WASHINGTON, Jan. 22 -- The Commodity Futures Trading Commission issued the following enforcement news release: * * * Acting Chairman Pham Announces CFTC Leadership Changes # Release Number 9037-25 # January 22, 2025 WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Commodity Futures Trading Commission Acting Chairman Caroline D. Pham today announced CFTC leadership changes: "I'm pleased to announce CFTC leadership changes with the beginning of the new Administration, and I want to recognize and thank former Chair  more

WASHINGTON, Jan. 23 -- The Commodity Futures Trading Commission issued the following news release on Jan. 22, 2025: Commodity Futures Trading Commission Acting Chairman Caroline D. Pham today announced CFTC leadership changes: "I'm pleased to announce CFTC leadership changes with the beginning of the new Administration, and I want to recognize and thank former Chairman Behnam and his staff, as well as Steve Adamske, Director, Office of Public Affairs; Clark Hutchison, Director, Division of Cle  more

NEW YORK, Jan. 22 -- The Advocates for Children of New York issued the following statement on Jan. 21, 2025: * * * Kim Sweet, Executive Director of Advocates for Children of New York, issued the following statement in response to the release of Governor Hochul's FY 2026 Executive Budget proposal. In 2023, Governor Hochul and the State Legislature took an important step by fully funding the Foundation Aid formula for the first time. However, while updates to the formula itself are sorely neede  more

ALBANY, New York, Jan. 22 -- New York Attorney General Letitia James issued the following news release: * * * Attorney General James Announces $1 Billion Settlement with Predatory Lender Yellowstone Capital for Harming Small Businesses January 22, 2025 NEW YORK - New York Attorney General Letitia James today announced a settlement with a network of 25 predatory lending companies controlled by Yellowstone Capital (Yellowstone) and its officers that will deliver over $534 million in debt reli  more

ALBANY, New York, Jan. 22 -- New York Attorney General Letitia James issued the following news release: * * * Attorney General James Recovers $1.1 Million for Rikers Island Cleaners Cheated out of Fair Pay January 22, 2025 NEW YORK - New York Attorney General Letitia James today announced that she has recovered nearly $1.13 million in stolen wages for workers at CleanTech, a professional maintenance company that provided cleaning services at facilities on Rikers Island during the height of   more

WASHINGTON, Jan. 23 -- House Democratic Caucus issued the following news release on Jan. 22, 2025: Today, House Democratic Caucus Chair Pete Aguilar and Vice Chair Ted Lieu held a press conference with Representatives Janelle Bynum and Kelly Morrison, MD, to highlight the 52nd Anniversary of the Roe v. Wade decision and the failure of House Republicans to prioritize the needs of everyday Americans. CHAIRMAN AGUILAR: Thank you so much for joining us. I'm grateful to be joined today by Represen  more

SYRACUSE, New York, Jan. 23 -- The Central New York Community Foundation issued the following news release: * * * This is the largest grant the Community Foundation has received to date from the Cabrini Foundation. * * * The Central New York Community Foundation's LeadSafeCNY initiative recently received a $400,000 grant from the Mother Cabrini Health Foundation to support the LeadSafeCNY Coalition's outreach and community engagement over the next two years. The coalition is a collaboration   more

NEW YORK, Jan. 22 -- Common Cause - New York issued the following statement on Jan. 21, 2025: * * * Today is the fifteenth anniversary of the Supreme Court's ruling in Citizens United v. FEC, which allowed corporations and special interests to spend unlimited amounts of money to influence our elections. The following is a statement from Common Cause President & CEO Virginia Kase Solomon: "Fifteen years ago, the Supreme Court put democracy on the auction block with Citizens United. "The resul  more

WASHINGTON, Jan. 22 (TNSrep) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following fact sheet (No. R46674) on Jan. 21, 2025, by senior knowledge management librarian Kelly M. Hoffman: * * * Introduction The Lunar New Year is a holiday celebrated in many parts of Asia and in Asian communities around the world. It marks the beginning of the year using the traditional Chinese lunisolar calendar. Typically, Lunar New Year is observed in late January or early February of the Gregorian calenda  more

WASHINGTON, Jan. 22 (TNSrep) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following report (No. RL30650) on Jan. 21, 2025, entitled "Senate Select Committee on Ethics: A Brief History of Its Evolution and Jurisdiction" by Congress specialist Jacob R. Straus. Here are excerpts: * * * SUMMARY The U.S. Constitution provides each House of Congress with the sole authority to establish rules and punish and expel Members. From 1789 to 1964, the Senate dealt individually with cases of disciplin  more

ALBANY, New York, Jan. 22 -- The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation issued the following news release: * * * DEC Announces Permanent Protection of 965 Acres to Enhance Cranberry Lake Wild Forest Complements Recent and Future Easement Purchases and Supports Governor Hochul's 2025 State of the State Land Accessibility Goal and State's 30x30 Initiative # Video Available: Cranberry Lake Land Acquisition (link is external) New York State Department of Environmental Conser  more

WASHINGTON, Jan. 22 -- The U.S. Department of Homeland Security Coast Guard issued the following news: * * * Elmer Stone Coast Guard aviators have always been in the forefront of technological change and put themselves in harm's way to complete the mission. Coast Guardsmen have risked their lives to pioneer the development of the helicopter, and the rescue swimmer program ; while others have served as astronauts in the Space Shuttle Program. Service personnel have flown rescue missions in all  more

WASHINGTON, Jan. 21 -- Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-New York, issued the following news release: * * * Gillibrand Statement On Release Of New Yorker Ryan Corbett From Detention In Afghanistan Today, U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand released the following statement on the release of New Yorker Ryan Corbett from Taliban detention in Afghanistan: "I am incredibly grateful that Ryan Corbett has been freed and is set to be reunited with his family and friends. For years, I have been working with th  more

WASHINGTON, Jan. 23 -- Rep. Gregory W. Meeks, D-New York, ranking member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, issued the following statement on Jan. 22, 2025: * * * Representative Gregory W. Meeks, Ranking Member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, issued the following statement on continued violence in Sudan, and the U.S. sanctions announced by the Treasury Department last week on the leader of the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF): "I welcome the U.S. sanctions announced by the Biden Admi  more

WASHINGTON, Jan. 23 -- Rep. Gregory W. Meeks, D-New York, ranking member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, issued the following statement on Jan. 22, 2025: * * * Representative Gregory W. Meeks, Ranking Member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, today released the following statement on the possible deportation of Uyghurs in Thailand to the People's Republic of China (PRC). "I am deeply concerned that Thailand may yield to PRC pressure to repatriate 48 Uyghurs who fled persecution a  more

ALBANY, New York, Jan. 23 (TNSres) -- New York State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli issued the following news release on Jan. 22, 2025: Homelessness in New York state has grown sharply, more than doubling between January 2022 and January 2024, according to a report released today by New York State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli. Homelessness grew by 53.1% from January 2023 to January 2024, more than four times the rest of the nation. The large spike was driven by New York City and the influx of  more

ALBANY, New York, Jan. 22 -- Gov. Kathy Hochul, D-New York, issued the following news release on Jan. 21, 2025: Governor Kathy Hochul today laid out her plans to make New York more affordable and safer as she unveiled the Executive Budget for Fiscal Year 2026. The budget will deliver more than $5 billion in tax cuts, credits and refunds to New York families, while making record investments in education and health care and keeping $21 billion in reserves. "A budget is more than just numbers on   more

ALBANY, New York, Jan. 23 -- Gov. Kathy Hochul, D-New York, issued the following news release on Jan. 22, 2025: Governor Kathy Hochul today stood with students, parents, teachers, social justice advocates and law enforcement officials to launch her push to restrict smartphone use in K-12 schools statewide. The launch of this new effort follows the introduction of this legislative proposal as part of Governor Hochul's FY 2026 Executive Budget Proposal. Additionally, Governor Hochul today release  more

ALBANY, New York, Jan. 23 -- The New York State Public Service Commission issued the following notice (Case No. 01-M-1806) on Jan. 21, 2025: * * * In the Matter of the Review of Existing Commission Rules and Regulations Pursuant to the State Administrative Procedure Act, Section 207. NOTICE OF PROPOSED CONTINUATION OF RULES Pursuant to Section 207 of the State Administrative Procedure Act, NOTICE is hereby given regarding the Rules Review appended hereto. The rules, adopted in 2000, 2005, 20  more

BROOKLYN, New York, Jan. 22 -- The office of the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York issued the following news release: John J. Durham, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York and Harry T. Chavis, Jr., Special Agent in Charge, Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation, New York (IRS-CI) announced today that Dubai-based Wall Street Exchange (WSE) entered into a non-prosecution agreement (the NPA) on January 19, 2025 with the United States Attorney's Offic  more

NEW YORK, Jan. 22 -- The office of the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York issued the following news release: * * * Joey Grant Luther Allegedly Purchased and Imported Counterfeit Botox From China and Administered Drugs to Clients at His Hell's Kitchen Medical Spa Without a License * * * Danielle R. Sassoon, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced the unsealing of a Complaint charging JOEY GRANT LUTHER with wire fraud, smuggling, and other c  more

NEW YORK, Jan. 22 -- The office of the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York issued the following news release: Danielle R. Sassoon, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced today that KYLE WEILAND, who operated an illegal pill and narcotics manufacturing business on the dark web, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Cathy Seibel to 63 months in prison, along with a consecutive 12-month prison term for violating the terms of his supervised releas  more

BROOKLYN, New York, Jan. 22 -- The office of the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York issued the following news release: * * * Defendants Allegedly Submitted Over 8,000 Fraudulent Tax Returns Claiming Over $600 Million in Tax Credits for Pandemic Relief * * * Earlier today, at the federal court in Central Islip, an indictment was unsealed charging Keith Williams, Janine Davis, Morais Dicks, James Hames, Jr., Jamari Lewis, Ewendra Mathurin, and Tiffany Williams with conspiracy t  more

BROOKLYN, Washington, Jan. 23 -- Employees of Hallets Cove Management in Astoria, New York, have voted to decertify the Stationary Engineers, Firemen Maintenance and Building Service Employees Union, Local 670, RWDSU, UFCW, AFL-CIO (the Union) as their bargaining representative. The decision comes after a petition filed by Dalibor Djeljevic on January 14, 2025. Interestingly, the Union itself disclaimed its interest in representing the employees just one week later on January 21st, 2025. The N  more

WASHINGTON, Jan. 22 (TNSFR) -- The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) has issued a modified Letter of Authorization (LOA) for the Empire Wind Offshore Wind Energy Project, located off the coast of New York. This modification allows the continued incidental take of marine mammals during construction activities, including pile driving and geophysical surveys. The modifications primarily focus on updated mitigation measures and improved monitoring practices, addressing concerns related to v  more

WASHINGTON, Jan. 21 -- President Trump issued the following statement on Jan. 20, 2025, announcing Cabinet and Cabinet-level appointments: * * * To the Senate of the United States, I nominate * Scott Bessent, of South Carolina, to be Secretary of the Treasury. * Pamela Bondi, of Florida, to be Attorney General. * Douglas Burgum, of North Dakota, to be Secretary of the Interior. * Lori Chavez-DeRemer, of Oregon, to be Secretary of Labor. * Douglas Collins, of Georgia, to be Secretary of Ve  more

WASHINGTON, Jan. 21 -- President Trump issued the following statement on Jan. 20, 2025, announcing sub-Cabinet appointments: * * * To the Senate of the United States, I nominate * Keith Bass, of Texas, to be an Assistant Secretary of Defense, vice Lester Martinez-Lopez. * Jayanta Bhattacharya, of California, to be Director of the National Institutes of Health, vice Monica M. Bertagnolli, resigned. * James Bishop, of North Carolina, to be Deputy Director of the Office of Management and Budge  more

WASHINGTON, Jan. 20 -- President Trump issued the following inaugural address: * * * THE PRESIDENT: Thank you. Thank you very much, everybody. (Applause.) Wow. Thank you very, very much. Vice President Vance, Speaker Johnson, Senator Thune, Chief Justice Roberts, justices of the Supreme Court of the United States, President Clinton, President Bush, President Obama, President Biden, Vice President Harris, and my fellow citizens, the golden age of America begins right now. (Applause.) From th  more

ALBANY, New York, Jan. 23 -- Gov. Kathy Hochul, D-New York, issued the following news release on Jan. 22, 2025: * * * Department of Financial Services Proposed New Regulations ToTarget Exploitative Fee Practices While Preserving Access to Overdraft Services Part of Governor Hochul's 2025 State of the State Proposal ToProtect Consumers and Keep Money in New Yorkers' Pockets * * * As part of Governor Hochul's recently unveiled 2025 State of the State, Governor Hochul today announced the Depar  more

WASHINGTON, Jan. 22 (Sen.) -- Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer, D-New York, issued the following news release: * * * SCHUMER, GILLIBRAND ANNOUNCE $5+ MILLION IN FEDERAL FUNDING FOR PROJECTS ACROSS THE NORTH COUNTRY & UPSTATE NEW YORK THROUGH THE NORTHERN BORDER REGIONAL COMMISSION Communities Across Upstate NY Will Receive Funding For Long Desired Community Projects Such As Expanding Access To Telehealth Service, Making Bridges And Streets Safer, Upgrading Wastewater Infrastructure &  more

WASHINGTON, Jan. 23 -- The Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee issued the following information for a nomination hearing at 10 a.m. on Jan. 29, 2025, at 253 Russell Senate Office Building: U.S. Senator Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Chairman of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, will convene a nomination hearing for Howard Lutnick, President Donald Trump's nominee to be U.S. Secretary of Commerce. The nomination hearing will immediately follow an executive ses  more

WASHINGTON, Jan. 23 -- Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-West Virginia, chairman of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, released the following opening statement from a Jan. 16, 2025, confirmation hearing for Lee Zeldin to be administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency: * * * "I am excited to welcome all of you to the EPW Committee hearing, the first one of the 119th Congress and my first as the Chairman. This is also the first hearing with Senator Whitehouse as the Ranking M  more

WASHINGTON, Jan. 23 -- The Senate Environment and Public Works Committee released the following testimony by Lee M. Zeldin, President Trump's nominee to be administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, from a Jan. 16, 2025, confirmation hearing: * * * Thank you, Chairman Capito, Ranking Member Whitehouse, and all the distinguished members of this committee. It has been an honor to meet with all of you to learn more about your highest priorities. I look forward to working with all Sena  more

WASHINGTON, Jan. 23 -- The Senate Environment and Public Works Committee released the following testimony by Sen. John Barrasso, R-Wyoming, from a Jan. 16, 2025, confirmation hearing for Lee Zeldin to be administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency: * * * Chairman Capito, Ranking Member Whitehouse, members of the Committee. Thank you for allowing me to be here today to introduce Congressman Lee Zeldin, who has been nominated to be the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agen  more

WASHINGTON, Jan. 23 -- The Senate Finance Committee released the following testimony by Scott Bessent, President Trump's nominee to be secretary of the Treasury, from a Jan. 16, 2025, confirmation hearing: * * * Chairman Crapo, Ranking Member Wyden, Members of the Finance Committee: It is an honor and privilege to be considered by this Committee as the President's nominee for Secretary of the Treasury. I want to thank all of you who took the time to meet with me over the past few weeks. I wan  more

WASHINGTON, Jan. 23 -- Sen. Rand Paul, R-Kentucky, chair of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, released the following opening statement from a Jan. 15, 2025, confirmation hearing for Russell Vought to be director of the Office of Management and Budget: * * * Since taking office four years ago, President Biden has added $8.4 trillion to our national debt. To be fair, the Trump administration added $7.8 trillion to the national debt. This is truly a bipartisan probl  more

WASHINGTON, Jan. 23 -- The Senate Judiciary Committee released the following written testimony by Public Citizen Co-President Lisa Gilbert from a Jan. 16, 2025, confirmation hearing for Pam Bondi to be attorney general of the U.S.: * * * Chair Grassley, Ranking Member Durbin, thank you for the opportunity to testify. I am Lisa Gilbert, Co-President of Public Citizen. Public Citizen is a 54-year-old nonprofit advocacy organization with 500,000 members and supporters around the country. We cham  more

WASHINGTON, Jan. 22 (TNSFR) -- The U.S. Department of State has authorized the temporary importation of several culturally significant objects for the exhibition "Monstrous Beauty: A Feminist Revision of Chinoiserie" at The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. These items, which will also be displayed at other potential venues, have been recognized for their cultural importance and are deemed to be in the national interest. The exhibition will provide a feminist reimagining of Chinoiserie,   more

WASHINGTON, Jan. 22 (TNSFR) -- The U.S. Department of State has authorized the importation of key objects for the exhibition "Sargent and Paris" at The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. These culturally significant items, part of an agreement with foreign owners and custodians, will also be displayed at additional venues yet to be determined. The exhibition will explore the artistic relationship between John Singer Sargent and Paris, focusing on his works and their influence on the city'  more

WASHINGTON, Jan. 22 (TNSFR) -- The U.S. Department of State has granted approval for the importation of significant cultural objects for the exhibition "The Book of Esther in the Age of Rembrandt," set to be displayed at The Jewish Museum in New York, the North Carolina Museum of Art, and the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston. These objects, on loan from international custodians, explore the artistic and historical context of the Book of Esther during the time of Rembrandt, offering in  more

WASHINGTON, Jan. 22 (TNSFR) -- A cultural object of significant importance will be temporarily displayed within the Collection Galleries: 1880s-1940s at The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York. This exhibition will occur as part of an agreement with its foreign owner or custodian. The object may also be featured in additional exhibitions or venues in the future. The U.S. Department of State has determined that the object holds cultural significance and that its exhibition is in the nationa  more

WASHINGTON, Jan. 22 -- The U.S. Department of Transportation's Surface Transportation Board issued the following news release on Jan. 21, 2025: Surface Transportation Board Chairman Patrick Fuchs announced today several key staff selections. Lisa Novins will serve as his chief of staff, overseeing many of the managerial functions and day-to-day operations of the Board. Thomas Quinn will serve as attorney-advisor, providing legal counsel to Chairman Fuchs. Stephanie Borges will serve as Chairman  more

WASHINGTON, Jan. 23 -- The U.S. Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service issued the following program update: To: State, Tribal, and Territory Agricultural Regulatory Officials Effective immediately, the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) is updating requirements for importation of fresh bell peppers (Capsicum annuum) from Spain. Specifically, this Federal Order adds a new import requirement stipulating the National Plant Protection Organization (NPP  more