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  • MIL-OSI USA: U.S. Rep. Castor, SBA Administrator Open Small Business Recovery Center to Aid Businesses, Individuals, Renters & Nonprofits Damaged or Economically Harmed By Hurricanes

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Reprepsentative Kathy Castor (FL14)

    TAMPA, FL – U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor (FL-14) and Small Business Administration (SBA) Administrator Isabel Casillas Guzman marked the opening of a new SBA Business Recovery Center (BRC) at the Entrepreneur Collaborative Center in Ybor City to support recovery from Hurricanes Helene and Milton.

    The SBA BRC is available to assist businesses, homeowners and renters with advice and applications for low-interest disaster loans.

    “Tampa Bay small businesses fuel our economy, but back-to-back hurricanes have hurt local business owners,” said Rep. Castor. “The new Business Recovery Center will provide on-the-ground support to homeowners, renters, businesses and nonprofits and help them bounce back. I’m grateful to SBA, USF Small Business Development Center and other dedicated disaster teams for helping our community recover. A low-interest disaster loan is a better option than a credit card with a high interest rate.”

    SBA can make disaster loans of up to $500,000 to homeowners to repair or replace disaster-damaged or destroyed real estate. Homeowners and renters may be eligible for up to $100,000 to repair or replace disaster-damaged or destroyed personal property. Businesses may be eligible for up to $2 million for both physical damage and economic injury from business disruption.

    SBA received approximately 37,000 applications for relief submitted from those impacted by Hurricane Helene. The SBA has already made over 700 Helene loan offers totaling about $48 million. For Hurricane Milton, SBA has received over 12,000 applications. 

    Due to a lapse in funding, SBA has paused disbursement until Congress acts, but the SBA application portal remains open, and individuals and small businesses are strongly encouraged to apply for loans. Disaster survivors should start the application process immediately so SBA can review applications and position eligible applicants to receive offers and funds.

    Rep. Castor stands ready to return to Washington to vote for additional disaster funding immediately.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Cheap grog, new drunkenness offence and mandatory rehab: why 9 experts think proposed NT alcohol reforms would be a disaster

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Cassandra Wright, Alcohol and other Drugs Program Lead, Menzies School of Health Research

    logoboom/Shutterstock

    The new Northern Territory government is planning a swathe of changes to alcohol policy.

    If implemented, these changes fly in the face of what evidence shows works to reduce alcohol-related harms. Some are also out of step with the rest of Australia.

    Among our concerns are plans that would lead to harmful alcohol products becoming cheaper, alcohol becoming more easily available, criminalising public drunkenness, and a particularly worrying type of mandatory alcohol treatment – all of which evidence suggests will cause more harms.

    No one is downplaying the magnitude and complexities of alcohol-related issues in the NT. But we hope the territory government will pay more heed to the evidence and voices of those most impacted.

    Alcohol-related harm in the NT is complex

    Alcohol-related harms in the NT are significantly higher (for both Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people) than elsewhere in Australia.

    In the territory, these harms contribute to health and social outcomes costing at least A$1.4 billion a year. Alcohol harms result in costs related to health care, deaths, crime, policing and child protection.

    Aboriginal communities in the NT have for decades cried out for solutions and services that effectively respond to alcohol-related harm. Instead, they found their lives made part of a political football match on law and order. Policies have been reactive and mostly ineffective. They’ve been overturned at each election.

    Now, the new NT government is discussing changes that promise to exacerbate the very issues it aims to address.

    1. Cheap alcohol that contributes most harm would be on the market

    The World Health Organization recognises that raising the price of alcohol is one of the most effective ways for governments to reduce alcohol-related harm.

    So some governments around the world, including in the NT, have set a price below which alcohol cannot be sold, known as the minimum or “floor price”. This targets cheap, high-strength alcohol associated with patterns of drinking that cause the most harm.

    The new NT government plans to repeal this, despite evidence showing this works to reduce harms.

    Since the NT alcohol floor price was set at $1.30 per standard drink in 2018, there has been a:

    • 14% reduction in alcohol-related assaults in Darwin and Palmerston

    • 11% reduction in domestic and family violence assaults

    • 21% reduction in domestic and family violence assaults involving alcohol

    • 19% reduction in alcohol-related emergency department attendances.

    Originally, experts recommended a $1.50 floor price but this was reduced to $1.30 after a backlash from alcohol industry lobbyists. Had the policy not been watered down, evidence suggests the impacts above would likely have been greater.

    The floor price has likely also lost some of its initial impact as it has never been indexed for inflation.

    The best available research shows the floor price has reduced alcohol-related harms with no evidence of unintended consequences or negative impacts on the alcohol industry, despite claims otherwise.

    Researchers and experts from around the world have been writing to NT ministers urging them to reconsider repealing this effective policy.

    This includes researchers from the United Kingdom and Canada, who have coauthored this article. In these countries, evidence on the effectiveness of minimum pricing has been used to increase the floor price by 30%, not abolish it.

    2. Bottle shops could be open longer

    There are also proposals to repeal current restrictions on bottle shop trading hours. Such restrictions are highly effective in reducing alcohol harms, including violence.

    Our paper from earlier this year found that in the town of Tennant Creek, restrictions to reduce trading hours and introduce purchase limits at bottle shops resulted in a 92% reduction in alcohol-involved domestic and family violence assaults.

    Preliminary analyses of the reduced trading hours introduced in Alice Springs following Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s visit in early 2023 also suggest a clear reduction on violence rates.

    Bottle shops would be open for longer, making alcohol more easily available.
    AustralianCamera/Shutterstock

    3. New public drunkenness offence

    Ministers were also set to pass laws to create a new offence for “nuisance” public intoxication (also known as public drunkenness). This would allow police officers to arrest people and fine them up to $925, in addition to current powers to seize and tip out alcohol from people drinking in prohibited areas.

    This is at the time when nearly every other jurisdiction in Australia is in the process of decriminalising public drunkenness, making the NT out of step with the rest of the nation.

    The NT’s proposed new laws on public drunkenness would criminalise more people who are already locked out from our society, placing them at risk of the negative, intergenerational and preventable impacts that often arise from contact with the justice system.

    4. Mandatory rehab

    Mandatory alcohol treatment was also an election commitment.

    In its previous term of government, mandatory alcohol treatment was focused on people with a public intoxication offence rather than providing quality care to people with alcohol dependence in life-saving circumstances. If the same model is reintroduced, this is potentially harmful and at best ineffective.

    In the NT, this model of mandatory alcohol treatment had no better outcomes than for those who may not have received any treatment at all. But it cost the taxpayer three times as much.

    Where to from here?

    Researchers, health professionals and partner organisations have urged the NT government to reconsider these decisions, as we have well-founded concerns these may worsen the very issues the government aims to address.

    There’s no need to guess the outcomes of changing, repealing or introducing alcohol policies. We can draw on robust evidence, including extensive research from the NT, on what works in our communities.

    Cassandra Wright receives funding from the Australian Research Council, National Health and Medical Research Council, Music NT, NT Motor Accident Compensation Commission and Commonwealth government Department of Health.

    Beau Jayde Cubillo receives funding from the National Health and Medical Research Council and Fisheries Research Development Corporation on behalf of the Australian Commonwealth.

    John Holmes receives funding from the UK National Institute for Health and Care Research and has previously received funding from UK Research & Innovation, the Wellcome Trust, Alcohol Change UK and other similar public health charities and government bodies. He has received funding from NHS Health Scotland (now part of Public Health Scotland) to evaluate the impact of minimum unit pricing in Scotland. He has also received funding from UK and international governments to model the potential impact of minimum unit pricing in various jurisdictions.

    Mark Mayo receives funding from the National Health and Medical Research Council, Ian Potter Foundation, Ramaciotti Foundation.

    Mark Robinson currently receives, or has previously received, funding from Health and Wellbeing Queensland, Queensland Health, National Health and Medical Research Council, and Australian government Department of Health and Aged Care. He was a member of the Consumption and Health Harms Evaluation Advisory Group for the evaluation of minimum unit pricing led by Public Health Scotland.

    Michael Livingston receives funding from the Australian Research Council, the National Health and Medical Research Council, HealthWay, VicHealth and the Commonwealth Department of Health. He is on the board of the Alcohol and Drug Foundation.

    Nicholas Taylor receives funding from the Australian Research Council, the Cancer Council, VicHealth, the Australian National Health and Medical Research Council, the Northern Territory government, and the Queensland government Department of Communities, Child Safety and Disability.

    Sarah Clifford receives funding from National Health and Medical Research Council, Music NT, and NT Motor Accident Compensation Commission.

    Tim Stockwell receives funding from the Canadian Cancer Society, the the Canadian Institute for Substance Use Research and the Canadian Institutes for Health Research. He has accepted travel expenses from IOGT-Sweden, the Swedish temperance society. He has been an expert witness in court cases in Canada relating to contested liquor licence applications and damages for the victims of alcohol-related violence and road crashes. He has received research funds, travel expenses and minor personal fees for conducting public health related research for government-owned alcohol retail monopolies in Finland, Sweden and Canada.

    – ref. Cheap grog, new drunkenness offence and mandatory rehab: why 9 experts think proposed NT alcohol reforms would be a disaster – https://theconversation.com/cheap-grog-new-drunkenness-offence-and-mandatory-rehab-why-9-experts-think-proposed-nt-alcohol-reforms-would-be-a-disaster-241373

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Why are some Australian students having to pay to do PE at public schools?

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jessica Amy Sears, Lecturer, School of Education, Charles Sturt University

    mattimix/Shutterstock

    Health and physical education is one of the key subjects students learn at school. In Australia it is mandatory for students from the first year of school to Year 10.

    It involves theory and practical components to help students manage their health and wellbeing. This includes healthy eating habits, sexual health, cyber safety and mental health. It also incorporates fundamental movement skills (such as throwing and catching), sports (such as swimming, gymnastics and football) and team-building.

    Because it is a core, compulsory part of the curriculum it is supposed to be free for students at government schools. But our research shows some students are being asked to pay – and those who cannot are missing out.

    Our research

    In our recent study, we looked at the staffing and delivery of health and physical education in New South Wales government schools.

    We surveyed 556 schools, which make up about 30% of public schools in the state. This included primary and high schools with a mix of locations and levels of advantage.

    We used an online survey, which was completed by the teacher in charge of health and physical education.

    Many schools are outsourcing lessons

    We asked survey respondents who was teaching health and physical education to students at their schools. Some schools were using more than one option.

    • For all schools: 67% were using external provider, 44.5% were using a specialist teacher and 55.4% were using another teacher.

    • For primary schools: 78.4% were using an external provider, 17.9% were using a specialist teacher and 48% were using another teacher.

    • For high schools: 44.8% were using an external provider, 95.9% were using a specialist teacher and 69.2% were using another teacher.

    Previous research has shown how schools outsource to external providers to “fill the gap” of teachers lacking confidence and competence to provide quality health and physical education lessons.

    This study did not measure how frequent outsourcing was, however, comments from respondents suggests it is regular. For example, one teacher said: “a typical [outsourced] class would have one lesson a week for a term”.

    Another teacher similarly said

    one 40 min[ute] lesson per week. Company comes in with equipment and young university students to run different activities. They also assess our students for us.

    Another teacher told us:

    We use [company name], they offer different sports/programs that run for one lesson a week per term.

    Families are being asked to pay

    Of the schools who were outsourcing lessons, 78% of the schools outsourcing lessons said they were asking parents to help pay for these lessons.

    One respondent told us, the costs were “A$45 for one term, $80 for two”.

    Of this group, 64% reported students who did not pay did other school work (either for health and physical education or another core subject). About one fifth of schools said students that don’t pay just had to “sit and watch”.

    This suggests some students are missing out on basic learning opportunities at school for financial reasons. As one teacher told us:

    the school uses some off-campus sporting/gaming facilities that students can choose to pay extra for instead of free on-campus teacher run [activities].

    Some students are just made to ‘sit and watch’ if they can’t pay.
    nannycz/Shutterstock

    Why is this a problem?

    The outsourcing of health and physical education lessons comes in the middle of an ongoing teacher shortage in Australia and around the world.

    A 2024 UN report estimates a global shortage of more than 44 million teachers, with many teachers teaching outside of their areas of expertise.

    Specific shortages of health and physical education teachers have been noted for more than a decade.

    However, outsourcing lessons away from qualified teachers, is a significant concern. Little is known about the external providers’ qualifications or quality. Unlike teachers, they are not subject to registration requirements or professional standards.

    Even more concerning is some students are missing out on lessons or some components of lessons because their families have not been able to pay.

    This links to wider concerns about unequal access to sport in the school system. This includes some private schools with new Olympic pools and boat ramps when other public schools don’t have access to council playing fields.

    More research is needed

    Our study suggests more research is needed. We need further information on staffing, outsourcing and lesson delivery in other areas of the country and in other subjects.

    We need to be sure all students are being taught the core curriculum, free of charge and by qualified teachers – ideally specialists.

    Jessica Amy Sears is affiliated with ACHPER (Australian Council for Health, Physical Education and Recreation) NSW.

    Rachel Wilson does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

    – ref. Why are some Australian students having to pay to do PE at public schools? – https://theconversation.com/why-are-some-australian-students-having-to-pay-to-do-pe-at-public-schools-239489

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-Evening Report: A decade after the US version ended, Australia remakes The Office. It’s not new, but it’s funny

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Philippa Burne, Honorary Fellow (Screenwriting), Victorian College of the Arts, University of Melbourne/PhD Candidate, UniSA Creative, The University of Melbourne

    Amazon/Bunya Entertainment

    Firstly, let’s revisit the question: why are they remaking The Office?

    Just over ten years after the United States version of the British series ended, Australia has decided to make its own version. It follows franchises in Canada, Greece, India, Sweden and Poland, to name a few.

    But we all have offices to go to, we all have our particular office cultures, co-workers and complaints. Post-pandemic, office life is becoming routine again. The more things change, the less things change, and that could be the theme of The Office Australia.

    In fact, this is probably the perfect timing for this remake: post work-from-home, when large corporations are demanding workers return (often unwillingly) to shared workplaces. That’s the premise of the pilot episode of The Office Australia – everyone stops working remotely and reunites at the office. It’s timely and a good way of updating the concept to make it relatable.

    ‘A riddle, swallowed by an idiot …’

    Modern nods, same old business

    A few more nods to contemporary office culture are included, such as Zoom meetings and standing desks. But apart from that, the Australian Office could be set anytime from the 1990s onwards in terms of the look, practices and low-fi tech of the office itself.

    The remake mirrors closely the US version: a romance storyline, tensions between office and warehouse, an old-school boss who loves, craves and needs camaraderie, and a staff for whom work life comes second to what they’d rather be doing.

    The original United Kingdom series of The Office, by Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant, only had 12 episodes, which is still surprising to realise given how much it defined television sitcom in the decades following. Parks and Recreation (2009–2015) owes a huge debt to The Office. Whether we would have had Utopia (2014–present) without it is debatable. The late, great John Clarke broke in Australia with The Games (1998–2000) and Australia has long done this sort of observational comedy very well.

    Will Australia’s version capture local flavour? It does feature the Melbourne Cup.
    Amazon

    Despite a deep vein of experience and success to draw on, The Office Australia sticks closely to The Office format in terms of stories, characters, tone, look and laughs.

    This might be because the show – made by Amazon and BBC Australia – is launching into around 240 countries and territories. It needs to find a line between being Australian and being international. That said, it has probably veered more into the international end of the scale, with enough Australiana (venomous snakes, barbecues) to ground it here, but still universal enough to be widely relatable and understandable.

    The US version had 201 episodes, giving it scope to develop the characters and the storylines and make it a massively popular and frequently rewatched series. (There’s a follow up series in the works called The Paper.) So it’s no wonder writers Julie De Fina and Jackie van Beek looked to the this version for guidance for the Australian series. This is less an adaptation than a remake with a different accent.

    Familiar and new faces

    Hannah Howard (Felicity Ward) is the devoted office manager who loves her job too much and runs an under-performing, dysfunctional workplace of uninterested staff.

    The show centres on her, with the familiar mockumentary style. Like David Brent and Michael Scott before her, Hannah Howard is optimistic, naive, relentless and terrible at staff management. She forces pyjama days and bus trips on her employees, who are clearly unwilling yet never actively rebel. There is plenty of comedy in the awkwardness and small moments.

    Felicity Ward plays the boss (sort of) of this particular office.
    Amazon

    Her devoted assistant and receptionist Lizzie (Edith Poor), a former Scout, wears a grey suit and will pursue any idea no matter how ill-conceived or illegal to make Hannah’s plans come to fruition.

    Long-suffering human resources manager Martin (Josh Thomson) tries to keep them from actually breaking laws, while Nick (Steen Raskopoulos) and Greta (Shari Sebbens) gaze awkwardly across their workstation divider at each other in a slow-burning love story. There are the usual office roles which offer story beats: accounting, IT, sales.

    The first Australian season of The Office might not be anything new, but I kept watching. It felt safe, even comforting. Perhaps in a similar way going to someone else’s family for Christmas lunch can feel familiar: recognisable foods, decorations, known characters – but with the frisson that maybe something different will happen this time.

    This remake knows what it is. It’s been made to satisfy an audience wanting to be in a world that reflects their own experiences, but takes it just that bit too far. It’s not setting out to break moulds, but to bring the mould up to date and give it an Australian voice for the world to hear.

    The Office premieres on October 18 on Prime.

    Philippa Burne does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

    – ref. A decade after the US version ended, Australia remakes The Office. It’s not new, but it’s funny – https://theconversation.com/a-decade-after-the-us-version-ended-australia-remakes-the-office-its-not-new-but-its-funny-241356

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI USA: DeLauro Renews Call for Emergency Disaster Supplemental

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro (CT-03)

    Today, House Appropriations Committee Ranking Member Rosa DeLauro (CT-03) released a statement renewing calls for a comprehensive disaster relief package following news that the Small Business Administration (SBA) had exhausted funds for new disaster loans:

    “For the last year, I have consistently called for a comprehensive emergency supplemental in response to several disasters – from Hurricanes Helene and Milton, to Connecticut flooding and other localized extreme weather events fueled by climate change, to wildfires, to the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge. The SBA’s funds for disaster loans are now exhausted while small businesses and communities across the country still face the impact of these events. While we provided $20 billion for FEMA in the funding bill we passed at the end of September to ensure that they could provide immediate assistance, it is clear now that more is needed. It is far past time for Speaker Johnson to agree to a comprehensive disaster package to help American families, farms, businesses, and communities recover.”

    While the SBA has exhausted funds for its disaster loan program, its loan application portal remains open, as well as SBA disaster centers across the country. The agency will continue to accept new loan applications and ready borrowers to get their disaster loans as soon as funds are available. You can find the application for SBA’s disaster loan program here. If you require relief from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), you can find more information here.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Warner and Kaine Write to International Trade Commission in Support of Goodyear Workers in Danville

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Virginia Tim Kaine
    WASHINGTON, D.C. – Yesterday, U.S. Senators Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine (both D-VA) sent a letter to the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) in support of workers at Goodyear’s manufacturing plant in Danville. Last year, the United Steelworkers, which represents more than 1,800 Virginians employed at Goodyear, filed an antidumping and countervailing duties (AD/CVD) petition with the ITC alleging illegal dumping of truck and bus tire imports from Thailand.
    Dumping—when a country exports a product at a price substantially below the cost of producing the product or below the sale price in the exporter’s home market—is considered a form of predatory pricing and an unfair trade practice. In some cases, dumping is used as a tactic to drive domestic businesses out of the market and eventually raise prices for consumers.
    “On behalf of more than 2,000 Virginian workers, we ask that you ensure that U.S. trade laws are fairly enforced and that American workers are protected from unfair trade practices. The Goodyear plant in Danville, Virginia, employs more than 2,000 workers, including more than 1,800 who are members of United Steelworkers (USW) Local 831,” wrote the senators. “We each have a long history with this plant stemming from our terms as Governor of Virginia.”
    “The Goodyear plant in Danville is a well-equipped facility with talented and dedicated workers. It can compete with tires from anywhere in the world as long as the playing field is level,” the senators continued. “There are reports that the same Chinese manufacturers responsible for previous dumping are investing in facilities in Thailand and similarly selling into U.S. markets at below-market prices. If foreign producers are able to circumvent U.S. trade remedies, it undermines the effectiveness of and faith in our rules-based trading system.”
    Warner and Kaine have taken a number of steps to support steelworkers’ complaints that they are competing against unfairly dumped tires from China and other countries. In 2017, Warner and Kaine testified to the ITC in support of workers at Goodyear in Danville. Warner and Kaine have also supported AD/CVD cases on passenger vehicle and light truck (PVLT) tires from China and Southeast Asia, which affected the Yokohama plant in Salem.
    Full text of the letter is available here and below:
    Dear Chair Karpel and Commissioners of the U.S. International Trade Commission,
    We write today in regards to the United States International Trade Commission’s (ITC) investigation of imports of truck and bus tires from Thailand. On behalf of more than 2,000 Virginian workers, we ask that you ensure that U.S. trade laws are fairly enforced and that American workers are protected from unfair trade practices.
    The Goodyear plant in Danville, Virginia, employs more than 2,000 workers, including more than 1,800 who are members of United Steelworkers (USW) Local 831. The plant rolled its first tire off the line in 1966, the same year USW Local 831 was formed, and has since produced more than 100 million truck and aviation tires. Tires manufactured at the plant serve both commercial and military needs, and the plant is the largest manufacturer of medium radial truck and aero tires in the world.
    Danville is a city of 42,000 people with a long history of manufacturing, and the Goodyear plant is the largest employer in the city. Well-paying manufacturing jobs are vital to cities such as Danville, and support the local economy in both direct and indirect ways. Conversely, the loss of such jobs tends to be felt for years or decades.
    We each have a long history with this plant stemming from our terms as Governor of Virginia. Most notably, in 2008 the Kaine Administration helped secure performance-based grants and community funding to support a $200 million investment in modernizing the facility. In the United States Senate, we have worked to open up procurement opportunities for aviation tires for the U.S. Navy; Goodyear later won a competitive bid process for a multi-year to supply the U.S. Navy with a significant portion of their aviation tire needs.
    The Goodyear plant in Danville is a well-equipped facility with talented and dedicated workers. It can compete with tires from anywhere in the world as long as the playing field is level. In 2017, we each offered testimony to the Commission in regards to imports of truck and bus tires from China and asked that the Commission combat unfair trade practices to ensure that level playing field. In that case, the Commission acted to combat dumping from the Chinese firms in question.
    Since then, truck and bus tire imports from Thailand have increased substantially. There are reports that the same Chinese manufacturers responsible for previous dumping are investing in facilities in Thailand and similarly selling into U.S. markets at below-market prices. If foreign producers are able to circumvent U.S. trade remedies, it undermines the effectiveness of and faith in our rules-based trading system.
    We ask that the commission carefully consider the evidence of injury and act to safeguard our domestic industry.
    Thank you for your consideration.
    Sincerely,

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: NEWS: Statement from Senator Sanders on the Death of Yahya Sinwar

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Vermont – Bernie Sanders
    WASHINGTON, Oct. 17 – Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) on Thursday issued the following statement on the death of Yahya Sinwar, leader of Hamas:
    Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, a war criminal who masterminded the brutal October 7th terrorist attack that killed 1,200 innocent people and took 250 hostages, is now dead.
    There is now no justification for Prime Minister Netanyahu and his extremist government to continue their all-out war against the Palestinian people, which has killed 42,000 Palestinians and injured 100,000 – two-thirds of whom are women, children, and the elderly.
    There is no justification for continuing to deny humanitarian aid to the many thousands of children in Gaza who are starving.
    There is no justification for continuing to destroy the housing, health care, and infrastructure of Gaza.
    There is now no justification for further delaying a hostage deal and a ceasefire.
    And there is absolutely no justification for continued U.S. support for Netanyahu’s horrific policies, which are in clear violation of U.S. and international law.
    When Congress returns, the Senate will be voting on my Joint Resolutions of Disapproval to block offensive arms sales to Israel. We must end our complicity in this cruel and illegal war.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Senator Peters Helps Introduce Legislation to Protect Michigan Small Businesses Impacted by Low Snowfall

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Michigan Gary Peters
    Published: 10.17.2024
    Legislation Would Extend Federal Disaster Relief to Businesses Suffering Losses Due to Milder Winters, Low Snowfall Levels

    WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senator Gary Peters (MI) helped introduce legislation to protect small businesses that have been harmed by milder winters and low snowfall levels in recent years. The Winter Recreation Small Business Recovery Act would ensure small businesses that rely on strong winters are eligible for disaster relief through the Small Business Administration’s (SBA) Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) program during winters with below average snowfall or snow cover.
    “With visitors traveling from around the world to experience the benefits of Michigan winters, snowfall is a critical component of our state’s economy, particularly for communities Up North,” said Senator Peters. “I’m proud to help lead this commonsense bill that would not only protect Michigan small businesses and workers, but also the unique character of the communities they support.”
    The EIDL program provides small businesses with the resources they need to remain operational while recovering from a disaster. Under current law, disasters that qualify for assistance include droughts, ice storms, and blizzards, but do not account for winters without enough snow. However, last winter, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) declared 42 Michigan counties as drought disaster areas due to lack of snow. As a result, small businesses across Michigan suffered severe losses and were forced to cut staff or close their doors completely due to lack of visitors or demand for their services. The State of Michigan has lost millions of dollars in revenue and Michigan’s ski hills lost an estimated $41 million last season. Additionally, according to the Michigan Snowsports Industries Association, over 3,400 employees that operate Michigan’s ski hills were laid off due to the unseasonably warm winter.
    Michigan’s winter recreation industry is driven by snowmobiling, cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, ice fishing, and sleigh rides, as well as snowboard manufacturers and snow removal services. By extending a crucial safety net to these small businesses, the Winter Recreation Small Business Recovery Act would help protect the livelihoods of Michiganders, particularly in Northern Michigan and the Upper Peninsula, by ensuring they are eligible for federal relief during unseasonably warm winters.
    Peters introduced the bill with U.S. Senators Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Tina Smith (D-MN), and Amy Klobuchar (D-MN).

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Public advisory: Large scale training exercise in Northland this weekend

    Source: New Zealand Police (District News)

    A controlled training exercise will be conducted in the Bay of Islands and Paihia areas from Friday through to Sunday.

    The multi-agency exercise is being led by Police, with support from Land Search and Rescue, Coastguard Bay of Islands and Surf Lifesaving, and will simulate both land and marine search and rescue scenarios.

    Police, along with other agency personnel, will be in the area throughout today and the course of the weekend.

    The training exercise, named Operation Tapeka, is expected to run from 5pm Friday 18 October until approximately 1pm on Sunday 20 October. 

    No members of the public are participating in the exercise.

    Senior Sergeant Cliff Metcalfe says a multitude of resource will be deployed to the exercise, including marine vessels, ropes rescue teams and Police vehicles. 

    “We want to reiterate this is part of a controlled, routine training exercise and is not an emergency event.

    “These exercises enable Police and partner agencies to test our response and systems should an emergency ever arise and there is no immediate risk to the public.

    “We will aim to cause as little disturbance as possible and hope people will understand the importance of us carrying out these types of exercises.”

    ENDS.

    Holly McKay/NZ Police

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Senator Wicker Announces Nearly $130 Million to Improve Mississippi Infrastructure

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Mississippi Roger Wicker

    MISSISSIPPI – U.S. Senator Roger Wicker, R-Miss., announced $127,296,812 to improve freight corridors in Jackson and on the Gulf Coast. The funding stems from the infrastructure bill that Senator Wicker helped negotiate as the then highest-ranking Republican on the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee.

    The funding will upgrade SR 67 to a Superstreet Corridor on the Gulf Coast. It will also resurface approximately 32 linear miles and update bridge structures along the Interstate 20/ Interstate 55 Freight Corridor in Jackson.

    “Infrastructure investments make Mississippi an even better place to live, work, and visit. These improvements will help attract more people and economic development to the Gulf Coast and Jackson area,” Senator Wicker said. “Supporting infrastructure will continue to be one of my top priorities in Congress.”

    Senator Wicker sent letters of support to the U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg for these projects.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI: b1BANK Promotes Jerry Vascocu to President

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    BATON ROUGE, La., Oct. 17, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — b1BANK, the banking subsidiary of Business First Bancshares, Inc. (Nasdaq: BFST), announced today that N. Jerome “Jerry” Vascocu Jr. will be the bank’s new president, reporting to Jude Melville, who will retain the title of chairman and CEO.

    Vascocu, who joined b1BANK in 2022 as chief administrative officer, oversees the coordination of banking, operations, risk and credit functions for the bank. He has also led several functions for the bank including correspondent banking, wealth management, human resources and marketing, where he recruited additional strong teammates, developed new products and introduced new technology.

    “With an extensive and varied 30-year career, Jerry’s proven leadership and broad-based banking experience is especially relevant to the challenges and opportunities we anticipate facing as we continue to grow our impact on behalf of clients across the regions in which we operate,” said Jude Melville, chairman and CEO of b1BANK. “Most important, he’s a good person and I look forward to partnering with him in this new role.”

    Before joining b1BANK and relocating to Baton Rouge, La., Vascocu led the development and implementation of client-focused strategies for commercial banking teams across the Southeast at First Horizon Bank. During his 17-year career at IBERIABANK and First Horizon, he also served as market president in multiple markets across Louisiana and Arkansas. Vascocu started his banking career immediately after earning his Bachelor of Arts in Economics from Vanderbilt University.

    “b1BANK continues to build momentum in all our markets and across our various business units. This is a direct result of our teams’ dedication to our clients and to the communities we serve,” said Vascocu. “I am fortunate to be part of a great organization and thankful for the opportunity to serve in an expanded leadership role. I am excited about what is ahead for b1BANK.”

    Vascocu remains focused on community development, economic development, education and healthcare, having served in board leadership roles across Louisiana most recently for One Acadiana, Ochsner Lafayette General Hospital and Foundation, University of Louisiana at Lafayette College of Business and Athletic Foundation.

    About Business First Bancshares, Inc.

    As of June 30, 2024, Business First Bancshares, Inc., (Nasdaq: BFST) through its banking subsidiary b1BANK, had approximately $6.7 billion in assets, $6.1 billion in assets under management through b1BANK’s affiliate Smith Shellnut Wilson, LLC (SSW) (excludes $0.9 billion of b1BANK assets managed by SSW) and operates Banking Centers and Loan Production Offices in markets across Louisiana and Texas, providing commercial and personal banking products and services. Commercial banking services include commercial loans and letters of credit, working capital lines and equipment financing, and treasury management services. b1BANK was awarded #1 Best-In-State Bank, Louisiana, by Forbes and Statista and is a multiyear winner of American Banker’s “Best Banks to Work For.” Visit b1BANK.com for more information.

    Misty Albrecht
    b1BANK
    225.286.7879
    Misty.Albrecht@b1BANK.com

    A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/6f3fe29c-03e2-468c-afd8-4ed162d7727e

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Senator Wicker Statement on the Elimination of Yahya Sinwar

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Mississippi Roger Wicker

    WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Roger Wicker, R-Miss., the highest-ranking Republican on the Senate Armed Services Committee, released the following statement in response to reports that the Israel Defense Force eliminated Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar in Gaza:

     

    “Iran and its proxies should take note that in a matter of weeks, Israel has decapitated the senior leadership of Hezbollah and Hamas. The world is a safer place because Israel has proven what strong action against global terrorism should look like,” Senator Wicker said. “Every time the Biden-Harris administration attempts to place conditions on Israel’s self-defense, they are weakening Israeli and American responses to terrorism. The only way that this war will end is with Israel’s victory and the defeat of Iran’s terrorist proxies. Israel’s removal of the architect of this war represents another key step toward eliminating these threats.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: BREAKING: Hawley Demands Secret Service Director Rowe Resign Over DHS Panel Findings From Butler Rally

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo)

    Thursday, October 17, 2024

    Today U.S. Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) issued the following statements calling for U.S. Secret Service Acting Director Ronald Rowe to resign. The Senator’s call for Rowe to resign comes after an independent review panel commissioned by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) released a report of major Secret Service failures at the Butler Rally in July where former President Trump was shot. 

    “The findings of the DHS review panel re: the Butler attempted assassination of Donald Trump are incredibly disturbing – and confirm what whistleblowers have repeatedly told me. It is clear now the current leadership of the USSS must go, and that begins with Acting Director Rowe,” wrote Senator Hawley. “The DHS review panel found error upon error, mistake upon mistake in Butler, almost all ultimately attributable to USSS leadership. Sadly, that failure of leadership has continued. I have lost any confidence in Director Rowe. He must resign & be replaced by someone outside USSS.” 

    In September, as part of his ongoing investigation into the July 13 Butler, Pa., rally, Senator Hawley unveiled a comprehensive whistleblower report, chronicling the Secret Service’s failures to protect former President Trump.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Justice Department Announces Charges Against Indian Government Employee in Connection with Foiled Plot to Assassinate U.S. Citizen in New York City

    Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

    Note: View the second unsealed superseding indictment here.

    The Justice Department today announced the filing of murder-for-hire and money laundering charges against Indian government employee, Vikash Yadav, 39, also known as Vikas, and Amanat, in connection with his role in directing a foiled plot to assassinate a U.S. citizen in New York City. Yadav is charged in a second superseding indictment unsealed today in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. Yadav’s alleged co-conspirator, Nikhil Gupta, 53, was previously charged and extradited to the United States on the charges contained in the first superseding indictment. Yadav remains at large.

    “The Justice Department will be relentless in holding accountable any person — regardless of their position or proximity to power — who seeks to harm and silence American citizens,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “As alleged, last year, we foiled an attempt by Vikash Yadav, an Indian government employee, and his co-conspirator, Nikhil Gupta, to assassinate an American citizen on U.S. soil.  Today’s charges demonstrate that the Justice Department will not tolerate attempts to target and endanger Americans and to undermine the rights to which every U.S. citizen is entitled.”

    “The defendant, an Indian government employee, allegedly conspired with a criminal associate and attempted to assassinate a U.S. citizen on American soil for exercising their First Amendment rights,” said FBI Director Christopher Wray. “The FBI will not tolerate acts of violence or other efforts to retaliate against those residing in the U.S. for exercising their constitutionally protected rights. We are committed to working with our partners to detect, disrupt, and hold accountable foreign nationals or others who seek to engage in such acts of transnational repression.”

    “Today’s charges are a grave example of the increase in lethal plotting and other forms of violent transnational repression targeting diaspora communities in the United States,” said Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen of the Justice Department’s National Security Division. “To the governments around the world who may be considering such criminal activity and to the communities they would target, let there be no doubt that the Department of Justice is committed to disrupting and exposing these plots and to holding the wrongful actors accountable no matter who they are or where they reside.”

    “DEA foiled this assassination attempt last year and has continued to trace this case back to an employee of the Indian government whom we charge was an orchestrator of this intricate murder-for-hire scheme. DEA did not relent, and today’s indictment names Vikash Yadav as an alleged mastermind,” said Administrator Anne Milgram of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). “We charge that Yadav, an employee of the Indian government, used his position of authority and access to confidential information to direct the attempted assassination of an outspoken critic of the Indian government here on U.S. soil. This case was led by the DEA New York Division’s Drug Enforcement Task Force, which is comprised of DEA, the New York State Police, and the New York City Police Department, and is a true testament to the tenacity and determination of our team.”

    “Last year, this office charged Nikhil Gupta for conspiring to assassinate a U.S. citizen of Indian origin on U.S. soil,” said U.S. Attorney Damian Williams. “But, as alleged, Gupta did not work alone. Today, we announce charges against an Indian government employee, Vikash Yadav, who orchestrated the plot from India and directed Gupta to hire a hitman to murder the victim. The right to exercise free speech is foundational to our democracy, and predicated on the notion that we can do so without fear of violence or reprisal, including from beyond our borders. Let this case be a warning to all those who would seek to harm and silence U.S. citizens: we will hold you accountable, no matter who and where you are.” 

    As alleged in the second superseding indictment and other public court documents, in 2023, Yadav, working together with others, including Gupta, in India, and elsewhere, directed a plot to assassinate on U.S. soil an attorney and political activist who is a U.S. citizen of Indian origin residing in New York City (the victim). The victim is a vocal critic of the Indian government and leads a U.S.-based organization that advocates for the secession of Punjab, a state in northern India that is home to a large population of Sikhs, an ethnoreligious minority group in India. The victim has publicly called for some or all of Punjab to secede from India and establish a Sikh sovereign state called Khalistan, and the Indian government has banned the victim and his separatist organization from India.

    During times relevant to the second superseding indictment, Yadav was employed by the Government of India’s Cabinet Secretariat, which houses Indian’s foreign intelligence service, the Research and Analysis Wing. Yadav has described his position as a “senior field officer” with responsibilities in “security management” and “intelligence.” Yadav also has referenced previously serving in India’s Central Reserve Police Force and receiving “officer[] training” in “battle craft” and “weapons.” Yadav is a citizen and resident of India, and he directed the plot to assassinate the Victim from India.

    In or about May 2023, Yadav recruited Gupta to orchestrate the assassination of the victim in the United States. Gupta is an Indian national who resided in India and has described his involvement in international narcotics and weapons trafficking in his communications with Yadav and others. At Yadav’s direction, Gupta contacted an individual whom Gupta believed to be a criminal associate, but who was in fact a confidential source (the CS) working with the DEA, for assistance in contracting a hitman to murder the victim in New York City. The CS introduced Gupta to a purported hitman, who was in fact a DEA undercover officer (the UC). Yadav subsequently agreed, in dealings brokered by Gupta, to pay the UC $100,000 to murder the victim. On or about June 9, 2023, Yadav and Gupta arranged for an associate to deliver $15,000 in cash to the UC as an advance payment for the murder. Yadav’s associate then delivered the $15,000 to the UC in Manhattan.

    In or about June 2023, in furtherance of the assassination plot, Yadav provided Gupta with personal information about the victim, including the victim’s home address in New York City, phone numbers associated with the victim, and details about the victim’s day-to-day conduct, which Gupta then passed to the UC. Yadav directed Gupta to provide regular updates on the progress of the assassination plot, which Gupta accomplished by forwarding to Yadav, among other things, surveillance photographs of the victim. Gupta directed the UC to carry out the murder as soon as possible, but Gupta also specifically instructed the UC not to commit the murder around the time of the Indian Prime Minister’s official state visit to the United States, which was scheduled to begin on or about June 20, 2023.

    On or about June 18, 2023, approximately two days before the Indian Prime Minister’s state visit to the United States, masked gunmen murdered Hardeep Singh Nijjar outside a Sikh temple in British Columbia, Canada. Nijjar was an associate of the victim, and, like the victim, was a leader of the Sikh separatist movement and an outspoken critic of the Indian government. On or about June 19, 2023, the day after the Nijjar murder, Gupta told the UC that Nijjar “was also the target” and “we have so many targets.” Gupta added that, in light of Nijjar’s murder, there was “now no need to wait” on killing the Victim. On or about June 20, 2023, Yadav sent Gupta a news article about the victim and messaged Gupta, “[i]t’s [a] priority now.”

    Yadav and Gupta of India have been charged with murder-for-hire, which carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison; conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire, which carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison; and conspiracy to commit money laundering, which carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

    The DEA New York Division and the FBI New York Field Office’s Counterintelligence Division are investigating the case, with valuable assistance provided by the DEA Special Operations Division, DEA Vienna Country Office, FBI Prague Country Office, Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs, and Czech Republic’s National Drug Headquarters.

    Assistant U.S. Attorneys Camille L. Fletcher, Ashley C. Nicolas, and Alexander Li for the Southern District of New York are prosecuting the case with assistance from Trial Attorney Christopher Cook of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section and Trial Attorney A.J. Dixon of the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section.

    An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Former Tennessee Mental Health Center Owner Charged with Employment Tax Crimes

    Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

    A federal grand jury in Nashville returned an indictment yesterday charging a former business owner with willfully failing to account for and pay over employment taxes to the IRS.

    According to the indictment, from at least 2011 through 2023, Mari Alexander, of Columbia, South Carolina, was the owner and president of Ross Behavioral Group, a mental health counseling center with multiple locations in middle Tennessee. Alexander controlled Ross Behavioral Group’s financial affairs and was responsible for withholding Social Security, Medicare and federal income taxes from employees’ wages and paying them over to the IRS. From at least 2015 through 2020, Alexander allegedly withheld these taxes from her employees’ wages, but did not fully pay the withheld taxes over to the IRS.

    Each year, from at least 2015 through 2020, Alexander allegedly issued IRS Forms W-2, Wage and Tax Statements and paystubs to the employees that showed taxes taken out of their pay, which falsely implied that the withheld taxes were paid over to the IRS.

    In total, Alexander is alleged to have caused a tax loss to the IRS of more than $1 million.

    Alexander is charged with 11 counts of willfully failing to account for and pay over employment taxes. If convicted, she faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison on each count. She also faces a period of supervised release, restitution and monetary penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

    Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Stuart M. Goldberg of the Justice Department’s Tax Division and Acting U.S. Attorney Thomas J. Jaworski for the Middle District of Tennessee made the announcement.

    IRS Criminal Investigation is investigating the case with assistance from the Social Security Administration’s Office of the Inspector General.

    Trial Attorney Ashley J. Stein of the Tax Division and Assistant U.S. Attorney Mitchell T. Galloway for the Middle District of Tennessee are prosecuting the case.

    An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. 

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Ottawa — Significant transnational organized crime group disrupted by RCMP, FBI and police across Canada and the Americas

    Source: Royal Canadian Mounted Police

    The RCMP and FBI worked together for over a year to target a Mexican Cartel-linked criminal network. This network has been moving large amounts of methamphetamine and cocaine from Central and South America via the United States to Canada and overseas. It also has been commissioning murders across North America, and laundering significant proceeds of crime.

    Enforcement action against the network began in Mexico earlier this month and continued this week with targeted arrests in Colombia, the United States, and Canada. These efforts are ongoing.

    The alleged leader of the network, Canadian Ryan Wedding, remains at large. He is wanted by the United States and Canada on separate charges.

    As part of FBI Operation GIANT SLALOM, US authorities indicted 16 people, including 10 Canadians, for a range of serious charges including drug trafficking, murder, conspiracy to murder and continuing a criminal enterprise.

    Four Canadians were arrested in Ontario this week by local Canadian law enforcement at the request of United States authorities, pending extradition. They were:

    • Hardeep Ratte
    • Gurpreet Singh
    • Rakhim Ibragimov
    • Malik Cunningham

    Three Canadian individuals were also arrested in the US:

    • Nahim Jorge Bonilla
    • Ranjit Singh Rowal
    • Iqbal Singh Virk

    A ninth Canadian, Andrew Clark, was arrested in Mexico by local authorities earlier this month as part of efforts against this network.

    A tenth Canadian, Gennadii Bilonog, remains at large.

    Along with the indictments, law enforcement seized over one tonne of drugs and collected evidence on numerous homicides and conspiracies to commit murder.

    RCMP Federal Policing worked closely with the FBI during the investigation and acted as a crucial link to Canadian law enforcement, including Niagara Regional Police, Ontario Provincial Police, Toronto Police Service and Peel Regional Police.

    This successful collaboration between the RCMP, the FBI, police in Canada, and overseas highlights the RCMP’s continued international and domestic efforts to reduce the harm to Canadians caused by global drug trafficking and violent crime. It is one example of the tireless work we do here in Canada and around the world everyday with our partners to tackle the threats we face and prevent transnational crime from hurting everyday Canadians and our allies. Our global efforts are yielding results that keep Canadians safe.

    Liam Price, Director General, International Special Services

    As the world becomes more interconnected, organized crime groups continue to evolve and expand internationally. Through collaborative efforts with the FBI, we have disrupted a major organized crime group. The actions taken during this operation will have positive impacts on the safety and security of our communities and citizens.

    Chief Superintendent Mathieu Bertrand, Director General, Serious and Organized Crime and Border Integrity

    Organized crime extends beyond borders and is constantly developing new ways to thwart the law. Partnerships, such as the one with the FBI, allow the RCMP to join forces to disrupt criminal activity.

    Appeal to the public

    Any member of the public with information on the whereabouts of Gennadii Bilonog is asked to call their local Police or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477

    Do you have information on the illegal activities of individuals or groups of individuals? Contact the RCMP or your local police department.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Press Gaggle by Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre and National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan En Route Berlin,  Germany

    US Senate News:

    Source: The White House
    2:15 P.M. EDT
    MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Okay.  So, I’m just going to get straight to it.  
    As you can see, I have the national security advisor, Jake Sullivan, here to talk to us about the trip but also the latest in the Middle East.
    Jake, the floor is yours. 
    MR. SULLIVAN:  So, I don’t know if you guys have heard because of the lack of Wi-Fi back here, but the IDF has confirmed the death of Yahya Sinwar, the Hamas leader, and I’ll come to that in just a moment. 
    But let me start by laying out what we hope to achieve over the course of the next 24 hours in Berlin.  This is the president’s first visit to Berlin as president, and he did not want his time in office to go by without going to the capital of one of — one of our most important partners and allies. 
    Germany is a core Ally in NATO, a core partner in the G7.  They’ve been a core player in the Allied response to Russia’s brutal invasion of Ukraine.  And the president is looking forward to having the opportunity to talk to the chancellor and other German officials about where we go from here in Ukraine; about developments in the Middle East, in Iran, Lebanon, Gaza, Israel; about how we align our respective approaches on the PRC; about how we align our industrial and innovation strategies; about artificial intelligence and the clean energy transition. 
    He will also have the opportunity to meet with the prime minister of the UK and president of France.  The four leaders — Germany, France, UK, U.S. — will sit together to particularly focus on two issues.
    One, the war in Ukraine and the pathway ahead, particularly in light of the fact that they’ve all had the opportunity to engage in person with President Zelenskyy over the course of the last few weeks and heard from him about where he sees things going.  So, this is an opportunity to consult on that.
    And then, second, to talk about the ongoing and fast-moving developments across the Middle East region.
    The president will see President Steinmeier.  He’ll spend one-on-one time with Chancellor Scholz.  He’ll spend time with his delegation — with Chancellor Scholz and his delegation. 
    And then, of course, there’ll be this meeting among the four leaders in the afternoon, and there’ll be an opportunity for press statements with the chancellor and the president. 
    So, that’s the plan for tomorrow.
    Of course, this comes against the backdrop of a pretty significant — very significant day in the Middle East, and that is that Yahya Sinwar has been taken off the battlefield.  This is a murderous terrorist responsible for the worst massacre of Jews since the Holocaust.  He has a lot of blood on his hands — Israeli blood, American blood, Palestinian blood — and the world is better now that he’s gone. 
    President Biden has just put out a written statement sharing his thoughts and reactions to the death of Sinwar, and he looks forward to the opportunity soon, perhaps very shortly, to speak to Prime Minister Netanyahu to congratulate the IDF and the brave Israeli soldiers and security professionals who carried out the operation that killed Sinwar but also to talk about the way forward, because Sinwar was a massive obstacle to peace and the day after in Gaza.  And now that that obstacle has been removed, President Biden looks forward to talking to Prime Minister Netanyahu about how we secure the return of the hostages, an end to the war, and a move to the day after in Gaza — a Gaza where Hamas is no longer in power or control. 
    So they’ll have the opportunity to have an initial conversation about that, but this truly is an opportunity we need to seize together to bring about a better day for the people of Gaza, the people of Israel, the people of the whole region.  And the United States is committed to doing everything in our power to help contribute to that. 
    Last thing I will say is that from shortly after October 7th, President Biden dispatched special operations personnel and intelligence professionals to Israel to work side by side with their Israeli counterparts in the hunt for Hamas leaders, including Sinwar, and it was with American intelligence help that many of these leaders, including Sinwar, were hunted and tracked, were flushed out of their hiding places, and put on the run.  And, ultimately, this is a credit to the IDF for taking out Sinwar over the course of the last hours and days, but we’re proud of the support that the United States has given to the IDF all along the way. 
    So, with that, I’d be happy to take your questions.
    Q    Jake —
    Q    Can you say anything — well, go ahead.  I’m sorry. 
    Q    Jake, thanks so much for doing this.  You kind of implied that Sinwar had been an obstacle to hostage release and ceasefire.  How big an obstacle is that?  And does this give you additional hope now of a ceasefire and possibly a hostage release?  How should we process this?
    MR. SULLIVAN:  I didn’t just imply it; I stated it explicitly. 
    At various points along the way, Sinwar was more interested in causing mayhem and chaos and death than in actually trying to achieve a ceasefire and hostage deal.  And we repeatedly saw moments where it was him, in particular, who stood in the way of making progress towards a ceasefire and hostage deal.  Now, there were other obstacles too along the way, but he was certainly a critical one. 
    And, yes, I think his removal from the battlefield does present an opportunity to find a way forward that gets the hostages home, brings the war to an end, brings us to a day after.  That’s something we’re going to have to talk about with our Israeli counterparts.
    Of course, there are still other Hamas actors who need to be brought to justice, and there are hostages, including Americans, being held by terrorists.  We’re going to have to deal with all of that, but we believe there is a renewed opportunity right now that we would like to seize.
    Yeah.
    Q    Do you assess this as being the cutting off of the head of the Hydra, or what — what’s your assessment of Hamas’ capabilities from now on?  Is there going to be a mop up?  And what — what would you recommend the Israelis do?
    MR. SULLIVAN:  Sinwar was a critical figure operationally, militarily, and politically for Hamas.  He had, in fact, consolidated control of both the political and military wing under his singular leadership in — in recent weeks and months.  And so, this is a very significant event.
    But what exactly it means for the future of Hamas as an organization, it’s early days yet.  We will have to see.
    What we do know is that the broad military structure, the battalions of Hamas have been systematically dismantled.  We do know that Hamas does not pose the kind of threat to Israel that it posed on October 7th or anything close to it.  We also know that there are still Hamas terrorists wielding guns and holding hostages and harboring a desire to continue to attack Israel and attack others. 
    And so, we’re going to have to sort through all of that.  But this is an incredibly significant blow to Hamas.  It is the removal of someone who, as I said, was unique in the consolidation of the control of the Hamas apparatus under his command.  And now we will have to work to ensure that his death actually does deal the kind of long-term blow to Hamas that all of us would like to see.
    Q    Can you give —
    Q    Do you get the sense that Netanyahu is done now, that he’s — he’s reached his objectives?  You just laid out the decimation of Hamas — 
    MR. SULLIVAN:  No, his critical objective that — has not been reached.  That objective is the return of the hostages, including American hostages.  So, from the United States’ perspective, we now need to work with Israel, with Qatar and Egypt, with others — and this is something we’ll discuss with our European partners as well — to secure the release of those hostages.  We’d like to see that happen.
    Q    You referenced U.S. intel.  To what extent did that play a role in this particular operation? 
    MR. SULLIVAN:  This operation was an IDF operation.  I’m not here to overclaim or — or try to take credits for something where the credit belongs to them. 
    But the Americans — the special operations personnel, the intelligence professionals — they also deserve our thanks for the work that they did alongside the IDF over the course of many months to help create the kind of counterterrorism pressure in Gaza that put a lot of these guys on the run.  And Sinwar was plainly on the run (inaudible).
    Q    Earlier this — earlier this week, Secretary Blinken and Secretary Austin sent letters to their counterparts threatening legal action if the humanitari- — humanitarian situation in Gaza doesn’t improve.  Can you give us a sense of what that legal option would be and if there are any deadlines or specific actions that the president will raise with Prime Minister Netanyahu about that today?
    MR. SULLIVAN:  The letter speaks for itself.  I think a lot of the headlines were breathless and overblown.  We have had an ongoing dialogue with Israel for months now about improving the humanitarian situation.  We have had previous communications that looked quite similar and that generated positive momentum towards opening crossings and getting more aid in.  We’ve had, actually, constructive back-and-forth with our Israeli counterparts over the last few days in response to our requests, and we expect that we’ll see progress on the ground. 
    One thing that has unfolded this week is — is the reopening of some of the crossings that had been closed in the north and trucks going in.  We need to see that sustained and expanded as we go forward, among the other requests in that letter. 
    But I’d — and I’d — just the other point I would make here is that it’s — it was a private diplomatic communication.  It was a serious, substantive laydown.  It’s part of our ongoing work and partnership with Israel.  And having it all out there in the open, leaked in the way that it was, I think, was highly unfortunate.  And I’ll leave it at that.
    Q    Can you give us a sense of what the president will say in this conversation with Netanyahu?  Will he push for an accelerated timeline for a ceasefire?  Will he say, you
    know, kind of, “Now you achieved the main direct- — main objective and we should move forward on — on other things,” or push for humanitarian aid?
    MR. SULLIVAN:  I’m going to let the president speak to the prime minister before I preview what he’s going to say in the press on the record, but we’ll try to give you a good sense of both what the president is thinking and what he’s communicating to the prime minister at the appropriate time.
    Q    To — to what extent do you think this success with Sinwar might embolden Netanyahu when it comes to retaliating against Iran?  Or do you see them as totally unrelated?  And what are your conversations right now with them in terms of restraint — or whatever you want to call it — when the president has thoughts about what the target should be when they hit back?
    MR. SULLIVAN:  We’ve had very constructive communications with the Israelis about how they’re thinking about responding to the attack on October 1st.  Those conversations will continue. 
    I can’t speculate as to the psychology of the prime minister based on what happened today.  What I can say is that the logic of deterrence, the logic of a response to a salvo of 200 ballistic missiles — nothing in the Middle East is unrelated, but that is a distinct logic from the killing of Sinwar today.
    Q    Jake, going back to the trip.  What message will President Biden give his fellow leaders about America’s place in the world, given the uncertainty around our upcoming election?
    MR. SULLIVAN:  Say that again.
    Q    What reassurance will President Biden give his fellow leaders about America’s place in the world, given the uncertainty about our upcoming presidential election?
    MR. SULLIVAN:  What President Biden can do is what he’s done for four years, which is lay out his vision of America’s place in the world and point the way forward based on what he thinks are in America’s national security interests and in the interests of our close allies. 
    Beyond that, he can’t speak for anyone else and doesn’t intend to.
    Q    Is there any —
    Q    Does this change your calculus on whether Israel can come to the table on a ceasefire by the end of the year?
    MR. SULLIVAN:  I’m sorry?
    Q    Your calculus on whether a ceasefire could be reached by the end of the year.
    MR. SULLIVAN:  I have long since given up on making predictions or drawing timelines.  All I can say is that we see an opportunity now that we want to seize to try to secure the release of the hostages, and we’re going to work at that as rapidly as we possibly can.
    Q    Give- — given the situation, would the president reconsider possibly holding a press conference during his time in Berlin?  It would be good to hear from him firsthand on how he thinks about this and the situation in Ukraine. 
    MR. SULLIVAN:  I will note for the record there are heads nodding.  (Laughter.)  I’ll also note for the record that that is a really fascinating way to bring the press into the middle of a world historical event.  So — (laughter) — and I’ll leave it at that.
    Q    I’ll follow up on that.  The president talks about democracy as being a key part of his administration, of his vision for America that you just referenced.  Why would he not take questions from the press at what was originally going to be a state visit to Germany?  I don’t understand.
    MR. SULLIVAN:  It’s fascinating how you guys can — (laughs) — make this the story.
    Q    It’s not the story.  It’s just a question. 
    MR. SULLVIAN:  I mean, honestly, I think invoking democracy and suggesting that President Biden is somehow insufficiently committed to it because of the structure of his press engagement on one day in Germany is a bit ludicrous. 
    Q    I can ask a Germany question.  So, a lot of the moves that President Biden has made both domestically and internationally have been characterized as “Trump-proofing” the — the, you know, U.S. government for a future Trump presidency. 
    How do you feel about that characterization?  I’m talking about moves like bringing NATO under — forgive me, it’s too complicated to explain, but you know what I’m talking about. 
    So, do you think he’s Trump-proofing?
    MR. SULLIVAN:  I — I don’t like characterizations like that because they’re inherently political.
    Q    So, what is he doing, then?
    MR. SULLIVAN:  What the president is trying to do is to make our commitment to Ukraine sustainable and institutionalized for the long term.  And every other ally agreed that that was the responsible thing to do. 
    The la- —
    Q    (Inaudible) necessarily reduced U.S. role, is that the idea?
    MR. SULLIVAN:  Not at all.  The basic logic was what the president laid out at the Washington Summit this summer, which is the communiqué said Ukraine’s place, Ukraine’s future, is in NATO.  There is work to do to get from here to there, including reforms and security conditions being met. 
    So, the question is, how do you build a bridge from where we are now to Ukraine’s eventual membership in NATO?  And the answer to that question was the set of deliverables in Washington, including the institutionalization of the security support apparatus for Ukraine.  That is what we were trying to accomplish, and that’s what we believe we did accomplish.
    Q    Jake, on Iran.  Can you confirm and elaborate on reporting that President Biden directed the NSC to warn Iran that any attempt on President Trump’s life would be seen as an act of war?
    MR. SULLIVAN:  I will tell you that President Biden has taken this issue with the utmost seriousness.  He asked to be updated on it regularly.  He gives us direction for how to respond to it regularly and in a very serious and consequential way.  We are following his directives and implementing them.  And I’m not going to get into specifics on what that looks like.
    Q    Jake, what about these reports that President Trump and President Putin have had seven conversations?  Are you worried about this?  Are you worried about any sort of backdoor conversations President Trump is having with leaders?
    MR. SULLIVAN:  I do not know if that’s true or not, but obviously that would raise red flags if it were true. 
    Q    Another one on — since you just said Putin.  There’s been reporting in Germany that Chancellor Scholz said he would be open to speaking with President Putin ahead of the G20 if asked — sort of various ways he said it.  Have you guys talked about this?  Has he told President Biden about this?  Do you think this would be a good idea to do a leader-level conversation with President Putin at this time?
    MR. SULLIVAN:  That has not come up between the chancellor and the president.  You know, I was just in Germany at the end of last week with my German counterpart.  That — the question of a call to Putin didn’t come up.  So, I think that’s a question better put to the chancellor. 
    Q    The official who briefed us yesterday about the Germany trip on the — on the phone mentioned that the Ramstein meeting would be rescheduled.  Does that mean the president will be going back to Ramstein at some point, or what — what did that mean?
    MR. SULLIVAN:  We will hold a leaders-level Ramstein meeting virtually in November.
    Q    One more.  On the frozen assets deal — the Russian frozen assets.  What’s the progress on that there?  I assume this comes up in the conversations.  Is there a plan B if the EU doesn’t figure out a sanctions regime?
    MR. SULLIVAN:  I’m feeling very good about the progress that we’ve made on the G7 commitment to mobilize $50 billion from the proceeds of the Russian sovereign assets by the end of the year.  We intend to meet that commitment, and we intend to make a contribution — the United States.  The EU, obviously, has announced that it’s prepared to make a contribution.  So are other partners.  So, from my perspective, at this point, everything is on track. 
    Q    Is there any update on when the president might talk to President Xi?
    MR. SULLIVAN:  No.
    Thank you, guys. 
    Q    Thank you.
    Q    Who you — wait, who are you rooting for in the playoffs, World Series?
    MR. SULLIVAN:  I’m a Minnesota Twins fan, so I can’t root for the Guardians, but I definitely can’t root for the Yankees.
    I don’t know.
    Q    What about the Dodgers and Mets?
    MR. SULLIVAN:  Yeah, I’m watching, but actually I don’t — I’ve not clearly determined who I’d prefer to win.  But, yeah, Dodgers or Mets. 
    Q    Can you swing back and talk to us off the record later?
    MR. SULLIVAN:  Sure. 
    Q    Great.
    Q    Thanks.
    MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  I don’t know.  Is there any real thing — anything else to discuss?  Let me t- —
    Q    The only thing I would say is we disagree with the suggestion that democracy and speaking — and taking questions from the press is “ludicrous.” 
    MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  All right.  Noted.
    Q    I would argue that our stories allow the president to have a relationship with the world, not just with other leaders, and the ability to talk openly will help that. 
    MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  All right.  Noted.  Noted. 
    Let’s move on.
    So, just want to talk about an announcement.  This is domestic, obviously, going to go to the — to that space.  I just wanted to touch on an announcement very quickly.
    And so, today, the Biden-Harris administration announced an additional $4.5 billion in student debt cancelation for over 60,000 public service workers, bringing the total number of public — of public service workers who have had their student debt canceled under the Biden-Harris administration to over 1 million people. 
    One such example is Kelly, a kindergarten teacher in Rhode Island, who had been paying off her student loans for a decade.  After the student let her know that her debt had been canceled, she tol- — after the president, pardon me — she told us that after 12 years of marriage, she might be able to take the honeymoon she never had.
    The president — the president’s administration made it a priority to fix the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program.  Prior to our administration, only 7,000 public service workers had received relief since the program was established in 2007. 
    Thanks to the work of the Biden-Harris administration, as of today, 1 million teachers, nurses, firefighters, service members, first resp- — responders, and — and more who — who pursued careers in public service have gotten the relief they deserve. 
    The relief brings the total loan forgiveness approved by the Biden-Harris administration — administration to over $175 billion for nearly 5 million Americans.  And while — meanwhile, our Republicans elected officials have repeatedly attempted to block student debt relief. 
    President Biden and Vice President Harris remain committed to making education affordable for all Americans. 
    With that, what else do you guys have for me?
    Q    I have a question. 
    MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Sure.
    Q    Did President Biden talk to Vice President Harris ahead of this trip to see if she had any message for the world leaders or to get her input on what the situation should be going forward? 
    MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  As you know, the president and the vice president talk regularly.  I don’t have a specific call to — to read out, but I think you can see the last almost four years of the — what we’ve been able to do, what the president has been able to do on the world stage, certainly has been in partnership with the vice president.  I know that she supports his trip and everything that he’s — he’s trying to do tomorrow in the — in the short trip that we have in — in Germany.
    I just don’t have anything to read out as a call specifically on this trip.
    Q    Is the president or the administration facing pressure from allies to get something done after the election but before he is out of office?  There’s been some talks that Zelenskyy — you know, whether that’s accelerating a push for Ukraine into NATO or — or other funding things for Ukraine?
    MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Well, you’re talking about the victory plan.  Certainly, I’m going to let the Ukr- — Ukrainians speak to their victory plan as it relates to that question about NATO. 
    Look, I think — I think what you have seen from this president, from this administration — obviously, including the vice president — is how much we have stand behind — next to, if you will — with Ukrainians and how they’re trying to beat back the aggression that we’ve seen from Russia.  And you have not just seen us standing there.  You’ve seen this president take action, and — which is why you see NATO much stronger than it was, and that’s why you see 50 countries have gotten behind Ukraine.  And you heard us — you heard us lay out yesterday an additional assistance package that we have provided to Ukrainians. 
    And so, we’re going to have to continue — we’re going to continue having conversations with the Ukrainians on what they need on the battlefield and how else we can be helpful to them. 
    As it relates to their victory plan — as it relates to what’s next, I’m certainly going to let the Ukrainians speak directly about that. 
    Obviously, the president has had a conversation with the president, President Zelenskyy, on that plan.  I just don’t have anything beyond that, and I’m not — certainly, I’m not going to get into hypotheticals from here. 
    Q    The president at the funeral yesterday had a — what looked like a spirited conversation with former President Obama.  Did you talk to him about what they discussed?
    MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  No, it’s been kind of busy the last couple hours on the plane, as you can imagine. 
    Look, I’ll — I’ll say this.  The president really very much looked — appreciated being there at the — at the funeral of Ethel Kennedy, who he saw as someone who was incredible and had a — was an incredible force, obviously, in her life, during her — her years.  And what he wanted to do is — was to lift up — lift her up and speak to her accomplishment and what she meant to him — not just to him but to her family and to the country.  So, he appreciated doing that. 
    And we have said many times the president and — and president — and former President Biden [Obama] — they have a very close relationship.  They’ve had one for a long time, obviously, as he served as his vice president.
    I don’t have anything else to — to share on that.  I have not had this conversation with the president.  Obviously, we’ve been pretty busy these past couple of hours on the plane. 
    Q    Do you know if the president was able to watch any of the Fox News interview that Vice President Harris did?  And does —
    MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Yes, he —
    Q    — did he talk to you about how — how she did? 
    MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Yeah, he was able to — to catch that.  And he saw her performance, her interview as strong.  And I think what you saw and what — and this is what he believes — is that you saw why Americans and people want to see her continuing to fight for them.  And that’s what he saw last night.  That’s what we all saw — many of us saw.  So, I think she was strong and incredibly impressive in that interview. 
    Q    Karine, does the president believe that his vice president would be a markedly different leader?
    MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  I mean, look, he talked about this on Tuesday when he was in Philly, and he — and I talked a little bit about this as well, just reit- — really reiterating what the president shared, which is that, look, she’s going to be essentially her own person, right?  She is going to have her own direction, her own view of how to move forward. 
    And he did that, right?  He was loyal to President Obama when he was vice president, but he cut his own path.  And so, that’s what he expects from the vice president to do. 
    So, nothing — nothing new.  That’s what he expects her to do — to have her own path, to have — to build on — certainly, to build on the economic successes that we have seen and continuing the — the work that we’ve been able to do. 
    But she’s going to cut her own path.  He was very clear about that a couple days ago.
    Q    Karine —
    Q    But on student loans — you talked about the PSLF 1 million, a huge achievement for those borrowers — what’s your message for the other 40 million-plus borrowers who’ve been caught up in a lot of legal limbo over the past three years?
    MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Look, I’ll — I’ll say this.  You know, I’m not going to speak to the legal — the legal components of this.  There are legal matters that are happening, so they are ongoing.  So, I’m not going to speak to that. 
    But I think what you can take away from what this president has — trying to do, when Republicans have continued to block him, in promising to give Americans a little bit of breathing room, to make sure that Americans who have — borrows [borrowers] who have loans and — and are squeezed by those loans are not able to, you know, buy a home, start a family.
    The president was very attuned to that and very clear that he wanted to give them an opportunity — an opportunity to really, you know, be able to — to start that life that they wanted.  And so, he’s been trying to do that, even though he’s been blocked and — and Republicans have gotten in the way. 
    I think you can see over the past — certainly, the past six months, the president continuing to try to take actions to — to make sure he kept his commitment to Americans who, again, need a little bit of breathing room.
    So, I’m not going to speak to the legal matter, but I think this announcement today shows his commitment to public service workers, right?  I talked about firefighters, nurses.  I talked about police officers, who put so much on the line, who give so much for — for everybody, for folks who need their assistance and their help, and wanted to give them that opportunity to really be able to — to move on economically in what they want to accomplish for themselves and for their family.
    All right.  Anything else?
    Q    On the —
    Q    So —
    Q    Sorry.  Go ahead.
    Q    Sorry.
    Now going back to the funeral for a minute.  Did he speak with Speaker Emeritus Pelosi?  And also, she was not seen at the Italian American celebration, when she’s been front and center in the past.  Was she not invited?
    MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  I — I don’t have anything to share with you on that.  I didn’t talk to the president about that at all.  But what you saw — obviously, you saw the president and the former president, Pres- — President Obama, connect, have a moment together.  The president m- — very much looked forward to that.  I just don’t have anything on Nancy Pelosi.
    Q    Just —
    Q    I noticed he didn’t recognize her when he recognized the other two presidents at the funeral.
    MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Well, he wanted it — I can say this.  He wanted it to be, you know — to — to be very focused on the family.  He wanted it to be, you know, brief and — and very poignant.  And that’s what his focus was yesterday on his remarks.
    Q    On the trip.  Obviously, this is a abbreviated agenda from, you know, the Ramstein summit —
    MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Yeah.
    Q    — and other things.
    MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Yeah.
    Q    But can you explain to us, what’s the reason that it’s so short?  Why do we have to get out of Germany at 4:00 p.m. tomorrow?  Is there a reason on the German chancellor’s schedule why we have to —
    MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  So, I mean —
    Q    Regardless of the press conference, there was also talk about maybe doing a Holocaust memorial situation.  What’s —
    MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  No, I totally understand what — totally — as you — let’s step back for a second. 
    The reason that the president had to postpone his trip was because Hurricane Milton was coming, and it was — it was forecast to be a historical hurricane, and the president wanted to be in the States to deal with the response and what was needed, certainly, by the impacted region, for what folks on the ground really needed.
    And so, that’s why we postponed the trip.  We said that we wanted to certainly get that back on the books.  We were able to do it — to your point, a truncated version, but it is a robust schedule.  And we were able to work with the Germans and to be able to get done what we can on this trip.
    I mean, the president has a busy schedule.  He does.  There’s a lot going on in the next couple days, couple weeks.
    Q    But he has to get back to the States for something in particular —
    MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  I mean, we’ll —
    Q    — that we don’t know about?
    MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  We’re certainly going to share with you what the — his — the next couple of days of his schedule is going to look like.  But he wanted to — and I said this yesterday in the briefing room.  He wanted to thank the chancellor for his partnership, for his leadership as well with Ukraine.  Outside of the U.S., U- — the U- — German is the second — have provided the second-most resources, assistance to Ukrainians.
    And so, he wanted to be, you know, thankful to him.  And so, that’s what you’re seeing on this trip.  He wanted to make this happen.  He asked his team to make this trip happen.
    And so, look, we have a busy schedule.  We got a lot going on in next couple of days, next couple of weeks.  And so, we tried to fit this in, and this is what we were able to do in working with the German government as well to make this happen.
    Q    Does the president, as the election hits its final two weeks, expect to get more aggressive in outreach and participation?  Is that maybe what you’re referencing, or what’s his thinking on that?
    MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  So, you know I can’t speak to political trips or any- —
    Q    But if —
    MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  But wa- —
    Q    — you could speak on his schedule.
    MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Well, I — I’m just — want to get that out of there.  And so, look, the president is certainly looking at — looking forward to being out there and supporting the vice president.
    I just want to be super mindful.  But he will — you’ll see him — you’ll see him hit the road.  You’ll see him hit the road, for sure.
    That’s all I got. 
    All right.  Thanks, everybody.  Sorry my voice is a little hoarse.
    Q    Thanks, Karine.
    MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Thanks, everybody.
    2:45 P.M. EDT

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Florida Woman Pleads Guilty to Conspiring to Prepare Fraudulent Loan Applications Totaling More Than $400,000

    Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) State Crime News

    MIAMI – On Oct. 15, Lakeisha Black a/k/a/ “Lakeisha Pierce,” pled guilty in federal court in Fort Lauderdale to conspiracy to make false statements to the Small Business Administration in connection with myriad fraudulent Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans.

    From July 2020 through June 2021, Black charged between $2,000 and $6,000 to prepare fraudulent PPP loans for at least 14 other individuals, including three former Broward County Sheriff’s Office deputies, who all previously pleaded guilty to the conspiracy in separate cases and have been sentenced. In total, Black is responsible for over $400,000 in fraudulent PPP loans. 

    The sentencing is scheduled for Jan. 7, 2025, before U.S. District Judge Rodney Smith. Black faces up to 5 years in prison for the conspiracy. The court will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

    U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida Markenzy Lapointe; Special Agent in Charge Brian Tucker, Eastern Region, Office of Inspector General for the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau;  Special Agent in Charge Darrin K. Jones of the Department of Defense Office of Inspector General, Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS), Southeast Field Office; Sheriff Gregory Tony of Broward Sheriff’s Office (BSO), and Special Agent in Charge Jeffrey B. Veltri of FBI, Miami Field Office, made the announcement.

    FRB-OIG, DCIS, BSO, and FBI Miami investigated this case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Latoya C. Brown and Trevor C. Jones are prosecuting it.

    On May 17, 2021, the Attorney General established the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force to marshal the resources of the Department of Justice in partnership with agencies across government to enhance efforts to combat and prevent pandemic-related fraud. The Task Force bolsters efforts to investigate and prosecute the most culpable domestic and international criminal actors and assists agencies tasked with administering relief programs to prevent fraud by, among other methods, augmenting and incorporating existing coordination mechanisms, identifying resources and techniques to uncover fraudulent actors and their schemes, and sharing and harnessing information and insights gained from prior enforcement efforts. For more information on the department’s response to the pandemic, please visit https://www.justice.gov/coronavirus.

    On September 15, 2022, the Attorney General selected the Southern District of Florida’s U.S. Attorney’s Office to head one of three national COVID-19 Fraud Strike Force Teams. The Department of Justice established the Strike Force to enhance existing efforts to combat and prevent COVID-19 related financial fraud.  The Strike Force combines law enforcement and prosecutorial resources and focuses on large-scale, multistate pandemic relief fraud perpetrated by criminal organizations and transnational actors, as well as those who committed multiple instances of pandemic relief fraud. The Strike Force uses prosecutor-led and data analyst-driven teams to identify and bring to justice those who stole pandemic relief funds. Additional information regarding the Strike Force may be found at https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justice-department-announces-covid-19-fraud-strike-force-teams.

    Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline at 866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.

    Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at http://www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov, under case number 24-cr-60137.

    ###

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Coast Guard, locals search for 66-year-old man near Lake Chien, La.

    Source: United States Coast Guard

    News Release  

    U.S. Coast Guard 8th District Heartland
    Contact: 8th District Public Affairs
    Office: 504-671-2020
    After Hours: 618-225-9008
    Eighth District online newsroom

     

    Port conditions change based on weather forecasts, and current port conditions can be viewed on the following Coast Guard homeport webpages:

    For more information follow us on Facebook and Twitter.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Combined planning conference held at Scott AFB for exercise series next Summer

    Source: United States INDO PACIFIC COMMAND

    SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE, Illinois  –  

    Over 300 planners from seven nations, four services, and across multiple commands, came together last week for a Combined Mid-Planning Conference co-sponsored by Headquarters Air Force and United States Transportation Command, Sept 30-Oct 4 at Scott AFB, Illinois.

    The 5-day planning event focused on operational-level planning, integration, interoperability, Joint movement, maneuver, and sustainment, and aligned a host of supporting functions for Air Mobility Command’s Exercise Mobility Guardian 25, as part of USTRANSCOM’s Ultimate Distribution 25, and aligned with Pacific Air Forces’ inaugural Resolute Force Pacific and the Department of the Air Force exercise planned to execute next summer in the Pacific.

    The combined planning conference was also an opportunity to consolidate, prioritize, and understand desired training objectives across the various exercises scheduled to execute simultaneously in the region, including MG25, REFORPAC and several others.

    This new Department-Level Exercise series provides a unique training opportunity for the United States and participating nations to exercise distributed operations and showcase the ability to deliver credible combat air and space power at speed and scale across the Pacific.

    Lt. Gen. Jered Helwig, USTRANSCOM Deputy Commander, and Maj. Gen. Gerald Donohue, AMC Operations, Strategic Deterrence and Nuclear Integration director welcomed participants to the planning event.

    Donohue referred to next summer’s exercise campaign as a “family of nested exercises.”

    “People traveled far and wide for this conference to work through a variety of challenges to ensure we build capacity for effect,” Donohue stated. “This exercise has grown from a singular, service-level exercise to what it is now – a combined, joint effort, and we couldn’t do it without the broad participation in the room.”

    Helwig encouraged the crowd to take lessons learned from Mobility Guardian 23 and continue to build to achieve an increased level of joint integration and interoperability among allies and partners.

    “We’ve been given a rare opportunity to train a warfighting function (logistics and sustainment) traditionally seen as the administrative piece,” Helwig stated. The general outlined that the exercise is intended to answer a question, “How do we synchronize in a meaningful way for our joint service and Allies and Partners?”

    With synchronization on the mind, participants broke into multiple working groups to tackle various problem sets and discuss topics ranging from command relationships, aeromedical evacuation, basing and bed down locations, to everything in the scope of flying, fixing, and supporting at an expanded scale.

    “This is the first large-scale international exercise planning conference I’ve been involved in, so it’s been a real pleasure to come down here and work with the United States and the other allied nations and partners,” said Lt Justin Vandenberghe, a Public Affairs Officer for the Canadian Joint Operations Command in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. “It has been very complex in terms of understanding all the moving parts that are going into the combined exercises, not just Mobility Guardian. It’s a really good experience seeing how we can come together and work on complex problem sets and come to understand how we’re going to execute this mission during the exercise.”

    The conference was also a first for Senior Airman Jisselle Metzdorf, Air Combat Command logistics planner.

    She said she was grateful for the opportunity to show what mobility provides to the joint force and to learn from her mistakes and be an example for her peers.

    “The way I see it, logistics planners are part of a bigger mission,” she said. “Airmen in my career field are really scared to make mistakes because if they make mistakes, the whole mission could fail… but my takeaway from this [conference] is that’s how you learn and grow. I feel like the experiences I’ve had really pushed me to this vision of myself that I need to have to ensure my wingmen are being cared for.”

    As a logistics planner, Metzdorf and her counterparts were focused on building a consolidated operational approach to enable agile logistics and maneuver under contested conditions.

    C-17s from the Air National Guard are among the aircraft that plan to test their ability to demonstrate logistics architecture in the region in concert with allies and partners.

    Lt. Col. Shane O’Neill, ANG lead C-17 planner and Total Force partner, explained how the Guard mentality and construct continues to change to meet the demands of the current operating environment.

    “The Air National Guard is being utilized much more than 10-15 years ago, and not just for backfill to supplement when active duty gets deployed. Now we are completely integrating with active-duty units and doing things just like any other unit would,” O’Neill said.

    The conference ended with an out brief to USINDOPACOM, USTRANSCOM, HAF, PACAF, and AMC senior leaders who thanked the planners for their dedication and collective effort toward ensuring the DAF remains a trusted and credible partner in the Indo-Pacific region.

    Lt. Gen. Rebecca Sonkiss, AMC deputy commander, expressed excitement and concurrence on the way ahead.

    “This is exactly where we need to be. We must maneuver the joint force, our Allies and Partners, and all those who depend on us simultaneously,” she stated. “It’s amazing to see the interoperability that has been woven into the planning efforts, and I’m really excited to see it come to fruition next summer.”

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: New Orleans Man Guilty of Federal Drug and Weapons Violations

    Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) State Crime Alerts (b)

    NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – GEOURVON SEARS (“SEARS”), age 27, of New Orleans, pleaded guilty on October 10, 2024 before Chief U.S. District Judge Nannette Jolivette Brown to Possession with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine, Tapentadol, and Marijuana, in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Sections 841(a)(1), 841(b)(1)(C), and 841(b)(1)(D), and Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Crime, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 924(c)(1)(A)(i).

    According to court documents, on June 6, 2024, New Orleans Police Department officers executed a search warrant at SEARS’s residence and recovered his backpack, containing methamphetamine, tapentadol, and marijuana, that SEARS intended to sell.  Officers also recovered two loaded firearms—a Romarm/Cugir Model Mini Draco semi-automatic pistol and a Norinco Model SKS rifle—that SEARS possessed, in furtherance of his possession with intent to distribute those controlled substances.

    As to his drug trafficking conviction, SEARS faces up to 20 years in prison, up to a $1,000,000 fine, and at least three years of supervised release.  As to his conviction for possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, he faces a mandatory minimum sentence of five years up to life in prison, which is to run consecutively to all other sentences, up to a $250,000 fine, and up to five years of supervised release.  Each count also carries a mandatory special assessment fee of $100.

    This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone.  On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.

    The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the New Orleans Police Department.  It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney David Berman of the Violent Crime Unit.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Alleged Members of Potomac Gardens Drug Trafficking Conspiracy Arrested and Charged with Distributing Fentanyl, Cocaine, and Methamphetamine

    Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) State Crime Alerts (b)

                WASHINGTON – This morning, six people were arrested on charges connected to a wide-ranging conspiracy to distribute fentanyl, cocaine base, cocaine, and methamphetamine, in the Potomac Gardens Housing Project in Southeast Washington D.C., announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and FBI Acting Special Agent in Charge David Geist of the Washington Field Office.  

               Arrested were Robert Hunt, 40, Garrett Isley, 42, Maurice Tutt, 50, Vera Jackson, 74, all of Washington, D.C., Michael Augment, 36, of Lorton, Virginia, and Lawrence Smith, 54, of Fairfax, Virginia. Each made their initial appearance this afternoon in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. 

         “This is the latest federal indictment charging a D.C.-based crew with narcotics and firearms offenses” said U.S. Attorney Graves. “Drug trafficking operations, like the one alleged in the indictment, not only peddle poison, but they are also magnets for gun violence.  We will continue to aggressively prosecute these crews that are undermining community safety.”

              “Fentanyl, cocaine, and methamphetamine have no place in our community,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge Geist. “Today’s arrests stem from a yearslong investigation by the FBI and our law enforcement partners and mark a step forward in our efforts to reduce drug trafficking in the nation’s capital.”

               The multi-agency law enforcement operation included members of the FBI’s Washington Field Office, the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD), the Montgomery County Police Department (MCPD), District of Columbia Housing Authority Police, Virginia State Police, and Fairfax County and City police departments.   

               According to the indictment, between January and October of 2024, the defendants engaged in a conspiracy to distribute narcotics in and around the District of Columbia. It is further alleged that Hunt unlawfully distributed fentanyl and carried a gun in furtherance of drug trafficking. Isley is charged with unlawful possession with intent to distribute fentanyl, cocaine, cocaine base, and methamphetamine.

               The indictment arises from a long-term investigation by the FBI, MPD, and the Montgomery County Police Department (MCPD) into drug and firearms trafficking in Potomac Gardens. In December 2023, MCPD learned that defendant Hunt regularly was selling fentanyl from an apartment in the housing complex.  An undercover officer (UC) purchased narcotics, in particular fentanyl, from Hunt. Hunt initially used “runners” to deliver the narcotics to the UC. However, after a few buys, Hunt began to deal directly with the undercover officer. From approximately January 2024 through September 2024, the UC purchased approximately 215.87 grams of fentanyl powder and approximately 2,950 fentanyl pills from Hunt.  The UC also purchased a .357 “ghost gun” from Hunt.  

               Through a court-authorized wiretap on Hunt’s phone, agents learned of several of his co-conspirators and the roles they each played. Agents also placed a camera outside Hunt’s apartment and outside the apartment of one of his supplier’s, defendant Isley. Through a wiretap on Isley’s phone, agents learned of additional members of the conspiracy. MPD stopped Isley in a traffic stop on June 19, 2024, during which they recovered 468 blue, suspected fentanyl pills, about 37.4 grams of cocaine base, approximately 24.5 grams of cocaine, and about 60 grams of methamphetamine and other narcotics.

              On October 16, 2024, law enforcement executed search warrants at various stash houses and residences of the co-conspirators. Agents recovered five firearms, approximately $31,000 in cash, approximately 500 grams of suspected fentanyl and smaller amounts of other narcotics, two money counters, and additional drug paraphernalia. 

               This operation is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.

               This case is being investigated by the FBI’s Washington Field Office. Valuable assistance was provided by the DEA Washington Field Office, District of Columbia Housing Authority Police, Virginia State Police, and Fairfax County and City police departments.   

               It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Nihar Mohanty and Solomon Eppel of the Violence Reduction and Trafficking Offenses section. Valuable assistance was provided by the U.S. Attorney’s Offices for the District of Maryland and the Eastern District in Virginia in helping to coordinate search warrants and arrests.

               An indictment is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: RM of Russell-Binscarth — Russell RCMP lay charges in illegal bison hunt

    Source: Royal Canadian Mounted Police

    On October 14, 2024, at approximately 1:55 pm, Russell RCMP received a report of 6 bison having been shot and removed from a farm property, located in the RM of Russell-Binscarth.

    Officers attended and met with the victim who advised he noticed the locks to the gates of his pasture were removed and replaced with locks that did not belong to him. A further check of the pasture revealed that 6 bison were missing.

    A review of the numerous trail cameras setup in the area revealed that four trespassers, who drove in with a pickup and several off-road vehicles, had shot the bison and removed them from the property.

    The following day, RCMP were notified by the victim that they had located a social media ad online which had been advertising a bison hunt for $1000 per animal at this location. The victims, who were the legal owners of the bison, did not place this ad. The victim did state that they had posted to social media advising of the theft and received numerous responses, including from several of those who had shot the bison.

    Investigators were contacted by the three parties, who had originally responded to the add and attended for the hunt, who advised they were under the impression that the hunt was legitimately organized by the suspect. All three witnesses are cooperating with police.

    On October 16, 2024, Russell RCMP issued a Warrant of Arrest out for Gerald Sean Gebler, 52, from Portage la Prairie, who was charged with Theft over $5000 and Mischief over $5000 in relation to this incident. Additional charges are likely. Later that day, Gebler turned himself in to the Portage la Prairie RCMP where he was later released for court scheduled for January 22, 2025, in Russell.

    Russell RCMP continue to investigate.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Brazoria Man Heads to Prison for Exploiting 13-Year-Old Child Through Nude Photos and Explicit Texts

    Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) State Crime Alerts (c)

    GALVESTON, Texas – A 46-year-old man has been ordered to federal prison following his conviction for sending obscene photos and messages to a minor, announced U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani.

    U.S. District Judge Jeffrey Brown convicted George Jimenez April 23 following a one-day trial earlier that month. Prior to trial, Jimenez pleaded guilty to two counts of transfer of obscene material to a minor.

    Judge Brown has now sentenced Jimenez to 24o and 120 months for the coercion and enticement of a minor and transfer of obscene material to a minor convictions, respectively. They will run concurrently for a total 240-month-term of imprisonment. At the hearing, the court also heard additional information including testimony from four victims detailing how Jimenez’s actions affected them. In handing down the prison terms, the court noted the reprehensibility of Jimenez’s conduct and the need for a severe sentence to deter and prevent future criminal conduct. Jimenez was further ordered to serve 10 years on supervised release following completion of his prison term. During that time, he will have to comply with numerous requirements designed to restrict his access to children and the internet. Jimenez will also be ordered to register as a sex offender.

    “Today’s sentence should be a deterrence to individuals who commit serious online crimes against minors, even when there has been no physical contact,” said Hamdani. “Jimenez preyed on vulnerable victims who were unaware they were communicating with an adult male.”

    In April 2019, law enforcement discovered Jimenez had sent pictures of his genitals to a 13-year-old girl and other contacts in his phone. Five were the minors’ 12 and 13-year-old classmates.

    Authorities executed a federal search warrant and discovered Jimenez was using the TextNow application to disguise himself as a teenage boy to engage in sexually explicit conversations with minors.

    From March until April 2019, Jimenez engaged in those communications, including sending at least five pictures of his genitals to the 13-year-old child. In approximately 17 communications, Jimenez asked the minor victim for pictures of either her breasts, buttocks or genital area.

    In a text exchange, the minor shared information with Jimenez that she shaved her genital region. Jimenez then sent messages asking to see images of it.

    At the time of the trial, the defense attempted to convince the court the messages he sent to the minor did not arise to the level of attempting to persuade the minor to send him sexually explicit photos of herself. He did not believe those claims and found Jimenez guilty as charged. In his ruling, the court stated, “these requests were direct, specific and unambiguous. They were not shrouded in innuendo or bashfulness. Simply put, there is no question that Jimenez repeatedly asked [the minor] to take and send him pictures of her genitals and pubic area.”

    He will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.

    FBI conducted the investigation.

    Assistant U.S. Attorneys Karen M. Lansden and Sherin S. Daniel prosecuted the case, which was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood (PSC), a nationwide initiative the Department of Justice (DOJ) launched in May 2006 to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section leads PSC, which marshals federal, state and local resources to locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children and identifies and rescues victims. For more information about PSC, please visit DOJ’s PSC page. For more information about internet safety education, please visit the resources tab on that page. 

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Global: The B.C. election could decide the future of the province’s species at risk laws

    Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Courtney W. Mason, Professor and Canada Research Chair, Rural Livelihoods and Sustainable Communities, Thompson Rivers University

    With British Columbians going to the polls this week, a whole host of key issues are on the agenda. Among these issues stands the future of species at risk legislation in B.C. — and perhaps with it Canada as a whole.

    Canada, with its vast area, is home to 18 terrestrial and 13 aquatic ecozones and a staggering 140,000 plant and animal species. However, Canada’s abundant biodiversity is under threat from ongoing human-caused extinctions.

    As polar regions warm at an accelerated rate, Canada’s species face increased peril.

    Canada’s current laws aren’t doing enough to protect species at risk, and the time for action to make new laws or strengthen the existing ones is now.



    Read more:
    B.C. election: Party proposals on climate action point in opposite directions

    Gaps in existing law

    Now, you may be wondering, “doesn’t Canada already have species at risk laws?”

    The federal government enacted the Species at Risk Act (SARA) in 2002, however, its impacts have been far from perfect.

    A major issue with SARA is that it does not apply everywhere. Canada’s legal system divides power between federal and provincial governments. Wildlife, including species at risk, are mostly the provinces’ responsibility. SARA only applies to aquatic species, migratory birds and species on federal land (like national parks).

    Unfortunately, most animals are not adept at reading maps, and a SARA-protected species can lose its protection simply by crossing a jurisdictional boundary. SARA does include exceptions where the federal government can intervene if a province is not doing enough to protect a particular species. But in practice the provinces have mostly been left to their own devices.

    These jurisdictional dynamics, characteristic of Canadian federal politics, have created variations in species protection efforts across the country.

    Of Canada’s nine common law provinces (excluding Québec and the territories), five have designated species at risk laws. The other four — British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan and Prince Edward Island — have only limited protections within other laws.

    So, does it matter that only some provinces have species at risk legislation? To address this question, we compared the protections provisions of each province, and found that those with designated species at risk laws consistently provided much more robust protection frameworks than those that didn’t.



    Read more:
    B.C. election: Debate over the rights of gender-diverse youth continues as their school safety declines

    ‘Endangered’ does not mean protected

    Species protection efforts are marked by numerous momentous decision-points. Perhaps the most significant decision of all is whether to list a species as at risk.

    Most Canadian jurisdictions use committees of experts — including Indigenous knowledge holders and conservation scientists — to evaluate the risk to a species. In some provinces, like Nova Scotia, this becomes the official species at risk list.

    In others, including federally, the committee decision is only a recommendation and the relevant minister has final discretion on listing. Ministerial discretion has led to certain types of species — particularly ones whose harvest or habitats are economically important — to repeatedly not be listed.

    Discretion is not limited to listing decisions. In jurisdictions with species at risk laws, discretion allows governments to not enforce protections that interfere with other priorities. For example, a provincial government deeply invested in forestry could use ministerial discretion to de-emphasize protections for old growth forests, despite providing critical habitats for species at risk.

    Where species at risk laws are insufficient, leaving room for discretion only weakens already limp protections. The only way to improve conditions for species at risk is to support governments that promise to prioritize the environment, and continually hold them to those promises.

    Promises without progress

    B.C. has over 2,000 plants, animals and habitats listed at risk. This is eight times more than Ontario, which has the second most listed species at risk with just over 250. Despite this, B.C. has some of the least complete legal protections, barely edging out Alberta to not come last in our scoring comparison. The province also has a history of promising species at risk law reform with no concrete action.

    B.C. clearly illustrates how promises do not always lead to results.

    In 2017, the B.C. NDP formed the province’s government under an agreement with the B.C. Green Party to prioritize environmental issues — including protecting species at risk. The 2017 mandate letter charged George Heyman, the Minister of Environment, to develop species at risk legislation.

    After 2020’s mid-coronavirus snap election, the B.C. NDP gained a majority government without needing support from the B.C. Green Party. Consequently, 2020’s mandate letter showed weakening environmental priorities. The letter signalled a move away from species at risk legislation and instead directed the minister with “continuing to work with partners to protect species at risk”.

    Perhaps realizing this language could not be further softened, new premier David Eby made no mention of species at risk or wildlife in the 2022 mandate letter.

    Nonetheless, species at risk protections are back on the political agenda in the ongoing election, with both the B.C. NDP and B.C. Conservative parties promising “made-in-B.C.” and “science-based” biodiversity initiatives and species at risk legislation.

    However, the result of the election will have a significant impact on the strength of any new laws, as the NDP’s platform focuses on overall biodiversity and increasing protection to critical habitats such as old-growth forests, while the Conservative’s seems mostly aimed at working with hunters to increase ungulate populations to allow larger hunting quotas.

    Uncertain future

    In recent legislative debates, B.C.’s ministers responsible for species at risk (and their habitats) have explained delays in making a species at risk law by increasingly emphasizing that they are taking the time to include Indigenous perspectives.

    While it is positive that legislators are acknowledging the necessity of collaborating with Indigenous Nations on environmental laws, it is hard not to read repeated references to the length of consultation as deflecting responsibility for government inaction onto Indigenous communities.



    Read more:
    Swing state voters along the Great Lakes love cleaner water and beaches − and candidates from both parties have long fished for support there

    Elections are impending across the country and environmental interests are back in the conversation. However, any progress could easily be lost if new governments are not committed to support environmental interests, both during and after the election cycle.

    It is vital to support political parties with an environmental platform aimed at protecting biodiversity. Canada’s species at risk need voters to keep them in mind at the ballot boxes.

    Courtney W. Mason receives funding from SSHRC; Canadian Mountain Network; BC Parks; Braiding Knowledge Canada.

    Jordyn Maria Bogetti receives funding from SSHRC; Canadian Mountain Network.

    – ref. The B.C. election could decide the future of the province’s species at risk laws – https://theconversation.com/the-b-c-election-could-decide-the-future-of-the-provinces-species-at-risk-laws-239550

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI USA: North Carolina Health and Human Services Secretary Kody H. Kinsley Travels to Buncombe and Henderson Counties

    Source: US State of North Carolina

    Headline: North Carolina Health and Human Services Secretary Kody H. Kinsley Travels to Buncombe and Henderson Counties

    North Carolina Health and Human Services Secretary Kody H. Kinsley Travels to Buncombe and Henderson Counties
    hejones1

    North Carolina Health and Human Services Secretary Kody H. Kinsley traveled to Henderson and Buncombe counties Thursday to survey damage and meet with people impacted by Hurricane Helene. Secretary Kinsley was joined by Senators Jim Burgin and Julie Mayfield and began the day meeting with people who have relocated to one of the state-operated shelters in Fletcher, N.C. The group then traveled to the Henderson County Department of Public Health and spoke to Health Director Dave Jenkins and Social Services Director Lorie Horne. The visit to Henderson County concluded with a stop by the Disaster Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Center in the Blue Ridge Commons Shopping Center. Beginning tomorrow, people impacted by Hurricane Helene who are not currently an FNS participant will be able to apply for assistance to buy food for their families. 

    The Secretary then traveled to Asheville to meet with people impacted by the catastrophic damage Hurricane Helene left behind. He toured BeLoved Asheville, which is a community-based organization that provides assistance to those who need it.  During the visit, Secretary Kinsley highlighted the following points in storm recovery:  

    The health and well-being of people impacted by Hurricane Helene continue to be a top priority for NCDHHS as it works to ensure communities have access to food, infant formula, medical care and life-saving medication. 

    • 400,000 gallons of water supplied to Buncombe County and 140,000 gallons to Henderson County.  
    • 98,000 hot meals provided to Buncombe County and 50,000 hot meals provided to Henderson County.  
    • More than 1 million meals ready to eat supplied to Buncombe County and 304,000 meals ready to eat supplied to Henderson County.
    • Eight pallets (between 120-144 cases of formula per pallet) of formula sent to 34 feeding sites across impacted counties. 
      • 6,411 cases of infant formula received in Buncombe County 
      • 2,805 cases of infant formula received in Henderson County 
    • More than 11 million diapers distributed to impacted counties through partnership with Diaper Bank of NC. 
    • Worked in partnership with the NC Medical Board to track all open community medical practices. 
      • More than 100 are open in Buncombe County 
      • 37 are open in Henderson County 
    • Each of the 25 counties with major damage and the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians Tribal Area have at least one pharmacy open and filling prescriptions. Visit http://www.ncdhhs.gov to search for open pharmacies and medical practices. 

    Whether directly or indirectly, millions of people in North Carolina have been impacted by Hurricane Helene. Natural disasters are traumatic for individuals, families and communities, and there is no right or wrong way to feel.   

    • NCDHHS has ramped up staffing at the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. Folks in immediate crisis or contemplating self harm should not hesitate to call.    
    • The Disability Disaster Hotline, 800-626-4959, provides information, referrals and guidance to people with disabilities and their families during disasters.    
    • The Disaster Distress Helpline specializes in post-disaster trauma and provides counseling services 24/7. If you would like to speak with someone, please call or text 1-800-985-5990.   
    • People can walk into a clinic for mental health or substance use care the same way urgent care clinics help people with immediate physical health needs. Blue Ridge Health in Brevard, N.C., is open and accepting patients.  
    • Mobile Crisis teams can send trained clinicians to a home, community or shelter to respond to an urgent need. To get connected with a mobile crisis team, you can call Vaya Health at 1-800-849-6127.   

    More than 300,000 people in or near flood-impacted areas in western North Carolina are estimated to rely on private wells, and the number on septic systems is estimated to be slightly higher. 

    • Wells that were damaged or submerged in flood waters require disinfection first and then must be tested to ensure the water is safe to use.  
    • Individuals can contact their local health department for assistance with disinfection or to get a well testing kit.  
      • NCDHHS has distributed more than 1,900 free private well water collection kits to local health departments. 
      • NCDHHS is working with FEMA and the EPA to establish certified mobile testing laboratories in high-need locations to support local testing efforts.  

    Individuals in 25 western counties and EBCI households who reside in the 28719 zip code impacted by Hurricane Helene can apply for help buying food through the Disaster Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (D-SNAP).  

    • D-SNAP is open to individuals and households not currently receiving FNS benefits who were impacted by the storm. There are some income requirements, but it varies depending on impact, so we encourage everyone to apply.   
    • A family of four may be eligible to receive up to $975. 
    • On Oct. 18, people can apply by phone, online or in person. For more information, go to http://www.ncdhhs.gov/dsnap. If you think you may be eligible, please call the D-SNAP Virtual Call Center at 1-844-453-1117.   
    • The application period will close on Oct. 24, 2024.  

    Other SNAP Flexibilities:  

    • People who have EBT cards have more time to report a food loss as a result of Hurricane Helene.    
    • EBT cards can be used to purchase hot prepared foods from retailers that accept EBT. This applies to all 100 counties in North Carolina and the nearly 700,000 households enrolled in the program.    
    • EBT cards had 70% of the previous month’s benefits automatically reloaded onto their EBT card due to losing food from sustained power outages.    

    “My heart goes out to everyone who has lost a loved one or is facing the devastating impacts of this storm. Seeing the western North Carolina communities come together to care for and support each other is inspiring. We will continue to work hard now and over the coming weeks, months and years to help rebuild.” — NC Health and Human Services Secretary Kody H. Kinsley. 

    Photos available HERE.

    Oct 17, 2024

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Governor Cooper Joins United States Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg in Western North Carolina to Survey Storm Damage and Receive Briefings on Recovery Efforts

    Source: US State of North Carolina

    Headline: Governor Cooper Joins United States Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg in Western North Carolina to Survey Storm Damage and Receive Briefings on Recovery Efforts

    Governor Cooper Joins United States Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg in Western North Carolina to Survey Storm Damage and Receive Briefings on Recovery Efforts
    bconroy

    Today, Governor Roy Cooper joined United States Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg in Western North Carolina for a briefing on recovery efforts with federal officials and view damaged areas in Asheville and Canton. The Governor and Secretary Buttigieg also visited a damaged section of I-40.

    “Today I spent time on the ground in Asheville, Canton and at a damaged portion of I-40, helping federal, state and local recovery efforts to open up roadways and help communities recover,” said Governor Cooper. “I’m grateful for the efforts of Secretary Buttigieg and the Biden-Harris Administration to provide critical federal funding and resources to Western North Carolina as we recover from this storm.”

    In Asheville, the Governor and Secretary Buttigieg received a storm recovery briefing from federal officials and then joined Asheville Mayor Esther Manheimer for a briefing on the River Arts District, which sustained significant damage from Helene. In Canton, the Governor and Secretary Buttigieg joined Mayor Zeb Smathers for a walking tour of damaged areas in the town. Lastly, the group traveled to a damaged I-40 site near the North Carolina-Tennessee border where they received a briefing from federal and state transportation officials regarding ongoing efforts to reopen the interstate with the help of federal funding.

    Yesterday, Governor Cooper issued an emergency Executive Order authorizing the North Carolina Department of Commerce, Division of Employment Security, to increase the amount of weekly unemployment payments available to North Carolinians in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene. As a result of this Order, weekly unemployment benefits will increase from a maximum of $350 a week to a maximum of $600 a week. Prior to the executive order, many low-income and part-time workers would have received less than the $350 weekly maximum. To ensure that these workers receive necessary benefits in the wake of Helene, the order will also increase benefits by $250 a week (up to the $600 cap) for all eligible workers. This order is tied to the State of Emergency for Hurricane Helene, and will remain in effect until the end of the Emergency or until it is rescinded.

    North Carolina National Guard and Military Response

    Over 3,500 Soldiers and Airmen are working in Western North Carolina. Joint Task Force- North Carolina, the task force led by the North Carolina National Guard is made up of Soldiers and Airmen from 12 different states, two different XVIII Airborne Corps units from Ft. Liberty, a unit from Ft. Campbell’s 101st Airborne Division, and numerous civilian entities are working side-by-side to get the much-needed help to people in Western North Carolina.

    The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is helping to assess water and wastewater plants and dams. Residents can track the status of the public water supply in their area through this website.

    FEMA Assistance

    Nearly $107 million in FEMA Individual Assistance funds have been paid so far to Western North Carolina disaster survivors and approximately 187,000 people have registered for Individual Assistance. Approximately 2,100 households are now housed in hotels through FEMA’s Transitional Sheltering Assistance.

    Approximately 1,400 FEMA staff are in the state to help with the Western North Carolina relief effort. In addition to search and rescue and providing commodities, they are meeting with disaster survivors in shelters and neighborhoods to provide rapid access to relief resources. They can be identified by their FEMA logo apparel and federal government identification.

    North Carolinians can apply for Individual Assistance by calling 1-800-621-3362 from 7am to 11pm daily or by visiting www.disasterassistance.gov, or by downloading the FEMA app. FEMA may be able to help with serious needs, displacement, temporary lodging, basic home repair costs, personal property loss or other disaster-caused needs.

    Help from Other States

    More than 1,600 responders from 38 state and local agencies have performed 145 missions supporting the response and recovery efforts through the Emergency Management Assistance Compact (EMAC). This includes public health nurses, emergency management teams supporting local governments, veterinarians, teams with search dogs and more.

    Beware of Misinformation

    North Carolina Emergency Management and local officials are cautioning the public about false Helene reports and misinformation being shared on social media. NCEM has launched a fact versus rumor response webpage to provide factual information in the wake of this storm. FEMA also has a rumor response webpage.

    Efforts continue to provide food, water and basic necessities to residents in affected communities, using both ground resources and air drops from the NC National Guard. Food, water and commodity points of distribution are open throughout Western North Carolina. For information on these sites in your community, visit your local emergency management and local government social media and websites or visit ncdps.gov/Helene.

    Storm Damage Cleanup

    If your home has damages and you need assistance with clean up, please call Crisis Cleanup for access to volunteer organizations that can assist you at 844-965-1386.

    Power Outages

    Across Western North Carolina, approximately 9,500 customers remain without power, down from a peak of more than 1 million. Overall power outage numbers will fluctuate up and down as power crews temporarily take circuits or substations offline to make repairs and restore additional customers.

    Road Closures

    Some roads are closed because they are too damaged and dangerous to travel. Other roads still need to be reserved for essential traffic like utility vehicles, construction equipment and supply trucks. However, some parts of the area are open and ready to welcome visitors which is critical for the revival of Western North Carolina’s economy. If you are considering a visit to the area, consult DriveNC.gov for open roads and reach out to the community and businesses you want to visit to see if they are welcoming visitors back yet.

    NCDOT currently has approximately 2,000 employees and 900 pieces of equipment working on approximately 7,100 damaged road sites.

    Fatalities

    Ninety-five storm-related deaths have been confirmed in North Carolina by the Office of Chief Medical Examiner. This number is expected to rise over the coming days. The North Carolina Office of the Chief Medical Examiner will continue to confirm numbers twice daily. If you have an emergency or believe that someone is in danger, please call 911.

    Volunteers and Donations

    If you would like to donate to the North Carolina Disaster Relief Fund, visit nc.gov/donate. Donations will help to support local nonprofits working on the ground.

    For information on volunteer opportunities, please visit nc.gov/volunteernc.

    Additional Assistance

    There is no right or wrong way to feel in response to the trauma of a hurricane. If you have been impacted by the storm and need someone to talk to, call or text the Disaster Distress Helpline at 1-800-985-5990. Help is also available to anyone, anytime in English or Spanish through a call, text or chat to 988. Learn more at 988Lifeline.org.

    If you are seeking a representative from the North Carolina Joint Information Center, please email ncempio@ncdps.gov or call 919-825-2599.

    For general information, access to resources, or answers to frequently asked questions, please visit ncdps.gov/helene.

    If you are seeking information on resources for recovery help for a resident impacted from the storm, please email IArecovery@ncdps.gov.

    ###

    Oct 17, 2024

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Statement by Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III on the Killing of Yahya Sinwar of Hamas

    Source: United States Department of Defense

    The killing today of Yahya Sinwar, the leader of the terrorist group Hamas, by Israeli forces is a major achievement in counterterrorism. Sinwar’s death will not heal the wounds of the October 7th atrocities that he plotted, or the many deaths for which he is responsible, but I hope that it may bring some small measure of justice and solace to the families and the loved ones of the many victims of Sinwar’s premeditated cruelty.

    Sinwar was the architect of the vile terrorist assault on Israel on October 7, 2023, in which 1,200 Israelis were murdered and 251 people were taken hostage. Hamas terrorists slaughtered civilians from more than 30 countries—including the United States. Sinwar and Hamas were responsible for the deaths of many Americans over the years, including the more than 40 Americans slain on October 7th and the murdered American hostages Itay Chen, Gad Haggai, Judy Weinstein Haggai, and Hersh Goldberg Polin.

    The death of Sinwar affords us all a major opportunity for progress toward the brighter future that both Israelis and Palestinians and the entire region deserve—and that Sinwar deliberately blocked.  

    Our top and most urgent priority is to secure the release of each and every hostage, including our own American citizens. The hostages should not have to suffer for another hour in the clutches of Hamas and other terrorists. Those who are holding them should release them now.

    Sinwar’s death also provides an extraordinary opportunity to achieve a lasting ceasefire, end this terrible war, allow Israelis to return safely to their homes in southern Israel, rush in far more humanitarian assistance to ease the misery in Gaza, and bring relief and hope to the Palestinians who have endured so much under Hamas’s oppressive rule.

    The United States fully supports Israel’s right to defend itself against Hamas and other terrorist groups. At President Biden’s direction, our forces in the Middle East stand ready to defend Israel, deter aggression, and reduce the risk of all-out war in the region. We will continue to work tirelessly to bring the hostages home to their families, to promote diplomacy as the principal mechanism for ending the conflicts in both Gaza and Lebanon, and to secure a more hopeful, secure, and peaceful period in a region that has known such sorrow.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Risch on Death of Hamas Terrorist Sinwar

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Idaho James E Risch
    BOISE, Idaho – U.S. Senator Jim Risch (R-Idaho), ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, today released the following statement on the elimination of Hamas terrorist Yahya Sinwar by Israeli Defense Forces:
    “The world is a safer place today without Yahya Sinwar. Sinwar was responsible for the most significant murder of Jews since the Holocaust and the largest hostage crisis involving American citizens in the last 50 years. Terrorists have no place in this world, and deserve to be eliminated. In addition to Sinwar, the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) eliminated two other high level Hamas terrorists. This is good news for the people of Israel, Gaza, and the free world. Sinwar plunged the Palestinian people into violence, and intentionally used innocent women and children in places like hospitals and schools as human shields. 
    “The region cannot move forward without the elimination of Hamas as a military entity. This is not easy to do, but the Israelis are doing it; that cannot be denied. The U.S. and our allies should do more to help the Israelis continue to cut off the head of the snake, and certainly stop trying to get in their way. Israel’s success will be a victory for the free world.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Health Minister to attend international meetings in the Philippines and Singapore

    Source: New Zealand Government

    Health Minister Dr Shane Reti will travel to Manila this weekend, leading New Zealand’s delegation to the World Health Organization’s Western Pacific Regional Committee Meeting.

    “Significant health challenges remain in our diverse Western Pacific region, which is also prone to the impacts of climate change,” says Dr Reti.

    “Being represented at and engaging in Manila for the 75th regional meeting will signal New Zealand’s commitment to working collectively on solutions for global and regional health issues.

    “It will also be a landmark meeting for our Pacific neighbours. It is highly significant that the first WHO Regional Director from the Pacific, Dr Saia Ma’u Piukala of Tonga, will present his vision for addressing the region’s health priorities over the next five years. 

    “Although I have already met a number of Pacific Ministers of Health this year, this will be a further opportunity to demonstrate our shared support for very important work.”

    While in Manila, Dr Reti will address the Regional Committee on WHO governance matters and health issues of importance to New Zealand. This includes sharing the Government’s new direction for health and key features of New Zealand’s health strategy.

    He will also undertake bilateral meetings with ministerial counterparts before returning to New Zealand via Singapore, for additional meetings.

    “New Zealand and Singapore value a longstanding relationship, built on mutual respect. We are looking for new opportunities to collaborate, including in the health sector,” Dr Reti says.

    Dr Reti leaves New Zealand on 19 October and returns on 24 October.

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –