The U.S. Department of the Interior has announced a new task force aimed at addressing violent crime in tribal communities.

The Indian Country Violent Crime Task Force was announced May 5, which is also Missing and Murdered Indigenous Peoples Awareness Day.

Officials say the initiative is designed to strengthen law enforcement coordination and protect families across Indian Country.

The effort will be led by the Bureau of Indian Affairs Office of Justice Services and will work with federal, tribal, and state partners to expand investigations, deploy mobile enforcement teams, and target drug trafficking and crimes against children.

Interior Secretary Doug Burgum says the initiative takes what he calls a “zero-tolerance approach to violent crime” and is focused on protecting tribal communities.

Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs Billy Kirkland says the effort is also about strengthening coordination and accountability.

In a statement, he says working closely with tribal communities will help improve public safety outcomes and prevent future crime.

Officials say the task force will focus on solving missing persons and homicide cases, while using data to identify high-crime areas and direct resources where they are needed most.

The initiative builds on earlier federal efforts, including Operation Lady Justice and the Bureau of Indian Affairs Missing and Murdered Unit, as concerns about public safety in Indian Country continue.

Keystone Pipeline in Canada. (Courtesy TransCanada)

A 650-mile crude oil pipeline through eastern Montana and Wyoming just cleared another hurdle on the way to construction.

Montana Public Radio’s Ellis Juhlin reports, President Donald Trump issued a cross-border permit for the Bridger Pipeline Expansion Project Thursday.

The pipeline would move no less than half a million gallons of crude tar sands oil from Canada into the U.S. daily.

Its proposed path covers some of the same area as the controversial Keystone XL Pipeline, which was terminated under President Joe Biden.

The Bridger Pipeline would cross major rivers including the Missouri and the Yellowstone, prompting fears about the potential for contamination of water sources. It could also run through the Fort Peck Indian Reservation and the Assiniboine and Sioux Tribes.

Tribal nations were not consulted as part of Trump’s permitting decision and say a pipeline in this area could violate treaty rights.

Jenny Harbine, a lawyer with the nonprofit firm EarthJustice, says pipelines like these are known to break.

“Crude oil spills are extraordinarily time, consumptive and costly to clean up, and I don’t know that our local communities in Montana or our regulators are prepared for that kind of devastation.”

The proposal must still go through several permitting processes at the state and federal level before construction could begin, but the pipeline is fast-tracked, and supported by Republican lawmakers in Montana.

Construction could begin as early as next summer.

Diehtosiida, a Sámi knowledge centre in Guovdageaidnu/Kautokeino, Norway, where the 2026 Journalism Excellence Awards ceremony will take place in September. (Photo: Illustratedjc via Wikimedia)

The World Indigenous Broadcasters Network (WIBN) has announced the finalists for its 2026 Journalism Excellence Award, highlighting top Indigenous reporting from around the world.

Six journalists were selected from an international field, representing media organizations in Aotearoa New Zealand, Australia, Taiwan, Sápmi, and Canada.

The award recognizes excellence in storytelling, cultural integrity, and public accountability in Indigenous journalism.

Entries were reviewed by an independent panel of Indigenous media leaders, who evaluated work based on reporting quality, innovation, and impact.

WIBN Chair Shane Taurima says this year’s finalists reflect the strength of Indigenous journalism globally, with reporting grounded in community voices and focused on issues that matter most.

The winner will be announced at the WIBN Conference in Sápmi, Norway in September.

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