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Antitrust Division Secures Seed Tying and Loyalty Program Commitments from Bayer

Source: United States Department of Justice

Today, the Department of Justice announced that during the course of the Antitrust Division’s ongoing investigation into exclusionary conduct in corn and soybean seed markets, Bayer CropScience LLC has removed potentially anticompetitive provisions from its loyalty program. These changes benefit American consumers, farmers, and independent seed companies, which license seed technology from Bayer to produce seeds to meet the needs of farmers. In response to the Division’s concerns, Bayer has committed to not reinstate these provisions for seven years.

“Enforcement in agriculture is a top priority for the Antitrust Division,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Omeed A. Assefi of the Justice Department’s Antitrust Division. “We are focused on conduct that poses competitive harm to both farmers and consumers.”

“I commend Acting Attorney General Blanche and the Antitrust Division of the Department of Justice (DOJ) for securing commitments from input giant Bayer CropScience LLC to remove unfair provisions from its loyalty program for certain seeds,” said U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins. “These actions build upon our 2025 USDA-DOJ Memorandum of Understanding strengthening competition in agricultural supply chains for our farmers, who are among the best in the world. We must celebrate this great progress, while acknowledging there’s much more work to be done!”

“Loyalty programs that discourage customers from switching to alternative sellers pose a danger to competition,” said Deputy Assistant Attorney General Nicole Sarrine of the Justice Department’s Antitrust Division. “We are pleased that Bayer has taken these actions addressing competitive concerns of the Division about Bayer’s loyalty program.”

Bayer has made two important changes to its “Premier Performance Program,” a key subject of the Division’s scrutiny. First, Bayer’s Premier Performance Program previously required independent seed companies to meet sales targets for both corn and soybean to achieve discounts under its loyalty program. This contractual restraint raised concerns that Bayer was anticompetitively tying corn seed and soybean seed. Bayer dropped the tie between corn seed and soybean seed for the 2025 planting year. In response to the Division’s concerns, Bayer has now committed to not reinstate the tie for seven years.

Second, the Premier Performance Program formerly included incentives that could limit independent seed companies’ willingness to license technology from Bayer’s competitors. Bayer eliminated these potentially anticompetitive provisions from its loyalty program. In response to the Division’s concerns, Bayer has committed to not reinstate these incentives, or any substantially similar incentive program, for seven years.

Anyone with information about anticompetitive conduct in agricultural industries or any other violations of the antitrust laws is encouraged to contact the Antitrust Division’s Citizen Complaint Center at 1-888-647-3258 or antitrust.complaints@usdoj.gov.

Bayer CropScience LLC — headquartered in Creve Coeur, Missouri — is one of the largest seed companies in the world. It is the primary source for traited corn seed sold by independent seed companies.

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Defense News in Brief: CTF-73 Participates in SALVEX Korea 2026

Source: United States Navy

U.S. Navy divers assigned to Mobile Diving and Salvage Unit 1 (MDSU-1) concluded Salvage Exercise (SALVEX) Korea 2026 alongside Australian maritime forces and Republic of Korea (ROK) forces at Jinhae Naval Base, April 6–10, 2026. The exercise marked the 42nd iteration of the long-standing multilateral training event, reinforcing decades of cooperation between the U.S. Navy and ROK Navy since its inception in 1985.

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United States Unseals Superseding Indictment Charging Raul Castro and Five Castro Regime Co-Defendants for 1996 Shoot-Down of Brothers to the Rescue Aircraft

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

The U.S. Department of Justice today announced the unsealing of a superseding indictment charging Raul Modesto Castro Ruz, 94, of Holguin, Cuba; along with Lorenzo Alberto Perez‑Perez of Las Tunas, Cuba; Emilio José Palacio Blanco; José Fidel Gual Barzaga; Raul Simanca Cardenas; and Luis Raul Gonzalez‑Pardo Rodriguez, for their alleged roles in the Feb. 24, 1996 shoot‑down of two unarmed U.S. civilian aircraft operated by Brothers to the Rescue (BTTR), also known as Hermanos al Rescate, over international waters.

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Leader of Gorilla Stone Mafia Sentenced to Life Imprisonment for Two Gang-Related Murders On Staten Island

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

Today, John Pena, also known as “Tragedy,” “Don Tragg,” “Last Don” and “Money Baggz,” was sentenced by United States District Judge Ann M. Donnelly to life imprisonment for murdering Mark Bajandas on March 10, 2021, and Francisco Gonzalez on June 22, 2021.  Pena committed the murders in connection with his position as the leader of the Gorilla Stone Mafia (GSM), a subgroup of the Untouchable Gorilla Stone Nation (UGSN), which is a faction of the nationwide Bloods street gang.  Pena was convicted at trial in September 2024 of all six counts of a second superseding indictment charging him with racketeering; murder in-aid-of racketeering; causing death through use of a firearm; unlawful possession, brandishing and discharge of a firearm; being a felon in possession of ammunition; and conspiring to distribute and possess with intent to distribute marijuana and crack cocaine. 

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Superseding Indictment Returned for New Jersey Pastor and Self-Proclaimed Prophet Who Compelled Labor and Sex from Congregants

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

A grand jury in the District of New Jersey returned a superseding indictment today charging Treva Edwards, 61, of Orange, New Jersey with two counts of sex trafficking by force, fraud, or coercion, three counts of forced labor, and conspiracy to commit forced labor. The superseding indictment also charged his wife.

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Pre-IPO Fraudsters Sentenced To 8, 10, And 11 Years In Prison

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Jay Clayton, announced today that the founders and operators of StraightPath Venture Partners LLC (“StraightPath”) and its affiliated entities were sentenced to significant prison time for defrauding their investors, skimming money off the top, and violating their fiduciary duties.

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Defense News: Army expands casualty evacuation training with rail operations during SWORD 26

Source: United States Army

DRAWSKO, Poland — Soldiers with the 30th Medical Brigade conducted a rail casualty evacuation exercise during SWORD 26, May 11-15, to prepare Army medicine for the realities of large-scale combat operations across Europe.

The training, conducted under the 21st Theater Sustainment Command, tested the use of rail transportation as a casualty evacuation platform while integrating multinational medical personnel, host-nation rail systems and NATO interoperability standards.

“We need to make sure that we’re looking at multimodal transportation for casualty evacuation during large-scale combat operations,” said Col. Crystal Belew, commander of the 519th Hospital Center. “We had overwhelming success in what we called the golden hour. We had air superiority. We were able to use rotary-wing evacuation. Moving into large-scale combat operations, we need to use all forms of evacuation methods.”

The exercise reflected a shift in Army medicine’s focus from counterinsurgency operations to preparing for high-intensity conflict against near-peer adversaries, where contested airspace may limit the use of helicopters for medical evacuation.

According to Belew, Europe’s extensive rail network provides an opportunity for NATO allies to train together while testing the challenges of moving casualties across multiple countries and transportation systems.

1 / 2 Show Caption + Hide Caption – U.S. Army Lt. Col. Tierra McDearnon, an emergency room nurse assigned to the 512th Field Hospital, 30th Medical Brigade, briefs NATO allies during a training exercise at Drawsko Combat Training Center, Poland, May 13, 2026. The briefing helps strengthen communication, coordination and shared understanding among allied forces during multinational operations. (Photo Credit: U.S. Army photo by Pfc. Kaiden Silversmith) VIEW ORIGINAL
2 / 2 Show Caption + Hide Caption – U.S. Army Soldiers assigned to the 30th Medical Brigade, 21st Theater Sustainment Command, prepare simulated casualties for off-loading during a casualty evacuation exercise at Drawsko Combat Training Center, Poland, May 14, 2026. The training focuses on safe movement techniques and clear communication between Soldiers. (Photo Credit: U.S. Army photo by Pfc. Kaiden Silversmith) VIEW ORIGINAL

“Training with rail assets improves NATO interoperability with our host-nation partners,” said Belew. “Europe has one of the most extensive rail networks in the world, and we get to use NATO standards, standardized agreements and transload node agreements when we’re crossing different country borders.”

The rail exercise incorporated multinational cooperation at every level, from medical treatment to transportation logistics.

“The true interoperability would be an American Soldier being treated by a Polish medical provider going to a German facility,” said Belew. “Using a rail asset and training through those different means and methods really brings the interoperability piece to full success.”

In addition to the rail platform, the exercise also tested a casualty staging unit concept, an innovation modeled after systems used by NATO partners. The casualty staging unit is designed to stabilize patients before they are moved onward for additional treatment, helping reduce strain on emergency medical facilities during mass casualty events.

“This is a concept we’re experimenting with that, by doctrine, does not exist in Army medicine,” Belew said. “This is where we are stabilizing stable patients for onward evacuation.”

1 / 2 Show Caption + Hide Caption – U.S. Army Soldiers assigned to the 30th Medical Brigade, 21st Theater Sustainment Command, load a simulated casualty onto a train during medical evacuation training at Drawsko Combat Training Center, Poland, May 14, 2026. The exercise strengthens the unit’s ability to evacuate injured personnel during large-scale movement operations. (Photo Credit: U.S. Army photo by Pfc. Kaiden Silversmith) VIEW ORIGINAL
2 / 2 Show Caption + Hide Caption – U.S. Army Spc. Seirra McBride, a combat medic assigned to the 30th Medical Brigade, 21st Theater Sustainment Command, escorts a simulated casualty during a field training exercise at Drawsko Combat Training Center, Poland, May 14, 2026. The exercise tests the unit’s ability to move casualties while maintaining control in a tactical environment. (Photo Credit: U.S. Army photo by Pfc. Kaiden Silversmith) VIEW ORIGINAL

The training scenario focused on preparing Soldiers and medical personnel for the scale and complexity expected in future conflicts.

“Large-scale combat operations have an expectation of mass casualties and complexity that has not been seen in our generation,” said Belew. “Exercises such as SWORD 26, where we’re focused on larger scales, mass casualties and stressing the system, are training Soldiers for those real-world expectations.”

The exercise also supported the broader sustainment mission of the 21st TSC by ensuring medical forces remain prepared to care for wounded personnel during future operations.

“Army medicine sustains the warfighter,” said Belew. “This training will sustain the warfighter by preparing for large-scale combat operations and preparing our medical professionals to take care of Soldiers.”

By integrating multinational partners, testing emerging medical concepts and expanding casualty evacuation capabilities beyond traditional air evacuation, SWORD 26 demonstrated NATO’s continued commitment to readiness and interoperability across the European theater.