 14th, it becomes instantly unfashionable – and Generation Z runs for the hills.
Another harmful effect of advertising romance is how young people’s perception of relationships is shaped by the media promoting unrealistic lifestyles, body shapes and beauty standards. These kinds of branded messages are being delivered to romantic consumers of all ages as the battle for their money and time continues.
Advertisers want you to buy their products. And to make this happen, they also want you to buy into fabricated expectations of romantic love – through repetition, strategy and a familiar date in February.
Carl W. Jones 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: The Conversation – Canada – By DaLissa Alzner, Registered Psychotherapist, Adjunct faculty in the Department of Applied Psychology, Adler University
A healthy relationship is one where you feel comfortable being your authentic self.(Shutterstock)
Many people spend much of their lives searching for what is arguably one of the most subjective of human experiences — true love. From popular movies, TV shows and dating apps to a cultural focus on finding “the one,” the phenomenon of love is inescapable. Our preoccupation with social connectedness is biologically connected to our desire for human connection.
But how do we establish connections across all our relationships that positively contribute to our well-being? Identifying the characteristics of a healthy relationship and being mindful of red flags is a reasonable place to start.
Love is often one of those things that you just know when you feel it. While it is difficult to define love as an explicit experience or construct, there are certain guides we can use to understand what makes a loving relationship.
What makes a healthy relationship?
If you believe that friends are the family we choose, then you have been fortunate to experience a meaningful friendship that positively contributes to a reality where you feel appreciated, valued and have a sense of belonging.
This experience of connection can be defined as compassionate love — originally coined as a component of the Two-Factor Theory of Love, which suggests love is comprised of two main categories. The first is passionate love, which is the intense longing for someone that may end in sexual connection or rejection. The second is compassionate love, which is associated with friendship, companionship and affection.
Being your authentic self means aligning your actions and behaviours with your core values and beliefs. This allows you to engage in self-discovery and thrive in every environment or relationship you find yourself in.
This alignment fosters a sense of congruence between your internal self and external expressions, allowing you to interact with others genuinely. Engaging with others authentically allows you to navigate social interactions with integrity and fosters deeper, more meaningful relationships.
What does love look like?
While love can be a difficult thing to define, there are some ways that we can sense when it is present, and when it isn’t.
Celebrating differences: Embracing the authenticity and differences of friends, siblings and partners fosters appreciation. This can reduce criticism, unrealistic expectations and dissatisfaction in relationships. Forcing change may work briefly, but it often leads to resentment and unhappiness.
Putting in the work: The grass is greener where you water it. Whether it’s a 25-year or five-month partnership, relationships require effort and co-operation. Working through individual differences to achieve a common goal is crucial in relationships. Siblings may need to overlook disagreements, while friends should meet regularly.
Leaning into language: When extending a gesture or token of appreciation, consider how it will be received by your partner — not by you. For instance, if you enjoy going out for dessert, but the other person prefers staying at home, you might initially think to take them out for dessert. However, to ensure the gesture is meaningful, present it in a way that aligns with their preferences and how they receive affection.
Diffusion:Acceptance and commitment therapy encourages people to create psychological and emotional space when conflict arises. This makes space for them to process conflict objectively, while also de-personalizing the interaction, contributing to emotional regulation and an ability to respond intentionally. The ability to develop and facilitate this skill is a vital tool for emotional regulation across relationships and circumstances.
To curate healthy and meaningful relationships, be intentional about nurturing connection, authenticity and mutual respect. (Shutterstock)
Signs love may not be present
Our need to belong and form meaningful connections drives our desire for companionship. When these efforts fail or relationships break, it is painful. Yet, there are some potential signs that can indicate when love is no longer present in a relationship.
Lack of communication and avoiding conflict: Poor communication and avoiding conflict can harm relationships. Research shows that not communicating leads to misunderstandings, emotional withdrawal and unresolved issues. Avoiding conflict can result in internalizing emotions, passive-aggressive behaviour and tension. In friendships, poor communication can cause feelings of being unheard or undervalued. Studies indicate that healthy friendships rely on open communication and respectful conflict resolution.
In family relationships, dysfunctional communication often contributes to division and resentment. Family therapy research has found that a lack of open communication can contribute to generational misunderstandings, leading to dysfunctional family dynamics.
Within families, particularly between parents and children, the absence of empathy may lead to significant emotional strain. Research has found that if family members fail to offer emotional support or to recognize each other’s needs, it negatively impacts family cohesion and individual well-being.
Controlling or manipulative behavior: Controlling behaviours, like restricting autonomy or manipulating someone into believing they are the problem in every situation, poses a serious threat to the well-being of a relationship. Research has shown that controlling behaviours often reflect insecurity and can contribute to abusive dynamics in relationships.
In friendships, manipulation may present as guilt-tripping, isolating from others or using emotional leverage to get one’s way. Research in this area suggests that healthy friendships involve mutual respect and boundaries, and when manipulation is present, satisfaction and trust is significantly reduced.
In families, controlling behaviours from parents, siblings or other relatives may contribute to a decrease in personal growth. The creation of toxic family dynamics manipulation and control at the hands of family has been found to significantly contribute to damaging effects over time, particularly in the parent-child relationship.
To curate healthy and meaningful relationships, be intentional about nurturing connection, authenticity and mutual respect. By celebrating differences, putting in effort, communicating openly and practising emotional regulation, it is possible to create meaningful relationships that will positively contribute to our well-being.
At the same time, we need to be diligent in recognizing and addressing red flags like poor communication and manipulative behaviours. Doing so allows us to safeguard our emotional health. Start today — reflect on your relationships, embrace authenticity and take the steps necessary to build deeper, more supportive connections that enrich your life.
DaLissa Alzner 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.
Valentine’s Day is all about the hearts: heart-shaped chocolates, cards, balloons and even pizza. But the heart hasn’t always just been a symbol of romance.
Across cultures and centuries, the heart has been revered as the seat of the soul, a source of supernatural power and a vessel of identity. From ancient Egyptian afterlife beliefs to medieval relics, from necromantic rituals to modern heart transplants, this organ has been at the centre of both scientific curiosity and deep-seated mysticism.
Why has the heart, more than any other organ, been imbued with such deep symbolism and power? While anatomy tells us it is a muscular pump controlled by electrical impulses, history tells a more complex story – one of rituals, relics and even dark magic.
The human heart is a remarkably efficient pump, beating about 100,000 times a day and circulating about 7,500 litres of blood. It is driven by the sinoatrial node, a cluster of pacemaker cells that spontaneously generate electrical impulses independently of the brain.
As this intrinsic electrical system does not rely on direct nervous input but is influenced by it, the heart can continue beating for a short while even when removed from the body – provided it has an adequate supply of oxygen and electrolytes. This uncanny quality only reinforced superstitions that the heart was more than just a muscle and may explain why many early cultures viewed the heart as possessing a life force of its own.
But to present the heart as merely a pump ignores wider influences. The heart functions as an endocrine organ, releasing hormones that regulate blood pressure, fluid balance and cardiovascular health.
The connection between the heart and “love hormones”, such as oxytocin, extends beyond metaphor, as research suggests the heart not only responds to oxytocin but may also play a role in its release.
Oxytocin is primarily produced in the brain by the hypothalamus and released from the pituitary gland, flooding the body during moments of affection, trust and bonding. It is the chemical catalyst behind the deep emotional connections that define human relationships.
The heart is equipped with oxytocin receptors, and studies show that the hormone promotes vasodilation (widening of the blood vessels), reducing blood pressure and improving circulation. Beyond this, oxytocin may protect the heart, helping it repair itself and reducing inflammation after injury, such as during a heart attack.
However, the heart’s function was not always understood. The ancient Greeks believed it was the seat of intelligence, while Aristotle dismissed the brain as a mere “cooling fluid” for the heart’s divine fire.
Galen, a Greek physician, surgeon and philosopher who lived during Roman times, described the heart as the body’s furnace, while William Harvey’s 1628 discovery of circulation reshaped our understanding of this important organ. Even so, its symbolic and mystical significance never fully waned.
The seat of the soul
The ancient Egyptians preserved the heart during mummification, believing it would be weighed by Anubis against the Feather of Truth, the divine measure of justice. Ironically, the brain was discarded as totally useless. An excerpt from the Book of the Dead, an ancient Egyptian funerary text, reads:
O my heart which I had from my mother! which I had from my mother! O my heart of my different ages! Don’t stand up as a witness against me. Do not be opposed to me in the tribunal.
This spell is intended to pacify the heart and assert dominion, ensuring it remains loyal when weighed.
The idea that the heart carried more than just blood persisted into the Renaissance, with scholars debating whether it was the true locus of identity.
“If indeed from the heart alone rise anger or passion, fear, terror, and sadness; if from it alone spring shame, delight, and joy, why should I say more?” Andreas de Laguna, a Spanish physician wrote in 1535.
Even today, heart transplants fuel questions about whether a transplanted heart carries something of its donor. Some recipients report changes in personality, memories or food preferences, raising speculation about cellular memory. While no definitive scientific basis exists, such cases continue to intrigue.
Heart of darkness
The heart’s power was not only revered, but feared. In folk magic and necromancy, people believed that the hearts of executed criminals retained energy from their violent deaths. Some thought consuming, burning or preserving a heart could grant knowledge or strength.
In Scotland and England, people reportedly boiled the hearts of murderers to prevent their ghosts from haunting the living. Dried hearts were sometimes ground into powders for potions, while in occult traditions, they were burned in rituals to banish spirits or bind enemies.
More disturbing are accounts of unbaptised infants’ hearts in witchcraft traditions. Some sources claim they were used in hexes, flying ointments or dark pacts. While probably exaggerated during witch trials, such stories reflect a deep-rooted belief in the heart as a conduit of power.
The heart has been a vessel of the soul, a source of magic and a point of conflict between science and superstition. While modern medicine has demystified much of its function, its symbolism remains deeply ingrained in human culture.
This Valentine’s Day, as we exchange stylised hearts in celebration of love, we might pause to remember that the power of the heart has been a symbol of life, death and everything in between for millennia.
Michelle Spear 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.
DUNMORE, Pa., Feb. 13, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Huntzinger Management Group is thrilled to announce that accomplished healthcare IT and operations executive Jon P. Burns has joined the organization as an advisor. His decades of expertise, leadership, and transformative impact in healthcare technology and operations will further strengthen Huntzinger’s ability to deliver strategic insights and value-driven solutions to clients.
“We are beyond excited to welcome Jon to the Huntzinger team,” said Robert Kitts, CEO and Founding Partner at Huntzinger. “His vast industry experience, innovative leadership, and ability to drive meaningful change in healthcare IT and operations align perfectly with our mission to empower organizations with expert-driven solutions.”
About Jon P. Burns
With an impressive career extending 48 years in healthcare leadership, Jon Burns has held senior executive roles at leading institutions, including Geisinger, UNC Hospitals, Cleveland Clinic, and the University of Maryland Medical System (UMMS). As UMMS’s Chief Information Officer (CIO) and later Chief Administrative Officer, he spearheaded the integration of IT and other operations across the medical system, executed a single enterprise-wide EMR, and co-developed iHarbor, an innovation center that generated marketable healthcare technology products. His expertise in operations, healthcare technology, and strategy has earned him national recognition, including being consistently named among Becker’s Health Care’s Top CIOs.
Huntzinger is honored to have Jon as part of its growing team of industry-leading advisors. His experience and leadership will further enhance Huntzinger’s ability to deliver cutting-edge solutions, drive healthcare transformation, and optimize IT performance for clients nationwide.
ABOUT HUNTZINGER MANAGEMENT GROUP Huntzinger Management Group provides expert healthcare advisory and managed services, delivering actionable solutions that enhance performance, manage risk, and drive results. Recognized as a “Best in KLAS” organization, Huntzinger is committed to excellence in healthcare IT leadership. With a team of seasoned healthcare professionals, Huntzinger sets the standard in HIT leadership. For more information, please visit https://huntzingergroup.com/
SPOKANE VALLEY, Wash., Feb. 13, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Key Tronic Corporation, a provider of electronic manufacturing services (EMS), is expanding its clean-tech manufacturing operations in Arkansas, establishing its flagship manufacturing and research and development location in Springdale. The company anticipates investing more than $28 million in the new facility and expects to create over 400 new jobs in the next five years.
“We are pleased to announce the expansion of our U.S. manufacturing operations in Northwest Arkansas. Our new center of excellence in Springdale will provide both our employees and customers with cutting-edge technology and the increased capacity necessary to accommodate expected growth,” said Brett Larsen, CEO of Key Tronic. “We are committed to continuously investing in our capabilities and attracting innovative talent. Our people are our most valuable asset, and we are delighted to enhance our operations in a region where we have maintained a longstanding presence and a strong team and can benefit from a business-friendly environment.”
“When we invest in education and our workforce, we can attract companies like Key Tronic and ensure they have the skilled workforce they need. Arkansas LEARNS and ACCESS are laser-focused on that issue and help attract announcements like this one, which mean $28 million and nearly 400 jobs for Springdale,” said Governor Sanders.
Key Tronic will be shifting its existing Arkansas operations to a new larger facility in Springdale, located at 601 W Apple Blossom Avenue later in 2025, increasing its total U.S. production capacity by approximately 40 percent.
“Crossland purchased the land in 2021 with a vision to build a modern, best-in-class facility, and we are grateful that Key Tronic has chosen this location to call home. This building is part of a larger business park, representing an investment of over $100 million in the Springdale community,” said Director of Real Estate Mattie Crossland. “Our goal is to provide spaces that allow our tenants to run their businesses efficiently while also contributing to the growth and future of the community.”
Crossland Realty Group developed the 300,000-square-foot building shell in late 2023, with Crossland Construction completing Key Tronic’s tenant improvements, slated for completion in Q3 2025.
“Key Tronic has a long history of manufacturing electronics in Arkansas, and we are proud that the company has decided to expand their presence and increase production capacity in our state,” said Clint O’Neal, Executive Director of the Arkansas Economic Development Commission. “Congratulations to the Key Tronic team and to the City of Springdale on this major economic development win.”
“Key Tronic’s decision to relocate to Springdale is a strong endorsement of our city’s talented workforce, thriving economy, and commitment to fostering business success,” said Springdale Mayor Doug Sprouse. “This investment brings significant job opportunities to our community, further strengthening Springdale’s reputation as a prime destination for industry and innovation. We proudly welcome Key Tronic and look forward to their future growth here.”
“This exciting announcement would not have been possible without the leadership of Governor Sanders and the unwavering support of the Arkansas Economic Development Commission,” said Bill Rogers, president and CEO of the Springdale Chamber of Commerce. “Thanks to our regional partners and the proactive efforts of Mayor Sprouse’s administration, we were able to roll out the red carpet for Key Tronic. We are thrilled to welcome them to Springdale and look forward to supporting their success in our community.”
“Key Tronic’s reinvestment in Northwest Arkansas highlights our region’s strong workforce and pro-growth environment,” said Nelson Peacock, president and CEO of the Northwest Arkansas Council. “As a leader in electronics manufacturing, their expansion strengthens our economy, retains quality jobs and creates new opportunities—reinforcing our position as a top destination for business and innovation.”
About Key Tronic Founded in 1969, Key Tronic is a leading contract manufacturer offering value-added design and manufacturing services from its facilities in the United States, Mexico, China and Vietnam. The Company provides its customers with full engineering services, materials management, worldwide manufacturing facilities, assembly services, in-house testing, and worldwide distribution. Its customers include some of the world’s leading original equipment manufacturers. Key Tronic has operated in Arkansas since 1985.
About Crossland Construction Company Crossland is a top-ranked construction firm offering a wide range of services through its family of companies. Crossland Construction provides general contracting, construction management, and much more. Crossland Realty, a division of Crossland Construction, offers complete real estate services, guiding clients through location scouting, planning, development, construction, and leasing. Crossland is dedicated to Building So Much More for its clients and the communities they serve. Learn more: www.crossland.com
About the Arkansas Economic Development Commission At AEDC, we know economic advancement doesn’t happen by accident. We work strategically with businesses and communities to create strong economic opportunities, making Arkansas the natural choice for success. AEDC is a division of the Arkansas Department of Commerce. To learn more, visit ArkansasEDC.com.
Forward-Looking Statements Some of the statements in this press release are forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including Key Tronic’s opportunities and its partnership, the potential success of Key Tronic and the customer, and related revenues. Forward-looking statements include all passages containing verbs such as aims, anticipates, believes, estimates, expects, hopes, intends, plans, predicts, projects or targets or nouns corresponding to such verbs. Forward-looking statements also include other passages that are primarily relevant to expected future events or revenue or that can only be fully evaluated by events that will occur in the future. There are many factors, risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those predicted or projected in forward-looking statements, including but not limited to: the success and timing of our expansion plans; the success and timing of ramping; availability and timing and receipt of critical parts or components; demand from customers and sales channels; the future of the global economic environment and its impact on our customers and suppliers; the availability of a healthy workforce; the accuracy of suppliers’ and customers’ forecasts; development and success of customers’ programs and products; success of new-product introductions; the risk of legal proceedings or governmental investigations relating to the previously reported financial statement restatements and related material weaknesses, the May 2024 cybersecurity incident and the subject of the internal investigation by the Company’s Audit Committee and related or other unrelated matters; acquisitions or divestitures of operations or facilities; technology advances; changes in pricing policies by the Company, its competitors, customers or suppliers; impact of new governmental legislation and regulation, including tax reform, tariffs and related activities, such trade negotiations and other risks; and other factors, risks, and uncertainties detailed from time to time in the Company’s SEC filings.
Source: United States Senator for Illinois Dick Durbin
February 12, 2025
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today met with Illinois members of the National Rural Health Association (NRHA) to speak about the challenges of providing health care in rural communities. During their meeting, Durbin and the health care leaders discussed the importance of preserving Medicaid funding from Republican proposals to cut health insurance benefits and coverage from millions of Americans. They also discussed workforce initiatives to recruit and retain health care providers to serve in rural areas. To help address the shortage of health care professionals, Durbin secured $1 billion in the American Rescue Plan for scholarship and loan repayment awards through the National Health Service Corps and Nurse Corps to build a more diverse pipeline of clinicians and recruit more health providers to serve in shortage areas.
Durbin also spoke about his Rural Hospital Closure Relief Act, which he introduced earlier this week. The bipartisan legislation would update Medicare’s “Critical Access Hospital” (CAH) designation so more rural hospitals can qualify for this financial lifeline and continue to serve their communities with quality, affordable health care services. Small and rural hospitals are the backbone of their communities, and often the largest employers, contributing nearly $5 billion in direct spending on payroll, goods, and services in Illinois. Yet more than 135 rural hospitals have closed nationwide in the past dozen years, an estimated 50 percent of rural hospitals ran operating losses last year, and more than 400 hospitals are facing closure risk.
“Across rural Illinois, hospitals and clinics are the backbone of the local economy. I am committed to helping recruit more doctors, nurses, dentists, and behavioral health providers, and ensure sustainable federal funding for these critical anchors of the community,” said Durbin.
The UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) on Thursday issued a stark warning over escalating violence in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), where hundreds of civilians have been killed and tens of thousands displaced as M23 rebels continue to attack and seize control of towns and villages.
“In North and South Kivu provinces, we are receiving horrific reports of grave violations against children by parties to the conflict, including rape and other forms of sexual violence at levels surpassing anything we have seen in recent years,” she said.
The crisis is spreading beyond the Kivus. In Ituri province, at least 28 children were among 52 people killed in a brutal attack in Djugu territory on Monday, according to international NGO Save the Children.
The attackers reportedly used machetes, guns, and fire, targeting families, including many women and children. Homes were burned to the ground with some trapped inside.
Rape cases multiply
With violence intensifying, UNICEF warns that child recruitment, abduction, and sexual violence is rapidly increasing.
During the week of 27 January to 2 February, when the Rwanda-backed M23 group captured the regional capital Goma, the number of rape cases treated at 42 UNICEF-supported health centres surged five-fold in just one week. Children accounted for 30 percent of those receiving treatment.
“The true figures are likely much higher because so many survivors are reluctant to come forward. Our partners are running out of the drugs used to reduce the risk of HIV infection after a sexual assault,” Ms. Russell said.
At the same time, children are increasingly being separated from their families, leaving them vulnerable to exploitation. In just two weeks, over 1,100 unaccompanied children were identified in North and South Kivu, with numbers continuing to rise.
Recruitment by armed groups
Even before the latest escalation, child recruitment into armed groups was a major concern. A UN report last year documented at least 4,006 cases of children recruited or used by armed groups.
“Now, with parties to the conflict calling for the mobilization of young fighters, recruitment rates will likely accelerate,” Ms. Russell warned, citing reports that children as young as 12 were being recruited or coerced into joining armed groups.
“Parties to the conflict must immediately cease and prevent grave rights violations against children. They must also take concrete measures to protect civilians and infrastructure critical to their survival – in line with their obligations under international humanitarian law,” she urged.
A tent serves as a reception area for displaced families at a hospital near Goma, North Kivu.
Toll on pregnant women
The violence is also exacting a terrible toll on pregnant women, many of whom have been forced to flee multiple times, seeking refuge in overcrowded displacement camps with little access to medical care, the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) warned.
Some women are going into labour while fleeing bombardments or forced to deliver babies in makeshift shelters without medical care.
Even before the current crisis, maternal health care in DRC was severely limited, with the country already among those with the highest maternal mortality rates globally.
Now, only a third of hospitals and one in five health centres remain functional, leaving UNFPA’s mobile clinics as the only lifeline for many expectant mothers, the UN agency said.
Critical care at risk
Of the estimated 220,000 pregnant women in North and South Kivu, over 12,000 are currently displaced with no assured medical care. More than 88,000 women and girls are at risk of gender-based violence, while unintended pregnancies are expected to rise due to the collapse of health services.
UNFPA is operating eight mobile health clinics in the region, staffed by 27 midwives providing critical maternal and reproductive health services. Despite the challenges, these teams are ensuring safe deliveries, prenatal care, and family planning support for over 8,000 people.
“UNFPA remains in North Kivu, working alongside the government and humanitarian partners to ensure women and girls receive life-saving care, but the needs are growing faster than resources can keep up,” the agency said.
“There are thousands of other women bracing for childbirth in tents, under bombardment, unsure if they or their babies will survive the night.”
WASHINGTON – On Wednesday, February 12, parents, educators, community leaders and elected officials from across the country rallied outside the U.S. Capitol – in the rain and snow – to take a stand for students and public schools. The rally took place ahead of U.S. Secretary of Education nominee Linda McMahon’s confirmation hearing and amidst threats of a looming executive order to dismantle the Department of Education.
If confirmed, McMahon will oversee attempts to gut public education and push vouchers that take critical funding from public schools. This will lead to significant cuts to programs that support and protect our most vulnerable and underserved students. Such actions could lead to larger class sizes, a reduction in resources for at-risk students, the loss of vital services for students with disabilities, cuts to job-training programs, increased costs for higher education, and a rollback of essential civil rights protections.
“Americans all across this nation share our belief that every student—no matter their race or place, or the language they speak—deserves to attend public schools that are high-quality, safe, welcoming, and inclusive,” said NEA President Becky Pringle. “As I travel around the country, I have heard from parents and educators that they want more resources, more opportunities that will help students live into their brilliance. They do not want to dismantle public schools and privatize them. Quite the opposite. Instead of sending money to private schools, they want us to strengthen public schools, where 90% of all children attend, not take money away from them. They want to partner with us—at the local, state, and federal levels—to make sure our schools have what they need so we can reduce class sizes, recruit qualified staff, and keep students safe.”
In the early weeks of the Trump administration, a series of executive orders have undermined students’ protections, effectively reversing progress and moving our country backward, stripping students of their rights and opportunities. Now, before Secretary of Education nominee McMahon’s confirmation hearing, parents, educators, community leaders, and elected officials rallied to protect students and public schools.
“President Trump’s education plan puts our children at risk and has grave implications for our workforce and our economy,” said MomsRising Executive Director and CEO Kristin Rowe-Finkbeiner. “Trump is threatening to dramatically reduce public education funding and end critical programs that students, parents and educators desperately need. Dismantling the U.S. Department of Education would divert funds from public education and bring overcrowded classrooms, gutted services for students with disabilities, an end to job training programs, and even higher costs for college. America’s moms want a qualified leader at the U.S. Department of Education who will reject rightwing attacks on our schools and ensure they teach accurate history, welcome and support students of all abilities, and help all students succeed. Linda McMahon is wholly unqualified for that position.”
Speaker after speaker shined a spotlight on the negative impact that shutting down the U.S. Department of Education would have on students, educators and public schools across the country. They raised the alarm bells about what would happen to our most vulnerable students if McMahon were confirmed as Secretary and urged elected officials to reject her nomination.
“I’m 18 years old and I’ve attended public schools my whole life- my teachers and classmates made me who I am today. I’m fighting for the millions of students and teachers across the country who deserve better than a billionaire-run government,” said student and organizer Adah Crandall. “McMahon doesn’t care about any of us, she only cares about lining her own pockets. We’re calling on leaders to stand up for young people everywhere and reject McMahon so that we can have the education and futures we deserve.”
“Congress must reject Linda McMahon as Secretary of Education. She promises to gut public education, and she has spent years pushing policies that would defund and destroy public schools. Whether here on Capitol Hill, with legal actions and lawsuits we will file to protect students from harm, or through grassroots actions in communities across the country, we will make our voices heard. For as long as it takes, we will fight to protect our nation’s public schools and our democracy!” concluded Pringle.
For select photos of the Rally to Protect Students and Public Schools, please click here.
###
Follow us on Bluesky athttps://bsky.app/profile/neapresident.bsky.socialandhttps://bsky.app/profile/neatoday.bsky.social
The National Education Association is the nation’s largest professional employee organization, representing more than 3 million elementary and secondary teachers, higher education faculty, education support professionals, school administrators, retired educators, students preparing to become teachers, healthcare workers, and public employees. Learn more at www.nea.org
Scheme Victimized Hundreds of Thousands of People in United States and Abroad
Two Estonian nationals pleaded guilty yesterday for their operation of a massive, multi-faceted cryptocurrency Ponzi scheme that victimized hundreds of thousands of people from across the world, including in the United States. As part of the defendants’ guilty pleas, they agreed to forfeit assets valued over $400 million obtained during the conspiracy.
According to court documents, Sergei Potapenko and Ivan Turõgin, both 40, sold contracts to customers entitling them to a share of cryptocurrency mined by the defendants’ purported cryptocurrency mining service, HashFlare. Cryptocurrency mining is the process of using computers to generate cryptocurrency, such as Bitcoin, for profit.
Between 2015 and 2019, Hashflare’s sales totaled more than $577 million, but HashFlare did not possess the requisite computing capacity to perform the vast majority of the mining the defendants told HashFlare customers it performed. HashFlare’s web-based dashboard, which purported to show customers their mining profits, instead reflected falsified data. Potapenko and Turõgin used the proceeds of the fraud conspiracy to purchase real estate and luxury vehicles and maintained investment and cryptocurrency accounts. Potapenko and Turõgin have agreed to forfeit assets worth, as of the date of the plea, more than $400 million. The forfeited assets will be available for a remission process to compensate victims of the crime. Details about the remission process will be announced at a later date.
Potapenko and Turõgin each pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud. They are scheduled to be sentenced on May 8 and each face a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The Justice Department thanks the Cybercrime Bureau of the Estonian Police and Border Guard for its support with this investigation. The Estonian Prosecutor General and Ministry of Justice and Digital Affairs provided substantial assistance with the extradition. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs provided extensive assistance to the investigation and the extradition of the defendants.
Supervisory Official Antoinette T. Bacon of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, Acting U.S. Attorney Teal Luthy Miller for the Western District of Washington, Assistant Director Chad Yarbrough of the FBI’s Criminal Investigative Division, and Special Agent in Charge W. Mike Herrington of the FBI Seattle Field Office made the announcement.
The FBI Seattle Field Office investigated the case.
Trial Attorneys Adrienne E. Rosen and David Ginensky of the Criminal Division’s Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Section and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Andrew Friedman and Sok Jiang for the Western District of Washington are prosecuting the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jehiel Baer for the Western District of Washington is handling asset forfeiture aspects of the case.
Individuals who believe they may have been a victim in this case should visit www.fbi.gov/hashflare.
The North Dakota Department of Commerce Tourism and Marketing Division has partnered with The Good Kids, a Bismarck based design studio, to create a new icon that represents our great state. This initiative aims to increase awareness of North Dakota beyond our borders while also fostering pride among residents. The icon will not replace the state’s “Be Legendary” brand but will complement it, offering a versatile graphic for use on merchandise such as t-shirts, stickers, and flags.
After careful development, two design options are being forwarded for public input. You can help choose the icon that best represents North Dakota.
For more information on how to participate in selecting the icon, go to https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/StateIconPress.
PROVIDENCE, RI– Governor Dan McKee, Providence Mayor Brett Smiley, RIDE Commissioner Angélica Infante-Green, Providence Public School District (PPSD) Superintendent Dr. Javier Montañez, Principal Cassandra Henderson, and 2023 Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching (PAEMST) recipient Kerry Johnson joined state, municipal, school and community leaders today at Asa Messer Elementary School to launch the statewide Math Matters RI campaign, which aims to promote the importance of mathematics.
As part of the launch, Governor McKee and Commissioner Infante-Green awarded the latest round of Learn365RI grants, which will provide 38 communities with $2,125,000 in grant funding aimed at improving math skills. Additionally, $725,000 has been allocated as a State set-aside for statewide intervention and support. Asa Messer Elementary was chosen to host the event because the school saw one of the highest increases in math proficiency, with a more than 12 percentage point improvement in students meeting or exceeding expectations in the 2024 RICAS results.
“In every home, every day, learning matters and we are launching our statewide Math Matters RI campaign to place an extra emphasis on math instruction and learning,” said Governor Dan McKee. “We’re underscoring that math is important for the future success of students and state with an investment of $2.85 million in Learn365RI funding that will support out-of-school math-focused programming statewide. Our intention is to build on the success of our nationally recognized Attendance Matters RI campaign and continue our work to improve academic achievement across the Ocean State.”
“Providing our students with the tools and support they need to excel in math is an investment in both their future and the future of Providence,” saidMayor Brett P. Smiley.“Strong math skills create pathways to higher education and careers in high-demand industries, strengthening our local workforce and economy. We are pleased to partner with the State to expand access to high-quality learning opportunities. By working together, we can ensure that every student has the foundation to reach their full potential and succeed for years to come.”
“While some of our students are seeing positive momentum in math and have rebounded past pre-pandemic levels of achievement, we have to double down on our efforts to promote math to help all students get back on track,” said Commissioner Angélica Infante-Green. “RIDE is working diligently to expand access to high-quality math instruction for students and math-focused professional learning for teachers, and we know that the funds made available to communities through the Governor’s Learn365RI initiative will complement and strengthen our efforts to improve math understanding and skills. RIDE is excited to kick off the Math Matters RI campaign alongside math teachers, coaches, champions, and representatives from cities and towns throughout Rhode Island.”
Funding for the third round of Learn365RI Municipal Learning Project grants has been aligned to the Math Matters RI campaign and will support out-of-school time learning programs with an explicit focus on math programs for students currently enrolled in kindergarten through grade 8. The program’s grant recipients may offer April break math camps, intensive afterschool and/or weekend math programming, and/or a four (or more)-week summer program.
State leaders emphasized the need to focus on improving math instruction and learning, citing positive trends in math RICAS results that have rebounded past pre-pandemic levels of achievement with 30.1% of students meeting or exceeding expectations in 2023-2024 results compared to 29.8% in 2018-2019. However, math SAT results remain below pre-pandemic levels, with 21.7% of secondary students meeting and exceeding expectations compared to 31.2% in 2018-2019. At the national level, NAEP, known as the “Nation’s Report Card,” underscored a need to focus on math with 2024 national math scores declining by 5 percentage points in grade 4 and 8 percentage points in grade 8 compared to 2019.
“When our future leaders succeed, Rhode Island succeeds, and I am proud that representatives from across our state are joining to support students reach their highest potential,” said Chair of the Council on Elementary and Secondary Education Patti DiCenso. “A comprehensive, high-quality education opens doors for all students, but we’ve seen that math can serve as a gatekeeper for many. By focusing joint efforts to promote math, we can help expand college and career options for students of all backgrounds.”
As part of the $725,000 State set-aside, $500,000 will help provide math-focused and enrichment courses through EnrollRI.org. The All Course Network (ACN), accessible through EnrollRI, helps students get a head start on postsecondary success, master the skills required of a lifelong learner, and be prepared for jobs in sectors critical to Rhode Island’s future prosperity. ACN courses offer students the opportunity to earn both high school and college credit, offsetting the cost of college tuition, and preparing students for a life without limits. With the goal of supporting college and career readiness, last December state leaders announced a new partnership with Khan Academy, offering a no-cost opportunity to all local education agencies (LEAs) to enhance SAT preparation and student success through the integration of Khan Academy Districts and Khanmigo tools.
Providence Public Schools will receive $225,000 of the State set-aside to set up spring recess math programming. PPSD’s math RICAS results show positive trends with 14.7% of students meeting or exceeding expectations in 2023-2024 compared to 11.9% in 2018-2019, prior to the pandemic. PPSD has seen steady increases in math RICAS annually since levels reached their lowest point during the pandemic.
“PPSD is committed to promoting the message that math matters, and we are working hard to expand access to learning opportunities that will boost math outcomes in the capital city,” said Superintendent Montañez. “Since the height of the pandemic, PPSD has made gains in math RICAS every year, and are now above where we were prior to the disruption of COVID-19. We know work remains and we are thankful for the State’s support in helping ensure our students continue to learn and develop their math skills beyond the classroom.”
The new campaign is in alignment with Governor McKee’s goal to meet or beat Massachusetts’ achievement levels by 2030 improving school attendance, boosting FAFSA completion rates, and improving RICAS English Language Arts (ELA) and math scores. To promote greater outcomes, state leaders have made a series of investments to support students and teachers. Notably, last year, the State announced the investment of $5 million in funding for instructional coaching in mathematics and ELA for more than 20 schools and districts across the state, with $4 million going towards staffing and the remaining $1 million going towards accompanying professional development.
“We are all math people, and as a math educator it brings me great joy to see statewide support towards elevating and strengthening math skills across the Ocean State,” said 2023 PAEMST recipient Kerry Johnson. “We can all learn and thrive in math if given the right support and I join the chorus of Rhode Island officials, teachers, parents, and business and community partners proudly saying that math matters!”
WASHINGTON – London Teeter, 21, of Washington D.C., pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court to her role in a series of seven inside-job robberies of the Chinatown drug store where she was employed as a store manager.
The plea was announced United States Attorney Edward R. Martin, Jr., FBI Special Agent in Charge Sean Ryan of the Washington Field Office Criminal and Cyber Division, and Chief Pamela Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department
Teeter pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to interfere with interstate commerce by robbery (Hobbs Act robbery). The Honorable Jia M. Cobb scheduled sentencing for June 12, 2025. When she is sentenced, Teeter is eligible for up to 20 years in prison and up to a $250,000 fine.
According to court documents, Teeter, and three co-conspirators devised a scheme to carry out armed robberies of the Walgreens store in Chinatown nearly once a month, beginning in July 2023, when either she or her co-conspirator were working. As a store manager, Teeter knew the timing of cash transfers within the business. In each robbery, a masked gunman entered the store, forced an employee into the manager’s office or accessed the manager’s office using a code provided by Teeter or her co-conspirator. The gunman then robbed the employees and fled through a rear exit. Teeter and her co-conspirator took turns pretending to be the “victim” manager on duty, knowing that the robberies would be captured on internal surveillance.
The robberies occurred on July 18, 2023, August 2, 2023, September 2, 2023, November 10, 2023, December 4, 2023, January 9, 2024, and February 11, 2024. Teeter was present in the manager’s office and pretended to be the victim of a robbery during the July 18, 2023, and January 9, 2024, robberies.
In response to the robberies, the Chinatown Walgreens hired armed Special Police Officers to protect the business. Teeter was aware that armed Special Police Officers would be present during the robberies and that a co-conspirator robbed the officers of their firearms during the robberies that occurred on December 4, 2023, and February 11, 2024.
In the plea agreement, Teeter admitted that the co-conspirators stole and split at least $28,983. She also acknowledged that she reviewed surveillance footage from the August 2, 2023, robbery during which a co-conspirator briefly placed his firearm on a chair Teeter acknowledged that she sent a co-conspirator a text message stating: “the vid looks so bad,” “idk why he put the gun down,” and “he can’t do it next time [not gonna lie].”
Law enforcement arrested Teeter on February 22, 2024. During the search of her home that preceded her arrest, law enforcement recovered a loaded Glock 45 pistol loaded with 16 rounds of 9mm ammunition.
Trial dates are pending for co-conspirators Michael Robinson, 34, Kamanye Williams, 25, and Gianni Robinson, 27.
This case is being investigated by the FBI’s Violent Crimes Task Force with assistance from the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD). It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Justin F. Song, Sarah Martin, and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Monica Svetoslavov of the Federal Major Crimes Section.
ALBUQUERQUE – A Salvadoran national was sentenced to 12 months and one day in prison for biting a U.S. Border Patrol agent.
According to the complaint, on May 29, 2024, a Border Patrol agent encountered a group of five individuals, including Erika Jasmin Lobato-Melendez, 27, walking along the border wall. When the agent attempted to take the group into custody, Lobato-Melendez became obstinate, refusing to enter the agent’s vehicle and grabbing onto the border wall.
When agents tried to physically separate Lobato-Melendez from the fence, she bit down hard on the agent’s forearm, causing bruising, swelling, and abrasions. Even after being brought to the ground, Lobato-Melendez continued her aggressive behavior, attempting to bite the agent’s leg and kicking them.
Upon her release from prison, Lobato-Melendez will be subject to two years of supervised release and deportation proceedings.
U.S. Attorney Alexander M.M. Uballez, Chief Patrol Agent Walter “Neil” Slosar of the U.S. Border Patrol’s El Paso Sector and Raul Bujanda, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Albuquerque Field Office, made the announcement today.
The Las Cruces Resident Agency of the Federal Bureau Investigation investigated these cases with assistance from the U.S. Border Patrol. Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher S. McNair is prosecuting the case.
Scheme Victimized Hundreds of Thousands of People in United States and Abroad
Two Estonian nationals pleaded guilty yesterday for their operation of a massive, multi-faceted cryptocurrency Ponzi scheme that victimized hundreds of thousands of people from across the world, including in the United States. As part of the defendants’ guilty pleas, they agreed to forfeit assets valued over $400 million obtained during the conspiracy.
According to court documents, Sergei Potapenko and Ivan Turõgin, both 40, sold contracts to customers entitling them to a share of cryptocurrency mined by the defendants’ purported cryptocurrency mining service, HashFlare. Cryptocurrency mining is the process of using computers to generate cryptocurrency, such as Bitcoin, for profit.
Between 2015 and 2019, Hashflare’s sales totaled more than $577 million, but HashFlare did not possess the requisite computing capacity to perform the vast majority of the mining the defendants told HashFlare customers it performed. HashFlare’s web-based dashboard, which purported to show customers their mining profits, instead reflected falsified data. Potapenko and Turõgin used the proceeds of the fraud conspiracy to purchase real estate and luxury vehicles and maintained investment and cryptocurrency accounts. Potapenko and Turõgin have agreed to forfeit assets worth, as of the date of the plea, more than $400 million. The forfeited assets will be available for a remission process to compensate victims of the crime. Details about the remission process will be announced at a later date.
Potapenko and Turõgin each pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud. They are scheduled to be sentenced on May 8 and each face a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The Justice Department thanks the Cybercrime Bureau of the Estonian Police and Border Guard for its support with this investigation. The Estonian Prosecutor General and Ministry of Justice and Digital Affairs provided substantial assistance with the extradition. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs provided extensive assistance to the investigation and the extradition of the defendants.
Supervisory Official Antoinette T. Bacon of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, Acting U.S. Attorney Teal Luthy Miller for the Western District of Washington, Assistant Director Chad Yarbrough of the FBI’s Criminal Investigative Division, and Special Agent in Charge W. Mike Herrington of the FBI Seattle Field Office made the announcement.
The FBI Seattle Field Office investigated the case.
Trial Attorneys Adrienne E. Rosen and David Ginensky of the Criminal Division’s Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Section and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Andrew Friedman and Sok Jiang for the Western District of Washington are prosecuting the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jehiel Baer for the Western District of Washington is handling asset forfeiture aspects of the case.
Individuals who believe they may have been a victim in this case should visit www.fbi.gov/hashflare.
A spontaneous memorial of flowers in St Petersburg, Russia, on the day of Alexei Navalny’s death, February 16 2024.Aleksey Dushutin/Shutterstock
This is the best day of the past five months for me … This is my home … I am not afraid of anything and I urge you not to be afraid of anything either.
These were Alexei Navalny’s words after landing at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo Airport on January 17 2021. Russia’s leading opposition figure had spent the past months recovering in Germany from an attempt on his life by the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB). Minutes after making his comments, Navalny was detained at border control. And he would remain behind bars until his death on February 16 2024, in the remote “Polar Wolf” penal colony within the Arctic Circle.
“Why did he return to Russia?” That’s the question I’m asked about Navalny most frequently. Wasn’t it a mistake to return to certain imprisonment, when he could have maintained his opposition to Russia’s president, Vladimir Putin, from abroad?
But Navalny’s decision to return didn’t surprise me. I’ve researched and written about him extensively, including co-authoring Navalny: Putin’s Nemesis, Russia’s Future?, the first English-language, book-length account of his life and political activities. Defying the Kremlin by returning was a signature move, reflecting both his obstinacy and bravery. He wanted to make sure his supporters and activists in Russia did not feel abandoned, risking their lives while he lived a cushy life in exile.
The Insights section is committed to high-quality longform journalism. Our editors work with academics from many different backgrounds who are tackling a wide range of societal and scientific challenges.
Besides, Navalny wasn’t returning to certain imprisonment. A close ally of his, Vladimir Ashurkov, told me in May 2022 that his “incarceration in Russia was not a certainty. It was a probability, a scenario – but it wasn’t like he was walking into a certain long-term prison term.”
Also, Navalny hadn’t chosen to leave Russia in the first place. He was unconscious when taken by plane from Omsk to Berlin for treatment following his poisoning with the nerve agent Novichok in August 2020. Navalny had been consistent in saying he was a Russian politician who needed to remain in Russia to be effective.
In a subsequent interview, conducted in a forest on the outskirts of the German capital as he slowly recovered, Navalny said: “In people’s minds, if you leave the country, that means you’ve surrendered.”
Video: ACF.
Outrage, detention and death
Two days after Navalny’s final return to Russia, the Anti-Corruption Foundation (ACF) – the organisation he established in 2011 – published its biggest ever investigation. The YouTube video exploring “Putin’s palace” on the Black Sea coast achieved an extraordinary 100 million views within ten days. By the start of February 2021, polling suggested it had been watched by more than a quarter of all adults in Russia.
Outrage at Navalny’s detention, combined with this Putin investigation, got people on to the streets. On January 23 2021, 160,000 people turned out across Russia in events that did not have prior approval from the authorities. More than 40% of the participants said they were taking part in a protest for the first time.
But the Russian authorities were determined to also make it their last time. Law enforcement mounted an awesome display of strength, detaining protesters and sometimes beating them. The number of participants at protests on January 31 and February 2 declined sharply as a result.
Between Navalny’s return to Russia in January 2021 and his death in February 2024, aged 47, he faced criminal case after criminal case, adding years and years to his time in prison and increasing the severity of his detention. By the time of his death, he was in the harshest type of prison in the Russian penitentiary system – a “special regime” colony – and was frequently sent to a punishment cell.
The obvious intent was to demoralise Navalny, his team and supporters – making an example of him to spread fear among anyone else who might consider mounting a challenge to the Kremlin. But Navalny fought back, as described in his posthumously published memoir, Patriot. He made legal challenges against his jailers. He went on hunger strike. And he formed a union for his fellow prisoners.
He also used his court appearances to make clear his political views, including following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, declaring: “I am against this war. I consider it immoral, fratricidal, and criminal.”
Navalny’s final public appearance was via video link. He was in good spirits, with his trademark optimism and humour still on display. Tongue firmly in cheek, he asked the judge for financial help:
Your Honour, I will send you my personal account number so that you can use your huge salary as a federal judge to ‘warm up’ my personal account, because I am running out of money.
Navalny died the following day. According to the prison authorities, he collapsed after a short walk and lost consciousness. Although the Russian authorities claimed he had died of natural causes, documents published in September 2024 by The Insider – a Russia-focused, Latvia-based independent investigative website – suggest Navalny may have been poisoned.
A mourner adds her tribute to Alexei Navalny’s grave in Moscow after his burial on March 1 2024. Aleksey Dushutin/Shutterstock
Whether or not Putin directly ordered his death, Russia’s president bears responsibility – for leading a system that tried to assassinate Navalny in August 2020, and for allowing his imprisonment following Navalny’s return to Russia in conditions designed to crush him.
Commenting in March 2024, Putin stated that, just days before Navalny’s death, he had agreed for his most vocal opponent to be included in a prisoner swap – on condition the opposition figure never returned to Russia. “But, unfortunately,” Putin added, “what happened, happened.”
‘No one will forget’
Putin is afraid of Alexei, even after he killed him.
Yulia Navalnaya, Navalny’s wife, wrote these words on January 10 2025 after reading a curious letter. His mother, Lyudmila Navalnaya, had written to Rosfinmonitoring – a Russian state body – with a request for her son’s name to be removed from their list of “extremists and terrorists” now he was no longer alive.
The official response was straight from Kafka. Navalny’s name could not be removed as it had been added following the initiation of a criminal case against him. Even though he was dead, Rosfinmonitoring had not been informed about a termination of the case “in accordance with the procedure established by law”, so his name would have to remain.
This appears to be yet another instance of the Russian state exercising cruelty behind the veil of bureaucratic legality – such as when the prison authorities initially refused to release Navalny’s body to his mother after his death.
“Putin is doing this to scare you,” Yulia continued. “He wants you to be afraid to even mention Alexei, and gradually to forget his name. But no one will forget.”
Alexei Navalny and his wife, Yulia Navalnaya, at a protest rally in Moscow, May 2012. Dmitry Laudin/Shutterstock
Today, Navalny’s family and team continue his work outside of Russia – and are fighting to keep his name alive back home. But the odds are against them. Polling suggests the share of Russians who say they know nothing about Navalny or his activities roughly doubled to 30% between his return in January 2021 and his death three years later.
Navalny fought against an autocratic system – and paid the price with his life. Given the very real fears Russians may have of voicing support for a man still labelled an extremist by the Putin regime, it’s not easy to assess what people there really think of him and his legacy. But we will also never know how popular Navalny would have been in the “normal” political system he fought for.
What made Navalny the force he was?
Navalny didn’t mean for the humble yellow rubber duck to become such a potent symbol of resistance.
In March 2017, the ACF published its latest investigation into elite corruption, this time focusing on then-prime minister (and former president), Dmitry Medvedev. Navalny’s team members had become masters of producing slick videos that enabled their message to reach a broad audience. A week after posting, the film had racked up over 7 million views on YouTube – an extraordinary number at that time.
The film included shocking details of Medvedev’s alleged avarice, including yachts and luxury properties. In the centre of a large pond in one of these properties was a duck house, footage of which was captured by the ACF using a drone.
Video: ACF.
Such luxuries jarred with many people’s view of Medvedev as being a bit different to Putin and his cronies. As Navalny wrote in his memoir, Medvedev had previously seemed “harmless and incongruous”. (At the time, Medvedev’s spokeswoman said it was “pointless” to comment on the ACF investigation, suggesting the report was a “propaganda attack from an opposition figure and a convict”.)
But people were angry, and the report triggered mass street protests across Russia. They carried yellow ducks and trainers, a second unintended symbol from the film given Medvedev’s penchant for them.
Another reason why so many people came out to protest on March 26 2017 was the organising work carried out by Navalny’s movement.
The previous December, Navalny had announced his intention to run in the 2018 presidential election. As part of the campaign, he and his team created a network of regional headquarters to bring together supporters and train activists across Russia. Although the authorities had rejected Navalny’s efforts to register an official political party, this regional network functioned in much the same way, gathering like-minded people in support of an electoral candidate. And this infrastructure helped get people out on the streets.
The Kremlin saw this as a clear threat. According to a December 2020 investigation by Bellingcat, CNN, Der Spiegel and The Insider, the FSB assassination squad implicated in the Novichok poisoning of Navalny had started trailing him in January 2017 – one month after he announced his run for the presidency.
At the protests against Medvedev, the authorities’ growing intolerance of Navalny was also on display – he was detained, fined and sentenced to 15 days’ imprisonment.
The Medvedev investigation was far from the beginning of Navalny’s story as a thorn in the Kremlin’s side. But this episode brings together all of the elements that made Navalny the force he was: anti-corruption activism, protest mobilisation, attempts to run as a “normal” politician in a system rigged against him, and savvy use of social media to raise his profile in all of these domains.
Courting controversy
In Patriot, Navalny writes that he always “felt sure a broad coalition was needed to fight Putin”. Yet over the years, his attempts to form that coalition led to some of the most controversial points of his political career.
In a 2007 video, Navalny referred to himself as a “certified nationalist”, advocating for the deportation of illegal immigrants, albeit without using violence and distancing himself from neo-Nazism. In the video, he says: “We have the right to be Russians in Russia, and we’ll defend that right.”
Although alienating some, Navalny was attempting to present a more acceptable face of nationalism, and he hoped to build a bridge between nationalists and liberals in taking on the Kremlin’s burgeoning authoritarianism.
But the prominence of nationalism in Navalny’s political identity varied markedly over time, probably reflecting his shifting estimations of which platform could attract the largest support within Russia. By the time of his thwarted run in the 2018 presidential election, nationalist talking points were all but absent from his rhetoric.
However, some of these former comments and positions continue to influence how people view him. For example, following Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014, Navalny tried to take a pragmatic stance. While acknowledging Russia’s flouting of international law, he said that Crimea was “now part of the Russian Federation” and would “never become part of Ukraine in the foreseeable future”.
Many Ukrainians take this as clear evidence that Navalny was a Russian imperialist. Though he later revised his position, saying Crimea should be returned to Ukraine, some saw this as too little, too late. But others were willing to look past the more controversial parts of his biography, recognising that Navalny represented the most effective domestic challenge to Putin.
Another key attempt to build a broad political coalition was Navalny’s Smart Voting initiative. This was a tactical voting project in which Navalny’s team encouraged voters to back the individual thought best-placed to defeat the ruling United Russia candidate, regardless of the challenger’s ideological position.
The project wasn’t met with universal approval. Some opposition figures and voters baulked at, or flatly refused to consider, the idea of voting for people whose ideological positions they found repugnant – or whom they viewed as being “fake” opposition figures, entirely in bed with the authorities. (This makes clear that Navalny was never the leader of the political opposition in Russia; he was, rather, the leading figure of a fractious constellation of individuals and groups.)
But others relished the opportunity to make rigged elections work in their favour. And there is evidence that Smart Voting did sometimes work, including in the September 2020 regional and local elections, for which Navalny had been campaigning when he was poisoned with Novichok.
In an astonishing moment captured on film during his recovery in Germany, Navalny speaks to an alleged member of the FSB squad sent to kill him. Pretending to be the aide to a senior FSB official, Navalny finds out that the nerve agent had been placed in his underpants.
How do Russians feel about Navalny now?
It’s like a member of the family has died.
This is what one Russian friend told me after hearing of Navalny’s death a year ago. Soon afterwards, the Levada Center – an independent Russian polling organisation – conducted a nationally representative survey to gauge the public’s reaction to the news.
The poll found that Navalny’s death was the second-most mentioned event by Russian people that month, after the capture of the Ukrainian city of Avdiivka by Russian troops. But when asked how they felt about his death, 69% of respondents said they had “no particular feelings” either way – while only 17% said they felt “sympathy” or “pity”.
And that broadly fits with Navalny’s approval ratings in Russia. After his poisoning in 2020, 20% of Russians said they approved of his activities – but this was down to 11% by February 2024.
Video: BBC.
Of course, these numbers must be taken for what they are: polling in an authoritarian state regarding a figure vilified and imprisoned by the regime, during a time of war and amid draconian restrictions on free speech. To what extent the drop in support for Navalny was real, rather than reflecting the increased fear people had in voicing their approval for an anti-regime figure, is hard to say with certainty.
When asked why they liked Navalny, 31% of those who approved of his activities said he spoke “the truth”, “honestly” or “directly”. For those who did not approve of his activities, 22% said he was “paid by the west”, “represented” the west’s interests, that he was a “foreign agent”, a “traitor” or a “puppet”.
The Kremlin had long tried to discredit Navalny as a western-backed traitor. After Navalny’s 2020 poisoning, Putin’s spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, said that “experts from the United States’ Central Intelligence Agency are working with him”. The Russian state claimed that, rather than a patriot exposing official malfeasance with a view to strengthening his country, Navalny was a CIA stooge intent on destroying Russia.
Peskov provided no evidence to back up this claim – and the official propaganda wasn’t believed by all. Thousands of Russians defied the authorities by coming out to pay their respects at Navalny’s funeral on March 1 2024. Many, if not all, knew this was a significant risk. Police employed video footage to track down members of the funeral crowd, including by using facial recognition technology.
The first person to be detained was a Muscovite the police claimed they heard shouting “Glory to the heroes!” – a traditional Ukrainian response to the declaration “Glory to Ukraine!”, but this time referencing Navalny. She spent a night in a police station before being fined for “displaying a banned symbol”.
Putin always avoided mentioning Navalny’s name in public while he was alive – instead referring to him as “this gentleman”, “the character you mentioned”, or the “Berlin patient”. (The only recorded instance of Putin using Navalny’s name in public when he was alive was in 2013.)
However, having been re-elected president in 2024 and with Navalny dead, Putin finally broke his long-held practice, saying: “As for Navalny, yes he passed away – this is always a sad event.” It was as if the death of his nemesis diminished the potency of his name – and the challenge that Navalny had long presented to Putin.
Nobody can become another Navalny
Someone else will rise up and take my place. I haven’t done anything unique or difficult. Anyone could do what I’ve done.
So wrote Navalny in the memoir published after his death. But that hasn’t happened: no Navalny 2.0 has yet emerged. And it’s no real surprise. The Kremlin has taken clear steps to ensure nobody can become another Navalny within Russia.
In 2021, the authorities made a clear decision to destroy Navalny’s organisations within Russia, including the ACF and his regional network. Without the organisational infrastructure and legal ability to function in Russia, no figure has been able to take his place directly.
More broadly, the fate of Navalny and his movement has had a chilling effect on the opposition landscape. So too have other steps taken by the authorities.
Russia has become markedly more repressive since the start of its war on Ukraine. The human rights NGO First Department looked into the number of cases relating to “treason”, “espionage” and “confidential cooperation with a foreign state” since Russia introduced the current version of its criminal code in 1997. Of the more than 1,000 cases, 792 – the vast majority – were initiated following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Russian law enforcement has also used nebulous anti-extremism and anti-terrorism legislation to crack down on dissenting voices. Three of Navalny’s lawyers were sentenced in January 2025 for participating in an “extremist organisation”, as the ACF was designated by a Moscow court in June 2021. The Russian legislature has also passed a barrage of legislation relating to so-called “foreign agents”, to tarnish the work of those the regime regards as foreign-backed “fifth columnists”.
Mass street protests are largely a thing of the past in Russia. Restrictions were placed on public gatherings during the COVID pandemic – but these rules were applied selectively, with opposition individuals and groups being targeted. And opportunities for collective action were further reduced following the full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Freedom of speech has also come under assault. Article 29, point five of the Russian constitution states: “Censorship shall be prohibited.” But in September 2024, Kremlin spokesperson Peskov said: “In the state of war that we are in, restrictions are justified, and censorship is justified.”
Legislation passed very soon after the 2022 invasion of Ukraine made it illegal to comment on the Russian military’s activities truthfully – and even to call the war a war.
YouTube – the platform so central to Navalny’s ability to spread his message – has been targeted. Without banning it outright – perhaps afraid of the public backlash this might cause – the Russian state media regulator, Roskomnadzor, has slowed down internet traffic to the site within Russia. The result has been a move of users to other websites supporting video content, including VKontakte – a Russian social media platform.
In short, conditions in Russia are very different now compared to when Navalny first emerged. The relative freedom of the 2000s and 2010s gave him the space to challenge the corruption and authoritarianism of an evolving system headed by Putin. But this space has shrunk over time, to the point where no room remains for a figure like him within Russia.
In 2019, Navalny told Ivan Zhdanov, who is now director of the ACF: “We changed the regime, but not in the way we wanted.” So, did Navalny and his team push the Kremlin to become more authoritarian – making it not only intolerant of him but also any possible successor?
There may be some truth in this. And yet, the drastic steps taken by the regime following the start of the war on Ukraine suggest there were other, even more significant factors that have laid bare the violent nature of Putin’s personal autocracy – and the president’s disdain for dissenters.
Plenty for Russians to be angry about
How can we win the war when dedushka [grandpa] is a moron?
In June 2023, Evgeny Prigozhin – a long-time associate of Putin and head of the private military Wagner Group – staged an armed rebellion, marching his forces on the Russian capital. This was not a full-blown political movement against Putin. But the target of Prigozhin’s invective against Russia’s military leadership had become increasingly blurry, testing the taboo of direct criticism of the president – who is sometimes referred to, disparagingly, as “grandpa” in Russia.
And Prigozhin paid the price. In August 2023, he was killed when the private jet he was flying in crashed after an explosion on board. Afterwards, Putin referred to Prigozhin as a “talented person” who “made serious mistakes in life”.
In the west, opposition to the Kremlin is often associated with more liberal figures like Navalny. Yet the most consequential domestic challenge to Putin’s rule came from a very different part of the ideological spectrum – a figure in Prigozhin leading a segment of Russian society that wanted the Kremlin to prosecute its war on Ukraine even more aggressively.
Video: BBC.
Today, there is plenty for Russians to be angry about, and Putin knows it. He recently acknowledged an “overheating of the economy”. This has resulted in high inflation, in part due to all the resources being channelled into supporting the war effort. Such cost-of-living concerns weigh more heavily than the war on the minds of most Russians.
A favourite talking point of the Kremlin is how Putin imposed order in Russia following the “wild 1990s” – characterised by economic turbulence and symbolised by then-president Boris Yeltsin’s public drunkenness. Many Russians attribute the stability and rise in living standards they experienced in the 2000s with Putin’s rule – and thank him for it by providing support for his continued leadership.
The current economic problems are an acute worry for the Kremlin because they jeopardise this basic social contract struck with the Russian people. In fact, one way the Kremlin tried to discredit Navalny was by comparing him with Yeltsin, suggesting he posed the same threats as a failed reformer. In his memoir, Navalny concedes that “few things get under my skin more”.
Although originally a fan of Yeltsin, Navalny became an ardent critic. His argument was that Yeltsin and those around him squandered the opportunity to make Russia a “normal” European country.
Navalny also wanted Russians to feel entitled to more. Rather than be content with their relative living standards compared with the early post-Soviet period, he encouraged them to imagine the level of wealth citizens could enjoy based on Russia’s extraordinary resources – but with the rule of law, less corruption, and real democratic processes.
‘Think of other possible Russias’
When looking at forms of criticism and dissent in Russia today, we need to distinguish between anti-war, anti-government, and anti-Putin activities.
Despite the risk of harsh consequences, there are daily forms of anti-war resistance, including arson attacks on military enlistment offices. Some are orchestrated from Ukraine, with Russians blackmailed into acting. But other cases are likely to be forms of domestic resistance.
Criticism of the government is still sometimes possible, largely because Russia has a “dual executive” system, consisting of a prime minister and presidency. This allows the much more powerful presidency to deflect blame to the government when things go wrong.
There are nominal opposition parties in Russia – sometimes referred to as the “systemic opposition”, because they are loyal to the Kremlin and therefore tolerated by the system. Within the State Duma, these parties often criticise particular government ministries for apparent failings. But they rarely, if ever, now dare criticise Putin directly.
Nothing anywhere close to the challenge presented by Navalny appears on the horizon in Russia – at either end of the political spectrum. But the presence of clear popular grievances, and the existence of organisations (albeit not Navalny’s) that could channel this anger should the Kremlin’s grip loosen, mean we cannot write off all opposition in Russia.
Navalny’s wife, Yulia, has vowed to continue her husband’s work. And his team in exile maintain focus on elite corruption in Russia, now from their base in Vilnius, Lithuania. The ACF’s most recent investigation is on Igor Sechin, CEO of the oil company Rosneft.
But some have argued this work is no longer as relevant as it was. Sam Greene, professor in Russian politics at King’s College London, captured this doubt in a recent Substack post:
[T]here is a palpable sense that these sorts of investigations may not be relevant to as many people as they used to be, given everything that has transpired since the mid-2010s, when they were the bread and butter of the Anti-Corruption Foundation. Some … have gone as far as to suggest that they have become effectively meaningless … and thus that Team Navalny should move on.
Navalny’s team are understandably irritated by suggestions they’re no longer as effective as they once were. But it’s important to note that this criticism has often been sharpest within Russia’s liberal opposition. The ACF has been rocked, for example, by recent accusations from Maxim Katz, one such liberal opposition figure, that the organisation helped “launder the reputations” of two former bank owners. In their response, posted on YouTube, the ACF referred to Katz’s accusations as “lies” – but this continued squabbling has left some Russians feeling “disillusioned and unrepresented”.
So, what will Navalny’s long-term legacy be? Patriot includes a revealing section on Mikhail Gorbachev – the last leader of the Soviet Union, whom Navalny describes as “unpopular in Russia, and also in our family”. He continues:
Usually, when you tell foreigners this, they are very surprised, because Gorbachev is thought of as the person who gave Eastern Europe back its freedom and thanks to whom Germany was reunited. Of course, that is true … but within Russia and the USSR he was not particularly liked.
At the moment, there is a similar split in perceptions of Navalny. Internationally, he was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize, awarded the Sakharov Prize by the European Parliament, and a documentary about him won an Oscar.
But there are also those outside of Russia who remain critical: “Navalny’s life has brought no benefit to the Ukrainian victory; instead, he has caused considerable harm,” wrote one Ukrainian academic. “He fuelled the illusion in the west that democracy in Russia is possible.”
Trailer for the Oscar-winning documentary Navalny.
Inside Russia, according to Levada Center polling shortly after his death, 53% of Russians thought Navalny played “no special role” in the history of the country, while 19% said he played a “rather negative” role. Revealingly, when commenting on Navalny’s death, one man in Moscow told RFE/RL’s Russian Service: “I think that everyone who is against Russia is guilty, even if they are right.”
But, for a small minority in Russia, Navalny will go down as a messiah-like figure who miraculously cheated death in 2020, then made the ultimate sacrifice in his battle of good and evil with the Kremlin. This view may have been reinforced by Navalny’s increasing openness about his Christian faith.
Ultimately, Navalny’s long-term status in Russia will depend on the nature of the political system after Putin has gone. Since it seems likely that authoritarianism will outlast Putin, a more favourable official story about Navalny is unlikely to emerge any time soon. However, how any post-Putin regime tries to make sense of Navalny’s legacy will tell us a lot about that regime.
While he was alive, Navalny stood for the freer Russia in which he had emerged as a leading opposition figure – and also what he called the “Beautiful Russia of the Future”. Perhaps, after his death, his lasting legacy in Russia remains the ability for some to think – if only in private – of other possible Russias.
To hear about new Insights articles, join the hundreds of thousands of people who value The Conversation’s evidence-based news. Subscribe to our newsletter.
Ben Noble has previously received funding from the British Academy and the Leverhulme Trust. He is an Associate Fellow of Chatham House.
In the opening scene of Love, Actually, Hugh Grant’s character says how, whenever he gets gloomy with the state of the world, he thinks about the arrivals gate at Heathrow airport. The reason is on screen: we see couples kissing, old friends embracing, children smiling and laughing as they jump into the arms of their parents.
Airports are great places to really understand the importance of physical affection – hugging, kissing, cuddling, holding hands, or even just touching. But physical affection is ubiquitous in everyday life, too – and with good reason. Science shows that non-sexual physical affection produces more than just moments of joy – it also benefits our mental and physical health.
Physical affection is one of the most direct and important ways that people communicate intimacy in their romantic relationships. And it seems to occur in romantic relationships all over the world, despite cross-cultural differences in ideas of love and romance.
People in romantic relationships report more intimate physical affection than singletons. They’re also more comfortable allowing their partners to touch more of their bodies than strangers or friends. For example, most people are comfortable being touched on their thighs and abdomen by their partner, but not by other people.
Even how we touch our partners is different to how we touch other people. When participants in one study were asked to stroke their partner, a friend, a stranger, or an artificial arm, they did so more slowly with their partner. Slower strokes may may be experienced as more pleasant and erotic than quicker strokes. Even just thinking about physical affection from a partner evokes pleasant and erotic sensations.
There is now strong evidence showing that physical contact is associated with better physical and mental health. One review of “touch interventions” – think massage – in 212 studies involving more than 13,000 participants found that physical touch benefited everything from sleep patterns to blood pressure to fatigue. Touch interventions were especially helpful in reducing pain, depression and anxiety.
Couple’s therapy
Before you rush off to book yourself a massage, you should know that much of the evidence suggests the strongest benefits come from physical affection with romantic partners. Several studies have found that, in couples, physical affection is associated with a range of physiological effects, including lower blood pressure and better immune responses.
In couples, physical affection is also associated with better psychological wellbeing. One study found that couples who sleep-touched – cuddling shortly before or after sleep – felt happier and calmer in the morning, which meant they were more likely to enjoy the company of their partners.
Physical affection – including kissing and affection after sex – is also associated with greater relationship and sexual satisfaction, and better ratings of one’s relationship overall, which in turn contribute to better psychological wellbeing. And even when conflicts do occur, hugging seems to reduce levels of negative mood in couples.
Cuddle up, because there’s more. Receiving physical affection from a partner makes us feel psychologically stronger. One study found that women showed less activation in parts of the brain that respond to threat when holding their husband’s hand. Even just imagining touch from a partner can increase one’s willingness to take on challenging tasks.
Another way to look at this is to examine what happens when we lose physical affection. Studies have shown that “touch deprivation” – the absence of touch – is associated with greater symptoms of depression and anxiety. Indeed, the loss of affection from others during the pandemic hit many people hard. Among couples, a lack of physical affection is associated with lower relationship satisfaction, stress, and feelings of loneliness.
There are several ways in which physical affection provides these benefits. Affectionate touch is known to activate reward centres of the brain, which boosts our mood and promotes feelings of wellbeing. Touch also stimulates the release of oxytocin, which can strengthen social bonds and increase feelings of trust between individuals. It’s for these reasons that oxytocin is sometimes called the “cuddle chemical”.
Physical affection also reduces levels of the stress hormone cortisol and reduces perceived pain, which suppress physiological stress systems. One study found that a ten-minute neck-and-shoulder massage from one’s partner helped lower cortisol responses, helping to regulate levels of stress.
Psychologically, physical affection in romantic relationships is an important way to keep our emotions under control. Touching one’s partner in a caring manner helps to improve their mood and makes them feel loved, secure, and safe. As feelings of connection, trust, and belonging are strengthened through non-sexual physical signs of affection, negative effect is reduced and psychological well-being is improved.
However, not everyone likes to be touched, even if it is by their romantic partners. Some people are “touch avoidant” – and some people may actually be apprehensive about being touched. For instance, people with avoidant attachment styles – characterised by a discomfort with emotional closeness – often have very negative views about cuddling and are more hesitant to touch their partners. Conversely, people with anxious attachment styles – characterised by a fear of abandonment – may desire more touch than they receive.
But when couples have similar touch preferences, it can lead to greater attraction, closeness, and commitment to one another. And if you’re looking for a fun way to incorporate non-sexual physical affection into your relationships, consider home massage. One study found that couples who took turns massaging each other at home felt a deeper connection with each other, and felt more relaxed and less stressed.
Viren Swami 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: The Conversation – UK – By Daniel Alge, Senior Lecturer in Criminology & Criminal Justice, Brunel University of London
Lucy Letby was convicted in two trials in 2023 and 2024 of murdering seven babies and attempting to murder six others in her care at the Countess of Chester hospital in north-west England between 2015 and 2016.
She is currently serving 15 whole life sentences for the murders. But the case has been called into question as a result of growing concerns about the expert evidence presented at her trial. Will she get a retrial? Here’s what happens next.
In the context of usually cautious expert opinion, the press conference held on February 4 2025 was extraordinary. An international panel of medical experts investigating the medical evidence against Lucy Letby concluded that there were alternative explanations for each of the deaths. They said they found no evidence of deliberate harm, and believe Letby did not murder any babies.
The panel’s chair, Dr Shoo Lee, is a retired neonatal care expert. His 1989 paper on air embolisms was heavily relied on by the prosecution in the Letby trial and appeals. However, Lee has previously said that his research was misinterpreted at trial. At the press conference he said, “we did not find any murders. In all cases, death or injury were due to natural causes or just bad medical care.”
Want more politics coverage from academic experts? Every week, we bring you informed analysis of developments in government and fact check the claims being made.
The panel’s findings put the case in uncharted territory, given Letby’s very recent convictions and the continuing public inquiry into the case.
The public inquiry – the Thirlwall Inquiry into events at the Countess of Chester hospital – will operate based on the assumption, following her convictions, that Letby is guilty. Letby’s barrister has called for the inquiry to be halted pending the Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC) review of her case.
Despite the findings of the expert panel, Letby’s release or even a retrial is by no means imminent, let alone guaranteed. Letby has already had two applications for leave to appeal refused. The grounds of appeal were related to what her defence argued were errors in judicial decision making during the trial, rather than the medical evidence. Nonetheless, this means that the CCRC is the only route left open to Letby to challenge her convictions.
Letby’s defence team confirmed that a preliminary application has been made to the CCRC, with a full submission to follow. The CCRC investigates potential miscarriages of justice in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
The commission is expected to treat Letby’s case as a priority given the public interest. But it is still likely to take at least a year to review the considerable evidence before a referral back to the Court of Appeal could even be considered.
What evidence will be considered?
The CCRC aims to complete cases within 12 months of receiving the application. But the organisation has recently come under criticism over how it handled the case of Andrew Malkinson, who was wrongly jailed for 17 years for a crime he did not commit.
When the CCRC considers the full application, they have the power to refer the case back to the Court of Appeal. In order to do so, the commission requires new evidence or other relevant factors which would support a fresh appeal.
The findings of the medical panel will be part of the defence submission. The CCRC will decide, with other factors, whether they constitute fresh grounds for an appeal. It is particularly compelling that the prosecution case relied on Dr Lee’s research, and yet it is in part his expertise that has become a crucial element of the defence.
To send the case back for appeal, the CCRC would also need to conclude that there was a “real possibility” of the conviction being overturned.
It is important to remember that the case against Letby included statistical and circumstantial evidence as well as medical opinion. However, what are alleged to be numerous fallacies in the statistical evidence have been highlighted. And circumstantial evidence is just that – circumstantial. Letby was convicted on the medical evidence.
The evidence given as part of the Thirlwall Inquiry will be within the remit of the CCRC too. Although the inquiry has not yet formally concluded, all oral testimony has taken place. As would be expected given the inquiry’s terms of reference, much of the evidence heard has been less favourable to Letby.
The CCRC also has the power under the Criminal Appeals Act 1995 to instruct its own expert witnesses and interview previous and potential new witnesses.
If the CCRC ultimately decides to refer the case to the Court of Appeal, it will be treated like any other appeal. It could result either in the conviction being quashed and Letby going free, or a retrial.
A retrial would follow if the appeal judges believed that a retrial met the criteria set out in the Criminal Appeal Act 1968 and was in the interests of justice. The likelihood of this outcome depends on the strength of the medical evidence presented to the CCRC and the Court of Appeal.
As the Thirlwall Inquiry and the CCRC application are separate processes, is it technically not essential that the inquiry concludes before the CCRC makes a decision. Closing submissions to the inquiry are scheduled for March 2025, with the report expected later in the year. This should fit within the expected timeframe of the CCRC taking at least a year to consider the application.
A further complicating factor is Lee’s assertion that the Countess of Chester hospital provided such bad care that it would have been “shut down” in his home country of Canada. This will no doubt lead to legal claims against the NHS trust, particularly if Letby is exonerated and culpability for avoidable deaths is sought elsewhere.
Some, including Lee, have gone so far as to suggest the new evidence is so compelling that Letby should be released on house arrest pending the CCRC review. This would be highly unusual, and for the time being, Letby remains imprisoned as one of the worst child serial killers in modern British history.
Daniel Alge 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.
