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  • MIL-OSI USA: Huizenga Votes to Cut Taxes for Michiganders, Strengthen Michigan’s Economy

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Bill Huizenga (MI-02)

    Today, Congressman Bill Huizenga (R-MI) released the following statement after voting in support the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which passed the House by a vote of 218-214. The One Big Beautiful Bill will now head to President Trump’s desk to be signed into law.

    “Today, Congress delivered on the promises President Trump and House Republicans made to the American people to stop the largest tax increase in our nation’s history.

    “The One Big Beautiful Bill will help Americans across all walks of life by making tax cuts permanent and increasing take home pay as much as $7,500 through provisions such as no tax on tips and no tax on overtime.

    “Additionally, by increasing tax breaks for seniors, strengthening the child tax credit for families, making made-in-America car loan interest tax deductible, and addressing inflation with the largest mandatory spending reduction ever, the Big Beautiful Bill will make everyday life more affordable.

    “Importantly, this bill makes significant progress to eliminate waste, fraud, and abuse from both SNAP and Medicaid by implementing work requirements for able-bodied individuals without dependents. These commonsense reforms will preserve these important safety net programs for those who need it most — namely, low-income mothers, children, the elderly, and disabled Americans.

    “The One Big Beautiful Bill will supercharge Michigan’s economy by boosting manufacturing, helping farmers, modernizing our military, and unleashing American energy.

    “Lastly, the One Big Beautiful Bill provides critical resources to ensure our border remains secure by finishing the wall and ensuring we have the law enforcement manpower we need to keep our nation safe.

    “I look forward to President Trump signing this legislation, delivering a massive win for hardworking Americans, and putting America back on track for an age of prosperity!”

    MIL OSI USA News –

    July 9, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Economics: How ASHABot empowers rural India’s frontline health workers

    Source: Microsoft

    Headline: How ASHABot empowers rural India’s frontline health workers

    When Mani Devi, an Accredited Social Health Activist (ASHA) in rural Rajasthan, saw the underweight infant, she knew something was wrong—but not how serious it might be, or what advice to give. 

    So she reached for her phone and opened WhatsApp: In Hindi, she typed a question to a new tool called ASHABot: What’s the ideal weight for a baby this age? 

    The chatbot—trained in Hindi, English, and a hybrid known as Hinglish—responded within seconds: a baby that age should weigh around 4 to 5 kilograms. This one weighed less.

    The bot’s answer was clear and specific. It encouraged feeding the baby eight to 10 times a day, and it explained how to counsel the mother without causing alarm. 

    That, she said, was one of the many encounters with ASHABot that changed the way she does her job. 

    The tool is part of a quiet but significant shift in public health, one that blends cutting-edge artificial intelligence with on-the-ground realities in some of India’s most underserved communities.

    ASHABot, launched in early 2024, is what happens when a generative AI model akin to OpenAI’s ChatGPT or GPT-4 is not only trained on the broader internet, but is connected to a knowledge base containing India’s public health manuals, immunization guidelines, and family planning protocols. It takes voice notes when prompted and provides answers that help the ASHAs serve patients.

    Built by the nonprofit Khushi Baby (opens in new tab) using technology developed and open sourced by Microsoft Research, the bot has been transforming how some of the country’s ASHA workers do their jobs. These women are the glue between India’s rural households and the health system, responsible for everything from vaccination records to childbirth counseling. But they receive just 23 days of basic training and often work in settings where doctors are distant, supervisors are overburdened, and even mobile signal is unreliable. 

    “ASHAs have always been on the front lines,” said Ruchit Nagar, co-founder and CEO of Khushi Baby and a Harvard-trained physician. “But they haven’t always had the tools.”

    Nagar’s relationship with ASHAs goes back nearly a decade. In 2015, he launched Khushi Baby with the goal of digitizing health data in underserved communities, often designing tech systems that were locally grounded. The idea of ASHABot emerged in late 2023, during a summit with stakeholders in Rajasthan. 

    At the time, Khushi Baby was working with Microsoft Research on a separate AI project—one that used eye images to detect anemia. But the buzz around large language models, especially ChatGPT, was rising fast. Nagar and his collaborators began to ask whether this technology could help ASHAs, who often lacked real-time access to quality, understandable, medically sound guidance.

    “ASHAs were already using WhatsApp and YouTube. We saw an inflection point, new digital users ready for something more,” said Nagar, now a resident at the Yale School of Medicine in New Haven, Conn.

    So they began building. 

    Microsoft researcher Pragnya Ramjee joined the project around that time, leaving a design job at a hedge fund to focus on technology with social impact. With a background in human-centered design, she helped lead the qualitative research, interviewing ASHAs in Rajasthan alongside a trained translator.  

    “It made a huge difference that the translator and I were women,” she said. “The ASHAs felt more comfortable being open with us, especially about sensitive issues like contraception or gender-based violence.” 

    An ASHA worker encourages children to attend the Anganwadi center, helping them stay healthy through essential care and support.

    Ramjee and the team helped fine-tune the system in collaboration with doctors and public health experts. The model, based on GPT-4, was trained to be highly accurate. When it receives a question, it consults a carefully curated database—around 40 documents from the Indian government, UNICEF, and other health bodies. If the bot doesn’t find a clear answer, it doesn’t guess. Instead, it forwards the question to a small group of nurses, whose responses are then synthesized by the model and returned to the ASHA within hours.

    The goal, Ramjee said, is to ensure the bot always stays grounded in reality and in the real training ASHAs receive.

    So far, more than 24,000 messages have been sent through the system and 869 ASHAs have been onboarded. Some workers have used it only once or twice. Others send up to 20 messages in a single day. Topics range from the expected—childhood immunization schedules, breastfeeding best practices—to the unexpected.  

    “They’re asking about contraception, about child marriage, about what to do if there’s a fight in the family,” Ramjee said. “These aren’t just medical questions. They’re social questions.” 

    An ASHA worker educates community members on how to protect themselves against seasonal illnesses.

    One woman came to Mani Devi saying she’d missed her period for two months but wasn’t pregnant. The bot provided Devi with information that gave her the confidence to assure the patient she had nothing to worry about. 

    The responses come in both text and voice note, the latter often played aloud by ASHAs for the patient to hear. In some cases, voice responses about long-acting contraception help persuade hesitant women to begin treatment. 

    There is no question the technology works. But the team is quick to emphasize that it doesn’t replace human knowledge. Instead, it amplifies it. ASHABot illustrates how LLM-powered chatbots can help bridge the information gap for people, particularly those with limited access to formal training and technology, said Mohit Jain, principal researcher at Microsoft Research India. 

    “There is a lot of debate about whether LLMs are a boon or a bane,” Jain said. “I believe it’s up to us to design and deploy them responsibly, in ways that unlock their potential for real societal benefit. ASHABot is one example of how that’s possible.” 

    – Mohit Jain, Principal Researcher, Microsoft Research India

    During a door-to-door visit, an ASHA worker uses ASHABot to guide a pregnant woman through essential information on material health and nutrition.

    Of course, the chatbot isn’t perfect. Some users still prefer to call people they know, and the big question of scaling remains. The team is exploring personalization options, multimodal support like image inputs, and parallel LLM agents to ensure quality assurance at scale. 

    Still, the vision is expansive. As of now, ASHABot is only used in Udaipur, one of the 50 districts in Rajasthan. The long-term goal is to bring ASHABot to all one million ASHAs across the country, who take care of about 800 to 900 million people in rural India. The potential ripple effect across maternal health, vaccination, and disease surveillance is immense. 

    Nagar, who has traveled to India twice yearly for the last 10 years to research the needs of ASHAs, said there are still “many things yet to explore, and many big questions to answer.” 

    For ASHAs like Mani Devi, the shift is already real. She says she feels more informed, more confident. She can talk about previously taboo subjects, because the bot helps her break the silence. 

    “Overall, I can give better information to people who need help,” she said. “I can ask it anything.”

    MIL OSI Economics –

    July 9, 2025

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Transforming the UK’s road and rail networks

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    Oral statement to Parliament

    Transforming the UK’s road and rail networks

    Outlines the 5 strategic road schemes and 5 key rail upgrades that will support 42,000 jobs and pave the way for 1.5 million new UK homes.

    I’d like to make a statement on how we are reconnecting Britain. Today (8 July 2025), I am announcing one of the most transformative investments for our transport network in a generation. We’re greenlighting over 50 road and rail projects, touching every corner of the country– from more rail capacity in Oxford and better roads in Newcastle, to new stations in Devon. This is what delivering on our Plan for Change looks like.

    Browse the interactive map of road and rail investment schemes

    Read a list of road and rail investment schemes

    See the Green light for over 50 road and rail upgrades supporting over 39,000 new homes and 42,000 jobs press release, 8 July 2025

    We said we would raise living standards, so today’s announcement is taking the brakes off growth – supporting 42,000 new jobs and slashing journey times. We said we’d build 1.5 million new homes, so we’re directly supporting the construction of 39,000 new properties, showing how transport can lift up communities and improve lives. And we said we’d accelerate to net zero, so we’ll not only make our roads safer and less congested, we’ll not only continue the EV transition in a pragmatic way.

    But we’ll get more people on public transport – backing our railways with new links and more electrified track. More Jobs. New housing. Better journeys. These are the people’s priorities, Mr Speaker, and they’re mine too.

    None of this was inevitable. We’re here because this government is restoring stability to our finances and honesty to our politics. Thanks to the 10-Year Infrastructure Strategy, we’re committing at least £725 billion for infrastructure over the next decade.

    Restoring confidence, driving growth and transforming how projects are delivered. And, through phase 2 of the Spending Review, £92 billion will be spent to get Britain moving.

    Madam Deputy Speaker, we’ve already confirmed where some of this money is going. Billions of pounds for upgrades on the TransPennine Route – the backbone of our Northern cities, a commitment to build the East-West Line to Cambridge, the biggest ever investment in local transport across the Midlands and the North and over £2 billion to enable Transport for London (TfL) to continue with the purchase of new Piccadilly, Bakerloo and DLR trains. And, as the Chancellor said last month, we will be confirming plans for Northern Powerhouse Rail soon.

    However, today, I can provide more detail on how we’ll use our Spending Review settlement. Let me start with our main highways. Madam Deputy Speaker, it should be no surprise when I say the Strategic Road Network is one of our most important national assets. Carrying one third of all traffic, two thirds of our freight, generating £400 billion for our economy. These essential arteries sustain our businesses, our trade, and our very way of life. Yet with much of the network built in the 1970’s and 1980’s, not only are many routes in need of renewal. But there are pinch points where nothing short of new infrastructure will do.

    So, after careful consideration, I can announce we will fund 5 more strategic road enhancement projects. That starts with a continuous dual carriageway on the A66 across the Pennines – strengthening road safety, cutting journey times by 12 minutes, and getting more people to the region’s stunning National Parks. We’re also linking up the M54 and M6 and expanding capacity on the A38 in Derby. That means better links for thousands of workers in the Midlands, as well as supporting over 15,000 new homes across Derby. And we’ve also set aside funding for the A46 Newark Bypass scheme and the Simister Island interchange in Greater Manchester, with both schemes now awaiting the outcome of the live planning process.

    Madam Deputy Speaker, 97% of trips directly depend on our road network – from cycling to bus, walking to cars – you name it, our roads carry it. That’s why we’re investing record funding to fill an extra 7 million potholes this year and it’s why we extended the temporary cut in fuel duty at the last Budget. It’s also why this government will always be on the side of the British people who depend on our roads day in day out. Today, we’re going even further. I have approved full business cases on the Middlewich Eastern Bypass and the A382 from Drumbridges to Newton Abbot, meaning these can now enter construction. I can also announce we have secured funding to continue to take forward 28 schemes, from Somerset to Skipton and Newcastle to North Hykeham.

    Madam Deputy Speaker, I’ve spoken about the dozens of schemes that will transform road journeys across the country. Decisions we’ve made to prioritise those essential trips to work, to the shops, to see loved ones and to keep our vital freight sector moving. Now, let me turn to the railway – and the projects that will deliver more reliable journeys for passengers. We know rail investment outside London is well overdue. The Spending Review ramped up funding for the TransPennine Route Upgrade and East West Rail. And the new Midlands Rail Hub will see the region’s most ambitious rail improvement scheme to date. Thanks to government funding, huge numbers of additional trains and 20 million extra seats could be added to services in and out of Birmingham each year. But this isn’t just about delivering big-ticket projects.

    I can, today, announce new rail stations at Wellington and Cullompton in the South West, which will bring significant benefits to local communities. Following representations from Mayor David Skaith and the honourable member for York Outer, I have also decided to fund the reopening of Haxby Station on the York to Scarborough line. We’ll replace the aged signalling system on the Tyne and Wear Metro – securing the benefits of that service for the next generation. And I have listened carefully to Mayor Helen Godwin and the HM for North Somerset about the need to reopen the Portishead Line, and today, I can confirm we will do just that, connecting 50,000 additional people to the network.

    Madam Deputy Speaker, make no mistake: these, and other projects, will not just improve the passenger experience but are downpayments on future growth, better connectivity, and the new jobs and homes this government has promised.

    Now, I know honourable members will have specific schemes in their constituencies which are at the early stages, or which haven’t been funded in this SR period, or which were cancelled, but not announced, by the previous government.

    Let me reassure colleagues that many of these are worthy projects and we will keep them under review. The soon-to-be-published infrastructure pipeline will set out our longer-term outlook and give colleagues the transparency which, for years, I know they’ve sorely lacked.

    Madam Deputy Speaker, it’s important to set the context. We know critical infrastructure projects were promised. We know expectations were raised. And, sadly, we know there was no plan to pay for them. Indeed, schemes that formed part of the previous government’s major road network programme, all of which were meant to be in construction by now, have not progressed as expected. Almost half are yet to reach the outline business case stage, despite being in the programme for 6 years. Years of dither and delay wasted everyone’s time and left communities in limbo. This, I must say, is the tragic legacy of the farcical ‘Network North’ announcement made by the previous Prime Minister.

    So it falls to this government to make the difficult, but sensible, choices around future transport projects. To level with the British public. To provide much-needed certainty. And to govern with integrity. Only those projects that are fully costed, affordable and deliver a return on taxpayers’ money will be given the green light under my watch. That means no more blackholes and no more busted budgets. No more promising the public the moon on a stick. Those days are over.

    I have therefore taken the difficult decision, on the Strategic Road Network, not to progress the A12 widening scheme. This and dualing the A66 were 2 of the most expensive strategic schemes on the table, and it was impossible to continue with both. We have also decided not to progress the A47 Wansford to Sutton scheme. We are already investing over £500 million on improvements to the A47 corridor, with work to dual sections in Norfolk already underway. But it’s just not feasible to support further investment at this time. I understand some communities will feel frustrated. But by taking this decision, we’re rebalancing funds towards those areas that, for too long, haven’t had the infrastructure investment they’ve deserved. The North and Midlands will now get a higher proportion of strategic road spend than we’ve seen in the last 5 years. 

    I believe that’s the right and fair thing to do.

    Finally, Mr Speaker, the previous government spent years developing plans for large local schemes and major road network projects that were neither affordable nor got off the ground. We can’t go on like this. While I have today written to colleagues and councils about 28 schemes, which we will fund, many others now need to be reviewed. My officials will work with councils on which schemes to prioritise and I will update the House on next steps once those discussions have taken place.

    Madam Deputy Speaker, we are making a once-in-a-generation commitment to get Britain moving. Better roads and new rail links will raise living standards, increase opportunity and deliver on our Plan for Change. Throughout, we will always put the British people first. That means being honest about the inevitable trade-offs. It means understanding that financial stability remains the bedrock of economic growth. And it means ensuring we always deliver the best value for taxpayers’ money. I truly believe talent exists right across this country, yet poor connectivity is a drag on opportunity and places a ceiling on people’s aspirations. That changes now. We will reconnect Britain. And we will deliver the world class transport infrastructure this country needs. That’s my mission. And I commend this statement to the House.

    Updates to this page

    Published 8 July 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

    July 9, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Security: Ransomville Man Going to Prison on Child Pornography Charge

    Source: US FBI

    BUFFALO, N.Y. – U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo announced today that John Stuart, 37, of Ransomville, NY, who was convicted of possession of child pornography involving a prepubescent minor, was sentenced to serve 36 months in prison and 25 years supervised release by U.S. District Judge Lawrence J. Vilardo. Stuart must also register as a sex offender.

    Assistant U.S. Attorney Craig R. Gestring, who handled the case, stated that in August 2019, the FBI received a lead indicating that in May 2019, an online user accessed child sexual abuse and exploitation material via a website on the Tor network. Subsequent investigation traced the IP address to Stuart. In October 2020, a search warrant was executed at Stuart’s residence, during which law enforcement seized multiple electronic devices, including two laptop computers, a cell phone, a hard drive, and a desktop computer tower. A forensic review recovered approximately 8,000 videos and approximately 2,000 images of child pornography on one of the laptops, and approximately 150 images and one video of child pornography on the second laptop. Approximately 90 images and 150 videos of child pornography were recovered from the cell phone and approximately 90 images and two videos on the hard drive. Some of the images included depictions of violence against children.

    Stuart also admitted that during the execution of the search warrant, law enforcement recovered live marijuana plants, more than a pound of dried marijuana ready for consumption, and that he was a chronic user of marijuana. Stuart was also found to be in possession of three firearms. Because he was a user of controlled substances, Stuart was legally prohibited from owning or possessing firearms.

    The sentencing is the result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Child Exploitation Task Force, under the direction of Acting Special Agent-in-Charge Matthew Miraglia, and the Cheektowaga Police Department, under the direction of Chief Brian Coons.

    # # # #  

     

    MIL Security OSI –

    July 9, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Security: Tonawanda Doctor Pleads Guilty for His Role in Prescription Scam

    Source: US FBI

    BUFFALO, N.Y. – U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo announced today that William Stephan, 65, of Tonawanda, NY, who was convicted of misprision of felony, was sentenced to one year probation and 100 hours community service by U.S. District Judge Lawrence J. Vilardo.

    Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles M. Kruly, who handled the case, stated that Stephan is a medical doctor with a family practice located in Tonawanda, NY. In April 2015, Stephan was asked by Erik Berg to sign prescriptions for compounded medications. Over a several-month period, he signed compounded prescriptions for 19 patients. When Berg presented these prescriptions to Stephan, they had already been filled out, as well as the number of refills. Stephan then typically signed these prescriptions based on Berg’s representation that the patient had a medical need for the prescription(s). When signing the prescriptions, Stephan did not take note of any refills he was authorizing. Prescriptions signed by Stephan for these patients were refilled more than 500 times. None of the 19 patients were Stephan’s patients.

    The compounded medications prescribed by Stephan carried substantial reimbursement rates, which averaged more than $16,000 per prescription. Health care benefit programs paid $8,750,315 in reimbursement for the prescriptions, including refills. Pharmacy benefit managers providing the prescriptions signed by Stephan, would not have approved the prescriptions for reimbursement if they had known that Berg had presented the prescriptions to Stephan already filled out, the compound formula did not address the particular medical needs of a particular patient, but rather to obtain the highest reimbursement from the insurance companies, and that Berg knew that Stephan did not have a doctor-patient relationship with the individual for whom the prescription was written.

    In addition, Stephan signed compounded prescriptions for other individuals, including Scott Trapp and Michael Luehrsen.

    In June 2016, Express Scripts, Inc. performed an audit of certain prescriptions written by Stephan. During the audit, he and Berg completed audit forms on which Stephan stated that he had written and signed certain prescriptions for compounded medications, concealing the fact that he had not, in fact, written out the prescriptions, and that he did not have a doctor-patient relationship with the patients.

    Berg and Luehrsen were previously convicted and awaiting sentencing. Trapp was previously convicted and sentenced.

    The sentencing is the result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Acting Special Agent-in-Charge Mark Grimm.

    # # # #

    MIL Security OSI –

    July 9, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Security: MS-13 Gang Leader Sentenced to 68 Years in Prison for Eight Murders, Multiple Attempted Murders, Arson, Narcotics Trafficking, and Firearms Offenses

    Source: US FBI

    Alexi Saenz Led a Brutal Crime Wave that Terrorized the Communities of Brentwood and Central Islip in 2016 and 2017

    Earlier today, in federal court in Central Islip, Alexi Saenz, also known as “Blasty” and “Plaky,” the leader of the Brentwood/Central Islip chapter of the Sailors Locos Salvatruchas Westside (Sailors) clique of La Mara Salvatrucha, also known as the MS-13, a transnational criminal organization, was sentenced by United States District Judge Gary R. Brown to 68 years’ imprisonment.  On July 10, 2024, Saenz pleaded guilty to racketeering charges in connection with his participation in eight murders, namely, the January 28, 2016 murder of Michael Johnson; the April 29, 2016 murder of Oscar Acosta; the September 5, 2016 murder of Marcus Bohannon; the September 13, 2016 murders of Kayla Cuevas and Nisa Mickens; the October 10, 2016 murder of Javier Castillo; the October 13, 2016 murder of Dewann Stacks; and the January 30, 2017 murder of Esteban Alvarado-Bonilla, in addition to his participation in three attempted murders, and arson, narcotics trafficking, and firearms offenses.   

    Joseph Nocella, Jr, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York; Christopher G. Raia, Assistant Director in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office (FBI New York); and Kevin Catalina, Commissioner, Suffolk County Police Department (SCPD), announced the sentence.

    “Alexi Saenz led an unspeakable reign of terror, killing, and crime that damaged his community and cost several people their lives,” stated United States Attorney Nocella.  “My Office and our law enforcement partners will continue to work tirelessly to hold the MS-13 and its members accountable for their horrific acts, including the pain they’ve caused victims and their loved ones.  This sentencing is one of many in our relentless pursuit to dismantle the MS-13 and other violent criminal organizations.” 

    “For years, Alexi Saenz wielded his role as a local MS-13 leader to facilitate and participate in eight brutal murders of perceived rivals. Saenz terrorized Long Island as he indiscriminately targeted and hunted a wide range of victims, with careless regard to innocent bystanders harmed by his actions. May today’s sentencing emphasize the FBI’s relentless determination to crush all gang violence plaguing our communities,” stated FBI New York Assistant Director in Charge Raia.

    “Alexi Saenz is a violent career criminal whose path of destruction ripped apart families and terrorized Suffolk County with his MS-13 cohorts,” stated SCPD Commissioner Catalina.  “I commend the efforts of the SCPD officers and our law enforcement partners who are dedicated to bringing violent gang criminals to justice and offering closure to the victims’ families.”

    As set forth in the government’s sentencing memorandum, prior court filings, and statements during the sentencing, Alexi Saenz was the local leader of the Brentwood/Central Islip chapter of the Sailors clique of the MS-13 – one of the more powerful, violent, and well-established cliques on the East Coast of the United States.  He committed the following crimes in order to maintain and increase his membership and status within the gang and to further the mission of the MS-13:

    January 28, 2016 Murder of Michael Johnson

    On January 28, 2016, Alexi Saenz and other MS-13 members and associates were at the Jocorena Deli in Brentwood, where they saw 29-year-old Michael Johnson, and claimed to recognize him as a member of the rival Bloods street gang.  At that point, Johnson was marked as their “food” – a reference to their intention to kill him. 

    After receiving the requisite approval from the New York leader of the Sailors clique to commit this murder, Alexi Saenz contacted several other MS-13 members, informed them of the plan to kill Johnson, and instructed them to bring weapons, including a machete and a baseball bat, to a wooded area in Brentwood.  Alexi Saenz then lured Johnson to that secluded meeting location under the guise of smoking marijuana.  The MS-13 members and associates ambushed Johnson from behind – striking Johnson with the baseball bat, stabbing him with a knife, and taking turns hacking him with the machete.  They fled after hearing police sirens in the area.   

    Johnson was reported missing by family members. Less than one week after his murder, on February 2, 2016, members of the SCPD responded to a 911 call about a body found in the woods by a passerby, and recovered Johnson’s body.  An autopsy determined Johnson’s cause of death to be sharp and blunt force injuries.   

    April 29, 2016 Murder of Oscar Acosta

    In early 2016, Alexi Saenz and his fellow Sailors clique members decided to “green light,” or approve, the murder of 19-year-old Oscar Acosta because they suspected that he was associating with the rival 18th Street gang after previously aligning himself with the MS-13. The New York Sailors clique leader assigned roles as to which members would take the lead in planning and carrying out the murder. 

    On April 29, 2016, MS-13 members met Acosta in a wooded area near an elementary school in Brentwood where he had been lured under the guise of smoking marijuana.  They brutally beat Acosta with tree limbs, knocking him unconscious. They bound Acosta’s hands and feet, wrapped an article of clothing around his mouth to prevent him from making noise, and summoned other MS-13 members, including Alexi Saenz.  The MS-13 members loaded Acosta into the trunk of Alexi Saenz’s car, and drove to a more secluded area in Brentwood near the abandoned Pilgrim State Psychiatric Hospital.  At the direction of Alexi Saenz, the MS-13 members removed Acosta, who was still alive, from the trunk and carried him deeper into the woods where they took turns hacking him to death with a machete.  The murder was supervised by Alexi Saenz, as his role as the local clique leader.  The MS-13 members then buried Acosta’s body in a shallow grave.   

    Acosta’s body was discovered by law enforcement nearly five months later, on September 16, 2016, during a search for another MS-13 victim.  His cause of death was homicidal violence, including sharp and blunt force injuries to his head and torso.

    July 18, 2016 Attempted Murders of John Doe #1 and John Doe #2

    On July 18, 2016, during a Sailors clique meeting at Alexi Saenz’s house in Central Islip, the defendant instructed the group to hunt for rival gang members who had been disrespectful to the MS-13, in order to attack and kill them.

    Later that evening, other members of the MS-13, who were driving around Brentwood armed with firearms and a machete, spotted a group of men on Apple Street. Believing these men to be members of a rival gang, three MS-13 members got out of the car and attacked the group, firing rounds from two different guns, and then using a machete to hack at one of the men who had fallen to the ground.  After the attack, the group drove back to Alexi Saenz’s house, where they hid the weapons.

    Two individuals were injured as a result of this attack.  John Doe #1 was struck with a bullet, but survived.  John Doe #2 was attacked with a machete, and was permanently disfigured.

    August 10, 2016 Attempted Murders of Suspected Rival Gang Members

    In 2016, members of the MS-13 were engaged in a series of disputes with members of the Goon Squad, a rival gang in Brentwood. 

    On August 10, 2016, Alexi Saenz and another MS-13 member drove through the neighborhood around Lukens Avenue in Brentwood, and spotted several men who they believed were members of the Goon Squad. They then rallied other members of the Sailors clique to come kill the rivals. 

    The MS-13 members divided into two vehicles, and drove towards the house where the suspected Goon Squad members had been spotted. Alexi Saenz’s car kept watch for the police, while two other MS-13 members, each bearing a gun, approached the group of suspected rivals and fired numerous shots in their direction.  No one was hit, although a stray bullet entered a neighbor’s house and struck the headboard of a bed in which the neighbor was sleeping.

    September 5, 2016 Murder of Marcus Bohannon

    On September 4, 2016, during a Sailors clique meeting at Alexi Saenz’s house in Central Islip, the defendant and other MS-13 members went out hunting for rival gang members to kill.

    The MS-13 members separated into several cars and drove around Central Islip and Brentwood, until Alexi Saenz’s group spotted 27-year old Marcus Bohannon walking along Lowell Avenue in Central Islip in the early morning hours of September 5.  Suspecting that Bohannon was a member of the rival Bloods gang, two MS-13 members, carrying firearms, got out of the vehicle, approached him, and started shooting.  Alexi Saenz then drove them away.  Bohannon was struck nine times, including in his head, neck, and chest, and died from his wounds.

    September 12, 2016 Arson

    During the summer of 2016, Sailors clique members of the MS-13 engaged in regular altercations with local gang members based in a neighborhood on Freeman Avenue in Brentwood.

    On September 12, 2016, MS-13 members retaliated by setting fire to a car parked in the driveway of one of the houses in that rival gang neighborhood.  Alexi Saenz directed other gang members to purchase gasoline and carry out the arson, while he drove around watching for police presence.  The other MS-13 gang members drove to that house, where they poured gasoline on a car parked in the driveway, and set it on fire.  The car exploded, and set another parked car on fire.   

    September 13, 2016 Murders of Kayla Cuevas and Nisa Mickens

    On September 13, 2016, Sailors clique members brutally murdered 15-year-old Nisa Mickens and 16-year-old Kayla Cuevas, both students at Brentwood High School.

    In the months leading up to the murders, Cuevas was involved in a series of disputes with members and associates of the MS-13.  Approximately one week before the murders, these disputes escalated when Cuevas and several friends were involved in an altercation with MS-13 members at Brentwood High School.  After that incident, the MS-13 members vowed to seek revenge against Cuevas.

    On the evening of September 13, 2016, Alexi Saenz and other members of the Sailors clique of the MS-13 were driving in separate cars around Brentwood in search of rival gang members to attack and kill.  One group of MS-13 members spotted Cuevas and Mickens walking down residential Stahley Street.  Recognizing Cuevas, they called Alexi Saenz and were granted permission to kill the girls. Several MS-13 members then chased down and attacked both Cuevas and Mickens, wielding baseball bats and a machete, striking each of the girls numerous times in their heads and bodies, while Alexi Saenz’s car drove around watching for police.  After the murders, the group retreated to Alexi Saenz’s home in Central Islip, where they changed clothes and hid the weapons.   

    Mickens, whose body was discovered later that evening on Stahley Street, not far from Cuevas’s home, sustained significant sharp force trauma to her face and blunt force trauma to her head.  Cuevas, whose body was discovered the following day behind a house adjacent to where Mickens’s body was found, sustained significant blunt force trauma to her head and body and multiple lacerations.

    October 10, 2016 Murder of Javier Castillo

    In October 2016, the MS-13 targeted 15-year-old Javier Castillo because he was believed to be a member of the 18th Street gang, one of MS-13’s principal rivals. 

    On October 10, 2016, several members of the Sailors clique convinced Castillo, who lived in Central Islip, to drive with them to Freeport – approximately 30 miles away – to smoke marijuana.  Once there, they met Alexi Saenz and other Sailors clique members.  The group then lured Castillo to an isolated marsh area in Cow Meadow Park, where they attacked him, taking turns hacking him to death with a machete. 

    Afterwards, the MS-13 members dug a hole and buried Castillo’s body, which was not recovered until one year later, in late October 2017.  Castillo was determined to have suffered multiple sharp force injuries to his head, neck, torso, and extremities.

    October 13, 2016 Murder of Dewann Stacks

    On the evening of October 13, 2016, Alexi Saenz and other members of the Sailors clique of MS-13 were driving around Central Islip and Brentwood in search of rival gang members to attack and kill.

    That night, they spotted 34-year-old Dewann Stacks and, believing him to be a rival gang member, Alexi Saenz authorized his murder.  While Alexi Saenz drove around watching for police presence, another group of MS-13 members, armed with two machetes and a baseball bat, drove over to attack Stacks.  Three armed MS-13 members got out of the car, and beat and hacked Stacks to death on American Boulevard, a residential street in Brentwood.  Stacks sustained severe sharp and blunt force trauma to his face and head, leaving his body nearly unrecognizable.

    January 30, 2017 Murder of Esteban Alvarado-Bonilla

    On the morning of January 30, 2017, Alexi Saenz and other members of the Sailors clique of MS-13 spotted 29-year-old Esteban Alvarado-Bonilla inside El Campesino Deli in Central Islip.  Since Alvarado-Bonilla was wearing a football jersey bearing the number “18,” the MS-13 concluded that he was a member of a rival gang and plotted to kill him.

    Several other MS-13 members obtained a mask and another vehicle that would be used to commit the murder.  Alexi Saenz provided the clique’s 9-millimeter handgun for use in the murder.

    At approximately 10:30 a.m., a masked MS-13 member entered the deli, approached Alvarado-Bonilla from behind, and shot him multiple times, killing him.  One of the bullets pierced through Alvarado-Bonilla’s head and struck the chest of a female employee of the deli, who was standing directly in front of him.  The deli employee survived the gunshot wound.   

    Narcotics Trafficking Conspiracy

    For a year and a half, from approximately April 2016 through March 2017, in order to finance the illegal operations of the Sailors clique, Alexi Saenz obtained wholesale quantities of cocaine and marijuana, which he distributed to other Sailors clique members and associates for street-level sales in Brentwood and its surrounding areas.  After the sales, the profits were turned over to Alexi Saenz, for use in, among other things, purchasing firearms for use by clique members, wiring money to MS-13 leaders in El Salvador, and buying additional narcotics for further distribution.     

                                       *          *          *          *

    Today’s sentencing is the latest achievement in a series of federal prosecutions by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York targeting members of the MS-13, a violent, transnational criminal organization.  The MS-13’s leadership is based in El Salvador, Honduras, Guatemala, and Mexico, but the gang has thousands of members across the United States.  With numerous branches, or “cliques,” the MS-13 is the most violent criminal organization on Long Island.  Since 2003, hundreds of MS-13 members, including dozens of clique leaders, have been convicted on federal felony charges in the Eastern District of New York. A majority of those MS-13 members have been convicted on federal racketeering charges for participating in murders, attempted murders, and assaults.  Since 2010, this Office has obtained indictments charging MS-13 members with carrying out more than 75 murders in the Eastern District of New York, resulting in the convictions of dozens of MS-13 leaders and members in connection with those murders.  These prosecutions are the product of investigations led by the FBI’s Long Island Gang Task Force, which is comprised of agents and officers of the FBI, SCPD, Nassau County Police Department, Nassau County Sheriff’s Department, Suffolk County Probation Office, Suffolk County Sheriff’s Office, the New York State Police, the Hempstead Police Department, the Rockville Centre Police Department, and the New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision.

    The case is part of Operation Take Back America, a Department of Justice initiative aimed at eradicating transnational criminal organizations, combating violent crime, and restoring the rule of law.

    This prosecution is also 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.

    The government’s case is being handled by the Criminal Section of the Office’s Long Island Division.  Assistant United States Attorneys John J. Durham, Paul G. Scotti, Justina L. Geraci, and Megan E. Farrell are in charge of the prosecution, with the assistance of Paralegal Specialist Kerryanne Ucci and Automated Litigation Specialist Michael Compitello.

    The Defendant:

    ALEXI SAENZ (also known as “Blasty” and “Plaky”)
    Age: 30
    El Divisadero, Morazán, El Salvador; and Central Islip, New York

    E.D.N.Y. Docket No. 16-CR-403 (S-8) (GRB)

    MIL Security OSI –

    July 9, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Security: Ohio Man Sentenced to Half a Century in Federal Prison for Sexual Exploitation of Children

    Source: US FBI

    CLEVELAND – Christopher M. Callaway, 41, of West Farmington, Ohio, has been sentenced to 50 years in prison by U.S. District Judge Patricia A. Gaughan, after he pleaded guilty in March to six counts of sexually exploiting children, receipt and distribution of minors engaged in sexually explicit content, and possession of child pornography, also known as child sexual abuse material (CSAM).  He was also ordered pay $40,000 to the Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act. Judge Gaughan imposed the sentence July 1.

    According to court documents, Callaway groomed victims from 2015 to 2022 and targeted vulnerable girls who ranged in age from 10 to 17 years old. He targeted his victims on social media and initiated contact with them through messaging apps such as KIK, Snapchat, or Facebook. Specifically, he sought out so called “daddy-daughter” online groups where older men communicated with underage girls.

    Callaway groomed his victims by telling them that he loved them and by sending them food, clothing, money, and gift cards. Once victims trusted him, he manipulated them into sending nude images or videos of themselves performing sexual acts. Callaway also sent victims sex toys, lingerie, and other items which he directed them to use so he could produce pornography to distribute online. Additionally, the defendant sent his victims sexually explicit photos and videos of himself.

    In total, federal investigators found that Callaway produced CSAM of more than 40 minors with 21 identified in the case. Most of the victims were from outside the state of Ohio and one from New Zealand. Callaway traveled to Virginia and Florida to rape victims and record the crimes as he committed them. He also traveled to the minors and brought a few to live with him in Ohio.

    During a search warrant execution of Callaway’s residence, federal agents seized electronic devices containing more than 20,000 images and videos of CSAM.

    The investigation preceding the indictment was conducted by the FBI Cleveland Division in conjunction with the Ohio Attorney General’s Office Bureau of Criminal Investigation.

    This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jennifer J. King for the Northern District of Ohio.

    This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. The initiative is led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices throughout the country and marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information, about Project Safe Childhood, visit justice.gov/PSC.

    To report child exploitation, please visit cybertipline.org, or call 1-800-843-5678, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

    MIL Security OSI –

    July 9, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Security: Guatemalan National Unlawfully Residing in Oregon Faces Federal Charges for Traveling to Washington to Sexually Abuse a Minor

    Source: US FBI

    EUGENE, Ore.—A suspected child abuser is facing federal charges today for enticing and sexually abusing a minor in Oregon and Washington.

    Leonias Juber Ramos-Garcia, 25, a Guatemalan national unlawfully residing in Culver, Oregon, has been charged by criminal complaint with coercion and enticement of a minor to engage in unlawful sexual activity and travel with intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct.

    According to court documents, in 2024, Ramos-Garcia met the minor at a business in Jefferson County, Oregon. In February 2025, undeterred by the minor’s age, Ramos-Garcia gave the minor a note which contained cash and professed his affection for the minor.

    In March 2025, Ramos-Garcia is alleged to have engaged in sexually explicit communication with the minor and, despite the victim’s reluctance, Ramos-Garcia persuaded the minor to engage in illicit sexual conduct at a hotel in Central Oregon. In April 2025, Ramos-Garcia traveled from Oregon to Washington and took the victim to a second hotel where he again sexually abused the minor.

    Ramos-Garcia was arrested Tuesday in Culver, Oregon, and made his first appearance in federal court today before a U.S. Magistrate Judge. He was ordered detained pending further court proceedings.

    The case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the FBI, and the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office, with assistance from the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations, and the Madras Police Department. It is being prosecuted by William M. McLaren, Assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of Oregon.

    A criminal complaint is only an accusation of a crime, and a defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

    Anyone who has information about the physical or online exploitation of children are encouraged to contact HSI at (866) 347-2423 or submit a tip online at report.cybertip.org.

    Federal law defines child pornography as any visual depiction of sexually explicit conduct involving a minor. It is important to remember child sexual abuse material depicts actual crimes being committed against children. Not only do these images and videos document the victims’ exploitation and abuse, but when shared across the internet, re-victimize and re-traumatize the child victims each time their abuse is viewed. To learn more, please visit the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children at www.missingkids.org.

    This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.

    This case is part of Operation Take Back America a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.

    MIL Security OSI –

    July 9, 2025

  • MIL-OSI USA: Feenstra Applauds Trump Administration’s National Farm Security Action Plan

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Randy Feenstra (IA-04)

    HULL, IOWA – Today, U.S. Rep. Randy Feenstra (R-Hull) issued the following statement praising the Trump administration’s National Farm Security Action Plan:

    “I thank President Trump and Secretary Rollins for rolling out the National Farm Security Action Plan and standing with Iowa farmers and producers. This initiative will help keep American farmland in the hands of American farmers, protect our agricultural research and supply chains from China, and defend American agriculture from the threat of foreign animal disease. By cementing our agricultural dominance and investing in our rural communities, we ensure that American farmers and producers can continue to feed and fuel our country and the world.”

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    MIL OSI USA News –

    July 9, 2025

  • MIL-OSI USA: Feenstra Applauds Trump Administration’s National Farm Security Action Plan

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Randy Feenstra (IA-04)

    HULL, IOWA – Today, U.S. Rep. Randy Feenstra (R-Hull) issued the following statement praising the Trump administration’s National Farm Security Action Plan:

    “I thank President Trump and Secretary Rollins for rolling out the National Farm Security Action Plan and standing with Iowa farmers and producers. This initiative will help keep American farmland in the hands of American farmers, protect our agricultural research and supply chains from China, and defend American agriculture from the threat of foreign animal disease. By cementing our agricultural dominance and investing in our rural communities, we ensure that American farmers and producers can continue to feed and fuel our country and the world.”

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    MIL OSI USA News –

    July 9, 2025

  • MIL-OSI USA: Congresswoman Tenney Reintroduces the Timothy J. Barber Act to Support Businesses’ Compliance with Workplace Heat Safety Regulations

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Claudia Tenney (NY-22)

    Washington, DC – Congresswoman Claudia Tenney (NY-24) today reintroduced the Timothy J. Barber Act, legislation that directs the Department of Labor to evaluate and improve the effectiveness of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) technical support and compliance assistance programs related to heat-related illnesses. These resources are critical in helping small businesses implement safety protocols and comply with federal regulations without incurring excessive costs.

    Timothy Barber, a 35-year-old New Yorker, tragically passed away from hyperthermia on July 7, 2020, while working on the Route 63 Bridge over the Genesee River in Geneseo, NY. It was his second day on the job, and the heat index had reached 95 degrees. Following a nine-month investigation, OSHA found that Tim’s employer failed to provide proper training or implement necessary safeguards against extreme heat.

    “Heat-related illnesses like hyperthermia are preventable tragedies in our country. The Timothy Barber Act ensures that OSHA’s technical assistance helps employers implement life-saving practices without adding extra burdens on small businesses. While we cannot bring Tim back, this legislation works to honor his memory and prevent such tragedies from happening again,” said Congresswoman Tenney.

    “It has been five years since Tim’s passing, and we want to thank Congresswoman Tenney for reintroducing the Tim Barber Act to raise awareness of the dangers of heat illness. We hope this proposal leads to meaningful legislation that will help prevent another tragic loss of life from hyperthermia,” said Jim and Kathy Barber.    

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    MIL OSI USA News –

    July 9, 2025

  • MIL-OSI USA: Congresswoman Tenney Reintroduces the Timothy J. Barber Act to Support Businesses’ Compliance with Workplace Heat Safety Regulations

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Claudia Tenney (NY-22)

    Washington, DC – Congresswoman Claudia Tenney (NY-24) today reintroduced the Timothy J. Barber Act, legislation that directs the Department of Labor to evaluate and improve the effectiveness of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) technical support and compliance assistance programs related to heat-related illnesses. These resources are critical in helping small businesses implement safety protocols and comply with federal regulations without incurring excessive costs.

    Timothy Barber, a 35-year-old New Yorker, tragically passed away from hyperthermia on July 7, 2020, while working on the Route 63 Bridge over the Genesee River in Geneseo, NY. It was his second day on the job, and the heat index had reached 95 degrees. Following a nine-month investigation, OSHA found that Tim’s employer failed to provide proper training or implement necessary safeguards against extreme heat.

    “Heat-related illnesses like hyperthermia are preventable tragedies in our country. The Timothy Barber Act ensures that OSHA’s technical assistance helps employers implement life-saving practices without adding extra burdens on small businesses. While we cannot bring Tim back, this legislation works to honor his memory and prevent such tragedies from happening again,” said Congresswoman Tenney.

    “It has been five years since Tim’s passing, and we want to thank Congresswoman Tenney for reintroducing the Tim Barber Act to raise awareness of the dangers of heat illness. We hope this proposal leads to meaningful legislation that will help prevent another tragic loss of life from hyperthermia,” said Jim and Kathy Barber.    

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    MIL OSI USA News –

    July 9, 2025

  • MIL-OSI USA: Congresswoman Tenney Reintroduces the Timothy J. Barber Act to Support Businesses’ Compliance with Workplace Heat Safety Regulations

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Claudia Tenney (NY-22)

    Washington, DC – Congresswoman Claudia Tenney (NY-24) today reintroduced the Timothy J. Barber Act, legislation that directs the Department of Labor to evaluate and improve the effectiveness of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) technical support and compliance assistance programs related to heat-related illnesses. These resources are critical in helping small businesses implement safety protocols and comply with federal regulations without incurring excessive costs.

    Timothy Barber, a 35-year-old New Yorker, tragically passed away from hyperthermia on July 7, 2020, while working on the Route 63 Bridge over the Genesee River in Geneseo, NY. It was his second day on the job, and the heat index had reached 95 degrees. Following a nine-month investigation, OSHA found that Tim’s employer failed to provide proper training or implement necessary safeguards against extreme heat.

    “Heat-related illnesses like hyperthermia are preventable tragedies in our country. The Timothy Barber Act ensures that OSHA’s technical assistance helps employers implement life-saving practices without adding extra burdens on small businesses. While we cannot bring Tim back, this legislation works to honor his memory and prevent such tragedies from happening again,” said Congresswoman Tenney.

    “It has been five years since Tim’s passing, and we want to thank Congresswoman Tenney for reintroducing the Tim Barber Act to raise awareness of the dangers of heat illness. We hope this proposal leads to meaningful legislation that will help prevent another tragic loss of life from hyperthermia,” said Jim and Kathy Barber.    

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    MIL OSI USA News –

    July 9, 2025

  • MIL-OSI USA: Congresswoman Tenney Reintroduces the Timothy J. Barber Act to Support Businesses’ Compliance with Workplace Heat Safety Regulations

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Claudia Tenney (NY-22)

    Washington, DC – Congresswoman Claudia Tenney (NY-24) today reintroduced the Timothy J. Barber Act, legislation that directs the Department of Labor to evaluate and improve the effectiveness of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) technical support and compliance assistance programs related to heat-related illnesses. These resources are critical in helping small businesses implement safety protocols and comply with federal regulations without incurring excessive costs.

    Timothy Barber, a 35-year-old New Yorker, tragically passed away from hyperthermia on July 7, 2020, while working on the Route 63 Bridge over the Genesee River in Geneseo, NY. It was his second day on the job, and the heat index had reached 95 degrees. Following a nine-month investigation, OSHA found that Tim’s employer failed to provide proper training or implement necessary safeguards against extreme heat.

    “Heat-related illnesses like hyperthermia are preventable tragedies in our country. The Timothy Barber Act ensures that OSHA’s technical assistance helps employers implement life-saving practices without adding extra burdens on small businesses. While we cannot bring Tim back, this legislation works to honor his memory and prevent such tragedies from happening again,” said Congresswoman Tenney.

    “It has been five years since Tim’s passing, and we want to thank Congresswoman Tenney for reintroducing the Tim Barber Act to raise awareness of the dangers of heat illness. We hope this proposal leads to meaningful legislation that will help prevent another tragic loss of life from hyperthermia,” said Jim and Kathy Barber.    

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    MIL OSI USA News –

    July 9, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Security: Four Defendants Charged with Various Offenses Including Arson, Assaulting a Federal Officer, and Depredation of Federal Property During Protests Near Local ICE Office

    Source: US FBI

    PORTLAND, Ore.—Four defendants made their first appearances in federal court Monday after committing various offenses—including arson and willful depredation of government property—during ongoing protest gatherings near a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) office in South Portland.

    Nadya Malinowska, 33, of Portland, has been charged by information with the misdemeanor offense of failing to obey a lawful order.

    David Pearl, 35, also of Portland, has been charged by information with the misdemeanor offenses of failing to obey a lawful order and creating a disturbance.

    August Dean Gordon, 31, of Beaverton, Oregon, has been charged by criminal complaint with the misdemeanor offenses of willful depredation of government property and assaulting a federal officer.

    Trenten Edward Barker, 34, of Portland, has been charged by criminal complaint with the felony offenses of arson of federal property and depredation against federal property.

    According to court documents and information shared in court, on June 29, 2025, several individuals gathered near an ICE office in South Portland where, for weeks, individuals have repeatedly targeted the building and federal law enforcement officers.

    At approximately 3:14am, federal officers observed an individual, later identified as Gordon, pulling a proximity card reader from a stanchion located on the ICE facility’s driveway. During his arrest, Gordon kicked and grabbed the officers, injuring five officers as they placed him into custody.

    Later that evening, after federal officers directed the crowd to disperse, Malinowska refused to leave the premises. Malinowska was also charged with failing to comply with an officer’s orders to leave the premises on June 17, 2025, and on June 21, 2025.

    The same evening, while officers were arresting an individual, Pearl attempted to interfere with the officers as they placed the individual into custody.

    On June 11, 2025, during related gatherings at the ICE office, federal officers observed a group of individuals attempting to construct a barricade against the vehicle gate of the ICE building using a range of materials. At approximately 9:51pm, federal officers observed an individual, later identified as Barker, retrieve a flare from his backpack which he lit and tossed onto the pile of materials stacked against the vehicle gate, igniting the materials. Officers observed other individuals adding items to the pile of materials as the flames grew. The officers fully extinguished the fire within minutes. Barker was arrested on June 27, 2025.

    All four defendants made their first appearances in federal court Monday before a U.S. Magistrate Judge. They were released on conditions pending future court proceedings.

    Felony arson of federal property is punishable by up to 20 years in federal prison with a mandatory minimum sentence of five years. Misdemeanor assault of a federal officer and misdemeanor willful depredation of government property are punishable by up to one year in federal prison. Failure to obey a lawful order and creating a disturbance are Class C misdemeanors and carry a maximum penalty of 30 days in prison.

    These cases were investigated by the FBI, Federal Protective Service, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. They are being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Oregon.

    A criminal complaint and an information are only accusations of a crime, and a defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

    MIL Security OSI –

    July 9, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Security: North Versailles Felon Sentenced to More Than 10 Years in Prison for Possession of Firearm

    Source: US FBI

    PITTSBURGH, Pa. – A resident of North Versailles, Pennsylvania, has been sentenced in federal court to 121 months of imprisonment, to be followed by three years of supervised release, on his conviction of possessing a firearm as a convicted felon, Acting United States Attorney Troy Rivetti announced today.

    United States District Judge Christy Criswell Wiegand imposed the sentence on Keion Washington, 25.

    According to information presented to the Court, on February 7, 2024, Washington was driving a vehicle associated with an incident that occurred a few days prior. When law enforcement officers tried to stop the car, Washington initially drove off, then exited the vehicle and fled on foot. Law enforcement officers found a stolen rifle in the car, loaded with 30 rounds of ammunition.

    Prior to imposing sentence, Judge Wiegand stated that the sentence took into account the nature of the offense and Washington’s criminal history, including the fact that Washington had been convicted of two prior controlled substances felony offenses.

    Assistant United States Attorneys DeMarr W. Moulton and Jacqueline C. Brown prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.

    Acting United States Attorney Rivetti commended the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Pittsburgh Bureau of Police for the investigation leading to the successful prosecution of Washington.

    MIL Security OSI –

    July 9, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Security: Illinois Man Pleads Guilty and Pennsylvania Man is Sentenced in Separate Schemes to Transport Contraband into FCI McDowell with Drones

    Source: US FBI

    BLUEFIELD, W.Va. – Today, Francisco Alejandro Gonzalez, 24, of Chicago, Illinois, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit the felony crime of attempting to introduce contraband into a federal prison and Gamalier Rivera, 33, of Allentown, Pennsylvania, was sentenced to three years of federal probation, including two months on home detention, for aiding and abetting the introduction of contraband into a federal prison. Gonzalez and Rivera each admitted to their roles in separate schemes to deliver contraband into Federal Correctional Institution (FCI) McDowell using drones.

    According to court documents and statements made in court, on February 1, 2024, Gonzalez traveled on foot with co-defendant Miguel Angel Aleman-Piceno to the fence surrounding FCI McDowell. Gonzalez and Aleman-Piceno possessed a backpack and a duffle bag containing a drone and two camouflaged packages containing four cell phones, chargers, phone cards, marijuana, and tobacco. As part of his guilty plea, Gonzalez admitted that they intended to fly the packages onto the grounds of FCI McDowell using the drone, and were stopped by law enforcement as they prepared to launch the drone.

    Gonzalez further admitted to traveling to McDowell County, West Virginia, from Chicago with Aleman-Piceno and co-defendant Arturo Joel Gallegos. Gonzalez also admitted that he and his two co-defendants stayed an area motel where law enforcement seized marijuana, tobacco and materials used to make the camouflaged packages.

    Gonzalez is scheduled to be sentenced on November 3, 2025, and faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison, up to three years of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine.

    Aleman-Piceno, 22, of Chicago, Illinois, pleaded guilty on June 2, 2025, to conspiracy to commit the felony crime of attempting to introduce contraband into a federal prison and is scheduled to be sentenced on September 8, 2025. The indictment against Gallegos, 26, of Chicago, remains pending. An indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

    On February 9, 2024, correctional officers at FCI McDowell detected a drone flying over the prison facility. The flight path of the drone took it from the fence securing the prison facility to a cell in one of the housing units. Officers searched the cell and found a broken exterior window, numerous cell phones, tobacco, and marijuana within the cell.

    Officers traced the flight path back to the drone’s launch site, where they found and apprehended Rivera and co-defendants Hector Luis Gomez DeJesus and Raymond Luis Saez Aviles. Officer seized the drone, the drone’s remote controller, and contraband consistent with what was found in the cell.

    As part of his guilty plea, Rivera admitted that he, DeJesus, and Aviles participated in the introduction of the contraband into FCI McDowell by using the drone to transport marijuana, tobacco, and cell phones into the prison facility. Rivera further admitted that he expected to be paid for his participation in the contraband introduction.

    DeJesus, 32, of Sanford, North Carolina, and Aviles, 37, of Poinciana, Florida, each pleaded guilty on April 29, 2025, to aiding and abetting the introduction of contraband into a federal prison and are scheduled to be sentenced on August 11, 2025.

    Acting United States Attorney Lisa G. Johnston made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP), and the McDowell County Sheriff’s Office.

    Senior United States District Judge David A. Faber presided over the hearings. Assistant United States Attorney Brian D. Parsons is prosecuting the cases.

    A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:24-cr-126 (Gonzalez) and 1:24-cr-127 (Rivera).

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    MIL Security OSI –

    July 9, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Security: Massachusetts Man Pleads Guilty to Cyberstalking South Carolina Federal Agent and Family

    Source: US FBI

    COLUMBIA, S.C. — Scott Robert Tardy, 31, of Holyoke, Massachusetts, has pleaded guilty to cyberstalking, providing false statements to the FBI, and obstruction of justice in a scheme that targeted a South Carolina federal law enforcement agent and his family.

    According to evidence presented in court, in February, Tardy operated an account with the username “connecticut12345” on the Kik social media platform in which he joined an anti-law enforcement chatgroup. In that group, Tardy posted numerous messages discussing and soliciting violence against a specific agent and the agent’s spouse. 

    In those messages, Tardy repeatedly identified the victims’ employment affiliation as a reason to target them. He also shared photographs of the agent’s spouse and the city and state in which they live. Tardy discussed violence against the agent and the agent’s family, including throwing a Molotov cocktail in their bedroom while they were sleeping. He asked for the conversation to be moved to the Telegram platform, where he operated the username “slimybanana,” because he believed it was more secure. 

    On the second platform, Tardy discussed what a cartel would do to the victims, he discussed having one of the victims “ruined,” “destroyed,” and “tortured for days.”  He said burning the house was “good enough” if the victim was inside. Tardy then shared the location of the victims’ home by sharing a map with a pin drop on the victims’ street, and asked another user how long it would take them to get there.

    When the FBI executed a federal search warrant at Tardy’s apartment on Feb. 16, he falsely denied ever using Kik or Telegram and he denied responsibility for the solicitations and messages. He gave further false statements in an interview with investigators, and he caused the phone he used to be reset, clearing its content, and exchanged with Apple for a new phone. 

    Despite that, investigators recovered the map of the victims’ home with the pin drop on it from an account associated with Tardy. Data related to the Kik and Telegram accounts showed that Tardy controlled the accounts. During the scheme, Tardy worked as a corrections officer at a detention facility in Connecticut.

    Tardy faces a penalty of up to 20 years in prison. He also faces a fine of up to $250,000 and five years of supervision by the U.S. Probation Office to follow a term of imprisonment.

    United States District Judge Joseph F. Anderson, Jr. accepted Tardy’s guilty plea and will sentence the defendant after receiving and reviewing a sentencing report prepared by the U.S. Probation Office. 

    The case was investigated by the FBI Columbia field office with critical assistance from FBI Boston field office. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Elliott B. Daniels and Elle E. Klein are prosecuting the case. 

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    MIL Security OSI –

    July 9, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Economics: EIA revises crude oil price forecast amid uncertainty and volatility but still expects prices will decrease

    Source: US Energy Information Administration – EIA

    Headline: EIA revises crude oil price forecast amid uncertainty and volatility but still expects prices will decrease

    U.S. ENERGY INFORMATION ADMINISTRATION
    WASHINGTON DC 20585

    FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
    July 8, 2025

    The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) expects the Brent crude oil price to average less than $70 per barrel in 2025 and about $58 per barrel in 2026. In its July Short-Term Energy Outlook (STEO), EIA revised its 2025 oil price forecast slightly upward this month in response to unrest in the Middle East creating uncertainty in the oil market.

    “The oil market is experiencing uncertainty from regional conflict, demand growth, and several other factors,” said EIA Acting Administrator Steve Nalley. “Our forecast for lower oil prices comes from basic economic fundamentals that when supply grows faster than demand, prices decrease.”

    EIA expects lower oil prices to affect U.S. gasoline prices and domestic oil production, detailed in the highlights below.

    U.S. energy market indicators 2024 2025 2026
    Brent crude oil spot price (dollars per barrel) $81 $69 $58
    Retail gasoline price (dollars per gallon) $3.30 $3.10 $3.00
    U.S. crude oil production (million barrels per day) 13.2 13.4 13.4
    Natural gas price at Henry Hub (dollars per million British thermal units) $2.20 $3.70 $4.40
    U.S. liquefied natural gas gross exports (billion cubic feet per day) 12 15 16
    Shares of U.S. electricity generation       
    Natural gas 42% 40% 40%
    Coal 16% 17% 15%
    Renewables 23% 25% 26%
    Nuclear 19% 18% 18%
    U.S. GDP (percentage change) 2.8% 1.4% 1.9%
    U.S. CO2 emissions (billion metric tons) 4.8 4.8 4.8
    Data source: U.S. Energy Information Administration, Short-Term Energy Outlook, July 2025
    Note: Values in this table are rounded and may not match values in other tables in this report.
    • Global oil supply and prices: EIA expects the Brent crude oil price to average $69 per barrel this year, which is $3 per barrel higher than in last month’s forecast. EIA revised its forecast upward following higher near-term prices resulting from the geopolitical risks of the Israel-Iran conflict. EIA expects increasing global oil supply to continue pushing oil prices down in 2026, with the Brent price averaging $58 per barrel in the agency’s forecast.
    • U.S. crude oil production:Declining oil prices have contributed to U.S. oil producers slowing their drilling and completion activity this year. As a result, EIA expects U.S. crude oil production to decline from an all-time high of 13.5 million barrels per day in the second quarter of 2025 to about 13.3 million barrels per day in the fourth quarter of 2026. EIA expects U.S crude oil production to average about 13.4 million barrels per day in both 2025 and 2026.
    • U.S. gasoline prices: Despite the revisions to EIA’s oil price forecasts, the agency still expects U.S. regular-grade gasoline prices to average about $3.10 per gallon in 2025 and $3.00 per gallon in 2026, down from $3.30 per gallon in 2024.
    • Ethane production and exports: On July 2, the U.S. Commerce Department rescinded export license requirements that had effectively barred U.S. ethane exports to China. As a result, EIA changed the domestic ethane production and exports forecast in the June STEO to align with expectation for growing trade between U.S. ethane producers and petrochemical crackers in China.
    • Natural gas storage and prices: U.S. natural gas storage was about 7% above the five-year average at the end of June, following a string of large storage injections from April to June. EIA now expects that as the United States enters the winter heating season, U.S. natural gas inventories will be about 5% higher than in last month’s forecast. EIA expects the Henry Hub spot price to average about $3.40 per million British thermal units (MMBtu) in the third quarter of this year and $3.70 per MMBtu for the year, both significantly lower than the June forecast.
    • Wholesale power prices: Although EIA revised down its natural gas price forecast, the agency still expects natural gas prices to be significantly higher than the historic lows of 2024. Because natural gas is the primary source of U.S. electricity generation, EIA expects natural gas prices to contribute to 12% higher wholesale electricity prices this summer compared with last summer.
    • Renewable energy: EIA expects electricity generation from solar power will be about 34% higher this summer than last summer, then increase an additional 19% next summer. Solar surpasses wind as the leading source of renewables generation next summer in EIA’s forecast.
    • Trade policy assumptions: The U.S. macroeconomic outlook EIA uses in the Short-Term Energy Outlook (STEO) is based on S&P Global’s macroeconomic model. S&P Global’s most recent model reflects the tariffs announced in April and includes the 90-day temporary suspension of tariffs granted to certain countries. S&P Global Markit Intelligence projects reduced tariffs on imports from China compared with last month, but EIA expects tariffs on imports from other countries to remain at 10% after the 90-day pause expires in July.

    The full July 2025 Short-Term Energy Outlook is available on the EIA website.

    The product described in this press release was prepared by the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), the statistical and analytical agency within the U.S. Department of Energy. By law, EIA’s data, analysis, and forecasts are independent of approval by any other officer or employee of the U.S. government. The views in the product and this press release therefore should not be construed as representing those of the U.S. Department of Energy or other federal agencies.

    EIA Program Contact: Tim Hess, STEO@eia.gov
    EIA Press Contact: Chris Higginbotham, EIAMedia@eia.gov

    MIL OSI Economics –

    July 9, 2025

  • MIL-OSI USA: Rep. Clyde Announces Launch of 2025 Congressional App Challenge

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Andrew S. Clyde (R-GA)

    Rep. Clyde Announces Launch of 2025 Congressional App Challenge

    Gainesville, July 8, 2025

     

    GAINESVILLE, GA — Today, Congressman Andrew Clyde (GA-09) invited middle and high school students in Georgia’s Ninth District to participate in the 2025 Congressional App Challenge, a nationwide competition that encourages young Americans to showcase their creativity and coding skills by designing original apps. The submission portal is now open, and students can register and submit their apps through October 30th, 2025.

     

    “The Congressional App Challenge provides an incredible opportunity for students of all backgrounds to learn valuable skills and display their creativity on the national stage,” said Clyde. “I encourage middle and high school students throughout the Ninth District to take part in this competition to explore and excel in coding, tech, and innovation.”

     

    Background:

     

    First launched in 2014, the Congressional App Challenge is the official computer science competition of the U.S. House of Representatives. The competition encourages students to create and submit their own app for the opportunity to receive national recognition.

     

    Students may participate as individuals or in teams of up to four. Congressional App Challenge winners may be eligible to have their app featured on a display in the U.S. Capitol and put on the U.S. House of Representatives’ website. Additionally, winners will receive an invitation to the #HouseOfCode celebration on Capitol Hill.

     

    Rules and guidelines are available HERE. For more information, please visit Rep. Clyde’s website and the Congressional App Challenge’s website.

    MIL OSI USA News –

    July 9, 2025

  • MIL-OSI China: Xi stresses transforming resource-based economy, advancing Chinese modernization during Shanxi inspection tour 2025-07-08 21:12:32 President Xi Jinping has called on north China’s Shanxi Province to further promote the transformation and development of the resource-based economy and strive to write its own chapter in advancing Chinese modernization.

    Source: People’s Republic of China – Ministry of National Defense

    Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, lays a floral basket to pay tribute to the martyrs at the monument square honoring the martyrs of the Hundred-Regiment Campaign during the war of resistance against Japanese aggression, when inspecting Yangquan City, north China’s Shanxi Province, July 7, 2025. (Xinhua/Xie Huanchi)

    TAIYUAN, July 8 (Xinhua) — President Xi Jinping has called on north China’s Shanxi Province to further promote the transformation and development of the resource-based economy and strive to write its own chapter in advancing Chinese modernization.

    Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, made the remarks during his inspection tour in Shanxi from Monday to Tuesday.

    On Monday afternoon, Xi visited a monument square in Yangquan City and paid tribute to heroes of the Eighth Route Army who died in the Hundred-Regiment Campaign. The campaign took place in northern China between August 1940 and January 1941 during the Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression.

    Xi described the campaign as a powerful testament to the CPC’s role as the pillar of the nation’s resistance war against Japanese aggression. He called for passing on the great spirit of resisting aggression from one generation to the next.

    Speaking to young students visiting an exhibition on the campaign, Xi called on the younger generation to carry forward the revolutionary legacy and rise to the task of national rejuvenation.

    When inspecting the Yangquan Valve Co., Ltd., Xi was briefed on the province’s progress in industrial transformation and upgrade in recent years. He also learned about the production and sales of some valve products at the company’s workshop.

    He emphasized that traditional manufacturing is an important part of the real economy, and called for efforts to respond to market demand and enhance sci-tech innovation to breathe new life into traditional industries.

    Noting that China’s industrial development today relies on advanced technologies and equipment for improvement, Xi encouraged the company’s staff members to contribute more to the country’s growing manufacturing strength.

    On Tuesday morning, after listening to a work report from the CPC Shanxi Provincial Committee and the provincial government, Xi made requirements for the province’s future work.

    Xi noted that building a national pilot area of comprehensive reform for the transformation of resource-based economy is a strategic task entrusted to Shanxi by the CPC Central Committee.

    While ensuring the coal supply for the country’s power generation, efforts should be made to promote the low-end to high-end transformation of the coal industry and the upgrading of coal products from primary fuels to high-value products, Xi said.

    He also required efforts to push forward the transformation and upgrading of traditional industries and develop emerging and future industries in light of local conditions to foster new quality productive forces.

    It is imperative to make good use of various development conditions, optimize the business environment and stimulate the vitality of business entities, he said.

    Xi also highlighted the bottom line of security and stability in this process, urging efforts to ensure people’s livelihoods, maintain social stability, safeguard ecological security and boost workplace safety.

    Persistent work should be done to enforce the Party’s full and rigorous self-governance, Xi added, calling for cultivating a clean political environment and improving the long-term, regular mechanisms for Party conduct.

    Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, lays a floral basket to pay tribute to the martyrs at the monument square honoring the martyrs of the Hundred-Regiment Campaign during the war of resistance against Japanese aggression, when inspecting Yangquan City, north China’s Shanxi Province, July 7, 2025. (Xinhua/Yan Yan)

    Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, visits the memorial hall commemorating the Hundred-Regiment Campaign during the war of resistance against Japanese aggression, when inspecting Yangquan City, north China’s Shanxi Province, July 7, 2025. (Xinhua/Xie Huanchi)

    Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, visits the memorial hall commemorating the Hundred-Regiment Campaign during the war of resistance against Japanese aggression, when inspecting Yangquan City, north China’s Shanxi Province, July 7, 2025. (Xinhua/Yan Yan)

    Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, talks with students and staff members at the memorial hall commemorating the Hundred-Regiment Campaign during the war of resistance against Japanese aggression, when inspecting Yangquan City, north China’s Shanxi Province, July 7, 2025. (Xinhua/Xie Huanchi)

    Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, talks with students and staff members at the memorial hall commemorating the Hundred-Regiment Campaign during the war of resistance against Japanese aggression, when inspecting Yangquan City, north China’s Shanxi Province, July 7, 2025. (Xinhua/Yin Bogu)

    Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, inspects the production workshop and products display at the Yangquan Valve Co., Ltd. in Yangquan City, north China’s Shanxi Province, July 7, 2025. Xi inspected the company here on Monday. (Xinhua/Xie Huanchi)

    Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, has a cordial conversation with workers at the Yangquan Valve Co., Ltd. in Yangquan City, north China’s Shanxi Province, July 7, 2025. Xi inspected the company here on Monday. (Xinhua/Yan Yan)

    Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, has a cordial conversation with workers at the Yangquan Valve Co., Ltd. in Yangquan City, north China’s Shanxi Province, July 7, 2025. Xi inspected the company here on Monday. (Xinhua/Yan Yan)

    Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, has a cordial conversation with workers at the Yangquan Valve Co., Ltd. in Yangquan City, north China’s Shanxi Province, July 7, 2025. Xi inspected the company here on Monday. (Xinhua/Zhai Jianlan)

    Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, is pictured with workers at the Yangquan Valve Co., Ltd. in Yangquan City, north China’s Shanxi Province, July 7, 2025. Xi inspected the company here on Monday. (Xinhua/Yan Yan)

    MIL OSI China News –

    July 9, 2025

  • MIL-OSI USA: Rep. Clyde Announces Launch of 2025 Congressional App Challenge

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Andrew S. Clyde (R-GA)

    Rep. Clyde Announces Launch of 2025 Congressional App Challenge

    Gainesville, July 8, 2025

     

    GAINESVILLE, GA — Today, Congressman Andrew Clyde (GA-09) invited middle and high school students in Georgia’s Ninth District to participate in the 2025 Congressional App Challenge, a nationwide competition that encourages young Americans to showcase their creativity and coding skills by designing original apps. The submission portal is now open, and students can register and submit their apps through October 30th, 2025.

     

    “The Congressional App Challenge provides an incredible opportunity for students of all backgrounds to learn valuable skills and display their creativity on the national stage,” said Clyde. “I encourage middle and high school students throughout the Ninth District to take part in this competition to explore and excel in coding, tech, and innovation.”

     

    Background:

     

    First launched in 2014, the Congressional App Challenge is the official computer science competition of the U.S. House of Representatives. The competition encourages students to create and submit their own app for the opportunity to receive national recognition.

     

    Students may participate as individuals or in teams of up to four. Congressional App Challenge winners may be eligible to have their app featured on a display in the U.S. Capitol and put on the U.S. House of Representatives’ website. Additionally, winners will receive an invitation to the #HouseOfCode celebration on Capitol Hill.

     

    Rules and guidelines are available HERE. For more information, please visit Rep. Clyde’s website and the Congressional App Challenge’s website.

    MIL OSI USA News –

    July 9, 2025

  • MIL-OSI USA: Rep. Clyde Announces Launch of 2025 Congressional App Challenge

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Andrew S. Clyde (R-GA)

    Rep. Clyde Announces Launch of 2025 Congressional App Challenge

    Gainesville, July 8, 2025

     

    GAINESVILLE, GA — Today, Congressman Andrew Clyde (GA-09) invited middle and high school students in Georgia’s Ninth District to participate in the 2025 Congressional App Challenge, a nationwide competition that encourages young Americans to showcase their creativity and coding skills by designing original apps. The submission portal is now open, and students can register and submit their apps through October 30th, 2025.

     

    “The Congressional App Challenge provides an incredible opportunity for students of all backgrounds to learn valuable skills and display their creativity on the national stage,” said Clyde. “I encourage middle and high school students throughout the Ninth District to take part in this competition to explore and excel in coding, tech, and innovation.”

     

    Background:

     

    First launched in 2014, the Congressional App Challenge is the official computer science competition of the U.S. House of Representatives. The competition encourages students to create and submit their own app for the opportunity to receive national recognition.

     

    Students may participate as individuals or in teams of up to four. Congressional App Challenge winners may be eligible to have their app featured on a display in the U.S. Capitol and put on the U.S. House of Representatives’ website. Additionally, winners will receive an invitation to the #HouseOfCode celebration on Capitol Hill.

     

    Rules and guidelines are available HERE. For more information, please visit Rep. Clyde’s website and the Congressional App Challenge’s website.

    MIL OSI USA News –

    July 9, 2025

  • MIL-OSI USA: Ernst Names Small Business of the Week, Edd the Florist

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Joni Ernst (R-IA)

    RED OAK, Iowa – U.S. Senator Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), Chair of the Senate Small Business Committee, today announced her Small Business of the Week: Edd the Florist of Wapello County.  Throughout the 119th Congress, Chair Ernst plans to recognize a small business in every one of Iowa’s 99 counties.
    “Since the Wiltz family purchased it in 1956, Edd the Florist has blossomed into a scent-sational institution in Ottumwa,” said Chair Ernst. “Hans Wilz has stayed rooted to his parents’ dreams, while expanding to provide gifts and gourmet foods for the community. Serving the community for nearly 70 years, this small business is blooming with success.”
    As the second-generation owner of Edd the Florist, Hans Wilz remains committed to providing Ottumwa and beyond with quality products curated with care. Family and entrepreneurial values are front and center as the business approaches its 70th anniversary. After emigrating from Germany, Margaret and Karl Wilz purchased the shop to pursue the American Dream, and Hans carries their legacy on today.
    Stay tuned as Chair Ernst recognizes more Iowa small businesses across the state with her Small Business of the Week award.

    MIL OSI USA News –

    July 9, 2025

  • MIL-OSI China: Xi stresses transforming resource-based economy, advancing Chinese modernization during Shanxi inspection tour 2025-07-08 21:12:32 President Xi Jinping has called on north China’s Shanxi Province to further promote the transformation and development of the resource-based economy and strive to write its own chapter in advancing Chinese modernization.

    Source: People’s Republic of China – Ministry of National Defense

    Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, lays a floral basket to pay tribute to the martyrs at the monument square honoring the martyrs of the Hundred-Regiment Campaign during the war of resistance against Japanese aggression, when inspecting Yangquan City, north China’s Shanxi Province, July 7, 2025. (Xinhua/Xie Huanchi)

    TAIYUAN, July 8 (Xinhua) — President Xi Jinping has called on north China’s Shanxi Province to further promote the transformation and development of the resource-based economy and strive to write its own chapter in advancing Chinese modernization.

    Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, made the remarks during his inspection tour in Shanxi from Monday to Tuesday.

    On Monday afternoon, Xi visited a monument square in Yangquan City and paid tribute to heroes of the Eighth Route Army who died in the Hundred-Regiment Campaign. The campaign took place in northern China between August 1940 and January 1941 during the Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression.

    Xi described the campaign as a powerful testament to the CPC’s role as the pillar of the nation’s resistance war against Japanese aggression. He called for passing on the great spirit of resisting aggression from one generation to the next.

    Speaking to young students visiting an exhibition on the campaign, Xi called on the younger generation to carry forward the revolutionary legacy and rise to the task of national rejuvenation.

    When inspecting the Yangquan Valve Co., Ltd., Xi was briefed on the province’s progress in industrial transformation and upgrade in recent years. He also learned about the production and sales of some valve products at the company’s workshop.

    He emphasized that traditional manufacturing is an important part of the real economy, and called for efforts to respond to market demand and enhance sci-tech innovation to breathe new life into traditional industries.

    Noting that China’s industrial development today relies on advanced technologies and equipment for improvement, Xi encouraged the company’s staff members to contribute more to the country’s growing manufacturing strength.

    On Tuesday morning, after listening to a work report from the CPC Shanxi Provincial Committee and the provincial government, Xi made requirements for the province’s future work.

    Xi noted that building a national pilot area of comprehensive reform for the transformation of resource-based economy is a strategic task entrusted to Shanxi by the CPC Central Committee.

    While ensuring the coal supply for the country’s power generation, efforts should be made to promote the low-end to high-end transformation of the coal industry and the upgrading of coal products from primary fuels to high-value products, Xi said.

    He also required efforts to push forward the transformation and upgrading of traditional industries and develop emerging and future industries in light of local conditions to foster new quality productive forces.

    It is imperative to make good use of various development conditions, optimize the business environment and stimulate the vitality of business entities, he said.

    Xi also highlighted the bottom line of security and stability in this process, urging efforts to ensure people’s livelihoods, maintain social stability, safeguard ecological security and boost workplace safety.

    Persistent work should be done to enforce the Party’s full and rigorous self-governance, Xi added, calling for cultivating a clean political environment and improving the long-term, regular mechanisms for Party conduct.

    Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, lays a floral basket to pay tribute to the martyrs at the monument square honoring the martyrs of the Hundred-Regiment Campaign during the war of resistance against Japanese aggression, when inspecting Yangquan City, north China’s Shanxi Province, July 7, 2025. (Xinhua/Yan Yan)

    Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, visits the memorial hall commemorating the Hundred-Regiment Campaign during the war of resistance against Japanese aggression, when inspecting Yangquan City, north China’s Shanxi Province, July 7, 2025. (Xinhua/Xie Huanchi)

    Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, visits the memorial hall commemorating the Hundred-Regiment Campaign during the war of resistance against Japanese aggression, when inspecting Yangquan City, north China’s Shanxi Province, July 7, 2025. (Xinhua/Yan Yan)

    Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, talks with students and staff members at the memorial hall commemorating the Hundred-Regiment Campaign during the war of resistance against Japanese aggression, when inspecting Yangquan City, north China’s Shanxi Province, July 7, 2025. (Xinhua/Xie Huanchi)

    Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, talks with students and staff members at the memorial hall commemorating the Hundred-Regiment Campaign during the war of resistance against Japanese aggression, when inspecting Yangquan City, north China’s Shanxi Province, July 7, 2025. (Xinhua/Yin Bogu)

    Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, inspects the production workshop and products display at the Yangquan Valve Co., Ltd. in Yangquan City, north China’s Shanxi Province, July 7, 2025. Xi inspected the company here on Monday. (Xinhua/Xie Huanchi)

    Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, has a cordial conversation with workers at the Yangquan Valve Co., Ltd. in Yangquan City, north China’s Shanxi Province, July 7, 2025. Xi inspected the company here on Monday. (Xinhua/Yan Yan)

    Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, has a cordial conversation with workers at the Yangquan Valve Co., Ltd. in Yangquan City, north China’s Shanxi Province, July 7, 2025. Xi inspected the company here on Monday. (Xinhua/Yan Yan)

    Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, has a cordial conversation with workers at the Yangquan Valve Co., Ltd. in Yangquan City, north China’s Shanxi Province, July 7, 2025. Xi inspected the company here on Monday. (Xinhua/Zhai Jianlan)

    Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, is pictured with workers at the Yangquan Valve Co., Ltd. in Yangquan City, north China’s Shanxi Province, July 7, 2025. Xi inspected the company here on Monday. (Xinhua/Yan Yan)

    MIL OSI China News –

    July 9, 2025

  • MIL-OSI USA: Boozman Recognized for Support of Medical Education and Research

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Arkansas – John Boozman

    WASHINGTON—U.S. Senator John Boozman (R-AR) was recognized with the 2025 Champion of Academic Medicine Award from the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) for demonstrating extraordinary leadership advancing priorities that benefit patients, medical educators, academic institutions and the broader health care system. 

    “I’m proud to champion the vital work of our nation’s academic medical centers, medical schools and the future physicians they train. Strengthening our health care workforce, especially in rural and underserved communities, is critical to improve access to care and support the next generation of providers in Arkansas and across the country for years to come. I look forward to further advocating key policies that protect and enhance medical education,” Boozman said.

    AAMC President and CEO Dr. David Skorton, along with Founding Dean and CEO of Alice L. Walton Medical School Dr. Sharmila Makhija and University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences outgoing Chancellor Dr. Cam Patterson, presented Boozman with the award in his Washington office.

    “We applaud Sen. Boozman for his tireless efforts to highlight and support the critical work of the nation’s academic health systems and teaching hospitals in driving innovation and improving patient care,” Skorton said. “His strong support and steadfast leadership has paved the way for lawmakers to better understand what’s at stake –– a growing nationwide physician shortage, a dire need for the United States to remain competitive in health care innovation and economic growth, and an urgent need to invest in the advancements that save patient lives.” 

    In March, Boozman introduced the Physicians for Underserved Areas Act and the Resident Education Deferred Interest (REDI) Act to increase available medical residency spots, prioritize placement in rural and underserved areas and ease financial burdens on medical professionals completing their medical training. 

    Boozman has also been at the forefront of a bipartisan push to lift the 25-year freeze on Medicare-supported graduate medical education positions, including helping to secure more than 1,000 new residency slots.

    MIL OSI USA News –

    July 9, 2025

  • MIL-OSI USA: ICYMI: Senator Mullin on Securing America’s Borders with the ‘One Big, Beautiful Bill’ICYMI:

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator MarkWayne Mullin (R-Oklahoma)

    ICYMI: Senator Mullin on Securing America’s Borders with the ‘One Big, Beautiful Bill’ICYMI:

    Washington, D.C. – On Sunday, U.S. Senator Markwayne Mullin (R-OK) joined Fox News’ “Sunday Morning Futures” to discuss how the ‘One Big, Beautiful Bill’ and President Trump are securing America’s borders and making the country safe again. Senator Mullin also touted the record retention and recruiting numbers seen by the military under President Trump and Defense Secretary Hegseth’s leadership. Highlights below.

    Sen. Mullin’s full interview can be found here.

    On the ‘One Big, Beautiful Bill’ providing funding to complete the southern border wall:

    “Look, first of all, what we’re going to do is actually complete the wall. The last time that President Trump started the wall, obviously you saw the Biden administration come in and just wreak havoc on it and sell the material at pennies on the dollar. So, the first thing we’re doing is we’re actually putting this into law by putting $46 billion to finally complete the wall all the way across our southern border.”

    On the ‘all-out attacks’ faced by border officials:

    “It’s not just land crossings, but it’s going across water, going around. It’s overwhelming our Coast Guard, the Marines, are able to augment that. We’re having to have a lot more sea power that you probably wouldn’t see when you’re thinking of just human smuggling and drug smuggling. It’s literally an all-out attack.”

    On President Trump securing America’s borders and making the U.S. safe again:

    “This is why President Trump has made it a high priority. He is the guy who’s going to save America from imploding from within.”

    “This is what peace through strength looks like, Jason. When you’re not just sitting back playing whac-a-mole, or just simply inviting them in like the Biden administration, President Trump is pushing forward.” 

    “President Trump now has made it a focus to not just focus on the southern border, but our northern border too, and he is restoring law and order on our borders.”

    On record breaking military recruiting and retention numbers:

    “If you’re a young man and you’re a patriot, you want to serve underneath this president. He is being forward thinking. I mean, you have Secretary Hegseth, that is absolutely a warrior leader that is appointed by President Trump. You’re having a strong emphasis on actually restoring America back to where it is. And you know President Trump isn’t going to put you into an endless war. He’s not going to use you as some type of political pawn. He is going to use you in a way that our military was designed for.” 

    “He brings pride back to our military, and that’s where you’re seeing recruiting numbers go through the roof. And not even recruiting numbers, but retention, people that were on their way out have decided, ‘Wait a second, I want to serve underneath President Trump. I want this as my commander in chief. I want to do great things and have generational changes inside DOD.’ And President Trump and Secretary Hegseth are delivering that.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

    July 9, 2025

  • MIL-OSI USA: McConnell on Continuing U.S. Lethal Assistance to Ukraine

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Kentucky Mitch McConnell

    WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY) released the following statement today regarding the delivery of weapons to Ukraine:

    “Today, the strategic incoherence of underfunding our military and restricting lethal assistance to partners like Ukraine is measured in the avoidable erosion of American credibility with allies and the mounting deaths of innocents. 

    “I’m glad that President Trump wants to resume deliveries of lethal capabilities to Ukraine. America’s policy of providing lethal support to Ukraine began during his first term, and likely helped deter earlier Russian escalation.

    “This time, the President will need to reject calls from the isolationists and restrainers within his Administration to limit these deliveries to defensive weapons. And he should disregard those at DoD who invoke munitions shortages to block aid while refusing to invest seriously in expanding munitions production. The self-indulgent policymaking of restrainers – from Ukraine to AUKUS – has so often required the President to clean up his staff’s messes. And the budget OMB sent to Congress does not put America on a path to peace through strength.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

    July 9, 2025

  • MIL-OSI USA: McConnell on Continuing U.S. Lethal Assistance to Ukraine

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Kentucky Mitch McConnell

    WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY) released the following statement today regarding the delivery of weapons to Ukraine:

    “Today, the strategic incoherence of underfunding our military and restricting lethal assistance to partners like Ukraine is measured in the avoidable erosion of American credibility with allies and the mounting deaths of innocents. 

    “I’m glad that President Trump wants to resume deliveries of lethal capabilities to Ukraine. America’s policy of providing lethal support to Ukraine began during his first term, and likely helped deter earlier Russian escalation.

    “This time, the President will need to reject calls from the isolationists and restrainers within his Administration to limit these deliveries to defensive weapons. And he should disregard those at DoD who invoke munitions shortages to block aid while refusing to invest seriously in expanding munitions production. The self-indulgent policymaking of restrainers – from Ukraine to AUKUS – has so often required the President to clean up his staff’s messes. And the budget OMB sent to Congress does not put America on a path to peace through strength.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

    July 9, 2025

  • MIL-OSI USA: McConnell on Continuing U.S. Lethal Assistance to Ukraine

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Kentucky Mitch McConnell

    WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY) released the following statement today regarding the delivery of weapons to Ukraine:

    “Today, the strategic incoherence of underfunding our military and restricting lethal assistance to partners like Ukraine is measured in the avoidable erosion of American credibility with allies and the mounting deaths of innocents. 

    “I’m glad that President Trump wants to resume deliveries of lethal capabilities to Ukraine. America’s policy of providing lethal support to Ukraine began during his first term, and likely helped deter earlier Russian escalation.

    “This time, the President will need to reject calls from the isolationists and restrainers within his Administration to limit these deliveries to defensive weapons. And he should disregard those at DoD who invoke munitions shortages to block aid while refusing to invest seriously in expanding munitions production. The self-indulgent policymaking of restrainers – from Ukraine to AUKUS – has so often required the President to clean up his staff’s messes. And the budget OMB sent to Congress does not put America on a path to peace through strength.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

    July 9, 2025
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