Federal Executive Branch
Here's a look at documents from the U.S. Executive Branch
Featured Stories
Violent Convicted Felon Sentenced to 35 Years in Federal Prison for Possession of a Machinegun and Drug Trafficking Offenses
MEMPHIS, Tennessee, Jan. 24 -- The office of the U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Tennessee posted the following news release on Jan. 23, 2026:
* * *
Violent Convicted Felon Sentenced to 35 Years in Federal Prison for Possession of a Machinegun and Drug Trafficking Offenses
On January 21, 2026, Christopher Walker, 38, of Memphis, was sentenced to 35 years' imprisonment for being a convicted felon in possession of a machinegun during a drug trafficking offense. D. Michael Dunavant, United States Attorney for the Western District of Tennessee, announced the sentencing today.
According
... Show Full Article
MEMPHIS, Tennessee, Jan. 24 -- The office of the U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Tennessee posted the following news release on Jan. 23, 2026:
* * *
Violent Convicted Felon Sentenced to 35 Years in Federal Prison for Possession of a Machinegun and Drug Trafficking Offenses
On January 21, 2026, Christopher Walker, 38, of Memphis, was sentenced to 35 years' imprisonment for being a convicted felon in possession of a machinegun during a drug trafficking offense. D. Michael Dunavant, United States Attorney for the Western District of Tennessee, announced the sentencing today.
Accordingto court documents, in October 2024, ATF agents conducted an undercover operation targeting the sale of Machinegun Conversion Devices (MCD) and illegal drugs. Walker sold a confidential informant 98 grams of marijuana and a firearm while on duty as a security guard at a local motel. A second buy was conducted in December 2024 where Walker sold a firearm with an attached MCD and 103 grams of marijuana. Walker has prior felony convictions for violent offenses.
After a 3-day jury trial on October 2, 2025, Walker was found guilty of two counts of being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm, two counts of possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute, carrying a machine gun during and in relation to a drug trafficking crime, and carrying a firearm during and in relation to a drug trafficking crime.
On January 21, 2026, United States District Judge John T. Fowlkes, Jr. sentenced Walker to 421 months in federal prison. There is no parole in the federal system.
U.S. Attorney D. Michael Dunavant said, "Firearms equipped with MCDs are extremely dangerous devices that can cause multiple injuries or fatalities in less than one second. When paired with the inherently dangerous activity of drug trafficking, they demonstrate an unacceptable risk to public safety that justifies a long prison sentence to remove this violent felon from our community."
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF).
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jermal Blanchard and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Clinton Crosier prosecuted the case on behalf of the government.
* * *
Original text here: https://www.justice.gov/usao-wdtn/pr/violent-convicted-felon-sentenced-35-years-federal-prison-possession-machinegun-and
Passaic County Man Sentenced to 144 Months for Fentanyl Analogue Distribution and Money Laundering Conspiracies
NEWARK, New Jersey, Jan. 24 -- The office of the U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey posted the following news release on Jan. 22, 2026:
* * *
Passaic County Man Sentenced to 144 Months for Fentanyl Analogue Distribution and Money Laundering Conspiracies
A Passaic County man was sentenced to 144 months' imprisonment for his role as a member of a drug trafficking organization responsible for the importation and distribution of hundreds of kilograms of fentanyl analogues, Senior Counsel Philip Lamparello announced.
Defendant William Panzera, 53, of North Haledon, New Jersey was previously
... Show Full Article
NEWARK, New Jersey, Jan. 24 -- The office of the U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey posted the following news release on Jan. 22, 2026:
* * *
Passaic County Man Sentenced to 144 Months for Fentanyl Analogue Distribution and Money Laundering Conspiracies
A Passaic County man was sentenced to 144 months' imprisonment for his role as a member of a drug trafficking organization responsible for the importation and distribution of hundreds of kilograms of fentanyl analogues, Senior Counsel Philip Lamparello announced.
Defendant William Panzera, 53, of North Haledon, New Jersey was previouslyconvicted of drug trafficking conspiracy and international promotional money laundering conspiracy by a jury in Newark, New Jersey. U.S. District Judge Susan D. Wigenton imposed the sentence today in Newark federal court. Eight other defendants have previously pleaded guilty in the case and are awaiting sentencing.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
From approximately January 2014 through September 2020, William Panzera and other members of the drug trafficking organization agreed to import and distribute various controlled substances and controlled substance analogues, including fentanyl analogues, MDMA, methylone, and ketamine. Members of the conspiracy placed orders with a source in China and agreed to distribute, and did distribute, the controlled substances and analogues in New Jersey, both in bulk and in the form of counterfeit pharmaceutical pills that actually contained fentanyl analogues. In total, they imported over a metric ton of fentanyl related substances and other drugs into the United States. They also sent hundreds of thousands of dollars to China using wire transfers and Bitcoin to pay for the drugs.
In addition to the prison term, Judge Wigenton sentenced Panzera to 5 years of supervised release.
Senior Counsel Philip Lamparello of the New Jersey U.S. Attorney's Office and Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department's Criminal Division made the announcement. Senior Counsel Lamparello credited special agents of Homeland Security Investigations ("HSI") - Newark, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Michael S. McCarthy, with the investigation leading to today's guilty plea. He also thanked U.S. Customs and Border Protection in New Jersey, New York, and Kentucky, HSI in Philadelphia, the Federal Bureau of Investigation - Newark Division, U.S. Postal Inspection Service in Newark, IRS-Criminal Investigation, the Newark Police Department, and the Essex County Prosecutor's Office for their assistance.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Sammi Malek and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Alexander Hasapidis-Sferra of the Criminal Division in Newark and Trial Attorney Stephen Sola, Chief of the Money Laundering and Forfeiture Unit of the Justice Department's Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Section. Financial Investigator Kathryn Montemorra of the MLARS Special Financial Investigations Unit supported the investigation. The case is being prosecuted jointly by the United States Attorney's Office, District of New Jersey and the Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Section (MLARS) of the United States Department of Justice.
* * *
Defense counsel: Jeffrey G. Garrigan, Esq.
* * *
Original text here: https://www.justice.gov/usao-nj/pr/passaic-county-man-sentenced-144-months-fentanyl-analogue-distribution-and-money
National Portrait Gallery Announces Winners of the Seventh Outwin Boochever Portrait Competition and Opening of "The Outwin 2025: American Portraiture Today"
WASHINGTON, Jan. 24 -- The Smithsonian Institution issued the following news release:
* * *
National Portrait Gallery Announces Winners of the Seventh Outwin Boochever Portrait Competition and Opening of "The Outwin 2025: American Portraiture Today"
Kameron Neal Receives $25,000 and New Commission as First-Prize Winner of the National Triennial
*
The Smithsonian's National Portrait Gallery has announced Brooklyn-based artist Kameron Neal as the first-prize winner of the seventh national Outwin Boochever Portrait Competition. Neal's two-channel video installation "Down the Barrel (of a Lens)"
... Show Full Article
WASHINGTON, Jan. 24 -- The Smithsonian Institution issued the following news release:
* * *
National Portrait Gallery Announces Winners of the Seventh Outwin Boochever Portrait Competition and Opening of "The Outwin 2025: American Portraiture Today"
Kameron Neal Receives $25,000 and New Commission as First-Prize Winner of the National Triennial
*
The Smithsonian's National Portrait Gallery has announced Brooklyn-based artist Kameron Neal as the first-prize winner of the seventh national Outwin Boochever Portrait Competition. Neal's two-channel video installation "Down the Barrel (of a Lens)"(2023) draws upon his time as a public artist in residence at New York City's Department of Records, and it places the audience between two screens of declassified New York Police Department surveillance footage filmed between 1960 and 1980. As the first-prize winner, Neal will receive $25,000 and a commission to create a portrait of a living individual for the museum's permanent collection. "Down the Barrel (of a Lens)" will be on view as part of "The Outwin 2025: American Portraiture Today" exhibition, co-curated by the competition's director Taina Caragol, the Portrait Gallery's senior curator of painting and sculpture, and Charlotte Ickes, the Portrait Gallery's curator of time-based media art and special projects.
Held every three years, the Outwin Boochever Portrait Competition is dedicated to supporting the next wave of contemporary portraiture in the U.S. "The Outwin 2025: American Portraiture Today" will be on view at the museum Jan. 24 through Aug. 30. From the exhibition's opening through April 5, visitors--in person and online--can vote for their favorite artwork to receive the People's Choice Award.
Previous first-prize winners of the national competition include David Lenz (2006), Dave Woody (2009), Bo Gehring (2013), Amy Sherald (2016), Hugo Crosthwaite (2019) and Alison Elizabeth Taylor (2022).
Second prize for the 2025 competition was awarded to Jared Soares of Washington, D.C., for his photograph "Misidentified by Artificial Intelligence: Alonzo and Carronne" (2023), a portrait of a Maryland resident who was falsely accused of a crime and arrested based on facial recognition software. Third prize was awarded to David Antonio Cruz of New York City for his painting "isaiditoncebefore,butnowIfeelitevenmore_feelin'pretty,pretty,pretty" (2023). Part of the artist's "chosenfamilies" series, the painting shows the artist with Archel, one of his lifelong friends. Soares and Cruz will receive $10,000 and $7,500, respectively.
"As the Outwin Boochever Portrait Competition rounds the corner on two decades since its founding in 2006, it continues to highlight contemporary artists working in portraiture who push to expand preconceived notions of the centuries-old genre," Caragol said. "The 2025 competition-based triennial invites visitors to explore how artists are engaging with portraiture, sometimes embracing its tradition and other times redrawing the boundaries of the genre, with the intent of examining what it means to be human."
"The Outwin 2025: American Portraiture Today" includes 34 portraits (by 35 artists) in mediums ranging from painting, photography and sculpture to immersive, time-based media installations. The artworks were chosen from more than 3,300 submissions to an anonymous open call, which was juried by experts in the fields of portraiture and contemporary art. The finalists include portraits by artists based in 12 states, Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico.
Jurors for the 2025 Outwin Boochever Portrait Competition were Carla Acevedo-Yates, curator, writer and member of the artistic team for documenta 16; Huey Copeland, the Andrew W. Mellon Chair and Professor of Modern Art and Black Study, Department of History of Art and Architecture, University of Pittsburgh; LaToya Ruby Frazier, artist; and Daniel Lind-Ramos, artist. "The Outwin 2025" co-curators Caragol and Ickes also served on the jury with Rhea L. Combs, the Portrait Gallery's former director of curatorial affairs. The full list of exhibiting artists is below.
"The Outwin 2025: American Portraiture Today" will be accompanied by a fully illustrated catalog available at the museum's store or online.
The competition and exhibition are made possible by the Outwin Boochever Portrait Competition Endowment, which was established by Virginia Outwin Boochever, a longtime docent at the National Portrait Gallery. The endowment is sustained by her family.
National Portrait Gallery
The Smithsonian's National Portrait Gallery tells the multifaceted story of the United States through the individuals who have shaped American culture. Spanning the visual arts, performing arts and new media, the Portrait Gallery portrays poets and presidents, visionaries and villains, actors and activists whose lives tell the nation's story.
The National Portrait Gallery is located at Eighth and G streets N.W., Washington, D.C. Smithsonian Information: (202) 633-1000. Connect with the museum at npg.si.edu and on Facebook, Instagram, X and YouTube.
Note to Editors: The use of diacritics on individual names reflects personal use by the artist and does not necessarily obey Spanish grammar rules.
"The Outwin 2025: American Portraiture Today" Artist List:
Ron Anteroinen, New York City
Gloriann Sacha Antonetty-Lebron and Juan Pablo Vizcaino, Carolina, Puerto Rico
Sandra Bacchi, Pittsburgh
Ramon Miranda Beltran, San Juan, Puerto Rico
Philip Cheung, Los Angeles
Rachel Cox, Iowa City, Iowa
David Antonio Cruz, New York City*
Ruth Dealy, Providence, R.I.
Mar Figueroa, Brooklyn, N.Y.
Joseph Mario Giordano, Baltimore
Steven Harwick, Brooklyn, N.Y.
LaToya Hobbs, Baltimore
Kevin Hopkins, Richmond, Va.
Vikesh Kapoor, Los Angeles
Clementine Keenan, Berkeley, Calif.
Luisiana Mera, New York City
Stella Nall, Missoula, Mont.
Kameron Neal, Brooklyn, N.Y.*
Arcmanoro Niles, Brooklyn, N.Y.
Aliza Nisenbaum, New York City
Katie O'Keefe, Baltimore
Al Rendon, San Antonio, Texas
Sandy Rice, Canton, Mich.
Adrian Roman, Brooklyn, N.Y.
Sarah Smith, Oakland, Calif.
Jared Soares, Washington, D.C.*
Christian Soto-Martin, Ponce, Puerto Rico
Edra Soto, Chicago, Ill.
TT Takemoto, Daly City, Calif.
Vicente Telles, Albuquerque, N.M.
Daniel Terna, Brooklyn, N.Y.
Rupy C. Tut, Oakland, Calif.
Samantha Yun Wall, Portland, Ore.
Stephanie J. Woods, Albuquerque, N.M.
* * *
Original text here: https://www.si.edu/newsdesk/releases/national-portrait-gallery-announces-winners-seventh-outwin-boochever-portrait
MRMS-Based Tool Enhances Ice Storm Analysis and Forecasting
SILVER SPRING, Maryland, Jan. 24 -- The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration issued the following news:
* * *
MRMS-Based Tool Enhances Ice Storm Analysis and Forecasting
Each winter, ice storms impact large swaths of the United States, and the NOAA National Weather Service (NWS) is responsible for forecasting where freezing rain will fall, and how much ice will accumulate.
Traditionally, forecasters rely on Automated Surface Observing System (ASOS) stations, which are sparse, point-based observations typically located at airports. However, many ASOS stations lack freezing rain sensors,
... Show Full Article
SILVER SPRING, Maryland, Jan. 24 -- The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration issued the following news:
* * *
MRMS-Based Tool Enhances Ice Storm Analysis and Forecasting
Each winter, ice storms impact large swaths of the United States, and the NOAA National Weather Service (NWS) is responsible for forecasting where freezing rain will fall, and how much ice will accumulate.
Traditionally, forecasters rely on Automated Surface Observing System (ASOS) stations, which are sparse, point-based observations typically located at airports. However, many ASOS stations lack freezing rain sensors,leaving critical gaps in both real-time decision-making and post-event analysis.
To address this, researchers at the NOAA National Severe Storms Laboratory (NSSL) have developed an experimental new product called FRANA (Freezing Rain Accumulation National Analysis) that leverages the Multi-Radar Multi-Sensor (MRMS) system to provide a real-time analysis of freezing rain in one-kilometer spacing. By combining radar and gauge data with an ice accretion model, this tool is designed to identify both the location and accumulation of freezing rain as it happens.
During a recent ice storm in North Dakota, the product captured widespread ice accumulations of up to one inch; coverage that ASOS alone would have missed.
FRANA has been tested with NWS offices over the past two winter seasons, with positive feedback. Forecasters have used it for both real-time nowcasting and detailed post-storm assessments. In one notable case, an NWS office submitted one such analysis to FEMA to support a request for an emergency declaration following a damaging ice storm in Oregon.
Ongoing development aims to further improve accuracy and expand the utility of this tool. Future efforts will focus on using the archived data to refine model forecasts and deepen our understanding of freezing rain climatology across the U.S.
* * *
Original text here: https://inside.nssl.noaa.gov/nsslnews/2026/01/mrms-based-tool-enhances-ice-storm-analysis-and-forecasting/
Justice Department's Office on Violence Against Women Hosts 20th Annual Tribal Consultation and Announces Awards of More Than $75M in Grants to Support Public Safety in Indian Country
WASHINGTON, Jan. 24 -- The U.S. Department of Justice issued the following news release:
* * *
Justice Department's Office on Violence Against Women Hosts 20th Annual Tribal Consultation and Announces Awards of more than $75M in Grants to Support Public Safety in Indian Country
On Jan. 21, 2026, the Office on Violence Against Women (OVW) convened the 20th Annual Government-to-Government Violence Against Women Tribal Consultation on the lands of the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux (Dakota) Community in Prior Lake, Minnesota. Associate Attorney General Stanley E. Woodward Jr. provided opening remarks
... Show Full Article
WASHINGTON, Jan. 24 -- The U.S. Department of Justice issued the following news release:
* * *
Justice Department's Office on Violence Against Women Hosts 20th Annual Tribal Consultation and Announces Awards of more than $75M in Grants to Support Public Safety in Indian Country
On Jan. 21, 2026, the Office on Violence Against Women (OVW) convened the 20th Annual Government-to-Government Violence Against Women Tribal Consultation on the lands of the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux (Dakota) Community in Prior Lake, Minnesota. Associate Attorney General Stanley E. Woodward Jr. provided opening remarksin which he reaffirmed the Department of Justice's commitment to Indian Country and its dedication to protecting Tribal communities -- particularly women and children -- from violent crime, exploitation, and drug trafficking.
The Justice Department announced today that it awarded over $75 million through six grant programs that support American Indian and Alaska Native Tribes and communities in combatting domestic violence, sexual assault, dating violence, sex trafficking, and stalking. The Tribal Affairs Division (TAD) of the OVW administers these funds.
The OVW fiscal year 2025 awards announced today are:
* The Tribal Governments Program
- Nearly $47.5 million through 64 awards in support of efforts to combat domestic and sexual violence, trafficking, and stalking in Tribal communities.
* The Tribal Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Initiative
- More than$3.3 million through three awards to cross-designate Tribal prosecutors as Special Assistant U.S. Attorneys, to prevent violent offenders from causing more harm.
* The Tribal Sexual Assault Services Program
- More than $8 million through 17 awards to establish, maintain, and expand assistance programs for sexual assault victims.
* The Special Tribal Criminal Jurisdiction (STCJ) Program
- More than $7 million through eight awards to protect victims of assault or abuse by non-Indian offenders and to bring criminals to justice.
* The Tribal Coalitions Program
- More than $8 million awarded to 21 Tribal nonprofit coalitions to support organizations that serve victims in Tribal communities.
* The National Tribal Clearinghouse on Sexual Assault
- One award of $980,100 to provide resources on effective responses to sexual assault of American Indian and Alaska Native women.
OVW administers grant programs designed to combat sexual assault, domestic and dating violence, and stalking. Tribal organizations and governments interested in applying for these and other grants can visit the OVW website for more details and application guidelines.
* * *
Original text here: https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justice-departments-office-violence-against-women-hosts-20th-annual-tribal-consultation-and
CDC: U.S. Completes WHO Withdrawal
WASHINGTON, Jan. 24 -- The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued the following news release on Jan. 22, 2026:
* * *
United States Completes WHO Withdrawal
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the U.S. Department of State today announced the United States' completion of its withdrawal from the World Health Organization (WHO) due to the organization's mishandling of the COVID-19 pandemic that arose out of Wuhan, China, its failure to adopt urgently needed reforms, and its inability to demonstrate independence from the inappropriate
... Show Full Article
WASHINGTON, Jan. 24 -- The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued the following news release on Jan. 22, 2026:
* * *
United States Completes WHO Withdrawal
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the U.S. Department of State today announced the United States' completion of its withdrawal from the World Health Organization (WHO) due to the organization's mishandling of the COVID-19 pandemic that arose out of Wuhan, China, its failure to adopt urgently needed reforms, and its inability to demonstrate independence from the inappropriatepolitical influence of WHO member states.
President Trump on January 20, 2025, announced the U.S. plan to leave the WHO. During the yearlong process, the U.S. stopped funding WHO, withdrew all personnel from WHO, and began pivoting activities previously conducted with WHO to direct bilateral engagements with other countries and organizations. With the exit from WHO, the U.S. will be coordinating with WHO solely in a limited fashion to effectuate our withdrawal.
The WHO delayed declaring a global public health emergency and a pandemic during the early stages of COVID-19, costing the world critical weeks as the virus spread. During that period, WHO leadership echoed and praised China's response despite evidence of early underreporting, suppression of information and delays in confirming human-to-human transmission. The organization also downplayed asympotomatic transmission risks and failed to promptly acknowledge airborne spread.
After the pandemic, the WHO did not adopt meaningful reforms to address political influence, governance weaknesses or poor coordination, reinforcing concerns that politics took priority over rapid, independent public health action and eroding global trust. Its report evaluating the possible origins of COVID-19 rejected the possibility that scientists created the virus, even though China refused to provide genetic sequences from individuals infected early in the pandemic and information on the Wuhan laboratories' activities and biosafety conditions.
The U.S. is the world's leading force in protecting public health, saving lives and responding rapidly to infectious disease outbreaks. Going forward, the U.S. government will continue its global health leadership through existing and new engagements directly with other countries, the private sector, non-governmental organizations, and faith-based entities. U.S.-led efforts will prioritize emergency response, biosecurity coordination and health innovation to protect America first while delivering benefits to partners around the world.
Read FACT SHEET: U.S. Withdrawal from the World Health Organization (https://www.hhs.gov/press-room/fact-sheet-us-withdrawal-from-the-world-health-organization.html).
* * *
Original text here: https://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2026/united-states-completes-who-withdrawal.html
2024 Planning Database and New 2020 Census Operational Data
WASHINGTON, Jan. 24 -- The U.S. Census Bureau issued the following news release on Jan. 22, 2026:
* * *
2024 Planning Database and New 2020 Census Operational Data
The U.S. Census Bureau today released the 2024 Planning Database (PDB), which includes the Low Response Score (LRS) and other new 2020 Census operational data.
The 2024 PDB contains a selection of housing, demographic, socioeconomic and operational data for block groups and census tracts from the 2020 Census Redistricting Data (Public Law 94-171) Summary File, 2020 Census Demographic and Housing Characteristics File, and 2018-2022
... Show Full Article
WASHINGTON, Jan. 24 -- The U.S. Census Bureau issued the following news release on Jan. 22, 2026:
* * *
2024 Planning Database and New 2020 Census Operational Data
The U.S. Census Bureau today released the 2024 Planning Database (PDB), which includes the Low Response Score (LRS) and other new 2020 Census operational data.
The 2024 PDB contains a selection of housing, demographic, socioeconomic and operational data for block groups and census tracts from the 2020 Census Redistricting Data (Public Law 94-171) Summary File, 2020 Census Demographic and Housing Characteristics File, and 2018-2022American Community Survey 5-year estimates.
The PDB was developed to aid survey and census planning but has a variety of uses. Among them:
* Identifying geographic areas for special outreach.
* Examining expected survey completion rates at different levels of geography.
* Linking the PDB and map data to create thematic maps.
* Generating reports, cross tabulations and simple analyses.
* Planning interviewer-administered surveys and censuses.
The LRS predicts the rate of response to censuses and surveys for a specific geographic area. It uses new important predictors of low response, including contact strategy (e.g., internet first or internet choice), which also are new variables available on the 2024 PDB.
The interactive tool Response Outreach Area Mapper (ROAM) will be updated with the new LRS and other important PDB variables.
Questions or comments? Contact census.pdb.questions@census.gov.
No news release associated with this product. Tip sheet only.
* * *
Original text here: https://www.census.gov/newsroom/press-releases/2026/2024-planning-database.html
