UConn President Radenka Maric has been named a Fellow of The Electrochemical Society, a highly prestigious designation awarded annually to a select group of scientists and engineers from around the globe.
Maric is a world leader in electrochemistry at surfaces and interfaces, and in nanomaterials development for a wide range of renewable energy applications and sensors.
The Electrochemical Society announced that she is among 12 researchers worldwide who have been selected by their fellow scientists and engineers for the 2025 Class of ECS Fellows. She will be inducted this fall at the 248th ECS Meeting in Chicago.
The designation “Fellow of The Electrochemical Society” was established in 1989 for advanced individual technological contributions to electrochemistry and solid-state science and technology, leadership in the field, and service to the Society.
Maric was named the 17th president of the University of Connecticut in 2022, having previously served as UConn’s vice president for research, innovation, and entrepreneurship since 2017 and a UConn faculty member since 2010.
She is a Board of Trustees Distinguished Professor in Sustainable Energy in UConn’s Departments of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, and Materials Science and Engineering.
Her research has significantly advanced scientific understanding of materials and catalysts, and she has developed innovative manufacturing processes involved in fuel cell technologies, storage materials, and electrochemical sensors for health applications, leading to higher-performance, commercially viable clean energy systems.
Maric earned her Ph.D. in material science from Kyoto University and started her career as a member of the technical staff at the Japan Fine Ceramic Center, and later at Toyota Motors. She has been a member of The Electrochemical Society since 1999.
She moved to the U.S. in 2001, working for the startup nGimet to continue her work playing a pivotal role in advancing the development of electrochemical sensors, fuel cells, and materials and processes related to battery storage, hydrogen production, and various sensor technologies for industrial applications.
In addition to her newly announced honor as a Fellow of The Electrochemical Society, Maric holds the rank of Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (2019); the National Academy of Inventors (2019); and the International Association of Advanced Materials (2020). She is also an elected member of the Connecticut Academy of Science and Engineering.
Her many recognitions include receiving a Fulbright Chair Professor appointment at the Politecnico di Milano, Italy (2016-2017), a fellowship from the Japan Organization for the Promotion of Science (2012), the Leadership Award from the National Research Council of Canada (2009), and the Hartford Business Journal’s Women in Business Award (2020).
Maric’s scholarly work has resulted in more than 300 articles in refereed journals and conference proceedings, 21 book chapters, and invited review articles in major journals, one book published, and two books under preparation.
She also has six issued patents and 11 published patent disclosures. She serves on numerous review panels for the Department of Energy, the European Commission, and Horizon 2020, serves as a board member of the International Academy of Electrochemical Energy Science, and is a board member of the Connecticut Innovations and Eli Investment Fund.
Glendale, California, June 18, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Radcred has launched an online platform designed to connect applicants to lenders offering emergency loan options for bad credit. This development addresses the growing need for alternative lending solutions in the United States. The platform enables borrowers to request up to $1,000 through a secure process that connects them with third-party lenders.
Many individuals are unable to secure traditional credit products during unexpected financial challenges. The increasing demand for no credit check emergency loans guaranteed approval reflects these conditions. Radcred’s platform offers a streamlined process that allows applicants to submit requests from anywhere in the country, subject to local regulations.
A Faster, Safer Way to Access Emergency Loans for Bad Credit
The rise of online lending platforms has changed how borrowers seek emergency financial assistance. Radcred’s new platform provides a secure method to request urgent loans for bad credit. The process is designed to reduce delays often associated with traditional credit applications.
Borrowers can complete a loan request form online, which is then forwarded to a network of lenders. This approach removes the need for in-person visits or lengthy paperwork. The demand for emergency loans no credit check continues to grow, as many consumers seek efficient solutions during financial emergencies.
Each lender sets its own terms, and approval is never automatic. Borrowers are encouraged to review offers carefully and consider their ability to meet repayment obligations. Responsible use of emergency loans online guaranteed approval claims should always be a priority for those in need of immediate funds.
Meeting the Rising Demand for Emergency Loan Options in the U.S.
In recent years, more borrowers across the United States have used online platforms to access emergency loan options. Traditional credit products can be difficult to secure, particularly for those without strong financial histories. This has led to greater interest in urgent loans no credit check services as part of the short-term lending market.
Unexpected costs, such as medical bills or essential repairs, often create a need for fast solutions. Platforms like Radcred provide a way for borrowers to connect with lenders offering emergency loan bad credit guaranteed approval options. This reflects a shift in consumer expectations, with greater demand for quicker, more convenient access to funds. Radcred’s platform aims to support these needs through efficient digital processes.
Radcred’s Key Features Supporting Emergency Loans for Bad Credit
Radcred’s platform has been structured to help applicants seeking emergency loan with bad credit options. The service connects users to a network of lenders through a streamlined and secure process. Key features of the platform include:
Secure Online Request Process: Borrowers submit information through an encrypted form designed to protect personal data.
Network of Third-Party Lenders: The platform forwards loan requests to multiple lenders who review applications independently.
Quick Decision Framework: The digital process helps speed up review times compared to traditional loan applications.
Flexible Loan Amounts: Borrowers can request emergency loans online guaranteed approval offers up to $1,000, depending on lender terms.
Transparent Terms Presentation: Applicants can review loan terms, fees, and repayment schedules before choosing an offer.
Radcred’s Technology Enables Urgent Loan Decisions for Bad Credit Borrowers
Radcred uses digital tools to help support faster review of loan requests. The platform’s technology is designed to assist borrowers seeking urgent loans for bad credit by streamlining communication between applicants and potential lenders. Key aspects of Radcred’s technology include:
Automated Application Routing: Loan requests are securely shared with lenders without manual handling, improving response times.
Encrypted Data Transmission: Sensitive borrower information is protected during submission and while being sent to lenders.
User-Friendly Interface: The platform guides applicants through each step clearly, minimizing errors during the request process.
Compatibility Across Devices: Borrowers can submit emergency loan bad credit guaranteed approval requests using desktop or mobile devices.
Support for Fast Lender Responses: The system is designed to allow lenders to evaluate applications efficiently and provide timely loan offers.
How Radcred’s Network Supports Emergency Loan Offers for Bad Credit
Radcred’s platform connects applicants to a network of third-party lenders that consider a range of credit profiles, including those with bad credit. This network structure provides borrowers with an opportunity to receive loan offers quickly by submitting a single request. Each lender within the network sets its own criteria for evaluating emergency loan options.
Key points about Radcred’s network:
Multiple Lender Access: Applicants are connected to various lenders through one loan request, expanding the possibility of receiving offers.
Independent Loan Terms: Each lender provides its own loan conditions, repayment schedules, and fee structures.
No Obligation to Accept Offers: Borrowers can review emergency loan with bad credit proposals without being required to proceed.
Coverage Across the U.S.: The network includes lenders operating in many states, subject to local lending regulations.
Streamlined Matching Process: The platform forwards loan requests efficiently, helping reduce the time it takes to receive a response.
Radcred Focuses on Secure and Private Loan Application Handling
Privacy and data security are critical concerns when applying for emergency loans online. Radcred’s platform is designed to help protect sensitive information during the loan request process. The system includes measures aimed at ensuring that personal data is handled responsibly while connecting applicants with potential lenders.
Key privacy and security features include:
Encrypted Data Transmission: Borrower details are transmitted through secure, encrypted channels during submission and lender matching.
No Unnecessary Data Sharing: Information is shared only with participating lenders who review applications.
Compliance with Standards: The platform is structured to follow applicable data protection practices for online financial services.
Controlled Access: Only authorized lenders receive applicant information for the purpose of evaluating loan requests.
Clear Privacy Policies: Borrowers can review privacy terms that explain how data is used and stored.
Understanding Emergency Loan Costs and Responsible Use
Emergency loans can help manage unexpected expenses, but borrowers should be aware of the associated costs and responsibilities. When seeking urgent loans for bad credit, understanding terms is essential to avoid further financial difficulty. Key points to consider include:
Interest Rates: Higher rates are common due to increased lender risk.
Fees: Review origination fees, late charges, or other costs.
Repayment Terms: Ensure payments fit within your budget.
Responsible Use: Only borrow what is necessary and plan for repayment.
Compliance: Verify that loan offers meet state lending regulations.
Radcred’s Application Process for $1,000 Loans Online
Radcred’s platform provides a structured and secure way for applicants to request emergency loan options online. The process is designed to help individuals submit loan requests efficiently and connect with lenders offering urgent loans for bad credit.
Key steps in the application process:
Complete the Online Form: Applicants provide basic personal, employment, and financial details using a secure form.
Request Submission: The system forwards the request to a network of third-party lenders for review.
Review of Offers: Lenders assess the request and provide loan offers with specific terms.
Decision by Borrower: Applicants review offers and choose if they want to proceed based on the loan conditions.
Radcred is a digital platform that connects borrowers with third-party lenders for personal and emergency loan options. It does not issue loans directly but facilitates secure online requests. The company focuses on data security, regulatory compliance, and helping applicants access short-term loan solutions through its network.
Disclaimer
Radcred is not a direct lender and does not make credit decisions. Loan approval, amounts, rates, and terms are determined solely by the third-party lenders within its network. Submitting a loan request does not guarantee approval or specific terms. Borrowers are encouraged to review all loan offers carefully and ensure they meet repayment obligations before accepting any agreement. All loan offers are subject to applicable federal and state regulations.
Headline: Big data for big animals: how AI is helping save Tanzania’s endangered giraffes
In 1956, a 23-year-old Canadian scientist named Dr. Anne Innis Dagg did something extraordinary: she traveled alone to South Africa to study giraffes in the wild—becoming the first Western researcher to do so. Her discovery was simple but profound: the pattern of spots on a giraffe is as unique as a fingerprint, allowing scientists to re-identifyindividual animals over time.
Today,nearly seventyyears later, that insight is powering one of the most advanced AI conservation tools ever created.
We’reproud to announce the launch ofGIRAFFE(Generalized Image-based Re-Identification using AI for Fauna Feature Extraction)—an open-source AI tool developed by Microsoft’s AI for Good Lab, in partnership with theWild Nature Institute, to help conservationists track and protect Tanzania’s endangered giraffe population. Built over a decade of collaboration, this tool is already helping to provide critical insights for conservationists to help stabilize key giraffe populations in the region, and giraffes are just the beginning.
Why it matters
Giraffes are found only in Africa—and in Tanzania, their numbers have declined by more than 50% in the last 30 years. Adult females are often targeted by poachers, leaving populations vulnerable and fragmented. Conservationists need data to reverse this trend: survival rates, migration routes, reproduction patterns, and more. But gathering and analyzing that data has traditionallyrequiredenormous manual effort.
That’swhere AI can help.
What GIRAFFE does
Our new tool—GIRAFFE—uses computer vision toidentifyindividual giraffes based on their spot patterns, alsofacilitatesautomated individual annotations and dataset curation.It’sfast, scalable, and designed for real-world conservation:
AI-Powered Recognition: Matches giraffes with over 90% accuracy, reaching 99% in many cases.
End-to-End Workflow: Supports every step of the process, from photo uploads to expert review to seamless catalog updates.
Accessible Design: A clean, user-friendly interface allows both scientists and field researchers to use it—no coding required.
Scalable Infrastructure: Handles thousands of images quickly, processing each match in under two seconds.
Open Source: Available now on GitHub, with tools for both technical and non-technical users.
Every time a giraffe is photographed—usually the right side, which serves as its “ID card”—the tool compares the image to a catalog and either identifies the individual or flags it for expert review. Each survey generates over 1,500 images; GIRAFFE turns what used to take days into minutes.
“Pattern matching software and computer vision has allowed us now to keep track of thousands of individual giraffes. We take photos of every giraffe we see, and we feed them into a pattern recognition software, which forms the basis of all of our data that we use to understand where they are doing well, and if they are not doing well, why—and we can develop effective conservation actions,” said Derek Lee and Monica Bond at Wild Nature Institute.”
A model for broader conservation
GIRAFFE’s architecture isn’t just for giraffes. It can be adapted for any species with distinctive visual patterns—zebras, tigers, whale sharks, and more. That’s the power of open science: we build once, and the benefits multiply.
We’re especially grateful to the Wild Nature Institute and the Masai Giraffe Conservation Project. Their tireless fieldwork, deep expertise, and shared commitment have made this progress possible.
At Microsoft, we believe that some of the world’s biggest challenges—climate, biodiversity, sustainability—require not only commitment, but collaboration. AI alone won’t save the giraffes. But in the hands of dedicated scientists, it can make a world of difference.
Let’s make sure the tallest land mammals on Earth still have a place to stand.
Source: The Conversation – UK – By Nathan Waddell, Associate Professor in Twentieth-Century Literature, University of Birmingham
George Orwell had a traumatic relationship with the sea. In August 1947, while he was writing Nineteen Eighty-Four (1949) on the island of Jura in the Scottish Hebrides, he went on a fishing trip with his young son, nephew and niece.
Having misread the tidal schedules, on the way back Orwell mistakenly piloted the boat into rough swells. He was pulled into the fringe of the Corryvreckan whirlpool off the coasts of Jura and Scarba. The boat capsized and Orwell and his relatives were thrown overboard.
It was a close call – a fact recorded with characteristic detachment by Orwell in his diary that same evening: “On return journey today ran into the whirlpool & were all nearly drowned.” Though he seems to have taken the experience in his stride, this may have been a trauma response: detachment ensures the ability to persist after a near-death experience.
We don’t know for sure if Nineteen Eighty-Four was influenced by the Corryvreckan incident. But it’s clear that the novel was written by a man fixated on water’s terrifying power.
This article is part of Rethinking the Classics. The stories in this series offer insightful new ways to think about and interpret classic books and artworks. This is the canon – with a twist.
Nineteen Eighty-Four isn’t typically associated with fear of death by water. Yet it’s filled with references to sinking ships, drowning people and the dread of oceanic engulfment. Fear of drowning is a torment that social dissidents might face in Room 101, the torture chamber to which all revolutionaries are sent in the appropriately named totalitarian state of Oceania.
An early sequence in the novel describes a helicopter attack on a ship full of refugees, who are bombed as they fall into the sea. The novel’s protagonist, Winston Smith, has a recurring nightmare in which he dreams of his long-lost mother and sister trapped “in the saloon of a sinking ship, looking up at him through the darkening water”.
The sight of them “drowning deeper every minute” takes Winston back to a culminating moment in his childhood when he stole chocolate from his mother’s hand, possibly condemning his sister to starvation. These watery graves imply that Winston is drowning in guilt.
The “wateriness” of Nineteen Eighty-Four may have another interesting historical source. In his essay My Country Right or Left (1940), Orwell recalls that when he had just become a teenager he read about the “atrocity stories” of the first world war.
Orwell states in this same essay that “nothing in the whole war moved [him] so deeply as the loss of the Titanic had done a few years earlier”, in 1912. What upset Orwell most about the Titanic disaster was that in its final moments it “suddenly up-ended and sank bow foremost, so that the people clinging to the stern were lifted no less than 300 feet into the air before they plunged into the abyss”.
Sinking ships and dying civilisations
Orwell never forgot this image. Something similar to it appears in his novel Keep the Aspidistra Flying (1936) where the idea of a sinking passenger liner evokes the collapse of modern civilisation, just as the Titanic disaster evoked the end of Edwardian industrial confidence two decades beforehand.
The Titanic disaster had a profound impact on Orwell. Wiki Commons
References to sinking ships and drowning people appear at key moments in many other works by Orwell, too. But did the full impact of the Titanic surface in Nineteen Eighty-Four?
Sinking ships were part of Orwell’s descriptive toolkit. In Nineteen Eighty-Four, a novel driven by memories of unsympathetic water, they convey nightmares. Filled with references to water and liquidity, it’s one of the most aqueous novels Orwell produced, relying for many of its most shocking episodes on imagery of desperate people drowning or facing imminent death on sinking sea craft.
The thought of trapped passengers descending into the depths survives in Winston’s traumatic memories of his mother and sister, who, in the logic of his dreams, are alive inside a sinking ship’s saloon.
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There’s no way to prove that the Nineteen Eighty-Four is “about” the Titanic disaster, but in the novel, and indeed in Orwell’s wider body of work, there are too many tantalising hints to let the matter rest.
Thinking about fear of death by water takes us into Orwell’s terrors just as it takes us into Winston’s, allowing readers to see the frightened boy inside the adult man and, indeed, inside the author who dreamed up one of the 20th century’s most famous nightmares.
Beyond the canon
As part of the Rethinking the Classics series, we’re asking our experts to recommend a book or artwork that tackles similar themes to the canonical work in question, but isn’t (yet) considered a classic itself. Here is Nathan Waddell’s suggestion:
As soon as the news broke of the Titanic’s sinking, literary works of all shapes and sizes started to appear in tribute to the disaster and its victims. As the century went on, and as research into the tragedy developed (particularly after the ships wreckage was discovered in 1985), more nuanced literary responses to the sinking became possible.
One such response is Beryl Bainbridge’s Whitbread-prize-winning novel Every Man for Himself (1996). It reimagines the disaster from the first-person perspective of an imaginary character, Morgan, the fictional nephew of the historically real financier J. P. Morgan (who was due to sail on the Titanic but changed plans before it sailed).
This article features references to books that have been included for editorial reasons, and may contain links to bookshop.org. If you click on one of the links and go on to buy something from bookshop.org The Conversation UK may earn a commission.
Nathan Waddell does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
The unexpected attack by Israel on Iran, a major oil-producing nation, may undermine anaemic global economic growth and hinder central banks’ ability to cope in an already uncertain market.
Iran exports up to 2 million barrels of oil and refined petroleum products per day (million barrels per day – mbd). Due to long-standing sanctions, most of this oil is sold to China at discounted prices.
Normally, a sudden loss of the Iranian exports (equivalent to around 2% of global oil supply) would trigger panic. But Opec (the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries) is in the process of reversing the production cuts imposed early in the COVID pandemic (and subsequently). This leaves the organisation with an unusually large spare capacity of at least four million barrels per day, most of which is held by Saudi Arabia (up to 3.5 million) and the UAE (about one million).
On top of that, the International Energy Agency (IEA) holds more than 1.2 billion barrels of emergency reserves across OECD countries, ready to be deployed if needed. China, too, has significant reserves, though the line between its commercial and strategic stocks is less clear.
Additionally, some 40 million barrels of Iranian oil are stranded aboard anchored ships near China, unsold due to declining industrial demand and electric vehicles hitting petrol consumption. In May, China’s refinery throughput fell 1.8% year-on-year, with no signs of a swift rebound. What’s more, the IEA is expecting global oil production to exceed 1.8 mbd, compared to its earlier projection of only 0.72 mbd, leaving a massive surplus of supply over demand.
China has proven to be an opportunistic buyer. It did not buy the excess Iranian oil supplies at US$65 (£48) a barrel earlier this year, and whether it buys at US$75 (at the time of writing) or higher, may be a signal of how seriously it views the Middle East tensions. Meanwhile, other Asian importers have been quick to secure prompt shipments from west Africa, and have eyes on US supplies as well.
Thanks to this surplus capacity and stagnant demand, the oil market’s reaction has been more muted than many feared. Prices briefly spiked by US$10 but have since eased. It appears that the market is assessing whether the hostilities will escalate. If so, the impact on energy prices and inflation could be more significant.
A conflict of convenience
It remains somewhat unclear why Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu chose this moment to strike Iran, especially in the middle of peace negotiations between Iran and the United States. In a recent interview, former Israeli leader Ehud Barak admitted that even a full-scale attack would only delay Iran’s nuclear ambitions by weeks or months at best, with US support.
Diplomacy, then, may remain the more effective route. This was the rationale behind the Iran nuclear deal brokered under US president Barack Obama, a deal later dismantled by Trump under pressure from Netanyahu.
So, Netanyahu’s endgame might be political survival and diverting attention from the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza.
If Iran feels sufficiently cornered, it may retaliate by shutting down the Strait of Hormuz – a strategic chokepoint through which up to 20 million barrels of oil pass daily. A lot of that oil can be diverted through alternative supply routes such as a large (6 mbd) Saudi East-West pipeline leading to the Red Sea. There is also the UAE pipeline, which avoids the Strait of Hormuz and leads to the port of Fujairah, in the Gulf of Oman.
Iran could close off the Strait of Hormuz, causing widespread disruption. CeltStudio/Shutterstock
Nevertheless, the increased risk and higher shipping costs would certainly result in much higher prices at the pump. The cost of insurance for ships travelling through the Strait of Hormuz have jumped 60% since the start of the conflict. That, combined with the broader economic fallout, could have global repercussions.
The World Bank recently downgraded its global growth forecast to 2.3% for 2025 – nearly half a percentage point below previous estimates. While a worldwide recession is not yet predicted, the bank warned that growth this decade could be the slowest since the 1960s.
Among the leading culprits is Trump’s tariff policy, which has strained global trade, reduced efficiency and effectively imposed a tax on consumers both in the US and elsewhere. The fear of inflation has led to rising long-term bond yields.
Expectations of higher inflation and high bond yields, in turn, constrain central banks from stimulating the economy by cutting interest rates. This is a key tool used by the US Federal Reserve to influence the cost of borrowing throughout the US economy and thus attempt to stimulate economic activity.
And in spite of the recent US-UK trade agreement, the deal includes a 10% tariff on imports from the UK – with steel still at 25%.
UK economic growth had already slipped into negative territory before the conflict began. Now, with the added strain of geopolitical instability, households are bracing for higher petrol prices at the pump, sluggish wage growth and rising unemployment. The conflict in the Middle East may not have sparked a global oil crisis yet, but it certainly won’t improve anyone’s cost of living.
Adi Imsirovic is affiliated with Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in Washington.
The UK government has announced an extension of free school meals in England to all children whose parents receive universal credit, in order to address child hunger and poverty.
The government claims that half a million more pupils will now have access to school lunches for free. The total number of children registered for free school meals in England is currently about 2.2 million, or about 26% of the total school population. In addition, all children in infant school, aged between four and seven, are entitled to receive a hot lunch at school.
But given the high rates of child poverty in the UK, and the value a decent meal provides, there is evidence that free school meals for all children could provide significant benefits in England.
The provision in Scotland and Wales is more generous: free school meals for children from primary one to five in Scotland (ages four to ten) and for all children in primary school in Wales. But other countries make provision for all children, in both primary and secondary education, to receive meals at school.
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Child poverty in the UK continues to be historically high. In 2023-24, 3.4 million children – 23% of all children in the UK – were in relative income poverty. Incidence of child poverty is particularly acute in cities.
In the UK, the COVID-19 pandemic and Brexit resulted in a rise inunemployment. This in turn led to widespread instances of extreme poverty and child hunger. The lack of active policies in the UK to address child hunger, malnourishment and increasing childhood obesity has been widely criticised by the British Medical Association.
The UK’s experience of high levels of child poverty is in stark contrast with most other high-income countries. The UK ranked 37th out of 39 by child income poverty, ahead only of Turkey and Colombia, in 2023. In comparison, the UK’s adult poverty rate is close to the OECD average, ranking 23rd out of 39 high-income countries. This implies that child poverty can be high even if adult poverty levels are relatively low.
Global policy choices
Providing nutritious free school meals is a fundamental cornerstone of government policy to ensure child welfare. It’s used as a poverty alleviation measure all over the world. Almost half of the world’s school meals are free, feeding 418 million children.
Many of these programmes are based in developing countries. The world’s largest free school meal programme runs in India: the “mid-day meal scheme” feeds 125 million children aged six to 14 and costs the equivalent of £2 billion each year. Similar successful programmes are run in Brazil and some Africancountries, with another having recently been launched in Indonesia.
But schemes in Finland and Sweden also cover almost all school children.
There is a growing body of global evidence on the wider beneficial effects of free school meals on child poverty. Free school meals in India have resulted in higher cognitive outcomes. They have increased school enrolment and school attendance, and thus educational outcomes.
They have also been found to have an intergenerational effect. In India, fewer shorter children were born to women who had benefited from the country’s school food programme.
Nutritionally balanced children’s school meals are also associated with lower incidence of obesity. Studies in the US and UK, for example, have shown universal provision is linked to lower obesity rates.
Research into the Swedish scheme has found that children who have free school meals with prescribed nutritional standards not only have higher educational attainment and better health outcomes in adulthood, but also higher incomes. Children from families in the lowest income quartile in Sweden who received free school meals for nine years increased their lifetime income by 6%.
Other tangible economic benefits include significant reductions in potential healthcare costs as a result of malnutrition and non-communicable diseases. A 2025 European Union report estimates the return from investment in school meal programmes is at least sevenfold, up to a possible €34 for every €1 spent.
While there is rich scientific and economic evidence that universal free school meals are immensely beneficial, a child’s access to nutrition and government support to obtain nourishment is also a fundamental human right. The School Meals Coalition is an international consortium of 108 countries to achieve free school meals for all by 2030. The UK is one of the few advanced countries not signed up to it.
Sanghamitra Bandyopadhyay does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
The UK government confirmed in its June 2025 spending review that it will honour its manifesto pledge and not cut the £13.2 billion warm homes plan, as had been speculated. The money will be spent over the next four years, marking a significant increase on funding for energy-related home upgrades compared to that offered by the previous government.
The plan encompasses several programmes for cutting energy bills and reducing carbon emissions by making homes easier to heat and replacing gas boilers and other fossil fuel heating systems. Low-income homeowners and renters will receive grants for “retrofit” upgrades such as insulation, solar panels and heat pumps through schemes delivered by energy companies and councils.
All homeowners can benefit from the boiler upgrade scheme, which offers £7,500 towards the cost of a heat pump, and those living in the least energy efficient homes can get free loft or cavity wall insulation. Councils and housing associations will also receive funding to make upgrades to their properties.
The British government has provided some form of financial support for insulation and other energy efficiency measures since the 1970s. Millions of homes were insulated over the 2000s, but over the last decade support has been cut and the number of households taking up grants has collapsed. Programmes have also not been designed to provide comprehensive, high-quality retrofits.
Over the next few years, the warm homes plan will significantly increase the amount of funding available for retrofitting homes. This is an opportunity to reshape the UK’s strategy for fixing its cold, leaky housing stock, reduce reliance on gas heating and lower household energy bills.
How support for retrofitting has evolved
For the last 30 years, energy companies have been required to provide insulation and other energy efficiency measures to households. These programmes are funded by levies on energy bills rather than public spending.
From 1994 to 2015 any homeowner, landlord, or renter could receive energy efficiency measures such as insulation from energy companies. Additional publicly funded schemes sought to eliminate fuel poverty and targeted low-income households. This approach proved broadly successful throughout the 2000s and early 2010s. At its peak in 2008-11, one in five UK households received insulation, more efficient boilers or another form of support.
However, these schemes were never designed to provide the comprehensive retrofits that modern climate targets demand. Ultimately, they failed to take a whole-house approach that could address multiple energy-efficiency issues at once.
A pivotal moment came in 2015 when the Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition government removed universal eligibility from supplier-led schemes and shaved £30 off annual household bills. Low-income and vulnerable households, which had already constituted a priority group under energy company-led schemes, became the only demographic eligible for support. Following this decision – plus other modifications to the programmes – the number of insulation measures installed each year fell by about 70%.
In 2023, the Conservative government of Rishi Sunak introduced the Great British insulation scheme which offers free cavity wall or loft insulation to homes registered given an efficiency rating of D or below (ratings run from A for the most efficient to G for the least). The universal boiler upgrade scheme was also introduced.
Meanwhile, the energy company obligation, which provides a greater range of measures, including several types of insulation, heat pumps and solar panels, remains restricted to low-income and vulnerable households.
However, due to complex eligibility requirements, low public awareness and a lack of trust, among other reasons, most of the financial support available is not reaching households and the number of homes receiving upgrades has not recovered.
While reinstating universal support is positive, the boiler upgrade scheme only covers about half the cost of installing a heat pump, making it a subsidy for wealthier households that can afford to foot the rest of the bill.
Energy bill levies, which fund the energy company obligation, disproportionately burden poorer households, which spend a higher proportion of income on energy. At the same time, while everyone continues to pay for the programme via their energy bills, restrictive eligibility requirements leave most households who cannot cover retrofit costs independently without support.
The scheme also incentivises companies and their subcontractors to meet the scheme’s carbon reduction requirements at the lowest possible cost. This discourages whole-house retrofits, more complex insulation measures, repairs prior to retrofit (such as removing damp and mould or repairing roofs) and work in certain types of homes.
Resulting insulation failures have damaged public confidence in retrofit programmes. These problems highlight the mismatch between a market-driven approach and the comprehensive changes necessary to make homes healthier to live in and cheaper to heat, as well as meet climate targets and restore public trust.
The case for replacing supplier-led schemes with public alternatives remains compelling, despite the government’s supposed fiscal constraints. Rather than relying on energy companies and their subcontractors for complex home interventions, councils could be empowered to guide households through the retrofit process and combine homes in area-based schemes.
The warm homes plan includes funding for councils to retrofit low-income households, including those earning less than £36,000, receiving means-tested benefits, or living in certain postcodes. But the scale of the programme is much smaller than the energy company obligation, although investment will increase over the next few years.
This is still a narrow approach to improve the country’s housing that focuses on low-income households, though most middle-income households cannot afford the cost of a retrofit either. The budget for other home improvements remains minimal – homes in poor condition are likely to be missed.
Details of how most of the warm homes plan funding will be spent is due to be revealed in autumn 2025. There is still time for the government to choose a more progressive approach.
An alternative would be to expand grant-funded upgrades for low-income homeowners and offer low-interest, long-term, property-linked loans for middle-income households. This could be designed to cover whole-house retrofits, encompassing insulation, ventilation, heat pumps, solar panels and other measures, as well as repairs.
There are also emerging plans from consultancies working with local governments to develop area-based retrofit programmes that blend public and private investment, aiming to attract investment from pension funds to shift the cost of retrofitting away from households.
However, it remains unclear whether such models will offer sufficiently competitive returns and low enough risk to appeal to institutional investors – and the UK cannot afford to wait for private capital to materialise when nationwide retrofitting is urgently needed.
Don’t have time to read about climate change as much as you’d like?
Madeleine Pauker receives funding from the Energy Demand Research Centre, funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council and the Economic and Social Research Council.
The ancient wandering womb theory suggested that many ailments in women were caused by the uterus becoming dislodged and roaming the body in search of moisture.
According to these theories, the uterus could roam freely around the body, pressing on the liver or lungs and causing symptoms such as breathlessness, fainting and emotional distress – what was later termed “hysteria”, from the Greek hystera (uterus).
Treatments included fumigating the lower body with sweet-smelling herbs to entice the uterus back downward, exposing the nose to pungent odours to drive it away from the chest and adding weights to the abdomen to prevent the uterus from rising. Marriage and pregnancy were often prescribed as cures, under the belief that a busy uterus was a happy, well-behaved one.
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In the 18th century, advances in anatomy and dissection began to disprove the notion that the uterus could physically roam. However, the legacy of the wandering womb lived on well into the 20th century in the diagnosis of “female hysteria”, an unevidenced catch-all for a multitude of symptoms.
While the uterus doesn’t float around like a balloon in the chest cavity, it does change position. And this matters. Mobility is essential for fertility, menstruation, pregnancy and pelvic health.
How much does the uterus move?
The uterus sits between the bladder and the rectum, suspended by a series of ligaments. These don’t hold it immobile – rather, they allow it to rock and tilt.
Its position can be anteverted (tilted forward over the bladder), retroverted (angled back toward the rectum and spine), or somewhere in between. These variations are entirely normal and often vary.
That position matters. The uterine angle can affect where menstrual pain is experienced. For those with a retroverted uterus, discomfort may radiate into the lower back. For others, cramping is felt more in the lower abdomen.
A forward-tilted uterus may press more directly on the bladder, increasing the urge to urinate, especially in early pregnancy. Conversely, a backward tilt might impinge on the rectum, contributing to constipation or bloating.
During sexual arousal, the uterus “tents” – lifting slightly and lengthening the vaginal canal. During labour, it contracts powerfully and rhythmically, drawing the cervix upwards and helping to expel the foetus.
Even the cervix – the narrow opening at the base of the uterus – is not fixed in place. Its height, texture and openness vary across the menstrual cycle in response to hormonal cues. During ovulation, it rises and softens to allow sperm entry. Before menstruation, it lowers and firms up again.
The uterine tubes: searching, not wandering
Perhaps the most surprising anatomical revelation is that a uterine (fallopian) tube on one side of the body can capture an egg released from the opposite ovary. If there’s a true seeker in the reproductive tract, it’s the uterine tube.
Each month, at ovulation, the fimbriae – finger-like projections at the end of the tube – sweep across the surface of the ovary, coaxing the released egg into the tube’s entrance. The tube isn’t anchored directly to the ovary. Instead, it finds it. Like a sea anemone in slow motion, it explores, flexes and moves.
Once caught, cilia – tiny hair-like structures that line the inner surface of the tube – work in concert with muscular contractions that move the egg towards the uterus. This choreography is vital but also explains the risk of ectopic pregnancy.
If a fertilised egg implants in the tube instead of travelling to the uterus, it can pose a serious medical emergency. Ironically, it’s the very adaptability and reach of the tube that makes it vulnerable.
The ovaries are also slightly mobile, suspended by ligaments that allow for some degree of movement within the pelvic cavity. This becomes especially apparent after hysterectomy when the removal of the uterus can cause the ovaries to “drift”, sometimes complicating imaging or surgical planning.
While their movement is more limited than that of the uterus or tubes, it still plays a role in pelvic dynamics. In rare cases, it can result in ovarian torsion, a painful twisting of the organ that requires emergency care.
While mobility is normal, excessive movement or weakened support can cause problems. Uterine prolapse – when the uterus descends into or beyond the vaginal canal – can result from weakened pelvic floor muscles, often after multiple childbirths or due to age-related changes. It’s a mechanical failure, not a moral one. Sadly, though, history hasn’t always treated it that way.
Similarly, adhesions from endometriosis or previous surgeries can limit natural mobility, causing severe pain as organs that should glide against one another become tethered and inflamed.
While the uterus does indeed move, it does so within anatomical boundaries and under the influence of ligaments and hormones – not whim. The enduring myth of the wandering womb reflected broader anxieties about the female body: that it was unpredictable, unruly and in need of control. Today, with the benefit of imaging, dissection and anatomical research, we can replace that myth with a deeper understanding of purposeful mobility.
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.
Good news – the slipway at Admiral’s Hard has been repaired and is ready to welcome the Cremyll ferries back again.
From this Friday – 20 June – boats which ferry passengers across the Tamar to Mount Edgcumbe will be able to land once more at the slipway.
It has been closed since mid-March following reports of damage to the structure and work has now been carried out to stabilise the historic slip.
A section of sheet piling on the wall of the slip had collapsed, releasing a quantity of stone infill into the water, preventing the ferries from using the slip.
Specialist marine engineers were deployed to repair this part of the quay which is Grade II listed and whose origins date back to the Bronze Age, although most of the slip was built in the late 18 and 19th centuries.
Their work entailed replacing the sheet piles and clearing the debris. Other work including concrete pours into voids which were created by wave action – not an easy task given the time needed for concrete to dry – even if it is quick drying – and the tides coming in and out.
Metal strappings have also been installed along the edge to provide more rigidity.
Councillor Chris Penberthy, cabinet member with responsibility for assets said: “Plymouth has miles of coastline with quays, wharves, walls and slipways which given their location, are always going to be at the mercy of time, tide and wave action.
“We try to prioritise spend where it is most needed and I am sure residents – and visitors who enjoy a day out to Mount Edgcumbe will appreciate that this work is now finished – particularly with a warm spell arriving.
“It means the Plymouth Boat Trips can use this historic slipway once more and I would like to thank the company – and their customers – for their flexibility and understanding while we carried out these works.”
Ben Squire, Managing Director of Plymouth Boat Trips, who run the Cremyll Ferry said: “We have managed in the Royal William Yard but walking down Admiral’s Hard somehow feels like the start of the trip, so it is great to be able to do this again.
“It’s brilliant that this work is now finished just as we are coming into the busy season.”
Some minor painting work is still to be carried out once the service has resumed as these can be carried out between ferry landings.
The work has enabled more detailed survey to be carried out on the quay and a further programme of work is being planned.
U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Kodzo Tse, the ground movement noncommissioned officer in charge (NCOIC) of transportation of the joint force throughout African Lion 2025 (AL25), U.S. Army Southern European Task Force, Africa (SETAF-AF), poses for a photo in Agadir, Morocco, May 22, 2025. AL25, the largest annual military exercise in Africa, brings together over 50 nations, including seven NATO allies and 10,000 troops to conduct realistic, dynamic and collaborative training in an austere environment that intersects multiple geographic and functional combatant commands. Led by SETAF-AF on behalf of the U.S. Africa Command, AL25 takes place from April 14 to May 23, 2025, across Ghana, Morocco, Senegal, and Tunisia. This large-scale exercise will enhance our ability to work together in complex, multi-domain operations—preparing forces to deploy, fight and win. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. 1st Class Andrew Mallett) (Photo Credit: Sgt. 1st Class Andrew Mallett) VIEW ORIGINAL
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U.S. Army Southern European Task Force, Africa (SETAF-AF)
AGADIR, Morocco – U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Kodzo Tse, the ground movement noncommissioned officer in charge (NCOIC) of transportation of the joint force throughout African Lion 2025 (AL25), U.S. Army Southern European Task Force, Africa (SETAF-AF), plays a pivotal role at the exercise.
Born in Kpalimé, Togo, Tse oversees the movement of personnel—including distinguished visitors (DVs)—across Ghana, Morocco, Senegal and Tunisia, ensuring logistical precision for an exercise involving 10,000 troops from over 50 nations. For Tse, AL25 is more than a mission; it’s a homecoming to the continent where he was born, blending personal heritage with professional purpose.
“My role is to plan and provide manifests for all personnel movements, from start to finish,” Tse said. “Whether it’s troops or DVs, I make sure everyone gets where they need to be to keep AL25 running smoothly.”
A global career, built on adaptability
Tse’s journey began in a bustling city 120 kilometers north of Lomé, the capital of Togo. After immigrating to the U.S., he settled in Gaithersburg, Maryland, which he now considers his second home. Enlisting as an automated logistics specialist, Tse built a diverse career, serving as a squad leader, warehouse NCOIC, platoon sergeant, drill sergeant and operations sergeant.
His assignments have taken him across the world, including Al Dhafra in Abu Dhabi, as well as nine months in Kandahar, Afghanistan, Kuwait and Poland.
“I’ve served across the globe, from Afghanistan to Poland,” Tse said. “Each assignment taught me how to deliver under pressure and adapt to new challenges.”
U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Kodzo Tse, the ground movement noncommissioned officer in charge (NCOIC) of transportation of the joint force throughout African Lion 2025 (AL25), U.S. Army Southern European Task Force, Africa (SETAF-AF), poses for a photo in Agadir, Morocco, May 22, 2025. AL25, the largest annual military exercise in Africa, brings together over 50 nations, including seven NATO allies and 10,000 troops to conduct realistic, dynamic and collaborative training in an austere environment that intersects multiple geographic and functional combatant commands. Led by SETAF-AF on behalf of the U.S. Africa Command, AL25 takes place from April 14 to May 23, 2025, across Ghana, Morocco, Senegal, and Tunisia. This large-scale exercise will enhance our ability to work together in complex, multi-domain operations—preparing forces to deploy, fight and win. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. 1st Class Andrew Mallett) (Photo Credit: Sgt. 1st Class Andrew Mallett) VIEW ORIGINAL
Now with SETAF-AF, Tse’s expertise ensures AL25’s complex personnel movements are seamless, supporting the exercise’s goals of enhancing combat readiness and interoperability among African and NATO partners.
Turning challenges into growth
Tse credits his skilled team for helping him manage AL25’s logistical demands. Yet, his career has presented its share of challenges, most notably mastering the art of briefing general officers (GOs) with concise, actionable information.
“Briefing GOs is an art—giving them exactly what they need, simply and effectively,” he said. “My team has been incredible, helping me refine that skill from day one. I’m still learning every day.”
This reliance on teamwork mirrors Tse’s approach to AL25’s multinational setting, where he navigates language and cultural differences to keep operations on track, from troop manifests to DV schedules.
Leadership as a mindset
Tse views leadership as a mindset rooted in adaptability and clear communication, guiding teams toward shared objectives. During AL25, he has witnessed this principle in action as leaders collaborate across offices, ensuring mission alignment.
“In this exercise, leadership is about clear communication at every level,” he said. “We’re all working together, from junior NCOs to senior officers, to make this happen.”
His leadership shines in coordinating logistics across four countries, ensuring every echelon—from planners to executors—functions as a cohesive unit.
A legacy of impact
As AL25 progresses, Tse reflects on the legacy he is crafting. Returning to Africa to support the training of African militaries resonates deeply, tying his personal roots to his professional impact.
“I want to tell the story of coming back to my continent, helping improve combat readiness and operational efficiency,” he said. “That’s what this mission means to me.”
His advice to young soldiers is straightforward yet powerful.
“Do what’s right. Strive to be better than yesterday and aim for the top,” advised Tse.
It is a philosophy that has guided his own path of service and growth.
A life anchored in heritage and purpose
Tse maintains a strong connection to Kpalimé, even as he builds a life in Gaithersburg. These dual homes represent a bridge between his past and present, grounding him amid the demands of military service.
U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Kodzo Tse, the ground movement noncommissioned officer in charge (NCOIC) of transportation of the joint force throughout African Lion 2025 (AL25), U.S. Army Southern European Task Force, Africa (SETAF-AF), poses for a photo in Agadir, Morocco, May 22, 2025. AL25, the largest annual military exercise in Africa, brings together over 50 nations, including seven NATO allies and 10,000 troops to conduct realistic, dynamic and collaborative training in an austere environment that intersects multiple geographic and functional combatant commands. Led by SETAF-AF on behalf of the U.S. Africa Command, AL25 takes place from April 14 to May 23, 2025, across Ghana, Morocco, Senegal, and Tunisia. This large-scale exercise will enhance our ability to work together in complex, multi-domain operations—preparing forces to deploy, fight and win. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. 1st Class Andrew Mallett) (Photo Credit: Sgt. 1st Class Andrew Mallett) VIEW ORIGINAL
“Gaithersburg is home, but Kpalimé will always be part of me,” he said. “It’s where I learned the value of hard work and community.”
As AL25 concludes, Tse’s contributions underscore the power of adaptability, teamwork and purpose. His story bridges continents and cultures, leaving a lasting mark on this historic exercise.
About African Lion
AL25, the largest annual military exercise in Africa, brings together over 50 nations, including seven NATO allies and 10,000 troops to conduct realistic, dynamic and collaborative training in an austere environment that intersects multiple geographic and functional combatant commands. Led by U.S. Army Southern European Task Force, Africa (SETAF-AF) on behalf of the U.S. Africa Command, AL25 takes place from April 14 to May 23, 2025, across Ghana, Morocco, Senegal, and Tunisia. This large-scale exercise will enhance our ability to work together in complex, multi-domain operations—preparing forces to deploy, fight and win.
About SETAF-AF
U.S. Army Southern European Task Force, Africa (SETAF-AF) prepares Army forces, executes crisis response, enables strategic competition and strengthens partners to achieve U.S. Army Europe and Africa and U.S. Africa Command campaign objectives.
A Colorado dentist was sentenced yesterday to 41 months in prison for tax evasion related to his use of an illegal tax shelter.
The following is according to court documents and statements made in court: since 2014, Ryan Ulibarri owned and operated Ulibarri Family Dentistry in Fort Collins, Colorado. In 2016, Ulibarri purchased an abusive-trust tax shelter for $50,000. The tax shelter involved concealing income and creating false tax deductions through the use of a so-called business trust, family trust, charitable trust and a private family foundation, all of which Ulibarri created and controlled. From 2016 through 2023, Ulibarri used this tax shelter to conceal from the IRS over $5 million in income he earned from his dental practice and evade more than $1.6 million in federal and state income taxes owed on that income.
To set up the tax shelter, Ulibarri signed trust instruments that named him as trustee of the three trusts and foundation, and he opened bank accounts in the name of each entity. He further recruited friends to falsely sign his trust instruments as the purported creators of the trusts to make it seem as if Ulibarri himself was not the real creator. Ulibarri then transferred majority ownership of his dental practice to his business trust. He did this despite having been warned by attorneys and CPAs that, in Colorado, a trust could not own a dental practice.
Ulibarri then transferred over $5 million in income he earned from his dental practice into the bank accounts of the various trusts and foundation to create the illusion that the funds belonged to those entities, not him. In reality, Ulibarri retained complete control over those funds and used the funds to pay for personal expenses including his home mortgage, credit card bills, boats, luxury vacations, and professional baseball season tickets. Ulibarri also filed false tax returns for himself, his dental practice, the trusts, and his foundation that falsely reported the income he earned from his dental practice as income of the trusts. On those tax returns, Ulibarri also claimed fraudulent deductions for his personal living expenses which he disguised as trust expenses and charitable donations.
In total, Ulibarri caused a tax loss to the United States of $1.6 million.
In addition to the term of imprisonment, U.S. District Judge Nina Y. Wang ordered Ulibarri to serve 3 years of supervised release, to pay a $150,000 fine and to pay $1,449,121 in restitution to the IRS and $166,966 in restitution to the Colorado Department of Revenue.
Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Karen E. Kelly of the Justice Department’s Tax Division and Special Agent in Charge Amanda Prestegard of IRS Criminal Investigation’s Denver Field Office made the announcement.
IRS Criminal Investigation investigated the case.
Trial Attorneys Amanda R. Scott and Lauren K. Pope and Assistant Chief Andrew J. Kameros of the Tax Division prosecuted the case.
OAKLAND – California Attorney General Rob Bonta today issued the following statement after the U.S. Supreme Court affirmed the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals’ judgment in U.S. v. Skrmetti, upholding Tennessee’s Senate Bill 1, which bans critical, lifesaving gender-affirming care for transgender adolescents suffering from gender dysphoria. In September 2024, Attorney General Bonta filed an amicus brief urging the Court to reverse the judgment, arguing that a ban on gender-affirming care for transgender minors constitutes discrimination on the basis of sex and transgender status and violates the Equal Protection Clause of the U.S. Constitution. The Court held that Tennessee’s law does not discriminate on the basis of sex or transgender status, but rather differentiates based on age (barring care for minors but not adults) and medical treatment (barring treatment for certain conditions but not others). In dissent, Justice Sonia Sotomayor criticized that logic and reasoned that the majority “retreat[ed] from meaningful judicial review exactly where it matters most.”
“All Americans regardless of their gender identity have the inalienable right to equal protection under the law. This includes the right to access healthcare free from discrimination,” said Attorney General Bonta. “Across the nation, we’ve seen a rise in hate-fueled violence and intimidation against our LGBTQ+ community, and laws such as Tennessee’s Senate Bill 1 only serve to exacerbate these conditions by blatantly discriminating against transgender youth and denying them access to critical life-saving care. In California, we will continue to promote and protect access to healthcare, not restrict it. My office and I remain committed to safeguarding and upholding the healthcare rights and freedoms for all individuals, including our transgender youth.”
Source: United States Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives (ATF)
TALLAHASSEE & PENSACOLA – United States Attorney John P. Heekin announced today that 16 previously deported aliens have been indicted separately by a federal grand jury for illegal reentry into the United States.
Jose Victor Aguilar-Zelaya, 40, of Honduras, allegedly reentered the United States illegally and was located in Fort Walton Beach in March 2025, after previously being deported in 2010.
Oscar Alva-Cabrera, 23, of Mexico, allegedly reentered the United States illegally and was located in Gulf Breeze in May 2025, after previously being deported in 2024.
Ofelia Andrea Caal-Chub, 22, of Guatemala, allegedly reentered the United States illegally and was located Madison County in June 2025, after previously being deported in 2021.
Bernardo Chavez-Chavez, 46, of Mexico, allegedly reentered the United States illegally and was located in Tallahassee in May 2025, after previously being deported in 1997.
Joel Coto-Mendoza, 48, of Honduras, allegedly reentered the United States illegally and was located in Pensacola in May 2025, after previously being deported in 2023.
Luis Armando Funez-Gomez, 48, of Honduras, allegedly reentered the United States illegally and was located in Tallahassee in May 2025, after previously being deported in 2008.
Roberto Gonzales-Coto, 46, of Honduras, allegedly reentered the United States illegally and was located in Pensacola in May 2025, after previously being deported in 2004.
Candido Hurtado-Solano, 39, of Mexico, allegedly reentered the United States illegally and was located in Tallahassee in May 2025, after previously being deported in 2012.
Juan Hurtado-Solano, 43, of Mexico, allegedly reentered the United States illegally and was located in Tallahassee in May 2025, after previously being deported in 2012.
Omar Jimenez-Salinas, 29, of Mexico, allegedly reentered the United States illegally and was located in Pensacola in May 2025, after previously being deported in 2014.
Jose Luis Morales-Huerta, 40, of Mexico, allegedly reentered the United States illegally and was located in Santa Rosa County in May 2025, after previously being deported in 2018.
Cevero Enrique Ordonez, 29, of Guatemala, allegedly reentered the United States illegally and was located in Pensacola in May 2025, after previously being deported in 2014.
Juan Gomez Perez, 22, of Mexico, allegedly reentered the United States illegally and was located in Tallahassee in May 2025, after previously being deported in 2022.
Elpidio Abelardo Perez-Perez, 33, of Mexico, allegedly reentered the United States illegally and was located in Pensacola in February 2025, after previously being deported in 2010, 2012, and 2013.
Maximo Solis-Xec, 25, of Guatemala, allegedly reentered the United States illegally and was located in Santa Rosa County in May 2025, after previously being deported in 2018.
Juan Carlos Hernandez Vallejos, 42, of Nicaragua, allegedly reentered the United States illegally and was located in Tallahassee in May 2025, after previously being deported in 2014 and 2015.
The penalty for illegally reentering the United States after deportation is a maximum of two years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
The cases are being investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Homeland Security Investigations, Enforcement and Removal Operations, the Florida Highway Patrol, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the United States Marshal’s Service, the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigations, the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office, and the Santa Rosa County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant United States Attorneys Jessica Etherton, Harley Ferguson, Alicia Forbes, Justin Keen, Walter Narramore, and Eric Welch are prosecuting the cases.
An indictment is merely an allegation by a grand jury that a defendant has committed a violation of federal criminal law and is not evidence of guilt. All defendants are presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial, during which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
The cases are part of Operation Take Back America (https://www.justice.gov/dag/media/1393746/dl?inline ) a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices that serve as the nation’s principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General. To access public court documents online, please visit the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida website. For more information about the United States Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Florida, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/fln/index.html.
Source: United States Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives (ATF)
TALLAHASSEE & PENSACOLA – United States Attorney John P. Heekin announced today that 16 previously deported aliens have been indicted separately by a federal grand jury for illegal reentry into the United States.
Jose Victor Aguilar-Zelaya, 40, of Honduras, allegedly reentered the United States illegally and was located in Fort Walton Beach in March 2025, after previously being deported in 2010.
Oscar Alva-Cabrera, 23, of Mexico, allegedly reentered the United States illegally and was located in Gulf Breeze in May 2025, after previously being deported in 2024.
Ofelia Andrea Caal-Chub, 22, of Guatemala, allegedly reentered the United States illegally and was located Madison County in June 2025, after previously being deported in 2021.
Bernardo Chavez-Chavez, 46, of Mexico, allegedly reentered the United States illegally and was located in Tallahassee in May 2025, after previously being deported in 1997.
Joel Coto-Mendoza, 48, of Honduras, allegedly reentered the United States illegally and was located in Pensacola in May 2025, after previously being deported in 2023.
Luis Armando Funez-Gomez, 48, of Honduras, allegedly reentered the United States illegally and was located in Tallahassee in May 2025, after previously being deported in 2008.
Roberto Gonzales-Coto, 46, of Honduras, allegedly reentered the United States illegally and was located in Pensacola in May 2025, after previously being deported in 2004.
Candido Hurtado-Solano, 39, of Mexico, allegedly reentered the United States illegally and was located in Tallahassee in May 2025, after previously being deported in 2012.
Juan Hurtado-Solano, 43, of Mexico, allegedly reentered the United States illegally and was located in Tallahassee in May 2025, after previously being deported in 2012.
Omar Jimenez-Salinas, 29, of Mexico, allegedly reentered the United States illegally and was located in Pensacola in May 2025, after previously being deported in 2014.
Jose Luis Morales-Huerta, 40, of Mexico, allegedly reentered the United States illegally and was located in Santa Rosa County in May 2025, after previously being deported in 2018.
Cevero Enrique Ordonez, 29, of Guatemala, allegedly reentered the United States illegally and was located in Pensacola in May 2025, after previously being deported in 2014.
Juan Gomez Perez, 22, of Mexico, allegedly reentered the United States illegally and was located in Tallahassee in May 2025, after previously being deported in 2022.
Elpidio Abelardo Perez-Perez, 33, of Mexico, allegedly reentered the United States illegally and was located in Pensacola in February 2025, after previously being deported in 2010, 2012, and 2013.
Maximo Solis-Xec, 25, of Guatemala, allegedly reentered the United States illegally and was located in Santa Rosa County in May 2025, after previously being deported in 2018.
Juan Carlos Hernandez Vallejos, 42, of Nicaragua, allegedly reentered the United States illegally and was located in Tallahassee in May 2025, after previously being deported in 2014 and 2015.
The penalty for illegally reentering the United States after deportation is a maximum of two years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
The cases are being investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Homeland Security Investigations, Enforcement and Removal Operations, the Florida Highway Patrol, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the United States Marshal’s Service, the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigations, the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office, and the Santa Rosa County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant United States Attorneys Jessica Etherton, Harley Ferguson, Alicia Forbes, Justin Keen, Walter Narramore, and Eric Welch are prosecuting the cases.
An indictment is merely an allegation by a grand jury that a defendant has committed a violation of federal criminal law and is not evidence of guilt. All defendants are presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial, during which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
The cases are part of Operation Take Back America (https://www.justice.gov/dag/media/1393746/dl?inline ) a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices that serve as the nation’s principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General. To access public court documents online, please visit the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida website. For more information about the United States Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Florida, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/fln/index.html.
Source: United States Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives (ATF)
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – A St. Louis, Mo., man was sentenced in federal court yesterday for illegally possessing firearms, and possession with the intent to distribute methamphetamine, fentanyl, and cocaine.
Melvin Navarro Morgan, 31, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Steven R. Bough to 210 months in federal prison without parole, to be followed by 5 years of supervised release.
On Dec. 19, 2024, following a one-day bench trial on Oct. 28, 2024, Morgan was found guilty of one count each of possession with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine, possession with intent to distribute 40 grams or more of a mixture or substance containing a detectable amount fentanyl, possession with intent to distribute cocaine, possession of firearms in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, and being a felon in possession of firearms.
When Springfield, Mo., Police Department (SPD) officers contacted Morgan on Jan. 5, 2023, he fled on foot. During the foot chase, Morgan threw two baggies containing a total of 24.35 grams of fentanyl. When officers searched Morgan, they found methamphetamine, cocaine, and over $2,000 in cash.
On April 17, 2023, officers with SPD executed a search warrant at Morgan’s residence. Officers seized approximately 117.35 grams of fentanyl, 50.75 grams of cocaine, and 416.87 grams of methamphetamine. During the search, officers found six guns, including an AR-pistol with no serial number or markings (also known as a “ghost gun”), and a pistol with an extended magazine. Officers also seized over $8,200 in cash. At trial, an FBI Special Agent testified that the approximate value of the seized drugs was $43,662.
Morgan fled from officers with the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department (SLMPD), when they attempted to conduct a traffic stop on Oct. 9, 2023. When SLMPD apprehended Morgan, he was in possession of 98 pills containing heroin and fentanyl; powders containing cocaine, heroin, fentanyl, and tramadol; and off-white chunks containing cocaine base.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephanie L. Wan and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Hannah Lucas. It was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Springfield, Mo., Police Department.
Project Safe Neighborhoods
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
There’s a reason casinos rarely have windows or clocks, they’re engineered to make you lose track of time. But what if it’s not just time you’re losing? New research suggests that the lighting used in gambling environments could be quietly altering how we make decisions, making us more prone to take risks.
The colour of the lights surrounding us can do more than just set the mood. It can shape our behaviour.
The new study from researchers at Flinders University in Australia found that blue-enriched lighting (the same cold, bright hue used in many modern LED lights and digital screens) can reduce a gambler’s sensitivity to losses. In a controlled experiment, participants exposed to this kind of light took riskier bets and responded less emotionally to losing.
The researchers believe this change in decision-making is rooted in our biology. The human body is sensitive to different wavelengths of light, not just for vision but also for regulating our internal clocks and emotional states. Blue light in particular has been shown to suppress melatonin production, a hormone which signals to the body it’s time to prepare for sleep.
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Research has also shown blue light can increase alertness and influence brain areas tied to reward and motivation by stimulating the neural circuits involved in anticipation and decision-making. In the case of gambling, this heightened arousal might dampen our natural aversion to loss, even when the odds are stacked against us.
Light can influence us in many other surprising ways. Studies have shown that cooler, blue-toned lighting can enhance cognitive performance and alertness during the day, which is why it’s often used in offices and classrooms. Warmer lighting is more relaxing and is typically recommended by sleep scientists and health professionals for evenings to promote better sleep.
Retailers, too, have long exploited the psychological effects of lighting, using bright, targeted lighting – often in the form of spotlighting or high-intensity LEDs – to draw attention to products.
The colour and intensity of lighting can also affect consumers’ perception of value and attractiveness. This encourages spending by increasing visual salience, making a product stand out more and grab your attention, and creating a more engaging sensory experience.
Specific colours of light seem to have an array of effects in different environments. Red lighting may have effects which increase appetite. This is possibly because it stimulates the sympathetic nervous system, which is associated with arousal and physiological readiness. Meanwhile studies suggest green light may reduce pain and light sensitivity for migraine sufferers.
But lighting is only one half of the sensory equation in casinos. Sound design plays a major role in immersive gambling environments. Upbeat music can make people less risk-averse by speeding up decision-making and creating a sense of urgency.
Jingles and celebratory sounds serve as auditory rewards, reinforcing positive feelings even in the absence of a financial win. When players lose, slot machines often produce celebratory sounds and flashing lights, creating what researchers call a “loss disguised as a win”. This sensory mismatch tricks the brain into thinking it’s succeeding, distorting our ability to assess risk or stop playing.
In gambling environments, red light combined with casino‑style sounds has been shown to eliminate the usual cognitive slowdown after losses during decision-making tasks, leading players to make faster choices without the normal pause for reflection.
A 2018 study showed that flashing animations and vivid colours can increase arousal and attention, making gambling more stimulating and immersive. This, in turn, delays self-regulation and increases time spent gambling. In effect, your surroundings are constantly nudging you to stay, to play, and to believe the next win is just around the corner.
As gambling moves increasingly online, these principles are being translated to digital platforms. Online slot games often use flashing animations, vivid colours, and background music that mimic the ambience of a physical casino. The blue light emitted from screens can be just as stimulating – especially late at night – potentially exacerbating the effects seen in the Flinders University study.
If subtle changes to lighting can lead to riskier decisions, then regulating these features might help promote less harmful gambling behaviour. For instance, encouraging warmer lighting in gambling venues or digital settings could help prevent excessive play.
The lights and sounds that surround us in these environments aren’t just decoration. They’re carefully designed to heighten arousal, dull sensitivity to losses, and encourage riskier decisions.
Our responses to colour, brightness and sound happen at a subconscious level, meaning even informed players can still be swayed by them. Reducing your device’s screen brightness, using blue light filters at night, or turning off in-game sounds can help counteract some of these psychological effects for online gambling.
But meaningful change will probably require policy intervention that treats environmental design not as a neutral backdrop, but as a powerful behavioural influence – one that should be shaped with responsibility to the wellbeing of the consumer, not just profit, in mind.
If you believe your or someone else may benefit from support with gambling behaviour, please access the International Support Contact for your jurisdiction or GamCare for UK specific support.
In the last three years, Dr Glen Dighton has received funding from Bristol Hub for Gambling Harms Research, and an honorarium from Greo Evidence Insights for grant-proposal review
‘Planting the sugar-cane’: vast fortunes were made from the trades in both sugar and human slaves in the Americas.Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, Photographs and Prints Division, The New York Public Library
Rich British aristocratic families with a legacy of owning colonial slave plantations are often accused by campaigners that their wealth solely originates from these plantations. One frequent target of this criticism has been the Drax family of Dorset, which is headed by Richard Grosvenor Plunkett-Ernle-Erle-Drax, who was the Conservative MP for South Dorset until July 2024.
Historian Alan Lester of the University of Sussex has noted of Drax (as he is commonly known): “Much of his fortune is inherited, coming down the family line from ownership of the Drax sugar plantations and the 30,000 enslaved people who worked them as Drax property for 180 years before emancipation in Barbados.”
Recently, I have researched and written a book on the Drax family’s history and involvement in the slave trade in the Caribbean, Drax of Drax Hall, that gives fresh insights into the level of wealth they derived from the sugar trade and the trade in African slaves who worked their plantations – as well as the family’s other income sources.
I searched the archives in the UK and Caribbean for evidence of their revenue streams until Britain’s 1834 abolition of slavery in the colonies. I estimate that the family today are worth more than £150 million from their land and property in Dorset and Yorkshire.
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Over a period of two centuries until 1834, eight generations of Drax ancestors owned and worked hundreds of enslaved African captives at any one time. The latest beneficiary of primogeniture – the legal concept that recognises the first-born child as heir to a familiy’s fortune – Richard Drax inherited the family’s still-operating 621-acre Drax Hall plantation in Barbados in 2021.
Drax, 67, has said: “I am keenly aware of the slave trade in the West Indies, and the role my very distant ancestor played in it is deeply, deeply regrettable. But no one can be held responsible today for what happened many hundreds of years ago. This is a part of the nation’s history, from which we must all learn.”
My research reveals the sources of his family’s wealth are more complex than the critics’ claims that it all derives from the slave-worked plantations.
Like most British landed gentry, much of the Drax family income has come as extensive landlords of their British estates which, in 1883, exceeded 23,000 acres across various counties. Today, it includes nearly 16,000 acres in Dorset and 2,520 acres in the Yorkshire Dales.
However, my research also shows the Drax family made more money from slavery than was previously thought, when taking into account the way revenues from their plantations were channelled into the family’s British estates over the two centuries of slavery.
Drax Hall plantation in Barbados
The Drax Hall plantation in the Barbados parish of Saint George has been described by Barbadian historian Sir Hilary Beckles, chair of the Caribbean Community reparations commission, as a “killing field” where as many as 30,000 slaves died in brutal conditions. Despite pressure from reparation campaigners in the Caribbean, Britain and elsewhere, Richard Drax has declined to make a formal public apology or gesture of recompense in the Caribbean for the years of slavery.
A 19th-century drawing of Drax Hall plantation in Barbados. Unknown source, Wikimedia Commons
As the prime minister of Barbados, Mia Mottley, explained in April 2024, despite the efforts of her government Drax has yet to agree to a settlement, pay reparations or contribute all or part of his family’s Drax Hall plantation to provide affordable housing or become a memorial to those who worked and died in colonial enslavement on the island.
Some other British landed families whose ancestors owned slave plantations in the Caribbean, including the Trevelyans (who owned six slave plantations in Grenada) and the Gladstones (British prime minister William Gladstone’s father owned plantations in Guyana), have made formal apologies and reparations. And while some families have kept the terms of these reparations private, longtime BBC reporter Laura Trevelyan made a US$100,000 (£73,000) donation to a Caribbean development fund.
The largest family estate
Four thousand miles from Barbados, Richard Drax lives in Charborough House, a historic 17th-century mansion in Dorset. He oversees the 23.5-square mile estate, the largest family estate in Dorset with over 120 properties, many of which are rented out.
Charborough was acquired by Drax’s ancestor Walter Erle by marriage in 1549. The family has gradually increased the estate over the centuries. Historically, their income comes from renting land to tenant farmers and cottages to agricultural workers. This, I identified, is where the bulk of their income has come from.
However, profits from sugar produced by slavery also poured into the family coffers over 200 years. Richard Drax’s remote ancestor James Drax (1609-1661) was one of the first settler group to arrive in the then-uninhabited island of Barbados in 1627. In his introduction to my book, TV historian David Olusoga writes that the Drax family were key players – arguably the key players – in the origin story of British slavery:
The Drax Hall plantation, the first estate on which a crop of sugar was commercially grown and processed by any English planter, became one of the laboratories in which early English slavery was developed and finessed.
Built around 1650, the Jacobean plantation house is thought to be the one of the three oldest extant residential buildings in the Americas. From the 17th into the 18th century, the Draxes created and owned the largest acreage in Barbados with the Drax Hall and and Mount plantations – plus a 3,000-acre estate, also called Drax Hall, in Jamaica. The family became enormously wealthy: James Drax was said by a visitor to Drax Hall in the 1640s to “live like a prince”, putting on lavish dinners for friends and guests.
In addition to owning slaves, James Drax shipped African captives to Barbados as a key part of the trade in slaves. Knighted by both Oliver Cromwell and Charles I, by 1660 he was a director and investor in the English East India Company which, in part, traded and exploited enslaved people.
Paul Lashmar’s book, Drax of Drax Hall. Bookshop.com
In her 1930 study, American historian Elizabeth Donnan presented evidence that the Draxes of the 17th century operated “off the books” – buying enslaved people from, and selling them to, “interloper” ships that circumvented the Royal African Company’s monopoly of slave trading to the colonies.
The Drax family married into the Erle family in 1719, combining three fortunes: that of the Erles of Charborough, the Draxes of Yorkshire, Barbados and Jamaica, and the landed-gentry Ernles of Wiltshire.
Despite being deeply involved in the South Sea Bubble scandal, the Drax family flourished. The slave registers in the National Archives show that between 1825 and 1834, the Drax Hall plantation in Barbados produced an average of 163 tonnes of sugar and 4,845 gallons of rum per year. This gave the family an average annual net profit of £3,591 – equivalent to about £600,000 now. Today, the plantation still produces 700 tonnes of sugar a year, earning the family something in the region of £250,000.
Pressure for reparations
In recent years, the value of Drax Hall’s land in Barbados has greatly increased as it is sought after for housing, and could now be worth as much as Bds$150,000 (£60,000) per acre. At the same time, pressure for reparations is growing. In 2023, the African Union threw its weight behind the Caribbean reparations campaign.
David Comissiong, deputy chairman of the Barbados reparations task force, has said: “Other families are involved, though not as prominently as the Draxes. This reparations journey has begun.”
Yet to date, the only reparations paid in the story of the Drax family’s involvement in the slave trade were to the family itself. In 1837, Jane-Frances Erle-Drax, the heiress of Charborough, received £4,293 12s 6d (worth more than £614,000 today) in reparations for freeing 189 slaves from Drax Hall plantation after the abolition of slavery in the colonies.
In the course of researching and writing my book, I approached Richard Drax both directly and through his lawyers and put the claims made here to him. He had no comment to add.
This page contains references to books included for editorial reasons, which may include links to bookshop.org. If you click on one of the links and go on to buy something from bookshop.org, The Conversation UK may earn a commission.
Treating lower back pain is enormously expensive. In the UK it’s estimated to cost the NHS around £3.2 billion a year. So, ensuring patients get the right treatment is critical.
However, the guidance issued by the UK’s National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice) on how to treat lower back pain was last updated in 2020, meaning many patients may be getting out-of-date advice from their healthcare practitioner.
Fortunately, most people with lower back pain recover quickly without treatment. But a minority don’t, and they can go on to develop long-term disability.
People with lower back pain usually see their GP first. The GP may refer the patient to a physiotherapist, or, in some parts of the UK, patients can refer themselves to one.
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However, Nice recommends using a short questionnaire to identify those least likely to recover, so they can be offered more intensive treatment. Those most likely to recover get an initial assessment and advice only.
This approach was supported by a UK study which found a small benefit compared to offering everyone standard physiotherapy care. But later studies have not confirmed that result. It may not matter if care is targeted at those at highest risk or not.
Nice also recommends self-management. This means giving patients information and leaving them to handle their own recovery. But recent research found that an online support programme was no better than usual care from their GP.
For people with at least three months of lower back pain, Nice recommends “radio frequency denervation” as an option. This is a procedure where a probe is inserted into the back next to the nerve carrying pain signals from the back. Heating the probe can disable the nerves that carry pain signals. The problem is that some studies suggest it may help while others show no benefit.
A more robust study is underway that will hopefully provide us with a more definitive answer. But, for now, we think this treatment should be approached with caution.
Most Nice recommendations for the use of medications align with the current evidence. Nice recommends against the use of opioids for people with short-term back pain. However, the guidance suggests that weak opioids, such as codeine, can be considered if anti-inflammatory drugs are ineffective or “contraindicated” (should be avoided), for example, for people with previous stomach bleeding.
This ambiguous approach is confusing and may result in people being given the wrong care. Also, a study published in 2023 showed that a stronger opioid does not help people with short-term back pain. Nice could adopt a clearer stance, explicitly discouraging opioid use for lower back pain.
The guidance could focus on treatments where there’s strong evidence of benefit. One option is non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, such as ibuprofen, which can be effective for treating people with acute and persistent symptoms. If this medication fails, heat therapy, such as hot packs and heat wraps, can be used for short-term lower back pain.
Nice suggests that codeine can be used if the patient is unable to take anti-inflammatory medication, such as ibuprofen. Matthew Nichols1/Shutterstock.com
Treating peristant lower back pain
Exercise programmes can help people with persistent back pain. A recent study found that regular walking can help prevent lower back pain flare-ups.
Approaches, such as cognitive functional therapy, where physiotherapists address both physical and psychological barriers to recovery, also show great promise. A recent study found that it offers lasting benefits when compared to a sham (placebo) intervention.
Mindfulness, a type of meditation, also seems a promising approach for persistent pain. A new study, published in The Lancet Rheumatology showed that it can have meaningful and lasting benefits for these patients.
Guidance from the World Health Organization recommends other treatments, such as manual therapy (spinal manipulation, for instance) and acupuncture, that could help people with persistent symptoms.
It is clear that the Nice guidelines don’t always reflect what we now know works, and sometimes steer care in the wrong direction.
Martin Underwood is chief investigator or co-investigator on multiple previous and current research grants from the UK National Institute for Health Research, and is a co-investigator on grants funded by the Australian NHMRC and Norwegian MRC. He is a director and shareholder of Clinvivo Ltd that provides electronic data collection for health services research. He has accepted honoraria for examining theses, and performing peer review. He receives some salary support from University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire. He is a co-investigator on two current and one completed NIHR funded studies that have, or have had, additional support from Stryker Ltd. He has accepted travel expenses and accommodation for speaking at academic meetings.
Gustavo Machado has an investigator grant from the National Health and Medical Research Council. He also holds research grants from the National Health and Medical Research Council, Medical Research Future Fund, and HCF Research Foundation.
Crystian Bitencourt Soares de Oliveira 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.
Police spending will rise by a real-terms 2.3% per year between now and 2028-29, the government announced in its latest spending review, drawn from local council tax. The government says this will help its mission to put 13,000 neighbourhood police on the streets, and “keep communities safe”.
Police say this is far from enough to meet the government’s ambitions, particularly on cutting knife crime and violence against women, and that it is likely to be “swallowed up” by pay rises for police.
The awkward truth, however, is that marginal changes to police funding and hiring make little difference to crime either way. Austerity cuts of around 20% to policing budgets in the 2010s were accompanied by declining crime, including domestic violence and antisocial behaviour.
Widespread security improvements were responsible for the close to 90% reductions in many crime types. For example, engine immobilisers prevent car theft, and secure household doors and windows prevent burglary.
Crime has been declining across developed countries for decades. But those countries vary greatly in policing practices and funding, so it is clear more policing was not the cause.
American policing researcher pioneer David Bayley wrote in 1994:
The police do not prevent crime. This is one of the best kept secrets of modern life. Experts know it, the police know it, but the public does not know it. Yet the police pretend they are society’s best defense against crime and continually argue that if they are given more resources, especially personnel, they will be able to protect communities against crime. This is a myth.
This does not mean we don’t need police – we do. If there were no police, crime rates would soar. The issue here is diminishing marginal returns (we’re at the level where more funding doesn’t have the same effect).
But it means the spending review debate had little to do with crime prevention. Rather, it was about how senior staff in public services routinely seek more for their departments. And following the spending review, police chiefs gave themselves an escape clause by claiming the increase is insufficient.
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In recent years, we’ve learned problem-solving policing can reduce some crimes in some contexts. For example, burglary at construction sites can often be theft of building materials and tools, so the crime problem can be reduced through improved site management (rather than just more arrests).
However, problem-solving is not easy and so is not widely applied. Simply patrolling hotspots does not affect the crime opportunity structure (factors that tempt, facilitate or precipitate a particular cluster of crimes).
Additionally, all types of crime, except homicide, are more likely to recur, and relatively soon, after prior victimisation. And while policing to prevent repeat victimisation can reduce crime, it has fallen by the wayside in recent years.
A recent review by crime scientist Shannon Linning and colleagues examined the effect of more police hiring and more arrests on crime, concluding: “When a sensational crime happens, residents demand action. Often someone will cry for more police and more arrests … neither approach is likely to be helpful.”
Since most people don’t know the limitations of policing, both the government and the police have been able to maintain the illusion that more police means less crime. Academic police researchers will rarely admit it in case it risks their funding, and the media enjoy a perennially newsworthy topic. Taxpayers foot the bill as well as the emotional, financial and other costs of crime.
How to stop crime
There is, however, some room for optimism. What we have learned from the long-term international crime drop and dozens of small-scale successes against different crime types is that reducing crime opportunities is the best approach. With some strategic adjustment, there is much that police and government can do.
A particular focus for the government and police should be encouraging businesses to take more responsibility for crime. Knife manufacturers and retailers should be involved in introducing a ban on pointed kitchen knives, the most common homicide weapon in England and Wales. The gradual approach over many years that research (in which I was involved) recommended is too long: it should be done within this government’s term.
A lot of other crimes, including computer-enabled crimes, are generated, facilitated or hosted by businesses. Internet service providers and network providers benefit from advertising and payments, including when they are being used for crime (from stalking and sexual victimisation to fraud and terrorism).
Manufacturers benefit from theft of phones and other products that need replacing. Online marketplaces profit from usage and advertising when stolen goods are sold, which inadvertently encourages shoplifting, theft and robbery. Online banking and financial services also host significant amounts of fraud, and are now sometimes required to pay up to £85,000 compensation to victims.
Source: The Conversation – UK – By Natasha Lindstaedt, Professor in the Department of Government, University of Essex
Working alongside western democratic allies has not been a natural fit for Donald Trump. The US president left the recently concluded G7 summit in Canada early, with his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron assuming this was to work on addressing the most severe escalation between Iran and Israel in decades.
But Trump offered little communication with other G7 members, which include Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the UK, of what his plans were. He said he had to leave the summit “for obvious reasons”, though failed to elaborate on what he meant.
After exiting the summit, he lambasted Macron on social media. Trump wrote: “Wrong! He has no idea why I am now on my way to Washington, but it certainly has nothing to do with a Cease Fire”. Trump continued by saying his exit was due to something “much bigger than that”, adding: “Emmanuel always gets it wrong.”
This has prompted discussion over whether US forces may join Israel’s strikes on Iran. Despite initially distancing the US from the Israeli attacks, Trump said on June 17: “We now have complete and total control of the skies over Iran.”
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He has since demanded Tehran’s “unconditional surrender”, while also issuing a chilling threat to Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, describing him as an “easy target”.
The pressure campaign employed by Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, to convince Trump that the time is right for a military assault on Iran seems to be working.
Exploiting Trump’s impulsive nature, Netanyahu may soon be able to convince Trump to give Israel what it needs to destroy Iran’s underground uranium enrichment sites: a 30,000-pound “bunker buster” bomb and a B-2 bomber to carry it.
The US’s western allies have been left scrambling to interpret Trump’s social media posts and figure out the real reason he left the G7 summit early.
This wasn’t the first time that Trump has left a G7 forum early. In 2018, the last time such a meeting was held in Canada, Trump also left early after Macron and the then Canadian prime minister, Justin Trudeau, promised to confront Trump over the imposition of tariffs on US allies.
The latest G7 summit also wasn’t the first time Trump has treated traditional US allies with suspicion. Trump has cast doubt on US willingness to defend Nato allies if they don’t pay more for their own defence. He has repeatedly threatened to leave the alliance and has frequently denigrated it – even calling alliance members “delinquent”.
Trump thinks the US gains an advantage by abandoning relationships with “free riders”. But experts have made clear alienating allies makes the US weaker. While the alliance system has given the US unprecedented influence over the foreign policies of US allies in the past, Trump’s pressure to increase their defence spending will make them more independent from the US in the long-term.
Trump seems to prefer a world guided by short-term self-interest at the expense of long-term collective security. Indeed, with an “America first” agenda, multilateral cooperation is not Trump’s strong suit. With the G7, Trump is yet again making clear that he does not fit in, nor does he want to.
Because the G7 is small and relatively homogenous in membership, meetings between members are supposed to promote collective and decisive decision-making. However, even the task of coming up with a joint statement on the escalating conflict between Iran and Israel proved challenging.
Trump eventually joined other leaders in calling for deescalation in the Middle East, and the G7 was in agreement that Iran cannot acquire nuclear weapons. But Trump’s social media activity since then has left US allies in the dark over what role the US might play in the conflict.
Trump also alarmed G7 members with calls for Russia to return to the forum. He claimed that the war in Ukraine would not have happened had Moscow not been ejected from the former G8 grouping in 2014.
Then, on his way out of the summit, Trump bragged to reporters that Russia’s leader, Vladimir Putin, “doesn’t speak to anybody else” but him. Trump added that Putin was insulted when Russia was thrown out of the G8, “as I would be, as you would be, as anybody would be”.
Following weeks of frustration over Russia’s refusal to engage in serious peace talks about ending the war in Ukraine, Trump seems to have returned to being Putin’s most loyal advocate.
Hostility toward multilateralism
During Trump’s first term, he pushed multilateralism to the brink. But he did not completely disengage. The US withdrew from the Paris climate accords, the nuclear deal with Iran, negotiations for a trade deal with Pacific nations, and imposed sanctions against officials of the International Criminal Court.
However, when multilateral initiatives served Trump’s short-term objectives, he was willing to get on board. A trade deal struck with Canada and Mexico that Trump described as “the most important” ever agreed by the US. He said the deal would bring thousands of jobs back to North America.
The second Trump administration has been even more hostile to multilateralism. Not only has the trade deal with Canada and Mexico been undermined by Trump’s love of tariffs, his administration has been more antagonistic toward almost all of the US’s traditional allies. In fact, most of Trump’s ire is reserved for democracies not autocracies.
In contrast to the G7, where he clearly felt out of place, Trump was in his element during his May trip to the Middle East. Trump has a more natural connection to the leaders of the Gulf who do not have to adhere to democratic norms and human rights, and where deals can get done immediately.
Trump left the Middle East revelling in all of the billion dollar deals he made, which he exaggerated were worth US$2 trillion (£1.5 trillion). The G7, on the other hand, doesn’t offer much to Trump. He sees it as more of a nuisance.
The G7 forum is supposed to reassure the public that the most powerful countries in the world are united in their commitment to stability. But Trump’s antics are undermining the credibility of that message. It is these antics that risk dragging the west into a dangerous confrontation with Iran.
Natasha Lindstaedt does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian – People’s Republic of China in Russian –
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
GUANGZHOU, June 18 (Xinhua) — As of Wednesday afternoon, continuous heavy rains had affected about 300,000 residents in Huaiji County, Zhaoqing City, south China’s Guangdong Province, including about 70,000 people who had been evacuated to safer areas, local authorities said.
Heavy rains caused by Typhoon Wutip, the first typhoon of the year, along with the influence of a trough and the monsoon season, have hit the region since June 14. By 7:05 a.m. on Wednesday, the water level at the Huaiji hydrological station had reached 55.22 meters, exceeding the danger mark by 5.22 meters.
The natural disaster affected 19 volosts and villages in the county, where dams, roads and arable lands were damaged. A total of 15 people were injured, but none of them are in life-threatening condition.
Currently, more than 10 thousand rescuers and over 500 units of emergency rescue equipment have been mobilized.
At 7 p.m. Tuesday, Huaiji’s flood emergency response was raised to Level 1, the highest level. Schools, work, manufacturing, transportation and business activities were suspended across the county. –0–
The safety of New Zealanders in the Middle East is a pressing priority for the Government, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says.
“We do not want New Zealanders in harm’s way,” Mr Peters says.
“While we face very serious practical constraints of a conflict zone and closed airspace, we will continue to do all we can to help,” Mr Peters says.
“The New Zealand Government’s long-standing advice for New Zealanders has been ‘do not travel’ to Iran and the events we’re facing there now are exactly why that advice has been in place.
“We continue to urge New Zealanders in Israel and Iran to leave if they can safely do so, and to shelter in place if they cannot,” Mr Peters says.
“The New Zealand Government is exploring options for evacuating New Zealanders once it is safe to do so. But the fact remains, though, that air space reopening could be weeks away and so New Zealanders should be doing everything they can to leave now if they can find a safe route.
“We know consular partners are considering evacuation flights once air space opens again. As is always the case, we are in close coordination with Australia, and in discussions with them and others about their plans and how we can assist each other.
“MFAT has also approached airlines in the region to seek information on possible commercial options once air space reopens.
“In the meantime, MFAT has provided advice to registered New Zealanders on overland border exits and will continue to do so in the coming days.”
Overnight, New Zealand’s Embassy in Tehran was temporarily closed, with two staff and their family members evacuated by land to Azerbaijan.
“An opportunity arose overnight to get our Embassy staff out of Iran, as part of a convoy alongside government officials from other countries,” Mr Peters says.
“The New Zealand Government has a duty of care to its staff posted overseas, so we did the responsible thing to get them out of harm’s way.
“If and when opportunities arise to assist the departure of other New Zealanders in Iran and Israel, we will pursue them with urgency.
“Any New Zealanders still in Iran should leave overland as soon as possible if they consider it safe to do so.”
Those in need of urgent consular assistance should contact MFAT’s 24/7 Consular Emergency Call Centre (+64 99 20 20 20). The Ministry is continuing to provide support through the New Zealand Embassy in Ankara, Türkiye and the temporary deployment of a consular team to Azerbaijan.
A decision on the future of the New Zealand Embassy in Iran will be made at a later date.
LAKE CHARLES, La. — U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the U.S. Border Patrol, the Louisiana State Police, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the FBI arrested approximately 84 illegal aliens June 17 during a worksite enforcement operation at the Delta Downs Racetrack in Calcasieu Parish, near Vinton, Louisiana.
The operation focused on the businesses that own and race thoroughbred and quarter horses out of the stables at the racetrack and the employees who work for them and take care of the horses.
All of the aliens taken into custody during the operation were processed for administrative immigration violations and transported to the Lake Charles Border Patrol Station in Lake Charles, Louisiana.
An investigation into potential criminal conduct related to the hiring of the illegal aliens remains ongoing and an assessment of whether any civil penalties are appropriate is being conducted.
Authorities continue to process the aliens, but at least two criminal aliens have been identified. ICE arrested Enrique Gonzalez Moreno, a 36-year-old criminal alien from Mexico who has illegally entered the U.S. four times. While in the U.S. illegally, Gonzalez has been convicted twice for driving under the influence, and once for cocaine possession and illegal reentry. ICE also arrested a 40-year-old illegal alien from Mexico who has been arrested for criminal conspiracy, aggravated battery with a dangerous weapon, sexual battery, and video voyeurism. ICE is working to verify the disposition of those criminal charges and will provide additional details once in-processing is complete.
“ICE Homeland Security Investigations is working closely with our federal and state partners to review each case of unauthorized employment at the racetrack to identify any other criminal activities that were taking place in addition labor exploitation and immigration violations,” said ICE HSI New Orleans Special Agent in Charge Eric DeLaune. “Oftentimes, when we’re conducting these worksite enforcement operations, we uncover other forms of criminal conduct such as document and benefit fraud, money laundering and human trafficking. As a result, we’re able to bolster public safety in the local community by eliminating that criminal activity and removing any dangerous criminal aliens, transnational gang members or other egregious immigration offenders who illegally entered the country and are working at the business without authorization.”
The operation was conducted after authorities received intelligence indicating that the businesses operating out of the stables at the racetrack were employing unauthorized workers. Those suspicions were further confirmed during a subsequent site visit.
“These enforcement operations aim to disrupt illegal employment networks that threaten the integrity of our labor systems, put American jobs at risk and create pathways for exploitation within critical sectors of our economy,” said U.S. Custom and Border Protection Director of Field Operations New Orleans Steven Stavinoha. “CBP New Orleans is assisting ICE with multiple operations across the country to safeguard public safety, national security and economic stability. Along the Gulf Coast, CBP remains committed to facilitating legitimate trade and travel while maintaining a strong enforcement environment.”
“We stand shoulder-to-shoulder with our local, state, and federal partners in operations like this one with the common goal to remove criminal threats from every community across the State of Louisiana,” said Special Agent in Charge Jonathan Tapp of the FBI New Orleans Field Office.
The Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986 requires employers to verify the identity and work eligibility of all individuals they hire and sets forth criminal and civil sanctions for employment-related violations. Employers are required to document information on those that they hire using the Employment Eligibility Verification Form I-9. ICE HSI uses a comprehensive inspection program to promote compliance with the law and deter illegal employment and illegal immigration.
The Calcasieu Parish Sheriff’s Office and Lake Charles Police Department also assisted with the operation.
For more news and information on how ICE HSI combats illegal immigration and other transnational criminal activity in Louisiana follow us on X at @HSINewOrleans.
A Colorado dentist was sentenced yesterday to 41 months in prison for tax evasion related to his use of an illegal tax shelter.
The following is according to court documents and statements made in court: since 2014, Ryan Ulibarri owned and operated Ulibarri Family Dentistry in Fort Collins, Colorado. In 2016, Ulibarri purchased an abusive-trust tax shelter for $50,000. The tax shelter involved concealing income and creating false tax deductions through the use of a so-called business trust, family trust, charitable trust and a private family foundation, all of which Ulibarri created and controlled. From 2016 through 2023, Ulibarri used this tax shelter to conceal from the IRS over $5 million in income he earned from his dental practice and evade more than $1.6 million in federal and state income taxes owed on that income.
To set up the tax shelter, Ulibarri signed trust instruments that named him as trustee of the three trusts and foundation, and he opened bank accounts in the name of each entity. He further recruited friends to falsely sign his trust instruments as the purported creators of the trusts to make it seem as if Ulibarri himself was not the real creator. Ulibarri then transferred majority ownership of his dental practice to his business trust. He did this despite having been warned by attorneys and CPAs that, in Colorado, a trust could not own a dental practice.
Ulibarri then transferred over $5 million in income he earned from his dental practice into the bank accounts of the various trusts and foundation to create the illusion that the funds belonged to those entities, not him. In reality, Ulibarri retained complete control over those funds and used the funds to pay for personal expenses including his home mortgage, credit card bills, boats, luxury vacations, and professional baseball season tickets. Ulibarri also filed false tax returns for himself, his dental practice, the trusts, and his foundation that falsely reported the income he earned from his dental practice as income of the trusts. On those tax returns, Ulibarri also claimed fraudulent deductions for his personal living expenses which he disguised as trust expenses and charitable donations.
In total, Ulibarri caused a tax loss to the United States of $1.6 million.
In addition to the term of imprisonment, U.S. District Judge Nina Y. Wang ordered Ulibarri to serve 3 years of supervised release, to pay a $150,000 fine and to pay $1,449,121 in restitution to the IRS and $166,966 in restitution to the Colorado Department of Revenue.
Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Karen E. Kelly of the Justice Department’s Tax Division and Special Agent in Charge Amanda Prestegard of IRS Criminal Investigation’s Denver Field Office made the announcement.
IRS Criminal Investigation investigated the case.
Trial Attorneys Amanda R. Scott and Lauren K. Pope and Assistant Chief Andrew J. Kameros of the Tax Division prosecuted the case.
Source: United States Senator for Connecticut – Chris Murphy
June 17, 2025
WASHINGTON—U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), a member of the U.S. Senate Health Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee, joined Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) and Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) and U.S. Representatives Jimmy Gomez (D-Calif.-34) and Donald Beyer (D-Va.-08) in leading a group of bicameral colleagues in reintroducing the?Choose Medicare Act. This revolutionary proposal opens Medicare to all Americans with a new ‘Part E’ and builds on the system we have today by allowing Medicare to compete with private health insurance.
“Instead of shielding big insurance companies from competition, we should give Americans the option to choose Medicare’s high-quality, low-cost coverage if it’s right for them and their families,” said Murphy. “While Republicans spike the cost of living and cut health care for millions of Americans, we’ll keep fighting to expand access and affordability.”
“I’m proud to support the Choose Medicare Act which expands access to Medicare, making quality and affordable health care more attainable for all Americans,” said Blumenthal. “Every day, Americans across the country must choose between critical health care and other basic necessities. Our health care system needs updating and upgrading so that it works for everyone – not just giant private health insurers.”
“In the richest country in the world, no person should have to worry about whether they’ll be able to afford care if they become sick or get into an accident.?At a time when?proposed cuts?from Republicans?threaten the health and financial security of millions, it’s more important than ever to expand access to high-quality, affordable?health?care,”?said Merkley.?“The?Choose Medicare Act?does just that by allowing every American to buy into Medicare, protecting and expanding this effective, popular system, and?putting consumers and businesses in the driver’s seat on the road to universal health care.”
“I got pneumonia when I was seven years old, and my family almost went bankrupt because we were uninsured. Today too many families are still one medical emergency away from financial crisis,” said Gomez. “Our bicameral legislation lets every American opt into Medicare — which is affordable, effective, and trusted — and we’re going to keep fighting until everyone has access to the care they need.
The Choose Medicare Act is co-sponsored by Senators Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Jack Reed (D-RI), Brian Schatz (D-HI), Tina Smith (D-MN), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), and Dick Durbin (D-IL), and Representatives Jared Huffman (D-CA-02), LaMonica McIver (D-NJ-10), and Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC-AL). The bill is supported by Families USA, MoveOn, American Federation of Teachers, the Center for Medicare Advocacy, and the Center for Health and Democracy.
“Now, more than ever, millions of people are grappling with skyrocketing health care costs and rising concerns that they won’t be able to access affordable health insurance and the care they need to keep their families healthy. Lawmakers should be doing all they can to ensure people across the country have more options for affordable health care, not less. The Choose Medicare Act is an important effort that creates a new pathway to make Medicare accessible to more consumers and employers, and makes important improvements to the current program like coverage of all reproductive health and essential health benefits,” said Jane Sheehan, Deputy Senior Director of Government Relations for Families USA.
“The Choose Medicare Act would improve the existing Medicare program by creating a critically needed out-of-pocket cap in traditional Medicare,” said David Lipschutz, Co-Director of the Center for Medicare Advocacy. “The bill would also enable people currently not yet eligible for Medicare to enjoy the benefits of traditional Medicare, without the restrictions of limited provider networks found in many Medicare Advantage plans.”
“Big Insurance’s monopoly control over health care in this country has led to higher health care costs and a growing medical debt crisis, all while making health care unaffordable and inaccessible to a majority of Americans. It is a system designed to put profits over patients. This bill is a vital step towards breaking Big Insurance’s strangle hold over health care in this country and will open up the most successful health care program in our country’s history, Medicare, to even more people. I applaud Senator Merkley for introducing it,” said Wendell Potter, President, Center for Health and Democracy.
Medicare ‘Part E’ aims to be self-sustaining and fully paid for by premiums. Plans would be offered on all state and federal exchanges, giving people the ability to use existing Affordable Care Act?subsidies to help cover their premiums. Additionally, employers could choose to select Medicare ‘Part E’ rather than private insurance to provide affordable and reliable health care to their employees.
The?Choose Medicare Act
Increases Access, Competition, and Choice ?
1. Opens Medicare to employers of all sizes and allows them to purchase high-quality, affordable health care for their employees without requiring replacement of employment-based health insurance.?
2. Addresses the discrepancy between consumer protections in the individual and group markets by extending the ACA’s rating requirements to all markets, to end discrimination based on pre-existing conditions once and for all.?
?
Provides Comprehensive Coverage
1. Includes the ACA’s 10 essential health benefits and all items and services covered by Medicare.
2. Provides high-quality, gold-level coverage and cost-sharing.??
3. Ensures coverage for a wide range of reproductive services, including abortion.
?
Improves Affordability
1. Establishes an out-of-pocket maximum in traditional Medicare.
2. Increases the generosity of premium tax credits and extends eligibility to all earners.??
3. Directs Medicare to negotiate fair prices for prescription drugs by incorporating in the program the drug price negotiation section of the Inflation Reduction Act.?
4. Drives down private insurance premiums through competition from Medicare by allowing the HHS Secretary to block excessive private insurance rates.?
5. Extends traditional Medicare protections on balance billing or surprise bills to ‘Part E’ plans.
Source: United States Senator for Connecticut – Chris Murphy
June 18, 2025
WASHINGTON–U.S. Senators Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) and Tim Kaine (D-Va.), both members of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee, on Tuesday hosted “The Big Beautiful Betrayal—Working Folks Pay While The Mega Rich Profit,” a spotlight forum to highlight how President Donald Trump and Republicans’ tax bill would make major spending cuts to Medicaid, SNAP, and other vital programs that families across the country rely on in order to pay for a massive tax cut for the ultra-wealthy. The forum featured individuals who could be affected by the tax bill’s massive cuts to government programs and subject-matter experts.
Murphy emphasized the Republican tax bill will disproportionately harm working class Americans, while directly benefiting the top 1%: “Why this bill feels like a betrayal is because, as written, it makes life infinitely harder for the very people that we are supposed to be fighting hardest for: the people who are working every day, playing by the rules, often dealing with traumas and difficult life circumstances… Upwards of 40% of all American households, if this bill is implemented, will be poorer – poorer – because of it, while the very rich and the very affluent will be much richer. The very richest families in this country will get an average $270,000 tax cut because of this bill.”
Murphy stressedthattens of thousands of Americans will die due totheRepublican tax bill’s cuts to Medicaid: “When you’re talking about almost $1 trillion in Medicaid cuts, when you’re talking about throwing upwards of 16 million people off of their health care, you are talking about life and death stakes. This isn’t just about impacting the quality of someone’s life. This is about ending people’s lives. One research estimate is that 42,000 lives could be lost each year because of the disenrollments in [Medicaid] and the marketplace coverage.”
Murphy additionally highlighted that rural communities will be among those hardest hit by the Republican tax bill: “Up to 340 rural hospitals could close. 33 hospitals in Louisiana could close, 35 hospitals in Kentucky could close, 40% of the rural hospital capacity in Alaska could disappear if this bill is passed. So even if you keep your coverage, even if you are lucky enough not to be one of the people that are thrown off their care, your life could be impacted because your ability to get your loved one to an emergency room when you need it could disappear.”
Murphy concluded: “This is bad policy, but it’s fundamentally immoral. It’s a moral abomination. And what we know is that we have power, that this bill has not passed, it has not been signed by the president. And until it has passed and until it is on the way to the White House, then we need to use every bit of leverage that we have to try to stop something that is this deeply unethical and immoral, contrary to the very best traditions of this country, from becoming law.”
Kingston, Ontario, June 18, 2025 – Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC) wishes to advise motorists of intermittent alternating lane closures on the LaSalle Causeway to continue with carrying out modifications to the bridge structure during the following periods:
Thursday, June 19, from 12 to 3 pm, and from 7 to 10 pm
During these periods, single-lane closures may be encountered. Motorists can expect short delays.
Pedestrians will have access to the sidewalk.
Please obey all signage and instructions given by flag persons on site.
PSPC encourages users to exercise caution when travelling on the bridge and thanks them for their patience.
OMAHA, Neb. — A recent worksite enforcement operation led by U.S. immigration and Customs Enforcement revealed massive identity theft impacting unsuspecting U.S. citizens whose personal information was used by illegal aliens to gain unlawful employment at Glenn Valley Foods.
The ICE-led multiagency investigation uncovered approximately 70 illegal aliens who were using stolen Social Security numbers and identities to unlawfully obtain wages, health benefits and employment authorization, leaving more than 100 real victims to face devastating financial, emotional and legal consequences.
“There have been individuals who have gone on the record recently referring to the identity thieves we arrested last week as ‘good, hardworking, and honest,’” said Mark Zito, special agent in charge of Homeland Security Investigations Kansas City, which covers Omaha. “These so-called honest workers have caused an immeasurable amount of financial and emotional hardship for innocent Americans. If pretending to be someone you aren’t in order to steal their lives isn’t blatant, criminal dishonesty, I don’t know what is.”
Some examples of the impact of these stolen identities include:
A healthcare provider was forced to deny medically necessary prescriptions to a victim in Pennsylvania after his identity was stolen. It was later determined that someone used the victim’s name and Social Security number to illegally gain employment and healthcare benefits based on fraudulent employment at Glenn Valley Foods.
A disabled victim in Texas, who was unable to work, struggled to get their Social Security disability payments because an illegal alien was fraudulently using their identity and earning wages at Glenn Valley Foods.
The IRS requested a victim in Colorado to repay more than $5,000 after their income was falsely increased due to an illegal alien stealing their identity and using it to work at Glenn Valley Foods.
A full-time nursing student from Missouri lost their college tuition assistance because it was fraudulently reported that they earned too much money. The investigation revealed that an illegal alien at Glenn Valley Foods was using their Social Security number for employment. The same victim was also unable to renew their Missouri driver’s license, until HSI contacted the Department of Motor Vehicles on their behalf, because the alien who stole her identity has multiple unpaid traffic violations.
A victim in California has been working for nearly 15 years to regain their identity and fix the financial damage done by an illegal alien who was working at Glenn Valley Foods.
“The criminals who stole these identities didn’t just break the law, they upended lives,” concluded Zito. “These victims aren’t faceless statistics; they’re real people who are being denied healthcare and have lost educational opportunities.”
The investigation is ongoing.
Members of the public with information about suspected immigration violations or related criminal activity are encouraged to contact the ICE Tip Line at 866-DHS-2-ICE (866-347-2423) or submit information online via the ICE Tip Form.
To schedule an interview please contact Public Affairs Officer Tanya Roman at Tanya.Roman@hsi.dhs.gov.
OMAHA, Neb. — A recent worksite enforcement operation led by U.S. immigration and Customs Enforcement revealed massive identity theft impacting unsuspecting U.S. citizens whose personal information was used by illegal aliens to gain unlawful employment at Glenn Valley Foods.
The ICE-led multiagency investigation uncovered approximately 70 illegal aliens who were using stolen Social Security numbers and identities to unlawfully obtain wages, health benefits and employment authorization, leaving more than 100 real victims to face devastating financial, emotional and legal consequences.
“There have been individuals who have gone on the record recently referring to the identity thieves we arrested last week as ‘good, hardworking, and honest,’” said Mark Zito, special agent in charge of Homeland Security Investigations Kansas City, which covers Omaha. “These so-called honest workers have caused an immeasurable amount of financial and emotional hardship for innocent Americans. If pretending to be someone you aren’t in order to steal their lives isn’t blatant, criminal dishonesty, I don’t know what is.”
Some examples of the impact of these stolen identities include:
A healthcare provider was forced to deny medically necessary prescriptions to a victim in Pennsylvania after his identity was stolen. It was later determined that someone used the victim’s name and Social Security number to illegally gain employment and healthcare benefits based on fraudulent employment at Glenn Valley Foods.
A disabled victim in Texas, who was unable to work, struggled to get their Social Security disability payments because an illegal alien was fraudulently using their identity and earning wages at Glenn Valley Foods.
The IRS requested a victim in Colorado to repay more than $5,000 after their income was falsely increased due to an illegal alien stealing their identity and using it to work at Glenn Valley Foods.
A full-time nursing student from Missouri lost their college tuition assistance because it was fraudulently reported that they earned too much money. The investigation revealed that an illegal alien at Glenn Valley Foods was using their Social Security number for employment. The same victim was also unable to renew their Missouri driver’s license, until HSI contacted the Department of Motor Vehicles on their behalf, because the alien who stole her identity has multiple unpaid traffic violations.
A victim in California has been working for nearly 15 years to regain their identity and fix the financial damage done by an illegal alien who was working at Glenn Valley Foods.
“The criminals who stole these identities didn’t just break the law, they upended lives,” concluded Zito. “These victims aren’t faceless statistics; they’re real people who are being denied healthcare and have lost educational opportunities.”
The investigation is ongoing.
Members of the public with information about suspected immigration violations or related criminal activity are encouraged to contact the ICE Tip Line at 866-DHS-2-ICE (866-347-2423) or submit information online via the ICE Tip Form.
To schedule an interview please contact Public Affairs Officer Tanya Roman at Tanya.Roman@hsi.dhs.gov.
S. 1397 would require the Department of State to promote international research in quantum information science, a field that uses subatomic particles to store, carry, and process data. Under the bill, the department would award grants to institutions of higher education and scientist exchange programs focused on quantum information science. The bill also would direct the department to report to the Congress on the effectiveness of those efforts.
S. 1397 would authorize the appropriation of $20 million for the department to support quantum research. Under the bill, the authority to conduct such research activities would terminate 10 years after enactment. CBO expects that the department would spend $2 million annually during the authorized term of the program. Thus, subject to the appropriation of the specified amounts, implementing S. 1397 would cost $10 million over the 2025-2030 period and $20 million over the 2025-2035 period, CBO estimates.
The costs of the legislation, detailed in Table 1, fall within budget function 150 (international affairs).
Table 1.
Estimated Increases in Spending Subject to Appropriation Under S. 1397
By Fiscal Year, Millions of Dollars
2025
2026
2027
2028
2029
2030
2025-2030
Authorization
0
20
0
0
0
0
20
Estimated Outlays
0
2
2
2
2
2
10
The CBO staff contact for this estimate is Aldo Prosperi. The estimate was reviewed by Christina Hawley Anthony, Deputy Director of Budget Analysis.
