CONCORD – A Dominican Republic national was arrested yesterday, in connection with an enforcement action last week, for his role in a drug trafficking organization operating out of Massachusetts and distributing illegal narcotics in Manchester, Acting U.S. Attorney Jay McCormack announces.
Cesar Joel Perez Mejia, age 30, a Dominican Republic national unlawfully residing in Hyde Park, Massachusetts, was arrested on one count of possession with intent to distribute controlled substances. He will appear in federal court today at 4:30pm.
According to the charging documents and statements made in court, on June 23, 2025, the defendant facilitated a drug sale with an undercover officer. When the defendant arrived at the agreed upon location, law enforcement searched the defendant’s vehicle and found small individually wrapped bags containing approximately 57 grams of suspected fentanyl and 43 grams of suspected crack cocaine.
Possession with intent to distribute carries a maximum prison term of 20 years, a maximum fine of $1,000,000, and a term of supervised release of at least three years and up to life.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Major Offender Task Force and the Manchester Police Department led the investigation. DEA New England, HSI New England, and the Boston, Attleboro, Methuen, Lynn, and Providence Police Departments provided valuable assistance. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Michael Shannon and Heather Cherniske are prosecuting the case.
This effort is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
VANCOUVER, British Columbia, June 26, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Westport Fuel Systems Inc. (TSX: WPRT / Nasdaq: WPRT) (“Westport” or “The Company”) announces that the Company will release Q2 2025 financial results on Monday, August 11, 2025, after market close. A conference call and webcast to discuss the financial results and other corporate developments will be held on Tuesday, August 12, 2025.
Participants may register up to 60 minutes before the event by clicking on the call link and completing the online registration form. Upon registration, the user will receive dial-in info and a unique PIN, along with an email confirming the details.
Westport today reaffirms its commitment to the pending sale of its Light-Duty Segment to a wholly-owned investment vehicle of Heliaca Investments Coöperatief U.A. (“Heliaca Investments”), a Netherlands based investment firm supported by Ramphastos Investments Management B.V. a prominent Dutch venture capital and private equity firm (the “Transaction”), first announced in March 2025. The closing of the Transaction is now expected to occur in July 2025, slightly later than originally anticipated. The revised timeline reflects an updated regulatory review process. The Company continues to work closely with all parties as the remaining conditions to close are finalized.
About Westport Fuel Systems
At Westport Fuel Systems, we are driving innovation to power a cleaner tomorrow. We are a leading supplier of advanced fuel delivery components and systems for clean, low-carbon fuels such as natural gas, renewable natural gas, propane, and hydrogen to the global transportation industry. Our technology delivers the performance and fuel efficiency required by transportation applications and the environmental benefits that address climate change and urban air quality challenges. Headquartered in Vancouver, Canada, with operations in Europe, Asia, North America, and South America, we serve our customers in approximately 70 countries with leading global transportation brands. At Westport Fuel Systems, we think ahead. For more information, visit www.westport.com.
UPDATE 8:20 am: Bad weather and flooding are causing further state highway closures in the top of the South Island this morning.
Drivers must stay off weather-affected highways while they remain closed and avoid any unnecessary travel.
Nelson/Tasman
Flooding has closed State Highway 6 between Belgrove and Richmond.
State Highway 60 has also been closed across its entire length from Richmond to Collingwood because of flooding at multiple locations.
Marlborough
State Highway 63 now has a full closure from St Arnaud to Anglesea Street in Renwick
Update: 6:50am
With heavy rain affecting the top of the South Island overnight, and continuing to fall this morning, road crews are attending multiple incidents on state highways across the region.
Wet weather driving conditions apply and road users can experience traffic management at multiple locations due to flooding, rockfalls, and slips.
Nelson/Tasman
Rob Service, System Manager, says there are multiple flooding and slips sites in the Nelson/Tasman region
“State Highway 6 near Wakefield, is under a temporary closure for light vehicles due to flooding.”
“State Highway 60 at the Riwaka/Kaiteriteri intersection is also affected by flooding and slips have also been reported on the Tākaka Hill,” Mr Service says.
There is also localised flooding at the Three Brothers intersection (SH6/SH60), as well as in Brightwater, Belgrove, and Kohatu.
Mr Service says with heavy rain still falling, the potential for further disruption on local highways remains
“It is essential drivers take extreme caution on the roads while the bad weather continues. Road crews are attending multiple incidents and are doing their best to resolve issues as they arise.”
Marlborough
Flooding has closed State Highway 63 in Renwick between Anglesea Street and Inkerman Street. Local road detours are available, and drivers can expect delays.
System Manager Wayne Oldfield says surface flooding has also been reported at multiple sites.
“This includes State Highway 6 at Havelock, State Highway 63 in the Wairau Valley, and State Highway 1 near Koromiko.”
“These sections of highway are currently open, but driving conditions are challenging. While the rain continues to fall, drivers must be prepared for road hazards and the possibility of road closures,” Mr Old field says.
General advice
The Metservice has regional weather warnings in place until this afternoon and evening for both Nelson/Tasman and Marlborough. This means the risk of flooding, slips, rockfalls remains ongoing.
Drivers must check road and weather conditions before they travel and avoid any area where highways are closed due to bad weather.
All road closures must be obeyed. They are there to keep the public safe.
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Robyn J. Whitaker, Associate Professor, New Testament, & Director of The Wesley Centre for Theology, Ethics, and Public Policy, University of Divinity
Wars are often waged in the name of religion. So what do key texts from Christianity, Islam and Judaism say about the justification for war?
We asked three experts for their views.
The Bible
Robyn J. Whitaker, University of Divinity
The Bible presents war as an inevitable reality of human life. This is captured in the cry of the Teacher in Ecclesiastes:
for everything there is a season […] a time for war and a time for peace.
In this sense, the Bible reflects the experiences of the authors and communities who shaped the texts over more than a thousand years as they experienced both victory and defeat as a small nation among the large empires of the ancient near east.
When it comes to God’s role in war, we cannot shirk from the problematic violence associated with the divine. At times, God orders the Hebrew people to go to war and enact horrendous violence. Deuteronomy 20 is a good example of this: God’s people are sent to war with the blessing of the priest but told to first offer terms of peace. If peace terms are accepted, the town is enslaved. Certain enemies, however, are decreed worthy of total annihilation, and the Hebrew army is commanded to destroy anyone and anything that doesn’t produce food.
On other occasions, war is interpreted as a tool, a punishment where God uses foreign nations against the Hebrew people because they have gone astray (Judges 2:14). You can also find an underlying ethic to treat the captives of war justly. Moses commands that women captured in war are to be treated as wives, not slaves (Deuteronomy 21), and in 2 Chronicles, captives are allowed to return home.
In contrast to war as divinely authorised, many of the Hebrew prophets express hope in a time where God will bring peace and people will “neither learn war any more” (Micah 3:4) but rather turn their weapons into tools for agriculture (Isaiah 2:4).
War is viewed as a result of human sinfulness, something that God will ultimately transform into peace. And that peace (Hebrew: shalom) is more than an absence of war. It is about human flourishing and unity between peoples and God.
Most of the New Testament was written during the first century CE, when Jews and emerging Christians were a minority within the Roman Empire. The military power of Rome is harshly critiqued as evil in resistance texts such as the Book of Revelation. Many early Christians refused to fight in the Roman army.
In this context, Jesus says nothing specific about war but generally rejects violence. When Jesus’s disciple Peter seeks to defend him with a sword, Jesus tells him to put away his sword because a sword only leads to more violence (Matthew 26:52). This is consistent with Jesus’s other teachings such as “blessed are the peacemakers” or his commands to “turn the other cheek” when struck or to “love your enemies”.
The reality is that we find various war ideologies in the Bible’s pages. If you want to find a justification for war in the Bible, you can. If you want to find a justification for peace or pacifism, that is there too. Later Christians would develop ideas of “just war” and pacifism based on biblical ideas, but these are developments rather than explicit within the Bible.
For Christians, Jesus’s teaching provides an ethical framework for interpreting earlier war texts through the lens of love for enemies. This counterpoint to divine violence and war points readers back to the prophets, whose hopeful visions imagine a world where violence and suffering are no more and peace is possible.
The Quran
Mehmet Ozalp, Charles Sturt University
Islam and Muslims emerged onto the world stage in the hostile environment of the seventh century. In response to major challenges, including warfare, Islam introduced pioneering legal and ethical reforms. The Quran and the Prophet Muhammad’s example laid out clear legal and ethical guidelines for the conduct of war, well before similar frameworks appeared in other societies.
Islam did this by defining a new term, “jihad” rather than the usual Arabic word for war, “harb”. While harb refers broadly to warfare, jihad was defined within Islamic teachings as a legal, morally justified struggle, which includes but is not limited to armed conflict. In the context of warfare, jihad refers specifically to fighting in a just cause under clear legal and ethical guidelines, rather than belligerent or aggressive warfare.
Between 610-622, Prophet Muhammad practised active non-violence in the face of the constant suffering, persecution and economic embargo he and his followers endured in Mecca, despite insistent approaches by his followers to take up arms. This showed that armed struggle cannot be taken up within the members of the same society, as this would lead to anarchy.
After leaving his home town to escape persecution, he established a pluralistic and multi-faith society in Medina. He took active steps to sign treaties with neighbouring tribes. Despite following a deliberate strategy of peace and diplomacy, the hostile Meccans and allied tribes attacked the Muslims in Medina. Engaging these attackers in an armed struggle was unavoidable.
The permission to fight was given to Muslims by the Quran verses 22:39-40:
The believers against whom war is waged are given permission to fight in response, for they have been wronged. Surely, God has full power to help them to victory. Those who have been driven from their homeland against all right, for no other reason than that they say, “Our Lord is God” […]
This passage not only permits armed struggle but also offers a moral justification for just war. It means war is clearly just when defensive — while aggression is unjust and condemned. Elsewhere, the Quran emphasises this point:
If they withdraw from you and do not fight against you, and offer you peace, then God allows you no way (to war) against them.
Verse 22:39 outlines two ethical justifications for warfare. The first is when people are driven from their homes (and land) – in other words, through occupation by a foreign power. The second is when people are attacked because of their beliefs to the point of violent persecution and attack.
Importantly, verse 22:40 includes churches, monasteries and synagogues. If believers in God do not defend themselves, all places of worship would be destroyed, so this is to be prevented by force if necessary.
The Quran does not allow for aggression, since “God loves not the aggressors” (2:190). It also provides detailed regulations on who is to fight and who is exempted (9:91); when hostilities must cease (2:193); and prisoners should be treated humanely and with fairness (47:4).
Verses such as 2:294 emphasise that warfare and any response to violence and aggression must be proportional and within limits:
Whoever attacks you, attack them in like manner as they attacked you. Nevertheless, fear God and remain within the bounds.
In the event of unavoidable war, every opportunity to end it must be pursued:
But if the enemy inclines towards peace, then you must also incline towards peace and trust in God.
The aim of military action is to end hostilities and remove the reason for warfare, not to humiliate or annihilate the enemy.
Military jihad cannot be pursued for personal ambition or to further nationalistic or ethnic disputes. Muslims cannot wage war on nations that have no hostility towards them (60:8). But if there is open hostility and attack, Muslims have a right to defend themselves.
The Prophet and the early caliphs specifically warned military leaders and all combatants that they must not act treacherously or engage in indiscriminate killing and pillage. He said:
Do not kill women, children, the elderly, or the sick. Do not destroy palm trees or burn houses.
Because of these teachings, Muslims have had legal and ethical guidelines throughout much of history to help limit human suffering caused by war.
The Torah
Suzanne D. Rutland, University of Sydney
Judaism is not a pacifist religion, but in its traditions it values peace above all else, and prayers for peace are central to Jewish liturgy. At the same time, there is a recognition of the need to fight defensive wars, but only within certain boundaries.
In the Torah, the Five Books of Moses, the recognition of the need for war is clear. Throughout their journeying in the desert, the Israelites (Children of Israel) fight various battles. At the same time, in Deuteronomy, the Israelites are instructed (chapter 12, verse 10):
When you go forth against your enemies and are in camp, then you should keep yourself from every evil thing.
The story of Amalek is the symbol of ultimate evil in Jewish tradition. Scholars argue this is because his army attacked the Israelites from the rear – killing defenceless women and children.
The Torah also stresses that army service is compulsory. Yet, Deuteronomy elaborates four categories of people who are exempt:
someone who has built a home but has not yet dedicated it
someone who has planted a vineyard but has not yet eaten of its fruit
someone who is engaged or in his first year of marriage
someone who is afraid, in case he influences other soldiers with his fear.
Judaism is not a pacifist religion, but in its traditions it values peace above all else. Shutterstock
It is important to point out that the disdain of war is so strong that King David was not permitted to build the temple in Jerusalem because of his military career. His son, Solomon, was allocated this task, but no iron was to be used in the building because this represented war and violence, while the temple was to represent peace, the ideal virtue.
The vision of peace for all humanity is further developed in the prophetic writings and the concept of the Messiah. This is seen particularly in the writings of the prophet Isiah, who envisaged an age when, as he describes in his idyllic vision:
they shall beat their swords into ploughshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.
The Mishnah, the first part of the Talmud, raises the concept of an “obligatory war” (milhemet mizvah). This encompasses the biblical wars against the seven nations said to inhabit the Promised Land, the war against Amalek, and the Jewish nation’s defensive wars. It is, accordingly, a clearly defined and recognisable class.
Not so the second category, “permitted war” (milhemet reshut), which is more open-ended and, as scholar Avi Ravitsky writes, “could relate to a preemptive war”.
After the Talmudic period, which ended in the 7th century, this debate became theoretical, since Jews living in Palestine and the diaspora no longer had an army. This was largely the case from the time of the defeat of the Bar Kokhba Rebellion against the Romans (132–135 CE), apart from a few small Jewish kingdoms in Arabia.
However, with the return of the early Zionist pioneers to the Land of Israel in the late 19th and 20th century, the rabbinic debates of what constitutes an obligatory, defensive war and what is a permitted war, as well as the characteristics of a forbidden war has reignited. This is a subject of deep concern and controversy for both academics and rabbis today.
Robyn J. Whitaker is affiliated with The Wesley Centre for Theology, Ethics, and Public Policy.
Mehmet Ozalp is affiliated with Islamic Sciences and Research Academy
Suzanne Rutland has received an Australian Research Council grant for her research on the Australian Jewry and funding from the Pratt Foundation, as well as an Australian Prime Ministers Centre (APMC) fellowship for her research on Soviet Jewry and Australia. She is also involved with numerous NGOs, including the Australian Jewish Historical Society (patron), the Australian Association for Jewish Studies (past president and committee member), and the Australian government’s expert delegation to the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance. In addition, she is a board member of the Freilich Project for the Study of Bigotry at ANU; she is on an academic advisory committee at the Sydney Jewish Museum; she is the director of the Australian Academic Alliance Against Antisemitism; and she is an Australian board member for Boys Town Jerusalem and a board member of Better Balance Futures for faith communities These roles are all undertaken in an honorary capacity. She is also writing the history of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry in an honorary capacity.
OLYMPIA – A pilot program to encourage drivers to slow down concludes this week as two Highway Speed Cameras leave Interstate 90 and I-5 after more than two months on the roadway.
The cameras gathered speed data and generated courtesy notices, not fines, which were mailed to the registered owners of vehicles that were photographed driving over the speed limit.
Earlier this week, cameras in eastern and western Washington were picked up from the following locations:
Southbound I-5 between Cook and Bow Hill roads in Skagit County.
Eastbound I-90 near Liberty Lake between the Liberty Lake and State Line interchanges in Spokane County.
Since the safety program’s start on April 10, more than 16,000 notices were mailed encouraging drivers to reduce speeds. As required by the Legislature, the letters also shared information about the cost of a potential speeding ticket.
A safety tool
The Washington State Department of Transportation partnered with the Washington Traffic Safety Commission and Washington State Patrol for the program. The goal is to reduce the number of crashes by encouraging drivers to slow down.
In 2024, 728 people were killed on Washington roadways. While that number dropped slightly from 2023, it’s still far above pre-pandemic averages.
The cameras identified several instances of excessive speeds, with 277 notices for vehicles averaging 100 mph or more through the three-mile monitoring areas. On state highways alone, there were 368 fatal or serious injury collisions in 2024 where speeding was cited as a factor, and that does not include local roadway crashes.
Last year speeding was a factor in 34% of fatal crashes, according to the Washington Traffic Safety Commission.
“When you drive at safe speeds, you’re protecting families, neighbors and the people working to maintain our roads,” said Washington Traffic Safety Commission Program Manager Dr. Janine Koffel.
The program was paid for with $1 million from the Legislature. People can learn more about the cameras at an online open house and share feedback. WSDOT will now analyze the data from the cameras, review public feedback and report back to the Legislature. A preliminary report will be ready in early July and a final report this fall.
Work Zone Speed Camera Program
The Highway Speed Camera program differs from the Work Zone Speed Camera Program, which continues enforcement in active road construction work zones throughout the state. The Work Zone Speed Camera Program uses mobile cameras that rotate to various road construction zones around the state, capturing images of speeding vehicles.
Three cameras are currently rotating through multiple construction zones. Six cameras are expected to be operating later this summer. Currently, the first Work Zone Speed Camera infraction is $0, but beginning in July 2026, the Legislature increased that to $125. The second and subsequent infractions are and will remain $248.
Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian – People’s Republic of China in Russian –
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
Tashkent, June 26 (Xinhua) — The key driving force behind the continuous deepening of cooperation between Central Asian countries and China is the shared focus on high-quality development as the main goal, Davron Toshpulatov, senior risk manager at Uzbekistan Mortgage Refinancing Company and Doctor of Economics, said in an interview with Xinhua.
According to him, from the point of view of the states of the region, including Uzbekistan, such a format of interaction not only corresponds to the tasks of modernization and structural reforms, but also opens the way to sustainable development. The expert emphasized that high-quality development has become a common value uniting the countries of Central Asia and China.
“Currently, Uzbekistan is going through an important stage of deep economic transformation, improving the business climate and modernizing the manufacturing sector,” noted D. Toshpulatov. In his opinion, the Chinese experience, especially in such areas as infrastructure development, poverty alleviation, green transition and innovation, serves as a practical guide for Uzbekistan. “It is especially valuable that the Chinese side shares its knowledge and technologies with us on the basis of openness and equal partnership,” he added.
D. Toshpulatov pointed out that cooperation covers a wide range of areas – from the construction of transport hubs and industrial parks to green energy and the digital economy. He cited such illustrative examples as Uzbek-Chinese industrial cooperation projects, the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway project, as well as initiatives in the field of electric vehicles and renewable energy. “We receive not just technologies, but also an impetus for the modernization of local industries, the transition to a sustainable, innovative and inclusive economy,” the Xinhua interlocutor emphasized.
As the expert noted, it is equally important that China consistently promotes the concept of human-centered development. “This fully coincides with Uzbekistan’s goals in such areas as human capital development, professional education, healthcare and social stability,” he said. D. Toshpulatov cited the opening of the Lu Ban Workshops and cooperation in youth training as examples. According to him, these are practical steps that actually improve people’s living standards and strengthen the social base of modernization.
“Looking to the future with optimism, I am convinced that under the banner of high-quality development, Uzbekistan and China will continue to deepen their pragmatic partnership, jointly forming a green, intelligent, efficient and inclusive regional community,” the expert concluded. Such joint modernization, he added, is based on mutual understanding and mutual benefit, and this is the path that meets the strategic interests of Uzbekistan. –0–
Please attribute to Counties Manukau District Commander, Superintendent Shanan Gray:
One person has died, and another is in a critical condition following an incident in Manurewa overnight.
A critical incident investigation is now underway, which will establish the full circumstances of what unfolded.
At about 1am, a Police unit was travelling along Roscommon Road after attending an unrelated job.
Staff have then sighted a Mitsubishi vehicle pulling out of Sharland Road closely followed by an Isuzu.
Officers were concerned the Mitsubishi was being chased by the Isuzu and signalled for the Isuzu to stop on Roscommon Road.
Moments after lights and sirens were activated the Isuzu made contact with the Mitsubishi, causing the vehicle to leave the road and collide with a tree.
Officers immediately rendered first aid, however the passenger of the vehicle was pronounced deceased at the scene.
The driver was transported to hospital in a critical condition, where they remain.
The driver of the Isuzu was arrested at the scene and transported to hospital with minor injuries.
A scene examination has been completed by the Serious Crash Unit and the road has since reopened.
There are several investigations now underway, which will work to establish all the facts surrounding this morning’s tragic incident.
This includes notifying the Independent Police Conduct Authority, as is standard procedure.
We are also working to support those affected and their families, as well as our staff who were involved.
As part of our investigation, we are seeking information from witnesses who may have been in the area at the time, or prior to this incident occurring.
If you have information, please update Police online now or call 105.
Headline: Less Than a Month Left to Apply for FEMA Assistance for South Texas Severe Storms and Flooding
Less Than a Month Left to Apply for FEMA Assistance for South Texas Severe Storms and Flooding
AUSTIN, Texas – Texas residents who have been affected by the March severe storms and flooding have less than a month left to apply for FEMA assistance
Homeowners and renters in Cameron, Hidalgo, Starr and Willacy counties who were displaced or have property damage from the March 26-28 storms have until Tuesday, July 22, 2025, to submit an application for FEMA assistance
After the deadline, survivors can still upload information and submit paperwork to their FEMA account
To date, FEMA has approved more than $59
2 million in federal and state assistance for Texas survivors
There are many types of assistance available for survivors who need help covering costs for things like rental expenses, home repairs, vehicle damage, medical expenses, moving and storage, and reimbursement for temporary housing
There are three ways to apply:Visit a Disaster Recovery Center
To find a center close to you, go online to: DRC Locator, or text DRC along with your Zip Code to 43362 (Ex: DRC 78552)
Go online to DisasterAssistance
govDownload the FEMA App for mobile devices Call the FEMA helpline at 800-621-3362 between 6 a
m
and 10 p
m
CT
Help is available in most languages
To view an accessible video about how to apply visit: Three Ways to Register for FEMA Disaster Assistance – YouTubeResidents and businesses in the four eligible counties can also apply for a low-interest disaster loan from the U
S
Small Business Administration (SBA) to help recover
Texas residents can apply for a disaster loan online at SBA
gov/disaster or by calling 800-659-2955
To find a Texas location for in-person assistance, visit appointment
sba
gov/schedule/
No appointment is necessary
For more information about the loans available and how to apply, visit: SBA Loans Are a Meaningful Option for Texas Storm Survivors
For the latest information about Texas’ recovery, visit fema
Since childhood, Derrick Bailey always had an early fascination with aeronautics. Military fighter jet pilots were his childhood heroes, and he dreamed of joining the aerospace industry. This passion was a springboard into his 17-year career at NASA, where Bailey plays an important role in enabling successful rocket launches. Bailey is the Launch Vehicle Certification Manager in the Launch Services Program (LSP) within the Space Operations Mission Directorate. In this role, he helps NASA outline the agency’s risk classifications of new rockets from emerging and established space companies. “Within my role, I formulate a series of technical and process assessments for NASA LSP’s technical team to understand how companies operate, how vehicles are designed and qualified, and how they perform in flight,” Bailey said. Beyond technical proficiency and readiness, a successful rocket launch relies on establishing a strong foundational relationship between NASA and the commercial companies involved. Bailey and his team ensure effective communication with these companies to provide the guidance, data, and analysis necessary to support them in overcoming challenges. “We work diligently to build trusting relationships with commercial companies and demonstrate the value in partnering with our team,” Bailey said. Bailey credits a stroke of fate that landed him at the agency. During his senior year at Georgia Tech, where he was pursuing a degree in aerospace engineering, Bailey almost walked past the NASA tent at a career fair. However, he decided to grab a NASA sticker and strike up a conversation, which quickly turned into an impromptu interview. He walked away that day with a job offer to work on the now-retired Space Shuttle Program at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. “I never imagined working at NASA,” Bailey said. “Looking back, it’s unbelievable that a chance encounter resulted in securing a job that has turned into an incredible career.” Thinking about the future, Bailey is excited about new opportunities in the commercial space industry. Bailey sees NASA as a crucial advisor and mentor for commercial sector while using industry capabilities to provide more cost-effective access to space.
“We are the enablers,” Bailey said of his role in the directorate. “It is our responsibility to provide the best opportunity for future explorers to begin their journey of discovery in deep space and beyond.” Outside of work, Bailey enjoys spending time with his family, especially his two sons, who keep him busy with trips to the baseball diamond and homework sessions. Bailey also enjoys hands-on activities, like working on cars, off-road vehicles, and house projects – hobbies he picked up from his mechanically inclined father. Additionally, at the beginning of 2025, his wife accepted a program specialist position with LSP, an exciting development for the entire Bailey family. “One of my wife’s major observations early on in my career was how much my colleagues genuinely care about one another and empower people to make decisions,” Bailey explained. “These are the things that make NASA the number one place to work in the government.” NASA’s Space Operations Mission Directorate maintains a continuous human presence in space for the benefit of people on Earth. The programs within the directorate are the hub of NASA’s space exploration efforts, enabling Artemis, commercial space, science, and other agency missions through communication, launch services, research capabilities, and crew support. To learn more about NASA’s Space Operation Mission Directorate, visit: https://www.nasa.gov/directorates/space-operations
The Goods Trade Barometer is a composite leading indicator for world trade, providing real-time information on the trajectory of merchandise trade relative to recent trends. Barometer values greater than 100 are associated with above-trend trade volumes, while barometer values less than 100 suggest that goods trade has either fallen below trend or will do so in the near future.
While the current barometer reading of 103.5 (represented by the blue line in the chart) exceeds both the baseline value of 100 and the quarterly trade volume index (represented by the black line), the decline in export orders and the temporary nature of frontloading suggest that trade growth may slow in the months ahead as enterprises import less and start to draw down accumulated inventories.
The most predictive barometer component, the new export orders index (97.9), has dipped below its baseline value of 100 into contraction territory, signalling weaker trade growth later in the year. On the other hand, most other barometer components have risen above trend. Transport-related indices, including air freight (104.3) and container shipping (107.1), reflect increased movement of goods. The automotive products index (105.3) also is above trend due to resilient vehicle production and sales. The electronic components index (102.0) has climbed above trend after underperforming in 2023 and 2024. Finally, the raw materials index (100.8) shows only modest growth, just above baseline.
World merchandise trade volume growth moderated in the fourth quarter of 2024 but it is likely to rebound in the first quarter of 2025 based on the goods barometer and preliminary trade data. The WTO Secretariat’s Global Trade Outlook and Statistics report of 16 April 2025 projected stable trade growth of 2.7% for 2025 under a low-tariff scenario reflecting policy conditions at the start of the year, and a ‑0.2% contraction under actual policies in place as of mid-April. Subsequent developments, including US-China and US-UK trade agreements as well as higher tariffs on steel and aluminium, have nudged the forecast up and down slightly leaving the overall outlook basically flat at 0.1%. However, trade contraction is possible, for example if US reciprocal tariffs are reinstated, or if trade policy uncertainty spreads globally.
According to Regulation (EU) 2018/858 on the approval and market surveillance of motor vehicles[1], where a vehicle or component represents a serious risk, the manufacturer shall immediately inform national authorities[2] on the risk and the measures taken. Where the risk requires rapid action, national authorities must take all appropriate restrictive measures. Hence, Member States must ensure the proper recall of vehicles.
The new General Product Safety Regulation (GPSR)[3], which applies from 13 December 2024, reinforces and introduces new and more stringent obligations for economic operators on, inter alia, product safety recalls and the right of consumers to cost-free, timely and effective remedies[4]. The GPSR is also implemented by Market Surveillance Authorities.
The Commission closely monitors the enforcement of EU law and, in case of shortcomings, engages in a structured dialogue with the Member State to assess compliance . If it concludes that the legislation has not been implemented correctly, the Commission may initiate infringement proceedings under Article 258 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union[5] to ensure compliance.
[1] Regulation (EU) 2018/858 of the European Parliament and of the Council on the approval and market surveillance of motor vehicles (OJ L 151, 14.6.2018, p. 1, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg/2018/858/oj).
[2] Approval authorities and market surveillance authorities.
[3] Regulation (EU) 2023/988 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 10 May 2023 on general product safety, PE/79/2022/REV/1, OJ L 135, 23.5.2023, p. 1, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg/2023/988/oj).
[4] See Article 37 of the General Product Safety Regulation.
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – A federal grand jury returned and indictment charging a restricted person with multiple firearm crimes after he allegedly possessed a stolen semi-automatic pistol and shot at two victims in Salt Lake City.
Hiram Bokadrik, 29, of Salt Lake County, Utah, was charged by complaint on June 11, 2025.
According to court documents, on June 7, 2025 at approximately 4:18 p.m., officers with the Salt Lake City Police Department responded to a call of “shots fired” at a residence in Salt Lake City. Upon arrival, officers met with two individuals who reported a male suspect, later identified as Bokadrik, had fired a single round at them when confronted about trespassing on their property. During this time, officers recovered an expended 9mm casing from the scene. Additional officers quickly located Bokadrik, who fled from the officers on foot, but was subsequently located in a construction area hiding underneath a tarp. On construction materials, officers also recovered a loaded Glock 43X and a hat described to be worn by Bokadrik at the time of the crime.
Additionally, the investigation revealed the firearm, which was manufactured outside the state of Utah, was stolen during a vehicle burglary at a nearby residence at approximately 12:00 a.m. on the same day. Bokadrik is prohibited from possessing, purchasing, transferring, or owning firearms or ammunition under both state and federal law.
Bokadrik is charged with being a restricted person in possession of a stolen firearm and ammunition, and possession of a stolen firearm. His initial appearance on the indictment is scheduled for June 26, 2025, at 2:15 p.m. in courtroom 8.4 before a U.S. Magistrate Judge at the Orrin G. Hatch United States District Courthouse in downtown Salt Lake City.
Acting United States Attorney Felice John Viti for the District of Utah made the announcement.
The case is being investigated by an FBI Task Force Officer with the Salt Lake City Police Department, Robbery and Violent Crimes Unit. Valuable assistance was provided by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
Assistant United States Attorney Victoria K. McFarland of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Utah is prosecuting the case.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) and Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN).
An indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Morgan Griffith (R-VA)
As the U.S. Congress continues to deliberate on a reconciliation package to deliver to President Trump’s desk ahead of July 4, Congressman Morgan Griffith (R-VA) penned an op-ed on the package’s benefits for America’s electric grid.
Read his full op-ed in the Washington Examiner here or below.
The intense heat wave battering the United States pushes America’s electric grid to the brink and threatens potential power outages. But House Republicans offer a policy change that bolsters our grid and helps protect Americans from blackout threats.
Communities across much of the country face scorching temperatures, prompting power companies to take notice and act accordingly.
In my part of Virginia, local power companies affiliated with the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) are encouraging their customers to reduce electricity use. This request appears to be based on an announcement from the TVA.
Alerts of potential breaking points in America’s electric grid are not unique to the TVA and are unfortunately becoming more and more frequent.
The Friday before Memorial Day, Energy Secretary Chris Wright issued an emergency order directing the Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO), the Midwest grid operator, to keep a coal-fired power plant in Michigan in operation. These emergency actions are authorized for up to 90 days at a time under Section 202(c) of the Federal Power Act.
Wright issued the order to minimize the risk of blackouts ahead of the high electricity demand expected this summer.
MISO runs North to South from Manitoba and Michigan down to Louisiana and a portion of East Texas.
Notwithstanding keeping the plant in Michigan open, the New Orleans metro area suffered a large and unexpected power outage during Memorial Day weekend. At the blackout’s peak, more than 100,000 customers lost electricity.
According to news website Axios, utilities knew high demand was likely that weekend. However, they had no extra power capacity. When one plant went down, their customers were plunged into darkness.
Reports confirmed that two of the region’s nuclear power plants lost connection to the grid. One was due to expected maintenance, while the other was unexpected. Constrained by a lack of energy supply, grid operators cut power to customers in New Orleans.
Entergy, an electric utility company in the region, said that the forced outages directed by MISO were done to prevent a larger scale and more prolonged power outage from impacting the electric grid.
This blackout was not the only major power outage in recent memory.
On April 28, Portugal and Spain witnessed the worst blackout in their history, affecting 55 million people, per British newspaper The Guardian.
Airports shut down, cars drove on streets without traffic lights, hospitals resorted to backup generators and some people were stuck in elevators!
The Iberian Peninsula blackout continues to be investigated. Lots of finger-pointing is going on between Spain’s grid operator, the government and plant operators. But it is interesting to note that on April 16, Spain reported its first weekday where its national power grid was 100% reliant on renewable power.
A coincidence? Maybe, maybe not.
Coincidentally, in a recent Virginia Tech press release, professor and Power and Energy Center director Dr. Ali Mehrizi-Sani highlighted how the systems that control these clean energy sources are more susceptible to blackouts.
As parts of the world transition to renewable energy sources like wind and solar, the lack of seamless grid adaptation to the use of these sources, as illustrated by the blackout in Spain and Portugal and by experts like Dr. Mehrizi-Sani, threatens destabilization of electric grids and more blackouts.
Leftist policies that attempted to gut our grid’s reliance on fossil fuels and convert to renewables have pushed America’s electric grid to the brink.
Federal policies, like the Obama-era “War on Coal” and the Biden Administration’s so-called Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), shunning reliable baseload forms of energy like coal and natural gas have made our electric grid more vulnerable to failure.
But House Republicans offer a potential policy change that levels the playing field and openly welcomes baseload power.
The One Big Beautiful Bill Act curtails some IRA tax credits which disincentivize coal and natural gas power plants. We maintain the incentives for nuclear because of its significant potential for baseload power.
Republicans also create an energy project insurance pool to help protect energy investors from permits being revoked for coal, oil, critical minerals, natural gas or nuclear installations.
This de-risking compensation fund will make it harder for federal policies to discourage and phase out these reliable energy sources.
As extreme summer heat continues to threaten potential power outages, we must secure and equip our electric grid with reliable energy solutions.
We do not need to follow in Spain’s footsteps and make Iberian Peninsula-style blackouts the norm.
The One Big Beautiful Bill Act helps Americans avoid blackout threats by instituting reliable forms of baseload power.
BOSTON – A Mexican national unlawfully residing in New Bedford has pleaded guilty to one count of illegally reentering the United States after deportation.
Bernardo Lorenzo-Guatemala, 38, pleaded guilty on July 24, 2025 to one count of unlawful reentry of a deported alien. He was arrested and charged by criminal complaint in May 2025.
Lorenzo-Guatemala was deported from the United States on June 4, 2019. Sometime after his removal, Lorenzo-Guatemala unlawfully reentered the United States. immigration officials became aware of Lorenzo-Guatemala’s unlawful presence in the United States following his arrest on July 2, 2024 for operating a motor vehicle with a suspended license.
The charge of unlawful reentry of a deported alien provides for a sentence of up to 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. The defendant is subject to deportation upon completion of any sentence imposed. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.
United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Patricia H. Hyde, Field Office Director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations in Boston made the announcement. Valuable assistance was provided by the Lynn Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian Sullivan of the Criminal Division is prosecuting the case.
MADISON, WIS. – Timothy M. O’Shea, United States Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin, announced that Javaris Nunn, 33, Sun Prairie, Wisconsin, was sentenced June 24, 2025, by Chief U.S. District Judge James D. Peterson to 30 months in prison for possessing firearms and ammunition as a convicted felon. Nunn pleaded guilty to this charge on March 26, 2025.
On December 28, 2023, Nunn was a rear passenger in a vehicle that was stopped because it did not have a license plate. Next to Nunn, officers found a backpack containing an unloaded Glock 42 .380 caliber handgun and a loaded Smith & Wesson M&P .45 caliber handgun with the serial number scratched off. While Nunn denied knowledge of the handguns, the Wisconsin State Crime Laboratory found evidence of Nunn’s DNA on both guns.
Nunn has prior felony convictions for theft from a person, felon in possession of a firearm, and robbery. As a convicted felon, Nunn cannot legally possess firearms or ammunition.
At sentencing, Judge Peterson said that he was considering not only Nunn’s traumatic past and positive characteristics, but also his significant criminal history and the severity of the offense. Judge Peterson noted that Nunn carrying firearms was a recipe for disaster. Judge Peterson imposed the sentence to run concurrently with a state revocation sentence and ordered that Nunn serve three years of supervised release.
The charge against Nunn was the result of an investigation conducted by the Dane County Sheriff’s Office and the ATF Madison Crime Gun Task Force consisting of federal agents from ATF and Task Force Officers from state and local agencies representing the Western District of Wisconsin. Assistant U.S. Attorney Corey Stephan prosecuted this case.
This case has been brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), the U.S. Justice Department’s program to reduce violent crime. The PSN approach emphasizes coordination between state and federal prosecutors and all levels of law enforcement to address gun crime, especially felons illegally possessing firearms and ammunition and violent and drug crimes that involve the use of firearms.
Noon Briefing by Stéphane Dujarric, Spokesperson for the Secretary-General.
Highlights:
Briefings Tomorrow
UN Charter
Occupied Palestinian Territory
UNIFIL
Ukraine
Security Council
International Day against Drug Abuse
International Day in Support of Victims of Torture
BRIEFINGS TOMORROW
Tomorrow will be a busy day.
There be no Noon briefing, but at 11:30 a.m., Antonio Guterres, Secretary-General of the United Nations, will be at the Security Council stakeout to speak about the situation in the Middle East and Gaza and he will take some questions.
Then, at noon, Jean-Pierre Lacroix, the Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations, will be in the briefing room to brief about his recent travels to the Middle East.
Then at 12:45 p.m., the Deputy Secretary-General, Amina J. Mohammed, will brief reporters on the launch of the Secretary-General’s debt recommendations, ahead of the Sevilla Conference. She will be joined virtually by Rebeca Grynspan, the Head of UN Trade and Development as well as the Secretary-General’s Expert Group on Debt.
UN CHARTER
The Secretary-General spoke at the special General Assembly session this morning and he said that the UN Charter is a declaration of hope — and the foundation of international cooperation for a better world. And from day one, he added, the United Nations has been a force of construction in a world often marked by destruction.
Mr. Guterres said that upholding the purposes and principles of the Charter is a never-ending mission. But he warned that today, we see assaults on the purposes and the principles of the UN Charter like never before.
On and on, he said, we see an all too familiar pattern: Follow when the Charter suits, ignore when it does not. But the Secretary-General said the Charter of the United Nations is not optional, and it is not an à la carte menu. We cannot and must not normalize violations of its most basic principles.
He urged all Member States to live up to the spirit and letter of the Charter, to the responsibilities it demands and to the future it summons us all to build.
OCCUPIED PALESTINIAN TERRITORY
Turning to the situation in Gaza, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs tells us that civilians continue to be killed and they continue to be injured daily – whether in Israeli air strikes, shelling, or while trying to just find food for their families. These tragic events must not be accepted as normal, ever.
This afternoon, our partners working on health reported a mass casualty incident following a strike in Deir al Balah – with Al Aqsa Hospital said to have received more than 20 people killed and some 70 injured. Additional wounded patients were transferred to Nasser Medical Complex and two other medical facilities.
Our partners working on health also tell us an increase in preventable diseases is being seen. In just the past two weeks alone, over 19,000 cases of acute watery diarrhoea have been recorded, alongside over 200 cases each of acute jaundice syndrome and bloody diarrhoea.
These outbreaks are directly linked to the lack of clean water and the lack of sanitation in Gaza, underscoring the urgent need for fuel, the urgent need for medical supplies, the urgent need for water, the urgent need for sanitation and the urgent need for hygiene items. All of this to prevent any further spread of the collapse of the public health system, which is already in dire, dire situation.
In a social media post, the World Health Organization noted that yesterday, it delivered its first medical shipment into Gaza since 2 March, when Israel imposed a full blockade on the Strip. Nine trucks carrying essential medical supplies, some 2,000 units of blood, and 1,500 units of plasma were transported from Kerem Shalom.
These supplies will be distributed to priority hospitals in the coming days. The blood and plasma were delivered to Nasser Medical Complex’s cold storage facility for onward distribution to other hospitals facing critical shortages amid the growing influx of patients we have been speaking about.
However, WHO reminds us that all these medical supplies are only a drop in the ocean of what is actually needed.
Full Highlights:
https://www.un.org/sg/en/content/noon-briefing-highlight?date%5Bvalue%5D%5Bdate%5D=26%20June%202025
Noon Briefing by Stéphane Dujarric, Spokesperson for the Secretary-General.
Highlights:
Briefings Tomorrow
UN Charter
Occupied Palestinian Territory
UNIFIL
Ukraine
Security Council
International Day against Drug Abuse
International Day in Support of Victims of Torture
BRIEFINGS TOMORROW
Tomorrow will be a busy day.
There be no Noon briefing, but at 11:30 a.m., Antonio Guterres, Secretary-General of the United Nations, will be at the Security Council stakeout to speak about the situation in the Middle East and Gaza and he will take some questions.
Then, at noon, Jean-Pierre Lacroix, the Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations, will be in the briefing room to brief about his recent travels to the Middle East.
Then at 12:45 p.m., the Deputy Secretary-General, Amina J. Mohammed, will brief reporters on the launch of the Secretary-General’s debt recommendations, ahead of the Sevilla Conference. She will be joined virtually by Rebeca Grynspan, the Head of UN Trade and Development as well as the Secretary-General’s Expert Group on Debt.
UN CHARTER
The Secretary-General spoke at the special General Assembly session this morning and he said that the UN Charter is a declaration of hope — and the foundation of international cooperation for a better world. And from day one, he added, the United Nations has been a force of construction in a world often marked by destruction.
Mr. Guterres said that upholding the purposes and principles of the Charter is a never-ending mission. But he warned that today, we see assaults on the purposes and the principles of the UN Charter like never before.
On and on, he said, we see an all too familiar pattern: Follow when the Charter suits, ignore when it does not. But the Secretary-General said the Charter of the United Nations is not optional, and it is not an à la carte menu. We cannot and must not normalize violations of its most basic principles.
He urged all Member States to live up to the spirit and letter of the Charter, to the responsibilities it demands and to the future it summons us all to build.
OCCUPIED PALESTINIAN TERRITORY
Turning to the situation in Gaza, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs tells us that civilians continue to be killed and they continue to be injured daily – whether in Israeli air strikes, shelling, or while trying to just find food for their families. These tragic events must not be accepted as normal, ever.
This afternoon, our partners working on health reported a mass casualty incident following a strike in Deir al Balah – with Al Aqsa Hospital said to have received more than 20 people killed and some 70 injured. Additional wounded patients were transferred to Nasser Medical Complex and two other medical facilities.
Our partners working on health also tell us an increase in preventable diseases is being seen. In just the past two weeks alone, over 19,000 cases of acute watery diarrhoea have been recorded, alongside over 200 cases each of acute jaundice syndrome and bloody diarrhoea.
These outbreaks are directly linked to the lack of clean water and the lack of sanitation in Gaza, underscoring the urgent need for fuel, the urgent need for medical supplies, the urgent need for water, the urgent need for sanitation and the urgent need for hygiene items. All of this to prevent any further spread of the collapse of the public health system, which is already in dire, dire situation.
In a social media post, the World Health Organization noted that yesterday, it delivered its first medical shipment into Gaza since 2 March, when Israel imposed a full blockade on the Strip. Nine trucks carrying essential medical supplies, some 2,000 units of blood, and 1,500 units of plasma were transported from Kerem Shalom.
These supplies will be distributed to priority hospitals in the coming days. The blood and plasma were delivered to Nasser Medical Complex’s cold storage facility for onward distribution to other hospitals facing critical shortages amid the growing influx of patients we have been speaking about.
However, WHO reminds us that all these medical supplies are only a drop in the ocean of what is actually needed.
Full Highlights:
https://www.un.org/sg/en/content/noon-briefing-highlight?date%5Bvalue%5D%5Bdate%5D=26%20June%202025
Headline: Second Owner of Fuel Truck Supply Company Incarcerated for Bid Rigging, Market Allocation, and Wire Fraud Conspiracies
The owner of a fuel truck supply company, Kris Bird, 62, was sentenced today in Boise, Idaho, to three months in prison and a $24,000 fine for his role in schemes to rig bids, allocate territories, and commit wire fraud over an eight-year period. Further, Bird was ordered to forfeit to the federal government $1,542,387 as proceeds of his wire fraud offenses. The conspiracies Bird participated in related to contracts to provide fuel trucks that assist the U.S. Forest Service’s efforts to battle wildfires in Idaho and the mountain west.
The owner of a fuel truck supply company, Kris Bird, 62, was sentenced today in Boise, Idaho, to three months in prison and a $24,000 fine for his role in schemes to rig bids, allocate territories, and commit wire fraud over an eight-year period. Further, Bird was ordered to forfeit to the federal government $1,542,387 as proceeds of his wire fraud offenses. The conspiracies Bird participated in related to contracts to provide fuel trucks that assist the U.S. Forest Service’s efforts to battle wildfires in Idaho and the mountain west.
Bird pleaded guilty in March 2025 — two weeks before his trial was set to begin — to the seven-count indictment. The plea followed an investigation that involved evidence from a judicially authorized wiretap and led to charges against two executives in December 2023. Earlier this month on June 5, Bird’s co-defendant, Ike Tomlinson, 61, was sentenced to 12 months in prison and a $20,000 fine for his leadership role in the criminal conduct.
“Mr. Bird stole taxpayer funds allocated for critical wildfire-fighting efforts protecting the American people to line his own pockets,” said Assistant Attorney General Abigail Slater of the Justice Department’s Antitrust Division. “The Trump Antitrust Division’s Procurement Collusion Strike Force and its law enforcement partners will continue the fight to ensure that the fraudulent use of taxpayer money results in incarceration.”
“Today’s sentencing underscores the FBI’s commitment to protecting the integrity of our markets,” said Assistant Director Jose A. Perez of the FBI Criminal Investigative Division. “Antitrust violations are not just corporate misconduct, they’re federal crimes that distort competition, drive up costs for consumers and erode public trust. We will continue to work with our law enforcement and regulatory partners to hold accountable those who rig the system for personal gain.”
“Bid rigging is not a victimless crime. It cheats taxpayers and the honest contractors who play by the rules,” said Assistant Inspector General for Investigations Jason Suffredini of the General Services Administration (GSA) Office of Inspector General (OIG). “GSA OIG and our partners remain committed to pursuing those who engage in procurement fraud.”
According to court documents, the co-conspirators coordinated their bids to inflate prices and to determine who would have priority to receive business from the U.S. Forest Service and other federal agencies in the event of a wildfire in a specific geographic area. The co-conspirators further coordinated to exclude and punish potential competitors to further maintain the success of their conspiracy. During the conspiracies, from March 2015 to March 2023, Bird annually submitted false SAM certifications to the federal government covering up his bid-rigging conspiracy and committing wire fraud.
The Antitrust Division’s San Francisco Office, U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Idaho, FBI Salt Lake City Field Office, Boise Resident Agency, and General Services Administration Office of Inspector General investigated the case. Assistant Chief Christopher J. Carlberg and Trial Attorneys Elena A. Goldstein, Daniel B. Twomey, and Matthew Chou of the Antitrust Division’s San Francisco Office, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Sean M. Mazorol for the District of Idaho have been prosecuting the case.
In addition to today’s criminal sentence, in May 2025, the United States, on behalf of the U.S. Forest Service, U.S. Bureau of Land Management, and the U.S. Small Business Administration, entered into a civil settlement with Kris Bird and other related entities and individuals who agreed to pay $781,186 to resolve civil claims after admitting to allegations that they obtained government contracts through bid-rigging and the submission of false SAM Certifications, as well as wrongly obtained a Paycheck Protection Program loan.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Idaho and the U.S. Department of Agriculture Office of Inspector General investigated the civil case. Assistant United States Attorney Robert B. Firpo and Civil Chief James Schaefer are handling the case.
In November 2019, the Justice Department created the Procurement Collusion Strike Force (PCSF), a joint law enforcement effort to combat antitrust crimes and related fraudulent schemes that impact government procurement, grant and program funding at all levels of government—federal, state and local. To learn more about the PCSF, or to report information on bid rigging, price fixing, market allocation and other anticompetitive conduct related to government spending, go to www.justice.gov/procurement-collusion-strike-force. Anyone with information in connection with this investigation can contact the PCSF at the link listed above.
The owner of a fuel truck supply company, Kris Bird, 62, was sentenced today in Boise, Idaho, to three months in prison and a $24,000 fine for his role in schemes to rig bids, allocate territories, and commit wire fraud over an eight-year period. Further, Bird was ordered to forfeit to the federal government $1,542,387 as proceeds of his wire fraud offenses. The conspiracies Bird participated in related to contracts to provide fuel trucks that assist the U.S. Forest Service’s efforts to battle wildfires in Idaho and the mountain west.
Bird pleaded guilty in March 2025 — two weeks before his trial was set to begin — to the seven-count indictment. The plea followed an investigation that involved evidence from a judicially authorized wiretap and led to charges against two executives in December 2023. Earlier this month on June 5, Bird’s co-defendant, Ike Tomlinson, 61, was sentenced to 12 months in prison and a $20,000 fine for his leadership role in the criminal conduct.
“Mr. Bird stole taxpayer funds allocated for critical wildfire-fighting efforts protecting the American people to line his own pockets,” said Assistant Attorney General Abigail Slater of the Justice Department’s Antitrust Division. “The Trump Antitrust Division’s Procurement Collusion Strike Force and its law enforcement partners will continue the fight to ensure that the fraudulent use of taxpayer money results in incarceration.”
“Today’s sentencing underscores the FBI’s commitment to protecting the integrity of our markets,” said Assistant Director Jose A. Perez of the FBI Criminal Investigative Division. “Antitrust violations are not just corporate misconduct, they’re federal crimes that distort competition, drive up costs for consumers and erode public trust. We will continue to work with our law enforcement and regulatory partners to hold accountable those who rig the system for personal gain.”
“Bid rigging is not a victimless crime. It cheats taxpayers and the honest contractors who play by the rules,” said Assistant Inspector General for Investigations Jason Suffredini of the General Services Administration (GSA) Office of Inspector General (OIG). “GSA OIG and our partners remain committed to pursuing those who engage in procurement fraud.”
According to court documents, the co-conspirators coordinated their bids to inflate prices and to determine who would have priority to receive business from the U.S. Forest Service and other federal agencies in the event of a wildfire in a specific geographic area. The co-conspirators further coordinated to exclude and punish potential competitors to further maintain the success of their conspiracy. During the conspiracies, from March 2015 to March 2023, Bird annually submitted false SAM certifications to the federal government covering up his bid-rigging conspiracy and committing wire fraud.
The Antitrust Division’s San Francisco Office, U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Idaho, FBI Salt Lake City Field Office, Boise Resident Agency, and General Services Administration Office of Inspector General investigated the case. Assistant Chief Christopher J. Carlberg and Trial Attorneys Elena A. Goldstein, Daniel B. Twomey, and Matthew Chou of the Antitrust Division’s San Francisco Office, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Sean M. Mazorol for the District of Idaho have been prosecuting the case.
In addition to today’s criminal sentence, in May 2025, the United States, on behalf of the U.S. Forest Service, U.S. Bureau of Land Management, and the U.S. Small Business Administration, entered into a civil settlement with Kris Bird and other related entities and individuals who agreed to pay $781,186 to resolve civil claims after admitting to allegations that they obtained government contracts through bid-rigging and the submission of false SAM Certifications, as well as wrongly obtained a Paycheck Protection Program loan.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Idaho and the U.S. Department of Agriculture Office of Inspector General investigated the civil case. Assistant United States Attorney Robert B. Firpo and Civil Chief James Schaefer are handling the case.
In November 2019, the Justice Department created the Procurement Collusion Strike Force (PCSF), a joint law enforcement effort to combat antitrust crimes and related fraudulent schemes that impact government procurement, grant and program funding at all levels of government—federal, state and local. To learn more about the PCSF, or to report information on bid rigging, price fixing, market allocation and other anticompetitive conduct related to government spending, go to www.justice.gov/procurement-collusion-strike-force. Anyone with information in connection with this investigation can contact the PCSF at the link listed above.
Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Scott Peters (52nd District of California)
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Representative Scott Peters (D-CA-50) and Representative Jack Bergman (R-MI-1) reintroduced a resolution to reduce the stigma that prevents veterans and servicemembers from seeking mental health care. The resolution also encourages leadership of the Armed Forces to support appropriate treatment for servicemembers suffering from post-traumatic stress. The legislation would designate June as National Post-Traumatic Stress (PTS) Awareness Month and June 27th as National PTS Awareness Day.
“Ask servicemembers about their injuries, and they will likely show you the visible scars sustained from their service. What they are more reluctant to share are mental scars – the less visible but equally harmful injuries,” said Rep. Peters. “When 18 of our nation’s heroes die from suicide each day, it’s evident we must break the stigma associated with accessing mental health treatment and embolden our veterans to seek help when they need it.”
“Our Nation has a duty to recognize and respond to the lasting impact of trauma on our Veterans and Service Members,” said Rep. Bergman. “I’m proud to help introduce this bipartisan resolution recognizing June as National Post-Traumatic Stress Awareness Month. Raising awareness is a crucial step toward breaking the stigma and ensuring our heroes get the care and support they’ve earned.”
Read the full text of the resolution here.
Background:
Rep. Peters first introduced the bill during the 115th Congress with the late Rep. Walter Jones (NC-03) and has introduced the legislation in every Congress since. Rep. Peters previously served on the House Armed Services and Veterans’ Affairs Committees.
Representative Peters authored the Veteran Peer Specialist Act, which expanded the peer support specialist pilot program at the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). It passed Congress and became law as part of the FY 2022 Omnibus Appropriations bill.
ALBUQUERQUE – A Texas woman is facing federal charges after U.S. Border Patrol agents seized more than 20 pounds of cocaine from her vehicle during a checkpoint inspection south of Alamogordo, New Mexico.
According to court documents, on the afternoon of June 16, 2025, U.S. Border Patrol agents encountered Aurelia Madrid-Marquez, 51, at the Highway 54 checkpoint located South of Alamogordo, New Mexico, driving a minivan with Illinois license plates. During routine questioning, agents conducted a canine inspection of the vehicle, which resulted in a positive alert for narcotics. A subsequent search revealed seven vacuum-sealed bundles containing a white powdery substance concealed in the driver-side floorboard area. Field tests confirmed the substance to be cocaine.
Madrid-Marquez is charged with possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance and will remain in third party custody pending trial, which has not yet been scheduled. If convicted of the current charges, Madrid-Marquez faces up to 10 years in prison.
U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison, Omar Arellano, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration’s El Paso Division, and Chief Patrol Agent Walter N. Slosar of the U.S. Border Patrol El Paso Sector made the announcement today.
The Drug Enforcement Administration investigated this case with assistance from the U.S. Border Patrol. Assistant U.S. Attorney Devon Aragon Martinez is prosecuting the case.
A criminal complaint is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
BOSTON – A member of the violent Boston-based gang, H-Block, was sentenced yesterday in federal court in Boston for drug conspiracy charges.
Avery Lewis, a/k/a “Wave,” 33, of Dorchester was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Myong J. Joun to 46 months in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release. In January 2025, Lewis pleaded guilty to two counts of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine and one count of possession with intent to distribute cocaine.
Lewis was one of 10 H-Block gang members and associates charged in August 2024 following a multi-year investigation that began in 2021 in response to an uptick in gang-related drug trafficking, shootings and violence. Over 500 grams of cocaine, cocaine base (crack cocaine) and fentanyl, as well as over 20,000 doses of drug-laced paper were seized during the investigation.
According to the charging documents, the H-Block street gang is one of the most feared and influential city-wide gangs in Boston. Originally formed in the 1980s as the Humboldt Raiders in the Roxbury section of Boston, the gang re-emerged in the 2000s as H-Block. Current members of H-Block have a history of violent confrontation with law enforcement, including an incident in 2015 when a member shot a Boston Police officer at point blank range without warning or provocation.
Lewis was a long-time H-Block gang member and daily street-level dealer with a regular roster of customers. Over the course of the investigation, Lewis sold cocaine to an undercover officer on several occasions and coordinated other drug trafficking criminal activities with H-Block gang members.
On April 5, 2023, Lewis was arrested with approximately 250 grams of cocaine in his vehicle. In addition, in March 2024, Lewis was involved in an altercation with a Boston Police Department officer, leading to the officer being struck by a bullet fired by a concealed gun in Lewis’s possession resulting in state charges. Lewis was sentenced to seven to nine years in state prison in that matter.
According to court records, Lewis’ criminal history includes a 2017 cocaine conviction for possessing 86 bags of cocaine inside his apartment as well as a 2013 conviction for unlawfully possessing a firearm with an obliterated serial number.
Lewis is the first defendant to be sentenced in the case.
United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Boston Police Commissioner Michael Cox; Stephen Belleau, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration, New England Field Division; Randy Maloney, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Secret Service, Boston Field Office; Ted E. Docks, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division; and Jonathan Mellone, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General, Northeast Region made the announcement. The investigation was supported by the Massachusetts State Police; Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office; Massachusetts Department of Corrections; and the Braintree, Quincy, Randolph and Watertown Police Departments. Assistant United States Attorney John T. Dawley of the Organized Crime & Gang Unit and Jeremy Franker of the Justice Department’s Violent Crime & Racketeering Section are prosecuting the cases.
The case was investigated under the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF). OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. For more information about Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces, please visit Justice.gov/OCDETF.
The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The remaining defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
David X. Sullivan, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that JILL MULLIGAN, 45, of North Stonington, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Stefan R. Underhill in Bridgeport to 72 months of imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release, for trafficking crystal meth.
According to court documents and statements made in court, in April and May 2023, the FBI’s Northern Connecticut Gang Task Force made three controlled purchases of crystal meth from Mulligan. Mulligan was arrested on May 4, 2023. At the time of her arrest, searches of Mulligan’s North Stonington residence and her vehicle revealed approximately 390 grams of crystal meth, and quantities of crack cocaine, LSD, and prescription pills.
On November 1, 2023, Mulligan pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. She has been detained since March 12, 2025, when her bond was revoked.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Reed Durham.
Students leaving or changing accommodation from this weekend
Students and their landlords in Leeds are being asked to be respectful of their neighbours and the local environment as the summer changeover period begins.
With many student tenancies coming to an end this month, Leeds City Council is working closely with the University of Leeds, Leeds Beckett University, Leeds Arts University, Leeds Trinity University and Unipol to support students, landlords and their agents to support students with the challenge of moving from one place to another on the same day, but also keeping noise and discarded waste to a minimum.
Building on the positives of the last two years including 80 tonnes of reuseable items being collected and redistributed free or very affordably through local charities Revive and Slate, the number of temporary reuse banks located in popular student accommodation areas has been increased.
Staff from the council’s cleaner neighbourhoods team have joined ambassadors from Leeds Beckett and University of Leeds knocking on thousands of doors in student areas this month, engaging in conversations about being considerate of local communities and delivering flyers detailing ways items no longer needed can be sold, donated or disposed of appropriately.
Information has also been shared via leaflets, social media posts, direct communications to students by universities, as well as WhatsApp messaging from landlords to their tenants.
Unipol again has its dedicated ‘moving out’ webpage offering detailed information on how to donate, recycle or dispose of unwanted items in a responsible and timely fashion, with maps of donation bank locations together with all key information at https://www.unipol.org.uk/advice/students/moving-out-2025/
The council has contacted landlords and lettings agents reminding them of their responsibilities to ensure their tenants dispose of their waste legally, contained in bins or via recycling banks.
Council street wardens will also be on hand to offer practical advice during the changeover period, and from mid-June, additional refuse collection and street cleansing vehicles will deal with any hotspots of waste.
The household waste and recycling centres at Kirkstall and Meanwood are open every day from 8am-6pm. Leeds Rental Standard-accredited landlords can access discounted tipping on certain types of waste at Kirkstall recycling centre, where the public weighbridge is open 8am-4pm daily. Students can also access Kirkstall recycling centre on foot to donate to the reuse shop or deposit bulky items.
Two additional caged vehicles will also once again be in operation sponsored by Leeds Property Association and Unipol.
Council enforcement officers will be patrolling student areas to ensure waste is being disposed of appropriately, and have the powers to issue fines for non-compliance. The serious environmental crime team will also be actively monitoring areas to catch and deter unlicensed waste carriers or anyone caught sifting through bins attempting to find any valuables.
Speaking ahead of the changeover weekend, Councillor Mary Harland, Leeds City Council’s executive member for communities, customer service and community safety, and Councillor Mohammed Rafique, executive member for climate, energy, environment and green space, said:
“We are very pleased to be working again with all the Leeds universities, landlords and agents to help support students leaving or changing their accommodation this summer. Given we have approximately 80,000 students in the city this changeover period is a massive undertaking, so we are committed to doing everything we can to help them with the process and especially disposing of their waste appropriately.
“We would appeal directly to the students to enjoy their final days in their current arrangements, but to remind them of their responsibilities to be respectful and mindful of their neighbours and local communities to ensure there is no anti-social behaviour, which will not be tolerated and will be dealt with quickly.
“There is also no excuse for waste being dumped on the street or in public spaces, please make use of all of the extra range of facilities and options on offer to dispose of goods appropriately. Anyone not doing so risks facing prosecution and spot fines, but if people behave responsibly those won’t be needed which is very much what we hope.”
A spokesperson from Leeds Beckett University’s Students’ Union said:
”For all of us at Leeds Beckett Students’ Union, building a positive relationship between our students, landlords and the wider community is a priority. We’re here to support students as they settle into new homes in July during the changeover period, a busy and sometimes challenging time for both students and local residents. We encourage everyone to be considerate of neighbours as well as being patient and respectful. By working together, we can ensure a smooth transition and continue building the strong sense of community that makes Leeds such a great place to live and study.”
A spokesperson from Leeds Arts University’s Students’ Union said:
“As the academic year ends, we encourage all Leeds students to act responsibly when leaving their accommodation for the final time. Removal of unwanted items to recycling facilities and appropriate disposal of excess rubbish is an essential part of the moving out process, whilst leaving behind waste places unnecessary strain on local services and is disrespectful to neighbours and the wider community. Leeds Arts Union is happy to be working collaboratively once again with the other Leeds universities and Leeds City Council to ensure our students move out responsibly and end the year sustainably.”
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
Moscow, June 26 (Xinhua) — In May, passenger car production in Russia amounted to 35,000 units, which is 18.5 percent lower than the figure for May 2024, according to data published by the Federal State Statistics Service of the Russian Federation on Wednesday.
At the same time, in the first five months of 2025, the production of passenger cars in Russia increased by 4% year-on-year and amounted to 281 thousand units. The number of new trucks produced in the country in January-May amounted to 58.5 thousand units, which is 20.1% less year-on-year.
Overall, the industrial production index in Russia in January-May of this year grew by 1.3 percent year-on-year. –0–
Source: United States Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives (ATF)
CONCORD – A Swanzey man was sentenced yesterday in federal court for stealing 18 firearms from Trader John’s Gun Shop in Winchester, New Hampshire, Acting U.S. Attorney Jay McCormack announces.
Khale Guillou, 20, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Samantha Elliot to 18 months in federal prison and 3 years of supervised release. In March 2025, Guillou pleaded guilty to one count of theft of firearms from a federal firearms licensee (FFL).
“The defendant stole 18 guns from an FFL and, just days later, shell casings were found in his car. This case highlights the dangerous link between gun thefts and violent crime,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Jay McCormack. “Yesterday’s sentence sends a message that we will continue to work closely with our law enforcement partners to ensure that those who fuel gun violence are held accountable.”
“ATF’s collaboration with our industry partners forms the first line of defense against firearms trafficking and diversion,” said Acting ATF SAC Scott Riordan. “ATF prioritizes investigations which both victimize those industry partners and endanger the community by placing guns in criminal hands. This investigation reflects ATF’s commitment to protect federal firearm licensees and ensure firearms in lawful commerce are not diverted for criminal use.”
According to the court documents and statements made in court, on the night of July 6, 2024, Guillou broke into Trader John’s Gun Shop and stole 17 handguns and one rifle. Nine days later, Guillou’s car was involved in a shooting in Tewksbury, Massachusetts. Law enforcement recovered three of Trader John’s stolen firearms from the trunk of Guillou’s car and spent shell casings from inside the vehicle. Three additional stolen firearms were recovered from Guillou’s home, two of which were also taken from Trader John’s Gun Shop.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives led the investigation. The Keene, Swanzey, Winchester, and Tewksbury Police Departments provided valuable assistance. Assistant U.S. Attorney Anna Krasinski prosecuted the case.
This effort is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
PITTSBURGH, Pa. – A resident of Youngstown, Ohio, has been sentenced in federal court to 106 months in prison on his conviction of armed drug trafficking, Acting United States Attorney Troy Rivetti announced today.
United States District Judge Cathy Bissoon imposed the sentence on Antoine Tate, 44, who previously pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute fentanyl, cocaine, and oxycodone and possession of a firearm in furtherance of that drug trafficking crime. Judge Bissoon also ordered that Tate serve six years of supervised release following his prison sentence.
According to information presented to the Court, on October 31, 2020, in New Castle, Pennsylvania, Tate recklessly attempted to flee police officers by vehicle, and was apprehended in possession of a loaded pistol and quantities of fentanyl, cocaine, and oxycodone that he intended to distribute, as well as over $2,000 in cash.
Assistant United States Attorney Craig W. Haller prosecuted this case on behalf of the United States.
Acting United States Attorney Rivetti commended the Union Township Police Department, New Castle Police Department, Federal Bureau of Investigation, and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives for the investigation leading to the successful prosecution of Tate.
PM remarks to the British Chambers of Commerce: 26 June 2025
The Prime Minister gave remarks to the British Chambers of Commerce.
Thank you, Shevaun, and not just for that introduction, but for all of your leadership over four years now. It’s really good to have been working with you. And I know how valuable this chamber network is to UK PLC, representing us around the world. Building your own communities, brick by brick, creating the jobs, the wealth, the tax receipts that means that we have the opportunity to change our country for the better. And I want to begin by thanking you for all of that. Because, look, I fully acknowledge, and I do acknowledge here, that this year, as we’ve had to fix the foundations of our country, deal with the unprecedented mess that we inherited, we’ve asked a lot of you. I understand that and I want to acknowledge that. It has made a huge difference. Because of it, the money has gone into the NHS and waiting lists are coming down. We’ve put investment into the skills of our young people. The new homes, new roads, new infrastructure that we’re building, they are all vital for the long-term growth of our country. But none of that would have been possible without your contribution, and I say thank you. It’s what I mean by partnership. It’s what I spoke about, Shevaun, two years ago when I last came here. Because for me, this is not just dialogue, it’s a partnership of us all, the British nation, facing down the challenges of a volatile world together. It’s a more volatile world than I think many of us have seen in many years, and frankly the more I see the way this world is changing, the more I see the future that we must build, and the more convinced I am about the need for this unity, a sense between us of shared national purpose. And that is, I believe, how we can rise again together and mark my words, we will.
Take the Spending Review. This is a clear shift in the nature of this government, beyond fixing those inherited problems and now investing in the future of our country. We’ve, as it were, wiped the slate clean, we’ve stabilised the economy, and now we can go on to the next phase of government, building on that foundation, building a fairer Britain, change and renewal that you can feel. And that means, of course, that we have to back you to the hilt, because your members are the engines of growth in every community across the United Kingdom. And that’s the responsibility of partnership, and we want to be the best state partner for enterprise anywhere in the world and to give you the best possible conditions to succeed, and I am optimistic about this. And don’t get me wrong, I know that the trading environment is not easy. The challenges that you face are front and centre of my mind. When I’m sitting across the negotiating table with the EU, with the US, with India, whoever it is, trust me, I’m fighting for you, and politics is about who do you have in your mind’s eye. But together I do believe we’ve got to stop doing that British understatement thing. We do it all the time, including me. Because believe you me, this is a great moment to get on the phone to the world and say, take another look at Britain. I was speaking to Jensen Huang the other day, CEO of Nvidia, the largest semiconductor company in the world, and he was saying Britain is in a Goldilocks situation on AI. Ready to take off, a really good place to be investing. You can see it with Amazon this week, a massive 40-billion-pound investment in our country. One of the biggest investments that’s ever gone in. Thousands of jobs created in Hull, in the East Midlands, in Northampton, which means that since July of last year, we’ve attracted over 120 billion pounds into our economy. Now, you will all get this and understand this straight away, but these are companies that can invest anywhere in the world. They don’t have to invest here, but they’re choosing Britain. And that’s a sign of confidence in our plan for change, that we are a stable partner, that we are open for business, that we are putting our money in your customers’ pockets. [Political content redacted]. 380,000 jobs have been created. More demand for your goods and your services. More opportunities to boost your bottom line. Because, this is crucial, as we fix those foundations, we also make choices that will make us a fairer, more prosperous country. For example, as Shevaun mentioned, two years ago at this conference, I set out that bold vision in relation to planning reform, then leader of the opposition – to remove the blockages in the system, to build the labs, the warehouses, the grid connections that all of your businesses need. And two years later, standing here, that vision is written into legislation and we’re pushing it through Parliament. And every day new spades are hitting the ground. Growth revised up because of it. A promise made to you two years ago – a promise delivered.
It’s the same with our industrial strategy announced earlier this week. For far too long, Britain ignored this. We didn’t back businesses, we didn’t invest in projects and technology that are critical to our future. Didn’t have a plan that gave your businesses the certainty that you need. Well, now we have that plan and it’s been drawn up in partnership and it is, quote, ‘a significant step forward for our economy’. That’s not my words, they’re Shevaun words. And as she says, and this to me was the most important part in Shevaun’s response on your behalf, that what you shared with us, what you fed in, has been quote, ‘heard and reflected in our strategy’. Your fingerprints are on that strategy. It came out of the discussions that I and others have had with many people in this room. It wasn’t plucked out of the sky by a government, it was reflecting back what you had told us needed to change. And that is what I mean by partnership, where both partners do different things, bring different things to the table. It’s a statement shared by other leaders. What Shevaun said wasn’t just what Shevaun thought, what you thought, it was the sentiments of the CBI, of Enterprise Nation, the Federation of Small Businesses, Make UK, Small Business Britain, and the Startup Coalition. Backing British business with significant investment in R&D. New technical colleges across the country. Electricity bills slashed for more than 7,000 businesses – that will make a massive difference, so many people in this room and elsewhere have said to me, it’s the energy cost here, they’re not competitive across Europe, we have to find a way to bring them down. That’s what we’ve been able to do to boost our competitiveness. A promise that we made and a promise that we have delivered.
And across the country, it’s the same story. Stripping out regulation that blocks investment. Pushing forward with radical devolution agenda. Investing in skills and making sure that that’s devolved. Unlocking pension wealth to back British business. Building new infrastructure the length and breadth of our country. Carbon capture projects in Merseyside, in Scotland and along the east coast. Nuclear in Nottinghamshire and, of course, at Sizewell. Rail investment in Wales. A new runway at Heathrow. New Metro schemes everywhere from the Northeast to the West Midlands, Manchester, Sheffield and Leeds.
And now today, another step, a new trade strategy that I am proud to launch at this conference, because there’s no better place for that than with Britain’s leading exporters, with you. It builds, as you would have expected, and of course, on the deals we’ve already struck with India, the United States and the European Union. The hat-trick, as I call it. I’ve played defensive midfield all my life as a footballer. The last time I got a hat-trick, I think, was when the kids were about seven and I could just about get the ball past them, so I’m going to take this particular hat-trick. But look, seriously, you don’t need me to stand here and tell you how important these trade deals are. The EU SPS agreement on its own is a huge boost for food exporters and importers, driving down the cost base for retailers, reducing friction for our exports. A huge boost for the food industry and, I think, a sign that partnership is not just empty rhetoric, that we’re prepared to fight for your political case for the growth and jobs that you can deliver. Small businesses, of course, as well as larger firms. And that EU-UK reset is so important on so many strands. There were 10 strands to that agreement. The SPS was one of them. There was the Defence and Security Partnership. Yesterday, I was at the NATO summit, we were increasing spending on defence across all of our allies. And because of the relationships that we’ve built, as people increase their spending, they’re coming to us for discussion. They were doing it in the margins of the meetings yesterday because they know that we have the ability to help them with the defence capability that they need to build. And therefore, the EU-UK reset is about the strands that are in the deal, but it’s also about the relationships that we’re building that absolutely help and enable trade, and you will understand that. But that mindset is true of all the other deals.
The US deal, hugely important for car manufacturing, particularly for companies like Jaguar Land Rover. And before we made the deal, and after we made the deal, I went to Solihull, to JLR, a number of times to speak to the workers there and to look into their eyes, and I know how much it meant to them. Before the deal, they knew that trading at 27.5 per cent tariffs into the North American market was really difficult, and they absolutely appreciated what that meant for them, for their jobs, for their families and their communities. And that’s why when we got the deal done, when we got it over the line eventually last week, that signature, the CEO of JLR, Adrian Mardell, called me and made it crystal clear that thousands of jobs across the West Midlands had been saved. And then think of the supply chains that go with that, in logistics, in engineering, in freight. Think of the demand in the local economy, the cafés, the retailers, the pubs. And that is all true of that deal. It’s why we had to be so focused to achieve that deal. The only country in the world to have got a trade deal with the US, something which we’ve been talking about for a very, very long time, is vital for these sectors that it protects.
And that approach is true also of the India deal, again talked about for a very long time, but an unprecedented opportunity for UK PLC to access the world’s fastest-growing economy. And I’ve spoken to some of our whisky and gin distillers about the India deal and they’ve told me that their concern now is whether they can produce enough to meet the demand. What a great problem to have, what a great problem. It’s a huge win for them. And under the India deal, tariffs for our car manufacturer slashed from over 100 per cent to just 10 per cent, the best terms of any country in the world – a deal which people said could never be done. That actually is true of all three deals. They said it wouldn’t be possible to get a US deal, it wouldn’t be possible to get an EU deal, if you had a US deal, you had to choose between the two, and it certainly wouldn’t be possible to get an India deal. We’ve been able to get them and that is brilliant for Britain and brilliant for you. And we’ll go forward from here, and it’s not just the terms of the trade deal, it’s the signal that it sends about us, a transformation of our global brand.
Because for years the message the previous government was sending to the world was one of chaos, instability, the lack of courage to strike deals. Because when push comes to shove, in my view, they put politics before country. And together we’ve now completely turned the page on that. With these three deals, we’ve rewritten our brand, restored our identity that even in this volatile world, Britain is proudly, unashamedly, defiantly even, open for business. And today’s trade strategy builds on that. We’re going to keep pushing, keep making deals, keep opening up new markets for you. We’re expanding the capacity of our export credit agency by 20 billion pounds, and I know how important that is for everyone in this room. We’re launching a new Ricardo Fund. We will reduce trade friction for professionals in engineering, architecture, accountancy and so much more, opening up five billion pounds worth of export opportunities.
Because trade isn’t just about goods. We’re a services superpower, so we’ll back our exporting services as well, show more flexibility in that approach. And what we want to do is push not just for traditional trade agreements, but also for smaller deals that we can make quicker, at pace. Whether that’s a digital trade agreement with Brazil, Thailand or Kenya, clean energy cooperation with the Philippines and Mexico, professional qualification recognition all around the world. But perhaps, most importantly, in this uncertain and challenging world, we will also give ourselves new powers on trade and defence, make sure that if your businesses are threatened by practices like dumping, that we have the right powers to defend you. And I’m determined that Britain becomes a global champion for free trade. I’m determined that we are the beacon for those values. And frankly, I think our actions already speak louder than any words. But in a world where things can change quickly, as you’ve seen in the recent days, we have seen in sectors like steel that protection measures do need to be put in place, then we have to be ready to back British business. And that is what we’ve done on trade, that is what we will do in the future right across our economy. Businesses creating wealth in every community, and a [political content redacted] government investing in the skills, the infrastructure, the future that we need to build. A partnership in the national interest, driving us forward, delivering change and renewal, putting more money in the pockets of working people. That is the change that we can deliver together, a Britain that is back in business. Thank you very much indeed. Thank you.
‘No Secret Police Act’ Would End Trump Administration’s Use of Masked Immigration Enforcement Meant to Terrorize Immigrant Communities
Goldman Previously Questioned Masked ICE Officers in his 290 Broadway District Office Who Denied His Legal Right to Inspect Immigration Detention Facilities
Read the BillHere
New York, NY – Congressmen Dan Goldman (NY-10) and Congressional Hispanic Caucus Chair Adriano Espaillat (NY-13) today led 37 of their House Democratic colleagues in introducing the ‘No Secret Police Act,’ which would require law enforcement officers and agents of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) engaged in border security and civil immigration enforcement to clearly display identification and insignia when detaining or arresting individuals and to ban them from using home-made, non-tactical masks.
“As a former federal prosecutor for ten years, I have worked alongside ICE and DHS agents to get violent criminals off our streets – and none of them ever wore masks,” Congressman Dan Goldman said. “Across the country, plain-clothed federal agents in homemade face coverings are lying in wait outside immigration courts to snatch law-abiding, non-violent immigrants going through our legal system the right way. This isn’t about protecting law enforcement, it’s about terrorizing immigrant communities. The United States is not a dictatorship, and I’m proud to introduce this commonsense legislation ensuring that our federal government’s laws are enforced by identifiable human beings, not anonymous, secret agents of the state.”
Congressional Hispanic Caucus Chair, Congressman Adriano Espaillat, said, “If you uphold the peace of a democratic society, you should not be anonymous. DHS and ICE agents wearing masks and hiding identification echoes the tactics of secret police authoritarian regimes – and deviates from the practices of local law enforcement, which contributes to confusion in communities. Many immigrants come to America seeking opportunities, hope, and freedom to escape draconian practices, and under no circumstance should they, or anyone, fear being disappeared by masked and armed individuals in unmarked vehicles. If you are upholding the law, you should not be anonymous, and our bill aims to safeguard from tyranny while upholding the values of our nation.”
Murad Awawdeh, President and CEO, New York Immigration Coalition, said, “Armed, unmarked federal agents are stalking immigrants outside courtrooms and targeting people who are following the rules and fighting for their lives. These tactics are ripped straight from an authoritarian playbook. Let’s call it what it is: a war on immigrant communities carried out in the shadows — it’s an unconstitutional campaign of terror. We will not be silenced nor intimidated by these actions. We are on the right side of the law and we will fight tooth and nail to end this assault on our people and our democracy. We call for the swift passage of the No Secret Police Act.”
Natalia Aristizabal, Deputy Director of Make the Road New York, said, “ICE, and the hodgepodge of federal agencies Trump is getting to execute his war on immigrants, are terrorizing immigrant communities. They blatantly disregard people’s rights and take people from their jobs, homes and streets, all while masked and unidentified. This must stop. ICE must answer to the people, and must identify themselves and the agencies they work for. This bill would be a step towards reigning in their out of control and rogue behavior, and Congress should swiftly pass it into law.”
The No Secret Police Act would amend the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to require law enforcement officers and agents of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to clearly display identification and insignia when detaining or arresting individuals. Specifically, the bill would require that DHS officers:
Are prohibited from wearing face coverings or any item that conceals their face during detentions or arrests.
Identify the specific component of DHS (e.g., ICE, CBP) they work for.
Wear or display official insignia or uniforms in a manner clearly visible to others.
The bill also directs the Secretary of Homeland Security, through the Under Secretary for Science and Technology and in coordination with relevant departmental components, to conduct research and development to enhance the visibility of law enforcement officers’ official insignia or uniforms. This includes developing technologies that ensure these identifiers remain clearly visible during detentions or arrests, particularly under varying conditions such as different locations, times of day, and weather circumstances.
Congressman Goldman has been leading the charge to combat and confront the Trump administration’s authoritarian immigration enforcement tactics.
Earlier this month, Congressman Goldman and House Homeland Security Committee Ranking Member Bennie G. Thompson (MS-02) led 84 House Democrats in an oversight letter of inquiry to Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem seeking answers regarding the rise in ICE employing its masked, plainclothes officers to detain non-violent, law-abiding immigrants immediately following and in coordination with the dismissal of their existing deportation cases by DHS attorneys.
Last week, Goldman conducted an oversight visit to the ICE Field Office at 26 Federal Plaza in Lower Manhattan, where Deputy Field Director Bill Joyce confirmed that immigrants housed on the 10th floor were being forced to sleep on benches, floors, and in bathrooms for multiple days. Despite admitting that the facility was being used to detain migrants for several days at a time, Joyce barred the lawmakers from accessing the area, citing administration guidance. That same week, Goldman led 8 of his New York City House Democratic colleagues in sending an oversight letter to Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem and Acting Director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Director Todd Lyons demanding ICE comply with Section 527(a) of the Further Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2024 and stop denying members of Congress access to facilities that ICE is using to house immigrants.
Last month, Congressman Goldman held an emergency press conference after witnessing and questioning masked ICE agents detaining immigrants attending routine immigration court appearances in the lobby of his 290 Broadway Manhattan district office. The press conference followed Congressman Goldman attending an immigration court proceeding this morning at the Executive Office for Immigration Review New York – Broadway Immigration Court in Manhattan, where ICE agents had been detaining both immigrants and observers, including a pastor from Queens.