NewzIntel.com

Category: AM-NC

  • MIL-OSI USA: AG Brown applauds judge’s ruling blocking Trump cuts to medical and public health research

    Source: Washington State News

    SEATTLE — A federal judge Monday overturned Trump administration directives that defunded National Institutes of Health grants supporting vital biomedical research in America. The judge said the move was “arbitrary and capricious” and called out “a darker aspect” to the cases – that they are a clear attempt at “racial discrimination and discrimination against America’s LBGTQ community.”

    The case is co-led by Washington State Attorney General Nick Brown and includes a coalition of 16 attorneys general suing Trump to free up the grants from the National Institutes of Health.

    Attorney General Brown said the ruling will allow for important research to restart at the University of Washington. The funding supports research into Alzheimer’s, ovarian cancer, training of the next generation of researchers, and studying how anti-LGBTQ policies impact health care for sexual minorities.

    “Lives will be saved by the judge’s action,” Brown said. “I’m heartened that this judge saw the clear intent to discriminate. The Trump administration tried to stop legitimate research simply because it may have included words or phrases not supported by the president’s limited world view.”

    The lawsuit, filed on April 4, alleges NIH adopted directives blacklisting topics such as “DEI,” “transgender issues,” and “vaccine hesitancy.” In doing so, the agency terminated large swaths of grants for projects that are currently underway based on the projects’ perceived connection to topics disfavored by the current administration. In boilerplate letters issued to the grants’ recipients, NIH claimed that each cancelled project “no longer effectuates agency priorities.”

    “I’ve never seen government racial discrimination like this,” said U.S. District Judge William Young of Massachusetts. Young, appointed to the bench in 1985 by President Ronald Reagan, said he had “never seen a record where racial discrimination was so palpable.”

    Even the temporary cancelation of the funding can impact scientific inquiry, Mari Ostendorf, vice-provost of research at UW said in a declaration filed in the case.

    “Some of these studies involve clinical trials for life-saving medications or procedures, and their closure would endanger the lives of patients. … NIH’s actions have fundamentally undermined UW’s mission to pursue scientific research. In many cases, there is no way to recover the lost time, research continuity, or training value once disrupted.”

    -30-

    Washington’s Attorney General serves the people and the state of Washington. As the state’s largest law firm, the Attorney General’s Office provides legal representation to every state agency, board, and commission in Washington. Additionally, the Office serves the people directly by enforcing consumer protection, civil rights, and environmental protection laws. The Office also prosecutes elder abuse, Medicaid fraud, and handles sexually violent predator cases in 38 of Washington’s 39 counties.

    Visit www.atg.wa.gov to learn more.

    Media Contact:

    Email: press@atg.wa.gov

    Phone: (360) 753-2727

    General contacts: Click here

    Media Resource Guide & Attorney General’s Office FAQ

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Violent extremists like the Minnesota shooter are not lone wolves

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Alex Hinton, Distinguished Professor of Anthropology; Director, Center for the Study of Genocide and Human Rights, Rutgers University – Newark

    A memorial for Minnesota state Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark Hortman, is seen at the Minnesota State Capitol building on June 16, 2025, in St. Paul, Minn. Steven Garcia/Getty Images

    After a two-day manhunt, Minnesota authorities arrested and charged 57-year-old Vance Boelter on June 15, 2025, after he allegedly shot and killed Minnesota House Democratic leader Melissa Hortman and her husband in their home and seriously injured another state senator and his wife.

    Boelter, disguised as a police officer, went to other Minnesota politicians’ homes late in the evening on June 13. In his parked car he left behind a list of names and addresses of other Minnesota state and federal elected officials, as well as community leaders and Planned Parenthood locations.

    This incident is the latest to demonstrate how political and often hate-based violence is becoming a more common part of American politics.

    “Let me be absolutely clear: this was an act of targeted political violence, and it was an attack on everything we stand for as a democracy,” U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota said in a June 14 statement.

    The threat of domestic violence and terrorism is high in the United States – especially the danger posed by white power extremists, many of whom believe white people are being “replaced” by people of color.

    I am a scholar of political violence and extremism and wrote about these beliefs in a 2021 book, “It Can Happen Here: White Power and the Rising Threat of Genocide in the US.” I think it’s important to understand the lessons that can be learned from events such as the recent Minnesota shootings.

    After decades of research on numerous attacks that have left scores dead, we have learned that extremists are almost always part of a pack, not lone wolves. But the myth of the lone wolf shooter remains tenacious, reappearing in media coverage after almost every mass shooting or act of far-right extremist violence. Because this myth misdirects people from the actual causes of extremist violence, it impedes society’s ability to prevent attacks.

    Vance Boelter is seen in his booking photo on June 16, 2025, in Green Isle, Minn.
    Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office via Getty Images

    The lone wolf extremist myth is dangerous

    FBI Director Christopher Wray said in August 2022 that the nation’s top threat comes from far-right extremist “lone actors” – who, he explained, work alone, instead of “as part of a large group.”

    Wray is wrong, and the myth of the lone wolf extremist – the mistaken idea that violent extremists largely act alone – continues to directly inform research, law enforcement and the popular imagination.

    I think that Wray’s focus on extremism is much needed and long overdue. However, his line of thinking is dangerous and misleading. By focusing on individuals or small groups, it overlooks broader networks and long-term dangers and so can impede efforts to combat far-right extremist violence – which Wray has singled out as the country’s most lethal domestic threat.

    Not a new trend

    Far-right extremists may physically carry out an attack alone or as part of a small group of people, but they are almost always networked and identify with larger groups and causes.

    This was true long before the social media age. Take Timothy McVeigh. He is often depicted as the archetypal lone wolf madman who blew up the Oklahoma City Federal Building in 1995.

    In fact, McVeigh was part of a pack. He had accomplices and was connected across the far-right extremist landscape.

    The same is true of Payton Gendron, who shot and killed 10 Black people at a Buffalo, New York, grocery store in 2022, and Patrick Crusius, who killed 23 people in a racist attack targeting Latino shoppers at a Walmart in Texas in 2019.

    These two shooters were also characterized in media coverage as lone wolves following their deadly attacks.

    “He talked about how he didn’t like school because he didn’t have friends. He would say he was lonely,” a classmate of Gendron said shortly after Gendron carried out the mass shooting.

    Both were active on far-right extremist social media platforms and posted manifestos before their attacks. Gendron’s manifesto discusses how he was radicalized on the dark web and inspired to attack after watching videos of Brenton Tarrant’s 2019 massacre of 51 people at two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand.

    Almost a quarter of Gendron’s manifesto is directly taken from Tarrant’s, which was titled “The Great Replacement.” This fear of white replacement, centered around perceived white demographic decline, was also a motive for Crusius. His manifesto pays homage to Tarrant, before explaining his attack was “a response to the Hispanic invasion of Texas.”

    The lone wolf myth also suggests that extremists are abnormal deviants with anti-social personalities.

    After Gendron’s rampage, for example, New York Attorney General Letitia James called him a “sick, demented individual.” Crusius, in turn, was described by the White House and news articles as “evil,” “psychotic” and an “anti-social loner.”

    The vast majority of far-right extremists are, in fact, otherwise ordinary men and women. They live in rural areas, suburbs and cities. They are students and working professionals. And they believe their extremist cause is justified. This point was illustrated by the spectrum of participants in the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol insurrection.

    Boelter is a father of five who has worked various jobs in the food industry and with funeral service companies and a security service. While Boelter’s exact motivation and political affiliation are not clear, friends describe him as very religious and conservative. Boelter reportedly told a roommate and friend that he strongly opposes abortion. He has also criticized gay and transgender people during sermons he delivered at a church in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

    People hug at a memorial outside the Walmart in El Paso, Texas, where a shooter killed 23 people in 2019.
    Mark Ralston/AFP via Getty Images

    Tracing the lone wolf mythology

    How did the lone-wolf metaphor come to misinform the public’s view of extremists, and why is it so tenacious?

    Part of the answer is linked to white supremacist Louis Beam, who wrote the essay “Leaderless Resistance” in 1983. In it, he called for far-right extremists to act individually or in small groups that couldn’t be traced up a chain of command. According to his lawyer, McVeigh was one of those influenced by Beam’s call.

    After Beam formulated this idea, both far-right extremists and law enforcement increasingly used the lone wolf term. In 1998, the FBI even mounted an “Operation Lone Wolf” to investigate a West Coast white supremacist cell.

    The 9/11 terrorist attacks further turned U.S. attention to Islamic militant “lone wolves.” A decade later, the term became mainstream.

    And so it was not a surprise when, after the Buffalo shooting, New York State Senator James Sanders said, “Although this is probably a lone-wolf incident, this is not the first mass shooting we have seen, and sadly it will not be the last.”

    The tenacity of the lone wolf myth has several sources. It’s convenient – evocative and powerful enough to draw and keep people’s attention.

    By using this term, which individualizes extremism, law enforcement officials may also depoliticize their work. Instead of focusing on movements like white nationalism that have sympathizers in the various levels of government, from sheriffs to senators, they focus on individuals.

    The lone wolf extremist myth diverts from what should be the focus of deterrence efforts: understanding how far-right extremists network, organize and, as the Jan. 6 insurrection showed, build coalitions across diverse groups, especially through the use of social media.

    Such understanding provides a basis for developing long-term strategies to prevent extremists like Boelter from carrying out more violent attacks.

    This is an updated version of an article originally published on Feb. 23, 2023.

    Alex Hinton receives funding from the Rutgers-Newark Sheila Y. Oliver Center for Politics and Race in America, Rutgers Research Council, and Henry Frank Guggenheim Foundation.

    – ref. Violent extremists like the Minnesota shooter are not lone wolves – https://theconversation.com/violent-extremists-like-the-minnesota-shooter-are-not-lone-wolves-259225

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Violent extremists like the Minnesota shooter are not lone wolves

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Alex Hinton, Distinguished Professor of Anthropology; Director, Center for the Study of Genocide and Human Rights, Rutgers University – Newark

    A memorial for Minnesota state Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark Hortman, is seen at the Minnesota State Capitol building on June 16, 2025, in St. Paul, Minn. Steven Garcia/Getty Images

    After a two-day manhunt, Minnesota authorities arrested and charged 57-year-old Vance Boelter on June 15, 2025, after he allegedly shot and killed Minnesota House Democratic leader Melissa Hortman and her husband in their home and seriously injured another state senator and his wife.

    Boelter, disguised as a police officer, went to other Minnesota politicians’ homes late in the evening on June 13. In his parked car he left behind a list of names and addresses of other Minnesota state and federal elected officials, as well as community leaders and Planned Parenthood locations.

    This incident is the latest to demonstrate how political and often hate-based violence is becoming a more common part of American politics.

    “Let me be absolutely clear: this was an act of targeted political violence, and it was an attack on everything we stand for as a democracy,” U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota said in a June 14 statement.

    The threat of domestic violence and terrorism is high in the United States – especially the danger posed by white power extremists, many of whom believe white people are being “replaced” by people of color.

    I am a scholar of political violence and extremism and wrote about these beliefs in a 2021 book, “It Can Happen Here: White Power and the Rising Threat of Genocide in the US.” I think it’s important to understand the lessons that can be learned from events such as the recent Minnesota shootings.

    After decades of research on numerous attacks that have left scores dead, we have learned that extremists are almost always part of a pack, not lone wolves. But the myth of the lone wolf shooter remains tenacious, reappearing in media coverage after almost every mass shooting or act of far-right extremist violence. Because this myth misdirects people from the actual causes of extremist violence, it impedes society’s ability to prevent attacks.

    Vance Boelter is seen in his booking photo on June 16, 2025, in Green Isle, Minn.
    Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office via Getty Images

    The lone wolf extremist myth is dangerous

    FBI Director Christopher Wray said in August 2022 that the nation’s top threat comes from far-right extremist “lone actors” – who, he explained, work alone, instead of “as part of a large group.”

    Wray is wrong, and the myth of the lone wolf extremist – the mistaken idea that violent extremists largely act alone – continues to directly inform research, law enforcement and the popular imagination.

    I think that Wray’s focus on extremism is much needed and long overdue. However, his line of thinking is dangerous and misleading. By focusing on individuals or small groups, it overlooks broader networks and long-term dangers and so can impede efforts to combat far-right extremist violence – which Wray has singled out as the country’s most lethal domestic threat.

    Not a new trend

    Far-right extremists may physically carry out an attack alone or as part of a small group of people, but they are almost always networked and identify with larger groups and causes.

    This was true long before the social media age. Take Timothy McVeigh. He is often depicted as the archetypal lone wolf madman who blew up the Oklahoma City Federal Building in 1995.

    In fact, McVeigh was part of a pack. He had accomplices and was connected across the far-right extremist landscape.

    The same is true of Payton Gendron, who shot and killed 10 Black people at a Buffalo, New York, grocery store in 2022, and Patrick Crusius, who killed 23 people in a racist attack targeting Latino shoppers at a Walmart in Texas in 2019.

    These two shooters were also characterized in media coverage as lone wolves following their deadly attacks.

    “He talked about how he didn’t like school because he didn’t have friends. He would say he was lonely,” a classmate of Gendron said shortly after Gendron carried out the mass shooting.

    Both were active on far-right extremist social media platforms and posted manifestos before their attacks. Gendron’s manifesto discusses how he was radicalized on the dark web and inspired to attack after watching videos of Brenton Tarrant’s 2019 massacre of 51 people at two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand.

    Almost a quarter of Gendron’s manifesto is directly taken from Tarrant’s, which was titled “The Great Replacement.” This fear of white replacement, centered around perceived white demographic decline, was also a motive for Crusius. His manifesto pays homage to Tarrant, before explaining his attack was “a response to the Hispanic invasion of Texas.”

    The lone wolf myth also suggests that extremists are abnormal deviants with anti-social personalities.

    After Gendron’s rampage, for example, New York Attorney General Letitia James called him a “sick, demented individual.” Crusius, in turn, was described by the White House and news articles as “evil,” “psychotic” and an “anti-social loner.”

    The vast majority of far-right extremists are, in fact, otherwise ordinary men and women. They live in rural areas, suburbs and cities. They are students and working professionals. And they believe their extremist cause is justified. This point was illustrated by the spectrum of participants in the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol insurrection.

    Boelter is a father of five who has worked various jobs in the food industry and with funeral service companies and a security service. While Boelter’s exact motivation and political affiliation are not clear, friends describe him as very religious and conservative. Boelter reportedly told a roommate and friend that he strongly opposes abortion. He has also criticized gay and transgender people during sermons he delivered at a church in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

    People hug at a memorial outside the Walmart in El Paso, Texas, where a shooter killed 23 people in 2019.
    Mark Ralston/AFP via Getty Images

    Tracing the lone wolf mythology

    How did the lone-wolf metaphor come to misinform the public’s view of extremists, and why is it so tenacious?

    Part of the answer is linked to white supremacist Louis Beam, who wrote the essay “Leaderless Resistance” in 1983. In it, he called for far-right extremists to act individually or in small groups that couldn’t be traced up a chain of command. According to his lawyer, McVeigh was one of those influenced by Beam’s call.

    After Beam formulated this idea, both far-right extremists and law enforcement increasingly used the lone wolf term. In 1998, the FBI even mounted an “Operation Lone Wolf” to investigate a West Coast white supremacist cell.

    The 9/11 terrorist attacks further turned U.S. attention to Islamic militant “lone wolves.” A decade later, the term became mainstream.

    And so it was not a surprise when, after the Buffalo shooting, New York State Senator James Sanders said, “Although this is probably a lone-wolf incident, this is not the first mass shooting we have seen, and sadly it will not be the last.”

    The tenacity of the lone wolf myth has several sources. It’s convenient – evocative and powerful enough to draw and keep people’s attention.

    By using this term, which individualizes extremism, law enforcement officials may also depoliticize their work. Instead of focusing on movements like white nationalism that have sympathizers in the various levels of government, from sheriffs to senators, they focus on individuals.

    The lone wolf extremist myth diverts from what should be the focus of deterrence efforts: understanding how far-right extremists network, organize and, as the Jan. 6 insurrection showed, build coalitions across diverse groups, especially through the use of social media.

    Such understanding provides a basis for developing long-term strategies to prevent extremists like Boelter from carrying out more violent attacks.

    This is an updated version of an article originally published on Feb. 23, 2023.

    Alex Hinton receives funding from the Rutgers-Newark Sheila Y. Oliver Center for Politics and Race in America, Rutgers Research Council, and Henry Frank Guggenheim Foundation.

    – ref. Violent extremists like the Minnesota shooter are not lone wolves – https://theconversation.com/violent-extremists-like-the-minnesota-shooter-are-not-lone-wolves-259225

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Along with the ideals it expresses, the Declaration of Independence mourns for something people lost in 1776 − and now, too

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Maurizio Valsania, Professor of American History, Università di Torino

    The committee assigned to draft the Declaration of Independence, from left: Thomas Jefferson, Roger Sherman, Benjamin Franklin, Robert R. Livingston and John Adams. Currier & Ives image, photo by MPI/Getty Images

    Right around the Fourth of July, Americans pay renewed attention to the country’s crucial founding document, the Declaration of Independence. Whether Republican or Democrat or independent, some will say – with reverence – that adherence to the values expressed in the declaration is what makes them American.

    President Barack Obama, in his second inaugural address, gave voice to this very conviction.

    “What binds this nation together,” he stated, “is not the colors of our skin or the tenets of our faith or the origins of our names.” What truly makes Americans American, he resolved, “is our allegiance to an idea, articulated in a declaration made more than two centuries ago.”

    The declaration still stands today as a manifesto. There are its lofty, “self-evident” principles, of course: that “all men are created equal” and that they are “endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights” such as “Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”

    But I’m a historian of the early republic, and I wish to remind you that the declaration doesn’t just go all pie in the sky. And it’s more than an academic paper waxing on and on about the fashionable philosophical doctrines of the 18th century – freedom and equality – or the coolest philosopher ever, John Locke.

    The declaration provides a realistic depiction of a wounded society, one shivering with fears and teetering on the brink of disaster.

    The declaration has been central to American identity; here, a 1942 poster, printed during World War II, reminds Americans of its history.
    Smith Collection/Gado/Getty Images

    Repeated injuries and usurpations

    On June 11, 1776, the Continental Congress asked five of its members to prepare a text that would notify the British king and his Parliament of America’s firm intention to get a divorce.

    The drafting committee comprised Benjamin Franklin of Pennsylvania, John Adams of Massachusetts, Roger Sherman of Connecticut, Robert R. Livingston of New York, and a man who had a stellar reputation as a gifted writer, Thomas Jefferson of Virginia.

    Jefferson didn’t waste time. He locked himself up in a rented room near the State House in Philadelphia, and within a couple of days he was ready to submit a draft to his four teammates for revision.

    The committee was smitten by the clarity and effectiveness of the document. Other than suggesting a few corrections, Jefferson’s colleagues were elated by the text.

    The Continental Congress promptly received the document, discussed it, made a handful of alterations, and in the late morning of July 4, 1776, adopted it.

    Late that night, Philadelphia printer John Dunlap was given the historic task of issuing the first copies of the final Declaration of Independence.

    In retrospect, all of this may sound like a tale of fearless heroes eager to break the chains of oppression and single-handedly affirm their boundless love of freedom.

    However, when Thomas Jefferson took the pen in his hand, he didn’t think of himself as a hero. Rather, looking ahead at the immediate future and the drama that would inexorably unfold, he felt overwhelmed. A war, pitting brethren against brethren, the Colonists against their mother country, had already started.

    The situation was tense and painful, because 18th-century Americans didn’t quite see themselves as Americans. They trusted they were active members of a powerful, expanding British Empire.

    What had begun as yet another crisis over Parliament’s right to tax its overseas possessions had quickly transformed into a turning point over whether the Colonies should become independent.

    As a consequence, readers of the declaration cannot escape the impression that this document carries a sense of reluctance, betrayal, fear and even sadness.

    We Colonists thought we were free, the logic of the declaration goes, but now we are waking up to the dismal realization that the king and the Parliament treat us like their personal slaves.

    Jefferson’s words appear to longingly express how wonderful it would be for “one people” not to be put in the condition to “dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another.” How desirable it would have been if a way to renew “the ties of our common kindred” could be found.

    Unfortunately, what Jefferson calls “repeated injuries and usurpations” have created enemies out of a common ancestry, thus stifling the “voice of justice and of consanguinity.”

    How not to grieve at these “injuries”? The king is guilty for “abolishing our most valuable Laws”; he has “excited domestic insurrections amongst us”; he has sent “Officers to harass our people”; he has obstructed “the Laws for Naturalization of Foreigners”; and he has “made Judges dependent on his Will alone.”

    Americans didn’t seek a revolution, the declaration concludes, but Colonists must accept “the necessity” of a separation: “Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government.”

    Painter N.C.Wyeth’s depiction of Thomas Jefferson writing the text of the Declaration of Independence.
    Bettman/Getty Images

    ‘Forget our former love for them’

    Americans today may believe that the Declaration of Independence belongs to them – which it does. The declaration is an American document.

    But to an even larger extent, it belongs to Thomas Jefferson. It’s a Jeffersonian document.

    One of the most consequential American philosophers, the author of the declaration poured into the text his theories of society and of human nature.

    For him, human beings should not live as isolated atoms in constant competition against each other. Jefferson was a communitarian, which means that he believed that the very happiness voiced in the declaration could occur only when individuals regard themselves as functional parts of a larger whole made of other human beings.

    The declaration was built upon the tenet that, as Jefferson would explain many years later, “Nature hath implanted in our breasts a love of others, a sense of duty to them, a moral instinct in short, which prompts us irresistibly to feel and to succour their distresses.”

    As a moral philosopher, Jefferson wasn’t perfect, obviously – and his views on race and slavery prove that. But the declaration puts forth the argument that the British king and the Parliament are also to blame for having transformed a united people, a people who used to love each other, into a mass of foreigners suspicious of each other.

    In Jefferson’s account, this king has carried out the supreme betrayal – like tyrannical powers often do. He has stabbed the Americans as well as the British. He has split them into antagonistic parties. And we Americans, as Jefferson wrote in a telling passage of the declaration that didn’t survive revisions, “must endeavor to forget our former love for them.”

    The American nation was born of the traumatic experience of an amputation. It’s a residual half of a former whole that one way or another managed to learn to become a whole again.

    But after 250 years, America appears once more a people who seem to have lost what binds them together. Those “political bands which have connected them with another” are being tested; “the ties of … common kindred” are frayed.

    Such words describe a time, centuries ago, of great uncertainty, fear and sadness. It seems America has arrived yet again at such a time.

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

    – ref. Along with the ideals it expresses, the Declaration of Independence mourns for something people lost in 1776 − and now, too – https://theconversation.com/along-with-the-ideals-it-expresses-the-declaration-of-independence-mourns-for-something-people-lost-in-1776-and-now-too-258529

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Feenstra Leads Legislation to Lower Broadband Costs for Rural Iowa Communities

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

    HULL, IOWA – Today, U.S. Rep. Randy Feenstra (R-Hull) introduced the Lowering Broadband Costs for Consumers Act to help construct broadband in rural Iowa.

    This legislation would require that the largest financial beneficiaries of the networks, also known as “edge providers” – such as Amazon, Google, Facebook, Microsoft, Apple, and Netflix – contribute their fair share toward the networks that are built and maintained by the Universal Service Fund (USF) and by consumers who own landlines throughout the country. 

    Rep. Teresa Leger Fernandez (D-NM) is the co-lead of this legislation.

    “Access to high-speed internet is critical to our economic growth in rural communities. Families, farmers, and businesses across rural Iowa go to great lengths to collect and deploy the necessary funds to build reliable, affordable broadband. However, Big Tech companies use these networks once completed but rarely contribute their fair share towards the cost. It is completely unfair,” said Rep. Feenstra. “It’s why I introduced legislation to ensure that Big Tech companies contribute to the full cost of building high-speed broadband in rural Iowa. Connecting our schools, farms, businesses, homes, and hospitals to the internet is an important priority for me, and this bill will help achieve this mission more affordably and effectively.”

    “Strong broadband networks are vital to connect Americans to the internet and to each other,” said Rep. Leger Fernandez. This bipartisan bill will help sustain our rural broadband networks and make sure that the big corporations that profit from those networks also contribute to them. Let’s close the digital divide.”

    “A strong and sustainable Universal Service Fund is mission-critical to connecting rural America,” said Brandon Heiner, Senior Vice President of Government Affairs at US Telecom – The Broadband Association. “Representative Feenstra’s proposal is a step toward modernizing the USF to meet the demands of today’s communications landscape. Congress should act with urgency to secure and strengthen this essential national commitment.”

    “WTA supports the Lowering Costs for Broadband Consumers Act and applauds Representatives Feenstra and Leger Fernadez for introducing this bipartisan legislation,” said Derrick Owens, WTA’s Senior Vice President of Government & Industry Affairs. “The Universal Service Fund is an important tool for ensuring rural residents and businesses have access to affordable broadband. This legislation provides the FCC the authority it needs to engage in needed modernization of USF to ensure that all businesses that profit from the broadband network support the construction, maintenance, and upgrades of the network. We look forward to working with Congress to make sure this modernization takes place.”

    “NTCA applauds the introduction of the Lowering Broadband Costs for Consumers Act and thanks Representatives Randy Feenstra (R-Iowa) and Leger Fernandez (D-N.M.) for their leadership. This legislation would promote more predictable and stable funding to preserve and advance the statutory mission of universal service,” said Shirley Bloomfield, Chief Executive Officer of NTCA. “As traditional telecommunications revenues decline, the assessment on the remaining consumers of such services increases, resulting in a disproportionate burden on those consumers even though they are not the most significant users of services or beneficiaries of underlying networks. Common-sense reforms like those directed by this legislation will shore up the foundation of universal service funding, spread contribution obligations more equitably among all of those that use and benefit from broadband networks, and ultimately help the low-income and rural consumers and schools, libraries, and rural health care facilities that depend on critical universal service programs.”

    “Rural Americans deserve access to affordable, high-quality broadband, and that requires a USF contribution system that is both fair and sustainable. For too long, the burden of supporting our nation’s broadband infrastructure has fallen disproportionately on consumers and small and rural providers, including RWA members. This legislation appropriately requires that the largest beneficiaries of our digital economy—edge providers and big tech companies—pay their fair share,” said Carri Bennet, General Counsel for the Rural Wireless Association.

    “On behalf of the National Tribal Telecommunications Association, I need to thank Congressman Feenstra and Congresswoman Leger Fernandez for their introduction of the Lowering Broadband Costs for Consumers Act of 2025. It is gratifying to know that they are trying to reduce the financial burden that Native American families have every day. Rural broadband in the remote parts of our country is very expensive. We do expect those that financially benefit from the networks pay something towards the construction and operation of our networks to help reduce that burden. Therefore, NTTA endorses this federal bill,” said Godfrey Enjady, President of the National Tribal Telecommunications Association.

    ###

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Reed, Whitehouse & Colleagues Mark 13 Years of DACA & Urge Trump Administration to Resume Processing Applications for ‘Dreamers’

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Rhode Island Jack Reed

    WASHINGTON, DC – Marking the 13th anniversary of the creation of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) Today, U.S. Senators Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse and their Senate colleagues urged U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) to resume processing applications for the DACA program following the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals decision to narrow the nationwide injunction to Texas.

    Currently, more than 100,000 initial DACA applications are pending with USCIS.  Since DACA was established on June 15, 2012, more than 825,000 people have received deferred action pursuant to DACA and the program has allowed young people to contribute their talents to the United States and their communities.  DACA recipients contribute an estimated $140 billion to the U.S. economy in spending power and $40 billion in combined federal, payroll, state, and local taxes.

    Reed and Whitehouse support legislation to offer legal pathways for Dreamers. 

    In the letter to USCIS Acting Director Alfonso-Royals, the 41 U.S. Senators began: “Noncitizens brought to the United States as children, often known as Dreamers, are American in every way but their immigration status. Many only know this country as their home, and they contribute every day to this great nation by paying taxes and serving in critical roles, such as police officers, teachers, and nurses. Americans overwhelmingly support providing Dreamers a path to citizenship, and in December 2024, President Trump stated that he supported protections for Dreamers to remain in the United States.”

    “Consistent with this statement, we implore you to use your authority at United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) to resume processing initial applications for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) and provide such protections for Dreamers immediately,” the senators continued.

    The senators further elaborated on the Fifth Circuit’s decision to limit the injunction, writing, “Pursuant to the order, in Texas, DACA must resume as a limited program providing protection from deportation for current DACA recipients, but without access to work authorization or driver’s licenses as part of those renewals. This order went into effect on March 11, giving USCIS the authority to start processing initial DACA applications from states other than Texas. However, nearly three months later, USCIS has not made any public announcement on whether new DACA applications will be processed; nor has the agency begun processing initial applications that have been pending with the agency for years.”

    “We urge you to begin processing these DACA applications immediately, consistent with the Fifth Circuit decision and existing regulations, and to ensure Dreamers eligible to file initial DACA applications can do so as soon as possible,” the senators concluded.

    In addition to Reed and Whitehouse, the letter is signed by U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Michael Bennet (D-CO), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Chris Coons (D-DE), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), John Fetterman (D-PA), Ruben Gallego (D-AZ), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Maggie Hassan (D-NH), Martin Heinrich (D-NM), John Hickenlooper (D-CO), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Tim Kaine (D-VA), Mark Kelly (D-AZ), Andy Kim (D-NJ), Angus King (I-ME), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Ben Ray Luján (D-NM), Edward Markey (D-MA), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Patty Murray (D-WA), Alex Padilla (D-CA), Gary Peters (D-MI), Jacky Rosen (D-NV), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Brian Schatz (D-HI), Adam Schiff (D-CA), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Elissa Slotkin (D-MI), Tina Smith (D-MN), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Mark Warner (D-VA), Rev. Raphael Warnock (D-GA), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Peter Welch (D-VT), and Ron Wyden (D-OR).

    Full text of the letter follows:

    Dear Acting Director Alfonso-Royals:

    Noncitizens brought to the United States as children, often known as Dreamers, are American in every way but their immigration status. Many only know this country as their home, and they contribute every day to this great nation by paying taxes and serving in critical roles, such as police officers, teachers, and nurses. Americans overwhelmingly support providing Dreamers a path to citizenship, and in December 2024, President Trump stated that he supported protections for Dreamers to remain in the United States. Consistent with this statement, we implore you to use your authority at United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) to resume processing initial applications for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) and provide such protections for Dreamers immediately.

    In 2001, the Dream Act was introduced on a bipartisan basis to provide a path to citizenship to undocumented immigrants who came to the United States as children but remained vulnerable to deportation. Since that time, the Dream Act has been introduced in every Congress. It has passed both the House of Representatives and the Senate with bipartisan majority votes, but no version has yet to be signed into law. In response to bipartisan pressure to protect Dreamers until Congress acted, the Obama Administration implemented DACA through a policy memorandum in 2012.

    Since 2012, more than 825,000 people have received deferred action pursuant to DACA. Many DACA recipients report that deferred action—and the accompanying employment authorization —allowed them to apply for their first job or move to a higher-paying position more commensurate with their skills. Since its establishment, DACA recipients have contributed an estimated $140 billion to the U.S. economy in spending power, and $40 billion dollars in combined federal, payroll, state, and local taxes.

    In 2021, U.S. District Court Judge Andrew Hanen halted the DACA program and enjoined USCIS from approving any new DACA applications nationwide. While the program was enjoined, USCIS has continued to accept and hold initial applications, and in 2022, the Department of Homeland Security published the DACA Final Rule, codifying the 2012 memorandum establishing DACA into regulation. Over 100,000 initial DACA applications are pending with USCIS.

    On January 17, 2025, the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals issued a decision limiting Judge Hanen’s injunction to Texas. Pursuant to the order, in Texas, DACA must resume as a limited program providing protection from deportation for current DACA recipients, but without access to work authorization or driver’s licenses as part of those renewals. This order went into effect on March 11, giving USCIS the authority to start processing initial DACA applications from states other than Texas. However, three months later, USCIS has not made any public announcement on whether new DACA applications will be processed; nor has the agency begun processing initial applications that have been pending with the agency for years.

    We urge you to begin processing these DACA applications immediately, consistent with the Fifth Circuit decision and existing regulations, and to ensure Dreamers eligible to file initial DACA applications can do so as soon as possible.

    Thank you for your prompt attention to this urgent matter.

    Sincerely,

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Reed, Whitehouse & Colleagues Mark 13 Years of DACA & Urge Trump Administration to Resume Processing Applications for ‘Dreamers’

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Rhode Island Jack Reed

    WASHINGTON, DC – Marking the 13th anniversary of the creation of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) Today, U.S. Senators Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse and their Senate colleagues urged U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) to resume processing applications for the DACA program following the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals decision to narrow the nationwide injunction to Texas.

    Currently, more than 100,000 initial DACA applications are pending with USCIS.  Since DACA was established on June 15, 2012, more than 825,000 people have received deferred action pursuant to DACA and the program has allowed young people to contribute their talents to the United States and their communities.  DACA recipients contribute an estimated $140 billion to the U.S. economy in spending power and $40 billion in combined federal, payroll, state, and local taxes.

    Reed and Whitehouse support legislation to offer legal pathways for Dreamers. 

    In the letter to USCIS Acting Director Alfonso-Royals, the 41 U.S. Senators began: “Noncitizens brought to the United States as children, often known as Dreamers, are American in every way but their immigration status. Many only know this country as their home, and they contribute every day to this great nation by paying taxes and serving in critical roles, such as police officers, teachers, and nurses. Americans overwhelmingly support providing Dreamers a path to citizenship, and in December 2024, President Trump stated that he supported protections for Dreamers to remain in the United States.”

    “Consistent with this statement, we implore you to use your authority at United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) to resume processing initial applications for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) and provide such protections for Dreamers immediately,” the senators continued.

    The senators further elaborated on the Fifth Circuit’s decision to limit the injunction, writing, “Pursuant to the order, in Texas, DACA must resume as a limited program providing protection from deportation for current DACA recipients, but without access to work authorization or driver’s licenses as part of those renewals. This order went into effect on March 11, giving USCIS the authority to start processing initial DACA applications from states other than Texas. However, nearly three months later, USCIS has not made any public announcement on whether new DACA applications will be processed; nor has the agency begun processing initial applications that have been pending with the agency for years.”

    “We urge you to begin processing these DACA applications immediately, consistent with the Fifth Circuit decision and existing regulations, and to ensure Dreamers eligible to file initial DACA applications can do so as soon as possible,” the senators concluded.

    In addition to Reed and Whitehouse, the letter is signed by U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Michael Bennet (D-CO), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Chris Coons (D-DE), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), John Fetterman (D-PA), Ruben Gallego (D-AZ), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Maggie Hassan (D-NH), Martin Heinrich (D-NM), John Hickenlooper (D-CO), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Tim Kaine (D-VA), Mark Kelly (D-AZ), Andy Kim (D-NJ), Angus King (I-ME), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Ben Ray Luján (D-NM), Edward Markey (D-MA), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Patty Murray (D-WA), Alex Padilla (D-CA), Gary Peters (D-MI), Jacky Rosen (D-NV), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Brian Schatz (D-HI), Adam Schiff (D-CA), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Elissa Slotkin (D-MI), Tina Smith (D-MN), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Mark Warner (D-VA), Rev. Raphael Warnock (D-GA), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Peter Welch (D-VT), and Ron Wyden (D-OR).

    Full text of the letter follows:

    Dear Acting Director Alfonso-Royals:

    Noncitizens brought to the United States as children, often known as Dreamers, are American in every way but their immigration status. Many only know this country as their home, and they contribute every day to this great nation by paying taxes and serving in critical roles, such as police officers, teachers, and nurses. Americans overwhelmingly support providing Dreamers a path to citizenship, and in December 2024, President Trump stated that he supported protections for Dreamers to remain in the United States. Consistent with this statement, we implore you to use your authority at United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) to resume processing initial applications for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) and provide such protections for Dreamers immediately.

    In 2001, the Dream Act was introduced on a bipartisan basis to provide a path to citizenship to undocumented immigrants who came to the United States as children but remained vulnerable to deportation. Since that time, the Dream Act has been introduced in every Congress. It has passed both the House of Representatives and the Senate with bipartisan majority votes, but no version has yet to be signed into law. In response to bipartisan pressure to protect Dreamers until Congress acted, the Obama Administration implemented DACA through a policy memorandum in 2012.

    Since 2012, more than 825,000 people have received deferred action pursuant to DACA. Many DACA recipients report that deferred action—and the accompanying employment authorization —allowed them to apply for their first job or move to a higher-paying position more commensurate with their skills. Since its establishment, DACA recipients have contributed an estimated $140 billion to the U.S. economy in spending power, and $40 billion dollars in combined federal, payroll, state, and local taxes.

    In 2021, U.S. District Court Judge Andrew Hanen halted the DACA program and enjoined USCIS from approving any new DACA applications nationwide. While the program was enjoined, USCIS has continued to accept and hold initial applications, and in 2022, the Department of Homeland Security published the DACA Final Rule, codifying the 2012 memorandum establishing DACA into regulation. Over 100,000 initial DACA applications are pending with USCIS.

    On January 17, 2025, the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals issued a decision limiting Judge Hanen’s injunction to Texas. Pursuant to the order, in Texas, DACA must resume as a limited program providing protection from deportation for current DACA recipients, but without access to work authorization or driver’s licenses as part of those renewals. This order went into effect on March 11, giving USCIS the authority to start processing initial DACA applications from states other than Texas. However, three months later, USCIS has not made any public announcement on whether new DACA applications will be processed; nor has the agency begun processing initial applications that have been pending with the agency for years.

    We urge you to begin processing these DACA applications immediately, consistent with the Fifth Circuit decision and existing regulations, and to ensure Dreamers eligible to file initial DACA applications can do so as soon as possible.

    Thank you for your prompt attention to this urgent matter.

    Sincerely,

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: U.S. Senate Approves Reed’s Bill to Reign in Abusive Mortgage “Trigger Leads” & Cut Down on Unwanted Spam Calls, Texts and Emails

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Rhode Island Jack Reed

    WASHINGTON, DC – Buying or refinancing a home can be a fraught and stressful experience, and now the U.S. Senate is one step closer to making it a little easier by preventing your personal information from being sold and triggering a title wave of unsolicited spam credit offers.

    In an effort to give prospective homebuyers more control over their personal information and crackdown on unfair and deceptive lending practices, the U.S. Senate passed the Homebuyers Privacy Protection Act (S.1467) to dramatically reduce spam calls, texts, and emails from irresponsible players in the mortgage industry.

    The bipartisan bill, led by U.S. Senators Jack Reed (D-RI) and Bill Hagerty (R-TN), would halt the misuse of mortgage “trigger leads” – which occur when a consumer’s credit inquiry “triggers” the sale of their information to third-party lenders and businesses.  When a mortgage lender runs a credit check during the process to buy a home, it appears on the consumer’s credit report. The major credit reporting bureaus (including Equifax, Experian and TransUnion) may then sell that information to other lenders or brokers, which then use it to contact consumers unprompted, often in a predatory manner, to solicit business.

    According to the National Association of Mortgage Brokers (NAMB) president Jim Nabors: “It is not unusual for bank customers to receive 100+ misleading texts, phone calls and emails within the first 24 hours of applying for a mortgage and the passage of this bill will go a long way in relieving this burden to homebuyers.”

    Prospective homebuyers who are bombarded by these kinds of solicitations typically have no idea their information was sold without their consent.

    The Homebuyers Privacy Protection Act would limit the ability of credit reporting bureaus to sell trigger leads to mortgage brokers and lenders when the bureaus learn that a consumer has applied for a mortgage. This legislation would amend the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) to include specific restrictions on the use of trigger leads in the residential mortgage lending space, with very limited exceptions for institutions that a consumer currently knows and trusts.

    “Buying a home is already a complex and stressful process. Consumers should not have their private information sold to spammers who then target them with unsolicited, predatory offers.  Passing this bill is a smart, bipartisan solution to halt abusive trigger leads,” said Senator Reed, a senior member of the Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee. “This is a rare data privacy win.  The Homebuyers Privacy Protection Act will put consumers back in the driver’s seat and help cut down on the spam.  It will help reduce predatory practices and provide much needed relief from unwanted industry calls, texts, and emails.”

    “Unsolicited phone calls caused by trigger leads have become an intolerable nuisance to many Tennesseans,” said Senator Hagerty. “I’m pleased that the Senate has passed this bipartisan, bicameral legislation that will protect Americans’ data and help reduce endless spam calls.”

    This bill would prohibit credit reporting bureaus from selling a trigger lead unless a mortgage broker or lender certifies to the bureau that they already have a deep financial relationship with the consumer, such as an existing mortgage loan or a deposit account.  Trigger leads would also be permitted if a consumer affirmatively opts in to receiving them.

    There are currently eight states — Rhode Island, Connecticut, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Texas, Utah and Wisconsin – that restrict the use of trigger leads in some fashion, and Idaho (new law effective July 2025) and Arkansas (new law effective August 2025) have also recently passed trigger lead laws that will soon take effect.

    Cosponsors in the U.S. Senate include Senators: Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Tom Tillis (R-NC), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), Kevin Cramer (R-ND), Tina Smith (D-MN), Katie Britt (R-AL), Ruben Gallego (D-AZ), Pete Ricketts (R-NE), Angela Alsobrooks (D-MD), Mike Rounds (R-SD), Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), Ron Wyden (D-OR), Mike Crapo (R-ID), Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-MS), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), James E. Risch (R-ID), Angus King (I-ME), Tommy Tuberville, Tommy (R-AL), John Fetterman (D-PA), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Tim Kaine (D-VA), Jacky Rosen (D-NV), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Peter Welch (D-VT), John Hickenlooper (D-CO), Gary Peters (D-MI), Michael Bennet (D-CO), Ed Markey (D-MA), Brian Schatz (D-HI), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Mark Kelly (D-AZ), Deb Fischer (R-NE), Martin Heinrich (D-NM), Roger Wicker (R-MS), Bernie Moreno (R-OH), Jim Banks (R-IN), Bill Cassidy (R-LA), Susan Collins (R-ME), John Hoeven (R-ND), Dan Sullivan (R-AK) and Rick Scott (R-FL).

    At the federal level, the Homebuyers Privacy Protection Act is supported by a broad coalition of consumer advocacy groups and financial trades, including the Mortgage Bankers Association, the Independent Community Bankers of America, the American Bankers Association, the National Association of Mortgage Brokers, the Broker Action Coalition, Community Home Lenders of America, the National Consumer Law Center (on behalf of its low-income clients), the Consumer Federation of America, Americans for Financial Reform, and others.

    Identical bipartisan legislation (H.R.2808) has been introduced in the House by Congressman John Rose (R-TN-06) and Congressman Ritchie Torres (D-NY-15) and has support from over 80 cosponsors.  On June 10 it was unanimously advanced by the House Financial Services Committee to the full House for debate and consideration.  The bill must be approved by both chambers of Congress before it can be sent to the president’s desk to be signed into law.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: U.S. Senate Approves Reed’s Bill to Reign in Abusive Mortgage “Trigger Leads” & Cut Down on Unwanted Spam Calls, Texts and Emails

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Rhode Island Jack Reed

    WASHINGTON, DC – Buying or refinancing a home can be a fraught and stressful experience, and now the U.S. Senate is one step closer to making it a little easier by preventing your personal information from being sold and triggering a title wave of unsolicited spam credit offers.

    In an effort to give prospective homebuyers more control over their personal information and crackdown on unfair and deceptive lending practices, the U.S. Senate passed the Homebuyers Privacy Protection Act (S.1467) to dramatically reduce spam calls, texts, and emails from irresponsible players in the mortgage industry.

    The bipartisan bill, led by U.S. Senators Jack Reed (D-RI) and Bill Hagerty (R-TN), would halt the misuse of mortgage “trigger leads” – which occur when a consumer’s credit inquiry “triggers” the sale of their information to third-party lenders and businesses.  When a mortgage lender runs a credit check during the process to buy a home, it appears on the consumer’s credit report. The major credit reporting bureaus (including Equifax, Experian and TransUnion) may then sell that information to other lenders or brokers, which then use it to contact consumers unprompted, often in a predatory manner, to solicit business.

    According to the National Association of Mortgage Brokers (NAMB) president Jim Nabors: “It is not unusual for bank customers to receive 100+ misleading texts, phone calls and emails within the first 24 hours of applying for a mortgage and the passage of this bill will go a long way in relieving this burden to homebuyers.”

    Prospective homebuyers who are bombarded by these kinds of solicitations typically have no idea their information was sold without their consent.

    The Homebuyers Privacy Protection Act would limit the ability of credit reporting bureaus to sell trigger leads to mortgage brokers and lenders when the bureaus learn that a consumer has applied for a mortgage. This legislation would amend the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) to include specific restrictions on the use of trigger leads in the residential mortgage lending space, with very limited exceptions for institutions that a consumer currently knows and trusts.

    “Buying a home is already a complex and stressful process. Consumers should not have their private information sold to spammers who then target them with unsolicited, predatory offers.  Passing this bill is a smart, bipartisan solution to halt abusive trigger leads,” said Senator Reed, a senior member of the Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee. “This is a rare data privacy win.  The Homebuyers Privacy Protection Act will put consumers back in the driver’s seat and help cut down on the spam.  It will help reduce predatory practices and provide much needed relief from unwanted industry calls, texts, and emails.”

    “Unsolicited phone calls caused by trigger leads have become an intolerable nuisance to many Tennesseans,” said Senator Hagerty. “I’m pleased that the Senate has passed this bipartisan, bicameral legislation that will protect Americans’ data and help reduce endless spam calls.”

    This bill would prohibit credit reporting bureaus from selling a trigger lead unless a mortgage broker or lender certifies to the bureau that they already have a deep financial relationship with the consumer, such as an existing mortgage loan or a deposit account.  Trigger leads would also be permitted if a consumer affirmatively opts in to receiving them.

    There are currently eight states — Rhode Island, Connecticut, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Texas, Utah and Wisconsin – that restrict the use of trigger leads in some fashion, and Idaho (new law effective July 2025) and Arkansas (new law effective August 2025) have also recently passed trigger lead laws that will soon take effect.

    Cosponsors in the U.S. Senate include Senators: Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Tom Tillis (R-NC), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), Kevin Cramer (R-ND), Tina Smith (D-MN), Katie Britt (R-AL), Ruben Gallego (D-AZ), Pete Ricketts (R-NE), Angela Alsobrooks (D-MD), Mike Rounds (R-SD), Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), Ron Wyden (D-OR), Mike Crapo (R-ID), Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-MS), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), James E. Risch (R-ID), Angus King (I-ME), Tommy Tuberville, Tommy (R-AL), John Fetterman (D-PA), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Tim Kaine (D-VA), Jacky Rosen (D-NV), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Peter Welch (D-VT), John Hickenlooper (D-CO), Gary Peters (D-MI), Michael Bennet (D-CO), Ed Markey (D-MA), Brian Schatz (D-HI), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Mark Kelly (D-AZ), Deb Fischer (R-NE), Martin Heinrich (D-NM), Roger Wicker (R-MS), Bernie Moreno (R-OH), Jim Banks (R-IN), Bill Cassidy (R-LA), Susan Collins (R-ME), John Hoeven (R-ND), Dan Sullivan (R-AK) and Rick Scott (R-FL).

    At the federal level, the Homebuyers Privacy Protection Act is supported by a broad coalition of consumer advocacy groups and financial trades, including the Mortgage Bankers Association, the Independent Community Bankers of America, the American Bankers Association, the National Association of Mortgage Brokers, the Broker Action Coalition, Community Home Lenders of America, the National Consumer Law Center (on behalf of its low-income clients), the Consumer Federation of America, Americans for Financial Reform, and others.

    Identical bipartisan legislation (H.R.2808) has been introduced in the House by Congressman John Rose (R-TN-06) and Congressman Ritchie Torres (D-NY-15) and has support from over 80 cosponsors.  On June 10 it was unanimously advanced by the House Financial Services Committee to the full House for debate and consideration.  The bill must be approved by both chambers of Congress before it can be sent to the president’s desk to be signed into law.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Heinrich, Luján, Senate Democrats Press Trump Administration to Resume Processing DACA Applications

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Ben Ray Luján (D-New Mexico)

    WASHINGTON — U.S. Senators Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) and Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.) joined U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) to urge the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) to resume processing applications for the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, following a Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals ruling that limited a nationwide injunction to Texas.

    The senators began by highlighting the popular support for providing Dreamers a pathway to citizenship, writing:“Noncitizens brought to the United States as children, often known as Dreamers, are American in every way but their immigration status. Many only know this country as their home, and they contribute every day to this great nation by paying taxes and serving in critical roles, such as police officers, teachers, and nurses. Americans overwhelmingly support providing Dreamers a path to citizenship, and in December 2024, President Trump stated that he supported protections for Dreamers to remain in the United States.”

    The senators continued by making their request, writing:“Consistent with this statement, we implore you to use your authority at United States Citizenship and Immigration Services to resume processing initial applications for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals and provide such protections for Dreamers immediately.”

    Sunday, June 15 marked the thirteenth anniversary of President Obama establishing the DACA program via policy memorandum in 2012. Since then, more than 825,000 people have received deferred action pursuant to DACA, empowering recipients to bolster their careers and contribute an estimated $140 billion to the U.S. economy in spending power and $40 billion in combined federal, payroll, state, and local taxes.

    In 2021, U.S. District Court Judge Andrew Hanen halted the DACA program and enjoined USCIS from approving any new DACA applications nationwide. While the program was enjoined, USCIS has continued to accept and hold initial applications, and in 2022, the Department of Homeland Security published the DACA Final Rule, codifying the 2012 memorandum establishing DACA into regulation. More than 100,000 initial DACA applications are pending with USCIS.

    On January 17, 2025, the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals issued a decision limiting Judge Hanen’s injunction to Texas.

    The senators further elaborated on the Fifth Circuit’s decision to limit the injunction, writing: “Pursuant to the order, in Texas, DACA must resume as a limited program providing protection from deportation for current DACA recipients, but without access to work authorization or driver’s licenses as part of those renewals. This order went into effect on March 11, giving USCIS the authority to start processing initial DACA applications from states other than Texas. However, nearly three months later, USCIS has not made any public announcement on whether new DACA applications will be processed; nor has the agency begun processing initial applications that have been pending with the agency for years.”

    The senators concluded: “We urge you to begin processing these DACA applications immediately, consistent with the Fifth Circuit decision and existing regulations, and to ensure Dreamers eligible to file initial DACA applications can do so as soon as possible.”

    The letter is led by U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-Ill.). Alongside Heinrich and Luján, the letter is signed by U.S. Senators Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Chris Coons (D-Del.), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.), Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), John Fetterman (D-Pa.), Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.), John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), Andy Kim (D-N.J.), Angus King (I-Maine), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Edward Markey (D-Mass.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Patty Murray (D-Wash.), Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Gary Peters (D-Mich.), Jack Reed (D-R.I.), Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.), Tina Smith (D-Minn.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Mark Warner (D-Va.), Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Peter Welch (D-Vt.), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.).

    The text of the letter is here and below:

    Dear Acting Director Alfonso-Royals:

    Noncitizens brought to the United States as children, often known as Dreamers, are American in every way but their immigration status. Many only know this country as their home, and they contribute every day to this great nation by paying taxes and serving in critical roles, such as police officers, teachers, and nurses. Americans overwhelmingly support providing Dreamers a path to citizenship, and in December 2024, President Trump stated that he supported protections for Dreamers to remain in the United States. Consistent with this statement, we implore you to use your authority at United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) to resume processing initial applications for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) and provide such protections for Dreamers immediately.

    In 2001, the Dream Act was introduced on a bipartisan basis to provide a path to citizenship to undocumented immigrants who came to the United States as children but remained vulnerable to deportation. Since that time, the Dream Act has been introduced in every Congress. It has passed both the House of Representatives and the Senate with bipartisan majority votes, but no version has yet to be signed into law. In response to bipartisan pressure to protect Dreamers until Congress acted, the Obama Administration implemented DACA through a policy memorandum in 2012.

    Since 2012, more than 825,000 people have received deferred action pursuant to DACA. Many DACA recipients report that deferred action—and the accompanying employment authorization — allowed them to apply for their first job or move to a higher-paying position more commensurate with their skills. Since its establishment, DACA recipients have contributed an estimated $140 billion to the U.S. economy in spending power, and $40 billion dollars in combined federal, payroll, state, and local taxes.

    In 2021, U.S. District Court Judge Andrew Hanen halted the DACA program and enjoined USCIS from approving any new DACA applications nationwide. While the program was enjoined, USCIS has continued to accept and hold initial applications, and in 2022, the Department of Homeland Security published the DACA Final Rule, codifying the 2012 memorandum establishing DACA into regulation. Over 100,000 initial DACA applications are pending with USCIS.

    On January 17, 2025, the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals issued a decision limiting Judge Hanen’s injunction to Texas. Pursuant to the order, in Texas, DACA must resume as a limited program providing protection from deportation for current DACA recipients, but without access to work authorization or driver’s licenses as part of those renewals. This order went into effect on March 11, giving USCIS the authority to start processing initial DACA applications from states other than Texas. However, three months later, USCIS has not made any public announcement on whether new DACA applications will be processed; nor has the agency begun processing initial applications that have been pending with the agency for years.

    We urge you to begin processing these DACA applications immediately, consistent with the Fifth Circuit decision and existing regulations, and to ensure Dreamers eligible to file initial DACA applications can do so as soon as possible.

    Thank you for your prompt attention to this urgent matter.

    Sincerely,

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Heinrich, Luján, Senate Democrats Demand Trump Withdraw Military Forces from Los Angeles

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Ben Ray Luján (D-New Mexico)

    WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) and Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.) joined U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) and the entire Senate Democratic Caucus in demanding that President Trump immediately withdraw all military forces from Los Angeles and cease threats to deploy the National Guard or active-duty troops to American cities without the request of state or local leaders.

    The letter comes after Trump’s unprecedented move to federalize and deploy the California National Guard without the consent of the California Governor and mobilize U.S. Marine Corps elements, deploying approximately 4,000 National Guard troops and 700 active-duty Marines to Los Angeles amid unrest created by the President’s indiscriminate and intentionally inflammatory immigration enforcement raids across the region. The first 200 Marines arrived at the Los Angeles Federal Building on Friday, marking the first time in over 30 years that the Marines have been deployed in the United States.

    Trump deployed these military personnel without the request or support of Governor Gavin Newsom, manufacturing a crisis and repeatedly escalating the conflict in order to create a spectacle. The federalizing of California’s National Guard marked the first time the Guard had been deployed without a Governor’s consent since 1965, when President Lyndon Johnson federalized the Alabama National Guard to protect civil rights protesters in Selma.

    “We write to express deep concern over your decision to deploy the National Guard and United States Marine Corps to Los Angeles without consultation or coordination with the Governor and local leaders,” wrote Heinrich, Luján, Padilla, and the entire Democratic Senate Caucus. “This unilateral action represents an alarming abuse of executive authority, continues to inflame the situation on the ground, and undermines the constitutional balance of power between the federal government and the states. We urge you to immediately withdraw all military personnel that have been deployed to Los Angeles unless their presence is explicitly requested by the Governor and local leaders.”

    The senators slammed the deployment of military personnel as an abuse of power that undermines state and local leadership, interferes with critical law enforcement operations, and wastes military resources and taxpayer dollars. They also expressed concern for the dangerous precedent Trump’s misguided deployment of military forces could set for mobilizing military personnel to other cities across the country.

    “For the federal government to deploy military forces into American cities without consulting the Governor and local leaders is a dangerous misuse of federal power that has actively disrupted local law enforcement efforts to maintain peace and order,” continued the senators. “Deploying military personnel should always be a last resort – not a first step – and should only occur when local law enforcement makes a specific request for such federal resources. The decision to use military personnel to create a spectacle has escalated tensions on the ground and created confusion among local law enforcement. Significantly, it also pulls military assets away from other critical missions and is a waste of taxpayer dollars.”

    “We urge you to immediately withdraw all military personnel that have been deployed to Los Angeles in recent days and to cease any further threats of deploying National Guard or active-duty military personnel into American cities absent a request from the Governor,” concluded the senators. “Respect for our Constitution and for our civilian law enforcement demands nothing less.”

    The Trump Administration has repeatedly utilized excessive force and aggressive tactics in its immigration enforcement operations in Los Angeles and across the country. This pattern of unnecessary violence was evident on Thursday when Padilla was forcibly removed from Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem’s press conference,thrown to the ground, and handcuffed after simply trying to ask a question.

    The legality of Trump’s federalizing of California’s National Guard without the Governor’s consent is currently being disputed in federal court. The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals recently issued a stay to pause a lower court’s ruling, which had returned command of the California National Guard to Governor Newsom.

    The district court ruled that the President did not follow the statutorily mandated procedure necessary to deploy the National Guard and ordered him to return control of the Guard to California. The Court ruled that Trump violated the 10th Amendment and 10 USC § 12406, the provision that authorizes the President to federalize the Guard in the event of insurrection or rebellion. The court held that California was also likely to prevail on the merits of its suit — there was no rebellion or insurrection, and local, county, and state law enforcement were fully capable of enforcing the law.

    “At this early stage of the proceedings, the Court must determine whether the President followed the congressionally mandated procedure for his actions. He did not. His actions were illegal—both exceeding the scope of his statutory authority and violating the Tenth Amendment to the United States Constitution. He must therefore return control of the California National Guard to the Governor of the State of California forthwith,” wrote the court.

    “We’re talking about the president exercising his authority, and the president is, of course, limited to his authority,” the court continued.“That’s the difference between a constitutional government and King George. It’s not that a leader can simply say something, and it becomes it.”

    In addition to Heinrich, Luján, and Padilla, the letter to President Trump was signed by the entire Senate Democratic Caucus, including Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Senators Angela Alsobrooks (D-Md.), Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-Del.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Chris Coons (D-Del.), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.), Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), John Fetterman (D-Pa.), Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.),  John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), Andy Kim (D-N.J.), Angus King (I-Maine), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), Patty Murray (D-Wash.), Jon Ossoff (D-Ga.), Gary Peters (D-Mich.), Jack Reed (D-R.I.), Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.), Tina Smith (D-Minn.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Mark Warner (D-Va.), Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Peter Welch (D-Vt.), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.).

    Full text of the letter is available here and below:

    Dear President Trump,

    We write to express deep concern over your decision to deploy the National Guard and United States Marine Corps to Los Angeles without consultation or coordination with the Governor and local leaders. This unilateral action represents an alarming abuse of executive authority, continues to inflame the situation on the ground, and undermines the constitutional balance of power between the federal government and the states. We urge you to immediately withdraw all military personnel that have been deployed to Los Angeles unless their presence is explicitly requested by the Governor and local leaders.

    For the federal government to deploy military forces into American cities without consulting the Governor and local leaders is a dangerous misuse of federal power that has actively disrupted local law enforcement efforts to maintain peace and order. Deploying military personnel should always be a last resort – not a first step – and should only occur when local law enforcement makes a specific request for such federal resources. The decision to use military personnel to create a spectacle has escalated tensions on the ground and created confusion among local law enforcement. Significantly, it also pulls military assets away from other critical missions and is a waste of taxpayer dollars.

    We are particularly concerned by the precedent that this ill-conceived deployment of military personnel to Los Angeles sets for other cities and states. Governors are the Commanders in Chief of their National Guards when operating within state borders. As Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem said last year when serving as Governor of South Dakota, “If Joe Biden federalizes the National Guard, that would be a direct attack on states’ rights.”

    We urge you to immediately withdraw all military personnel that have been deployed to Los Angeles in recent days and to cease any further threats of deploying National Guard or active-duty military personnel into American cities absent a request from the Governor. Respect for our Constitution and for our civilian law enforcement demands nothing less.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Canada: Governments of Canada and Saskatchewan invest $3.4 million to support USask’s IntegrOmes project

    Source: Government of Canada News (2)

    June 17, 2025 – Saskatoon, Saskatchewan – Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada

    Canada’s Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food Heath MacDonald and Saskatchewan Agriculture Minister Daryl Harrison announced $3.4 million over 4 years to support the development of 2 new facilities at the University of Saskatchewan (USask) which includes the Omics Resource Centre at the Western College of Veterinary Medicine (WCVM) and Beef Reprotech facilities at the Livestock and Forage Centre of Excellence (LFCE).

    The investment will be delivered through the Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership (Sustainable CAP) as part of the governments’ commitment to support partnerships with strategic agricultural research organizations.

    The new initiative, called IntegrOmes (Integrated Genomics for Sustainable Animal Agriculture and Environmental Stewardship), will advance beef genetics by matching genomic markers with desirable traits and evaluate reproductive efficiencies. This integrated approach will enable producers to make more precise and data-driven breeding decisions that improve livestock productivity in Saskatchewan.

    The IntegrOmes project will address issues of beef cattle production and reproductive efficiency, animal health and the environment through the adoption of genomic tools. Saskatchewan producers will benefit from having access to these tools to stay competitive in the domestic and international market.

    USask, the WCVM and the LFCE are world-class research, teaching and knowledge-transfer facilities that connect innovation across the livestock production chain. USask’s work in feedlot and cow-calf management, veterinary science and forage systems plays a vital role in driving improvements in productivity and sustainability in the sector.

    This investment builds on the long-standing support for agricultural research by the governments of Canada and Saskatchewan. Through shared priorities under Sustainable CAP, over the past 5 years nearly $170 million has been committed in Saskatchewan toward research to improve productivity, expand markets and ensure our agri-food products remain globally competitive.

    With today’s announcement, USask’s LFCE and WCVM continue to strengthen Saskatchewan’s reputation as a global leader in high-quality, safe and sustainable food production.

    MIL OSI Canada News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Nadler Introduces American Royalties Too (ART) Act

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Jerrold Nadler (10th District of New York)

    Today, Congressman Jerrold Nadler (D-NY), Ranking Member of the House Judiciary Subcommittee on the Administrative State, Regulatory Reform, and Antitrust, introduced the American Royalties Too (ART) Act, H.R. 4017. The ART Act amends the Copyright Act to provide creators of visual art with a 5% royalty of the price paid for their art when it is resold by an art market professional. Congressman Nadler was joined by Rep. Judy Chu (D-CA) as an original cosponsor. 

    Current U.S. copyright law uniquely fails to properly reward visual artists as they are primarily compensated based on the first sale of their work. They thus lose out on any increase in value of their creation in the future with the benefit going to those who buy and sell their art instead. For example, a young artist may sell an early work for $1000, and it is later sold for $50,000. No portion of that sale goes to the artist. This bill would seek to address this issue and provide some compensation for the original visual artist.

    Many visual artists live on limited incomes, even as their work increases in value for others. Musicians earn royalties when their songs are played. Authors are paid for each book sold. Visual artists ought to receive a resale royalty when their works are sold. Resale rights would finally bring fairness—and financial support—to those who create the art we continue to celebrate. More than 105 countries have a resale royalty right — including all members of the European Union.

    “I firmly believe that the time has come for us to establish a resale royalty right here in the United States.  By adopting a resale royalty, the United States would join the rest of the world in recognizing this important right and ensuring visual artists and creators share in the proceeds from the sale of their works. The ART act would ensure that American artists benefit whenever and wherever their works are sold, whether in New York, London, or Paris,” said Rep. Nadler.

    The ART Act is supported by a broad coalition of organizations dedicated to the rights of creators, including The Artists Rights Society, the Association of Medical Illustrators, the International Authors Forum, The Songwriters Guild of America, and the American Society of Collective Rights Licensing Inc. Their support underscores the urgent need to bring equity to visual artists in the United States.

    Full text of the bill can be found here.

    ###

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Read More (Rep. Steube: Hold South Africa Accountable for Antisemitism)

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Greg Steube (FL-17)

    June 17, 2025 | Press ReleasesWASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Representative Greg Steube (R-Fla.) today introduced the Addressing Hostile and Antisemitic Conduct by the Republic of South Africa Act of 2025.  This bill would suspend direct assistance to South Africa while imposing targeted sanctions on political leaders responsible for their government’s antagonism towards the United States and its allies, lawfare against Israel at the International Court of Justice, and aligning with Iranian economic and military interests. “It is clear as day that the Government of South Africa is unfairly targeting the State of Israel and inciting hostility towards the United States and our allies,” said Rep. Steube. “South Africa’s purported grievances against Israel are nothing more than antisemitism wrapped in a bad-faith interpretation of international law. America has no business engaging with a corrupt government that weaponizes its political system against the Jewish people while jeopardizing our national security interests by indulging terrorist organizations and their sponsors. That is why I have proposed cutting off all direct assistance to South Africa and sanctioning their leaders until they stop abusing international institutions and catering to Iran and its terrorist proxies.”Background:

    The Government of South Africa has aligned itself with enemies of the United States, including Iran and the terrorist organization Hamas. Only ten days after the October 7th attacks, South Africa’s foreign minister expressed support for Hamas in a phone call with representatives of the terrorist organization.
    Two months following the October 7th attacks, Hamas sent a senior delegation to South Africa for the Fifth Global Convention of Solidarity with Palestine. Shortly thereafter, the ruling African National Congress (ANC) of South Africa welcomed representatives of Hamas for formal meetings in Johannesburg.
    In 2023, Iran and South Africa signed a cooperation agreement expanding economic ties between their two nations, including the development of five oil refineries in South Africa by the Iranian Oil Ministry. 
    While the Government of South Africa has used lawfare to accuse the State of Israel of genocide before the International Court of Justice, it has repeatedly turned a blind eye to the atrocities committed by Hamas and Iran against Israel and the United States.
    By suspending direct assistance to the Government of South Africa and imposing targeted sanctions on its political leadership, the Addressing Hostile and Antisemitic Conduct by the Republic of South Africa Act of 2025 would help codify provisions of President Trump’s Exec. Order No. 14204 (2025), Addressing Egregious Actions of the Republic of South Africa.

    Read the full bill text here.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Middletown Finishes Downtown Revitalization Initiative Projects

    Source: US State of New York

    overnor Kathy Hochul today announced the completion of Mt. Olive Senior Manor, an affordable housing development for seniors that builds on the State’s historic $50 million investment in Buffalo’s East Side. Developed in partnership between Mt. Olive Development Corporation and People Inc., the new building creates 65 apartments for adults aged 55 and older, including 20 apartments with supportive services for individuals struggling with homelessness, on an underutilized parcel adjacent to the Mt. Olive Baptist Church. Under Governor Hochul’s leadership, New York State Homes and Community Renewal has financed more than 11,000 affordable homes in Erie County. Mt. Olive Senior Manor continues this effort and complements Governor Hochul’s $25 billion five-year housing plan, which is on track to create or preserve 100,000 affordable homes statewide.

    “Through strong partnerships with faith-based organizations like Mt. Olive Baptist Church, we are transforming underutilized spaces into vibrant, affordable homes for New York’s seniors,” Governor Hochul said. “Mt. Olive Senior Manor reflects our commitment to delivering safe, supportive housing that meets the unique needs of the East Side’s residents, advancing our bold vision to create and preserve 100,000 affordable homes across New York.”

    The three-story development is constructed on land next door to the Mt. Olive Baptist Church that has undergone brownfield remediation. All apartments are affordable to households earning up to 50 percent of the Area Median Income.

    Twenty apartments are set aside for seniors in need of supportive services to live independently. Services and rental subsidies are funded by the Empire State Supportive Housing Initiative and administered by the New York State Department of Health. The service provider is People Inc.

    Residential amenities include a community room with kitchen, laundry facilities, bicycle storage area, management office, support service offices, multipurpose room, a lounge area, and an enclosed courtyard with walkable space and a patio. To support residents as they age, the building’s design includes features such as grab bars, low-reach shelving and cabinets, lever-style door handles, under cabinet lighting, and zero transition showers.

    The development was designed to meet the Environmental Protection Agency’s Energy Star Multifamily New Construction – Energy Rating Index compliance path. The highly energy efficient, all-electric development features include electric vehicle charging stations, Energy Star appliances and lighting, low flow plumbing fixtures, and high efficiency mechanical equipment.

    State financing for Mt. Olive Senior Manor includes support from HCR’s Federal Low-Income Housing Tax Credit Program that generated more than $13 million in equity, as well as $3.6 million in subsidy. The New York State Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance is providing $4 million through the Homeless Housing and Assistance Program. Additionally, the site participated in the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation’s successful Brownfield Cleanup Program and became eligible for $3.6 million in tax credits administered by the New York State Department of Taxation and Finance. The Buffalo Urban Renewal Agency awarded $2 million in HOME funds. NYSERDA’s New Construction – Housing Program contributed $260,000 in incentives.

    New York State Homes and Community Renewal Commissioner RuthAnne Visnauskas said, “Mt. Olive Senior Manor exemplifies New York State’s commitment to creating affordable, supportive housing, including in partnership with faith-based organizations, that uplifts residents and strengthens communities like East Buffalo. This $27 million investment not only provides safe, modern homes and vital services that seniors deserve, but allows 65 households to stay and thrive in the community they love. Under Governor Hochul’s leadership, we will continue to create more housing opportunities for New Yorkers of every age and income level.”

    New York State Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance Commissioner Barbara C. Guinn said, “The 20 supportive housing units created as part of this development will help older adults in Erie County who have experienced homelessness by providing a safe, stable home and access to support services that will enable them to age in place. Congratulations to Mt. Olive Baptist Church, People Inc., and all of our state and local partners on the successful completion of Mt. Olive Senior Manor.”

    New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Commissioner Amanda Lefton said, “Everyone should have access to environmentally safe and affordable housing. For more than two decades, the State’s Brownfield Cleanup Program has played a critical role in cleaning up formerly contaminated sites, returning them to productive use, and supporting local revitalization efforts. DEC is proud to oversee this critical program and its contribution to achieving Governor Hochul’s affordable housing goals in communities like Buffalo, including the Mt. Olive Senior Housing Development, while supporting DEC’s mission to protect public health and the environment for all.”

    NYSERDA President and CEO Doreen M. Harris said, “Projects like Mt. Olive Senior Manor are helping shape a cleaner, more modern future for every New Yorker. Integrating the latest clean energy technology into affordable housing not only provides access to healthier, more comfortable living spaces for Western New York’s older adults, but helps improve the quality of life for many living in a historically underserved community.”

    State Senator April N. M. Baskin said, “This type of collaboration is meaningful on many levels: it’s a successful partnership between Mt. Olive and the leading human services agency in our region, People Inc.. This project also reimagines an underutilized parcel, turning it into a beautiful space benefiting our older East Side residents. Mt. Olive Baptist Manor is a safe and affordable place to call home, enabling our elders to live their best life in a way they surely deserve.”

    Erie County Legislator St. Jean Tard said, “It is an honor to celebrate the opening of Mt. Olive Senior Manor, a development that brings both hope and stability to our community. This project represents more than new construction—it’s a commitment to the well-being of our seniors, especially those who have faced the hardships of homelessness. Transforming a long-vacant site into a place of safety, care, and opportunity is a powerful reflection of what can be achieved through meaningful collaboration. I extend my sincere thanks to Mt. Olive Development Corp., People Inc., and all the partners who brought this vision to life.”

    Buffalo Common Council Member Zeneta Everhart said, “The newly constructed Mt. Olive Senior Manor located in the Masten District is an essential facility to meet the needs of our seniors and people struggling with homelessness. Thanks to major investments from the state and the Buffalo Urban Renewal Agency, what was once a vacant brownfield is now a great and affordable home for dozens of our older neighbors. I am grateful to Governor Hochul and the New York State Homes and Community Renewal for investing in our community and prioritizing the needs of vulnerable residents.”

    People Inc. President and CEO Anne McCaffrey said, “We are extremely proud to join Mt. Olive Development Corp., federal, state and local government officials in unveiling this impactful housing complex,” said Anne McCaffrey, People Inc. president and CEO. “We are providing more than just new housing. We are creating life-changing opportunities for living that are invigorating communities and meeting a critical regional need. Mt. Olive Senor Manor will help people live their best lives, which is central to People Inc.’s mission and vision for the communities we serve.”

    Governor Hochul’s Housing Agenda

    Governor Hochul is dedicated to addressing New York’s housing crisis and making the State more affordable and more livable for all New Yorkers. As part of the FY25 Enacted Budget, the Governor secured a landmark agreement to increase New York’s housing supply through new tax incentives, capital funding, and new protections for renters and homeowners. Building on this commitment, the FY26 Enacted Budget includes more than $1.5 billion in new State funding for housing, a Housing Access Voucher pilot program, and new policies to improve affordability for tenants and homebuyers. These measures complement the Governor’s five-year, $25 billion Housing Plan, included in the FY23 Enacted Budget, to create or preserve 100,000 affordable homes statewide, including 10,000 with support services for vulnerable populations, plus the electrification of an additional 50,000 homes. More than 60,000 homes have been created or preserved to date.

    The FY25 and FY26 Enacted Budgets also strengthened the Governor’s Pro-Housing Community Program — which allows certified localities exclusive access to up to $750 million in discretionary State funding. Currently, more than 300 communities have received Pro Housing certification, including Buffalo.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI NGOs: This hurricane season Greenpeace USA helps deliver Uncle Sam’s disturbing message to America

    Source: Greenpeace Statement –

    Greenpeace USA deployed a banner at the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) headquarters to assist in making Uncle Sam’s message to the country crystal clear: this hurricane season, you are on your own. It was in esponse to the Trump Administration’s recent gutting of federal emergency response capacity.
    © Tim Aubry / Greenpeace

    WASHINGTON, DC (June 17, 2025) –  Tuesday, Greenpeace USA deployed banners at FEMA headquarters to assist in making Uncle Sam’s message to the country crystal clear: this hurricane season, you are on your own. 

    Photos and videos are available here.

    In response to the Trump Administration’s recent gutting of federal emergency response capacity, Greenpeace USA Deputy Climate Director John Nöel said: 

    “At this point, it’s not even shocking, but it still bears repeating: the Trump Administration can’t just get rid of critical infrastructure to address natural disasters – and then declare hurricanes extinct. But that’s exactly what it’s trying to do. On the heels of NOAA (another agency being dismantled) saying this hurricane season could be especially intense – and possibly more deadly – The Trump White House now wants to scrap FEMA, the agency that could help Americans survive it. This agency has long served as a lifeline for communities recovering from natural disasters – but even prior to cuts, it was struggling to keep up with worsening disasters and an administration that’s been tying aid to political alignment. 

    “Without federal support, states will have to raise taxes on working people and businesses in order to fill budget gaps created by extreme weather. While Americans face increasingly deadly hurricanes and floods Trump is firing the staff from agencies that track and coordinate emergency response while carrying out Big Oil’s wishlist that slashes climate funding when communities need it most. This only ensures Americans pay with not just the cost of their lives, businesses, and homes, but also higher energy bills, disaster relief taxes, and skyrocketing insurance premiums.

    “As the Trump administration abandons its responsibility to protect Americans, it is time for governors to step up and make polluters, specifically oil and gas corporations, pay for the crisis they’ve created instead of your constituents.” 

    Contact: Madison Carter, Greenpeace USA National Press Secretary, [email protected]

    Greenpeace USA is part of a global network of independent campaigning organizations that use peaceful protest and creative communication to expose global environmental problems and promote solutions that are essential to a green and peaceful future. Greenpeace USA is committed to transforming the country’s unjust social, environmental, and economic systems from the ground up to address the climate crisis, advance racial justice, and build an economy that puts people first. Learn more at www.greenpeace.org/usa.

    MIL OSI NGO –

  • MIL-OSI USA: ICYMI: Blue-Collar Wage Growth Sees Largest Increase in Nearly 60 Years Under Trump

    US Senate News:

    Source: US Whitehouse
    In President Donald J. Trump’s first five months in office, real wages for hourly workers have seen their largest increase under any administration in nearly 60 years — and we’re just getting started with pro-growth, pro-prosperity policies that finally put America First.
    Blue-collar workers have seen real wages grow almost two percent in the first five months of President Trump’s second term — a stark contrast from the negative wage growth seen during the first five months of the Biden Administration.
    “The only other time it has been this high … was during President Trump’s first term,” Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent said in an interview with the New York Post.
    The New York Post notes: “Since Richard Nixon in 1969, Trump has been the only president to record positive growth for blue-collar workers in his first five months. He also achieved 1.3% in his first term … The recovery from a 1.7% decline recorded in Biden’s first five months, as inflation outpaced earnings, suggests a shift in economic conditions for this financially stressed segment of the workforce.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: ICYMI: Blue-Collar Wage Growth Sees Largest Increase in Nearly 60 Years Under Trump

    US Senate News:

    Source: US Whitehouse
    In President Donald J. Trump’s first five months in office, real wages for hourly workers have seen their largest increase under any administration in nearly 60 years — and we’re just getting started with pro-growth, pro-prosperity policies that finally put America First.
    Blue-collar workers have seen real wages grow almost two percent in the first five months of President Trump’s second term — a stark contrast from the negative wage growth seen during the first five months of the Biden Administration.
    “The only other time it has been this high … was during President Trump’s first term,” Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent said in an interview with the New York Post.
    The New York Post notes: “Since Richard Nixon in 1969, Trump has been the only president to record positive growth for blue-collar workers in his first five months. He also achieved 1.3% in his first term … The recovery from a 1.7% decline recorded in Biden’s first five months, as inflation outpaced earnings, suggests a shift in economic conditions for this financially stressed segment of the workforce.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Fact Sheet: Implementing the General Terms of the U.S.-UK Economic Prosperity Deal

    US Senate News:

    Source: US Whitehouse
    IMPLEMENTING A HISTORIC TRADE DEAL: Yesterday, President Donald J. Trump signed an Executive Order implementing American commitments under the General Terms of the United States-United Kingdom Economic Prosperity Deal.
    This historic trade deal provides American companies unprecedented access to British markets while bolstering U.S. national security.
    The deal will include billions of dollars of increased market access for American exports, especially for beef, ethanol, and certain other American agricultural exports.
    The UK will reduce or eliminate numerous non-tariff barriers that unfairly discriminate against American products, hurt the U.S. manufacturing base, and threaten our national security.
    The U.S. and UK will negotiate preferential treatment outcomes for UK pharmaceuticals and pharmaceutical ingredients contingent on the findings of a Section 232 investigation.
    The U.S. and UK have also committed to adopting a structured, negotiated approach to addressing U.S. national security concerns regarding sectors that may be subject to future Section 232 investigations and UK compliance with certain supply chain security standards.
    This Executive Order addresses automobiles, aerospace, and steel and aluminum.
    For automobiles, the Order provides that the first 100,000 vehicles imported into the U.S. by UK car manufacturers each year will be subject to a total tariff rate of 10% (7.5% plus 2.5% most-favored-nation rate) and any additional imported vehicles each year will be subject to the automobile Section 232 tariff rate of 25%.
    Additionally, automotive parts that are products of the UK and are for use in UK vehicles will be subject to a total tariff rate of 10%.

    For aerospace, the Order provides that certain UK products will no longer be subject to tariffs, thus strengthening aerospace and aircraft manufacturing supply chains.
    For steel and aluminum articles and their derivatives, the Order provides that the Secretary of Commerce, in consultation with the U.S. Trade Representative, will establish tariff-rate quotas for UK products consistent with the General Terms of the Economic Prosperity Deal and pursuant to certain principles outlined in the Order. Products outside those quotas or that do not meet certain requirements will remain subject to existing Section 232 tariffs.
    Today’s action strengthens our bilateral relationship with the UK and sets the tone for other trading partners to promote reciprocal trade with the United States.
    ADVANCING RECIPROCAL TRADE: This U.S.-UK trade deal will usher in a golden age of new opportunity for U.S. exporters and level the playing field for American producers.
    On April 2, 2025, Liberation Day, President Trump imposed a 10% tariff on all countries to address unfair trade practices that have contributed to America’s trade deficit in order to better protect American workers, manufacturers, and our national security. 
    In 2024, the U.S. total goods trade with the UK was an estimated $148 billion.
    The UK average applied agricultural tariff was 9.2%, while the U.S. average applied agricultural tariff (prior to April 2) was 5%.

    On April 18, President Trump had a call with Prime Minister Starmer to discuss our bilateral trade relationship.
    On May 8, President Trump and Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced this historic Economic Prosperity Deal.
    USHERING IN A NEW ERA OF PROSPERITY: Since Day One, President Trump has challenged the assumption that American workers and businesses must tolerate unfair trade practices that disadvantage our workers and businesses and contribute to our historic trade deficit.
    President Trump continues to advance the interests of the American people, enhancing market access for American exporters and lowering tariff and non-tariff barriers to protect our economic and national security.
    The Economic Prosperity Deal with the United Kingdom is a critical step toward promoting reciprocal trade with a key ally and partner.
    President Trump: “The deal includes billions of dollars of increased market access for American exports, especially in agriculture, dramatically increasing access for American beef, ethanol, and virtually all of the products produced by our great farmers.”
    “The UK will reduce or eliminate numerous non-tariff barriers that unfairly discriminated against American products.”
    “This is now turning out to be, really, a great deal for both countries.”

    Prime Minister Starmer: “This is going to boost trade between and across our countries. It’s going to not only protect jobs, but create jobs, opening market access.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Analysis: The Weimar triangle: how Germany’s new government could reinvigorate an important European security alliance

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Rachel Herring, PhD candidate, Department of Politics, History and International Relations, Aston University

    Decisions made by German chancellor Friedrich Merz when he came to power in May indicate that a somewhat dormant regional partnership is about to take on new significance in Europe. Merz immediately travelled to Paris and Warsaw to meet Emmanuel Macron and Donald Tusk, suggesting the so-called Weimar triangle is a top priority for his government.

    Following Merz’s visit to Poland, Polish prime minister Tusk declared “a new beginning, perhaps the most important in the history of the last dozen or so years, in Polish-German relations”.

    If Tusk is right, the Weimar triangle – an alliance between France, Germany and Poland – will have a key role to play. The Weimar triangle was established in 1991 as a forum for the three countries to work together in the interest of European security. This involved integrating Poland into the EU, as well as providing another channel for Germany to pursue friendship and reconciliation with its neighbours.

    The Franco-German “special relationship” was already established, along with their shared reputation as Europe’s “motor”. But Poland’s inclusion was crucial. As a large, influential country in Central Europe, it was well placed to become a pillar of European security and a partner in European expansion following the collapse of Communist regimes.

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    As well as being a smaller security forum in which Germany, France and Poland can find common ground on EU security and foreign policy, the Weimar triangle has at times taken on an active international role. During the 2014 Ukraine crisis, ministers from the three Weimar triangle countries took the lead and negotiated on behalf of the EU.

    However, the importance and effectiveness of the format has declined in recent years due to deteriorating relations between the French, German and Polish governments.

    Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 elevated the significance of the Weimar triangle once again. But in the early days of the war, although all three governments condemned the invasion, Poland, Germany and France were far from being on the same page.

    Germany’s cautious response provoked criticism in Poland – and indeed in other Central European countries. Many in the region had long been sceptical of Germany’s Russia policy and had warned of Russian aggression, but did not feel taken seriously.

    While the Polish government was quick to commit significant military support to Ukraine, Germany, under former chancellor Olaf Scholz, soon gained a reputation for being overly cautious in the eyes of its more hawkish allies. This led the Polish government to begin turning to security alliances in Scandinavia and the Baltics.

    Meanwhile, Scholz’s hesitancy and orientation towards Washington for leadership was also met with frustration in France, where the idea of “European sovereignty” in security issues had more traction.

    When the new Merz government made it clear that it wanted to prioritise foreign policy and the Weimar triangle, there was a sense that things were about to change. It is still early days, but the rhetoric of all three Weimar triangle leaders signals a commitment to making the alliance finally deliver, as well as an awareness of earlier failures.

    New challenges in Poland

    It won’t be plain sailing from here though. The election of nationalist Karol Nawrocki as president in Poland in early June was a blow for those that support a new, strong Weimar triangle.

    Poland’s current government is a centrist coalition led by pro-European prime minister Donald Tusk, but the concern now is that Nawrocki will block pro-European legislation as his predecessor did, given that he has the support of the nationalist, Eurosceptic Law and Justice (PiS) party. The PiS party (in government from 2015-2023) has a record of anti-German and anti-EU rhetoric.

    Nawrocki has not yet questioned Poland’s military aid to Ukraine but the Tusk government must now continue to balance pursuing its own more liberal agenda and more pro-German and pro-European approach with the alternative views that Nawrocki represents, and which are clearly backed by a significant portion of Polish voters.

    What next for the Weimar triangle?

    Given the centrality of the Weimar triangle countries in Europe and the EU, their alliance has consequences that go far beyond the bilateral and regional levels. With the ongoing war in Ukraine and the uncertain status of the US as a security partner since Donald Trump’s re-election, a strong and unified pillar at the centre of Europe would be an asset to the EU and European security.

    So far, the Weimar triangle has failed to deliver on the expectations attached to it, often due to domestic differences. However, it holds untapped potential. A divided Europe and EU is in the interest of Putin’s government, and is not the unified ally Ukraine needs.

    The Weimar triangle, in bringing together three key member states – crucially including from Central Europe – can both symbolically and practically strengthen European foreign and security policy.

    This will involve finding compromises to build a united front on security at the EU level, bringing issues and policies to the table, and strengthening understanding where security perspectives diverge. The positions and signals of France, Germany and Poland matter to other EU member states and to Ukraine. Joint efforts could have even more clout.

    Rachel Herring receives funding from the Economic and Social Research Council.

    – ref. The Weimar triangle: how Germany’s new government could reinvigorate an important European security alliance – https://theconversation.com/the-weimar-triangle-how-germanys-new-government-could-reinvigorate-an-important-european-security-alliance-257995

    MIL OSI Analysis –

  • MIL-OSI Analysis: Here We Are: how silence defines Stephen Sondheim’s last musical

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Ben Macpherson, Reader in Vocal Theatres, University of Portsmouth

    In musical theatre lore, when emotion outgrows words, characters sing (and when emotion outgrows song, they dance). This idea – in various guises, configurations and subversions – has shaped musical theatre for the last eight decades. The expectation that in a musical, characters sing is deeply ingrained: songs move the story along, or suspend time to enlarge a moment of emotion.

    Songs give audiences a chance to connect and to thrill at the virtuosity – and vulnerability – on display. After all, the very term “musical theatre” gives us a clue to its priorities. What happens, then, when the singing stops?

    That is the question posed by Stephen Sondheim’s final musical, Here We Are, which premiered at The Shed in New York in 2023 (two years after his death at 91) and is now playing at The National Theatre in London till the end of June.

    Based on two surrealist films by Spanish auteur Luis Buñuel (1972’s The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie and 1962’s The Exterminating Angel), act one sees a group of wealthy friends searching for a decent brunch.

    In act two, after finally eating in the dining room of an embassy building, they mysteriously find themselves trapped – along with the waitress and the butler – and unable to leave. Completed posthumously and written with playwright David Ives, the show does something radical: in its second act, the characters stop singing.

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    That is not to say the show is not musical, and act two does include three brief moments of musical interlude rather than song. We might suggest this “songlessness” acts as a kind of silence; the characters speak, but as this is not a play, they should – as is expected of a musical – sing.

    Initially keeping up appearances, act one is full of group numbers and sung encounters, yet even here, Sondheim plays games with his audience. The main characters rarely get solo moments; instead, minor characters, including a waiter and a soldier, are given richly expressive songs.

    The usual power dynamics of musical theatre are inverted. Who gets to sing – and who does not – becomes central to the story. Director Joe Mantello has said that this approach was counterintuitive, even for Sondheim.

    By act two, the playfulness escalates. Suddenly, not even the piano in the embassy drawing room makes a sound. Silence here is not simply a gap to be filled – it becomes the point of the drama. Audiences are asked to sit with characters inured to privilege and trapped by their sudden helplessness.

    The absence of song draws attention to everything else: the dynamics and relationships, the constrained movement, the increasingly stilted small talk. Without the emotional release of song, these characters are confronted, confronting and exposed.

    Musical silence and space

    This seems a courageous move in a genre built around song – but in fact, there are many examples in musical theatre where characters who do not sing are nonetheless central. In West Side Story (1957) and Spring Awakening (2006), adults are silent while the youth give voice to generational difference.

    In The Drowsy Chaperone (1998), the central narrator talks but never sings. In more recent works like Maybe Happy Ending (2016), the silence of not singing is more comedic, with the main character Oliver’s best friend being a (silent) house plant named HwaBoon. But Here We Are takes the idea further. Why?

    One reason is dramatic. The characters are trapped in an illogical, surreal situation, leading Sondheim to reportedly ask: “Why would these people be singing when they’re trapped in this room?” To its composer, the emotional directness of singing seemed inappropriate here.

    Instead, as with the ambiguity that characterises much of Sondheim’s work, we get something more open-ended, perhaps even rebellious. Without the usual musical release, tension builds. What do these characters really feel? What does their inaction demonstrate?

    The kind of musical silence gives rise to such questions, becoming a space in which characters and audiences can reflect, transform and critique. The second act of Here We Are is not simply a story about people who cannot leave a room – it is about being confined by habits, class structures and privilege. Characters and audiences alike are forced to confront these things without the thrill of song to soften the edges.

    Here We Are further plays with musical theatre’s deepest conventions. What if the thing we expect most – the habit and structure of singing in a musical – does not happen? What if the absence of singing is the most powerful sonic gesture of all?

    To end his final work in this way feels like Sondheim has played one last trick on his audience. After a career of writing some of the most emotionally complex songs in musical theatre – such as Send in the Clowns from A Little Night Music – he leaves us with one final challenge to the structure of the form he expanded.

    In an interview with journalist Adam Gopnik of The New Yorker in 2014, Sondheim said his dream project would be “not writing”. With Here We Are, he was almost there.

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

    – ref. Here We Are: how silence defines Stephen Sondheim’s last musical – https://theconversation.com/here-we-are-how-silence-defines-stephen-sondheims-last-musical-258718

    MIL OSI Analysis –

  • MIL-OSI Analysis: Five common habits that might be harming your liver

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Dipa Kamdar, Senior Lecturer in Pharmacy Practice, Kingston University

    Paracetamol overdose is one of the leading causes of acute liver failure, according to the British Liver Trust fizkes/Shutterstock

    The liver is one of the hardest working organs in the human body. It detoxifies harmful substances, helps with digestion, stores nutrients, and regulates metabolism.

    Despite its remarkable resilience – and even its ability to regenerate – the liver is not indestructible. In fact, many everyday habits, often overlooked, can slowly cause damage that may eventually lead to serious conditions such as cirrhosis (permanent scarring of the liver) or liver failure.

    One of the challenges with liver disease is that it can be a silent threat. In its early stages, it may cause only vague symptoms like constant fatigue or nausea.

    As damage progresses, more obvious signs may emerge. One of the most recognisable is jaundice, where the skin and the whites of the eyes turn yellow. While most people associate liver disease with heavy drinking, alcohol isn’t the only culprit. Here are five common habits that could be quietly harming your liver.

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    1. Drinking too much alcohol

    Alcohol is perhaps the most well-known cause of liver damage. When you drink, your liver works to break down the alcohol and clear it from your system. But too much alcohol overwhelms this process, causing toxic by products to build up and damage liver cells.

    Alcohol-related liver disease progresses in stages. At first, fat begins to accumulate in the liver (fatty liver), often without any noticeable symptoms and reversible if drinking stops. Continued drinking can lead to alcoholic hepatitis, where inflammation and scar tissue begin to form as the liver attempts to heal itself.

    Over time, this scarring can develop into cirrhosis, where extensive hardening of the liver seriously affects its ability to function. While cirrhosis is difficult to reverse, stopping drinking can help prevent further damage.

    Even moderate drinking, if sustained over many years, can take its toll, particularly when combined with other risk factors like obesity or medication use. Experts recommend sticking to no more than 14 units of alcohol per week, and including alcohol-free days to give your liver time to recover.

    2. Poor diet and unhealthy eating habits

    You don’t need to drink alcohol to develop liver problems. Fat can build up in the liver due to an unhealthy diet, leading to a condition now called metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD), formerly known as non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD).

    Excess fat in the liver can impair its function and, over time, cause inflammation, scarring, and eventually cirrhosis. People who are overweight – particularly those who carry excess weight around their abdomen – are more likely to develop MASLD. Other risk factors include high blood pressure, diabetes and high cholesterol.

    Diet plays a huge role. Foods high in saturated fat, such as red meat, fried foods and processed snacks, can raise cholesterol levels and contribute to liver fat accumulation. Sugary foods and drinks are also a major risk factor. In 2018, a review found that people who consumed more sugar sweetened drinks had a 40% higher risk of developing fatty liver disease.

    Ultra-processed foods such as fast food, ready meals and snacks packed with added sugar and unhealthy fats also contribute to liver strain. A large study found that people who ate more processed foods were significantly more likely to develop liver problems.

    On the flip side, eating a balanced, wholefood diet can help prevent – and even reverse – fatty liver disease. Research suggests that diets rich in vegetables, fruit, whole grains, legumes, and fish may reduce liver fat and improve related risk factors such as high blood sugar and cholesterol.

    Staying hydrated is also important. Aim for around eight glasses of water a day to support your liver’s natural detoxification processes.



    Read more:
    Don’t like drinking plain water? 10 healthy ideas for staying hydrated this summer

    3. Overusing painkillers

    Many people turn to over-the-counter painkillers such as paracetamol for headaches, muscle pain, or fever. While generally safe when used as directed, taking too much – even slightly exceeding the recommended dose – can be extremely dangerous for your liver.

    The liver breaks down paracetamol, but in the process, produces a toxic by-product called NAPQI. Normally, the body neutralises NAPQI using a protective substance called glutathione. However, in an overdose, glutathione stores become depleted, allowing NAPQI to accumulate and attack liver cells. This can result in acute liver failure, which can be fatal.

    Even small overdoses, or combining paracetamol with alcohol, can increase the risk of serious harm. Always stick to the recommended dose and speak to a doctor if you find yourself needing pain relief regularly.

    Regular exercise is one of the simplest and most powerful ways to protect your liver.
    Africa Studio/Shutterstock

    4. Lack of exercise

    A sedentary lifestyle is another major risk factor for liver disease. Physical inactivity contributes to weight gain, insulin resistance, and metabolic dysfunction – all of which can promote fat accumulation in the liver.

    The good news is that exercise can benefit your liver even if you don’t lose much weight. One study found that just eight weeks of resistance training reduced liver fat by 13% and improved blood sugar control. Aerobic exercise is also highly effective: regular brisk walking for 30 minutes, five times a week, has been shown to reduce liver fat and improve insulin sensitivity.

    5. Smoking

    Most people associate smoking with lung cancer or heart disease, but many don’t realise the serious damage it can do to the liver.

    Cigarette smoke contains thousands of toxic chemicals that increase the liver’s workload as it tries to filter and break them down. Over time, this can lead to oxidative stress, where unstable molecules (free radicals) damage liver cells, restrict blood flow, and contribute to scarring (cirrhosis).

    Smoking also significantly raises the risk of liver cancer. Harmful chemicals in tobacco smoke, including nitrosamines, vinyl chloride, tar, and 4-aminobiphenyl, are all known carcinogens. According to Cancer Research UK, smoking accounts for around 20% of liver cancer cases in the UK.

    Love your liver

    The liver is a remarkably robust organ – but it isn’t invincible. You can protect it by drinking alcohol in moderation, quitting smoking, taking medications responsibly, eating a balanced diet, staying active and keeping hydrated.

    If you notice any symptoms that may suggest liver trouble, such as ongoing fatigue, nausea, or jaundice, don’t delay speaking to your doctor. The earlier liver problems are detected, the better the chance of successful treatment.

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

    – ref. Five common habits that might be harming your liver – https://theconversation.com/five-common-habits-that-might-be-harming-your-liver-256921

    MIL OSI Analysis –

  • MIL-OSI Analysis: The UK failed grooming gang victims by not seeing ‘children as children’

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Michelle McManus, Professor of Safeguarding and Violence Prevention, Co-Director of the Institute for Children’s Futures, Manchester Metropolitan University

    Mariana Serdynska/Shutterstock

    The announcement of a national inquiry into group-based child sexual exploitation raises urgent questions: How did we end up here again? Haven’t there been enough reports? Why weren’t children protected the first time? And will these reforms actually change anything?

    As someone who has worked for years in safeguarding policy and research into grooming, county lines drug trafficking and child criminal exploitation, I believe this moment could be different. For the first time in years, there is political momentum, public scrutiny and survivor-led demand for change all converging. But we have to honest about how we got here.

    The inquiry, which will have full statutory powers, follows crossbench peer Louise Casey’s rapid national audit into grooming gangs. Her report lays bare what the Home Secretary, Yvette Cooper, described as a “collective failure” over 15 years. This phrase reflects not just high-profile cases in Rotherham, Rochdale or Telford, but a nationwide pattern of authorities disbelieving victims, delaying action and denying the scale of the problem.

    Since 2014, inquiry after inquiry has revealed how children, often girls, care-experienced young people, or those from marginalised backgrounds were not listened to, with some dismissed by social services as making “life choices”. Despite the Jay report, the 2022 Telford inquiry, and the independent inquiry into child sexual abuse, victims were often not seen as victims at all.

    Seeing ‘children as children’

    One of the most striking lines in Lady Casey’s audit came just before her 12 recommendations: “We need to see children as children.” This cuts to the heart of how so many victims were failed. When professionals view teenagers as complicit, consenting, or “making choices”, they stop seeing the child in need of protection.

    Casey revealed that even today, many victims are still falling through the cracks because their exploitation doesn’t fit assumptions. The report revealed that cases involving 13- to 15-year-olds were too often dropped or downgraded from rape, with professionals referencing that the child was “in love” or had “consented”.

    These interpretations ignore the law — which sets the age of consent at 16 — and more importantly, they ignore the power imbalance and coercion at the heart of grooming. Casey has called for the law to be unambiguous: any penetrative sex with a child under 16 must be classified as rape.

    This failure to see children as victims is deeply embedded. In 2023, 706 group-based child sexual exploitation offences were recorded. A number dwarfed by the estimated 500,000 annual cases of child sexual abuse in England and Wales.

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    One reason for this gap, as Casey’s audit acknowledges, is that “the results tend to obscure rather than clarify the picture of group-based child sexual exploitation”. Much abuse is made invisible by confusing and inconsistently applied definitions, where grooming is recorded under unrelated offence types such as gang or drug crime, rather than identified as exploitation.

    In my own research and parliamentary evidence, I’ve repeatedly warned that when a child is caught carrying drugs or cash, they are too often seen as a criminal first — not as someone coerced, groomed or harmed.

    These assumptions directly shape the outcome of a case. In earlier grooming gang cases identified in the various inquiries, girls were seen as “promiscuous” or as having “chosen” to associate with older men. These narratives made it easier for agencies to downplay reports, delay interventions or ignore disclosures altogether.

    Casey rightly highlights how exploiters have taken advantage of the blurred legal and professional treatment of 13- to 15-year-olds in sexual exploitation cases. But it is concerning that proposed legislation (the crime and policing bill) appears to replicate the same flaws in how it treats child criminal exploitation. The bill introduces different assumptions about a young person’s “awareness” or involvement, even where grooming or coercion is present.

    This risks embedding a double standard: one where a 14-year-old can’t consent to sex, but can be seen as knowingly trafficking drugs. Without urgent scrutiny, we risk repeating the same failures but under the banner of criminal exploitation. It is still child exploitation.

    What’s different about these reforms?

    The government has accepted all 12 of Casey’s recommendations, including making ethnicity data collection mandatory and fast-tracking rape charges for adults abusing under-16s.

    It has also promised mandated data-sharing to finally resolve the communication failures that have dogged policing, social care and health services for decades.

    The Casey audit underscores how urgent these reforms are. It found that two-thirds of recorded perpetrators had no ethnicity data captured, making it impossible to draw clear national conclusions. In areas like Greater Manchester and South Yorkshire, there was evidence of over-representation among men of Asian ethnicity.

    But the data-sharing failures go far beyond demographics. In many serious case reviews, including ones I’ve worked on, key information held by one agency (such as frequent missing episodes recorded by police) were never pieced together across agencies. Mandated data-sharing could have allowed professionals to spot patterns of grooming earlier and intervene before exploitation escalated.

    We’ve seen versions of these promises before. The independent inquiry into child sexual abuse made over 80 recommendations. The Jay report outlined repeated missed chances to intervene. In 2022, the Centre of expertise on child sexual abuse called for urgent reforms to how police and social workers identify and respond to child sexual exploitation. Many of those changes were either delayed, diluted or quietly dropped.

    Some changes, such as the statutory inquiry’s power to compel evidence, are welcome. But legal duty doesn’t automatically translate into professional confidence or competence. The systems and infrastructure needed to enable professionals to share data consistently and safely still do not exist.

    I’ve observed how even the most robust policy and guidance fails in practice because professionals are underresourced, overwhelmed, lack experience, or are unprepared to challenge risk-averse decision making.

    For example, mandated data-sharing has been a goal since the 1980s. It was a central recommendation in the 1987 Cleveland inquiry and the 2000 Victoria Climbié inquiry, both of which dealt with child abuse. It has remained a consistent theme in reviews from the child safeguarding practice review panel and in my own national evaluations.

    Yvette Cooper delivers a speech on the ‘collective failure’ in the handling of grooming gangs cases.
    House of Commons/Flickr, CC BY-NC-ND

    Case reviews across four decades have cited the same failures: organisations not talking to each other, files siloed, risks misunderstood. In the cases explored in the Casey audit, better data-sharing could have helped agencies identify patterns of concern much earlier, including young people going missing from home or school, presenting at sexual health clinics, or being repeatedly reported in distress by family members, teachers and health practitioners.

    Instead, these signs remained isolated. Without a full picture, no single agency recognised what was happening. Children were left unprotected while perpetrators continued to offend.

    Unless we address why so many professionals have historically avoided taking action, whether due to fear of being seen as racist, fear of reputational harm, or simply not believing children, reforms may look good on paper but fall short in reality.

    The Casey audit shows we haven’t just failed to act, we’ve failed to learn. “Collective failure” is a powerful phrase, but without collective responsibility, we risk repeating the cycle.

    Michelle McManus has received funding from Home Office, Department for Education and National Independent Safeguarding Board Wales. She is also currently seconded as part of a Chancellor’s Fellowship at Manchester Met, with the VKPP, which is part of the National Centre for VAWG and Public Protection.

    – ref. The UK failed grooming gang victims by not seeing ‘children as children’ – https://theconversation.com/the-uk-failed-grooming-gang-victims-by-not-seeing-children-as-children-259098

    MIL OSI Analysis –

  • MIL-OSI Analysis: Alzheimer’s: bacteria that causes stomach ulcers may protect the brain, our new research indicates

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Gefei Chen, Associate professor, Karolinska Institutet

    _H pylori_ is more commonly known as the culprit of stomach infections. Corona Borealis Studio/ Shutterstock

    Every three seconds, someone in the world develops dementia. Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form of dementia, accounting for between 60% and 70% of all cases.

    Although scientists have made significant progress in understanding the disease, there’s still no cure. That’s partly because Alzheimer’s disease has multiple causes – many of which are still not fully understood.

    Two proteins which are widely believed to play central roles in Alzheimer’s disease are amyloid-beta and tau. Amyloid-beta forms sticky plaques on the outside of brain cells. This disrupts communication between neurons. Tau accumulate inside brain cells, where it twists into tangles. This ultimately leads to cell death. These plaques and tangles are the hallmark features of Alzheimer’s disease.

    This understanding, known as the amyloid hypothesis, has shaped research for decades and led to treatments that aim to clear amyloid from the brain. Monoclonal antibody drugs have been approved in recent years for this purpose.

    But they only work in the early stages of the disease. They do not reverse existing damage and may cause serious side-effects such as brain swelling and bleeding. Most importantly, they only target amyloid-beta, leaving tau untreated.

    But in a surprise twist, recent research published by my colleagues and me has found that a protein from Helicobacter pylori – a bacteria best known for causing stomach ulcers – can block the toxic buildup of both amyloid-beta and tau. This unexpected finding may point to a new strategy for the fight against Alzheimer’s disease.

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    Our discovery began with a very different question. We were initially studying how H pylori interacts with other microbes. Some bacteria form protective communities called biofilms, which rely on amyloid assemblies (similar in structure to the plaques which form in the brain) as a structural scaffold. This led us to wonder: could H pylori influence bacterial biofilms by also interfering with amyloid assemblies in humans?

    We turned our attention to a well-known H pylori protein called CagA. While half of the protein is known to trigger harmful effects in human cells (referred to as the C-terminal region), the other half (the protein’s N-terminal region) may have protective properties. To our surprise, this N-terminal fragment, called CagAN, dramatically reduced the formation of both bacterial amyloids and biofilms in the bacterial species Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas.

    Encouraged by these results, we tested whether the same protein fragment could block the buildup of human amyloid-beta proteins. To do this, we incubated amyloid-beta molecules in the lab: some were treated with CagAN, while others were left as normal. We then tracked amyloid formation using a fluorescence reader and an electron microscope.

    The protein derived from H pylori blocked amyloid-beta plaques from forming.
    Signal Scientific Visuals/ Shutterstock

    We found that treated samples had far less amyloid clump formation during the testing period. Even at very low concentrations, CagAN almost completely stopped amyloid-beta from forming amyloid aggregates.

    To understand how CagAN worked, we used nuclear magnetic resonance (which allows us to look at how molecules interact with each other) to examine how the protein interacts with amyloid-beta. We also used computer modelling to investigate possible mechanisms. Remarkably, CagAN also blocked tau aggregation – suggesting it acts on multiple toxic proteins involved in Alzheimer’s disease.

    Blocking the disease

    Our study has shown us that a fragment from the Helicobacter pylori protein can effectively block the buildup of the two proteins that are implicated in Alzheimer’s disease. This suggests that bacterial proteins – or drugs modelled after them – could someday block the earliest signs of Alzheimer’s.

    What’s more, the benefits may extend beyond Alzheimer’s disease.

    In additional experiments, the same bacterial fragment blocked the aggregation of IAPP (a protein involved in type 2 diabetes) and alpha-synuclein (linked to Parkinson’s disease). All of these conditions are driven by the accumulation of toxic amyloid aggregates.

    That a single bacterial fragment could interfere with so many proteins suggests exciting therapeutic potential. Though these conditions affect different parts of the body, they may be linked through cross-talk between amyloid proteins – a shared mechanism that CagAN could help disrupt.

    Of course, it’s important to be clear: this research is still at an early stage. All of our experiments were conducted in lab settings, not yet in animals or humans. Still, the findings open a new path.

    Our study also uncovered the underlying mechanisms for how CagAN blocked the amyloid-beta and tau from forming amyloid aggregates. One of the ways in which CagAN did this was by preventing the proteins from coming together to form clumps. They also prevented small, premature amyloid aggregates from forming as well. In the future, we will continue the detailed mechanism study and evaluate the effects in animal models.

    These results also prompt a question: could H pylori, long seen only as harmful, also have a protective side? Some studies have hinted at a connection between H pylori infection and Alzheimer’s disease, though the relationship remains unclear. Our discovery adds a new layer to this discussion, suggesting that part of H pylori may actually interfere with the molecular events that lead to Alzheimer’s disease.

    That means in the future, we may need to take a more precise and personalised approach. Instead of aiming to eliminate H pylori completely with antibiotics, it might be more important to understand, in different biological contexts, which parts of the bacterium are harmful, and which might actually be beneficial.

    As medicine continues to move toward greater precision, the goal may no longer be to wipe out every microbe, but to understand how some of them might work with us rather than against us.

    Gefei Chen is also affiliated with Uppsala University.

    – ref. Alzheimer’s: bacteria that causes stomach ulcers may protect the brain, our new research indicates – https://theconversation.com/alzheimers-bacteria-that-causes-stomach-ulcers-may-protect-the-brain-our-new-research-indicates-259018

    MIL OSI Analysis –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Boozman Holds Hearing Examining FY26 Budget Request for Military Construction and Family Housing

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Arkansas – John Boozman
    WASHINGTON—U.S. Senator John Boozman (R-AR), Chairman of the Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies (MilCon-VA) Appropriations Subcommittee, held a hearing examining the fiscal year 2026 budget request for military infrastructure and family housing. As a critical force enabler, these projects support everything from infrastructure tied to new weapons platforms to quality-of-life facilities like hospitals, schools and housing. Chairman Boozman emphasized the need to deliver timely, high-quality facilities on schedule and within budget, and expressed his hope that future budget requests reflect efficiencies that lower the cost of individual projects.
    Chairman Boozman delivered the following opening statement, lightly edited for clarity and length:
    Good morning, and the subcommittee will come to order.
    First, I would like to welcome Ranking Member Ossoff and congratulate him on the birth of his second daughter, Lila.  I look forward to working with you on the subcommittee.
    We meet today to discuss the president’s fiscal year 2026 budget request for military construction and family housing for the Department of Defense.
    I would like to begin by recognizing today’s panel. Today we will hear from representatives of all the military services as well as the Office of the Secretary of Defense.
    This year’s MILCON request is $18.9 billion, a figure we only recently received due to significant delays in delivery of the budget to Congress. We on the subcommittee look forward to receiving the justification books and related exhibits, which still have not been delivered but are expected later this month.
    From the data currently available, we know this request is an increase of $1.4 billion over the fiscal year 2025 enacted levels. While I am encouraged to see another year of growth in the MILCON request, I remain concerned that we’re not necessarily buying more, we’re simply paying more.
    Some of these budget numbers are staggering.
    Not that long ago hitting the $100 million mark on a single project was significant—now it has become routine. Increments, once the exception, are increasingly the norm, accounting for nearly $6 billion in this year’s request. That’s more than 40 projects so costly they require incremental funding over multiple years. 
    That may seem normal now, but this was not always the case.
    Multi-billion-dollar recapitalization efforts, combined with the increasing complexity of facilities needed to support today’s weapons systems, are resulting in larger and more complex projects.
    At the same time, inflation and other economic pressures continue to escalate costs. This trajectory is not sustainable and future budget requests cannot continue absorbing these rising costs.
    To that end, I am encouraged by the conversations taking place within the Department that are examining the full range of factors—policies, procedures, regulations and laws—that affect MILCON and its associated costs. Some of these are established by Congress, others stem from DoD policy, and some may be self-imposed. 
    As such, the effort required to drive meaningful changes will vary. But I’m hopeful that these discussions will lead to thoughtful analysis, honest dialogue, and ultimately, real improvements in the efficiency of the MILCON process. 
    Some of this will require close collaboration between Congress and the Department, and I’m committed to being a partner in that effort.
    There will always be factors beyond your control, which makes managing the areas you can control all the more critical. 
    The recent injunction reinstating Project Labor Agreement requirements is a clear example of how external influences can introduce uncertainty and added costs into the MILCON process, costs that are especially difficult to anticipate given how long the current planning, programming and budgeting cycle takes.
    I hope one outcome of the ongoing review directed by the Deputy Secretary of Defense is a faster timeline from project inception to final delivery.
    As a critical force enabler, MILCON supports everything from infrastructure tied to new weapons platforms to quality-of-life facilities like hospitals, schools and housing. We owe it to the servicemember, and the taxpayer, to deliver timely, high-quality facilities on schedule and within budget, and I hope that future budget requests reflect efficiencies that lower the cost of individual projects. 
    I look forward to hearing from our witnesses today and continuing the dialogue and work needed for a successful MILCON program.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Warnock Statement on Medicaid Provisions in Washington Republicans’ Spending Bill

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Reverend Raphael Warnock – Georgia

    Warnock Statement on Medicaid Provisions in Washington Republicans’ Spending Bill

    Senate Finance Republicans released the core text of their spending bill that will cut healthcare for millions of Americans
    As written, the GOP proposal will kick over 1.2 million Georgians off Medicaid 
    Senator Reverend Warnock: “Let me be clear: people on Medicaid are working; these work reporting requirements are nothing more than a cynical ploy to fund a tax cut for the ultra-wealthy”
    Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Reverend Raphael Warnock (D-GA), member of the Senate Finance Committee, issued the following statement after Senate Republicans published text of their spending bill and its cuts to the Medicaid program.“Senate Republicans just released legislation that prioritizes billionaires over working families. They are raising premiums for over 1.2 million Georgians and using bureaucratic tricks to kick millions off Medicaid. Let me be clear: people on Medicaid are working; these work reporting requirements are nothing more than a cynical ploy to fund a tax cut for the ultra-wealthy. Georgia tried to institute reporting requirements and ended up spending five times more on administrative costs than health care costs. Now, Senate Republicans are trying to implement the failed Georgia model nationwide, because their goal is not to get people to work, it’s to kick people off Medicaid. My constituents want folks in Washington to make it easier to pay their grocery bill and lower the cost of living, not take away their health care.”
    “This is a moral fight, and I will continue to stand up on behalf of ordinary people.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Congressman Auchincloss probes corruption of healthcare executives in the Trump Administration

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Jake Auchincloss (Massachusetts, 4)

    June 17, 2025

    Washington, D.C. — Yesterday, Congressman Jake Auchincloss (D-MA) sent letters calling on the boards of health companies True Medicine (TrueMed) and Main Street Health to provide information about conflicts of interest regarding their founders’ roles as special government employees overseeing health policy for the Trump administration: Calley Means of TrueMed, and Brad Smith of Main Street Health.

    Mr. Means currently serves as a White House Advisor and as a Special Government Employee detailed to Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. As a leading policy-maker behind the Trump Administration’s “Make America Healthy Again” (MAHA) initiative, Mr. Means has significant influence in both regulation and legislation. 

    Mr. Smith served as the head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) until his reported departure on May 29, 2025. In this position, Mr. Smith was reportedly the primary official responsible for planning and implementing the major reduction-in-force (RIF) at HHS.

    In these letters, Auchincloss raises concerns that, as special government employees, neither Mr. Means nor Mr. Smith were required to recuse themselves from their private business interests or obtain ethics waivers. Auchincloss cites concerning instances of self-dealing:

    • Mr. Means’ TrueMed creates partnerships with businesses to sell health and wellness products, many of which are not FDA-approved. TrueMed offers  “letters of medical necessity” (LMNs) that enable patients to use pre-tax dollars from their Health Savings Accounts (HSA) to purchase these products. The Executive Order establishing the MAHA commission ordered health agencies to promote this application of HSAs, ultimately suggesting increased revenue for companies like TrueMed. The ‘One Big, Beautiful Bill’ also promotes the use of HSAs. 
    • Mr. Smith’s Main Street Health’s biggest investors are regulated by or transact with the Center for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS), including the largest Medicare Advantage Organizations (MAOs): UnitedHealthcare, Centene, CVS Health Ventures, Elevance, and Humana. These MAOs benefited from the Administration’s reduction in oversight and increase in reimbursement, as well as from Mr. Smith’s ability to win favor with CMS by protecting personnel from RIFs .

    Auchincloss has called on the boards of TrueMed and Main Street Health to explain the apparent conflicts of interest involving their executives and the steps they took internally to prevent self-dealing, as their founders gained control over our nation’s public health agencies. 

    Full copies of the letters can be found below: 

    Letter to Calley Means 

    Letter to True Medicine 

    Letter to Main Street Health

    ###

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Following Reports of USPS Reversing Decision, Rosen, Cortez Masto Send Letter Demanding USPS Recommit to Keeping Local Mail in Nevada

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Jacky Rosen (D-NV)

    Last Year, Senator Rosen Led The Bipartisan Effort To Keep Postal Operations In Nevada And Stop USPS Relocation Of Local Letter Mail Processing To California
    WASHINGTON, DC – Today, U.S. Senators Jacky Rosen (D-NV) and Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV) sent a letter to Acting U.S. Postmaster General Doug Tulino and the Board of Governors demanding that the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) recommit to keeping local letter mail processing in Nevada. Despite announcing last year that local first-class letter mail would continue to be processed in Reno in response to a Rosen-led bipartisan push, the USPS has removed the press release containing the announcement from their website, and Nevadans have reported seeing local, first-class letter mail being processed out of state.
    “On April 23, 2024, USPS officially announced its decision to proceed with its misguided plan to downsize and relocate outgoing mail processing operations from Reno, Nevada to Sacramento, California. After immense pushback from members of Congress, local officials, and the public, USPS agreed to keep local, first-class letter mail processing operations in Reno rather than moving forward with its plan to send local letter mail out of state to Sacramento and back again,” wrote the Senators. “In an August 2024 press release that has since been taken down from the USPS website, USPS officials announced that ‘[t]here will be no change to the location for canceling certain origination mail in Reno. In simpler terms, outgoing single piece mail will continue to be processed at its current location.’”
    “We are therefore alarmed to hear concerns from Nevadans that local, first-class letter mail processing operations may indeed move out of state,” they continued. “As such, we would like for the Postal Service to reaffirm its commitment to the public to not proceed with its original misguided plan, and provide us with the official USPS policy at the Reno facility with respect to local, first-class letter mail processing.”
    Senator Rosen led the fight to protect local postal operations and both Senators have consistently pushed back against the Postal Service’s misguided plan. Last year, Senator Rosen introduced bipartisan legislation with Senator Cortez Masto to stop USPS from implementing its plan to relocate outgoing mail processing from Reno to Sacramento. Senator Rosen also held a press conference with Governor Joe Lombardo in May of 2024 to reaffirm their strong, bipartisan opposition to the proposed downsizing and relocation of outgoing mail processing by the United States Postal Service. 
    The full letter can be found HERE.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: China is ready to cooperate with Turkmenistan to fully realize the potential of cooperation based on mutually beneficial interaction – Xi Jinping /detailed version-1/

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian – People’s Republic of China in Russian –

    Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News

    ASTANA, June 17 (Xinhua) — China is ready to cooperate with Turkmenistan to fully unleash the potential of cooperation based on mutual respect and win-win cooperation, Chinese President Xi Jinping said Tuesday during a meeting with Turkmen President Serdar Berdimuhamedov on the sidelines of the 2nd China-Central Asia Summit in Astana, the capital of Kazakhstan.

    Noting that China and Turkmenistan enjoy strong political mutual trust, strong will for cooperation and complementary advantages, Xi Jinping stressed that China hopes to further comprehensively expand the depth, breadth and scale of bilateral cooperation with Turkmenistan and advance the construction of a China-Turkmen community with a shared future.

    The Chinese leader pointed out that the two sides should effectively integrate the Belt and Road Initiative and Turkmenistan’s strategy of “Reviving the Great Silk Road.” He called on China and Turkmenistan to step up cooperation in the natural gas sector, explore opportunities for cooperation in non-resource sectors, optimize trade structure, and strengthen regional connectivity.

    Xi Jinping called for more cultural exchanges to be held in China and Turkmenistan on the basis of the China-Turkmenistan cross-cultural years, and for the establishment of cultural centers in both countries to be accelerated, promoting connectivity between their peoples. The Chinese president also called on the two countries to strengthen cooperation in law enforcement, security and defense, jointly combat the “three evil forces” (terrorism, extremism and separatism), and enhance cooperation in cybersecurity.

    Xi Jinping stressed that China, adhering to the policy of a good, secure and prosperous neighborliness and the principles of amity, sincerity, mutual benefit and inclusiveness, is willing to use the high-quality joint construction of the Belt and Road as a major platform to jointly build a better future with neighboring countries including Turkmenistan.

    According to the Chinese leader, China supports Turkmenistan’s accession to the World Trade Organization and its productive holding of the upcoming 5th meeting of foreign ministers of Afghanistan’s neighboring countries, and is pleased to see how Turkmenistan, as an eternally neutral state, is playing an increasingly constructive role in international affairs.

    Xi Jinping expressed China’s intention to strengthen coordination and cooperation with Turkmenistan on international and regional issues, jointly safeguard the multilateral trading system and uphold the common interests of the Global South. –0–

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Canada: Public invited to learn about improvements to Highway 14-Idlemore intersection

    Safety improvements are planned for the intersection at Highway 14 and Idlemore Road in Sooke and a public information session about the project will be held.

    Staff from the Ministry of Transportation and Transit will present information including design details for the improved intersection, which will increase safety and ease the flow of traffic for drivers, pedestrians and people cycling or rolling in the area.

    These safety improvements will also provide better access to Saseenos Elementary school and support future economic development opportunities for T’Sou-ke First Nation.

    The information session will be Monday, June 23, 2025, 4-7 p.m. at the Saseenos Elementary school gymnasium (6066 Sooke Rd., Sooke). Staff will provide a design overview and be available to answer questions about the project.

    Learn More:

    More information about the project can be found at: https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/transportation-projects/other-transportation-projects/highway-14-idlemore

    MIL OSI Canada News –